A sincere welcome to those who are new among us. We hope you find a warm and welcoming faith-home with us. Please introduce yourself after Mass and call the Rectory to register.

THE CHRISTMAS SEASON “COMES TO A CLOSE”
For the last six weeks we have been in one of the Church’s high seasons: Advent — Christmas (the other high season is Lent — Easter). The focus of this 6-week season is on the coming of Jesus Christ.

During Advent we have made an attempt to make us more aware of what Christ came for and what he still needs to come for: a wounded, disjointed, chaotic world. The display of news paper clippings at the entrance to the church during the Advent Season tried to evoke that. Did it work? It is hard to say.

This coming week we move back into what in Church language is called Ordinary Time. It is most noticeable by the green vestments that the priest wears in that season, but it also shows in the Scripture readings chosen for this season and in the orientation of the Church’s prayers. We will be in that mode until February 21 when the forty day Lenten period begins.

“WHY DO WE STILL SING ‘MARANATHA. COME, LORD JESUS, COME!’? WE HAVE JUST CELEBRATED THAT HE HAS COME!
Yes, what we celebrate in the Christmas Season is the coming of Jesus Christ that took place some 2000 years ago. But that coming of Jesus Christ is not limited to that moment in time. In fact, his full coming in all his glory still lies ahead. That is what as Christians we hope for (do we really?) as is mentioned in every Mass: “as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.” Moreover, that coming of Jesus Christ applies as well to the proclamation of the Scriptures and the celebration of the sacraments. In other words, the coming of Jesus Christ is sort of “three-dimensional” as was so well captured in the lines we used in the Advent Season:

You came to gather the nations in to the peace of God’s Kingdom.
You come in word and sacrament to strengthen us in holiness.
You will come in glory with salvation for your people.

The celebration of Christmas is supposed to make us look forward with greater fervour to Christ’s coming in glory, an echo of the second last verse of the last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation: “Come, Lord Jesus!”

SOME HELP WITH SUNDAY MASS
Serving O.L.V, St. Al’s, St. Malachy, and St. Columban parishes is not an impossible task. It is, in fact, quite manageable, except for the fact that none of the four parishes can have their Sunday Mass exactly at the time that they would prefer.

What I have not been able to give enough attention to is my job as Episcopal Vicar for the English parishes in our diocese. It has something to do with being the bishop’s “point man” for the English parishes. But how can I be that when, except for the four parishes here and St. Mark’s in Aylmer, I hardly know the five parishes served by Father Godbout and the three parishes served by Father Rooney.

I am going to make an attempt to meet that challenge (one of those New Year resolutions?) by going, at times, to the Sunday Mass and some parish activities and meetings in these other parishes. To make that possible Father Paul Mbav, a Holy Ghost Father from Congo residing at College St-Alexandre, will until the end of June share with me presiding over our Sunday Masses. We have not worked out a precise schedule for that; it depends on a number of factors that are not entirely clear at this point. But you will have Father Paul Mbav presiding at our Masses every so often. We are most grateful for his willingness to do that.

“WHY DON’T WE GET THE CIBORIUM FROM THE TABERNACLE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION?”
That is done at most churches: the ministers of communion come forward, one of them goes to the tabernacle, takes the ciborium from the tabernacle, places it on the altar and communion is distributed from it. That is a very bad habit; and we are not supposed to do that sort of thing. Communion is to be taken from the bread and wine that are consecrated at this particular Mass. It is only when we run out that we can use the consecrated hosts that are in the tabernacle.

Are we nitpicking? Perhaps. But much depends on how we see the tabernacle. It is not meant to be (and I don’t mean to sound disrespectful) a storage place for consecrated hosts to be used at later Masses. The primary purpose for the tabernacle is to hold some consecrated hosts so that the dying and the sick can receive communion at a time convenient to them. The tabernacle can also hold a larger consecrated host for the purpose of exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. And when, for example, at a funeral Mass too many hosts were consecrated, they can be kept in the tabernacle. These then can be used when we have run out of consecrated hosts at a Sunday Mass.

But the normal practice is that we receive communion from the bread and wine consecrated during the Mass that we are part of.

THE CHRISTMAS CONCERT
The Christmas concert which was held on December 20th as a fundraiser had a total profit of $1,620.00, with $540.00 going to each of OLV, St. Malachy and the Chanterelle. Our thanks to everyone who made this possible.

WARDEN’S MEETING
- Thursday January 11th, 7:00 p.m.

SYMPATHY & PRAYERS
Our sympathy to the families of Carmel Ryan and Kay Cosgrove. Please remember Carmel & Kay in your prayers.

THANK YOU TO THE COUNTRY CLUB 2000
We wish to thank the Country Club 2000 for their generous donation of $150.00 to each parish (OLV and St. Malachy) towards the fuel costs.

REMINDER
Irish Dancing lessons will resume on January 13th. If any new students wish to register you may do so by calling 613-739-7565.

PAINTING, ARTS & CRAFTS
A group of local people meet every Monday from 1-3 p.m. in OLV Parish hall to do painting, or any arts & crafts that may interest you. The cost is $2:00 per week. There is no instructor. This is done on your own in a nice quiet environment. Every one is welcome. You may contact Lorraine at 986-3987 for more information.