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FOURTH SUNDAY
IN
LENT
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CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST |
| Our Lady of Victory |
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St. Malachy |
| Sunday - 9:00 A.M. |
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Saturday - 7:00 P.M. |
F O O D F O R T H O U G H T
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| Reading I |
Joshua 5.9a, 10 - 12 |
Responsorial Psalm |
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord |
| Reading II |
2 Corinthians 5.17 - 21 |
Gospel |
Luke 15. 1 – 3, 11 - 32 |
| Food for Thought |
- When do I do a quick scan of this story, where does my gaze lie? Is it in the abandonment, the dream gone sour, the degradation and squalor? Or, do I go straight to the picture of the father scanning the horizon, the compassion, the re-conciliation and the forgiveness?
- My spontaneous indication might tell me something about what I need to learn from this scripture.
- Where am I in my journey? Am I walking out the door? Am I in a foreign land? Or, am I on my way home?
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Pastor |
William Marrevee s.c.j. |
Email |
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Rectory |
490 Charles Street
Gatineau, Québec J8L 2K5 |
Secretary |
Monday and Thursday 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. |
Telephone |
(819) 986-3763 |
Fax |
(819) 986-9889 |
ARE YOU NEW TO OUR PARISH? WELCOME!
Welcome to those who want to make our parish their faith home. You may have come from other places. You may have been “away for a while”. Be assured that we love to have you among us. We would appreciate it very much if you identified yourself at Mass. It would also help if you would take the time to fill out a registration form. The next time you are with us, you may leave it in the collection basket or give it to one of the ushers or to the priest. Thank you and welcome.
M A S S S C H E D U L E |
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| WED. |
Mar. 21st - 9:00 a.m. |
OLV |
All Parishioners by the Pastor |
| SAT. |
Mar. 24th - 7:00 p.m. |
St. Malachy |
Drew Dunlop by Ellen & Alvin Butler |
| SUN. |
Mar. 25th - 9:00 a.m. |
OLV |
Deceased Members of the McFaul family by Hugh
Deceased family members and friends of the Renwick family by Norah |
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LENT - WE CLIMB THE HOLY MOUNTAIN OF EASTER - ON THE WAY TO APRIL 5th-8th!
Yes, there is an end to Lent! And it is fast approaching. But the end of Lent is the very purpose for which we observe Lent: to make us ready for the annual celebration of the central mystery of our faith: the saving death and resurrection of Jesus the Lord.
This is not simply a remembering of an event that took place almost 2000 years ago. Rather, it is a bringing into focus and celebrating what is taking place now: Christ’s dying and rising in us who are His Body ever so slowly as we are on our way to full sharing in Christ’s glory.
Of course, it is still a few weeks away, but why not make plans now to make sure that the Three Great Days (Triduum), Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Saturday/Sunday are not just another long weekend. For us as Christians they are not holidays, but Holy Days. If at any time of the year it should be visible that we are Christians, it is on these Three Great Days with their special services.
Holy Thursday: |
April 05th |
OLV |
7:30 p.m. |
Mass of the Lord’s Supper |
Good Friday: |
April 06th |
OLV |
3:00 p.m. |
Celebration of the Lord’s Passion |
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OLV |
7:00 p.m. |
Reflection/Mediation |
Holy Saturday: |
April 07th |
OLV |
9:00 p.m. |
Easter Vigil |
Easter Sunday: |
April 08th |
St. Malachy |
9:00 a.m. |
Eucharist |
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OLV |
11:00 a.m. |
Eucharist |
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WILL THE INSERT IN THIS SUNDAY’S BULLETIN HELP?
One of the handicaps with the services of the Three Great Days is that they are different from an “ordinary Mass”. They strike us as long and perhaps even complicated. We use Bible texts, prayers, typically Christian symbols that are not very familiar to us (or perhaps too familiar such as water, light, Cross, Candle) so that we wonder what the fuss is all about.
The fuss is really about Jesus Christ, above all in his giving his life for us and in his being raised from the dead for us. There is nothing more central in the Christian faith. And once a year we want to place them front and center so that as Christians we may know where we have our Christian identity from.
That is what we do in the services of the Three Great Days, starting Holy Thursday evening, Good Friday, Easter Saturday/Sunday. In some way you could say they make up one liturgy with fairly long “intermissions”. An outline of these services is given in the insert to this Sunday’s bulletin. A little more familiarity with them may result in more people taking part in them. And, more importantly, we may discover how faith-forming they are.
THE DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE “SHARE LENT” COLLECTION - DIFFERENT
In the course of the year we have a number of special collections for a variety of causes. The Development and Peace Share Lent collection to be held next Sunday is different. Ideally, what we put in there is what we .have accumulated during all of Lent by our fasting. That also means that you may want to hold off making your contribution until Lent is finished (Holy Thursday). That is fine as long as you clearly indicate it as meant for Development and Peace.
Handing in that envelope at the next few Sundays is a real Easter gesture. Imagine that new life we can bring to the developing world by our Lenten effort!
IN PREPARATION FOR EASTER - RECONCILIATION/CONFESSION
If the season of Lent is about conversion, repentance and renewal, then it is quite appropriate to celebrate that in The Sacrament of Reconciliation We can celebrate it in two ways: in a more individual way and in a communal way.
The individual way of celebrating God’s forgiveness in our lives (by “going to confession”) has been a unique feature for us as Catholics. But that is no longer the case for many of us. Is one of the reasons that we have focused too much on how bad we are instead of on how good and gracious God is? It would certainly be unfortunate if we were to lose this sacrament as an important means for this sacrament of God’s forgiveness.
God’s forgiveness can also be celebrated in a communal way. This communal celebration is not meant as an easy substitute for the individual confession. Both forms complement one another. They both help us acknowledge our need for God’s unmerited mercy and forgiveness in light of our sinfulness.
AS PART OF PREPARATION FOR EASTER |
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Individual Confessions
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Sunday |
April 01st |
After Penitential Service |
Tuesday |
April 02nd |
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Communal Penitential /Reconciliation Service
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Sunday |
April 01st |
7:00 p.m. |
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FELLOWSHIP WITHOUT SOME “GOODIES” DOES NOT WORK SO WELL
It was my suggestion that we would have our Fellowship on the first Sunday of this month without the customary cookies and cakes. The reason for this was the fact that it was in the middle of Lent. In this case we could still meet, but in keeping with Lent we would meet without the little extras. It would be some sort of fasting, some sort of gesture of solidarity with the many in our world who go without these extras most of their life. However, the fact that so few staid around for fellowship might have been an indication that the rationale for this simpler form of fellowship was not very convincing.
“EMBRACING OUR BELOVEDNESS” WAS A HELPFUL EXPERIENCE
This refers to last Saturday’s parish retreat With the help of Rafael and his L’Arche community members a good number of us spent a good part of the day reflecting on the beautiful parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). We listened to and reflected on this Gospel story through the prism of Rembrandt’s painting on the parable and through the glasses of Henri Nouwen’s meditation (with a touch of Jean Vanier’s vision). What a worthwhile way to spend a Saturday in Lent.
THIS COMING TUESDAY, MARCH 20th, PARENTS OF FIRST COMMUNION CANDIDATES MEET
Preparing for First Communion is not only for the children. It is a family and parish affair. That is the reason for this coming Tuesday’s meeting, 7:30 p.m.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS DURING LENT
Stations of the Cross will be Friday evenings at 7:00 p.m.
JOINT PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL MEETING
The next meeting will be held at 7:15 pm on Monday, March 19th, in the conference room.
CHOIR PRACTICE
OLV choir practice will be held on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m.
| W E E K L Y R E C E I P T S |
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| Date |
Collection |
OLV |
St. Malachy |
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| Mar. 11th |
Regular |
$ 510.00 |
$ 262.00 |
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