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.

THE LITURGIES OF THE THREE GREAT DAYS - A SUMMARY OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
Looking for a summary of the Christian faith we may be inclined to go to the Church’s Catechism. That is not a bad place to go to. But we find the Christian faith just as authoritatively summed up in the Church’s liturgy. That is especially true of the liturgies of the Three Great Days that we experienced last week.

Which liturgies are we talking about? The ones that start on Holy Thursday evening and conclude on Easter Sunday. The sequence of services that mark these three days forms one liturgy in different stages. What holds these services together? It is the crucified, buried and risen Christ! It is the Passover of the Lord Jesus that we celebrate, his passing from this world to the Father. But Jesus Christ is not a solitary individual. We have become part of Jesus Christ, we have become his Body so that it is Jesus Christ who takes us with him in his Passover. It is our Passover too.

Many thanks to those who made these liturgies happen, those who made the church be in shape for that, those who led us in the singing (and there was much of that!), those who served our community in the different ministries that are part of these liturgies, and those who celebrated with us.

IMPORTANT WORKSHOP COMING UP FOR THE ENGLISH PARISHES IN OUR DIOCESE - Saturday, April 28 - 9 a.m. to 12 noon at Our Lady of Annunciation parish
Members of Parish Pastoral Councils, members of the Fabriques, members of parish committees, parish ministries, all interested parishioners are summoned to come together for some serious work. We will be looking at the topic Parishes Becoming Communities that are Schools of Catechesis. If you are wondering what that is all about, that is the best reason to join us.

Twice a year, the English parishes of our diocese come together to work on projects that we all are struggling with. We are all facing considerable challenges today. Let us try to meet them together instead of going our own way. May we count on you?

A PERSONAL NOTE
Many of you have heard that in the course of the summer I will be going to St. Mark’s in Aylmer. That change is due to the fact that Father Joy Paul, a priest from India who has been pastor of St. Mark’s for the past six years, is going back to his own diocese.

I realize that this change is creating some uneasiness in the four parishes I am presently serving, because at this point it is not clear yet who will replace me here. Bishop Ebacher and the Vicar General Father Philippe Gendron are aware of that and they are working diligently on finding a solution that will meet the needs of our four parishes. Naturally, in trying to find a solution they also count on the cooperation of the four parishes involved.

The impact of the shortage and aging of priests is not an issue of the distant future, but is already here.

Let us hope that the Spirit promised by Jesus will help us find a workable solution. (signed Bill Marrevee)

AN INTERESTING STUDY OF CATHOLICISM IN QUEBEC
The Ottawa Citizen of Saturday April 7th reported on a study of Catholicism in Quebec by sociologist Reginald W. Bibby. In some way, it confirms what we know already in fact and it reveals the difficult paradox we are working with. “Even if Quebecers aren’t churchgoers (one of five Catholics in Quebec goes to church at least once a month) they still claim to be Roman Catholics, and expect the church to marry them, bury them and baptize their children.”

Some of the observations made by Bibby raise some uneasy questions for me and, I imagine, for many of us. “It is a stunning thing to see the large numbers of those who still look to the Catholic church, and who have their own ideas about religion, who are not about to turn elsewhere. It is hard to figure out how much of their identification with Catholicism is cultural and how much of it is religious..., trying to separate one from the other is extremely difficult. The church in Quebec is missing the opportunity to rebuild its congregations by neglecting its faithful. You can’t expect Roman Catholics to show up in church every Sunday just because they call themselves Catholics. They have to feel something is happening there.” Does that have something to do with what our bishop describes as “the Gospel no longer seeming pertinent to today’s social, cultural and religious context”?

In all honesty, I don’t quite know what to make of the easy and frequently used line “I am Catholic, but...” I may even use that line myself on occasion, but what is missing — it seems to me — is any reference to faith in Jesus Christ. In that case, I am not referring to some vague memory of a Jesus who lived some 2000 years ago, but to Jesus Christ who is now living and “with whom I am clothed”, says the baptismal formula. Where is the now living Jesus Christ in all our musings about Catholicism?

The times we are experiencing are not easy. Quite a challenge!

PPC MEETING
The Joint Parish Pastoral Council Meeting will be held on Monday, April 16th, 7:15 p.m. in the conference room.

FIRST COMMUNION PREPARATION
The next preparation session will be on Saturday April 21st at 9: a.m. This is for parents and children.

OLV SPAGHETTI SUPPER FUNDRAISER APRIL 27TH - OLV PARISH CHRUCH HALL

Cocktails:	4:00 pm
Supper:	6:30 pm.
Silent Auction:	4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Cost:	Adults: Children (7-14) “Little Ones” (0-6)	$10.00 $5.00 FREE

Tickets are available after mass on Sundays and at the office on Mondays and Thursdays 1:00 p.m – 4:00 p.m. (986-3763) Please reserve that date.