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St.
Leonard Catholic Parish
"Welcome Back and Happy
Father's Day!"
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We
are open for the public observance of Mass this weekend at 15% of our
seating capacity (46 attendees per Mass). All social distancing
restrictions continue to be in force and all attendees must continue
to wear a mask. Pre-registration is required for all weekend
Masses.
Kindly
register here for this weekend: (stleonardsparishca.flo...) or
through the St. Leonard website on an ongoing basis. Registration for
the following weekend's Masses will be open starting Monday morning.
If you do not have a computer, please contact Susan in the
Parish office before noon on Fridays and she will gladly help you
out.
All
weekend and weekday Masses from St. Leonard's will be Livestreamed at
the time that they are scheduled to our YouTube Channel. To visit
this site click here. The 4:30 pm Saturday Mass will be recorded and made
available on Saturday evening here.
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The Lord's Speech to Job • Job 38:1, 8-11
Psalm
107:23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31 The
Ministry of Reconciliation • 2 Corinthians
5:14-17
The Storm on the Sea • Mark 4:35-41
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Pastor's Message: Jesus Calms the
Storm
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The
first thing that comes to mind when one hears this Sunday’s Gospel
passage of Jesus calming the seas is how closely it relates to what
we have been going through for the last 14 months with the Covid-19
pandemic. Like the fear felt by the Apostles when they were tossed
about in a violent storm, we too have been thrown into a situation
where we may we have felt that our very lives were in danger. How did
we respond to the fear that descended upon us and might we too have
heard Jesus say, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
(Mark 4:40)
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In a
sense, this passage is holding up a mirror for us, inviting us to
look at our own lives and to consider how we respond when all hell
seems to be breaking out around us. Do we revert to an unenlightened
fear as we try to hold onto some illusion of control, or do we find
hope and confidence in what has been revealed to us about God’s power
and action, even if we might not be able to recognize it in the
moment?
in
our readings today the overriding message that comes through loudly
is that God is in control. The First Reading presents God’s response
to Job’s question about all the problems which have befallen him.
God demonstrates the divine wisdom and power by pointing to the
fact that no one assists God in the process of creating a powerful
storm. The Responsorial Psalm proclaims God’s mighty acts as
seen by sailors during turbulent times on the sea. In the
Second Reading, St. Paul proclaims that Jesus is the new creation and
that those who are joined to Him are renewed and become part of His new
creation.
The
Gospel presents Jesus and His disciples embarking on the sea after a
full day of teaching and preaching to the people. Jesus falls
fast asleep aboard the ship. As a storm blows across the sea,
the disciples become so frightened that they awake Jesus. After
rebuking the storm, He turns and chides His disciples for their lack
of faith. At this point they were filled with great awe and said to
one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” (Mark
4:41)
The
question we need to ask ourselves is, why has the global pandemic
caused us to be scared or even terrified? I believe the answer lies
in our feelings of loss of control. Just as the disciples were not in
control of the wind and the waves, we had no control over the
Covid-19 virus. We were totally at the mercy of nature, and the mercy
of God. But when our faith increases, our fear will decrease. The two
best ways to increase our faith in a time of crisis is to ask Jesus
to “to help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24) and to remember the times in the
past where He has been at our side all the way through our own
personal storm.
God genuinely wants the best for us and is working in our lives even
while we face the most turbulent times. God is not inflicting
us with problems but is with us through the problems. He could have
created a world without such difficulties but then we would not have
the freedom to make choices to love and be loved. Because God
has empowered us with the ability to choose and make decisions and
reflect on what we do, we experience a world in which we can see
disorder. We must place our trust in God for, in the end, He
will lead us to an eternally safe haven where we will experience the
fullness of life without problems.
At the height of the pandemic last spring, Pope Francis shared his
insights into this very same scripture passage when he gave the Urbi
et Orbi Blessing. Let me close with his final thoughts: ““Why are you
afraid? Have you no faith”? Faith begins when we realize we are in
need of salvation. We are not self-sufficient; by ourselves we
founder: we need the Lord, like ancient navigators needed the stars.
Let us invite Jesus into the boats of our lives. Let us hand over our
fears to him so that he can conquer them. Like the disciples, we will
experience that with him on board there will be no shipwreck. Because
this is God’s strength: turning to the good everything that happens
to us, even the bad things. He brings serenity into our storms,
because with God life never dies.”
God bless you folks, Father Gerard

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A Prayer for Fathers’ Day
Good and gracious God, you showed us
the importance of fathers when you chose Joseph to care for your Son.
Bless all the fathers who share your
unconditional love with their children.
Bring comfort to those fathers who
have lost children, or are estranged from their children, and all
those who mourn the loss of their beloved fathers.
Share your blessings with all those
who yearn for a father’s love and heal those wounded by a father’s
fallibilities.
Bless all men who mentor and nurture
children who are not their own and become fathers to children who
need them.
Help us, the sons and daughters of
their hearts and bodies, to return their love and honor them as Jesus
honored Joseph. Amen
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Registration
is required for all Weekend Masses. Please note that no reservations
are required for Weekday Masses. You can make reservations by
visiting stleonardsparish.ca/... or, if you
don't have a computer, by calling the parish office at (613) 692-4254
.
- Wednesday-Friday: 9 am
- Saturday: 4:30 pm
- Sunday: 9:00 am and 11:00 am
Saturday
3:00 pm to 4:15 pm
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All
Weekend and Weekday Masses from St. Leonard's will be Livestreamed at
the time that they are scheduled to our YouTube Channel. To visit
this site click here.
The 4:30 pm Saturday Mass will be recorded and made available on
Saturday evening here.
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Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon
Bishop
Barron’s Sunday Sermons will air every Sunday morning at 8:15 AM
Eastern Time. Click on Bishop Barron’s YouTube channel and then chose the Sunday you wish to view.
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Join Father Gerard for the Trip of a
Lifetime!
Save the Date, Spring 2022
Next
Spring from April 28th to May 8th, Father Gerard will be providing the
spiritual leadership on the trip of lifetime to tour Egypt and its
world of ancient wonders. Marvel at the magnificent structures in the
Giza Pyramids and Great Sphinx in Cairo, admire the sophisticated
giant statues and pillars in the Temples of Luxor and Karnak, embark
on a relaxing and luxurious Nile River Cruise and felucca boat ride
for fascinating natural sceneries and spectacular ancient monuments
along the river. Mass will be offered each day and their will be
ample time for spiritual reflection. For further details click here.
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Please
remember your local parish during these extraordinary circumstances.
If you are able to provide financial support to St. Leonard's, please
consider making a donation online or by Interac e-transfer. You can also mail your envelope to the Church at the
following address: St. Leonard Parish, 5332 Long Island Road,
Manotick, ON, K4M 1E8
Thank You
for Your Financial Support!
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COVID IS WINDING DOWN... NOW WHAT?
Catholicism
after Coronavirus: A Post-COVID Guide for Catholics and Parishes from
Bishop Barron's Word on Fire organization offers advice from 14
Catholic evangelists on what Catholic leaders and parishes should do
next.
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For Kids, Francis: The Odyssey: A
Journey Back Home
King
Ulysses has just won the Trojan War. All he wants now is to return to
his wife Penelope and their young son. But his journey home becomes a
long and dangerous adventure. Ulysses will have to test his courage
and ingenuity to the limit if he's going to see his family ever
again! Meanwhile, Penelope and her son use their own wits and loyalty
to keep evil Antinous from taking over as king and stealing all that
is dear to their family.
Let featured hosts–mischievous Barney Owl and Grandpa Owl–give you
the ride of your life into The Odyssey: A Journey Back Home. It is a
delightful, exciting, and hilarious adaptation of Homer's timeless
tale of family, love, and unity. Watch Here.
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