St. Leonard Catholic Parish

Manotick, Ont

"Love God and Love One Another"

This Sunday our Gospel reading encourages us to love God and to love one another. As we start to emerge from the fear and loss of the global pandemic, these words have a very special relevance. Both as a faith community and as individual disciples of Christ, we must continue to trust in God’s love and remain united in our love for one another.

Province of Ontario – Plan to Safely Reopen Ontario and Manage COVID-19 for the Long-Term

On October 22, 2021, the Province of Ontario announced “A Plan to Safely Reopen Ontario and Manage COVID-19 for the Long-Term”. Among the changes it brings are:
• Meeting and event spaces, such as banquet halls and conference/convention centres are no longer required to maintain physical distancing when proof of vaccination is required to enter;
• Religious services may choose to require proof of vaccination with the benefit of no longer being required to maintain physical distancing;

Archbishop Marcel requests that parishes continue with the current procedures including physical distancing (and not choosing to start proof of vaccination) for all religious services for the time being.

Mass Readings: The 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Great Commandment • Deuteronomy 6:2-6 

Psalm 18:2-3a, 3b-4, 47+51 

Jesus, the Eternal High Priest • Hebrews 7:23-28 

The Greatest Commandment • Mark 12:28b-34 

Sunday Reflection: The Law of Love

And we are called to imitate the love that Christ showed us in laying His life down on the Cross (see 1 John 3:16). As we hear in today’s Epistle, by His perfect sacrifice on the Cross, He once and for all makes it possible for us to approach God.

There is no greater love than to lay down your life (see John 15:13). This is perhaps why Jesus tells the scribe in today’s Gospel that he is not far from the kingdom of God. The scribe recognizes that the burnt offerings and sacrifices of the old Law were meant to teach Israel that it is love that God desires (see Hosea 6:6). The animals offered in sacrifice were symbols of the self-sacrifice, the total gift of our selves, that God truly desires.

We are called today to examine our hearts. Do we have other loves that get in the way of our love for God? Do we love others as Jesus has loved us (see John 13:34–35)? Do we love our enemies and pray for those who oppose and persecute us (see Matthew 5:44)?

Let us tell the Lord we love Him, as we do in today’s Psalm. And let us take His Word to heart, that we might prosper and have life eternal in His kingdom, the heavenly homeland flowing with milk and honey. 

Dr. Scott Hahn

Click here for the audio version

Worship

Regular Mass Times

Please note that we are still in Phase 3 of the Ontario Reopening Plan and physical distancing of 2 metres will remain in place. All attendees must continue to wear a mask. We would ask that you continue to pre-register for all weekend Masses so that we may retain adequate crowd control. Based on our experience over the last several months (ie., family configurations, # of no-shows, etc.) we are increasing our sign up limit to 98 for each of our 3 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.  You can make reservations by visiting stleonardsparish.ca/... or, If you do not have a computer, please contact Susan in the Parish office at (613) 692-4254 before noon on Fridays and she will gladly help you out. 

Please note that no reservations are required for Weekday Masses. 

Regular Confession times

Saturday 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm

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.

Service : Assisting Seniors

The Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Women’s League at St. Leonard’s Parish are starting an initiative to assist seniors.  To start, we are organizing an event to assist with work outside the home on Saturday the 6^th of November or in case of rain, the 13^th of November.  If you or a family member are interested in some assistance (raking leaves, tidying up, small repairs), please contact vince.thomson@mcgill.c...  or 613-425-2713. 

Join Father Gerard for the Trip of a Lifetime! 

Information Session Thurs, Nov 4th at 7 pm

All those interested in joining Fr. Gerard Plant on the "Wonders of Egypt and The Nile River" trip in April of 2022 are invited to an information/orientation session Thursday, Nov 4th at 7pm in the Parish Hall of St Leonard Parish. If you would like to attend this full presentation and question period, please contact Susan in the office (office@stleonardsparis...) to register. 

For further details on the trip click here.

Stewardship        

Faith Formation

For Children: Totally Toddler, The Numbers

If you wish to schedule an appointment with Father Gerard or for any other administrative requirements please contact the Parish Office by email (office@stleonardsparis...) or by phone at (613) 692-4254.