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St. Leonard Catholic Parish
Manotick, Ont
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Monthly E-Newsletter for November 2017
Thank you for subscribing to the St. Leonard's monthly E-Newsletter.
If you know someone who might benefit from this E-Newsletter, please forward it to them. May they know us by our love!
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Pastor's Message Nov 1st
Make Love the Rule and the Motive of Our Lives
Why am I so focused on love this year? Here's why. God who is love created us in an act of love. Each of us was conceived and born into this world only because we were loved and wanted by God. What does He ask of us in return? In the grand plan, provided by the message, life, and person of Jesus, we Christians are called to be channels of love to one another.
God asks us to do something loving with our lives, to glorify God by using all of our gifts to the fullest. His greatest commandment to us is to make our lives an act of love. His general rule simply asks us to make love the rule and the motive of my life. Service is one of the ways that we put our love into action. If we make love the rule and constant motive of our life we will be very happy. Have you ever noticed that the more you give, the happier you are?
If I am to accept His will and commandment, then at the crossroads of every personal interaction, I must only ask this: What is the loving thing to do, to be, to say? Am I really listening to this person? Will this cause harm or will it do good? Is this responding to the bad with the better? Does this person feel loved by me?
Psychologists and Christian wisdom down through the centuries have always been right about this issue of human happiness. Unhappiness represents a failure to love. We must try to come to a clear knowledge that happiness can come to us only as a result of love and a life motivated by love. My deepest desire is for all of you to be happy here in this world and the next. Thus my call to all of you is to let
l
ove be the rule and the motive of your life. And when our days are done here on earth, and we are asked that one question (Have you loved?), may we be able to answer humbly and truthfully,
"Yes, I have loved!"
God bless, Father Titus
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Parish Mission: Sunday Nov 18 to Wednesday Nov 22 (Evenings)
Plan to attend our Fall Mission. Once again,
Fr Eugene O'Reilly will lead us in an inspiring retreat that will run for four consecutive evenings on the topics of God's Love and the Call to Discipleship. You are welcome to attend one or all of the evenings.
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Growing your Faith: FORMED renewed for 1 year!
FORMED Resources for November
"Give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thes. 5:18). As Catholics, we have a preeminent source of our thanksgiving in the Eucharist. In fact, the word "Eucharist" itself means "thanksgiving"! This month, may we be especially grateful for the gift of the Most Holy Eucharist.
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Study
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For Children
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Listen
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If you are new to FORMED, to get ongoing FREE ACCESS to all programs and downloadable PDF guides, movies and e-books please
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Personal Spiritual Practices: Prayer and Scripture Study
Though prayer is one of the essentials of a thriving faith, we often feel as if we're talking to ourselves or, worse, as if we're talking to no one at all. How can something so vital to the Faith be so elusive? Last year we ran a study group on this series in the Parish and it was extremely well received. Check it out!
In six video sessions,
Prayer: Finding Intimacy with God captures the secret to opening our hearts and minds to Scripture as the means to hear from God and then respond in conversation, basking in his presence and resolving to live in and through his love.
Engaging and accessible,
Prayer: Finding Intimacy With God includes:
- The Lectio Divina approach of Reading, Reflecting, Responding, and Contemplating
- Penetrating questions and insights for the six video sessions
- Additional resources for a fuller understanding and application
- Daily reflections to deepen the meaning of prayer in your life
- Space for personal journaling
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Forgiven: God's Love Revealed
Our study of the Sacrament of Confession continues this month.
The talks are offered both daytime and in the evening. You are welcome to attend one or both of these sessions.
Session 3- 'Biblical Foundations' - Tuesday, November 7-7:30 pm and Thursday, Nov. 9- after 9 am mass
Session 4- 'Common Questions about Confession'- Tuesday, November 14-7:30 pm and Thursday, Nov. 16- after 9 am mass
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Update on Giving: Pre-Authorized Payment Users Tops 80
In March of this year Father Titus made an appeal at all masses asking parishioners to 1) consider moving to a pre-authorized payment (PAP) option for weekly offerings and 2) consider increasing regular weekly offerings by 20% if at all possible. The reason for this is very simple. Pre-authorized payment offerings ensure our financial viability throughout the year especially during the summer months when church attendance tends to decline. (expenses don't take a vacation). It also dramatically reduces paperwork and administrative costs. A number of you have responded to the call and our number of PAP givers is now at 80 (up from 59 at the start of the year). Our goal for this year is to get this number up to 100. So if you are not yet part of this group we ask you to please give it your prayerful consideration. Click
HERE to enroll. Secondly, we are planning to move ahead with significant expenditures in Church and Rectory maintenance and Youth Ministry. It is only your increased offerings that will make this possible. As of the end of October, our annual offerings exceed last year at this time by $10,000 so we're making progress towards our ultimate goal. We thank everyone who has generously responded to Father's call and we commit to keeping you updated on an ongoing basis.
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Adult Confirmation Oct 8th, 2017
After the 11:00 am Mass on Sunday, Oct 8th Father Titus confirmed Craig Hawes and he was welcomed to full membership in the Catholic Church. If you are a baptized Catholic, over 18, who has not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation, please contact the Parish Office for information on our Adult Confirmation program.
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St. Leonard: Parish History
St. Leonard community was one of three communities within St. John the Evangelist Parish in Osgoode (Enniskerry), Ontario. St. John's, the mother church, was established in 1854; St. Brigid on River Road was established as a Mission of St. John's in 1858; and St. Leonard in Manotick comprised of the other two communities.
The community of St. Leonard was founded in 1968. The first mass was celebrated on October 13, 1968 by Father John Meenderink, SCJ, in the gymnasium of St. Leonard Elementary School, which had been built in 1965. His successors were Father Leo Hermans, SCJ, in 1971 and Father Joe Eliens, SCJ in 1977. They were assisted by Father Adrian Visscher, SCJ, Father John Vanden Hengel, SCJ, and Father Bill DeWitte, SCJ. These Sacred Heart Fathers served the communities on a full-time basis from 1960 to 1979.
As the community grew, the parishioners prayed that one day they would have a Church of their own in Manotick. The Church of St. Leonard on the Rideau River was constructed during 1980-1981, beginning with a sod-turning ceremony on October 18, 1980. The official opening occurred on June 21, 1981 under the pastorship of Father James Whalen, who served the parish from 1979 to 1984.
Father Tom Riopelle was assigned to St. Leonard from 1984 to 1989. Father Riopelle requested independent status from St. John the Evangelist and St. Brigid Churches on June 13, 1988. The Council of Priests gave its approval to that request at a meeting on June 22, 1988. St. Leonard was given independent status in Ottawa at the Metropolitan Curia, on September 15, 1988 and took effect on September 25, 1988.
The community chose the name "St. Leonard" in memory of Leonard Driscoll who was killed in a training mission with the RCAF in Canada during World War II. The land on which the church stands belonged to his parents, Cornelius and Lena Driscoll, whose family were early pioneers in the area. The parish keeps as its titular Saint Leonard of Port Maurice, whose feast is celebrated on November 26.
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St. Leonard: The Story or Our Saint and Statue
Do you know where the statue of St. Leonard is located in our Church? See below
St. Leonard, the son of a sea captain, was born in Porto Maurizio, a suburb of Imperia, Italy, in 1676. At age 13 Leonard went to Rome to live with an uncle and later became a Franciscan monk, OFM (Order of Friars Minor).
St. Leonard is attributed with having created hundreds of Stations of the Cross all around Italy. His greatest achievement may have been saving the Coliseum of Rome. When Roman civil servants wanted to demolish it to make way for new development, St. Leonard, went to Rome and installed the Stations of the Cross
within the Coliseum. It was blessed by the
Pope and used during processions on Good Friday for centuries thereby saving that important historical structure for generations to come.
St. Leonard died in 1751. He was canonized in 1867 and in 1923 he was named patron of those who preach parish missions.
Quote: St. Leonard once said "If the Lord, at the moment of my death, reproves me for being too kind to sinners, I will answer, "My dear Jesus, if it is a fault to be too kind to sinners, it is a fault I learned from you, for you never scolded anyone who came to you seeking mercy". (Leonard Foley, O.F.M., St. Leonard of Port Maurice, p.9)
The Statue of St. Leonard of Porto Maurzio pictured above was created especially for our Parish in 2012 by ceramic artist Marcello Mannuzza whose studio is in Celle, Ligure, 20 kilometers from Port Maurice. It was c
ommissioned by parishioners,
Susan & Giorgio Noaro, during their 35th wedding anniversary trip to Italy.
The Answer:
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Nov. 1 All Saints Day
Nov. 2 All Souls Day- Mass of Remembrance 7:00 pm
Nov. 7 Faith Formation-Forgiven 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 8 Knights of Columbus 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 9 Faith Formation-Forgiven 9:30 a.m.
Nov. 14 Faith Formation-Forgiven 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 15 Pastoral Council 7:00 pm
Nov. 16 Faith Formation-Forgiven 9:30 a.m.
Nov. 16 Baptismal Preparation Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 17 Coffee House featuring our musicians 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 18 to Nov. 22 Parish Mission with Rev. Eugene O'Reilly
Nov. 25 9:00 a.m. Retreat for Lectors
Nov. 28 Confirmation Session 2
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After the 9 am and 11 am Sunday masses in November coffee will be served in the Parish Hall. Click on the Parish Calendar for a full listing of upcoming meetings and events.
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Parishioner Feedback: We Love Your Input!
Dear Parishioners we are very interested in your feedback. If have any comments and/or suggestions as it relates to any of our Parish activities, including the E-Newsletter, please click here.
If you would like a direct response to your suggestion, please include your email address.
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Update on St. Leonard Communications
Stay Connected!
Stay up to date on what is going on at St. Leonard through the St. Leonard Facebook page or through the St. Leonard Parish app.
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Facebook
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St.Leonard Facebook
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