St. Leonard Catholic Parish
M anotick, Ont

"Where disciples grow "
Monthly E-Newsletter for Sept 2019
Welcome to the St. Leonard monthly E-Newsletter. This summer has seen big changes at St. Leonard with Father Titus being re-assigned and the arrival of our new pastor, Father Gerard Plant. We are pleased to have the opportunity to share all of the community news with you.
Pastor's Message for Sept 1st

Warm Greetings!

First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude and excitement for the opportunity to serve as your new pastor here at St Leonard, St Brigid and St John the Evangelist Parishes in both Manotick and Osgoode. I would like to simply say, God is good! I am extremely happy to have been appointed to these wonderful parishes that have so much history in the community. It is a real honour and privilege to be your new pastor for the coming 6+ years. 
 
So far, I have met many parishioners that I am eager to get to know better and have also met many dedicated volunteers and staff who have given so much to this community over the years. I am truly looking forward to working with you to make this community of the faithful thrive, not only in the love of God, but also thrive in our journey to be true disciples of Christ. We are called to do our best to evangelize those in our respective parish communities and also in the broader community at large where we have seen many family and friends who have fallen away from the Church or who have not yet found Christ. We can be that light in the darkness to bring hope to all who are desperate for love and relationship. Not only with their fellow brothers and sister of the world, but most importantly with the most Holy Trinitarian Family, found in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
 
Now here is my story. My name is Fr. Gerard Plant. I come to you from not too far away. I was associate pastor of St Monica and St Andrew parishes in Nepean and Barrhaven for the past 4 years. I was ordained in Ottawa at Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica, on June 19th, 2015.
 
I was born in Saskatoon, Sk, some 41 years ago (now my age is no longer a secret!). When I was but a few months old, my parents decided to move east to Ottawa, and I grew up in Vanier. Leading up to my time at the seminary and ultimately being ordained a Roman Catholic Priest, I spent much of my time traveling around for work and play. I traveled much of Europe in my younger years, and then moved out west for work in the computer industry, serving many aboriginal communities and local school boards. From there I decided to take my talents to Japan where I taught English for nearly 2 years. I then moved back to Canada where I finished my philosophy degree and went on to work in the construction and mining industry for roughly 7 years, working in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the North West Territories and Nunavut. (Who knew that studying philosophy would lead me there?) All of this leading me finally to answer the call to the priesthood.
 
As I have begun to engage with all of you, I have nothing but excitement for what the future may hold.
 
May God bless you and all those that you love, Fr. Gerard
Fellowship
Fr. Titus Farewell- Sunday July 28th
On the weekend of July 28th Father Titus celebrated his last Masses at St. Leonard and the community took the opportunity to bid him a fond farewell. In his closing comments Father Titus thanked all of the parishioners for their love and support and prayed that we would be as welcoming to our new Pastor, Father Plant.

At the close of the 9:00 am Mass, Jonas Abromaitis made the following closing comments and led the community in a prayer for Fr. Titus: "We are grateful for the many blessings that our parish has received from God through your ministry. We wish you well as you move on to your new parish, and will keep you in our prayers and in our hearts. And now, Fr. Titus, we would ask you to receive our blessing as you leave us. I invite everyone to raise their hands in blessing, and together to recite this blessing:

Heavenly Father, we entrust Father Titus into your care as he follows your call to a new parish.
Thank you for the love, commitment and creativity that he has given us.
Grant that Grace and Truth continue to lead him,
Wisdom and Fortitude accompany him,
and Happiness and Joy follow him as he walks in your Way.
Enable him to channel your grace to the poor, the suffering and the stranger.
May he continue to see in everyone the face of Christ.
Bless, love and protect him wherever he may go.
We ask this in Jesus' name,
Amen."
[Catholic Women's League presentation of spiritual bouquet and gift]
[Standing ovation for Father Titus]
[Knights of Columbus presentation of gift]
Youth
St. Leonard's Parish Scholarship 2019- Nadia Wilson
The St. Leonard’s Parish scholarship is awarded every year to a student attending St. Leonard’s Parish who is graduating from high school and continuing on to post-secondary education in any field. Our selection committee reviewed applications from several amazing young adults. It was not an easy task, but they were able to select a well deserving candidate who does an excellent job of living her faith at home, in school and, of course, here at St. Leonard’s. This year's winner of the $1,000 scholarship is Nadia Wilson.

Nadia is a caring, compassionate individual, willing and able to help anyone who needs it. You’ve no doubt seen her at the church regularly, taking on a variety of roles from altar server, greeter and several other roles to, more recently, working with the Children’s Liturgy and becoming a Sacristan. In the community and at school she is involved in the KEY Club and I Matter, You Matter – programs for helping others in the community and spreading awareness of mental health issues. Something which she apparently mentions often is that “we all need to work together if we want to make a change in this world”.

Nadia plans to further her studies this Fall at Algonquin College in the Cabinet Making and Furniture Technician program, and we wish her all the best in this endeavor. 
The Pope Monthly Video
Let us pray that families, through their life of prayer and love, become ever more clearly “schools of true human development”. Pope Francis – Aug 2019

The Pope Video is an official global initiative to disseminate the Holy Father’s monthly intentions. It is produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer). For more info and to view all of their videos click here .
Discipleship
If you are new to FORMED, to get ongoing FREE ACCESS to all programs and downloadable PDF guides, movies and e-books please
Why do Catholics do that?
We sit, we stand, we kneel, we bow. We process, we sing, we make the Sign of the Cross. Have you ever stopped to ask why? Find out in these binge-worthy short videos!
Evangelization
Evangelizing the "Indifferent"
In case you missed it, last month's webinar on evangelization from the Word on Fire Institute was recorded and the replay is now available for a limited time!

The FREE class, entitled Blaise Pascal's 3 Steps to Evangelizing the Culture , focused on Pascal's steps outlined in his Pensées .
The Assistant Director of the Institute, Dr. Matt Nelson, broke down Pascal's 3 steps, gave modern context, and provided practical steps for accomplishing them.
Stewardship
Mid-Year Financial Update: 2019

As of June 30, 2019 we are running an operating surplus of $3,732. See details below. We are extremely grateful for your ongoing financial support.
What's on in Sept?
Sept. 4 Pastoral Council Meeting 7 p.m.
Sept. 11 Knights of Columbus Meeting 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 Baptismal Preparation Meeting 7 p.m.
Sept. 25 CWL Meeting 7 p.m.
After the 9 am and 11 am Sunday masses in September coffee will be served in the Parish Hall.
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.
St. Leonard Parish
office@stleonardsparish.ca
www.stleonardsparish.ca