St. Leonard Catholic Parish
M anotick, Ont

"Celebrating 50 Years as a Catholic Community "
E-Newsletter for Sunday, May 10th
This weekend marks the 5th Sunday of Easter and this Sunday is also the day that we celebrate our Mothers. Let's pray that this pandemic will pass and that, once again we will be able join in physical Communion. Please watch Father Gerard's video message here.
Pastor's Message
Do you know the Way to Heaven?

What a timely message we receive from Jesus in this time of global pandemic. We need not to be afraid because He is with us. Today’s reading finds the Apostles troubled and looking for answers. They were not clear on where Jesus was going and how they could get there. What about you, are you clear on your ultimate destination? Do you know the Way to get there?

Jesus tells us He is going home to His “Father’s house” where He is going “to prepare a place for us”. This is a powerful statement to say the least. By this, He is saying that the way home, the way to heaven, the way to the place where all our hopes will ultimately be fulfilled, is found in Him who is the gateway to our journey home. The journey we have with Jesus in this life is the only way to realize the fulfillment of our ultimate hopes and dreams for the future. He is the only way to truly know God and to know his love for us and to reach the place he has prepared for us.

Jesus is the Way to our destination. He is our GPS so to speak. But like the disciples who had expressed their confusion about where He was going and how they could follow, we many times say and do the same, which is comforting in some sense, because it reminds us of the humanity of the disciples. Jesus ultimately made it clear that he was going to his Father’s house and the way to get there was to follow Him. If we walk the Way that Jesus presents to us in His teachings and by His example, we will never be lost. If we walk the Way that is Jesus, the Way of love which He himself trod, we are certain to reach our destination.

Jesus is the Truth that sets us free. Each of us are capable of knowing truth, but none of us can claim to actually be truth. There are too many things we don’t know, and too many things we get wrong throughout our lives. Yet Jesus claims to be truth, and in doing so claims to be one with God. The words of John 1:1 set the stage for this very fact: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In this one sentence, John is proclaiming Jesus as ‘the Word’, which would have suggested that he is the beginning and culmination of all that has been true throughout eternity, and that to seek the truth ultimately leads us to seek him. He enlightens our minds, helping us to discern between right and wrong. When we live the truth that is Jesus, we become free and fearless and break the shackles of falsehood that bind us.

Jesus is the Life. Jesus is teaching us that what we really should be concerned with, is not this life, but with eternal life. This life is a mere drop in the ocean of eternity and serves as the starting block on the marathon that leads us to our goal of eternal life. We can live this life in such a way that we are not chasing things that don’t last but chasing the things that do last and have eternal significance. This type of life has eternal impact not only for us but for untold others around us. He shares with us this life for He himself has said: “I am the bread of life. He who eats of this bread will live forever.” John 6:35

Today Jesus is calling us to walk the way, tell the truth and live the life that has been set out for us as His followers.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith in me…. I am the way and the truth and the life.”

God bless you folks, Father Gerard

PS: Any requests for prayers or any other help that myself or the parish can provide can be sent to me at pastorstleonard@gmail.com. Stay well and Stay Connected!
God Bless All of Our Mothers!

As your Pastor, I would like to offer the following blessing for all of our mothers, both those that are with us and those that have gone before us:

"Loving God, as a mother gives life and nourishment to her children, so you watch over your Church. Bless these women, that they may be strengthened as Christian mothers. Let the example of their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honor them always with a spirit of profound respect.

Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen"
Worship
Weekday and Sunday Masses Online

You are encouraged to join online for Masses during this period of social distancing.

On Sundays we would recommend the Mass from Notre Dame Basilca in Ottawa with Archbishop Prendergast or the Mass from Bishop Barron's Chapel in Santa Clara, California with Bishop Robert Barron. The Mass with Archbishop Prendergast is available any time on Sunday and the Mass with Bishop Barron starts at 8:15 am and is available in recorded format for the rest of the day.

Locally, Father Lukose from Holy Cross Parish has an excellent Sunday Mass available online on their website anytime on Sunday.

Mass with Bishop Barron is also available on weekdays.

For a full listing of Mass on TV or the Internet click here .

1st Reading: ACTS 6:1-7
2nd Reading: 1 PT 2:4-9
Gospel: JN 14:1-12
Diocesan Amalgamation

On May 6th the Holy Father, Pope Francis, announced the official canonical amalgamation of the Archdiocese of Ottawa and the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall into one ecclesiastical circumscription, creating the new Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall. The Holy Father also announced that Archbishop Terrence Prendergast will lead the newly created archdiocese.

His Excellency the Most Rev. Marcel Damphousse, currently Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie, has been appointed as Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall. Archbishop Elect Damphousse will become the new Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall when Archbishop Terrence Prendergast retires.

His Excellency the Most Rev. Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R., currently auxiliary bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall, has been named Bishop for the Diocese of Pembroke.

A new logo has been created for the new Archdiocese and appears above.
St. Leonard’s Parish Scholarship Program

The St Leonard’s Parish Scholarship Program for 2020 is now open for applications. We are proud to offer this opportunity to a young Catholic from our Parish, who is graduating from High School this year. This scholarship awards the ability to demonstrate Catholic Identity and Commitment to Christian Values and provides financial assistance for post-secondary education in the amount of $1,000.00. Please click here for more information and to apply.
Stewardship: Giving of Time, Talent and Treasure
Thank You for Supporting St. Leonard's!

These past few weeks have been challenging for many of us — and yet God never ceases to work in our midst, reminding us of his abiding presence even during these trying times. We want to take this opportunity simply to say thank you to all of you who have supported St. Leonard's with your prayer and financial contributions.

For those who would like to make an offering, you can do so by clicking the button below. We are grateful for your support.
Request from CWL: Long Term Care Homes
Dear St Leonard Parishioners,

We have received a request from Wilma Vanderzwaag, the CWL Ontario Provincial Council Resolutions Chairperson, given the current tragic situation of nursing homes and senior residences, to write to our MPPs, to the Minister of Long Term Care and the Minister of Health and to the opposition, a personal constituent letter asking to act upon Long Term Care Beds and require upgrade of staff professional requirements. See request from the Provincial Council.

For this reason and to help you, I am enclosing a sample letter structure and the details of the issue (statistics of nursing homes COVID-19 situation and addresses of provincial authorities). You are encouraged to write using your own phrases if you wish. See sample letter.

I am most grateful in anticipation of your immediate action, as I think it is not only a matter of increasing the number of beds but to regulate by law the urgent need of fully certified health professionals in charge of the management and accountability of senior homes and nursing homes.

Wishing you a blessed isolation period and peace. I will appreciate you share this important request if I missed a Council member's email.

Thank you
Aurora Loiselle, Resolutions Chair, St Leonard’s Parish CWL
Faith Formation
St. Leonard Parish Lectio Divina  
During these times God is present with us and he reveals himself in his Holy Word. Reading Scripture in a prayerful way helps us know God's loving kindness and his direction for our lives. Join in trying out Lectio Divina, a prayer practice in the tradition of Saint Benedict, reading together the next Sunday's Gospel and reflecting on it.

At St. Leonard Church we had met in the parish hall but now will meet through video conferencing for those who are interested. You can choose between the 40 minute morning session, Thursdays at 10:00 am, or evening session, Thursdays at 8:00 pm. Each week's session is independent so you do not have to commit to attending every Thursday. Join in when you are available.

Check out the video invitation here.

Get more information or register by sending an 'I'm interested' email to Eileen and Andrew Brown at da-ef.brown@sympatico.ca and we'll send you the link to the Zoom platform. We'll begin on Thursday, May 14. Enjoy a snack and tea or coffee in the comfort of your home while connecting face-to-face with other parishioners.

Lectio Divina
St. Leonard Parish
Starting May 14, 2020
Thursdays at 10:00 am
Thursdays at 8:00 pm
Via Zoom platform video conferencing
Register or more info: da-ef.brown@sympatico.ca
For Children: May, the Month of Mary
Evangelization
Exclusive New Series from Formed: The Search
The Search is an innovative video series that tackles the key questions of every human heart. In seven beautifully filmed episodes, Chris Stefanick and experts from multiple fields of science, medicine, psychology, art, and religion examine our place in the larger story of life. Every week Formed will be unlocking a new episode for your preview. This first video is only available for free until midnight on Sunday, May 10th. Stream the first episode now!
Outreach to the Unaffiliated

The phenomenon of the rising number of people who are disaffiliating from the Catholic Church—and religion altogether—presents a challenging cultural situation for the Church today. However, as Pope Francis reminds us, “challenges exist to be overcome! Let us be realists, but without losing our joy, our boldness and our hope-filled commitment. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of missionary vigor!” (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 109).

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops created this video to spark conversations across the country about how to address this important issue.
Media Worth Sharing

Father Joe: A little catechetical card trick
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