St. Clare Updates for December 12-24, 2020 |
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The new BC Order with province-wide restrictions is in effect until January 8th 2021.
This is not what we would all hope for. The Christmas season is associated with festivities, gatherings and an abundance of food to share. I wonder if there is a message from God for all of us who are spiritually starving and deprived of celebrating mass in person?
We miss you in our church. We miss the sound of music and sound of our communal prayer. We are looking forward to seeing you back in church, filling God’s house with the renewed desire to be, to pray and be sent out again. Meanwhile feed yourself with everything that brings you joy and hope. Advent reminds us to expect something wonderful to happen!
A few important notices:
· Tomorrow Saturday, Dec. 12th is our Day of Mercy and we will offer confessions from 9:30-10:30 am and 3-4 pm. Only 10 people can be inside the church at any given time, so please be patient. We also continue with confessions by appointment. Contact Fr. Yarek at jdziuba@rcav.org or me at mwos@rcav.org to schedule the Sacrament of Reconciliation if you need it.
· Saturday, Dec. 12th and Sunday, Dec. 13th the Parish Hall will be open from 9 am to 3 pm. Stop by to pick up your box of envelopes for 2021, buy a new Missal or get a free Catholic calendar.
· Ad experimentum, we will offer a chance to receive Holy Communion outside of Mass on Sunday, Dec. 13th between 11 am and 12 noon. I would encourage you to wait until the church is open and we can have the proper celebration of the eucharist but we’ve made this available for those who can’t wait. If you wish to come please check our website for instructions as you must pre-register as you did for mass. No walk-ins will be allowed.
· This year Christmas services are suspended for obvious reasons. That said, we are planning to set up a Nativity Scene outside the church. During the Christmas Octave I encourage you to stop by for a moment to visit the baby Jesus and take time for personal prayer. Although the church will be closed you can pray outside or by the manger.
· We created a link on our website to a free Catholic TV with lots of programs and services. Take advantage of it, especially in the long evening of this season.
Finally, please visit our website frequently for any updates and remember to refresh the page to see the newest messages. Stay strong, stay positive, let no one take away your faith and hope!
Fr. Maciej
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On December 7th Bonnie Henry announced that all church services are suspended until at least January 8th with the exception of weddings, funerals and baptisms which are now limited to 10 persons in attendance.
That means that for now all of our masses are closed to the public. However, we have made arrangements to live stream our masses as follows:
Daily Masses Monday through Friday at 9:00am
(these are posted on Youtube and can be watched
throughout that day)
Weekend Mass at 5:00pm on Saturday
(this will be posted to Youtube and can be watched Saturday evening or Sunday)
Our Christmas Mass will be Live Streamed on Youtube on Thursday, December 24th at 5:00pm and will then be available anytime for viewing.
You can participate in all of our online masses by clicking on the link on our website, www.stclare.ca
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Our Confession Schedule is as follows:
- Saturday, December 12th 9:30 am--10:30 am OR....3:00pm -- 4:00pm
Confessions are now heard in the Crying Room (by the washrooms on the east side of the church) NOT in the confessional.
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In order to help you facilitate the offertory for St Clare parish, The Archdiocese has created an Online Offertory page to facilitate one time or pre-authorized monthly or weekly giving through direct debit or credit card donations. |
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PROJECT ADVANCE
Our thanks to all those who have already donated to this year's Project Advance appeal. Thanks to your generosity, we have pledges totaling $186,514. Our diocesan goal is $32,500, so that means that $154,014 will be coming back to St. Clare's. Our goal this year is to raise $250,000 for our mortgage. If you wish to donate online you can do so by clicking below. This link is also on our web page (www.stclare.ca) To receive a tax receipt for 2020 your donation must be received by December 31st.
If you have any questions, please call Janet at 604-475-7195 or Lynda at 778-788-5045.
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2021 ENVELOPES
ARE IN THE LOBBY OF THE PARISH CENTRE
this weekend only on Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 3pm.
AFTERWARDS, THEY WILL BE MOVED BACK TO THE OFFICE
If you cannot find your envelopes please call the office at 604-941-4800 or email
PLEASE ONLY USE ENVELOPES which have YOUR NAME and are for the CURRENT YEAR. EACH YEAR your envelope number changes so please use your new envelopes ONLY in 2021. Thank you.
OTHER ITEMS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
You can still get a missal at the office for $5 each.
Free calendars are in the in the Adoration Chapel and the office as long as supplies last.
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Zoom Fellowship
Please join us on Tuesday mornings from 10-11:30 a.m. beginning January 12th, 2021 as we gather on Zoom to discuss a book called “Into His Likeness” by Edward Sri. This book explores how we should live as a disciple and experience the transformation Jesus wants to work in our lives. For further information please contact Roxanne at roxannecwl@gmail.com or Gillian at queenans@gmail.com
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8th Annual Fundraiser for
The Children of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary Orphanage
in El Salvador.
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Click on this Link
to watch the Message from Anna Magnusson
and find out how, as a community, we can help
improve the life of these children.
These are the ways you can send your donation:
or Drop your donation in the collection box or at the office:
In an envelope addressed “ORPHANAGE DONATION”
Please make cheques payable to CWL St Clare of Assisi
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
If you have any questions please call Maria at 604-671-6213
(Please note- as this money is given to a charily outside of Canada, no tax receipt will be issued)
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Everyone is invited to join us daily
7:30 pm, Online
Contact
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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
Join the Knights of Columbus for Free
Have you been wondering about the Knights of Columbus? Put your faith into action by joining the Knights. Go to kofc.org/join and fill out the online application, enter MCGIVNEY2020 in the Promo Code to receive free membership for the first year.
Knights General Meetings are online. Join our Zoom meetings to catch up on all our activities.
Join our monthly Zoom Rosary prayers, everyone is welcome. Email gk@stclare.ca to get on the invitation list.
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The BC Knights of Columbus are holding their 59th Annual Charity Appeal with the top prize being $100,000. Tickets are only $3 each and are available at www.KofCdraw.net/C14225
For more information on the Knights of Columbus please visit our websites at kofc.org and kofcbc.org. If you are interested in becoming a Knight please email
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MOTHERS' PRAYER GROUP
We are having virtual meetings every week. If you are interested in joining us or would like to know more about Mothers Prayers, please contact Thelma Rose at (604) 464-3383 or email Thelma at glenthel@shaw.ca
Mothers Prayers which was started by two grandmothers in England is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary this month. For more information, please visit:
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Due to Covid-19 the Advent Tree Program at St. Clare's has been adapted so that we can continue to help the groups that we support and whose need is as great as ever. If you wish to participate we ask that you donate money for this special purpose and we will purchase appropriate gift cards. We would also like to give a big thanks to all of you who have already made a donation.
With the closure of the church for masses you can make your donation online at Parish Online Donations. Please make sure that you select St. Clare's Parish and then put a note in the comments section that it is for the Advent Tree.
You can also put your donation in a plain envelope clearly marked “Advent Tree”. Please include your name, address and envelope number and we will add your gift in your annual tax receipt. All cheques should be made payable to St. Clare of Assisi Parish. Envelopes can be dropped through the mail slot in the office door or mailed to St. Clare’s at 1320 Johnson Street, Coquitlam, BC V3B 4T5.
The generosity of parishioners toward the Advent Tree program has been tremendous over the years, brightening thousands of Christmas’s and while changes have to be made this year hopefully at some point in the near future we will once again able to return to our usual format.
Thank you and God Bless.
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Food for Thought . . . and for the Soul
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The Third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday because of the first word “Rejoice” in the Introit or entrance antiphon of Sunday’s Liturgy. “Rejoice” is also repeated throughout the readings and prayers. The vestments worn by the priest can be the color rose (sometimes referred to as pink). The third candle of the Advent wreath is also rose. Both are reminders that Christ’s coming is very soon; we are nearing the end of Advent, and we can hardly contain our joy.
The “O” Antiphons are the final gift of the liturgy in preparing for Christmas. They are special jewels of the liturgy preserved from the 4th century in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the liturgy. Throughout the rest of Advent the liturgy has expressed the longing for the Messiah but in small bits and pieces. All through Advent the word “come” is repeated throughout the Introit and Communion antiphons. From December 17 to December 23 we have seven antiphons that intensely express the 4,000 long years of awaiting for the Messiah.
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From Bishop Barron's newsletter: "Our Gospel earlier this week (Luke 5) tells that wonderful story of the healing of the paralytic. People gather by the dozens to hear Jesus, crowding around the doorway of the house. They bring him a paralyzed man, and because there is no way to get him through the door, they climb up on the roof and open a space to lower him down."
He suggests "there are an awful lot of Catholics who are paralyzed, unable to move, frozen in regard to Christ and the Church. This might be from doubt, from fear, from anger, from old resentment, from ignorance, or from self-reproach. Some of these reasons might be good; some might be bad." He continues "Your job, as a believer, is to bring others to Christ. How? A word of encouragement, a challenge, an explanation, a word of forgiveness, a note, a phone call. We notice the wonderful urgency of these people as they bring the sick man to Jesus. Do we feel the same urgency within his Mystical Body today?"
As always, the late Henri Nouwen gives a fitting summary
in three simple messages woven throughout much of his work:
We are never alone
God is always with us
We are called to "be present" for each other during these challenging times
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2020 has been a challenging year and sadly our approaching holiday season will continue with the same restrictions: no services at St Clare's, no carol singing, and so on. But in the relative safety of our homes, we can enjoy recordings from around the world..
The links here are from Zagreb, Croatia, from King's College Cambridge (UK) choir and then as a reminder a recording of Midnight Mass from Buckfast Abbey.
We hope and pray that 2021 will see a return to our parish gathering once more as a community in the celebration of our faith.
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We’ve decorated our Church with blue lights as part of the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s Blue Light campaign. It’s a sign of hope and solidarity with families who have lost loved ones and are experiencing a “blue Christmas” this year. Blue is also the colour of the Blessed Virgin Mary and so signifies trust and confidence in God, purity, virginity, innocence, and birth.
You can win prizes by decorating your own home or living space with blue lights and posting a photo on social media using the hashtag #bluelightchristmas. Learn more at rcav.org/christmas
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Please pray for the sick of our Parish
Noah Zanatta, Bob Roy, Loni Cain, Brendan Pace, Gracienda Ramos, Brian Stewart, Catherine Dunne, Lucy Chase, Doreen Allyen, Tyson Ward, Nora Arroyal, Christopher Brown, Joan McDonald, Annabella Cirko, Frank Matchett, Kelly Durkin, Jason Kendall, Bill Clendinning, Chris Mah, Lydia Guzman, Angelo Visentin, June Cross, Katelyn Boudewyn, Karen Morris, Ramon Montecillo, Janice Caine, Nadine Classen, Leanne Theiss, Sierra Osborne, Sebastien Robillard, Carol Clifford, Sandra Diersch, Lori Dennis, Marcel Quaghebeur, Mazoe Kaufman, Cindy Mazerolle-Kass, Anna Figura, Ed Garcia, Viray Family, Walter Banke, Nettie Helgason, Etheen Lowry, Elizabeth Teixeira, Reema Ferreira, Terry McDonald, Andrew De Boda, Maurice Quaghebeur, Henry Sicking, Hari Vijay, Peggy Maas, Chad Galitzky, Al Trotter, Pat Dizy and all recipients of St. Clare’s Prayer Shawls.
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The Poor Clare Sisters are praying for our parish and would be happy to take your personal prayer requests by mail or telephone 1-604-826-2818. St. Clare's Monastery, Box 3370, Mission, B.C. V2V 4J5 |
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Shalom World TV Network is a 24/7, family-friendly Catholic TV channel and is the recipient of the Gabriel Award for "Best TV Station of the Year 2020", instituted by the Catholic Press Association of North America. It is a commercial-free, high-definition network appealing to young, as well as young-at-heart viewers. Shalom World is an official partner with the Vatican and is authorized to telecast papal liturgies live.
The newly launched channel, ‘SW Prayer,’ is also available 24/7 as a separate stream. This channel is designed exclusively for live Holy Mass, prayer, devotions, and Catholic teachings. Viewers become spiritually enriched and engaged, as they unite their prayers with others joining from across the globe. This prayerful momentum invites God's blessings into our world in these times.
We are pleased to let you know that you can watch Shalom Word TV and SW Prayer from within our parish website absolutely for free. Please go to our parish website https://stclare.ca and click on the image under Shalom World TV on the bottom right of our home page and you can watch the programs live as well as on demand.
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Of Interest from the Diocese |
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The True Meaning of Christmas
While it may be cliché to say, the truth is that we can often lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas in the midst of all the planning and dealing with dysfunctional family dynamics. This talk is geared towards re-orienting our hearts to have the sentiments of the divine heart this Christmas towards ourselves, our family, and any suffering we may experience during this holy time. As we will see, the Incarnation of Christ was filled with suffering for the holy family, but also more deeply joy. This talk will reflect upon that paradoxical reality as well as what the birth of Christ says to who we are as persons, a truth worth rediscovering and accepting, again and again, especially those of us who have been rejected or forgotten at times in our families. Join us for this talk on Thursday, Dec. 17 from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm on Zoom Webinar, followed by a small-group breakout session. Register online at beholdvancouver.org/events
The Search: Why are we here? What's life all about?
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 existence.
Each session will begin with a 30-minute cinematic video presentation produced by Augustine Institute, followed by an engaging small group panel of local pastors, ministry leaders, religious, and podcasters.
Everyone who registers will receive a FREE one-year subscription to FORMED.org with access to thousands of Catholic movies, programs, books, audio, and more.
Are you ready for The Search? Join us for weekly sessions on Thursdays until Dec. 17 from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. Register for FREE at thesearch.rcav.org
Our Lady of Fatima Preschool
Sep. 2021 - Jun. 2022 - Registration for new families
Registration Date : 25 January, 2021
Book an appointment by email:
Wearing a mask is mandatory and only one parent at a time will be allowed in the preschool to view and register.
Forms can be dropped off at the preschool door
between 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
Our play-based, enriched 3 and 4-year-old programs offer an introduction to French, early literacy, math, arts & science programs. A Christ Our Life Religion program is also introduced in the 4-year-old-program. It is a fun, educational experience that helps children grow & prepares them for an all day kindergarten in English or French.
If you are unable to come to registration night, feel free to download the forms, as we have ongoing registration. Our classes remain small and we follow all Covid safety guidelines.
If you have questions, call us at (604) 936-4250
Email Fraud Warning
The Archdiocese has received multiple reports from parishioners and priests who have fallen victim to a recent Internet email phishing scam. Imposters, posing as priests and using email addresses that are similar to those of our priests, have been emailing people asking for personal donations, gift cards, and other forms of financial assistance.
Never respond to emails requesting Google Play cards, iTunes cards, or any other form of personal financial assistance, even if it appears to be from a priest, deacon, religious, parish staff or bishop. If you have any doubt, please contact the sender by other means to verify any requests.
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