The Parish Community of St. Kevin

Served by the Holy Cross Fathers

303 Niagara Street
Welland, Ontario  L3C 1K5

Email
905-735-5885

March 30, 2025

 

Fourth Sunday of Lent

The Fourth Sunday of Lent, also known as Laetare Sunday, is a special day in the Lenten season. “Laetare” means “rejoice” in Latin. The Sunday is considered a day of relaxation from normal Lenten rigours; a day of hope with Easter at last within sight. This Sunday, the Gospel reading is Luke (15:1-3, 11-32), which includes the well-known Parable of the Prodigal Son. The Parable of the Prodigal Son reveals God’s infinite mercy. The father’s joyful welcome of his lost son reflects how God eagerly forgives and restores us when we turn back to Him. This parable challenges us to embrace God’s mercy, repent sincerely, and rejoice in the reconciliation of others. Laetare Sunday reminds us that no sin is greater than God’s love. Will we return to Him with trust and share His mercy with others?
Wishing you all a blessed weekend!

 

Blooms of Love - Easter Flowers in memory of our beloved deceased

With the upcoming Easter services, a time of celebrating the New Life promised by Our Savior, the parish is offering an opportunity for parishioners to once again memorialize their deceased loved ones by donating towards our Easter flowers. Names of loved ones will once again be blessed and placed among the flowers in front of the altar. Memory Cards – to write the name(s) of their deceased loved ones and envelopes for donation will be available at our table in the foyer this weekend.

 

Parish Taizé Prayer Service

On Thursday, April 3rd at 7:00pm, we will have our Taizé Prayer Service for Lent. In the final weeks before Easter, as we conclude our Lenten journey, we invite you to join us for quiet prayer, meditation, and beautiful music set to candlelight. We hope that many will attend, and it is open to all, so please invite family members and friends.

 

Sacrament of Penance

On, Saturday (April 5th, 2025) in every parish church across the diocese, a priest will be available from 10:00am to 2:00pm to hear individual confessions. Here at St. Kevins, we will have our 10:00am mass followed by confessions from 10:30am- 2:00pm. Additionally, we will have the Sacrament of Reconciliation through our Parish Penitential Service on Tuesday (April 8th, 2025) at 7:00pm. No matter how long it has been, you are welcome to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance, which assists us in spiritual discipline as we turn away from sin and open our hearts to reconciliation and healing or you can also simply come to pray before the Lord.

 

Sacrament of First Reconciliation

Our Grade 2 students who are preparing for the Sacrament of First Communion will make their First Reconciliation this week. Grade 2s from Alexander Kuska will do so on Tuesday, April 1st at 6:30pm and those from St.Kevin and Holy Name on Wednesday, April 2nd at 6:30pm. We ask the parish to please keep these children in your prayers.

 

Development & Peace Action Campaign

What does it mean to Turn Debt into Hope and why now?

During this Jubilee year, Pope Francis called the world to “forgive the debts of countries that will never be able to repay them.” Earlier this year, he also said, “This is an appeal for solidarity, but above all for justice.” The campaign is a response to that appeal.
The vision of a jubilee is most fully explained in the Book of Leviticus (25: 1-55). There, we learn that the jubilee was a time to let the land rest and allow whatever it naturally produced to be shared by all. It was a time to set slaves free and to return any land that had been sold to its original owner. The jubilee was also a time to cancel debts, as we learn from the Book of Deuteronomy.

At its core, the jubilee vision about debt includes five principles of Catholic Social Teaching that should inspire us to take action: dignity, common good, solidarity, preferential option for the poor, and ecological responsibility (care of creation).  These principles and themes from Catholic Social Teaching make a compelling case for debt relief and climate action for the world’s poorest countries.

Join us next Weekend (April 5th/6th) which is the Solidarity Sunday – where we will be exploring our Share Lent campaign in depth, and we will begin to take up our Share Lent collection.

 

Important Mass Days and timings at St Kevin’s

  • Palm Sunday (Mass on Saturday, April 12th at 5:00pm / Sunday April, 13th at 8:00am, 10:00am & 12:00pm).

  • Maundy / Holy Thursday (Mass on Thursday, April 17th at 7:00pm with Washing of the feet).

  • Good Friday (Liturgy on Friday, April 18th at 12:00pm and 3:00pm along with Stations of the Cross at 7pm).  Office remains closed.

  • Easter Vigil (Mass on Saturday, April 18th at 8:00pm).

  • Easter Sunday (Mass on Sunday, April 19th at 8:00am, 10:00am & 12:00pm).

  • Easter Monday (Mass on Monday, April 20th at 9:00am). Office remains closed.

 

Catholic news

Despite recent health issues, Pope Francis continues to exercise significant authority within the Catholic Church, balancing personal humility with his immense ecclesiastical power.  
As we approach Holy Week, Pope Francis has renewed his call for peace in conflict-ridden areas, particularly in Ukraine and the Middle East. He encourages Catholics to pray and fast for peace, emphasizing that “true strength lies in mercy and forgiveness.

 

Catholic Women’s League News

  • CWL Fish Fry Fundraiser for the Open Arms Mission is on Friday, April 4. Tickets will be on sale in the foyer this weekend. The dinners are $15 for a 1-piece fish and chips and coleslaw dinner and $20 for a 2-piece fish and chips and coleslaw dinner. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Payment is cash or e-transfer. See the posters in the foyer or contact Lorrie at 905-734-4828 or email at lmack@cogeco.ca

  • Memberships are now overdue. Please send in your membership of $40 as soon as possible.

  • Please Note: There will be No General Meeting for the Month of April.

 

Welcome Michelle

We are delighted to welcome Michelle Lepine as she will soon begin her ministry with the youth of our parish! With a passion for guiding young people in their faith, Michelle brings experience and a heart for service. She looks forward to connecting with our young parishioners and fostering opportunities for prayer, formation, and fellowship. More details about her ministry will be shared soon!

 
 

Please remember the Poor Box as you leave the Church.
 

Worth Repeating

The items below you may have seen before but remain here if seasonally important information

or

General information that people need to review from time to time.

 

Housekeeping Reminders

  • Please place hymn books neatly back in their spots. Please be sure to dispose of tissues, wrappers, or other debris when leaving. And don’t forget your bulletin. Please do not leave behind daily Missalettes at the end of the month – simply recycle them.

  • When entering the parking lot please do so from Niagara Street and exit via Northcote. Please drive slowly in our parking lot as well. If you are parking on the side streets for Mass, please be respectful of road signs and driveways. Please be sure to lock your car doors when you come for Mass or any other function.

  • Please also be very careful with perfumes and colognes. Some parishioners tend to go very heavy with these and it can be difficult for fellow parishioners with allergies or breathing troubles. We have had many parishioners come to us about this requesting that we ask people to not wear scents. Please refrain or use the tiniest amount possible.

  • For those who place loose bills or coins in the collection – we would like to give you proper credit for income tax purposes. Please consider using our Visitor envelopes or asking Father/our Staff for a box of envelopes.

The Vineyard, the Diocese of St. Catharines journal has gone digital.

It can be viewed at http://saintcd.com/diocesan-directory/the-vineyard

 

Safety Reminder

We wish to remind Parishioners to please lock car doors when attending Mass and please do not leave valuables in vehicles, in the parking lot or on the street. Thank you.

Catholic Marriage Tribunal

If you are considering remarriage in the Catholic Church at some point, or hoping to enter a marriage with someone previously married, please speak to a priest, or contact the Diocesan Catholic Marriage Tribunal in St. Catharines at 905-687-8817. Information Pamphlets are available through the parish.

PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Due to the privacy laws, the hospital does not list our parishioners by address or parish unless you state your religion as ST. KEVIN PARISH when you are admitted. It would help the parish visiting team if when the hospital asks religion – you respond ST. KEVIN'S PARISH. If you or a family member enter a hospital for several days please be sure to call the parish office to let us know if you wish a visit. If you wish the Anointing of the Sick before an operation, either at home or while in the hospital, be sure to inform the parish office. A priest will come as soon as possible to administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. We also have a group of lay people from our parish who each week visit or bring communion to Catholic parishioners in the hospital. Please, we need to know that you are there!

A Review of Some Parish Policies

  1. Requests: We often receive requests for baptism or marriage, or Pastoral References for teachers, who are not members of St. Kevin's Parish. Examples would be: They might like our church and so want to get married here although they live elsewhere. Or: they were baptized here and so they would like their child to be baptized here although they live elsewhere. Or: I went to Notre Dame College School. The main point here is "they live elsewhere". Now – wherever elsewhere might be, there is a Catholic parish there. Our policy is to minister to the parishioners of St. Kevin's. We have more than 3400 families; there is a lot of ministry work for us to do here. Our focus and attention is first and foremost on our own parishioners.

  2. Parishioners should be registered: And here it is important to remember – that all of our parishioners should be registered in the parish, that is, on our books with names and phone numbers and addresses.

  3. Young Adults: There is a point when the young person must register in our Parish. It does not suffice to say my parents are members of St. Kevin's and I was confirmed at St. Kevin's when that person has been living on his or her own. The young adult should not depend on the faith and loyalty of parents or grandparents but must take ownership of his or her own faith. That means, as well, the young person should be engaged in the financial support of the Parish.

  4. Support of the Church: One of the precepts of the church – parishioners should be generous in supporting the material needs of the church. Today, we do this best by regularly using envelopes to help with the expenses of administering a very large parish such as St. Kevin's.

  5. Needing a Letter of Permission: Hospitality is a wonderful characteristic of St. Kevin's Parish. And we do want to be open and hospitable to folks who are not registered members in the parish. Yet – we must be careful to observe church laws and regulations. We will consider doing a marriage or a baptism of those folks from elsewhere. But – we must ask that the person or persons making this request of us have a "letter of permission" from elsewhere, that is, from the parish in which they are actually living - a letter from the Pastor of that parish giving us permission to do the baptism or marriage. Without such a letter of permission our policy must be to refuse to do such baptisms or marriages.

  6. Weddings: To be married in St. Kevin's, one should be registered in the parish. Please call at least six months in advance to make arrangements. If not a registered member of our parish, we must have a Letter of Permission from the Pastor in which the person(s) is registered. (See above.)

  7. Baptisms: To be baptized in St. Kevin's, one should be registered in the Parish. Please call as early as possible to arrange a baptism. If one is not registered, we must have a Letter of Permission from the Pastor in which the family is registered. (See above.)

  8. Pastoral References for Teachers: Pastoral references for teachers are given for those persons who are registered in St. Kevin's Parish. The Pastoral Reference for teachers testifies that the person practices his or her faith regularly. Sunday Eucharist is the great Christian norm for the practice of the faith. The Pastoral Reference for teachers inquires as to how active the person is in participating in different dimensions of parish or civic life.

  9. Godparents / Christian Witness for Baptism: At baptism, a Roman Catholic sponsor is called a Godparent. All Godparents for Baptism should be practicing Catholics. One of the sponsors at baptism must be a Roman Catholic, 16 years of age and already confirmed. A non-Catholic sponsor is called a "Christian Witness". (This presumes that the non- Catholic is indeed a practicing Christian and baptized in a Christian church). In choosing a Godparent for baptism, parents should keep in mind that a Godparent at baptism should also be the person's sponsor at Confirmation.

  10. Confirmation Sponsors: A Confirmation sponsor must be a practicing Roman Catholic, already confirmed and 16 years of age. We ask the sponsor at Confirmation to have a brief meeting with the Pastor of his/her Parish. Simply inform the Pastor of your desire to act as a Confirmation sponsor at St. Kevin's and kindly ask the Pastor to sign the Sponsor Form. The Sponsor Form itself presents in a clear way the expectations for a Confirmation Sponsor.

  11. Parish Pastoral Practice.
    •   If someone is seriously sick at home or in the hospital, please call the office. One of the priests will be happy to visit.
    •   If one is unable to come to Sunday Eucharist over a long period of time, please call the office and arrange for a communion visit on the part of our Eucharist Ministers.
    •   When spending time in the hospital, please indicate that you are Roman Catholic and a member of St. Kevin's.

     

REMINDER:

Are You Registered in Our Parish?

Please do not take for granted that you are registered in the parish just because you attend Mass here. If we have no record of your parish membership, it could be quite embarrassing to us, or to you or your family, when someone wishes to make wedding plans, have a baby baptized, or if you have been asked to act as a sponsor for baptism or confirmation. Please fill out a registration form. This form is on the shelf in the book stand in the foyer of the church. When you have completed the form, place in the collection basket or return it to the Parish Office