The Parish Community of St. Kevin

Served by the Holy Cross Fathers

303 Niagara Street
Welland, Ontario  L3C 1K5

Email

905-735-5885

June 1, 2025

 

The Ascension of the Lord

In this final scene of Luke’s Gospel, we witness a moment of profound transition: Jesus blesses His disciples and is taken up to heaven. This is not an end, but a beginning—a handing over of His mission to the Church.

Jesus reminds His followers that His suffering, death, and resurrection were part of God’s plan. He then commissions them to be witnesses to these events, beginning in Jerusalem and extending to all nations. This is a powerful reminder that the Good News is meant to be shared.

The Ascension is not just about Jesus going up into heaven. It’s about Jesus entrusting us with His mission—a mission that requires courage, patience, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus doesn’t leave His disciples empty-handed. He promises the “power from on high”—the Holy Spirit—to equip them for the work ahead. Even as Jesus disappears from their sight, the disciples are filled with joy, not sadness. Why? Because they now understand: the mission is theirs, but He is still with them—in a new way. His blessing remains. His Spirit will empower.

The Ascension invites us to look upward with hope, but also outward with purpose. The Church is now Christ’s presence in the world—through us.

 

Attention New Parishioners

Welcome to our Parish Community!

We’re so glad you’re here. First and foremost, welcome! Whether you’re new or have been attending for a while, we invite you to become a part of our parish family in a more offical way, so we hope this helps. Please continue to join us for any of our Masses, liturgies, and events. Just by being here you are already a part of our community and we are happy to have you with us. However, we strongly encourage you to become officially registered with us and the registration process consists of a very simple form that we ask you to complete so we have some basic contact information and details about you and your family. There are a few ways to register:

  1. Stop by the Parish office and you can do so in person. It only takes a few moments. We can answer any additional questions you may have and get acquainted. We would be happy to show you around, get you familiar with our Mass times, and should you need to arrange anything (ex. a house blessing) or wish to become involved in Parish ministry in any way, we could assist you.

  2. Email us and we can send you a form that you can complete and email back.

  3. You can pick up a registration form in the foyer OR a box of envelopes* that contains a registration form – located on the black table in the foyer. As you walk into the foyer from the church, you will see it on your left. You can bring the completed form to the office or even place it in the collection basket.

 

So what do we do with your information?

We input it all into our Parish database. We will be sure that you are added to our mailing/email lists so that you receive all of the latest Parish updates. Down the line, if you request a Sacrament or a Pastoral Reference, for example, knowing that you are registered in the parish is a huge help and we can quickly look up your information. If your child makes a Sacrament with us (ex. First Communion), we enter all of that information into your family’s file too (as well as our registers). Additionally, should you wish to financially contribute to the Parish, we record all of your donations and issue an income tax receipt yearly.

 

Parish Donation Envelopes

Thank you for your ongoing financial support to the Parish! The upkeep of our building, all programs, and all expenses are entirely covered by your donations. Without your generosity, we would not be able to have such a vibrant worship space and community.

Please read the following carefully:

While there are many ways to donate to our Parish, the most common way to do so is using our weekly parish envelopes and submitting them during the offertory time. 

In the foyer we have many white boxes of envelopes available for new parishioners. Each box has a designated, unique number that essentially becomes a way to identify each family/parishioner. Within each new box of envelopes, we include a parish registration form. These boxes also contain an envelope for each Sunday of the year, as well as all special collections. If you are a new parishioner (or an existing parishioner who would now like to start donating with a box of envelopes), please take a box of envelopes, complete the registration form, and include the registration form inside the first envelope you use to donate. This way we can be sure to create an account with your identifying information and accurately record your donations by your envelope number.

Donations are processed in this way because Canadian registered charities (such as our church) are required to issue a tax receipt to all of those who donated in the previous year. For example, in January of 2026, we will mail out a tax receipt to all those who donated to us in 2025. It will include a grand total for the year. For example, a person who came to Mass each week and donated $5 each week will receive a tax receipt in the amount of $260 ($5 x $52 weeks). When it comes time to file one's personal income tax in April, donation tax receipts can be included, which help to reduce the amount you might owe to the government, or it might help towards getting a refund from the government. So...in order to be eligible to receive a tax receipt for offertory donations, we highly encourage you to use our parish envelopes. We cannot issue a receipt for loose cash placed into the basket.

One slight issue we are having, is that many new or existing parishioners are taking boxes of envelopes without submitting the corresponding registration form, nor are they writing any identifying information on their envelopes themselves. The following envelope numbers have kindly submitted donations but have not given us any identifying information. We ask those who have any of the following envelope numbers to please contact our parish office so that we can properly register you.

Envelope numbers in question: 83, 92, 174, 197, 339, 356, 363, 376, 384 and 740. If you have one of these boxes but still wish to remain anonymous, please also notify the office.

Additionally, if you have taken a box of envelopes with its registration form and have not yet submitted either to the parish office, please don't hesitate to send in the completed registration form. 

We appreciate your generosity and thank you for helping us maintain accurate records!

 

Steubenville Youth Conference Fundraiser

Big Red Meats Fundraiser:

Order forms will be available after all Masses on Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1. Please bring cash or cheque when placing your order. Orders can be picked up from the parish on June 12. Please see the sideboard at the foyer for the product details and pricing. Thank you for your generous support and continued prayers! All proceeds go directly toward supporting the youth attending the conference.

 

 

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