The Parish Community of St. Kevin

Served by the Holy Cross Fathers

303 Niagara Street
Welland, Ontario  L3C 1K5

Email
905-735-5885

April 20, 2025

 

The Resurrection of the Lord

This Easter, we gather to celebrate the heart of our Christian faith: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The women came to the tomb expecting to anoint a body—but instead, they found the stone rolled away, and heard the words that continue to echo through time: “He is not here, for He has risen!” (Matthew 28:6). In a world that continues to wrestle with fear, conflict, and uncertainty, Easter offers a powerful message—life triumphs over death, love overcomes hate, and hope outlasts despair. The empty tomb is not just a sign of what happened long ago; it is a promise of what God is doing now, in us and through us.  As we reflect on this powerful truth, may we carry the promise of the empty tomb in our hearts, trusting that God is working in and through us.

Wishing you all a blessed and joyful Easter!

    • Fr. Jinto Mathew Puthiyidathuchalil, CSC  & Fr. Arockia Sunil Josapath, CSC

     

Bishop Bergie’s Easter Message

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In his letter announcing the Jubilee of Hope, Pope Francis stated the following, “Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring” (Spes Non Confundit -Hope does not disappoint).
As we consider the world at this present moment, there are serious concerns regarding what the future may bring. Fear of the future can disturb our peace and rob us of hope.

“Be not afraid” (Matthew 28:10). These were the first words spoken by Jesus on Easter morning. This simple phrase was addressed to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary because they were overwhelmed by the empty tomb. Jesus wanted to restore their hope by helping them to overcome their fear.
St. John reminds us that “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). When these two women met the Risen Lord, they encountered “perfect love’. Their fear vanished and their hope was restored because Jesus was alive!

Our celebration of Easter can help us to overcome our fear. When we allow ‘perfect love’ to transform our hearts we become pilgrims of hope. The most perfect place for this to happen is at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass where we commemorate and celebrate the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
Here the Risen Lord will come to us in word and sacrament. We will be encouraged to listen and to ‘taste and see the goodness of our God’. Our hardened hearts will be pierced by perfect love. All fear will be vanquished by a profound hope for the future.

This year I invite you to come to Easter Sunday Mass as ‘pilgrims of hope’. Let us invite others to join us as we encounter the Risen Lord who will remind us that hope does not disappoint. “Be not afraid”.
May God bless you with joy and hope this, Easter.

Yours sincerely in Christ,                                                                                           


Most Reverend Gerard Bergie, D.D. Diocese of St. Catharines                                                                           

 

Easter Greetings and Heartfelt Thanks

Fr. Jinto, Fr. Sunil, and all of us here at St. Kevin’s want to wish you and your loved ones a joyful and blessed Easter! This is the most important and hope-filled celebration of our Church year, and we’re so grateful to walk this journey with you.

Thank you for all the ways you share your time, gifts, and love with our parish community. You truly make a difference. As we celebrate the Risen Jesus, may His light bring peace to your heart, your home, and your family.
Wishing you all the joy and hope of this beautiful season—ALLELUIA! Happy Easter!

    • An enormous thank you for your generosity to Share Lent.  In our Solidarity and Palm Sunday collections we received over $20,960.00 in donations for Share Lent. We leave this collection open for the next few weeks. There are Share Lent envelopes available at the back of the Church.

    • A special thanks at Eastertime:

      • To our Music Ministers and Choir – your beautiful music adds so much to our prayer.

      • To our liturgical decorators and set-up – our worship space is lovingly cared for with a great liturgical sense by our decorators. Thank you to all who supported our Blooms of Love in memory of deceased loved ones.

      • To our Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Servers, Ushers, and Sacristans – we are deeply thankful for the devotion of all of you.

      • AND…to all of our Parishioners for sharing in our beautiful Celebrations. Thank you!

     

Congratulations Catechumens!

This Easter, as part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, we welcome into our Parish Community our Catechumens: Mark, Ramon, Ashleigh, Sandra & Miyah. We are grateful for their participation in catechism and congratulate them on completing the Sacraments of Initiation. We also thank our RCIA team and our RCIA coordinator Claude Fontaine. The holy journey that began in November has culminated in full membership of our Catholic Christian community at the Easter Vigil. Our parish prayer will continue to sustain our new members through the joyful season of Easter.

 

RCIC Baptisms and First Communion Celebrations

On Sunday, April 27th at 1:00pm, 14 of our Grade 2 students (and 7 of their siblings) who are preparing for their First Communion will be welcomed into our church through the Sacrament of Baptism.

    • A reminder of the class celebrations for First Holy Communion:

      Alexander Kuska School - Saturday, May 3rd at 2:00pm

      Holy Name School - Sunday, May 4th at 2:00pm

      St. Kevin School - Saturday, May 10th at 2:00pm

    We ask you to keep our young parishioners in your prayers as they approach these Sacraments.

     
 

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