The Parish Community of St. Kevin

Served by the Holy Cross Fathers

303 Niagara Street
Welland, Ontario  L3C 1K5

Email
905-735-5885

February 9, 2025

 

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the Gospel, Jesus calls Simon Peter, who, after a miraculous catch of fish, falls to his knees, saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Yet, Jesus reassures him: “Do not be afraid; from now on, you will be catching people.” Like Isaiah, Peter feels unworthy, but God calls him anyway. Peter leaves everything behind to follow Christ, showing the radical trust and discipleship we are invited to embrace.
This Sunday challenges us to reflect: How do we respond to God’s call? Do we let our fears and failings hold us back, or do we trust in God’s grace and step forward in faith? Like Isaiah and Peter, God calls us as we are—not because we are perfect, but because He wants to work through us. Let us open our hearts and say, “Here I am, Lord, send me!”

 

World Day of Marriage 2025

World Marriage Day, celebrated on the second Sunday of February, honors the beauty, commitment, and sacrifices of married life. It highlights the love and faithfulness shared by couples and acknowledges the importance of marriage in building strong families and communities. Originating in 1981 and supported by the Catholic Church, this special day encourages couples to renew their vows, reflect on their journey, and seek God’s blessings for a lasting union. It serves as a reminder that love, respect, and trust are the pillars of a happy and successful marriage. To commemorate the 2025 World Day of Marriage, Bishop Bergie will be celebrating a special Mass on Sunday, February 9, 2025, at 2:00pm, at the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Catharines.

 

Our Lady of Lourdes, World Day of the Sick

Mass with Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick - Tuesday 11th - 9:00am

Traditionally, February 11th is the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. Lourdes is a beautiful sanctuary and place of prayer found in the Pyrenees in the South-west region of France, on the France-Spain border. The site of Mary’s shrine in Lourdes has been a place of many healings – physical, emotional, and spiritual. Our Lady of Lourdes has been designated as patron of the sick and it is on this Marian feast that we celebrate World Day of the Sick. We will have Mass on Tuesday, February 11th at 9:00am. At the conclusion of the Mass, we will have the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, which asks for God’s strength and peace in dealing with one’s ailments. If you suffer from any form of physical or mental illness, we encourage you to join us at this special Mass and to receive this sacrament that can offer peace of mind and renewed hope.

 

St. Vincent de Paul Collection

We continue to collect the funds to help those in need. We encourage you to be as generous as you can possibly be. Please use the Green envelope in your box of envelopes for the St. Vincent de Paul collection or there are extras available at the back of the Church, and place these in the regular collection basket. On behalf of those we serve and those who serve, we thank you for your generosity. We kindly ask that you DO NOT e-transfer the church with St. Vincent de Paul donations. You may submit cash, or a cheque made out to St. Vincent de Paul. We thank you for your attention to this.

 

Development and Peace Action Campaign

As we mentioned in last weekend's bulletin, we are asking for your solidarity in seeking justice through Development and Peace — Caritas Canada’s Reaping our Rights campaign. Our current initiative calls attention to peasant and rural communities in the Global South that are uniting to ensure their rights are respected in the face of challenges such as land grabbing, resource theft, and the contamination of soil, water and air by private corporations. To guarantee respect for the rights of peasant and rural communities in the Global South, we call on Canada to adopt strong mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence legislation, so that no Canadian company can commit such violations. At all our Masses this weekend (February 8th/9th) you will have an opportunity to add your signature to the petition calling the Canadian government to adopt this legislation. We hope that you will join us in signing and we thank you for your solidarity.

 

Family Day Weekend

As we observe Family Day on Monday February 17th, we are reminded of the importance of family as the foundation of faith, love, and unity. Families are called to be a “domestic church,” where faith is nurtured and shared. This special day encourages us to reflect on the role of our families in living out Christian values and growing together in God’s love.

We invite all families in our parish to join us for Family Day Weekend by praying together at our Masses on February 15th /16th as a family. Coming to Mass together strengthens our bond with Christ and with one another. Let us take this opportunity to pray together, give thanks, and seek God’s blessings on our families.

 

Diocese Update

Parish Missional Health Assessment: Bishop Bergie is asking clergy and as many parishioners as possible across the Diocese complete the Parish Missional Health Assessment. This is a tool to help define a clear, realistic picture of every parish’s strength and growth areas. Please visit https://dpc4olay0gt.typeform.com/MissionalHealth or use the QR code and take a few minutes to complete the brief survey. You will get instant, personalized results delivered straight to your inbox. All results are also submitted anonymously to the diocese to give a comprehensive overview of how we are fulfilling our missionary call to evangelize.

Messages of Hope - Speaker Series: The MESSAGES OF HOPE Speaker Series is a special Jubilee 2025 initiative designed to engage those living in the Diocese of St. Catharines to learn about hope, and together, reflect and explore ways to restore a climate of hope in our world that desperately yearns for it. Each month, in venues around the diocese, a speaker has been invited to give a talk that explores some messages and themes that Pope Francis highlighted in the Jubilee’s Bull of Indiction - SPES NON CONFUNDIT: Hope does not disappoint. Rev. Rico Passero, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Grimsby and podcast host of God’s Playbook will be the second featured speaker in this Jubilee’s Messages of Hope Series. He will be reflecting on ‘Hope for Today’ on February 24, 2025, at 7:00 pm at the Catholic Centre, 3400 Merrittville Highway, Thorold. Register using https://forms.office.com/r/rehnH9PdnB  or the QR code.

 

Culture of Life Ministry Events

The Pro Life Coffee House is taking place on Saturday, February 15th from 1:00pm-3:00pm at Holy Rosary Hall (35 Queen Street, S, Thorold, ON L2V 3M9). Join for a free presentation featuring ProLife Activist Maria Mc Cann, who is one of Canada’s Top 10 Pro-life influencers. For more information, please check the poster in our foyer.

 

Catholic Women’s League News

  • 2025 Memberships are now due. They are $40 for the year.

  • Thanks to all the ladies who have paid. Much appreciated.

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