The Parish Community of St. Kevin

Served by the Holy Cross Fathers

303 Niagara Street
Welland, Ontario  L3C 1K5
Email
905-735-5885


27th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

October 6 , 2024

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus’ teaching about divorce and remarriage can be a challenging one for many people. The Church continues to uphold the strong and positive teaching of Jesus that God intends for a man and woman to make a lifelong commitment to one another in the Sacrament of Marriage. Many of us, however, know people whose marriage has not been a lifelong commitment. The example of Jesus teaches us that we are called to act with compassion and love in our relationships with all, and especially when people are hurting because of difficulties in their relationships. Most importantly, we remember that when marriages thrive, it is a sign of God’s grace at work.

 

An Invitation to Serve - Liturgical Recruitment Fair

This weekend, we are hosting a ‘Liturgical Recruitment Fair’ in the foyer after all Masses. If you would like to become a Reader, Eucharistic Minister, Altar Server, Choir member, Usher, or assist with Children’s Liturgy, please visit one of the tables to sign-up! We ask that only NEW ministers sign-up so that we can obtain all contact information and verify the Mass time you wish to help at. Once we have completed our recruitment phase, we will invite new ministers to a brief training session (times and dates to be determined). Current ministers will be most welcome to attend also. Scheduling for these roles will also be addressed at that time. We are grateful to have our parishioners lend their time and talent to serve. And check out our new Ministry Bulletin Board in the foyer!

 

A Sacrament Update: First Reconciliation and First Communion

Parents and guardians of Grade 2 children at our three Catholic elementary schools have been notified through the school to register their little ones for First Reconciliation & First Communion and to attend an upcoming meeting later this month in order to get preparation underway. The meetings are taking place on Tuesday, October 22nd for families from Alexander Kuska School & Wednesday, October 23rd for families from Holy Name & St. Kevin Schools. If parents cannot attend the evening for their child’s school, they are welcome to attend the alternative evening. If there are any Grade 2 children within the Parish who attend public or private school but who are wishing to make First Communion this year, we invite those parents to contact our Parish Office by October 21st and then attend one of the evening meetings.

 

Diocesan Anniversary Certificates

Bishop Bergie will send a congratulatory certificate to married couples who have celebrated or will celebrate a 25th, 40th, 50th, or 60th anniversary in the year 2024. To receive a certificate, please complete the required registration form (available at the parish office) by November 8th. There will be no formal Diocesan Mass or dinner in celebration of the anniversaries.

 

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

For anyone who has expressed interest in becoming a member of the Catholic Christian community; or of someone who was baptized in the Catholic Church, but never had the opportunity to receive the Eucharist or Confirmation; or of someone who was Baptized in another Christian faith but are wishing to become Catholic, please encourage them to contact our Parish Office at 905-735-5885.

 

Partnering with The Hope Centre -Thanksgiving Drive

This weekend and next we will be doing a Thanksgiving Food Drive in support of The Hope Centre. We have two bins set up in the foyer for parishioners to drop off food donations. Please bring any non-perishable pantry item but some suggestions are: canned meat/tuna; canned beans, soup, and pasta; pasta sauce and pasta; fruit cups; cereal; oatmeal; and kid snacks. We appreciate your generosity.

 

Thanksgiving - A Gesture of Gratitude

Thanksgiving is next weekend – October 12th/13th. As a parish, we would like to collectively take a moment to give thanks to God for the blessings He has bestowed upon us. On thanksgiving weekend, we invite you to share what you are grateful for. Upon arrival, you can place your gratitude messages in the baskets that will be positioned as you enter the main church. The notes will be brought up collectively and placed before the altar in a symbolic gesture of thanksgiving during our offertory procession. You and your family members are welcome to use the template below – simply cut one out, anonymously write what you are most grateful for (as many or as few as you wish), and bring them to Mass on Thanksgiving weekend. Extras will also be provided in the foyer next weekend.

 

 

Catholic Women’s League News

Socks for Change: Be a champion by donating new socks to our Sock-tober campaign.  Give an individual dignity and warmth and warm your own heart by donating.

Fish Fry Fundraiser: Coming October 25th mark the date! Profits from this Fish Fry will be put towards donations to the Hope Centre and St. Vincent de Paul to assist those in need. Tickets will be on sale in the foyer October 12th/13th  and 19th/20th. One piece dinners are $15 and two piece dinners are $20.  Pick up once again will be at The Lunch Lady Kitchen.

 
 

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