The Parish Community of St. Kevin

Fourth Sunday of Easter

April 21, 2024

Good Shepherd Sunday

The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Good Shepherd Sunday - World Day of Prayer for Vocations

In 1963 Pope Paul VI designated the Fourth Sunday of Easter or Good Shepherd Sunday as World Day of Prayer for Vocations.  As disciples, we all share one common vocation, the vocation to holiness. Pope Francis in his apostolic exhortation “on the call to holiness” called Gaudete et Exsultate, says “We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. Are you called to the consecrated life? Be holy by living out your commitment with joy. Are you married? Be holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife. Do you work for a living? Be holy by labouring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position of authority? Be holy by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain.” (#14) As we celebrate World Day of Prayer for Vocations, we pray for fidelity to our vocation. May we who have dedicated our lives to God through the vocation of marriage, priesthood, consecrated life, and the single life grow in holiness and further the reign of God. 

Fr. Jinto Mathew, CSC 

 

A Note from Bishop Bergie…

Encourage those who may be hesitant, to generously respond to Jesus’ mysterious call to ‘follow Him’. The image of ‘putting out into the deep’ is significant. If you remember the Gospel account, Peter and his partners had just returned from fishing all night and had caught nothing. The Lord tells Peter to “Put out into the deep…”. When he does this, he has a miraculous catch of fish. So let us be invitational and encourage others to ‘put out into the deep’ and we will reap God’s bounty. We also need to pray unceasingly for an increase of vocations in our diocese. 

“Father, in your plan for our salvation you provide shepherds for your people.
Fill your Church with the spirit of courage and love.
Raise up worthy ministers for your altars and ardent but gentle servants of the gospel.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

 

Congratulations

On Saturday, April 13th the following children received First Communion for the first time: Kate, Jacob, Michael, Anjoni, Simon, Charlotte, Hugh, Royalin, Madelyn, Sofia, Kalel, Max, Oliver, Tianna, Georgia, Maria, Piper, Joëlle, Chisom, Mia, Emma, Monica, and Natalie. We extend heartfelt congratulations to each of them and we are happy to have these young parishioners share in the Eucharist.

 

Rite of Commitment for the Sacrament of Confirmation

This weekend we welcome the candidates of our Parish who are preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Rite of Commitment is a ceremony in which they profess their commitment to receiving the Sacrament, and our parish community and their families commit to supporting them in their journey. The candidates will also be presented with a cross that they can wear and keep. Saturday at our 5:00pm Mass those from Holy Name School will attend; Sunday at 10:00am we welcome those from Alexander Kuska School; and Sunday at 11:30am Mass we will receive those from St. Kevin School.
It was lovely having the candidates here at the church this past week for their Confirmation Retreat & Rehearsal. We especially thank Jane Lipinski, Jean McDermott Davies, and Sharon Seniuk for animating the retreats.
The candidates will receive the Sacrament with their class on the following dates:

St. Kevin School – Tuesday, April 30 at 7:00pm
Alexander Kuska School – Wednesday, May 1 at 7:00pm
Holy Name School – Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00pm

We ask members of the Parish to please pray for these candidates – all 110!!! – and their families as they draw closer to receiving the Holy Spirit.

 

Children’s Liturgy

Our Children’s Liturgy happens at our Sunday 10:00am Mass. This liturgy is such a special program and we are grateful to our excellent team of volunteers who make it happen. In the last several months we have had many new families with young children move into the parish and we want to be sure that they are aware of it. At the 10:00am Mass each Sunday (excluding holiday weekends and summer), we invite the children forward towards the beginning of Mass for a blessing from Father and then they make their way to the Parish Hall. There they listen to Gospel passages and partake in activities relating to the readings of the week. Just before Communion, they rejoin the congregation in the church. We encourage young families to have their little ones participate.

 

Diocesan Young Adult Ministry News

Young Adult Ministry “Feed Your Faith” event: All young adults (19 - 39 years old), whether in school or working, whether single, married, or separated/divorced, whether cradle Catholics who were raised and educated in faith or those who have drifted away and are searching for meaning and purpose from a life centred on Christ, are invited and welcome to gather at the Catholic Centre (3400 Merrittville Highway, Thorold) for a shared meal, fellowship, and quiet prayer beginning at 6:00pm on Friday, April 26, 2024. Contact: Terri Pauco at 905-684-0154, ext. 209 or email familyandyouth@saintcd.com. The next “Feed Your Faith” event will take place on Friday, May 31, 2024.

 

Catholic Women’s League News

Mark the date – Fish Fry Fundraiser on Friday, May 10, 2024.  Help us to continue to support our local community. And we are sorry but we got a bit excited in last weekend’s bulletin! Tickets will NOT be on sale today but they will be on sale in the foyer next weekend (April 27/28) and the following (May 4/5). 1 piece dinner is $13 and 2 piece dinner is $17.

 

Save the Date – Wednesday, May 22nd
Praise & Worship Evening with a Guest Speaker. Details to come!

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.

 

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

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

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