Wednesday Weekly May 7, 2014 Print Version
1. Northern Catholic News Deadline – May 16th, 2014
The Northern Catholic News is looking for articles from our parishes and schools to publish in its Summer edition. Did your parish or school celebrate a special occasion or event? Did someone in your organization receive special recognition? Please let us know about it! Did you have a guest speaker that would be of interest to other parishioners? Our readers would love to hear about it! Contact Mary-Anne Lewis Jamin at majamin@pgdiocese.bc.ca or 250-964-4424 extension 234 with your stories and pictures. The deadline for this edition is May 16th, 2014.
2. DYC – Message from Eunice Hii, Youth and Young Adult Ministry Coordinator
Please share the following message from Eunice:
The 19th annual Diocesan Youth Conference was an incredible weekend!
A big THANK YOU to all those who participated especially our amazing volunteers and chaperones. It was truly a momentous weekend for our diocese especially closing on Divine Mercy Sunday along with the canonization of two saints. I ask that you continue to pray for all the youth who attended and committed themselves to Christ. May our young be drawn ever more deeply into a personal encounter with Jesus!
There are so many people who made this past weekend possible. Thank you to all our speakers who came to be with us! In no particular order, I have to mention some names here: A giant thank you to Tracy Connelly, who at home with 7 kids, still found the time to call up hundreds of people to invite them to the conference. A heartfelt thank you to Sharlene Irving, who organized a massive prayer warrior team across our diocese. It was so evident that all your prayers were heard. Also, thank you to Teresa Phillippe, who processed all your registrations and more! Thank you Margaret Smith for your generous spirit in preparing all the food for our participants. Thank you Jatinder, Ron and Glen for making sure the Diocesan Centre was ready to go! Thank you to the Matte family for your generosity in providing many Lighthouse goodies for the young people. Thank you Bishop Jensen and all priests who came to hear confessions and celebrate Mass. Thank you Fr. Jack Michalchuk & John Connelly for guiding the major decisions towards this weekend. There are many more I would like to thank here including all the youth coordinators throughout our diocese and especially our volunteer crew, but there simply is not enough space to mention you all. You know who you are. I’m praying for you all.
Praise God for such a dynamic conference. See you at the 20th annual DYC!!! Saints John Paul II and John XXIII, pray for us!
This is just the beginning!
In Christ, Eunice
3. Young Adult Summer Events
Please put the following notice in parish bulletins:
Summer is often a time where we grow away from our faith and relationship in Jesus, but let’s make sure that that doesn’t happen this summer! Join us for a bible study either in Theology of the Body/the Old Testament starting this JUNE. Those not in Prince George, are welcome to join us via skype. We will also host a young women’s study with the book ‘How to Find your Soulmate without losing your soul.’ For details about either book study, please contact our Diocesan Youth Coordinator, Eunice Hii, at youth@pgdiocese.bc.ca or join ‘Catholic Young Adults – Diocese of Prince George’ on Facebook.
4. World day of Prayer for Vocations – May 11th, 2014
The following is a message from Fr. Terry Brock, Vocations Director:
This coming Sunday is “World Day of Prayer for Vocations.” There are three items to hand out to your parishioners to commemorate this day.
1. Bishop Jensen’s letter
Message from Most Reverend Stephen Jensen, Bishop of Prince George
2. The new Vocations prayer:
Heavenly Father, bless Your Church with an abundance of holy and zealous Priests, Brothers and Sisters.
Open the hearts of the young, that they may discern Your will for them.
Give them the desire to offer themselves to serve You in others and establish Your reign in all hearts.
Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen
3. The Vocations Suggestion card.
Suggestion – Our practice at Sacred Heart Parish in Terrace will be as follows: We will assign greeters to distribute the new vocations prayer card “before” mass as parishioners enter the Church. At the prayer of intersession the prayer will be prayed by the assembly. At the end of mass, the commentator will announce that the Bishop’s letter and the vocations suggestion card are inserted in the parish bulletin. The commentator will read out the contents of the Vocations suggestion card and briefly explain what to do with it.
Thank you for your efforts to promote priestly vocations in our diocese.
5. Vocations Poster Winner
Congratulations to Gibson Dugdale, Grade 5 from Nukko Lake Elementary in Prince George. Due to lack of entries, no 2nd, 3rd or most original idea will be awarded this year.
6. Week for Life and the Family, May 11-18, 2014
Please find attached for your information the message by the CCCB President, Archbishop Paul-André Durocher, for the National Week for Life and the Family, May 11-18, 2014. All parishes should have received a package of prayer cards with the new diocesan prayer for families on the back. Please distribute the prayer card to parishioners at the May 18th Mass.
Message for National Week for Life and the Family
7. Divorce and Beyond
Please put the following notice in parish bulletins in the Central Region:
Catholic Divorce Ministry, www.nacsdc.org is a parish-based self-help program for newly divorced/separated people based on the premise that sharing, thoughts, feelings and experiences with others in the same situation is one of the most helpful ways to move beyond the pain of divorce. The Catholic Church has a rich treasury of people, Scripture, tradition, and pastoral ministry on which it can draw to serve its members whose marriages end in divorce. CDM strives to lay open this wealth and make known Christ’s abundant love so that all who suffer from separation and divorce might experience healing, reconciliation, and new life. If you are interested in participating in the program please contact Tony at cdmpgd@gmail.com or phone at 250-612-0397 or Father Pier Pandolfo at the Sacred Heart Parish, 250-564-5225.