Wednesday Weekly March 18, 2105 Print Version
1. Chrism Mass Reminders
The Mass of Chrism will be celebrated at 7 pm on Monday, March 23rd at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Parishes have been invited to send two representatives to accompany their pastor to the Mass of Chrism and to a dinner beforehand at 5:00 pm in Sacred Heart Cathedral’s lower hall. Please contact Jennifer Foster, the Cathedral secretary by Friday, March 20th by telephone at (250)564-5225 or by email at shcath@shawcable.com to confirm your parish’s attendees, if you have not already done so. Thank you.
Those attending the reception following Mass are asked to bring a plate of snacks to share. Please bring to the lower hall before Mass. Thank you.
Mail for the parishes/schools in the outlying regions will be collected at the Diocesan Pastoral Centre and given to priests following their study day. Local parishes are asked forward any mail you may wish to have delivered. Thank you.
2. Depression Workshop
Parishes in the Central Region are asked to ensure that notices are placed in bulletins this weekend about the CHABC presentation being held at the Diocese:
It is estimated that 1 in 10 Canadians will experience an episode of clinical depression during their lifetime. Have you wondered if you or someone you love might have depression? The Diocese of Prince George is pleased to host a session on this topic. Please join Jo-Ann Tait, President of the Catholic Health Care Association of BC for an informative presentation on Tuesday, March 24th, 2015 at 7:00 pm in the Conference Room, Diocesan Pastoral Centre. All are welcome. Registration is not required.
3. Religious Education Trust
The Religious Education Trust provides funding to support and encourage initiatives for religious education in our diocese. The closing date for submission of applications for the next distribution of funds is April 7th, 2015. A copy of the Application Form is attached. Forms and brochures are also available on the Diocese website under Policies and Forms. Forms can be sent to Lynn Monteith via email: lynn-monteith@pgdiocese.bc.ca or fax: (250)964-2101 or mailed to the address on the form.
4. Easter Schedules
Parish secretaries are asked to forward their parish Easter schedule to Lisa Weber at lisa@pgdiocese.bc.ca. This information will be placed on the Diocesan website.
5. Year of Mercy
On March 13, 2015 Pope Francis announced the celebration of an “extraordinary Holy Year”. This “Jubilee of Mercy” will commence with the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter’s on December 8, 2015, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and will conclude on November 20, 2016 with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. The Holy Father stated: “This is the time of mercy. It is important that the lay faithful live it and bring it into different social environments. Go forth!”
The opening of this next Jubilee will take place on the fiftieth anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council in 1965. This is of great significance, for it impels the Church to continue the work begun at Vatican II.
During the Jubilee, the Sunday readings for Ordinary Time will be taken from the Gospel of Luke, the one referred to as “the evangelist of mercy”. Dante Alighieri describes him as “scriba mansuetudinis Christi”, “narrator of the meekness of Christ”. There are many well known parables of mercy presented in the Gospel of Luke: the lost sheep, the lost coin, the merciful father.
The official and solemn announcement of the Holy Year will take place with the public proclamation of the Bolla in front of the Holy Door on Divine Mercy Sunday, the Feast instituted by Saint John Paul II and celebrated on the Sunday after Easter.
In the ancient Hebrew tradition, the Jubilee Year, which was celebrated every 50 years, was meant to restore equality among all of the children of Israel, offering new possibilities to families which had lost their property and even their personal freedom. In addition, the Jubilee Year was a reminder to the rich that a time would come when their Israelite slaves would once again become their equals and would be able to reclaim their rights. “Justice, according to the Law of Israel, consisted above all in the protection of the weak” (St. John Paul II, Tertio millenio adveniente 13).
6. Life Giving Love Campaign
Last year, the campaign entitled Life‐Giving Love prepared by the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF) was created to help people understand the teaching of the Church pertaining to issues surrounding end‐of‐life care. The recent ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada that removed the legal prohibition against assisted suicide and euthanasia underscores the importance of this initiative. A special website containing useful educational resources was created for the campaign. It is found at www.lifegivinglove.ca. In addition, COLF’s own website (www.colf.ca) contains a wealth of information relating to euthanasia and assisted suicide, including that which could be used for homilies.