Easter Wishes

Easter is the most significant and joyous celebration in the Christian faith. It commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, which is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. According to St. Paul, if Christ had not risen from the dead, our faith would have been in vain, and our efforts on earth would have been meaningless. The resurrection of Jesus is the reason why everything that is good, beautiful, noble, and marked by love in our lives will last forever.

As we celebrate this auspicious occasion, I would like to extend my warmest wishes to you, dear parishioners and guests. May the joy of Easter illuminate your daily life, and may goodness, truth, love, harmony, and kindness always resurrect in your families, workplaces, and daily relationships.

May the Risen Lord bless you and your families with good health, strength, and grace to overcome the difficulties of everyday life. May everything that is good in nature flourish in your personal, professional, married, and family life.

May the splendor of the Empty Sepulchre of Our Lord remind you that nothing ends at the tomb. Everything begins! It is a symbol of hope and new beginnings, a reminder that death has been conquered, and new life has emerged. May it restore serenity and hope that, ultimately, good will always triumph over evil, truth will always triumph over lies, and love will always triumph over hate.

I wish you a happy and healthy Easter filled with love and kindness. Alleluia!

Fr. Marius Sztuk, SDS
Deacon Larry Driver

On the first Sunday of the new year, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the members and supporters of our parishes for joining us on our journey of faith. Thank you for attending every Holy Mass, for praying for the Church and for our parish, and for your support. I appreciate the fact that our parish is a vibrant community where we can see how we walk with God through life. 
Thank you for your love for our beautiful church and for your donations for its maintenance and upkeep. The coming year holds many unknowns, but I believe that God will never forget us. 
As Psalm 9 says, "Lord, you do not abandon those who seek you.

"May the New Year be a time dedicated to God, living with His blessing! May God protect you from evil, sickness, and misfortune. I pray that God blesses our community and its members in the New Year 2024! 
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who worked tirelessly to make our Christmas and New Year celebrations so beautiful. Firstly, a big thank you to Deacon Larry and his wife Therese, the Decoration Team, Music Ministry, Liturgical Ministry, Hospitality Ministry, Nancy, Vall, Larry, and all of you who care so deeply about our church. Your time and energy are truly appreciated.

God Bless. 
Fr. Marius
Parish Priest

Christmas Greetings

During this joyful Christmas time, I would like to extend my best wishes to you, dear parishioners, your families, and all guests spending Christmas in this community. May the Good God, who comes to us as a newborn, grant us health, peace, and joy and surround us with the abundance of his graces.

In this festive season, I ask especially for graces for those who are sick, lonely, and whose hearts are filled with fear and uncertainty about tomorrow. May they experience God's goodness most intensely.

May the joyful celebration heal wounds, end disputes and quarrels, and start a new and beautiful time in our family relationships. By creating a community of friendship and love in the family, neighbourhood, and parish, we can experience every day the wisdom of the words of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta: "Whenever you allow God to love others through you, it is always Christmas".

I want you to know that I put these wishes in Christ's blessing, which you accept as a celebration in the company of family, acquaintances, friends, and guests.

Fr. Marius Sztuk, SDS
(Parish Priest)

"Whenever you smile at your brother 
And you stretch out your hands to him,

it's Christmas.

Whenever you pause to listen

it's Christmas.

Whenever you give up the rules,
which, like an iron hoop, oppress men
in their solitude,

it's Christmas.

Whenever you give a little hope to the broken,

it's Christmas.

Whenever you recognize in humility,
how insignificant are your options
And how great is your weakness,

it's Christmas.

Whenever you allow God to
He has loved others because of you,
Always then,

it's Christmas."

Blessed. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent. Advent, which means "arrival" in Latin, is a joyful and hopeful time as we await the coming of the Son of God, our Savior.

The Church divides Advent into two parts. The first part runs from the First Sunday of Advent until December 16, while the second part from December 17 to 24.

During the first part of Advent, we reflect and prepare for the Lord's second coming at the end of time. The second part is a time for direct reflection on the preparation for the celebration of Christmas. To help us count down the Sundays of Advent, we use the Advent Wreath, which has four candles.

On the first Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of Hope, on the second Sunday the candles of Hope and Peace on the third Sunday candles of Hope, Peace, and Joy and on the fourt Sunday the candles of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Many families also have Advent candles in their homes and light them during prayers, meals, and family gather The Advent wreath symbolizes the community of the Church as we await and prepare to receive the Lord. One of the forms of preparation is participation in the RORATE MASSES celebrated in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In our parish we will do that every Saturday during Avent at 7:00 am in the morning.

The season of Advent is an opportunity for spiritual awakening. It is a time to reflect on our faith in God, the purpose of our existence, and the path to salvation. We can ask ourselves about our preparation for the encounter with God.

What do we need to change in our lives? What separates us from God and others? Maybe we need to break with the sin of laziness in prayer, skipping Sunday Mass, wasting time, unkindness to people, pride, drunkenness, impurity, anger...

To better prepare for the joyful celebration of Christmas, we often participate in spiritual exercises and receive the Sacrament of Penance (reconciliation). In our parish we will celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation on December 13 at 6:30 in the evening. The Advent season is another opportunity to open ourselves to Jesus and to see His traces in our daily life, and to spread Advent joy around us.

"Let us praise Christ and thank Him for His reception in the Eucharist, which is the announcement of the Second Coming in Glory." 

Dear Parishioners,

The Rorate Caeli Mass is a traditional Advent devo0on popular in many places in the Catholic Church. I still remember as a child bringing my own lamp to the Rorate Mass with my brothers and other people in my parish. The Mass is for the Blessed Virgin Mary in Advent and is offered just before dawn. This Mass captures the hearts and minds of many people, the interplay of light and darkness speaking to the meaning of Advent and the coming of the Light of the World. The Mass takes its Title, Rorate Caeli, from the first words of the Introit, which are from Isaiah 45:8 “Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum, aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem.” “Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour.”

The Rorate Mass is lit only by candlelight. Because it is a vo0ve Mass in Mary’s honour, white vestments are worn instead of Advent violet. In the dimly lit setting, the Priest and faithful prepare to honour the Light of the World, who is soon to be born, and offer praise to God for the gift of Our Lady. As the Mass proceeds and the sunrise approaches, the church becomes progressively brighter, illumined by the sun as our faith is illumined by Christ. The readings and prayers of Advent foretell the prophecy of the Virgin who would bear a Son called Emmanuel, and call on all to raise the gates of their hearts and their socie0es to let Christ the King enter; asking for the grace to receive eternal life by the merits of the Incarna0on and saving Resurrec0on of Our Lord.

This Mass will be on every Saturday during Advent morning at 7.00 am.

• Saturday 9 December at 7:00 AM
• Saturday 16 December at 7:00 AM
• Saturday 23 December at 7:00 AM

Fr. Marius

As we enter into November we need to remind ourselves of the beautiful tradition we have. For Christians, it is praying for the dead and visiting the burial place. In the Catholic Church, a strong emphasis is placed at the beginning of the month.  On November 1, we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. In the Church, we commemorate not only the officially recognized saints, that is, the beatified and canonized, but also the faithful departed, whose lives were marked by holiness, and all those whom God received into Himself in heaven. On this day, if possible, we gather in the church or the cemetery, pray for the dead and light candles on the graves. 

The Solemnity of All Saints, which always falls on 1 November, reminds us of the purpose of earthly life, which is to enter the kingdom of heaven, where each of us has a place. St. John the Apostle and Evangelist wrote: "Then I saw: and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation, and all tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They are dressed in white robes and have palm trees in their hands. And with a loud voice they cry out, Salvation with our God, who is seated on the throne, and with the Lamb.

On this day, therefore, we honour those people who lived their lives in union with Christ, who were able to walk in his ways and follow him. It is not only about those who are widely known and venerated (e.g. St. Faustina, St. Maximilian, St. Padre Pio, St. John Paul II and many others) but also about those who remain anonymous.

November 2 is the liturgical Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (the so-called All Souls' Day), which is related to the Catholic truth of faith about the existence of Purgatory, i.e. the place where the souls of those who died reconciled with Christ but did not repent of their sins during their earthly life, are prepared through purifying suffering for full communion with God in heaven. This day reminds us of our duty to pray for the suffering souls in purgatory.

One way to help them is through so-called indulgences. It is a spiritual gift that a Catholic living on earth can offer to the deceased. In our parish we will have special Liturgical celebrations:

1 of November at 6:00 PM

2 of November at 6:00 PM