My dear friends in Christ,
 
Some of the most comforting words found in Sacred Scripture are the words “Do not be afraid.”  We will again here Jesus speak these words this weekend as will be proclaimed in Mark 5:21-43.  These are Jesus’ words, meant to come alive for us.  Fear can keep us from living our lives as God calls us and wants us to live.  Free of fear, anxiety, and free of sin.  We are called to replace fear with hope, anxiety with peace, and sin with grace.  Quite simply, that is what I want for all of us – my family and each of you my spiritual family.

As always, it is my prayer that when you leave the doors of our church, that you leave with a sense of peace in your heart, and that any fear be replaced with the peace of Christ.

This weekend we welcome Fr. Jorge Fernando Duarte Amaro, IMC, from Consolata Missionaries for our annual mission appeal.  Learn more about Consolata Missionaries.
  
May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to you joining me for the celebration of Mass this weekend.
 
Fr. Greg

My dear friends in Christ,
 
This Sunday in our Gospel from Mark 4:35-41, we will hear Jesus speak the words “Quiet!  Be Still!”  What a gift it is for us to come to our spiritual home of St. Julia, and to pause in the busyness of our lives.  To be fed with the Word of God and physically with the Body of Christ.  To kneel in a sacred space.  To be with fellow disciples.  To offer prayers of thanksgiving.  And to be still. 
 
In this same Gospel, it is very clear when the question is posed:  Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?  If we accept the Gospel account that the wind and the sea obeyed Jesus, then we must answer this question.  If we reject that the wind and the sea obeyed Jesus, then we are left without faith and without any belief that this Jesus has any special role.
 
It is this Jesus, I pray, who has a very special role and place in your life.  This Jesus who you hunger to welcome into the very depths of your soul.  To open your heart to, and to simply be with, in our home of St. Julia.
 
It is our faith and belief in Jesus that carries us through this journey of life.  And when we are faced with the next winds in life, it will be Jesus who carries us once again, and to bring the calm we so desire.  That is faith in action.  That is who we are.
 
May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to you joining me for the celebration of Mass this weekend.
 
Fr. Greg

My dear friends in Christ,
 
Before entering the lower entrance, you will notice our beautiful gardens, many of the flowers just on the brink of entering into bloom.  I was told by our volunteer gardener who so lovingly cares for our grounds that the first year will be good, the second year even better, and the third year will be quite spectacular.  Some of the plants, the lilies in particular, will be five to six feet in height, with as many as 50 blooms on them!  This however takes time.  The vast majority of these plants came from a mail order catalog, and when they arrived did not look like much.  Everything was carefully planted, staked, and watered.
 
This Sunday in our Gospel from Mark 4:26-34, we will hear Jesus tell us the parable of the mustard seed.  The mustard seed, “when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.  But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”  The mustard seed is the smallest of all the seeds, and yet has the potential to become the largest of plants.  This takes time.
 
The same can be said of our gardens.  With each passing year the roots get more and more established, and the results, well, we will see in the coming weeks, months, and years.  This too takes time.  And the same too can be said about out spiritual lives and building up the kingdom of God in our homes, schools, places of work, our community, and our world.  Each of us have the potential deep within.  The seeds of faith were planted many years ago.  We need to care for those seeds lovingly and nurture them – with the Word of God and the finest food – the Body and Blood of Christ.  There is simply nothing better, with proven results.  Those results are abundant fruit, a richness in our spiritual lives, and peace, an inner peace that can be found no where else.  Once again, all this takes time.
 
It is my prayer that as you join me for Mass this weekend, that the seeds of faith will be fed, and that you will be renewed in mind, body, and spirit. 
 
May God continue to bless each of you and those that you love.

Fr. Greg

In our second reading this weekend from St. Paul to the Corinthians, we will hear the words proclaimed “we have a building from God.”

Indeed, this building, this place of worship, this church is our home.  Thousands upon thousands of masses have been celebrated and offered here.  Our community, generation after generation have gathered to offer our prayers of petition and thanksgiving.  We have gathered for joyous celebrations, from baptisms, first communions, confirmations, graduations, and weddings, and we have gathered at times when we needed God the most, and the support of this community, when we have said goodbye to loved ones and our fellow disciples.  Our gifted choir has enriched our celebrations with song.  We have experienced God’s healing within these walls with the sacraments of reconciliation and the anointing of the sick.  St. Vincent de Paul, Legion of Mary, C.W.L., and Development and Peace have reached out to our sisters and brothers in need, both near and far, beyond the walls of this church.  And we have gathered as friends, for parish BBQ’s and other celebrations.  The list goes on, and on, and on.

This building has been entrusted to us from God.  We continue to care and beautify this church, making it a warm and welcoming place, for this generation and generations to come.

What truly makes this building, this church from God special is you.  Thank you for making this building, this community what it is.  It is my honour to call this church home and to be a part of this parish family.

I look forward to gathering for mass this Sunday in this church dedicated to St. Julia, this building from God.

May God bless each of you and those that you love,

Fr. Greg