Dear parish family and friends of St. Julia,

As we begin a new month, there is no shortage of people and things to pray for.  In a special way, in this month dedicated to our Blessed Mother Mary and the Rosary, we have a most powerful tool at our fingertips and an intercessor we can turn to who will take our prayers and petitions to her son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
 
This weekend we welcome our Confirmation candidates and their families from our parish to our 5:00 p.m. Mass.  I met with these youth from our parish and their parents a week ago, discussing the beauty of this Sacrament and the power of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit they will receive this November.  We need to pray for these youth, as this is an important year for them in their faith journey.
 
This past week I met with the seven-year-old children from our parish family and their parents as they prepare to encounter Christ in the Sacrament of Reconciliation this fall and First Communion next May.  May the joy in the eyes of these children and the excitement of receiving Jesus for the first time – and we pray 1000’s of times after, set the faith of their parents on fire – or reignite the faith if that may be the case.  We need to pray for these children and their families.
 
Our new initiative at Denis Morris Catholic High School is slowly gaining traction.  Cassi Werkman, our new Youth Leader, will join the Grade 9's on their retreat next Wednesday, and the Grade 12's on their retreat after Thanksgiving to discuss how putting Christ at the center of her life has truly transformed her life.  Her testimony I pray with touch the hearts of these youth.  Cassi will also visit the classrooms of the Grade 10's and 11's.  Her invitation will lead to the Discovery Faith Study during the two lunch periods here in our Divinity Room, and the vision, a youth group in the evening.  We thank Cassi for giving so generously of her time.  We need to pray for these youth and their families.
 
We need to pray for those who are sick.  I am currently journeying with a number of people facing a cancer diagnosis, one twice my age, another person my age, whose cancer has returned, and another, ten years younger than myself.  May their encounter with Christ in the Sacrament of the Anointing of Sick bring them comfort, strength, help, healing, and peace.  We need to pray for all those facing illness and for their families.
 
Last but not least, we need to pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and diaconate, and that more men desire to encounter Christ in the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  We will launch a Men's Discernment group here at St. Julia that will meet monthly, with details in this newsletter.
 
Come Holy Spirit!  Blessed Mother, please intercede for us.  Loving God, hear these our prayers.

Please know of my prayers for each of you and all your intentions, and may God continue to bless each of you and those that you love.

I look forward to seeing you at Mass this weekend.

United in prayer,

Fr. Greg

Dear parish family and friends of St. Julia,

Love and service. 

On Thursday I had the opportunity to meet with a family and in speaking with the husband something stood out in our conversation.  He said that "every day is an opportunity."  Reflecting upon this in the evening, he is indeed correct.  Each day we are blessed with a new day, a gift from God.  There will be opportunities, some very simple, and some where we will have the opportunity to go above and beyond.  All of this comes down to love and service.  It was our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who came to be one with us here on earth, and to teach us how to love and to serve.  This Jesus taught us by example.  There will also be some missed opportunities.  At the end of the day, when we reflect, we can call to mind "what we have done, and what we have failed to do" in our examination of conscience.  Then, the next day, we are again blessed with a new day.  And we strive to do better, working each day to become more and more like Christ, and to mirror our Saviour's example.  All thanks to the grace of God.

Our readings this weekend at mass reflect this theme of love and service.  May it resonate in our hearts, and may we seek out those opportunities to serve, not just when we have time, but each and every day, all with a loving heart.

I will you all a blessed season of autumn, and may God bless each of you and those that you love.

I look forward to welcoming you at mass this weekend.

Fr. Greg

Dear parish family and friends of St. Julia,

We will hear proclaimed in our second reading this weeked from 1 Timothy 2:1-2
Beloved:  I urge that supplications, prayers, petitions,
and thanksgivings be made for everyone,
for kings and who are in higher positions,
so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.
While this list is not comprehensive, St. Paul highlights for us three types of prayers:

Supplications - which would be "urgent requests based on a need"
Intercessions - which involve "speaking to God on behalf of others"
Thanksgiving - involves giving thanks

Prayer is not just for our sakes and not just about our needs.  More times than not, I begin our mass by saying that we bring all of our prayers and petitions, and prayers of thanksgiving to the altar and to the foot of the cross, the crucifix.  We have also been seeking the intercession of our Blessed Mother for peace in Ukraine and Russia.  St. Paul tells Timothy to pray for leaders and those in authority.  So we continue with our intercessions and prayers, for wise and peaceable and rule.  Such prayers acknowledge that all authority is ultimately God's authority and that God is the ultimate King.

May we unite all of our prayers and petitions together.  May we pray for leaders across the globe, and may we continue to pray for the people of Ukraine and Russia.

As we enter into this last weekend of summer, may God bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to seeing you at mass this weekend.
Fr. Greg

Dear parish family and friends of St. Julia,

This weekend we will hear proclaimed the beautiful parable of the prodigal son from the Gospel of Luke 15:1-32.  As the author of the third gospel and of the Acts of the Apostles, there are a number of outstanding characteristics of the theology of Luke.  These include his emphasis on the compassion of Jesus as articulated especially in the parables of Luke Chapter 15 - the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son; and second, his emphasis on the role of women.

Compassion.  Compassion comes into the English language by way of the Latin root “passio”, which means to suffer, paired with the Latin prefix “com”, meaning together – to suffer together.

That is what we must remember.  Jesus is with us, always.  When we hurt, when we mourn, when we are crying out for healing, Jesus looks upon us with compassion.  We are together, united with the Son of God, and we suffer together.  We are never alone.  As disciples and pilgrims on a journey, and as a faith community, we are called to look with compassion on one another, and those on the peripheries.

When we approach Jesus in the sacrament of reconciliation, He looks upon us with compassion.

Let us pay extra close attention to the parable of the prodigal son this weekend.  Read it in advance to prepare for mass, and meditate upon it after.  Allow the compassion of the Father to shine through.  That my friends is the compassion of Jesus.

May God bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to seeing you at mass this weekend.
Fr. Greg

 
Dear parish family and friends of St. Julia,
Here we are.  The beginning of the month of September.  Labour Day weekend.  School buses back out on Tuesday as the children begin a new school year.  The first day of kindergarten.  Teary eyed parents and grandparents.  Young adults off to university and college, some returning, some leaving home for the first time.  Cool nights, and shorter days of daylight.  The fall mums are out in the stores.  The list of changes goes on and on, and the cycle of life continues.

One thing that does not change is God.  God simply is.  God is unchanging.  And God's love for us does not change.  God's Love: Unconditional, unchanging, unending!  How comforting is that!  Seasons may come and go.  Chapters in our lives open and close.  Days, months, and years pass by at an unbelievable pace, and our God is with us every step along the way.  I'm writing this Thursday evening after a very pleasant day in Fort Erie with my family.  It was a beautiful day, and my youngest nephew and I went for a bike ride along the water.  The water was glistening, a perfect temperature and a nice breeze.  All God's creation, and what a gift it is.  And God was with us for the ride.

As we embark on this long weekend together and new month, that is what we must remember.  That God is always with us.  In our homes, in our places of work, in our schools, and in our community of St. Julia.  The list goes.  In a most profound way God is with us in the celebration of the mass, through the gift of His son, Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, and in Sacred Scripture.  What a gift this is - a gift that will never change.

Enjoy this beautiful weekend, and let's keep one another in prayer, the children and youth in our community, our educators, and the forgotten.

May God bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to seeing you at mass this weekend.
Fr. Greg