St. Julia Parish
  • Home
    • Sacraments >
      • Baptism
      • First Communion/Eucharist
      • Reconciliation
      • Confirmation
      • Marriage
      • Holy Orders
      • Sacrament of the Sick
    • Parish Ministries >
      • RCIA
      • Eucharistic Ministry
      • Lectors
      • Choir
      • Altar Servers
      • Hospitality Ministry
    • Parish Groups >
      • Catholic Women's League
      • St. Vincent de Paul Society
      • Knights of Columbus
    • History of St. Julia Parish
    • Other Links
    • Parish Social Activities
  • Newsletter
  • Bulletin
    • 2023 Bulletins
    • 2022 Bulletins
    • 2021 Bulletins
    • 2020 Bulletins
    • 2019 Bulletins
  • YouTube
  • Donate
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Covid-19

third sunday of easter

4/17/2021

 
My dear friends,
 
Last Sunday I had the blessed opportunity to celebrate First Communion with eighteen of the children from our parish.  I must say I am grateful we did as these celebrations are postponed indefinitely in our diocese.  This is what these families needed.  To gather together, in their church, as a family, in a service that was simple yet still beautiful.  The focus was on one thing, or I should say one being, and that is Jesus.  Communion.  One.  Here is an excerpt of what I wrote to the parents / guardians:
 
At your child’s baptism, you gave your child the greatest gift that you will ever give them – the gift of faith.  You continue to nurture and feed that faith.  Now the time has come to do exactly that – feed your child with the Body of Christ in the beautiful Sacrament of Communion. 

Over this past year I have witnessed far too many special occasions in the life of the church that were either postponed or cancelled due to the church being closed or with limited capacity…I am blessed to care for the spiritual needs of this community – your spiritual home of St. Julia.  And now is the time to care for your child, by bringing Christ to these young people who are excited and ready to receive Jesus for the first time.  They have prepared extensively in their classroom at St. Peter Catholic Elementary School.  I have practiced virtually with them and have assured them that I will guide them every step of the way!


And that is exactly what we did.  They encountered Christ, the real presence of Jesus, body, blood, soul and divinity.  And it was beautiful.
In the midst of these challenging, and perhaps dark times, the light of Christ guided these children and their families to come and be one with us.  The Easter candle burned brightly, reminding us again of the light of Christ in our midst.  Everyone left with a smile, under their mask of course, for this was a moment of joy for all of these families.  It was a sign of hope.

​As the parish community of St. Julia, let us pray for these families.  May they hunger to return and be fed by the Body of Christ.  May they feel welcomed, and loved.  May the happiness the children experienced on the day of their First Communion be one they desire in their hearts every week.  May the gift of faith given to them at baptism be reignited.
 
May each of too be guided by the light of Christ.  May we too be people of hope, reminding ourselves that God has seen us through difficult times in the past, and that God too will see us through these times as well.  There is light at the end of the tunnel.
 
Once again, this weekend in our Gospel we will hear Jesus speak the words “Peace be with you.”  May God continue to bless and protect each of you and those that you love, and may the peace of Christ be with you always.
 
Fr. Greg
Picture

    Author

    From Our Pastor
    Fr. Gregory Schmidt

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019

    Categories

    All
    Abstinence
    Acsension Of The Lord
    Advent
    All Souls
    Ash Wednesday
    Baptism
    Christmas
    Christ The King
    Concomitance
    Confirmation
    CorpusChristi
    Covid 19
    Covid-19
    CWL
    Did You Know
    Divine Mercy
    Easter
    Epiphany
    Fasting
    First Communion
    God
    Good Shepherd
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Week
    Hope
    Jesus
    Joy
    Lent
    Liturgical Season
    Mary
    Mercy
    Mother Of God
    Mothers Day
    New Year's Day
    Palms
    Palm Sunday
    Pentecost
    Prayer
    Saints
    Theological Reflections
    Trinity

Picture
251 Glenridge Ave.
St. Catharines, ON ​L2T 3K2
​
Home
Sacraments
Events
Blog
​Contact
History
Donate
​Covid-19
©2021 St. Julia Parish
Tel: (905) 684-5603
​Fax: (905) 684-9479

stjuliaparishstc@gmail.com
  • Home
    • Sacraments >
      • Baptism
      • First Communion/Eucharist
      • Reconciliation
      • Confirmation
      • Marriage
      • Holy Orders
      • Sacrament of the Sick
    • Parish Ministries >
      • RCIA
      • Eucharistic Ministry
      • Lectors
      • Choir
      • Altar Servers
      • Hospitality Ministry
    • Parish Groups >
      • Catholic Women's League
      • St. Vincent de Paul Society
      • Knights of Columbus
    • History of St. Julia Parish
    • Other Links
    • Parish Social Activities
  • Newsletter
  • Bulletin
    • 2023 Bulletins
    • 2022 Bulletins
    • 2021 Bulletins
    • 2020 Bulletins
    • 2019 Bulletins
  • YouTube
  • Donate
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Covid-19