​Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear parish family and friends of St. Julia,

The month of September is off to a wonderful start and it is full steam ahead!  Our C.W.L. had their first meeting this past Wednesday after their summer break (from meetings, but not from their good works).  I continue to be inspired by all they have done in our community and all that is planned for the fall season.  Next week we celebrate our opening school year masses with the St. Peter Catholic Elementary School community on Tuesday and we welcome the Denis Morris Catholic High School Community on Wednesday.  As you will see in this newsletter, there are many outreach opportunities to our youth, those desiring to become catholic, those looking to enrich their faith, and those looking to become more involved in the life of our parish and to share their vision for our parish as we move forward as a parish family.

In our responsorial psalm this weekend, we will hear the refrain "If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts."  God speaks to us far more than we realize.  Yet in a very busy world, with so much noise, how do we hear His voice?  This is where I pray that our students, as they join us here at St. Julia, and experience some quiet, that they hear His voice in the celebration of the mass.  That our R.C.I.A. candidates hear His voice as they learn about the faith.  In our faith studies.  In the preparation of the sacraments for our children.  With the celebration of mass on campus at Brock University.  In the end, everything brings us back to the mass.  The mass is the source and summit of our faith.  It is who we are as Catholics.  As disciples.  As parents and grandparents.  As children.  As students.  As teachers.  As children of God.  It is the ultimate prayer of the church.  It is where we hear His voice.  It is where God speaks to us in the most beautiful of ways.  In the Word of God.  Through music.  Through the prayers offered.  And through the silence.

As we gather this weekend to pause from the busyness and pray, may you hear that gentle voice.  If your heart is hardened because of fear, disbelief, or preoccupation with life's many issues, may you hand that over to God.  Be open to the word, and to where God is calling you in this journey of life.

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

Fr. Greg