From the Vineyard

From the Vineyard

Newsletter No. 118 - October 23, 2020

RELIGIOUS LEADERS SIGNED AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL CANADIANS criticizing the federal government’s Bill C-7, which seeks to expand euthanasia and assisted suicide to those who are not dying. Entitled We Can and Must Do Better, religious leaders advocate for better palliative care.  Rather than assisting people to end their lives, the letter argues, “we need to respond as a society with profound solidarity and extraordinary care.”  Archbishop Richard Gagnon, as President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) was one of the signatories, and he also wrote a statement on behalf of the Canadian Bishops expressing our deep concerns and those of the Catholic community about this legislation. 

MOST REVEREND THOMAS DOWD HAS BEEN APPOINTED THE NEW BISHOP of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie. This fills the vacancy that was created in June with the transfer of Bishop Marcel Damphousse to the Archdiocese of Ottawa.  Bishop Dowd has served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Montreal since 2011 and his facility in both official languages will enable him to serve the Anglophone and Francophone faithful in his new diocese.  I have come to know Bishop Dowd well through the Bishop’s Conference and I was happy to phone him this week to welcome him to Ontario and point out that we would be Diocesan neighbours – although with the distance between Peterborough and Sudbury, neighbours some 4.5 hours apart!

WE MET WITH PRIESTS OF OUR SOUTHERN DEANERY online this week, completing a round of such virtual gatherings this Fall.  Father Gerry McMahon kept us on pace to deal with a heavy agenda.  And we were pleased to welcome two priests new to both the Deanery and the Diocese of Peterborough: Fr. Wojciech Blach, OMI, pastor of St. Therese Parish in Courtice and Fr. Isaac Ogwu, now settled in as associate pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Bowmanville.

THE ONTARIO STATE COUNCIL OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS announced the Novena in preparation for the October 31^st Beatification of Father Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights.  The Novena began yesterday but it is still not too late to participate.  Join the Knights of Columbus around the world in praying the novena.  To learn more about the upcoming beatification of Father McGivney, click the Knights of Columbus website.  This beatification is great cause for celebration for Knights of Columbus around the world and in our diocese!

WE CONTINUE TO BROADCAST ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL the Sunday Mass celebrated at our Cathedral.  Although we have struggled with a few technical difficulties as we get used to the equipment and make adjustments, we are improving the broadcast quality each week.  Father Tom Lynch and I have been sharing the duties of celebrating the Mass and preaching in recent weeks.   I am grateful to the many people who have been working hard to prepare this Mass and to deal with the various technology and production issues.  This weekend's Mass will be live starting at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday through this link to the YouTube channel.    

                                                                                                                                            Fraternally,   † Daniel

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