From the Vineyard

From the Vineyard

Newsletter No. 152 - September 24, 2021

THE FIRST NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION is this Thursday, September 30th.  This federal statutory holiday was established by the government in June in recognition of the painful history and ongoing impacts of the Indian Residential schools in our country: confronting the truth is an essential part of the reconciliation process, and this is true for us as a Church.  Parishes in our Diocese will offer Mass that day for the intention of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, praying for healing and progress on this vital issue for our country.

THE ANNUAL PLENARY ASSEMBLY of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops took place online this week, finishing this afternoon. On the top of our agenda was the relationship with Indigenous peoples, especially in light of the unmarked graves found at the sites of former Indian Residential Schools in our country.  The Catholic Bishops of Canada have issued an unequivocal apology for the participation of the Church in the Residential school system, acknowledging the profound generational trauma that has been caused to Indigenous peoples.  The text of that statement can be found here, along with links to past apologies. The bishops have pledged to work with the Holy See and Indigenous partners to explore the possibility of a visit by Pope Francis to Canada to aid in the healing process.  We have also committed to new fundraising ventures to support initiatives discerned locally in consultation with Indigenous people.  More details about those plans will be released by the CCCB next week. 

CCCB Statement of Apology

I ENJOYED MY VISIT TO KOREAN MARTYRS’ PARISH in Brighton last Sunday, where we had three occasions to celebrate!  It was the 25th Anniversary of the parish and the feast day of the Korean Martyrs.  I also conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation on a dozen or so parishioners, mostly adults.  The day was beautiful, and the mood was festive.  Korean Martyrs’ is under the good pastoral leadership of Father Vincent Kim who came from Korea just over two years ago.   Since they share space with the Holy Angels’ Parish, they also enjoy the friendly support of Father Christopher Reynolds, pastor of the English community.  

MEMBERS OF THE ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY will be at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Newcastle tomorrow for their annual conference, focused on issues of homelessness.  I look forward to being with them for Mass and the presentation afterwards.  The Vincentians do invaluable work in our Diocese and around the world, in their work of personally serving the poor.

I AM GOING HERE AND THERE FOR THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION, this fall.  Much of it amounts to “catching up” from this past spring as many Confirmations were postponed because of the pandemic.  I applaud the students, parents, and catechists, and all those who worked on Sacramental preparation this past year, despite the very difficult circumstances.  Let us pray that the grace of the Holy Spirit will fill the hearts of the newly confirmed!

                                                                                                                                                Fraternally,   + Daniel

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