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I ENJOYED A BRIEF REATREAT WITH NINE OTHER ONTARIO BISHOPS this week, at Queen of Apostles in Mississauga. It was the perfect spiritual refresher for halfway through Lent and we enjoyed the talks on “The True Face of the Father,’ given by Archbishop Guy Desrochers of Moncton. It was also good to see Archbishop Desrochers back in Ontario – he was briefly our neighbour when he served as the Bishop of Pembroke from 2020 to 2023.
EMBRACING THE GREAT COMMISSION, a workshop for parish leaders run by the Augustine Institute (the folks behind “Formed”) will be held in two locations in our diocese: at St. Peter the Apostle in Parry Sound on Thursday, April 23, and at the Cathedral of St. Peter-in-Chains / Bishop Doyle Hall on Saturday, April 25. This is a great opportunity for priests, deacons, and catechetical and ministry leaders to learn how to reach out and engage the unchurched and inactive Catholics. It promises to be a great workshop with the Augustine Institute which has a proven track record in this field! Click here for Peterborough registration and here for Parry Sound.
THIS MID-POINT OF LENT seems a good time to remind you about the “Journey Through Lent Videos” on the Canadian Bishops’ website. I am compelled to mention that the videos feature yours truly reflecting on the various Scripture readings for Ash Wednesday and the Sundays of Lent. My sincere thanks to Salt & Light TV who punched up those presentations considerably with both appealing music and captivating graphics!
IT WAS WONDERFUL TO INSTALL FATHER RICHARD OPOKU on Sunday as the pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in Millbrook and St. Bernadette mission in Nestleton. Besides a great turnout of parishioners, we were joined by more than half a dozen priests from our diocese and Father Richard’s religious order, the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Thanks to all those who planned the celebration and provided a great buffet lunch afterwards!
LENT IS FLYING BY, WHICH MEANS THE CHRISM MASS IS COMING SOON! This annual Mass at which the sacred oils are blessed, and priests of the diocese renew their Ordination promises, will take place on Monday, March 30 at 2:00 p.m. at our Cathedral. Clergy are reminded to RSVP to the digital invitation which was sent earlier this week so that we can plan for numbers. And of course, all lay people and religious in our diocese are warmly invited to attend.
ANOTHER PLUG FOR THE AUGUSTINE INSTITUTE AND FORMED: I have really been enjoying viewing the great Catholic content on “Formed” by using their helpful Lenten calendar, which suggests one video per day from different series and sources. And it is all free to you through our diocesan subscription. One of the challenges of “Formed” is knowing where to begin among all the rich online offerings. The Lenten calendar takes the guesswork out of it and features a nice rotation of excellent, well-produced videos.
Fraternally,
+ Daniel
PAST ISSUES OF THE BISHOP'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER, From the Vineyard
