Dear St. Joseph’s Parishioners and all Guests,
Rarely does Remembrance Day fall on a Sunday. This is
special – all of us can pause, reflect and pray for all the women and
men who sacrificed their lives in defence of freedom and peace. May
we always be grateful. Jesus said, “No greater love can one have
than to die for a friend!” Our Bro. Knights wish to host the memorial
Liturgy for all of them and also for their deceased Bro. Knights!
This past Wed., St. Joseph’s hosted all the MB Ukr. clergy for their quarterly
conference. Truly it was a good sharing as we discussed how we could be more
effective pastors to our people. They also loved praying and singing in our church.
Of course, our ladies outdid themselves with a wonderful delicious meal. Thank you!
A major concern of the Church is the creation of a “Safe Environment” for all
parish children. Sadly, this has not always been the case and we all have heard and read
about “Sexual Abuse” of children that sinfully took place – even horribly within the
church structure! What a great betrayal of trust when priests, teachers, scout masters,
police or anyone of authority abuse their power and cause great suffering and pain to
God’s “little ones”! It is now civil and church law that all who have contact with
children must be legally monitored. All of us priests have completed a Criminal Record
Search and Child Abuse Registry and these records are on file with the gov’t and the
Archbishop’s office for the past number of years.
A parishioner has now taken the Safe Environment Program and soon he will
conduct the program for all our teachers and for anyone who has contact with children.
All school teachers, etc. must fulfill this new mandate. We, as a parish, truly wish to
comply. Of course, the parish will cover any costs that this registration may incur. We
thank you for being understanding and patient. May the abuse of children never take
place – for this we sincerely pray and we are taking steps to ensure this reality!
We are also pleased that many of you are registered in our Adult Religious
Enrichment program – “The Jesus Life Style” – that takes place on Sunday 10–11 am,
concurring with the children’s catechism program. This is a wonderful opportunity to
grow in knowledge, in love and in faith. Please join us for the following Sundays!
We are now preparing our Church donation envelopes for 2013. Some of the
parishioners failed to use them – and so we will offer them a box only upon request.
Please do support our church and all its programs. To make it more convenient, we
strongly encourage you to sign up for the EFT – “Electronic Fund Transfer”. It is so
easy, so practical and so helpful. You will still get envelopes for special collections
and a #number so we can keep track of your charitable donations!
Wishing you a wonderful, prayerful and loveful day!