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KILLING IS NOT HEALTH CARE AD CAMPAIGN
VOCABULARY - End of life
Please, read the document.
The SPRINGTIME MARCH - May 18th
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BUS available - there are still some places. Cost: 10$. Starting at 8:30 a.m. CHATEAUGUAY: Parish parking of Ste-Marguerite d'Youville, 8 Rainville St. Tickets available: Father Clément Laffitte 450-691-6600 SOULANGES: Parish parking of St-Joseph de Soulanges, Les Cèdres. Tickets available: Laurier Gauthier 450-373-7409. VALLEYFIELD : Diocesan Center parking, 11 de l'Église. Tickets available: Diocesan Center 450-373-8122 or Lucien Ouellette 450-371-1276. N.B. Bring your lunch! |
Here is the Catholic Organization for Life and Family's revised version of its publication
www.vivredignite.com et www.vivredignite.blogspot.ca) 2. The Physicians' Alliance for Total Refusal of Euthanasia (http://www.totalrefusal.blogspot.ca/p/the-physicians-alliance.html) 3. The Rassemblement québécois contre l'euthanasie (www.lamarcheprintaniere.org) An important"Springtime March" will be held in Québec City, on May 18 (http://www.lamarcheprintaniere.org/en/take-action/promote-event/). Its goal is to send a clear message to the government: "Euthanasia in our province, NO THANKS!". We encourage you to participate in this march with your families and friends! " target="_blank">Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Urgent Questions!, along with an update on the preoccupying situation in Québec where the government is planning to decriminalize euthanasia, a practice that goes hand in hand with assisted suicide. See attachments.
In order to prevent the government from giving some citizens the power to kill others,
three networks or groups have been created in Quebec over the past three years:
1."Vivre dans la Dignité" (Living with Dignity) (www.vivredignite.com et www.vivredignite.blogspot.ca)
2. The Physicians' Alliance for Total Refusal of Euthanasia (http://www.totalrefusal.blogspot.ca/p/the-physicians-alliance.html)
3. The Rassemblement québécois contre l'euthanasie (www.lamarcheprintaniere.org)
An important"Springtime March" will be held in Québec City, on May 18
(http://www.lamarcheprintaniere.org/en/take-action/promote-event/).
Its goal is to send a clear message to the government: "Euthanasia
in our province, NO THANKS!".
We encourage you to participate in this march with your families and friends!
EASTER MESSAGE from Bishop Noël Simard
STATEMENT ON 2013 SHARE LENT COLLECTION
Reminder to support the 2013 Share Lent Collection of the Canadian Catholic Organization forDevelopment and Peace, by the MOst Reverend Richard Smith, Président, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. [Read]
ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADES
The 50th Anniversary Committee would like to invite you to represent our parish (Our Lady of Perpetual Help - Chateauguay) in the upcoming St. Patrick's Day Parades. We will proudly walk with our brand new "Our Lady of Perpetual Help Celebrating 50 Years" banner!
During our 50th year, the Chateauguay & Valley Irish Heritage Association is celebrating two members of our parish. The Chief Reviewing Officer of the 2013 Parade is Audrey Archer.
The first recipient of the Pat Burns Humanitarian Award is Anna Williams. Congratulations Anna & Audrey!
Sunday March 17th: Come walk with us in the Montreal St. Patrick's Day Parade. The Chateauguay & Valley Irish Heritage Association will provide a bus to transport participants to the parade on a first come first served basis. The bus will leave from OLPH immediately after Mass, approx. 11:30am. If you want to join us downtown, just join the group when we pass.
Sunday March 24th: Come walk with us in the Chateauguay St. Patrick's Day Parade. We will meet in our parking lot between 12:15 and 12:30. We will walk to Yvon St. where the parade will be lining up. The parade starts at D'Anjou and Yvon at 1pm (in front of St. Hubert) and ends near the Polydium on Maple. After the parade we will walk back to OLPH for hot chocolate and snacks. As we are also celebrating Palm Sunday, bring your palms!
Did you know that the Chateauguay & Valley Irish Heritage Association was originally the
Chateauguay Irish Society and started at OLPH almost 50 years ago? The society was founded by some of the founding members of our parish!
St. Patrick brought the Catholic Faith to Ireland and used the shamrock to teach the mystery of the Trinity. In this Year of Faith, let's show our community how happy we are to celebrate 50 years of Catholic Faith!
The Chrism Mass, with all its symbolism is a unique celebration, an important event in the life of the Church, a gathering where all the people of God is dedicated to the mission. Your participation will be a good sign to express what unites us as diocesan Church. [Please read the invitation from Bishop Simard]
MESSAGE FOR LENT 2013
What am I doing for Lent this year? Will the Lenten season change something in my life, in the Church, in the world? Will the world pay attention to this call for conversion and reconciliation which is proclaimed every year?
No matter our doubts regarding the efficacy of the Lenten season, no matter our hesitations, it is important to live Lent. Why? It gives us the opportunity to grow at the spiritual level and to renew our commitment to Jesus and others. In the context of the Year of Faith, it is an appropriate time to renew, with the help of the Word of God and the sacraments, our faith journey, at a personal level as well as a communal one.
As Pope Benedict XVI, in his message for Lent 2013 reminds us: "The celebration of Lent gives us an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between faith and charity." In fact faith and charity are intrinsically united. Faith is the encounter with God who is love. It is the hospitable, wonderful, grateful answer to the gift of God who revealed himself in Jesus and who gives meaning and fulfillment to our lives.
It is the generous "yes" of all our being to the loving God, who takes the first step in our encounter with Him. Faith is a way to love.
The recognition of God's Love revealed in the pierced heart of Jesus on the cross, the awareness of being loved, forgiven, freed and promised eternal life, increases love within us and gives us the courage to live, love and act.
Nonetheless, to be true and grow, our faith must be expressed in concrete actions of charity. As Pope Benedict XVI says "a faith without deeds is like a tree without fruit". The more we look at Jesus with tenderness and love, the more solidarity and justice, as well as, mercy and compassion will spring from our hearts. The more we are sensitive to others, especially the weak and the vulnerable, the more our love will grow strong.
In order for our Lenten resolutions: prayer, almsgiving and fasting, to be true, they must be expressed in concrete commitments.
During Lent am I going to dedicate more time to meditating on the Word of God? Am I going to nourish my Faith with the Life offered by God in the sacraments? Will I find more time for praying, this essential breathing of my soul? Will fasting be expressed in sharing with the little ones and the poor?
It is true that a lot of associations ask for our donations. But faced with the enormous needs of our brothers and sisters in developing countries, we need to make an extra effort of solidarity and generosity. Our federal government made drastic cuts in international aid. It is for that reason that our support to Development & Peace is more than ever essential.
I know how generous you are, but this year, from my heart I urge you to support Development & Peace. We cannot remain indifferent to the fate of our brothers and sisters.
This consumer society creates a lot of useless things and perpetuates a spiritual anemia in our world, which may harden our hearts and make them insensitive to the sufferings of others.
In face of this new threat, a law which will permit "medical aid to dying", which, in fact, means euthanasia and assisted suicide, I strongly encourage you to support a firm "No" to this new bill, which will give way to a culture of death, and will shake the foundation of our society and jeopardize the life of the most vulnerable members of our community.
Those in favor of euthanasia use the arguments that we need to respect a person's autonomy and eliminate suffering, but we must not fall into their trap.
The Passion and Death of Jesus remind us of the compassion of a loving God who does not eliminate suffering, but fills it with His Presence and Love.
Again we are preparing ourselves to celebrate the great Paschal Mystery, mystery of life and love, mystery of the death and Resurrection of Christ. Let us take this opportunity to strengthen our faith and our charity, and as Pope Benedict XVI wrote: "Let us follow Jesus in His journey of love toward his Father and toward the brothers and sisters we will encounter".
Have 
a good Lenten season!
† Your bishop Noël
In Her Footsteps: The Story of Kateri Tekakwitha
Source: Salt and Light Media
CATHOLICS IN A PLURALIST QUÉBEC
REACTION TO THE MÉNARD REPORT
[Michèle Boulva, dir. COLF] - The Catholic Organization for Life and Family (www.colf.ca) has reacted to the Ménard Report, which open the door to euthanasia in Quebec. COLF strongly objects to the idea of ''medical-aid-in-dying'' and is deeply concerned about the legal, ethical and social ramifications such a practice would have. It favours generalizing palliative care, which is ''the only truly humane and respecful answer to the needs of the dying and their families''.
Please see the attached press release and encourage those in your networks to sign the manifesto of the physicians' alliance for ''Total Refusal of Euthanasia''.
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE , 2012 - Bishop Noel Simard
"Do not be afraid; for see-I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of
cloth and lying in a manger." (Lk 2: 10-12)
For more than 2000 years, has resounded the Good News of the Infant Jesus, wrapped in the tenderness of Mary and Joseph and resting in a manger, in communion with the small and the poor of the world. For more than 2000 years, we have celebrated Christmas, a celebration of life, of joy and of love. But how do we believe in this joy of Christmas, how do we proclaim this Good News of a loving and liberating God, when the media presents us with the spectacle of so many theaters of war and when young children are assassinated, in a horrible manner, at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newton, Connecticut? Has God etreated from the world? Is He absent? Why doesn't He intervene to eliminate violence, hatred and injustice? Remember the massacre of the Holy Innocents. Since His birth, Jesus has been exposed to hatred and to violence. His response is one of love, of giving and of
forgiveness. Indeed, the mystery of Christmas is the mystery of the frailty of a God who becomes small and impoverished, who encounters us, not with power and majesty, but only with the weapons of tenderness and love. It is the mystery of a God, who gives of Himself and dies on a cross to liberate us, to lift up those who have been crushed, to start again. Today, Jesus still manifests Himself in diverse ways, but especially in these moments of mutual assistance, of sharing, of solidarity during these trials, in every effort to provide the children of the world with bread, a harmonious and peaceful home and a loving family. It is
up to us to recognize Him and to follow Him on this path of tenderness, of mercy and of unconditional love.
This year, we received, among others, three special signs of the presence of God, three beautiful gifts: the canonization of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the Synod on the New Evangelization, and the Year of Faith. At this time of recalling the nativity of our Lord, in this Year of Faith, let us be mindful of the presence of our Lord in our lives and in our world. As we have been invited by Pope Benedict XVI, rediscover the joy of believing, realize the hope that abides in us, become convincing witnesses of the love that gives and is given. In the heart of darkness and in a world too often distracted and superficial, let our light and our lives shine. Against hatred and violence, let us use the frailty of love, of forgiveness and of sharing. Dare to use words of tenderness and justice! Dare to act in a giving, welcoming and reconciling way, so that the Child of Bethlehem, who even today manifests Himself in the little ones and in the humble of the earth, finds refuge in our hearts, in our families and in our society.
To each and every one of you, a Blessed and Merry Christmas and a year
where every day will bring you love, joy and peace and this, through the grace
and blessing of God and also through the impetus of our faith, our charity and
our hope,
+
Noël Simard, Bishop
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE, 2012 - President of CCCB
According to the Gospel of Matthew (2.11), the Magi brought three gifts to Christ: gold, myrrh, and frankincense. This past year, Christ's Mystical Body, the Church, has received three precious gifts: the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith; the canonization of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha; and the Year of Faith. [Read more]
Message for the 2012 Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous People - Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: A model for loving and following Jesus.
In response to an invitation earlier this year by the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops offers the following message for the 12 December 2012 Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous People. Link to the Message
ST. KATERI TEKAKWITHA
Major Canadian delegation will be in Rome for the Canonization of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
(CCCB - Ottawa)... The Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha will be canonized by Pope Benedict XVI during a solemn Mass in Saint Peter's Square in
Saint-Jean-Longueuil. As the Bishop of the territory which is now the Canadian diocese where Blessed Kateri lived and died, Bishop Gendron has a key role in organizing the celebrations marking her canonization. Read more
CELEBRATIONS AT ST. FRANCIS XAVIER MISSION IN KAHNAWAKE
Vigil - Saturday, October 20th starting at 7 p.m. - Before the 10:30 a.m. Mass, there will be a re-broadcast of the Canonization from Rome - 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. in the Church
Celebration Mass- Sunday, October 21st 10:30- a.m.
Thanksgiving Celebration at St. Joseph's Oratory - Sunday, November 4th at 2:30 p.m.
Thanksgiving Celebration at basilica-cathedral Ste-Cécile, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, presided by Bishop Noël Simard - Sunday, December 9, at 10:30.
Prayer for the Year of Faith
In this Year of Faith,
Lord Jesus,
increase our faith.
Help us to live it fully
and to proclaim it with audacity
to all our brothers and sisters,
who are searching
for love, happiness
and meaning to their lives.
Under the gaze of the Father
and the Church,
help us to navigate
with the breath of the Spirit.
Amen
+ Noël Simard
Bishop of Valleyfield
Assumption Parish gets a new altar from the Parish Church of St.Médard, Coteau Station, Diocese of Valleyfield
An article by Father Joseph Devereaux published in Catholic Herald, http://www.peterboroughdiocese.org/
SALT + LIGHT TO PROVIDE LIVE COVERAGE OF
POPE BENEDICT XVI'S APOSTOLIC VISIT TO LEBANON
TORONTO, September 14, 2012 - Salt + Light Television will be providing live daily coverage of Pope Benedict XVI's apostolic visit to Lebanon from September 14-16. On his fourth trip to the Middle East as Pope, he will present the conclusions from the 2010 Synod of Bishops on the Middle East. This will be his first trip to the region since the beginning of the Arab Spring.
Salt + Light's coverage of the three day trip will include all the Pope's public activities. His activities include arrival, meetings with members of the Lebanese government, meetings with young people, Sunday mass, official presentation of the results of the Synod on the Middle East, ecumenical meeting with leaders of other faiths and his farewell ceremony from Beirut.
For more information, please visit: saltandlighttv.org/apostolic/lebanon.php
Appointment of new Bishop for Alexandria-Cornwall
(CCCB -
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI today named the Reverend Marcel Damphousse as Bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall. At the time of his appointment, he was Rector of the Saint-Boniface Cathedral in
Stop the hunger crisis
John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel (Fondation Jean-Paul II pour le Sahel )
Pope Benedict's speech to representatives of the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel, February 10, 2012 ³Discours du pape Benoît XVI aux représentants de la Fondation Jean-Paul II pour le Sahel, le 10 février 2012¼
More than 15 million people in West Africa are facing catastrophic food shortages. Let's act now to stop this hunger crisis.
Learn more about Development and Peace's response and donate today.
ACAT PRAYER JUNE 2012
Pentecost Message for Canadian Catholic national movements and associations
The Standing Committee for Relations with Movements and Associations of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has sent a Pentecost message to Canadian Catholic national movements and associations. The Bishops on the Committee recall how the Forum for National Catholic Associations and Movements this past November was a time for the "appreciation of the gifts that each association brings and lives in the Body of Christ". In celebrating Pentecost, "we pray that the grace of communion we experienced at the Forum may enliven a deep appreciation of the gifts within your particular movement or association, creating a gift for the One, Holy, Catholic and
NOMINATIONS - Bishop Simard announce nominations:
Since I took office, I have been listening to those who are involved in our diocese and have consulted the clergy for the choice of Vicar General.
After this reflection and with much prayer, I announce the following nominations:
We release Fr. Andre Lafleur from his responsibility as pastor of the parishes of St. Joachim, St Marguerite d'Youville and St Philomene and name him Vicar General for the diocese of Valleyfield.
We name Fr. Clement Lafitte, administrator of the parishes of St. Joachim, St. Marguerite d'Youville and St. Philomene.
We accept the resignation of Fr. Jean Trudeau as administrator of St Cecile Parish and name Fr. Nicola Di Narzo as administrator of this same parish.
Fr. Lafitte and Fr. Di Narzo can count on the collaboration of a team of experienced priests, who are also members of the College of Consultors, that is Canon Yves Beaudin, Fr. Denis Cardinal, Fr. Roland Demers and Fr. Jean-Guy Lanthier, o.f.m. cap.
The precise details as to the taking charge of these functions will be established and announced shortly.
I count on your prayers and your support for these pastors who have generously accepted these heavy responsibilities and also for our Diocesan Church. Together, let us carry with love, joy and peace, the treasure that is the Good News.
National March for Life 2012 (participation of Bishop Noel Simard)
May 1st Message 2012
A raw deal for workers
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Message from Social Affairs Committee - Assembly of Québec Catholic Bishops
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May 1st Card: A raw deal for workers
The Pastoral Care of Creation -April 22nd - Earth Day
As you know Earth day is on the 22nd of April. An entire day is devoted to celebrating the Earth with various activities. This year the 22nd of April falls on a Sunday. What a good reason to stand in solidarity to protect and save Creation. There are two ways to get involved:
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You are invited to participate in a large rally which will begin from Festival Place in the "Quartier des spectacles" of Montreal at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Hundreds of people will unite calling on the federal government to relaunch the fight against climate change, by adhering to the Kyoto Protocol and abolishing subsidies that are paid out to gas and oil companies. Come with your family or in a group. Bring your placards or just your smile and your good humor.
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Another way to show your involvement is to gather together on the steps of your parish, to ask your government to show respect for our environment and to ring the church bells for 2 minutes at 2 p.m. We ask all parishioners to show their pride in living on this Earth. It will be an assembly of "hope".
Anne Meilleur,
Pastoral Care of Creation
EASTER MESSAGE from Bishop Noel Simard
EASTER MESSAGE from Bishop Noël Simard
| Bishop's Fundraising Dinner: You are cordially invited to attend the Benefit Dinner that will help support our Bishop's initiatives in the pastoral regions of Vaudreuil-Dorion/Soulanges/Ile Perrot. The event will take place on Wednesday May 2, 2012 at 6:30 pm at the Ille Perrot Community Centre. Tickets cost $50 each and are available at the parish office. This is a great opportunity to meet our new Bishop and support him in his works. Please call the Parish Secretary on Wednesday & Thursday at 514-453-2492 to order your tickets. |
HOMILY - Read the signs
[This homily has been done by Father Anthony Man-Son-Hing from Diocese of Sault Sainte-Marie who was present at Mgr Simard's installation, on Thursday, February 23 2012]A few of the priests and people of this diocese made a quick trip to Valleyfield this week so we could be present for the joyous occasion of the Installation of their new bishop and so that we could join with the priests and people of that diocese who were there to witness this new beginning in his life. The hospitality we encountered there was absolutely wonderful. From the moment of our arrival, it was evident that no effort had been spared to make sure that their guests were cared for. In the airport, a simple sign bearing the word Valleyfield helped us to identify the gentlemen who had come to meet us, and who would transport us to the hotel. In the hotel, there was a hospitality desk where two women were waiting to point out all the details that we could possibly need to know. At the Basilica, members of the welcoming committee wore small badges which identified them as the ones who could point us in the right direction, and even yesterday morning, when the festivities were complete, one of the team came to the hotel to make sure that any lingering concerns were tended to.
Hospitality such as this is an art. It necessitates an ability to anticipate the needs of guests and a knowledge of how to respond to those needs. The printed sign that identified our chauffeur was evident to us because we had been instructed to look for it, but to other passengers arriving in the airport terminal, it would have been all but invisible. The hospitality table at the entrance to the hotel could have been put there for any number of functions, except that the women who were there identified us, in some cases before we ourselves even realized they were there and went out of their way to ensure our comfort. Each of the members of this team played a part in making this visit such a success for us, and we are all forever grateful.
At the beginning of the Lenten season, today's gospel places us with Jesus in the desert, a place which is well known to be characterized by inhospitable elements, but there is no mention of the extreme heat, or the blazing sun. No doubt these elements were well known to Mark's readers. In fact, the mere mention of the desert conjures even today an image of extremes where humans would perish if they were not familiar with life in such an environment. Beyond the immediate concern for human comfort, the evangelist seems to want us to understand that this was a time in Jesus' life when he himself was being called to pay attention to the signs placed before him: Satan presented temptations, meant to dissuade him from his mission, and even though the wild beasts were present, there is no mention of them wanting to do him harm.
The desert image speaks to all of us because from the day of our own baptism, we have all been invited to grow in our knowledge of the love of God. Growth of this kind means that we must be attentive to the signs that God places in our path. At times, these signs are not as apparent as the one that greeted us in the Montreal airport this week. Instead, we need to learn to look for them with the eyes of faith.
If Noah was not able to hear God's voice, he would never have known that the rainbow was meant as a sign for him. If the author of the letter of Peter had not himself known Jesus, he would never have been able to see beyond the suffering and death of crucifixion to understand that this was really God's way of giving us life.
The signs of faith are all around us, but we have to be able to perceive them. Could it be that God is calling each of us this Lent to open our eyes anew, to see the signs he uses to point us in the right direction? Could it be that we are being invited to listen with ears of faith so that we can hear his gentle voice calling us to follow him? Could it be that a hospitality beyond our wildest imaginings awaits us? The signs are there, but the question remains: are we looking for them? And when we see them, will we pay attention to them, or will we walk on by, caught up in the bustle of our own lives, and miss the ride that is meant to bring us to the celebration that is prepared?
GOOD FRIDAY COLLECTION 2012
"My home is within you" (Psalm 87, 7). This verse expresses the solidarity that unites all the Christians of the world with the Church of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. It also underscores a will to lend a helping hand with regard to the many needs of this particular community that cannot be ignored. At the request of the Holy Father, the Catholic faithful of the world and our country are invited, during the Offices of Good Friday, to support spiritually and financially the Christian communities and the keepers of the Holy Sites, the Franciscans.
The Good Friday Collection is scheduled this year on April 6, 2012. In Canada this tradition of mutual aid goes back to the first stay in our country of the Blessed Frédéric Janssoone, Franciscan, in 1881-1882. This Collection received the pontifical confirmation of Leo XIII on December 26, 1887. Over the years the Canadian Catholic Church has strengthened and renewed this tradition of solidarity. The constant efforts of the Commissariat of the Holy Land in Canada make the most of these privileged ties between the Holy Land and the dioceses of our country through prayer, pilgrimage, as well as service and financial support.
We wish to recall a few words from Mgr. Morissette following his stay in the Holy Land: "Good Friday provides a special opportunity to remember the Holy Land and to pray that it may yet come to enjoy peace and justice...There is no doubt that God hears their prayers and our own and that he will grant peace to this troubled region. The question is only as to how and when." (Prions en Église, June 2011, page 190)
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Source : Fr. Gilles Bourdeau, OFM Commissary of the Holy Land 613-737-6972 terresainte@bellnet.caMESSAGE FROM BISHOP NOEL SIMARD
LENT 2012: 40 days to change our hearts and give life!
As it does every year, the Church invites us to enter Lent to prepare ourselves for the central focus of our faith, that is, the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As Pope Benedict XVI reminds us in his Lenten Message: "It is a favorable time to renew our faith, both personal and in community, through the Word of God and the sacraments. It is a journey marked by prayer, sharing, silence and fasting, as we await a joyful Easter". (Pope's Lenten Message 2012)
In referring to a biblical verse from the Letter to the Hebrews, Pope Benedict XVI proposes that this year, we should center ourselves on three aspects of Christian life: attention to others or our responsibility to our brothers and sisters in humanity; mutual service; and personal sanctity through charity and good works. More than ever, in a society that is marked by individualism, materialism, and indifference, we must double our efforts to focus our attention on Jesus and on those in need, especially the young, the poor and the suffering.
The hour has come! Dare we "give life" by sharing with our impoverished brothers and sisters, by intensifying our relationship and intimacy with God, by deepening our hunger for the Word, through a voluntary life of simplicity?
Following the wishes of Bishop Smith, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, I invite all members of the Diocese of Valleyfield to be generous and in solidarity with the annual Share Lent Campaign run by our Canadian Catholic Charitable Organization of Development and Peace.
Together, let us take advantage of this time of Lent so that our Lord may convert our vision, our hearts and our lives.
Fraternally in Christ,
+ Noël SimardBishop elect of Valleyfield
CCCB comment on the decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in the "Drummondville parents'case"
Because education in Canada is under provincial and territorial responsibility, it is the Catholic Bishops of each province or territory who respond to questions regarding their specific educational systems. All Bishops across the country will be carefully studying the decision today by the Supreme Court of Canada in the "Drummondville parents' case". If the Bishops decide the ruling may raise questions that extend beyond provincial responsibilities, they will discuss any such concerns at their regional episcopal assemblies and possibly also at the meetings of their national assembly, which is the Canadian
Conference of Catholic Bishops.
WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
Prayer for Wisdom (translated from Omushkago Cree of James Bay)
O ke che manido, give me wisdom . . . Help me to understand that life on earth is part of your gift, inspiring to our patterns of life, with man the chief steward. Teach me to appreciate the delicate relationship of all things on earth. The majestic flight of Canada geese. The Spring time promise of the wonderful smell of flowers in bloom. The crystal purity of a dew drop and all that it contains.
O ke che manido, teach me the proper respect of my place. Guide me in doing my part to help solve the many problems that beset us. Let me be dedicated to this task, as a bee gathering pollen.
O ke che manido, show me how to utilize the inspiration from ithe daily miracles that I witness on my walk in your created earth. Help me to remember that nature's songs and laughter are more in tune with life than any wail or frown. Make me realize that in nature there is both tranquility and power, knowing that makes harmony reside also in me.
O ke che manido, make me humble; please give me humility to see how crude the most spectacular man-made things are compared with a baby rabbit, the wondrous perfection of a snowflake, or the grandeur of your sculptured tamarack trees in the muskeg. Give me wisdom and knowledge to know that if our environment fails because of our over exploitations, I too am doomed.
O ke che manido, open our eyes. Help us understand that we are indeed all God's creatures. That we are all brothers and sisters after all. So be it.
Source: St. Thomas of Aquinus Parish Bulletin
Bishop Noël Simard speaks to you
[Read more...]
Appointment of new Bishop for Valleyfield
I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. (Luc 2, 10)
[December 30, 2011] - The Diocese of Valleyfield is pleased to announce that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, today, appointed the Most Reverend Noël Simard as Bishop of Valleyfield, Québec, succeeding the Most Reverend Luc Cyr, who was appointed Archbishop of Sherbrooke on July 26, 2011. 
Bishop Simard was born on November 25, 1947, in the village of St-Aimé-des-Lacs, in the Charlevoix region of Québec, ordained to the Priesthood on May 28, 1972 and to the Episcopate on October 3, 2008, when he became Auxiliary Bishop of Sault Sainte-Marie. His Motto: Love, Joy and Peace was chosen from St Paul's letter to the Galatians 5.22.
Until then, he had been a Professor of Moral Theology and Bioethics at Saint Paul University in Ottawa. Prior to that, he taught at l'Université Laval in Québec and on a part-time basis at the University of Toronto in the field of Moral Theology. He is the current President of the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (an organization founded by the CCCB) and State Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus.
The diocese of Valleyfield has 25 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 199,390, which is served by 65 diocesan priests, 11 priests who are members of religious communities, 60 Religious Sisters and Brothers, 17 permanent deacons and 26 lay pastoral assistants.
Christmas Message, 2011 from Bishop Richard Smith, President of the CCCB
Stars give us a sense of direction, and brighten the night. In the Book of Genesis (22.17), they are also a sign of God's blessing. They herald God's promise to Abraham that his and Sarah's descendants will be countless. In the Book of Numbers (24.17a), a star is again a sign and promise of what is to come: "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near -- a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel." [Read more...] http://www.cccb.ca/site/eng/
The 2011 Christmas Message of the President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Richard Smith, is now available on the CCCB Website at the following link. The message is available in two formats: text or video. The video format is possible thanks to the collaboration of Salt + Light Television.
ONE MISSION, ONE VISION, ONE PASSION
ONE VISION
Under the guidance of the Spirit, to be a Church committed to the missionary proclamation, in order to make new disciples who are journeying in the Church and who are involved in its mission.
ONE MISSION
To make new disciples who are journeying in the Church and who are involved in its mission.
ONE PASSION
Witnessing to Jesus Christ so that the greatest number of people possible experience fellowship with God and his love, his mercy, his joy, his peace and enter eternal life to which we are called by Him.
Act of Dedication of the human race to Jesus Christ the King
Most sweet Jesus, redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before you. We are yours, and yours we wish to be; but to be more surely united with you, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to your Most Sacred Heart.
Many indeed have never known you; many, too, despising your precepts, have rejected you. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to your Sacred Heart.
Be King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken you, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned you; grant that they may quickly return to their Father's house, lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.
Be King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof,
and call them back to the harbor of truth and the unity of faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.
Grant, O Lord, to your Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give tranquility of order to all nations; make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry:
Praise to the divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to it be glory and honor for ever. Amen.
[Source: bulletin parish of St. Thomas of Aquinus]
Study guide now available
Pastoral letter to young people with same-sex attraction
(CCCB -Ottawa) ... A study guide is now available for the letter on pastoral ministry to young people with same-sex attraction, released on June 23, 2011 by the Commission for Doctrine of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB). The printed version of the pastoral letter with the study guide can now be ordered from the CCCB Publications Service at http://www.cccbpublications.ca/
Prepared by the Salt and Light Catholic Television Network, the study guide is a helpful tool to understand the Church's position better on the issue of same-sex attraction. The guide defines important and commonly used terms, highlights key elements of the Pastoral Letter, and provides thought-provoking questions which can be used individually or in a group. This resource will be useful for Catholic teachers, pastoral workers, and young people themselves.
In its letter, the Commission offers various pastoral guidelines, in addition to expressing its "profound gratitude to all those who wisely and lovingly guide young people with a same-sex attraction: priests and pastoral associates, parents and educators."
STATEMENT FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops joins all Canadians in offering condolences and sympathy to the family, friends and political colleagues of the late Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Jack Layton, who died earlier today. He was a dedicated politician who served his country with devotion and generosity, was concerned for the common good, and gave a wonderful example of courage and hope, especially during recent months when struggling against cancer.
May he rest in peace, and may Our Lord comfort all those in mourning.
The Most Reverend Pierre Morissette Bishop of Saint-Jérôme President Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops22 August 2011
