Farewell Message from Fr. Paul

To the St. Barnabas Parish Family,

Thank you everybody for coming to my farewell get together. Thank you also for all your kind words and generous gifts. Thank you to the youth, young adults and all those who helped set up and serve at the event. The event was amazing and truly memorable for me. The presentations and videos were really cool.
I am really grateful that I had the opportunity, joy and pleasure to have served here at Saint Barnabas Church, my first church as a priest. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of this wonderful parish community along my journey as a priest. Thank you for the joy that I received from working with the youth, young adults, CWL, RCIA and other ministries. It has been my pleasure to pray with you and celebrate the Eucharist and other sacraments with you. Thank you Father Edwin for being my friend, teacher and example. Thank you Deacon Paul for all your support and being there at my side. Thank you Gemma for taking care of me. Thank you office staff for teaching me so many things. Thank you Saint Barnabas Community for the three awesome years that I have been here with you. I will never forget you and will always pray for you as I know that you will pray for me.

God bless you all
Fr. Paul

Mission on Divine Mercy -- May 14 @ 7 PM

On Monday, May 14 starting at 7:00 PM, Fr. Anthony Gramlich of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception will be leading a Divine Mercy Mission at St. Barnabas.  This is a great opportunity to learn and open yourself up for renewal and to learn about God's message of Mercy.  The evening will include Mass with Homily on Divine Mercy, Benediction, praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the opportunity to receive a blessing with the oil of St. Faustina.

Click here to view a poster advertising the event.  All are welcome to attend!

"By the Grace of God" -- Music Concert

The St. Barnabas Music Ministry is excited to be hosting an Easter Concert on Friday, May 11 @ 7:45pm in the church.  The evening will feature hymns of praise and glory in honour of the risen  Jesus.  There is NO cost of admission.  However, a special collection will be taken up during the concert to help support the Parish Refugee Sponsorship Program.

Many of our parishioners pour in hours of hard work to put together such a wonderful concert.  If you missed the Christmas Concert last year, you can check out photos in the parish website's photo gallery.

Everyone is invited to enjoy the music and to help support this worthy initiative.

Divine Mercy Novena Schedule

As we now celebrate the Paschal Triduum, we are called to remember the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  In addition to the Masses and Liturgies that will take place during the Triduum, the Divine Mercy Novena will also take place.  The schedule is as follows:

Day 1 -- Good Friday (April 6) -- after 3 PM Service
Day 2 -- April 7 -- 3 PM
Day 3 -- April 8 -- 3 PM
Day 4 -- April 9 -- After 9 AM Mass
Day 5 -- April 10 -- After 9 AM Mass
Day 6 -- April 11 -- After 9 AM Mass
Day 7 -- April 12 -- After 9 AM Mass
Day 8 -- April 13 -- After 9 AM Mass
Day 9 -- April 14 -- After 9 AM Mass

Divine Mercy Sunday (April 15) -- Mass at 2 PM
Followed by Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 PM

The Journey to Initiation (RCIA)

If you have been flipping through your copies of the readings at Sunday Mass the past couple of weeks, you will have noticed that we have been using the Scripture readings used for the First and Second 'Scrutiny' for the RCIA -- Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults -- Program.

These candidates have expressed a desire to be baptized and received into the Catholic Church.  Over the past several months they have journeyed with others, learning about our faith. They have undergone this program so that at the Easter Vigil, they will respond lovingly to God's call to be baptized, confirmed and receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist for the first time.

Fr. Edwin has invited parishioners to attend the Easter Vigil Mass where the sacraments of initiation will take place for the RCIA candidates.  Please keep in mind that the Mass is long (3 hours...at least).  There will be 9 readings from scripture (7 Old Testament Readings, Epistle from the New Testament and the Gospel), in addition to the sacraments of initiation being conferred on the cadidates.  If you are able to attend, it will be a wonderful celebration as we come together to rejoice in the Lord's Resurrection.

Plus, Fr. Edwin has asked that you continue to pray for the candidates.  Below you will find a photo of the candidates, with their sponsors at the Rite of Elect ceremony that took place at Holy Redeemer Parish in Pickering on Sunday, February 26 celebrated by Bishop Vincent Nguyen.

Thank you for your prayers and support for the RCIA candidates.  May this Lenten season be a time of growth as we journey towards the joy of Easter.

Notes from Parish Lenten Mission

Last week, Fr. Dominic Borg delivered our Parish Lenten Mission. Some of you may have noticed Ken scribbling a few notes during his homilies. Encouraged by our holy pastor, below you will find his notes that are particularly worth remembering.

First, a few points from his homily at Sunday Mass last weekend:

• Fr. Dominic spoke of Lent as our period of preparation, a journey towards Easter - the feast of our joy and freedom. Lent, he explained, comes from an Old English word that means something like "spring" or "spring time." God has the power to change our winter (death) into spring (life).
• Lent is a time to abide, to immerse ourselves more fully, in the Divine Word of God. The Word of God has the power to create out of nothing. The Church teaches that God created ex nihilo (Latin, out of nothing). When we read Psalm 51 (Create in me a clean heart, O God...), we can take it to mean two ways. First, God can create a new and loving heart for us out of absolutely nothing because of who He is. Second, we are nothing in comparison to the greatness of God, and so out of our nothingness will God create this new loving heart.
• Lent is our imitation of Christ who was driven by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness, the desert. This experience of the desert is powerful and should lead us to realize that the Cross is not just an ornament to be worn, but a principle to be lived.

Second, a few points from his homily on Monday evening:

• Example-education is the best education. Christ told His disciples, "Wash one another's feet as I have washed yours." St Paul tells us to "imitate me as I imitate Christ." Moreover, God Himself told the Israelites, "Be holy as I, your God, am holy." To be holy is to be perfect in love and mercy. Be perfect as your God is perfect, be merciful as your God is merciful, be loving as your God is loving.
• Prayer is dialogue with He who loves us. St Teresa of Avila teaches that prayer must be rooted in humility, the love of neighbour, and detachment from this world. We should always remember that when two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus, He is in their midst. Jesus is God, and God is love. Where love and charity are found, God is always there.
• Pope Benedict XVI's message for Lent 2012 is a catechesis on Hebrews 10:24. In it, he teaches us that we should have concern for each other, reciprocate this concern of others in gratitude, and that we are all called to holiness.
• We should always be mindful that God is perfect, and He is never wrong.

Lastly, a few points from his homily on Tuesday evening:

• The first reading of Mass from the prophet Isaiah (55: 10-11) tells us that God's Word will not return to Him void, but will accomplish what is sent for. The Word of God was sent for healing His people and delivering His people. Healing and delivering can both be derived from the Latin word salve (think 'salvation') which means medicine.
• St Paul's letter to Timothy tells us that all scripture is the inspired word of God. We should read the Bible for a purpose. This purpose is not so that we can learn about something other than ourselves, but precisely so that we can learn something about ourselves. Think of the Word of God as light that illuminates our being so we see more of it. Think of the Word of God as awakening in us as sleeping giant of faith.
• St Jerome's commentary on the "Bread of Life Discourse" in John 6 tells us that the Bread of Life is both the Holy Eucharist and the Word of God. Read John 6 with the Eucharist in mind, and then read it again with Sacred Scripture in mind.
• It's not a matter of how much of the Word we memorize; it's a matter of how the Word affects us, and how much of this effect we notice.
• The Gospel passage of Mass (Mt 6: 7-15) presents the Lord's Prayer. At the end of the prayer Jesus pinpoints that forgiveness is the key to the entire thing. We should be mindful of the words "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," especially when we recite them: these are not empty words.
• We are encouraged to read at least parts of the following documents: Verbum Domini (On the Word of God, September 2010) and Porta Fidei (On the Year of Faith, October 2011). These documents will prepare us to the coming Year of Faith, beginning later this year and ending in 2013.

This is by no means a comprehensive summary of the Lenten Mission, but only some of the key points that were written down. May these bear fruit in your Lenten Journeys, as we move closer to the greatest feast of our faith at Easter.

God bless you all!

Photos, Photos and more Photos

As always, the parish has been very busy the past few weeks.  From the Valentine's Day Dinner Dance by the Knights of Columbus, to a Dance Workshop-Fundraiser supporting a Retreat for young leaders in the parish community, to the display of over 160 sacred relics at the church -- there is a lot to take in.  If you were not able to join in and participate in recent events or would like to remember some of those moments, the
photo gallery of the parish website has been updated.  Included are some pictures from the following events:

February 11 -- Knights of Columbus Valentine's Dinner Dance
February 17 -- Display of Relics by Treasures of the Church
February 19/23 -- Barnabas Disciples (Young Adult Group) Fundraiser and Gathering
February 25 -- Country Dance Workshop Fundraiser

These are by no means the only events that have taken place at St. Barnabas.  We are truly blessed to belong to a vibrant and active community.  Yet, these are the gatherings where photos are available.  We hope that you enjoy.