Parish Bulletin – 17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 26 July 2020

STREAMED MASSES:

TUESDAY:*                  10 AM             Lily Sullivan and Deceased Family – M.J. Sullivan

WEDNESDAY:*            10 AM             In Thanksgiving – A Parishioner

THURSDAY:*                  7 PM             Mary Spence – Knights of Columbus

FRIDAY:*                         7 PM             Living Members of Genevieve Keogh Family

SUNDAY:                        9 AM             Missa Pro Populo

*These Masses are followed by Exposition and Benediction. Immediate family members and/or the person requesting the Mass can attend these Masses in St. Joseph’s Church. You can enter by the Church side door closest to the rectory. Masks and social distancing are requirements to attend any Mass.

LIVE MASSES:

Sheenboro:     (Saturday)        5 PM    Brandon Perrault – Steve & Cathy Downey

St. Joseph:       (Sunday)          9 AM   Gerald Spence – Harry & Liz Gribbon

Chapeau:         (Saturday)       7 PM    Laurette Schryer – Jerome & Françoise Sallafranque

                        (Sunday)   10:30 AM   Merrill Allard – Patsy Allard & Family

Please remember to call the Parish Offices to reserve a space at the live Masses as attendance is capped at 50 people. If you are sick or have a cough, please do not attend. Remember, the Bishop has suspended our obligation to attend a Sunday Mass until further notice so please stay home so as to not make others sick.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1) GREAT NEWS!! Effective August 3^rd, the Quebec government will allow up to 250 people at indoor public gatherings. This effectively means that we can permit just about as many folks as usually would attend Mass in all three of our parishes to come together for the Sunday Eucharistic. You will still be required to sign in when attending to facilitate contact tracing and practice all the other elements of social distancing, masks, temperature checks, etc. but you won’t have to call to reserve a space to attend. This also means that beginning on the weekend of August 8/9 we will resume our traditional Mass schedule in each parish. So, this coming weekend will be the last Saturday evening Mass in St. Alphonsus Church.

2) We have a number of very ill parishioners these days in all three of our parishes. Please remember to pray for Rosemary Ryan who is recovering from a stroke, Jerome Sallafranque (cancer), Leonard Duff (chemotherapy) and Leo Beaulieu (palliative care). If you know of someone who is in need of prayers, please call either parish office and we will include them in the weekly bulletin

3) The Quebec government has mandated that everyone 12 years of age and older is to wear a mask in all public interior places. Remember though that it isn’t our local merchants that are requiring this of anyone so please don’t give them any grief if they ask you to put one on to shop in their establishment. The benefit of wearing a cloth mask is that it stops the vapour droplets that we all exhale when we breathe from infecting other people. This is important as one can be spreading the COVID-19 virus without having any symptoms themselves. So as annoying and uncomfortable as wearing one might be, please remember that doing so is a way of fulfilling the commitment God laid on our shoulders when we were baptized to love our neighbour.

4) I wanted to extend my appreciation and thanks to Mr. Louis Lair, a member of the Allumette Island Town Council for something he did a few weeks ago. During my trip from St. Joseph’s to Chapeau between Sunday Masses I saw that a fair-sized sinkhole had opened up on the Pembroke- Chapeau Road. I contacted Mr. Lair who immediately went out to check the situation. He had temporary warning signs put in place right away and then made sure that the hole was filled in and the pavement repaired the next day. Just another bit of proof that we are blessed in our municipalities with elected representatives who quickly and efficiently address our needs. Thank you Louis, for so promptly dealing with this dangerous situation, and thanks as well to all our fellow parishioners who work to serve the citizens of area on all three of our local municipal councils.

5) Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is becoming evident that we will have to cancel our Parish Suppers this year in both Chapeau and St. Joseph’s. Given the importance of these events to the financial health of both parishes, we are asking every family to consider making at least a one-time donation equal to the amount they would have paid to purchase tickets for the meal if it had occurred. This equates to $15 for each adult in the family and $5 for each child under 10 yrs of age. Please make the effort to fulfill this commitment before the end of the Summer as we rely on the proceeds of those parish suppers to pay our heating and insurance bills. God willing, we’ll be able to put on these delicious events again next year. Thank you.

P.S. If you feel the itch to still bake a pie or two, I’m always open to accepting them at the rectory!! I wouldn’t want anyone to feel deprived of demonstrating their baking prowess just because the parish suppers have been cancelled Never let it be said that I wasn’t willing to ‘take one for the team’. (grin!)

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR VARIOUS MINISTRIES DURING THESE PANDEMIC TIMES

6) I need to have at least two more people step up from St. Joseph’s Church to assist in processing people into and out of Mass once we restart of our Sunday Mass there on August 2^nd. One person will check people’s temperature and ensure that everyone wears a mask and disinfects their hands. We need two others to distribute communion by bringing it to those attending where they are seated in their pews. We won’t be able to resume our public celebration of the Sunday Eucharist until this requirement is met. Please give me a call at the parish office (819-689-5232) if you’re willing to help out. I also want to inform everyone that we will continue to livestream this Mass so you will need to be wary of the video equipment that occupies the front centre aisle of the church. Because this Mass will be streamed, we also need one person to man the video camera. It’s very easy to do as I will set up the system before the Mass begins. Quite literally it will involve turning the stream on at the beginning and off at the end of Mass.  Finally, this 9 am Mass will always be celebrated as a the ‘Missa Pro Populo Mass’ each Sunday until further notice. We can however also include one other Mass intention, so if you want to have a Mass offered at that time, please call Pauline at either of the parish offices to reserve it.

7) While we’re talking about our livestreaming from the St. Joseph’s Church, would someone be interested in leading a rosary online for people to virtually join. I would also like it if someone might be willing to offer to lead the Divine Mercy Chaplet online. If we can actually find a small group of people to take on this ministry, we could offer one or the other (or both!) five or six times a week. Volunteers need not be limited to just St. Joseph’s parishioners. Anyone from any of our three parishes would be welcome to participate. So, don’t be shy folks. It’s a lot easier than you might think and I will be there to assist with managing the video equipment for you. Thank you.

8) One final request: It is evident that many of our senior parishioners are reticent about being in a crowd during this pandemic and have limited their participation to watching our services online. While this provides some grace and solace, it prevents them from being able to actually receive the Eucharist. For this reason, I am looking for at least two people from each parish to step forward and bring the Eucharist to their fellow parishioners after each weekend Mass. Please contact me if you are open to the possibility of participating in helping as many people as possible to obtain all the graces they can during these difficult days.

Spiritual Reflection From This Weekend’s Readings:

Today Jesus is showing us not only what his Kingdom is like in itself, but what it means for us personally.

He gives us a snapshot of two men whose lives are suddenly lifted to an entirely different level.

• A farmer is plowing a field that is not his own.
• He is a hired laborer, a farmhand, someone who has to spend his days worrying about making ends meet.
• As he plows he uncovers a buried treasure.
• Suddenly, he is set free from the chains of poverty and uncertainty; now he can live life to the full.
• A businessman spends his career working long hours, travelling, suffering, looking all the while for the deal that will liberate him from 80-hour work weeks and give him security.
• Finally he finds the pearl of great price.
• He too can now enjoy the peace of stable prosperity, free from the rat race and the worry of living hand-to-mouth.

This is what happens to us when we enter fully into Christ’s Kingdom.

• When we decide to follow Jesus, to obey his teachings and make his friendship our highest priority, we put ourselves under his protection and his guidance, becoming full citizens of his Kingdom.
• And as soon as we do that, suddenly our lives take on a whole new purpose.
• Suddenly our relationships, actions, and decisions take on transcendent meaning; they are connected to eternal life.
• Suddenly, we are free from the frustration and meaninglessness that comes from living only for the passing, superficial pleasures and successes of this life, because we have found something infinitely more valuable: a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, King and Lord of heaven and earth.

That relationship is our treasure and pearl; it alone can give us the joy and satisfaction we yearn for in the depths of our hearts.