Dear Parishioners,
The good news is that we are going to celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord with Masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day that you can attend if you register online before midnight tonight, or you can watch via the Zoom or the YouTube live stream. The bad news is that the next day the church will be closed during the provincial shutdown from December 26th to January 23rd. This means no public Masses and no Adoration. If the shutdown isn’t extended, then we will resume celebrating Mass in the church and at the school on Sunday, January 24th. In the meantime, Sunday Mass at the church will be live streamed at 9:00am with traditional music and 11:00am with contemporary music starting December 27th. Mass will also be live streamed from the church during the Octave of Christmas at 11:00am beginning Saturday, December 26th and ending January 1st, the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. We will continue to live stream the Rosary on Tuesday evenings at 6:30pm and Mass at 7:00pm followed by Adoration until 8:00pm. Baptisms and Funerals can be celebrated in the church with a maximum of 10 people including the priest. Confession and Anointing of the Sick are available by appointment only. The parish office will remain closed. However, offering envelopes can be dropped off in the office mailbox, or you can continue to give online through CanadaHelps or by e-transfer (See the parish Web site for details.) If you want to make arrangements to pick up your 2021 offering envelopes from the parish office mailbox, please call or e-mail Sophie. Mass intentions can also be requested by using the form in the parish office mail box or contacting Sophie.
As I said in my homily on the First Sunday of Advent, our celebration of Christmas is unstoppable. It will be different this year. We won’t be gathering with family members and friends as we usually do. However, I pray that it will become an opportunity for us to deepen our appreciation for the mystery of the Nativity because we will be celebrating Christmas differently this year.
Your parish family is here to support you during the shutdown. If you need assistance of any kind, please call or e-mail the office. We are here to help. Be assured of my prayers.
Best wishes for a blessed Christmas!
Fr. Mark Morley
Pastor