Pastor: Fr. Ray Rick
Associate Pastor: Fr. Roy Villas
Office Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9:00am to 2:00pm
"We are a community of believers growing together, faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church, rooted in the word of God, prayer and sacraments, strengthening family, elderly and youth--our future--and serving those in need."
IT IS WITH GREAT JOY THAT WE WELCOME VISITORS AND NEW PARISHIONERS TO OUR PARISH FAMILY.
New parishioners please fill out the form in the wooden box on the back wall, call the office or better yet, come by the office so we can meet you and welcome you personally.
Let us pray this Sunday for the people and clergy of the Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Grafton, that as members of the Church, they may continue to grow in faith and holiness in all they do. We pray to the Lord.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10TH the 2nd Sunday of the month @ 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm will be a Divine Mercy Holy Hour with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament recitation of Divine Mercy and opportunity for Confession.
DECEMBER 20, 2015
FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
(Liturgical colour violet, symbolizing ‘a call to repentance’)
MEMORIAL 9:00 AM MASS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27TH, 2015 Many parishioners have donated money for the flowers that have been placed on the altar this Christmas season, in memory of the following deceased loved one: FITZMAURICE & PROULX FAMILIES, MEMBERS OF THE HANLIN, CASSIDY FAMILIES, DONALD & DANNY DAWSON, DECEASED PARENTS OF BUD & SHERRILL WALSH, RON HANSFORD, LEONARD & RITA LAW, BLAKE & MACNEIL FAMILIES, GERTRUDE & WILLIAM BRUNNER, MAURICE SEGUIN, ALBERTINE & ERNEST LAFERRIERE, LAURETTE SEQUIN, DECEASED FAMILY & FRIENDS OF MILLIE GOODFELLOW, PATRICIA & BERNARD FLYNN, MAURICE FLYNN, GEORGE SHELLY, SHELLY FAMILY, GOLDNER FAMILY, FLYNN FAMILY, SEAN KELLY, JOHN FALVY, ROWE & WATSON FAMILIES, VALIJA RAU, JUDY DAWSON, TOM, BERNARD & PAT FITZMAURICE, DECEASED MEMBERS OF CARLEY & CARDELLA FAMILIES.
PRAYERS FOR THE SICK
We pray to Jesus Christ for all who suffer in our community and especially for: Shirley Bedley, Cathy Benedetto, Ashley Bridges, Lisa Burns, Doreen Charlton, Mary Charron, Walter Collis, Marg Conway, Theresa Crosgrey, Gerdie Doherty, Tom Emmons, David F., Joyce Fitzmaurice, Peter Gambell, Senta Geiser, Carol Hamblin, Paul Hitchcock, Ted Ingleson, Regina Lambert, Sarah Lazzara, June MacNeil, Louise MacNeil, Luke Manary, Martha Marquarat, Mary McKenzie, Raul Neps, Joan Neveu, Joe Neveu, Joseph O’Donnell, Mike O’Hara, Jack & Laila O’Neill, Fay Pearce, Ann Petersen, Joan Riley, Rene Sabourin, Cole Shelly, Gloria Speicher, Julia Tilson, John Van Ekelenburg, Jacob White, Eleanor Wilson, Rob Ziola. Please call the office (645-2294) if you would like your name removed or added to this list.
DECEMBER 20, 2015
UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS
January 8 Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament 9:30am-9:30pm
January 12 Catholic Women League Meeting 7pm
January 18 Parish Council Meeting 7pm
January 25 Knights of Columbus Meeting 7pm
(PLEASE NOTIFY THE OFFICE AS SOON AS YOU ARE AWARE OF A DATE AND TIME OF AN UPCOMING MEETING IN THE PARISH.)
CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE
St. John the Baptist (Morinus) Christmas Eve 5 pm
St. Joseph’s (Bracebridge) Christmas Eve 5 pm & 10 pm
St. Joseph’s (Bracebridge) Christmas Day 10 am (only)
NEW YEAR’S MASS SCHEDULE
St. Joseph’s (Bracebridge) December 31st 5 pm
St. Joseph’s (Bracebridge) January 1st – 10 am.
No Mass at Morinus Dec 31st or Jan 1st.
SNOW SHOVELLING
Is there anyone who would be prepared to shovel the sidewalks around the church this winter? Please contact the office.
“CHRISTMAS BOOK” DRIVE
As in previous years we as a Parish would like to offer a “gift” to those who attend Christmas Masses here. This year again we need your help to make this happen. If you can donate any money to this cause please contact: Lynn Emmons 705-645-6803.
MESSAGE – POPE FRANCIS – WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES ON JANUARY 17, 2016. See the website http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/migration/documents/papa-francesco 20150912 world-migrants-day-2016.html
2016 OFFERTORY ENVELOPES
The envelopes are ready for pick up in the church on the far wall next to the far hall door. If there is a problem either you can’t find your envelopes or a correction is to be made please call Carol (705-645-2294) at the office MONDAY-THURSDAY FROM 9AM-2PM. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS ON THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF THE NEW YEAR ON YOUR OFFERTORY ENVELOPES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR CONTINUING SUPPORT!
WHAT IS MERCY?
This article is adapted from two homilies one given by Father Bob Bedard and one by Father Scott McCaig, the former and the present General Superiors of the Companions of the Cross.
According to the dictionary, “Mercy is kindness over and above what we would ordinarily expect from a very kind person.” Here are two common ordinary examples: First you go shopping for groceries and there is an older person who is obviously having trouble navigating with a big cart full of groceries like you wouldn’t believe. And you say, “Excuse me; I’ll take those home for you”. “There’s my car over there, you just take it easy”. What do you think he’d say? He would likely say, “That’s TOO MUCH”. Second it is raining cats and dogs and you see an elderly gentleman drenched walking to where he needs to go. You pick him up and say, “Where are you going? He says, “I’m going to Burks Falls”. You might think that’s an hour and a half drive each way – three hours in the car. But you drive him anyway, that is MERCY. MERCY is over and above; its kindness’ gone mad. It’s GOD, that’s what God is like. He is bursting and bursting to get us to tune into HIS MERCY. It’s the God who loves you and me, who loves me in spite of my sins, in spite of the barnacles on my character. There are no conditions on God’s love. It’s unconditional. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done. He doesn’t care! He wants YOU. That’s the GOOD NEWS. Not only does He want to give you a fullness of life right here, He also wants to give you eternal life. God is reaching out to everybody and particularly He wants to touch those that have wandered away from Him. This Jubilee year will be focused on that merciful gaze of the Father up -on each of us and upon everyone. So we say, “Lord have mercy”. What we’re really saying is, “First, Lord save me from the punishment that I deserve and then, Lord lavish upon me so much more than I could ever desire or ask for or even imaging”. That’s what we’re asking for, that’s the mercy of God. When we let that wash over us, when we let that penetrate us, we are renewed, transformed. Pope Francis says, “As we experience the mercy of the Lord, in ever greater depths we are changed by that”. The Pope says, “Even if you tire of going to Him (the Lord) to ask for forgiveness, He will never tire of saying, ‘I FORGIVE YOU’, ‘I LOVE YOU’.” As we are changed by it we ourselves extend mercy to everyone we encounter, especially those who are most in need of mercy. We pray again and again I think sometimes without realizing what we are saying, “Forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us”. That’s a little frightening. We don’t want God to forgive us any more than we have forgiven anyone else. Do you want God to do that? Not to forgive you anymore than you’ve forgiven anyone else? So as we pour out MERCY to other people, so mercy will come back to us. God’s mercy is available but we have to respond to it. We are invited again to consider, contemplating the greatness of God’s mercy to each and every one of us that having been overwhelmed by the Father’s mercy, we ourselves, every day and in every place we go and become Apostles of Mercy.