The Catholic Herald Easter 2021
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Easter 2021 www.peterboroughdiocese.org Catholicthe voice of the Roman Catholic Herald Diocese of Peterborough YearYear ofof St.St. JosephJoseph INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Regular contributors: Diocesan departments: Parishes: Bishop Miehm 3 Campus Ministry 12 St. Joseph Luke Procter 10 Vocations 15 Powassan 5 Kathleen Moquin 14 Finance Bracebridge 5 Fr. Joseph Devereaux 16 Planned Giving 26 Douro 6 David Beresford 18 Priests’ Benefit Fund 29 Bowmanville 7 Stephen Retallick 23 St. Alphonsus 11 Trout Creek 13 Campbellford 25 VITAE AETERNAE VERBA HABES — 1 — www.peterboroughdiocese.org Catholic Herald Easter 2021 EDITORIAL Thy Will be Done Fr. Ray Rick ow often each day do we pray “Thy might stretch out that long. I’m just pointing out that we can’t predict some things, and will be done”… and how often do I’m also hinting that we are not the first people to endure long suffering. H we actually mean it? All too often, Our annual commemoration of Good Friday reminds us that sufferings (and death) we think we know ahead of time what are in store for all humans, but that isn’t the end of the story. Perhaps, just perhaps, God is God’s will is, or what it should be. All too able to use a pandemic, with all its inconvenience, and the accompanying frustrations and rarely are we ready to concede that His will disappointments, to mold us more and more into the likeness of our Saviour. Maybe this might run contrary to our own, and we lose is a call to grow in patience, too. faith. Sometimes we might have to accept Again, that’s not to say we can’t pray for it to end. Even the Lord cried out, “My that things aren’t going to go the way we’d God, my God, why have you forsaken me” and “if it is possible, let this cup pass from like, and that’s not the end of the world — me”. However, He immediately added “yet not what I want but what you want.” (Mt. which is to say, the world doesn’t revolve 26:39) Thy will be done! around me. And while we wait, ever hopeful that God will soon grant our earnest plea, we might This is not to say we can’t ask for the use the opportunity to humble ourselves a little, realize that we aren’t divine and can’t course of events to change. The Apostles always have things the way we want. In that, we have much in common with the great didn’t simply accept that drowning on the majority of our brothers and sisters throughout the world who have less control over their stormy sea was their destiny; they cried out daily lives than we do. for help and were saved. Likewise, the Meanwhile, we have Easter: a sure sign that life follows death, and spring follows blind beggar pleaded, “Lord, let me see winter. ✠ again” and the royal official, “Sir, come Fr. Raymond Rick is Pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Lakefield and Editor of the Herald. down before my little boy dies.” Sometimes, God is waiting for our faith and hope to intensify; sometimes He is waiting to be asked before bestowing Vol. 18, No. 1 — Easter 2021 great blessings. The problem is, we may never quite be sure which is the case: whether things NEXT ISSUE simply aren’t going to go our way or whether we just need to keep asking with greater trust. Our only option, then, seems — Fall 2021 — to be praying for our felt needs with the underlying attitude of “thy will be done”, will be distributed to the parishes in mid-September 2021. Submissions must be received at the e-mail address below on or before August 8th. and with confidence that our Father wills what is genuinely best for us. Stories and photos of events from every parish and organization in the diocese are welcome. Photos should be sent as attachments, not embedded in a text document, In the midst of a pandemic, all too and the bigger the image file the better. Submissions as PDFs often do not reproduce well. many people wonder where God is. All too many think He doesn’t see or doesn’t care. No contributor to the Catholic Herald is remunerated in any way. Some seem to think He is against us and not for us, or that He isn’t there at all. No! The Catholic Herald is published three times a year in the Diocese of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, for the Trust is needed. edification and information of the laity and clergy in accordance with the heart and mind of the one, holy, And patience. Sometimes we’re not catholic and apostolic Church. very good at patience. The Catholic Herald is made available free of charge and is distributed in each of the parishes in the diocese. In the middle of March, one of my All content is subject to the criteria of the editorial policy and unsolicited manuscripts may not be returned. colleagues marked the one-year-point of Circulation: this issue on-line only. pandemic life by calling it the 52nd Week of Advertising and mail subscription rates available upon request. Lent. I reacted by suggesting that it could, instead, be the first of 40 years of Editor: Rev. Father Raymond Rick wandering in the desert. Publisher: Diocese of Peterborough To be clear, I’m not hoping or wishing 350 Hunter St. W. P.O. Box 175 Peterborough, ON, K9J 6Y8 that this thing lasts forty years. Nor do I [email protected] have any particular reason to think that it ©2021 Diocese of Peterborough. — 2 — YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE Easter 2021 Catholic Herald www.peterboroughdiocese.org What Happens Next? Bishop Daniel Miehm quite enjoyed watching the film “Risen,” when it came out in 2016, a dramatic entitled, “What if they Don’t Come Back?” retelling of the Lord’s resurrection and his appearances to the disciples that seemed to (https://osvtalks.com/cellucci). It sounds I portray very honestly the confusion of those days. At one point, Peter, having like a foreboding question, conjuring up all witnessed several appearances of the risen Lord, is asked, “What do you think will happen sorts of negatives, but Mr. Cellucci quickly next? When will he appear again?” And Peter throws up his hands in frustration and pivots to the opportunities that exist in this fumes, “I don’t know; I don’t know; I don’t know! I’m just trying to figure all this out.” moment for the Church: a situation when we Many of us have faced similar uncertainty during the time of this pandemic, with a lot of have had to overcome all sorts of obstacles confusion and – yes – frustration. Even as vaccines roll out, we know there is caution and a time when people are struggling with about a third wave, yet we do have hopes that the end is in sight. And this provokes a lot some of the biggest questions in life. I like of questions for the Church: questions like “What’s next?” “What will the return look that he points out that a return to the old like?” “Who will come back, and who won’t?” “How will our ministry change?” Right normal is hardly a desirable thing for the now, a lot of us have more questions than answers, but at least questions are being asked Church: “We could barely afford the old honestly. normal before we start longing for it to So, I was heartened at the online presentation Father James Mallon gave to our priests come back!” He gives some compelling and recently. He is the well-known writer of “Divine Renovation,” and heads up a ministry thoughtful advice about the way that focused on parish renewal and evangelization. He knows the situation of priests and parishes, dioceses, and the whole Church parishioners and knows the kinds of questions being asked in parishes and dioceses these can start to look ahead and re-imagine days. And while acknowledging the challenges that lie ahead for the Church, he pointed to possibilities. a major transformation that the pandemic has brought on. It has compelled us to move I was so struck by that talk that I from a maintenance model to a more missionary approach. quickly shared it with the members of our He rightly pointed out that the Church needs to do both, for to maintain what we have Priests’ Ongoing Formation Committee. by looking after the needs of the flock is a very biblical image of the Church. But we are And now we are looking forward to also called, Father Mallon explained, to cast our nets into the deep. To do what the Lord welcoming Dan Cellucci as the main commanded and make disciples, becoming “fishers of people.” Most parishes have been speaker at our Priest Study Days in more comfortable with the maintenance model and, he noted, that is what we typically do November! I anticipate that he will come on Sundays. We look after the people who come to us. But with the dawn of the pandemic with a challenging message and solid and its restrictions, people couldn’t come to us as they usually did. We had to find ways to practical advice for how we minister and reach out, using methods and media old and new. Some have struggled with that; some lead our parishes in these changing times. have really embraced the I would encourage everyone to view challenge; but all of us have that talk, as Dan raises questions and switched our operating model describes scenarios that should be discussed to a degree.