STEP 3, RE-OPENING ~ DIVINE INFANT CONTINUES WITH A 140 PEOPLE CAPACITY IN THE CHURCH WITH COVID GUIDELINES IN PLACE (EFFECTIVE SEPT 13, 2021) THE TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME~ Year B SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 DIVINE INFANT PARISH 6658 Bilberry Drive, Orleans, Ontario K1C 2S9 Web site: www.divineinfant.on.ca Tel: 613 824-6822 (for emergencies only 613-804-6822) Office hours: Wednesday & Thursday 9:00am - Noon & 1:00pm - 4:00pm OUR MISSION STATEMENT Pastor: Fr. Waldemar Podlasz SDS ([email protected]) We, the people of Divine Infant Parish, are called through Baptism Associate Pastor: Fr. Steven Gaudet ([email protected]) to celebrate the presence of Jesus Christ in Word and Sacrament. In Priest in Residence: Fr. John (Yongli) Chen the spirit of faith, service, and community, we strive to bring every- ([email protected]) one closer together and closer to God. Deacons: Stephen Donoghue, Jeffrey Le Bane, Gerardo Panes, This we accomplish by: William Reggler, Philip Richards and Jim Schultz Shaping our lives in the image of Christ through Pastoral Council Chair: [email protected] worship and prayer. Finance Council Chair: Susan Galarneau 613-830-7111 Contributing to the growth of our parish by being faith- ful stewards of the Gospel by word, witness, action and evangelization. Parish Secretary: Margaret Heuthorst ext 3 Lending support to the parish leadership and working ([email protected] ) together to fulfill the mission. Parish Manager: Deacon Jeff Le Bane ext 235 ([email protected]) Sacramental Coordinator: Victoria Pusiak ext 229 Agape Bible Study Group Lucille Surette [email protected] ([email protected]) Altar Servers (ages 7-18) Blessilda Donoghue 702-5842 Youth Ministry: Pia Ocenar ([email protected]) Bereavement Group Diane Jemus 830-5612 Catholic Women’s League Frances Chicot (343) 880-4942 Parish Caretaker: Jeff Johnson ext 228 Children’s Liturgy Debbie Olsheskie 590-2338 Communion Ministers Diane LeBlanc 837-0115 Infant Baptisms Please call the parish office to set up a meeting with one Cursillo Parish Rep Rob Chamberlain 620-3430 of our priests to begin the process for baptisms. Divine Mercy Cenacle Stan Siok 841-1637 Marriage Preparation & Cindy Kearns-O'Hara 291-8750 Deacon Mike and Josiane Seguin 613-824-6822 ext 221 http://cenacledivineinfant.wixsite.com/divinemercy At least six months notice required. No date can be set until a meeting with Greeters/Ushers Stephane Therrien 590-0769 the couple has taken place. Knights of Columbus Paul Bourke 830-4011 Adult Sacramental Preparation (RCIA) Library Nina Regimbald 830-7482 Deacon Jeff Le Bane 613-834-5039 Liturgy Chair Marilyn Geis 837-0571 Deacon Jim Schultz 613-845-0027 Madonna Tuesday Tea Dolores Cyr 830-5571 For adults seeking baptism or full communion with the Roman Catholic Mom’s Morning Out Andrea Heeringa 834-9968 Church or adult Catholics seeking Confirmation. Meetings are weekly on Music - Adult Choir Wednesday nights. We are always open to new inquiries. Music - Children’s Choir School Age Sacramental Preparation Music Garth Pereira [email protected] Victoria Pusiak 613-824-6822 x229 Pastoral Care Ana Laura Roman Blacio For ALL (both Catholic school and public school) baptized Catholic [email protected] children. The parish registration for reception of the Sacraments of First Perpetual Adoration Lyse Charron 830-7721 Communion (grade 2) and Confirmation (grade 6 +) is available on our par- Prayer Shawl Ministry Parish Office 824-6822, ext. 221 ish website (http://www.divineinfant.on.ca/). Pro-Life Activities Angela Lavictoire Anointing of the Sick [email protected] Are you or someone you know in need of this sacrament of healing? Anyone Readers Kres Jadan [email protected] who has been diagnosed with a severe illness, is going for surgery or has Refugee Committee Guy Savard 824-9715 reached old age is eligible to receive this sacrament. Please call the parish Sale of Religious Articles Monique Sutherland 824-3365 office or speak to a priest. & Mary Michel 841-1867 Shepherds of Good Hope Allan Harvey 824-8632 St. Matthew High School 837-3161 St. Vincent De Paul Dan Therrien 424-6134 St. Peter High School 837-9377 Unbound Ministry Gil & Marjolaine Messier Convent Glen Catholic School 824-8541 [email protected] Divine Infant School 824-1060 Our Lady of Wisdom School 824-9700 St. Clare School 834-6334 St. Francis of Assisi School 830-3215 St. Theresa School 837-4114 Dear Friends in Christ, This week we celebrate the feast of St. Matthew, one of the Evangelists. To recognize this special occasion, I’d like to share with you the brief summary of his gospel. Studding and praying the Word of God is always a great spiritual practise. We know that Matthew was a tax collector, a “publican.” He was, it would seem, quite well-to-do and popular among the people of Capernaum, where, Luke tells us, he had many friends (Luke 5:29). This was all the more significant in view of the fact that the Jews had a very low opinion of tax collectors in general; they regarded them as extortionists, in addition to being collaborators with the Roman regime. Matthew was a warm-hearted person; he responded quickly and generously when Jesus called him the day he passed by his office (Mark 9:9). He imme- diately left everything and followed him. He was later chosen to become one of the Twelve (Mark 10:14), and to the very end of his life he was a faithful witness to the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord. According to the Fathers of the Church, the Gospel according to Matthew was written in Palestine, almost certainly in Aramaic, and was addressed mainly to Jews living in that region. It is thought that it was first written around the year 50, but that this version disappeared soon after the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70. Immediately after this a Greek translation of Matthew–the one we now possess–began to be used; this is regarded by the Church as canonical, authentic, and substantially the same as the original Aramaic. Matthew, under God’s inspiration, set out to show that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah foretold by the prophets, the Son of God. This is why his Gospel has been called “the Gospel of the fulfillment.” It stresses all the prophecies of the Old Testament which announce the coming of the Messiah: He is of the house of David (1:6); he is born of Mary, a virgin, to fulfill what Isaiah foretold (1:22-23); and now, in the fullness of time, he makes his appearance, preaching “the Gospel of the Kingdom.” In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us about this kingdom, promulgating the beatitudes (5:3-11), which give us a whole program for Christian living. No one can enter the kingdom without first selling what he has and buying this precious treasure, a hidden treasure (13:44) which, because it is as small as a mustard seed (13:31), a person really has to seek out: Despite its inherent strength and power it will grow to fill the whole world—one can possess it only through detachment from material things. Jesus wants those who follow him to be poor and to trust in providence; in other words, no Christian should become so taken up with material things that he cuts himself off from God. Possessions go against God if a person turns them into an absolute value and makes them (whether consciously or not) his god, his only goal in life. The Lord wants us to use material resources as means to an end; we should therefore be able to do without them when they in any way prevent us from doing his will. (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 42). Because this kingdom should be constantly on the increase, we should pray for it with faith and hope, using the best prayer of all, the Our Father (6:9-13). In fact, if it is to fully influence our lives we need to be permanently united to the successor of Peter, whom Jesus appointed as administrator of the treasures of the kingdom of heaven, conferring on him the fullness of the primacy, with responsibility for teaching and govern- ing the whole Church (16:18-19). Moreover, this kingdom founded by Jesus Christ on Earth, his Church, will last until the end of time. Jesus himself, after his Resurrection, promised that this would happen: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (28:19-20). In this passage, which we find also in Mark 16:16, it is expressly stated that the apostles (the Church) receive from Jesus the same mission as he received from his Father–to save all men through preaching and the minis- try of the sacraments. First among these is baptism, which is absolutely necessary for salvation. However, if someone is physically unable to receive baptism, then its place may be taken by baptism of desire, in the case of adults, and also by martyrdom (which is called baptism of blood), should this extreme situation arise. Thus Jesus confers on his disciples and on those who succeed them in the apostolic ministry the power to baptize in the name of the Blessed Trinity and to admit into the bosom of the Church those who have faith. But to do this they must first proclaim the gospel to all the nations, teaching them to practice, by word and exam- ple, the faith they have received.