Parish Notices for the 1st Sunday in Advent

1. During this beautiful season of Advent, let us make some time in our busy schedules to reflect on the reason for the season. It is a time of waiting, hoping and preparing for the coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 
2. Time is ticking away. Our Parish Christmas Dinner is just two weeks away. It will be held on the grounds of St. Xavier’s Private School on Sunday 14^th December from 6pm. Come, dine then enjoy the sweet sounds of Nuestra Cosa. Please purchase your tickets early so we can advise the caterer how many persons we catering for on Monday 1^st December. 
3. A reminder of the CCSJ: St. Joseph/Mt.D’or Parish Group “Christmas Matelot Outreach” project. The group is seeking donations of non-perishable items (food, toys, books etc.) for needy families in Matelot and St. Joseph. Please give generously. 
4. Catholic Almanacs are now available at the Catholic News Stand. Cost is $4.00. Please your copy early as we have limited supplies. 
5. "O Come Let Us Adore Him” is the theme of St. Joseph Girls' RC School Biennial Christmas Concert on Sunday 7th December at the Arima New Government School. Past Students are asked to come and enjoy the sweet sound of traditional Christmas Carols and our festive Parang group. See flyer on notice board. Tickets are available at the Parish Office.

Blessings to ALL our parishioners this week!  

Celebrating Christ as King

This weekend, The Catholic Church closes its doors on another Liturgical Year (A) and we celebrate a special feast, Christ the Universal King.
This special feast day in the Catholic Calendar was coined by Pope Pius XI in 1925 where he saw secularism (the decreasing of appreciation for God and for the Faith) becoming alive. This day was to reinforce the notion to All Catholics and even non-Catholics that Jesus IS Lord and Master of our lives and that he reigns as the eternal King.
Taking today for granted and treating it like an Ordinary Sunday makes us think that Jesus is very 'Ordinary' but having the mentality that he is the King of Lives makes us appreciate him even more.
This weekend's Gospel story refers to Jesus' passion but one of the reasons why, on a Glorious day like today, we hear about Jesus' cruel death, is to remind us that even in death, Jesus still reigns as King.
Luke 23:35-43 invites us to visualize how repentance is being carried out even on the cusp of death. One of criminals hanging there abused him, 'Are you not the Christ?' he said, 'Save yourself and us as well'. But the other spoke up and rebuked him. 'Have you no fear of God at all?' he said. 'You got the same sentence as he did, but in our case we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong. 'Jesus.' he said, 'remember me when you come into your kingdom.' 'Indeed, I promise you,' he replied 'today you will be with me in paradise'. Not even death can stop Jesus from fulfilling his Glory and we all know that Jesus was capable of freeing himself from all that agony, but in order to accomplish the will of the father, he endured it for us and in the words of the soldiers that jeered at him, 'Behold, the King of the Jews' but to modify what they said, 'Behold our King!'. There is no one, no earthly force that can do what ONLY Jesus is capable of doing. He cured the leper, the healed the dumb and blind, he delivered spirits, he fasted for 40 days and nights in the desert, he endured temptations from the Prince of evil, he suffered the most inhumane death and in the end, what happened? He reigns! Not even death can keep our Lord down! That is why every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he IS Lord and even demons will flee his sight because he reigns supreme.
As such, on a significant day like today, we are reminded that even on the last few moments of Jesus' earthly life he was still able to save a soul and free us ALL from that same suffering that the same thief was heading towards. No other can do greater but Jesus! Jesus calls us to be his best friend. Think about it, we have a best friend who is a King. Isn’t that amazing!! Praise be our King and Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord!

--B. Durham, 2014

Parish Notices for Christ the King

1. The Parish Christmas Dinner will be held on the grounds of St. Xavier’s Private School on Sunday 14^th December. Tickets are now available. Please purchase your tickets early so we can advise the caterer by the end of the November.
2. A reminder of the CCSJ: St. Joseph/Mt.D’or Parish Group “Christmas Matelot Outreach” project. The group is seeking donations of non-perishable items (toys, food, books etc) for some needy families in Matelot and St. Joseph. Please give generously.
3. There will be a meeting on Monday 24^th November @ 6pm in the Church to discuss plans for the Bi-Centennial Anniversary of the St. Joseph Church Building. We expect to discuss plans and appoint a committee to organize this historical event. Members of the various parish groups and members of the parish community in general are encouraged to be present at this important meeting. 
4. The Mass for the Sick is next Saturday 29^th November @ 10am. Extra-ordinary Ministers who take communion to the sick please make a special effort to ensure that your communicants attend this Special Mass. 

Blessings to ALL our parishioners this week!  

Parish Notices for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

1. A reminder of the CCSJ: St. Joseph/Mt.D’or Parish Group “Christmas Matelot Outreach” project. The group is seeking donations of non-perishable items (toys, food, books etc) for some needy families in Matelot and St. Joseph. Please give generously. 
2. Next year 2015 is the Bi-Centennial Anniversary of the St. Joseph Church Building. We would like members of the various groups of the parish to discuss and make suggestions on what events we should have. Let our prayer and conversations include our Bi-Centennial Anniversary. 
3. The Mass for the Sick is on Saturday 29^th November @ 10am. Extra-ordinary Ministers who take communion to the sick please make a special effort to ensure that your communicants attend this Special Mass. 
4. The Parish Christmas Dinner will be held on the grounds of St. Xavier’s Private School on Sunday 14^th December. Tickets are available from this weekend.

Blessings to ALL our parishioners this week!  

Parish Christmas Dinner

CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW LARGE

Parish Notices for the Feast of the Lateran Basilica

1. The CCSJ: St. Joseph/Mt.D’or Parish Group is seeking donations of non-perishable items (toys, food, books etc) for their annual Christmas Matelot Outreach Programme and some needy families in St. Joseph. Kindly, place items in the boxes located at the main entrance of the church. Please give generously so we can to spread the Christmas cheer.
2. Next year 2015 is the Bi-Centennial Anniversary of the St. Joseph Church Building. Planning for this year long event is in progress. Input from all the ministries is important. Therefore we would like members of the various groups of the parish to discuss and make suggestions on what events we should have. Let our prayer and conversations include our Bi-Centennial Anniversary. 
3. The Mass for the Sick is on Saturday 29^th November at 10am. Extra-ordinary Ministers who take communion to the sick please make a special effort to ensure that your communicants attend this Special Mass.
4. The Parish Christmas Dinner is on Sunday 14^th December at the St. Xavier’s Private School Hall. Tickets will be available soon.
5. The Theological Faculty Annual Fund Raising Dinner is on Friday 14^th November – Friday coming. There are still some tickets available.  Please check with Isidora Mitchell or Deacon Jeffrey. 

Blessings to ALL our parishioners this week!  

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

Today we celebrate the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome on November 9th 324 AD by Pope St. Sylvester. Every Bishop has a cathedral and the Pope's cathedral is the Basilica of St. Johns Lateran, not St. Peter's Basilica. That is why, the Pope's cathedral is called, Omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater, et caput which translates to The Mother of all churches in the city and in the world and their head. Constantine, the first Christian Roman Emperor, donated the Laterani palace to the Pope and the very first church was built on that property and was later called the Basilica of the Saviour. Later on, the church was dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist and so, today it is called The Basilica of St. Johns Lateran. 

If you notice this weekend's readings talk about our bodies being the temple of Jesus Christ and so, it is important that we do not desecrate our bodies through sin. 

Another point from this weekend's readings is that we see Jesus getting upset when he saw the temple being used as a 'market place'. So it also reminds us that in every church we enter, we must treat it with absolute reverence since Jesus Christ is present. 

We thank God for a feast like today to remind us of the importance and history of our churches and be grateful that we are given these structures so that we, as faithful, can have a place to congregate in the name of Christ. To God be the Glory!

--B. Durham, 2014

Celebrating All Souls

We all have someone whom we loved and have now passed on and today, the Catholic Church gives us the opportunity to pray for them. According to church teachings, when we all die, we must enter Purgatory which is a place of cleansing before we are admitted to heaven. We are told in 2 Maccabees 12:46 that our responsibility is to "pray for the dead that they may be loosed from sins". So our duty on earth is to pray for our loved ones who have gone before us so that their time in Purgatory may fasten so that they can come face to face with Jesus in heaven. One of the most powerful ways for us to pray for the dead is by offering a mass for them. According to the doctrines of the Church, "the mass is the highest form of prayer" and the more masses we offer up for a dearly departed, the faster they are admitted to heaven. So, ideally, our prayers for the dead is for them to leave Purgatory as quickly as possible so that they can enter heaven. 

If people die in mortal sin, that is, they do not confess their sins before the death, they can be admitted to hell where, once a soul enters there, they cannot leave. That is why, it is important, as Catholics, for us to recognize the power in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

On this day of All Souls, we pray for all our loved ones who have gone before us and hope that they will see Jesus in all his Glory when they come into his presence in heaven. Eternal rest grant unto them Oh Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

--B. Durham, 2014