Parish Notices for the 3rd Sunday of Easter

1. On Saturday 20th of April there will be a meeting for all parents of the confirmation candidates at 10AM in the Church. Confirmation classes will resume on Saturday the 4th of May.
2. Saturday the 4th of May is the next day for Infant Baptisms. Registration takes place on Monday afternoons in the Parish office at 5PM. Parents are asked to bring the child's birth paper when registering.
3. A Reminder that the Parish Pastoral Council meeting will be held tomorrow- Monday the 15th April at 6pm. Members of the parish community are encouraged to participate by letting members of the council know of your concerns. This can also be done via Private Messages on the Facebook Page or via the parish email.
4. On Sunday 14th of April at 12 Noon, Trinity TV Cable Channel 10 will be airing an edited verion of the St. Joseph Feast Day Mass.

In Retrospection....

On Monday night at the Suburban Vicariate Confirmation, Archbishop Joseph Harris challenged the Confirmation Candidates and others present to come to church 'not to receive but to give because in giving, you will receive'. He stated that each person has a 'hidden talent' and he urged them to use that talent to build up the church whether it is through art (creating banners for the church), song (joining the choir) or even through academic expertise (managing the parish's website). All these are numerous ways of giving back to the church and becoming a fond member of the household.

It is unfortunate that many people, both adults and young adults believe that after they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation it is their departure ticket from church. If you have that mindset, please change. After receiving all the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, First Communion & Confirmation) we are now considered to be living a 'Life in the Spirit'; Which means, on that day when the Bishop says 'Receive the Holy Spirit', we are no longer the same; that same Holy Spirit must become the Core factor of our lives. The Holy Spirit now becomes a 'best friend'.

So as you will realize, there is actually a life after Confirmation, that means you now have added responsibilities. So when people 'exit' the church after they take off that nice white shirt and black pants or that nice white dress, they are depriving themselves from doing God's work. Our main responsibility is to be witnesses of God's truth! God tells us in his word, "I have appointed you sentry to the nations" - Ezek 3:16. What is a sentry? A sentry is a guard, watchman, a solider and God is telling us, not asking us, to be that guard, but yet many retire from that job before even making an attempt.

As mentioned earlier, it is in giving that we receive and when we give God our all, we receive so much more because God's blessings does not come in 5-fold or 10-fold, it comes in 100-fold. "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" - 2 Cor. 9:8. So why do we treat God so badly? Why do we allow His kingdom to fall apart bit by bit when there is something we can do about it? Let us not just say that we are Catholics but let us act like we are Catholics! When we make that promise to God, sure we will experience some hardships but He promises that "My yoke is easy and my burden light" - Matt. 11:30.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, let us take up that mantle that God has given us and let him reign in our lives by making the gosepl become a practice not just a story! To God be the Glory!

R.C.I.A. Confirmation 2013 Photos

Tonight St. Joseph R.C. Church hosted the Suburban Vicariate Confirmation. 65 Candidates were confirmed and from that, 7 of our parishioners represented. His Grace Archbishop Joseph Harris was the Chief Celebrant and he encouraged the Candidates and the faithful to 'Love others as God loves them'. It was indeed a special evening for everyone. Concelebrating priests were Fr. Gerard Tangchoon, Fr. Stan Gurgal, Fr. Ferdinand Warner and Fr. Karol Wielgosz with Deacon Jeffrey Supersad and Deacon Sheldon Narine. HERE you can view the photos that were taken at the Mass and if you are on FACEBOOK you can comment on individual pictures and the album.

R.C.I.A. Confirmation

On Monday April 8th, St. Joseph R.C. Church will be hosting the Suburban Vicariate Confirmation at 6PM. 65 Candidates will be Confirmed and from that, Seven Parishioners will represent St. Joseph. They are:

• Kristel Harricharan
• Kyle Nunes
• Tristana Charles
• Ryszardo Jennings
• Olivia Constentine
• Krystle Ali
• Vernon Boodhoo

May God Bless Each one and fill them with his Holy and Resurrected Spirit!

Mary, Mother of God, pray for them!

Divine Mercy Sunday

Divine Mercy Sunday is traditionally celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter (The Octave of Easter). The essence of this special day is to remember Christ himself being revealed to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska and it was Blessed John Paul II that coined this special solemnity when he canonized St. Faustina on April 30, 2000.

John Paul said in his homily at the Canonization that the Image of The Divine Mercy St. Faustina saw, which is to be venerated on Divine Mercy Sunday, represents the Risen Christ bringing mercy to the world. Blessed John Paul II said: "Jesus shows His hands and His side, to the Apostles. He points, that is, to the wounds of the Passion, especially the wound in His Heart, the source from which flows the great wave of mercy poured out on humanity."

When we look at the Mercy Image of Christ, there are two rays, a white ray and a red ray. Jesus himself explained that the two rays 'represent blood and water'. Divine Mercy Sunday, therefore, point us to the merciful love of God that lies behind the whole Paschal Mystery, the whole mystery of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ made present for us in the Eucharist.

Traditionally, 9 days before this special day, which is Good Friday, the Divine Mercy Novena begins. This novena is very special since it is the very first novena in the Catholic faith and was created by Jesus himself. St. Faustina records in her Diary that Jesus instructed her to write down the Novena which she would begin on Good Friday, 1937. Jesus told her that on each day, she would bring a different group of souls to the Fountain of His Mercy. From the Fountain of His Mercy, these souls would be refreshed and granted graces for the hardships of their earthly life and especially for the hour of their death. Jesus promised St. Faustina that He would refuse nothing to any soul whom she brought to the Fountain of His Mercy. He told her that once these souls were refreshed at the Fountain of His Mercy, He would bring them into His Father’s House, at which time St. Faustina would beg the Father, on the strength of the bitter Passion of Jesus, for graces for these souls. St. Faustina responded that she did not know which souls she should bring to the Fountain of Mercy, but Jesus told her that He would tell her on each day. This is why the novena pray is very special.

In June 2002 Blessed John Paul II granted indulgences to Catholics who recite specific prayers on that day, which were then formally decreed by the Apostolic Penitentiary. The priests are also ordered in that day to lead the prayers in honor of Divine Mercy, inform the parishioners about the Divine Mercy, and hear confessions.


St. Faustina, Pray for us!
Jesus I Trust In you!


-- With Excerpts taken from Wikipedia & CatholicOnline.com

Parish Notices for the 2nd Sunday of Easter

1. Today (Sunday) we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. We would like to encourage all to deepen their knowledge about the Mercy of Jesus Christ and the devotion towards this aspect of God.
2. Special Brochures about various ministries in our Parish were distributed over our weekend Masses with the Catholic News. Let us carefully think about these brochures as an invitation to be more involved in the service of our parish and in one of our many ministries.
3. Monday the 8th of April is the solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. We would like to invite you to celebrate this day with Holy Mass either in the morning or in the evening. On this day, St. Joseph/Mt.D'or Parish will be hosting the Suburban Vicariate Confirmation Ceremony at 6pm. Seven of our R.C.I.A. candidates will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation from Archbishop Harris. In total, 65 candidates will be confirmed among the parishes in this Vicariate. Please pray for all the candidates that they will be open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. All are invited.
4. A meeting for all parents of confirmation candidates will be held on Saturday 20th April, 2013 at 10AM in the Church. Confirmation classes will resume on Saturday 4th May in the Parish Hall.
5. Saturday 4th May will be the date of the next Infant Baptism. Registration takes place on Monday afternoons in the Parish Office. Parents are asked to bring the child's birth paper when registering. 
6. On Monday the 15th of April the Pastoral Council will meet to discuss further matters in the parish.

Thank You!

On behalf of the Parish Priest and Deacon, we would like to extend heartfelt thanks to all those who assisted in the liturgies over the Easter Triduum:

•  Lectors

•  Eucharistic Ministers

•  Animators

•  Altar Servers

•  Decorators

•  Choir

•  Our Parishioners

•  All the various groups who lead the special vigils and morning prayers.

And anyone else we forgot to mention,

May the Risen Lord Bless and Strengthen you all.

"We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers." - 1 Thessalonians 1:2