I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Pro-Life Mass 2

Share Lent Workshop 2

World Day of Sick

2

Catholic High School Choral 3

Concert at Holy Rosary 3

Homeless Count

3

Mass of Remembrance 4

differences, past and pre-sent, which divide the churches today." (Cardinal Walter Kasper). This means that we can all work together from a com-mon starting point towards a common goal, which is the unity of all followers in Christ. We have to show the world that we can build bridges between ourselves. So many peoples today are at war with one another. They need to see that dif-ferences can be overcome, that people can join to-gether and live in peace with one another. We have the task of healing old wounds and bringing a new respect to each other. As we do this, our witness to Jesus, as our one foun-dation, will surely bring hope to other peoples also.

We have to be honest and admit that the fact that the Christian church has been divided into many different denominations is still a source of scandal for many people. They just can't understand why a religion that teaches love and unity seems at times to be so divided and not very loving. You and I should also be scandalized by the fact that, as Chris-tians, we are still so di-vided. But we also have to move beyond that feeling of deep disap-pointment and work to-wards full Christian unity among all those who be-lieve in Jesus Christ.

We are near the end of the Week of Prayer for Chris-tian Unity. Much of the world celebrates this week each year in the latter part of January. For the coming year the

theme finds its origins in

Pope Francis' 2013 Apos-

tolic Exhortation Evangelii

Gaudium ("The Joy of the

Gospel") when it used the

quote: "The Love of Christ

Compels Us" (Paragraph 9).

The theme finds its scrip-

tural context in 2 Corin-

thians. 5:14)..

Christ, the one foundation of the Church. No matter which Christian Church we belong to, Jesus Christ is our one foundation. "The unity we share in Christ is greater than all the

FREE Family Financial Education Night Join us for our annual Free Family Financial Education night. Topics include elimi-nating debt, investing wisely and understanding life insur-ance. We’ll answer your questions regarding per-sonal finances. Speakers are longstanding parishioners and licensed professionals in the field. Light refreshments will be served. Join us on Thursday, Jan. 26, from 7-8 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Par-

ish, Surrey. To register, please contact Stephen and Ann Amsing at 604-765-8535 or annam-sing@yahoo.com. Weekend Retreat Join us from Friday, Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m., to Sunday, Feb. 5, 1:30 p.m. at Westminster Abbey, Mission. Retreat Theme is “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” with retreat master, Fr. James Hughes. Cost is $155/person. To reg-ister, contact Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Port

Coquitlam at 604-942-7808 or assumptionof-mary@shaw.ca

The Need To Be One

Five Sundays; Five Mondays; Five Tuesday in January next time 800 + years from now!

H O LY S PI RI T

PA R I S H N E W S L E T T E R

January 15th 2017 Issue 8 Volume 6

Chinese New Year Day 2017

A special Mass for the be-ginning of the New Year will be held on Saturday, Jan. 28, in Cantonese and Mandarin, at 11 a.m. in Immaculate Conception Church, Delta. All are wel-come. For more info, please contact Fr. Chu at 604-591-2271

Semi-

nary

Voca-

tion

Live-In On the week-end of Feb. 17-19, there will be a Vocation Live-In for boys or young men interested in the priesthood or con-secrated life at Seminary of Christ the King, Mis-sion. Cost: $25. For more information, please con-

tact 604-826-8715.

University Mass -Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, in partnership with the Community of St. Mark's College, cordially invites all post-secondary students, faculty, and staff and their families to the University Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral, Vancou-ver, on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. Confessions begin at 6:30 p.m. with reception to follow after Mass in the hall. More info can be found through your Campus Chaplaincy, Catholic Stu-dent Club or online at www.rcav.org/universitymass

Pro-life Mass & Vigil Join us on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 9 a.m. for a peace-ful, prayerful vigil for unborn children and their parents. Mass will be at Our Lady of

Sorrows Parish, Vancouver, followed by the Rosary at Burnaby Hospital

Catholic Press Collec-tion February is Catholic

Press Month and with it

comes the annual Catholic

Press Collection. On Feb. 4-

5, there will be a second

collection at all parishes in

the Archdiocese of Vancou-

ver. This is a great opportu-

nity for parishioners to

show their appreciation for

receiving The B.C. Catho-

lic. The collection helps

defray your parish’s costs

for mailing the paper. For

those who don’t receive it,

it’s also a great chance to

help out as all the money

collected stays in the parish.

Please give generously Feb.

4-5 so we can continue to

deliver to parishioners in

the Archdiocese of Vancou-

ver this vital, award-

winning publication. Please

visit www.bccatholic.ca for

more info on the Catholic

Press Collection and the

Catholic Press Association.

at Catholic Independent Schools of Vancouver (CISVA) Catholic Independent Schools of Vancouver Arch-diocese is seeking individu-als interested in working in the CISVA as Educational Assistants and as Teachers. Please visit our website at www.cisva.bc.ca for further information on how to apply and to view available teaching positions.

Employment Opportunity Receptionist, St. Mary’s Parish St. Mary’s Parish is looking for a receptionist to per-form a variety of office functions. This position is often the primary contact and “face” of the Parish and the critical link be-tween the Pastor and the community. Employment opportunities

Volunteer Opportunities The Archdiocese of Vancou-ver is accepting applica-tions for volunteer oppor-tunities in the following areas: Administrative Sup-port, Program Support and Events Support.

for engagement. Workshop is Saturday, Feb. 4 at St. Jude’s Parish, Vancouver, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. To RSVP, please contact Pinky Pascual at pinky.devpeace@gmail.com or by phone at 604-612-9677

Mass of Anointing in Honour of the World Day of the Sick

Archbishop Miller, CSB, will celebrate a special Mass in honour of the World Day of the Sick. Sacrament of

Anointing will be adminis-tered after the Homily. All the sick and their caregivers are invited to attend. Join us on Feb. 10, from 10:30-1:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Vancouver. Refreshments to following in the parish hall after Mass. For more info., please contact CHABC at info@CHABC.bc.

Share Lent Workshop: At the Heart of Change Join us for Development and Peace’s annual Share Lent Workshop entitled: At the Heart of Change. Learn about the challenges faced by women globally, and their contributions to the well-being of their families and communities. Partici-pants will learn about the social mission of the Church, explore stories from various countries, engage in active reflection, and will be of-fered practical tools, re-sources and opportunities

Page 2 P A R I S H N E W S L E T T E R

Sunday January 22nd, 2017 In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus calling Peter, Andrew, James and John to follow him. Following Jesus was a dif­ficult journey for these first disciples. It is difficult for us today. Jesus wants to teach us his way of thinking, act­ing and encountering the world. But it is not easy for us to embrace his teaching. Good stewards of Jesus’ teach­ings realize they are on a spiritual journey, and must learn from their experiences of being open and resistant to the Gospel. They realize the need to be liberated from those actions that keep them from enjoying a closer friend-ship with Jesus. What is it in our lives that we need to re-form? What keeps us from revealing God’s glory to oth-

ers?

Parish Stewardship for January

15th 2017 103families donated

$2398.00

11 families donated $300.00 to

Building Fund

May God bless you for your generosity to His Church. Fr. David 2016 Income Tax Receipts are be-ing prepared—Project Advance receipts are prepared by the office downtown. Please note that 2016 donations will credited to 2017 as books for 2016 will closed this week

“Every success in anything we should refer to the Lord and with the Prophet say: ‘Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory’ (Ps.113).

Couples Connect: A Deeper Bond—Through

teaching moments, demon-stration, and practice, this 6-week workshop provides couples with a unique op-portunity to practise skills learned and receive feed-back from counsellors. Cou-ples will learn how to man-age and work through con-flict, increase sexual inti-macy, fondness and admira-tion, feel more connection with their partner, and build a long-lasting relationship of love. Couples will also re-ceive a workbook containing handouts and reference tools to take home. Join us on Wednesdays, Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22 and March 1, 8, from 7–9 p.m., at John Paul II Pas-toral Centre, Vancouver.

Cost: $130 per couple. To register, visit rcav.org/event/couples-connect-deeper-bond

Holy Rosary Cathedral Organist Denis Bedard in Concert Hear organist Denis Bedard in concert on Friday, Feb. 17, at 8 p.m., featuring music by J. S. Bach, French Baroque composer François Couperin, German Roman-tic composers Johannes Brahms and Josef Rheinber-ger, and present-day com-poser Hans Uwe Hielscher. Performance projected on a giant screen at the front of Holy Rosary Cathedral. Cost: $20 (student rate:

$15). For more info or to purchase tickets, contact the cathedral at 604-682-6774. “The most absurd thing that could be said of the Church is the thing we have all heard of it… that the Church wishes to bring us back into the Dark Ages… The Church was the only thing that ever brought us out of them.”

G.K. Chesterton

portunity that happens only once every 3 years. It’s also a chance to learn more about the causes of poverty and some of the solutions that government, public and private agencies, and charities are working on together. If you or some-one you know is interested, please sign-up online at http://www.bcnpha.ca/research/metro-vancouver-homeless-count-2017. This is also a great opportunity

Homeless Count Help count the homeless in your local community for the B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association on Tuesday, March 7 (evening), and Wednesday, March 8 (daytime). This count al-lows Catholic ministries such as the Door Is Open, Men’s Hostel, Good Shep-herds, Agape and many more to plan appropriate programs and allocate re-sources. This is a rare op-

to volunteer with Catholic Charities Shelter Services. For more info, contact Scott Small at ssmall@rcav.org “To desire grace without recourse to the Virgin Mary is to desire to fly without wings.” Pope Pius X11

Health Care. Submissions

must be received on or

before March 10, 2017.

For further details, please

refer to the poster on dis-

play in the vestibule of the

church !

Catholic High Schools Choral Festival Join us for the 1st Catholic High Schools Choral Festi-val, featuring award-winning choirs from Archbishop Carney, Holy Cross, Little Flower, St. Patrick’s, St. Thomas Aqui-

nas, and St. Thomas More high schools as they gather together in song. Join us on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 7-9 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Wesley, 1022 Nelson St., Vancouver. Concert will close with a massed choir performance conducted by guest conductor Dinah Helgeson. Cost: $10. Visit www.catholicchoralfestival.bpt.me For more info., please contact Marizza Mislang at mis-langm@lfabc.org

The Catholic Health

Association of BC will

be awarding two bursaries

valued at $250 each to two

2017 graduating students

who are enrolled in Catho-

lic secondary schools, or

who are members of BC or

Yukon parishes and en-

rolled in public secondary

schools, or who are home-

schooled. Students are

asked to submit a 500-

word essay that demon-

strates an awareness and

understanding of the sig-

nificance of Spirituality in

Page 3 I S S U E 8 V O L U M E 6

Parish Office Hours

Office is Closed on

Mondays.

Tuesday—Friday

10.00a.m. –4.30 p.m.

Sunday Mass Times 5.00 p.m. Saturday

9.00 & 11.00 a.m. Sunday. Week Day Masses Tuesday & Friday

7.00 P.M. Wed, Thurs & Sat

9.00 a.m. Confessions Saturday

9.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. 4.00 p.m.—4.30 p.m. or by

appointment

Parish Religious Education PREP Co-Coordinator

Shirle Schweers 604-549-6655

Safe Environment Policy

Stewardship/Finance

Ms Cecilia Cartago. 604-522-9901

Fundraising

Church Cleaning Sharon Apolonio

604-540-8248

Development & Peace Representative

Mr. Joe Vaz 604-515-8251

Mr. Jose Casas 604-521-526-6472

Knights of Columbus

Grand Knight Mr. Alfred Yano

604-526-8484

244 Lawrence Street New Westminster, BC

Telephone: 604-521-0334 Fax: 604-521-9518. E-mail: holyspirit@shaw.ca

Please keep the following people in thoughts and prayers this week as we wish them a return to good health: Mrs. Irma Morgan; Mrs. E. Scomazzon; Mrs. Isleda Zanocco: Mrs Mary-Lynn Murray; Mrs. E. Canil; V. Crow; Mrs. E. Lontok; Fr. Anthony Boniface, Mrs. A. Pellizzari; Mrs. S. Sebellin. Mr. J. Brown; Fr. Kopanicky. Fr. Michael Shier; Mrs . Irma Morgan; Noah Buble; Laaine Velaido; Fr. Antony Boniface; Mrs. Grace Sami;

Through the intercession of St. John Paul the Great , we humbly present our prayers for the needs of the sick to Our Heavenly Father.

HOLY SPIRIT Parish

not following this norm the Catholic party/ies cannot re-ceive any of the Sacraments until they have normalized their relationship with the Church. Registrations are now neces-sary to secure a spot at all Marriage Prep courses. This can be done online or by tele-phone. Please refer all couples to our webpage for more infor-mation. Our registration webpage is :http://rcav.org/m-prep/ Validation: If your marriage was not cele-brated as a Sacrament and you wish it to be recognized by the Church, then call the parish office to make an appointment to see Father. Funerals

Please contact the office be-

fore making any arrangements

with the Funeral home.

Have you recently moved into Queensborough? Have you

Baptism By appointment within a mini-mum of two months notice (during the pregnancy) so that instructions can be given to the parents and godparents, about their duties and responsibilities in this Sacrament. The family must registered in the parish and are seen to be living their Catholic faith. The child /children should be baptized within seven days of birth or within a month of birth. Marriage A minimum of six months notices with one of the parties registered in the parish and attending mass. Marriage Preparation course is manda-tory. Please ask for the – Guidelines for the celebration of Marriage - A civil marriage is not required before a Sacra-mental Marriage in Canada. In order for the Catholic party to have a valid marriage in the Church, they must be married by a priest in the Church, by

been attending mass at Holy Spirit for a while now? Then why not join the parish family by filling out a regis-tration form today. It is important to be regis-tered in the parish where you live. And become a financially supporting parish-ioners by using a box of Sunday envelopes and returning one hours wage back in support of the parish Church each week, where you worship and give praise to God.

Registration forms are at the back of the Church.

“The Catholic Church is not here to teach us to feel good. Christ estab-lished His Church to teach how to be good.” Fr. Wolfe-Sensus Fidelium

Sacramental Life of the Parish

Mass Intentions for January 22nd , 2017

Jan 21-9.00 a.m. Theresa Comendador, Sp. Int. Gene Avila Jan 21 5.00 p.m. Virgilio Magnaye Sr. RIP Jan 22-9.00 a.m. Nenita Espina, RIP Adriano Espina Jan 22.11.00 a.m. Mildred Canizares, RIP Renato Canizares Jan 24 Mildred Canizares, RIP Renato Canizares Jan 25 Luis Urguia Buniel, RIP Adriano Espina Jan 26 For the unborn K of C Jan 27 Mildred Canizares, RIP Renato Canizares

Www.holyspiritrcchurch.ca

“ Do you lie rather than suffer the truth?” - Fr. Chad Ripperger—Sensus Fidelium

Mass of Remembrance Join us on Sunday, Jan. 29, for our monthly Mass of Remem-brance as we pray for family members who have passed

away this month. Mass is at 2:30 p.m. in our Evangelist Chapel,

at Gardens of Gethsemani,

Surrey.

Parish Mission You are invited to a Parish Mission “Work Out Your Salvation,” Monday, Feb. 20 to Thursday, Feb. 23, 7-8 p.m. at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Port Coquitlam. Mission is led by Fr. Wade Menezes, from the Fathers of Mercy, who is a Preacher, writer and host of several televised series for EWTN, including The Crux of the Mat-ter. For more info, please contact Our Lady of Assumption Parish at 604-942-7808

One-Day Training and Outreach with Catholic Street Missionaries We love meeting new people, making new friends, sharing our love for God, praying for His presence and guidance, and going out to bring His hope and love to the homeless, the addicted, and the prostituted. Spend a day with us to ex-perience how we reach out to our less privileged brothers and sisters on the streets of Vancouver. Join us on Satur-day, Feb. 4, at St. Mary’s Parish, Vancou-ver. Event is free. To register or for more info, visit www.OneDayOutreach.eventbrite.ca

LET YOUR LIFE HONOUR GOD EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE!

“As we enter heaven we will see them, so many of them coming towards us and thanking us. We will ask who are you, and they will say a poor soul you prayed for in purgatory.” - Fulton Sheen.

“To fall in love with God is the greatest romance, to seek him the greatest adventure, to find him the

greatest achievement.” St. Augustine of Hippo