2nd. SUNDAY OF ADVENT - December 6, 2020
Today we hear the opening of the Gospel of Mark, which introduces us to the two great figures that stand at the beginning of the Christian story: Jesus and John the Baptist. John is a waiting figure, God’s watchman, but his waiting is anything but passive. He doesn’t go into the wilderness to sit in solitude and wait for the one who is to come; rather, the word of God invades his whole being, calling the people of Israel to a radical change of heart in readiness for the approach of the Lord. From the wilderness his voice has a powerful reach: it attracts a people who have grown accustomed to the silence of God, a people who are hungry to be nourished again by the word which they recognize to be God’s own word. People respond to the preaching of John by confessing their sins to him and undergoing a baptism of repentance. To the word of God spoken through John, people give their own word to change their lives. The purpose of this energetic renewal movement is to prepare for the one who is to come. And we know that “one” to be Jesus of Nazareth. Although John has his own group of disciples, he does not make himself the focus of his prophetic witness; he doe not claim that he is the way, the truth and the life. John understands his own powerful place within the larger context of God’s plan and this frees him to defer to the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ greatness doesn’t diminish John’s importance; John is important precisely because of who Jesus is. John’s way is a challenge to all of us: to foster the greatness in others without feeling threatened about the value of our own contribution; to be free to celebrate the importance of others because we have a sense of our own worth and value before God. John manages to do all this, and, not surprisingly, Jesus will return the compliment when he speaks about John to the crowds, telling them that there is no greater mother’s son than John the Baptist. As the relationship between John and Jesus teaches us, the generosity in recognizing the goodness in others can help them call out the good that is in ourselves. When that happens there are no losers.
“Lockdown” - Moving to 10 person capacity - November 2020
We want to thank all the parishioners of ST. DOMINIC for their ongoing support during this period of great uncertainty. It has been wonderful to see so many of you at Mass since we re-opened in June. We are especially grateful to the volunteers who have helped ensure our church is a safe place to gather – they have done incredible work!
As you know, the number of new COVID-19 cases in the Greater Toronto Area have increased significantly in recent days and, at present, Toronto and Peel Regions are in the “Lockdown Stage” as identified by the Province of Ontario. In addition, Premier Ford announced on November 20, 2020 special emergency measures that need to be taken in our area.
For this reason, as of Monday, November 23rd, Sadly, due to these measures, public Masses are temporarily cancelled. Priests will continue to celebrate private Mass daily for the intentions of parishioners and for those suffering from Covid-19.
Sadly, it is not possible for our parish to remain open at this time in a way that is safe and able to control the restricted number of people permitted in the building.
While I recognize it is not a substitute for attending Mass in person, I encourage you to view online/livestream/televised Masses. A full list is available at St. Dominic church Website, St. Dominmic church Youtube Channel , Instagram-diasfatherterry. or www.archtoronto.org
Also, all non-essential meetings in the parish will move to virtual meetings or they may be postponed. Our staff will also be working remotely in large part wherever possible
Dear people of God .
At
a time like this I feel uncomfortable to talk about giving. Our primary concern
is health and well being of our parishioners. However, No doubt you are aware
that our Parish relies on the support of our Parish members for the upkeep of
the Church. Kindly support us with the donations (weekly offerings) . Thank you
for your great help during this challenging time! God bless you all!
We recognize these measures are extremely challenging. I am also so incredibly grateful for the efforts of our heroic volunteers who have been faithfully welcoming parishioners and cleaning the church between services, ensuring that we can operate safely and responsibly. Your selflessness and generosity is inspiring!
So many of the faithful rely on the reception of the sacraments and our churches to find solace, peace and support during this period of pandemic. Despite these new restrictions, we will make every effort to continue our outreach to you. We also ask that you find opportunities to assist those who are vulnerable or alone among us.
We will continue to update you as the situation evolves. (refer to parish website or social media channels if appropriate) We pray that you and your loved ones remain safe and healthy. May God continue to bless you now and always!
SUNDAY MASS:
As public masses are cancelled weekend Mass will be still live-streamed every Sunday at 10 am in our Parish Website and YouTube page. You can also watch the mass later in the day. If you can, please consider dropping off your church donations in the mailbox, newly installed at Atwater Ave Church entrance door .
POPE FRANCIS’S PRAYER TO MARY :(For protection from the Coronavirus)
O
Mary, you shine continuously in our journey as a sign of salvation and hope.
We
entrust ourselves to you, Health of the sick. At the foot of the cross you
participated in Jesus’ pain, with steadfast faith. You, Salvation of the Roman
people, know what we need. We are certain that you will provide, so that as you
did at Cana of Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of
trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to confirm ourselves to the Father’s
will and to do what Jesus tells us: He who took our sufferings upon Himself,
and bore our sorrows to bring us , through the cross, to the joy of the
Ressurrection. Amen. We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of
God. Do not despise our pleas-we who are put to the test-and deliver us from
every danger, O glorious and Blessed Virgin.
At a time like this I feel uncomfortable to talk about giving. Our primary concern is health and well being of our parishioners. However, No doubt you are aware that our Parish relies on the support of our Parish members for the upkeep of the Church. Kindly support us with the donations (weekly offerings) . Thank you for your great help during this challenging time! God bless you all!
REST IN PEACE | |
+ Durval Medeiros | + Alfanso Cotoia |
+ John Lopes | + Hilda Ipekian |
+ Isidro Viveiros | + Antonina Fortun |
+ Monica Samson | + Nesta Pougnet |
+ Mihajlo Kvansi | + Maria Raposo |
+ Delna Dusome + Choo Minge | + Vasvalri Belane + Olga Bugere |
PRAYERS FOR THE SICK | |
PAUL CANTLON | PATRICIA GONANO |
SHWETHA | KATHERINE |
ANGELO GULLA | MATHEW WHITLEY |
DOMENIC SANTAGUIDA | BUD RADECZY |
MARIANA WEGLINSKI | MARGHARITA PISCIONE |
FRANCA METCALFE | LISA O’BRIEN |
JESSY FERNANDES | WILLIAM NEIL |
TERESA | JOE ROCHA |
JULIANA | PETER ARANY |
SANIYA & FRANCESCO | JAMES MEDGE |
NANCY CHRISTA FEUERSTAKE ANTHONY | ANNA CATERINA FERNA |
OFFICE HOURS
Thanks for all your support and cooperation. I sincerely thank our YouTube mass Team. Sean for providing music and technical support. Joshua,Larissa Freddy And Farrell Gonsalves for their assistance with the liturgy. Our Parish Council Members Lisa Hyginus and Branca Noronha may contact you at this difficult time just to make sure you are ok. We are here to serve you and will address any issues to the best of our ability! God bless!
Christmas Giving Trees – Community outreach at St. Dominic's
Christmas is a special time to think of other people, and St. Dominic’s Parish with the help of St. Dominic’s and Queen of Heaven elementary schools and St. Paul’s Secondary School were able to give generously last year. Social Ministry outreach at St. Dominic’s continues with the tradition of The Giving Tree. This year, because of Covid-19 we do not have the trees and gift tags in the lobby we are doing it virtually. We are relying on parishioners to buy gift cards from Loblaws, Metro, Walmart, Shopper’s Drug mart, Dollarama or Tim Horton’s. We ask you to drop the cards at the office mailbox of St. Dominic’s church Tues. through Friday or call 905 274-7995 to make arrangements.
We use these stores because they are easy for our Neighbours-in-need to get to without a car. We try to provide about $150 – 250.00 in food cards to feed a typical family of 4 for a generous Christmas dinner. We also try to give about a $50.00 gift card per child. This allows them to buy a toy or clothing.
The gift cards are donated to people in this community who are not able to provide Christmas for their families. The families are very grateful for the gift cards which allow them the dignity of providing gifts for their family. Your contribution can make this Christmas a more joyous occasion for families who struggle to make ends meet.
Please return the cards to the Parish by Sunday Dec. 13. The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul will make sure the cards are distributed to families in our community before Christmas and help to spread joy during this holiday season.
