Fr. Bob's Corner

Delegations of Bishops from around the world are gathered in Rome for the Eucharistic Synod. Our Bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall is one of the delegate Bishops from Canada. On October 4, 2005, he delivered this message:

“The Cross of Christ, formed of a trunk and a beam, recalls the two dimensions of His salvific death: vertical, the glorification of the Father, horizontal, the salvation of humanity… . The doxological and missionary dimensions need to be developed in cultivating the art of celebration, while remaining attentive to the possibilities of praise and openess already present in the heart of the liturgy, to the development of new prayer formulae, new prefaces, and a new closing rite. All this should be done with the aim of finally realizing in the celebration what the cross of the procession already symbolizes” Although I haven’t had time to thoroughly read all the different speeches , a quick scanning of the events left me with a profound feeling of a church which reflects, and reaches out in faith to the many and diverse needs of humanity around the world. For a summary of this weeks events in Rome go to the Vatican Summary for October 3rd, and 4th.You might also visit ZENIT, as it is providing a summary, as well.For ongoing daily updates go to Vatican Press Service, you might have to search a little here to find the Synod.

Another excellent site is ‘View from Rome’

Pat Cloutier, a parishioner of St. Mary’s Parish, gives generously of her gifts, and talents to bring the Christian message alive in this world. For eleven years she has helped raise food, shoes, medication, toys, hygiene products, and clothes for the poor of the world. CFFC (Canadian Food for Children) founded by Dr. Antoine Simone and his wife, Joan.
Each day, five days a week, CFFC sends out one, and sometimes two, 12 metre long containers to impoverished families around the world. “My own involvement,” says Pat in a recent artile she wrote, “began about eleven years ago upon reading a newspaper article about the group. I began collecting a few odds and ends and bringing them to the warehouse. My collecting has since mushroomed into full-time volunteering for CFFC. When you realize how so many in the world have so little, you begin to see everything in a new light. For instance, if I see even just an elastic band on the sidewalk, I pounce, knowing full well that missionaries are hard up for elastic bands. What great excitement I get too, in finding a Dollar bag of linens or blankets that can be shipped. …….Over the years, I have come to know Dr. Simone and Joan, who have raised 13 children. They are truly humble people wishing to do everthing for Jesus. A banner on the warehoue wall sums it up: ‘Jesus is our Strength’.”

The above picure is a photo of Pat Cloutier and Dr. Simone at the CFFC warehouse. If you would like to know more about Pat’s work and faith , talk to Pat, or visit www.canadianfoodforchildren.ca/

Not sure how this blog will develop. I’m hoping to use it to add thoughts, suggestions and Web Links to the Parish site:http://www.bvmparish.com/

This weekend I read a letter from the pulpit from our Bishop condemning euthanasia, and asking Catholics to let their member of parliament know that they are absolutely against the legalization of this practice, no matter by what name it is called ( mercy-killing, assisted-suicide, etc). Our culture is being secularized at an alarming pace, and we, as Catholics need to enhance our vigilance and awareness. Our Christian values are slowly being undermined by a culture that tells us that we are the centre of the universe, and that God’s ways are irrelevant. More than ever we must do our best to be living witness of a people that worship God, love their neighbor, live in hope, and do our best to know and follow God’s will; we must renew our commitment to be living witness of our Faith (light of the world), and also mecifully and lovingly enter into dialogue with those who are just going with the flow. A good Link for prayer- meditation: http://www.taize.fr/en_rubrique43.html