ST. MARY’S PARISH ARCHDIOCESE OF VANCOUVER

5251 Joyce Street, Vancouver, BC V5R 4G8 (604) 435-9611 parish.smarv@rcav.org stmarysvancouver.ca FB:stmarysvancouver

March 11 2018

4th SUNDAY

OF LENT

Year B

Sunday Mass Readings

First Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1b,

6-7, 10-13

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23

Second Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14

Gospel: John 9:1-41

PASTOR ’S CORNER

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE – SHARE LENT 2018 – TOGETHER FOR PEACE

Dear parishioners,

Next Sunday is the annual Share Lent collec-tion for Development and Peace, so I would like to take this opportunity to give you a “heads up” and provide you with the reasons why you should make a contribution to this year’s cam-paign.

This year, as always, C.C.O.D.P. (Canadian Catholic organization for Development and Peace) has chosen its theme, and the focus of its energies very well: Together for Peace. In our ever more violent world, D&P is trying, this year, to renew our belief in the possibility of peace through dialogue, by affirming it, and by supporting partners in troubled areas of the world where, against all odds, dialogue is in fact working to promote peace. We have been privileged to witness a few examples in the messages that Development and Peace provid-ed for us during our Sunday masses over the past three weeks, with a last one scheduled for today. Their bet has paid off. Dialogue is work-ing. And because it is, more people than a year ago are emboldened to believe in its fruitful-ness. Here is a first reason to make a donation: your gift will enhance D&P’s potential to make a difference in terms of dialogue, and its effect: peace. But there are other reasons, more of an ongoing nature.

Why are D&P’s themes and focuses of action always so relevant, so timely? Because they have their two feet on the ground. They don’t hatch their themes and their concrete develop-ment actions in an office in Montreal or in To-ronto. They have legions of partners in the de-veloping world. With these partners, they dis-cern locally what the problems, issues, and challenges are, and together with these same partners, they come up with realistic, effective,

grassroots, manageable, workable, and verifia-ble projects. As a result, barring unforeseeable catastrophes, the results of the projects that they support are almost always lasting and du-rable. You will hear of few large-scale, spec-tacular projects supported or initiated by D&P. The fruit of their labour is very modest, almost invisible, but its impacts are nonetheless huge. Just ask the people who have benefited from them in the last fifty years.

Given the scale of natural catastrophes and vi-olence that have rocked our world in the recent past, D&P has had to compromise its funda-mental objective, which is sustainable develop-ment, to render vast amounts of humanitarian aid. They have risen to the task, but without losing sight of their “raison-d’etre”, their fundamental vocation, which is to contribute to the world’s durable development. I find this immensely admirable.

For those who have heard horror stories about the overhead costs of aid and development agencies, I can tell you that for their fiscal year 2016-2017, D&P spent a total of 17% of their budget on governance, operations, and fixed costs. Everything else: 83% of their budget, was spent directly on international pro-grammes (development programmes and hu-manitarian aide) and on In-Canada pro-grammes (education and advocacy).

I could go on and on, but I’ve run out of space, and in any case, I think you get my point. De-velopment and Peace is an institution of which we, as the Catholic Church in Canada, should be very proud. And supportive. There is no doubt at all in my mind that money spent on Development and Peace is money well-spent. May God continue to bless their ministry, and inspire you to be a part of it.

Fr. Guy

SUNDAY MASSES: Saturday 5:00 pm Anticipated Mass Sunday 8:00 am 9:30 am Liturgy of the Word for Children 11:15 am Liturgy of the Word for Children 1:00 pm 3:00 pm Tagalog 5:00 pm Youth 7:00 pm

WEEKDAY MASSES: Mon to Fri 8:00 am Wed to Fri 7:00 pm Saturday 8:30 am Our Lady’s Mass HEALING PRAYER MINISTRY: Wed & Fri 7:45 to 9 pm (in the Church Children’s Room)

CONFESSIONS: Mon to Fri After all Masses (except Thursday Evening Mass) Saturday 9:00 am - 9:30 am 4:15 pm - 4:55 pm 6:10 pm- 7:00 pm Sunday Before & After all Masses An appointment may be made through the Parish Office

“I am the

light of the world,

says the Lord;

whoever follows me

will have the

light of life”

John 8:12

Stewardship Reflection

March 11—Fourth Sunday of Lent "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son..." - John 3:16 Of all the wonderful gifts that God has given to us, the gift of his own son is truly the greatest. How can we ever thank God for a gift like that? God does not ask us to sacrifice our own pre-cious firstborn, but he does ask that we are grateful and generous with our God-given gifts. That we nur-ture and develop them and return with increase.

Copyright © 2018 Archdiocese of St. Louis

DEVOTIONS: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Wed to Fri 7:45 pm Benediction at 9:00 pm First Friday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm Morning Rosary & Morning Lauds Mon to Fri 7:00 am Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Wednesday 6:00 pm Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Thursday 7:20 am & Saturday 8:00 am Novena for an Increase of Vocation & Religious Life Thursday 6:00 pm Divine Mercy Friday 3:00 pm & 6:15 pm Spanish Rosary Tuesday 7:00 pm HOLY COMMUNION for shut-ins: Contact the Parish Office. BAPTISM: To register your child for baptism, contact Reception or visit http://stmarysvancouver.ca/baptisms/ MARRIAGE: One of the couple must be Catholic and a parishioner of St. Mary’s Parish before requesting the sacrament of marriage. Email parish.smarv@rcav.org at least six months prior to the wedding date to register for the required Marriage Preparation Course. For information, visit stmarysvancouver.ca/matrimony and rcav.org-m-prep RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults): Contact the RCIA Coordinator. For adults in need of Baptism, First Communion, or Confirmation, or who want to learn more about the Catholic Faith. PREP (Catechism for children attending public schools): Contact the PREP Coordinator. Occurs Tuesdays or Wednes-days 6:30-8pm / Teen Prep Wednesdays only ST. MARY’S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Principal: Ms. Brenda Krivuzoff Website: stmary.bc.ca Phone: (604) 437-1312 Fax: (604) 437-1193

PARISH OFFICE (Open Mon-Fri 8:45am to 5pm) Phone: (604) 435-9611 Fax: (604) 439-9413

Pastor: Fr. Guy Rivard, O.P.

Ext. 4 parish.smarv@rcav.org

Assistant Pastor: Fr. Gabriel de Chadarévian, O.P.

Ext. 3 gabrielmariedominique@gmail.com

Assistant to the Pastors: Theresa De Ocampo

Ext. 6 parish.smarv@rcav.org

Finance & Property Manager: Ossie Fernandes

Ext. 7 ofernandes@rcav.org

Youth & Young Adult Ministry: Rocelyn Catris

Ext. 247 youth.smarv@rcav.org

RCIA/PREP Coordinator: Edwin Cruz

Ext. 5 rcia.smarv@rcav.org prep.smarv@rcav.org

Reception: Marianne Peraro

Ext. 0 reception.smarv@rcav.org

N E W S I N A N D A R O U N D T H E P A R I S H

ST. MARY’S PARISH LENTEN RETREAT: MAR. 12 & 13 (MON & TUE) RADICAL LOVE : LIVING OUT GOD’S PURPOSE FOR OUR LIFE

Could there be more to our faith experience, than what we have come to know? How can Mary, the mother of Jesus, teach us to live out God’s pur-pose for our life? Speaker Ken Yasinski’s dynamic communication style will make relevant the time-less truths of our faith. Come be inspired to live your full potential. March 12 Monday & March 13 Tuesday. Each day: 8am & 7pm, morning and evening sessions are the same. Mass followed by

Talk & Musical Adoration. Want a free introductory talk by Ken! Text the word FREETALK to 1-855-969-5300. FROM FR. GUY: HELP NEEDED FOR PROJECTIONS BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER MASS

Right now, it is our choirs that are responsible for projecting the slides before mass, videos after mass, and the odd slide or video during mass. This is onerous for them, as they have other things to attend to. This is why, for each Sunday mass, we are looking for someone who is in attendance on a regular basis at a particular mass, who is comfortable with this kind of task or willing to learn how it is done, and who would be prepared to volunteer to do these projections at that mass on a regular basis. If you are availa-ble and willing to render this service, please contact Theresa at the parish office. Thank you! Fr. Guy BIBLE STUDY

Lectio Divina on Wednesday, Mar 14 at 6:45pm. Topic: Take cour-age; we must experience a death of things in our lives that hold us back from blooming into the creation God has called us to be. SPARK (GR.6-8) - NO REGULAR EVENT

You and your family members are invited to join our Parish Lenten Retreat on Mar 12 & 13. Regular youth event resumes on Mar 19. FLAME (HIGH SCHOOL) - OPEN GYM On Friday, Mar 16th from 6:30-8:30pm in the school gym, join your peers in a fun and semi-competitive (or super competitive) games and/or board games. All skill levels are welcome and encouraged to join this free event! Please bring water bottle, tow-el, and extra shirt. MIGRANT WORKERS’ WAY OF THE CROSS

It's Lenten season again so the Migrant Ministry is holding its "Migrant Workers' Way of the Cross" on March 17, after the 5pm Mass. Just like Christ who triumphed over death, the migrant workers are resolute to overcome their challenges. INSPIRING DOMINICAN SAINTS: SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS

Interested in St. Thomas Aquinas? How is he relevant today? The Lay Dominicans, Mysteria Lucis chapter invite you to join us on Saturday March 17 from 9:15am-12:15 pm in St. Mary’s Rectory basement, 5251 Joyce St. After Morning Prayer (bring a breviary if you have one), there will be a presentation and discussion on St. Thomas Aquinas. No cost; registration is not required. Refresh-ments provided. Optional potluck lunch after. Mark you calendar for more “Inspiring Dominican Saints” on the third Saturdays of April and June. For information see http://dominicanlaity.ca/events, the rcav calendar, or contact Cathy (604-874-8037 / ve7cld@shaw.ca).

N E W S I N A N D A R O U N D T H E P A R I S H THIS WEEK IN OUR PARISH SUNDAY MAR 11: 4TH SUNDAY OF LENT / 2ND SCRUTINY 07:30 AM Choir Sun. 9:30 AM (Rectory Basement) 09:00 AM Handmaids Of The Lord (Seminar Room) 11:15 AM RCIA Holy Mass: 2nd Scrutiny (Church) 11:15 AM RCIA Holy Mass & Reflections (2nd Scrutiny) (Church Hall) 12:00 PM Choir Sun. 3:00 PM (Rectory Basement) 12:30 PM Legion of Mary - Our Lady of Fatima Jr. (R. Dining Room) 01:00 PM The Feast Vancouver (School Gym) 02:00 PM Choir Sun. 1:00 PM (Church Hall) 03:00 PM Migrant Ministry (Seminar Room) 03:30 PM Choir Sun. 5:00 PM (Rectory Basement) 04:00 PM Couples For Christ (CFC) (Church Hall) MONDAY MAR 12 08:00 AM MASS & PARISH LENTEN RETREAT (Church) 07:00 PM MASS & PARISH LENTEN RETREAT (Church) TUESDAY MAR 13 08:00 AM MASS & PARISH LENTEN RETREAT (Church) 07:00 PM MASS & PARISH LENTEN RETREAT (Church) 06:30 PM Choir Sun. 9:30 AM (Seminar Room) 07:00 PM Christian Meditation (Rectory Basement) WEDNESDAY MAR 14 06:00 PM Families For Christ (School Gym) 06:45 PM Bible Study (Church Hall) 06:30 PM Couples For Christ (CFC) (Rectory Basement) 07:00 PM Holy Trinity Community Adult (Rectory Living Room) 07:00 PM Mass/Adoration/Confession (Church) 07:30 PM Healing Prayer Ministry (Church Children's Room) 09:00 PM Benediction (Church) THURSDAY MAR 15 06:00 PM Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) (Church Hall) 06:00 PM Singles For Family & Life (SFL) (Seminar Room) 07:00 PM Choir Sun. 7:00 PM (Rectory Dining Room) 07:00 PM Mass/Adoration (Church) 09:00 PM Benediction (Church) FRIDAY MAR 16 04:00 PM Wedding Rehearsal (Church) 06:30 PM Youth Ministry Flame Youth (School Gym) 06:00 PM Street Outreach Ministry (Rectory Living Room) 06:00 PM Knights Of Columbus (Church Hall) 06:30 PM Stations of the Cross (Church) 07:00 PM Holy Trinity Community Young Adults (Seminar Room) 07:00 PM Choir Sun. 8:00 AM (Rectory Basement) 07:00 PM Mass/Adoration/Confession (Church) 07:30 PM Healing Prayer Ministry (Church Children's Room) 09:00 PM Benediction (Church) 09:00 PM Street Ministry and CSM SLEEP OUT event (Church Hall) SATURDAY MAR 17: ST. PATRICK 12:00 AM Street Ministry and CSM SLEEP OUT event (Church Hall) 08:00 AM Knights Of Columbus Exercise (School Gym) 09:00 AM Dominican Laity (Rectory Basement) 10:00 AM Liturgy Committee (Rectory Dining Room) 10:00 AM The Feast Vancouver (Church Hall) 12:00 PM The Feast Vancouver (Rectory Dining Room) 12:00 PM Kids For Family & Life (KFL) (School Gym) 12:30 PM Wedding (Church) 02:00 PM CFC Foundation for Family and Life (Rectory Basement) 02:30 PM Legion of Mary - St. Mary's Praesidium (Church Library) 03:00 PM Choir Sat. 5:00 PM (Seminar Room) 06:00 PM Migrant Workers' Way of the Cross (Church) 06:00 PM Cancer Support Group (Rectory Living Room) 06:30 PM Choir Sun. 11:15 AM (Rectory Basement) 07:00 PM Couples For Christ (CFC) (Church Hall) SUNDAY MAR 18: 5TH SUNDAY OF LENT / 3RD SCRUTINY 07:30 AM Choir Sun. 9:30 AM (Rectory Basement) 09:00 AM Handmaids Of The Lord (Seminar Room) 11:15 AM Mass RCIA 3rd Scrutiny (Church) 12:00 PM Choir Sun. 3:00 PM (Rectory Basement) 12:30 PM Legion of Mary - Our Lady of Fatima Jr. (R Dining Room) 01:00 PM Migrant Ministry (Seminar Room) 01:00 PM Migrant Ministry (School Gym) 02:00 PM Choir Sun. 1:00 PM (Church Hall) 03:00 PM The Feast Vancouver (School Gym) 03:30 PM Choir Sun. 5:00 PM (Rectory Basement)

BE RECONCILED TO GOD AND TO ONE ANOTHER!

St. Mary’s Lenten Penitential Service is on March 21, Wednesday at 7pm. Eleven priests will be available for Confessions. SLEEP OUT 2018 (WARM BLANKETS/SLEEPING BAGS NEEDED)

St. Mary's Street Ministry and Catholic Street Missionaries are organizing a SLEEP OUT event on Friday March 16. We are look-ing for donation of warm blankets and sleeping bags for our event. Donation may be dropped off in the bin in the foyer or at the parish office before Friday March 16. To participate or make a pledge, please visit http://sleepout2018.eventbrite.ca or contact Mildred (mmoy_ca@yahoo.com / 778-885-9611) SAINT MARY'S 3RD VBS (VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL): REGISTRA-TION OPENING SOON!

Are you ready for an adventure? Look no further as registration will be opening Saturday, April 7 after 5pm mass & Sunday, April 8 after 8am, 9:30am, 11:15am & 1pm masses only. We are also still looking for volunteers! For more info e-mail: cvbs.stmaryvan@gmail.com. PROJECT ADVANCE 2018

Calling for volunteers! Our committee require volunteers to assist in 2018 Project Advance. If you are a new parishioner, come join us and show your support for the parish. If you have participated in previous year, we sure need your help again. Volunteer cards are available at one of the table at the church foyer; please return all cards by March 24th. There will be an information plus train-ing meeting on March 27th at 5pm at the Rectory. Thank you and we look forward to working with all of you in this year’s cam-paign. – From the Project Advance Committee LENTEN READING AND PARISH LENTEN RETREAT

The Library will be open after the morning and evening Masses on March 12th and 13th. Lent is traditionally a time when Catho-lics do some spiritual reading. Come, see what the Library has in a area that interests you: Bible, prayer, the spiritual life, biog-raphies of the saints. 40 DAYS FOR LIFE PARISH-SPONSORED DAY

Fr. Larry Lynn (chaplain of 40 Days for Life in the Archdiocese of Vancouver) is inviting us to participate in a 40-day prayer vigil for an end to the killing of innocent human life through abortion and euthanasia. This prayer vigil is from Feb 14-Mar 25. Our par-ish is sponsoring Saturday, Mar 24 from 8am-8pm to pray, fast, and hold a peaceful vigil outside BC Women’s Hospital. Please consider being a prayer participant this day by committing a minimum of an hour to stand vigil outside the hospital. To sign up - https://40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/vancouver-2/ Please contact Rocelyn in the parish office for info. DEVELOPMENT & PEACE – SHARE LENT COLLECTION

We wish to thank you for your generosity on Development & Peace (Caritas Canada) Solidarity Sunday – March 17 and 18, 2018. Next weekend’s collection is D&P’s ONLY collection for the year. For those who do not have Share Lent Pink Envelopes, envelopes are available in the pews. Your donation will help our sisters and brothers all over the world – from Syria to Nigeria, to the Philip-pines and beyond!

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