8 May 2005

Parting Notes: Over the next few weeks, I would like to go over many of the more day-to-day aspects of life in our parishes. In doing so, I want to affirm what I have appreciated about this family of churches and the way we do things. I may also mention one or two areas for possible growth in the future. However, as with all advice, you can take it or leave it as you choose.

The first area I would like to talk about is liturgy or worship. This is by far the most basic and the most important event in our lives as churches. It is also, by far, what I most enjoy about our life together. Each of our churches has a very rich life of worship. From the smallest to the largest congregations each put forth their best gifts in worship. People are warmly greeted as they enter, and ushers are there to help them as needed. Congregations sing. Readings are well read. Ministers of communion and servers are reverent. There is a deep sense in all of our churches of the importance of what is happening among us: God speaks to us; Christ comes to us; and we become his Body given for others and his Blood poured out in love.

In my years here, I have especially appreciated the role of sacristans in our churches. It is so good to walk into those churches and find that everything has been set up for the celebration: the gifts have been put on their table; the altar is ready; everything is in its place. In some churches even the sacramentary (the book of prayers) has been set for the day. It's such a wonderful feeling as a presider to know that you can focus on what you are there to do: to enter into the prayer of the church, to be conscious of how that prayer moves within and among us, and to guide that prayer according to the ritual and the needs of the congregation. Being freed of details, the presider or priest can focus on what is going on in our hearts as a worshipping community. The sacristan, who in one of our churches is actually the lector, helps free the priest to preside.

My hopes for our churches in worship are many and few. On the many end of things, I hope each continues to grow in worship in every way possible: I hope lectors continue to improve their skills; I hope more people come forth to serve; I hope for an ever greater warmth of welcome in our churches; and an ever deeper sense of the mystery of Christ's presence.

On the few end of things, I have two particular hopes: that each of our churches would foster the gifts of teenagers at worship. Not all young people will want to be lectors and servers. But there are a variety of gifts: ushers, communion ministers, music, hospitality, and sacristans. I am hopeful that many will put their gifts at the service of others in worship.

Another hope is small but significant: I am hopeful that we may be able to find a way to have communion from the cup in all our churches, and that more of us would feel free to receive from the cup. This is something that the church is urging us to do more and more, as receiving both Christ's Body and Blood gives us a more complete sign of the sacrificial meal which Christ left us as a remembrance of his life giving death and resurrection. In order for this to happen we may need more ministers of communion and, perhaps, communion trays with individual servings of communion for those who have concerns with disease. We will also need patience, to allow communion to go more slowly, because as more and more of us receive from the cup this extremely important moment in the liturgy will slow down ­ and that is good. It is not something to be rushed through quickly. It is the centre and focus of what we are doing. Let's do it slowly and reverently. Christ's presence among us is the gift of gifts. Slowness and reverence will express that.

Annual Meeting for St. Mary's in Owen Sound takes place next Saturday evening, May 14th from 7:30 to 9:30. All are welcome to attend especially newcomers to the parish. It will be a good opportunity to meet more seasoned members of the parish, to talk about the church we love and to enjoy some food and drink in the company of friends. Come one, come all! See the (Owen Sound) insert in the bulletin for more details.

Father Paul

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1 May 2005

First Communions are now upon us. Yesterday, April 30th, the children from École St. Dominique received their first Communion. Today the children from local public schools are making theirs. Children from St. Basil's School will make their first communion this coming Saturday. I expect a few other children to be making their first communion at various mission churches in the coming weeks. We offer each of these children our prayers and blessings as they enter into communion with us and with the Lord.

When Bishop Crosbie was here, he asked the young people to be confirmed, "what was the second sacrament?" The answer he received from them was "Holy Communion." However, he then told them that Communion is not the second sacrament. It is the third sacrament. This left a few young people (and adults) puzzling since clearly they had received Communion long before Confirmation.

Bishop Crosbie reminded them that for most the history of the church, Confirmation was celebrated before Communion. It was only about 100 years ago that Pius X permitted children of 7 years of age to receive Communion. Thus he instituted a change of practice. For nineteen hundred years, Catholics were baptized, confirmed and then made their first communion. Since then, in most countries, we have switched the order.

The order of the sacraments is important in that Communion is the culmination of incorporation into the church, not Confirmation. Confirmation is closely connected with Baptism in that it confers the fullness of the Spirit already received in Baptism. It does not, however, bring one's initiation to an end; rather, our incorporation into weekly and regular reception of the Eucharist completes one's initiation and encourages ongoing formation in the life and practice of being church.

That is why, if you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) you will note that Confirmation is discussed immediately after Baptism and immediately before the Eucharist. Weekly worship at Eucharist ratifies and fulfills our initiation. Thus First Communion, is only the beginning of one's connection to this sacrament. What happens on this day is no mere coming of age. It is, instead, the beginning of a whole life of worship, in which one's life is constantly wrapped up in the mystery of this sacrament week in and week out. This is the beginning of a life process and commitment. Those who approach this sacrament without that intention are missing something vital to the meaning of this celebration.

Meetings this week: Just a reminder to two of our sub-committees: the Cemeteries Committee is scheduled to meet this Tuesday at 7 pm in the Parish Council Room at St. Mary's in Owen Sound. The Tithing Committee meets on Wednesday at 7 pm in the Rectory Dining Room.

Parting Notes: I think I would add one other element of vision to those put together by our Council of Councils. In addition to Communications, Shared Programming, Lay Leadership and Hospitality to Youth and Young Families I would add Spirituality. I would add this for two reasons: one, it is a burning concern for many of our parishioners; two, it is also a deep passion of my own.

I very much think that many of the deepest concerns of the church these days are concerns about Spirituality. When Pope Benedict was announced, I heard people tell me how right he was for the times; others told me how deeply concerned they were that he was chosen. The reactions did not surprise me, because I think both reactions develop out of different spiritualities.

In one spirituality, we submit ourselves totally to the will of God especially as that will is manifest in the visible authorities of the church; namely the Pope, the Bishops and the authorized rituals of the church. For these people, spirituality is an act of total self-giving in obedience to God's will. They recognize that the authorities of Church help bring clarity to our perception of that will, and thus the key to spirituality is obedience to these visible authorities.

In the other spirituality, more emphasis is given to each person's interaction with scripture. One is also bound to total self-giving. However, this spirituality emphasizes that such total self-giving is not possible without maturity in faith, hope and love. Furthermore, this maturity in faith, hope and love is achieved by many and different paths. It cannot be strictly mandated or regulated. So, this spirituality tends to emphasize the importance of freedom, conscience and the fundamental obligations of equality and respect.

These two spiritualities need not be in tension, because the Gospel calls us to both communion and individual faith. A sound spirituality requires respect for both pulls. However, few of us can bring these soundly together. I have seen it as both a personal objective in my own life, and at the core of my ministry as a priest to bring both these voices together. I see them as at the heart of my own life as a Christian and my ministry as a priest. I hope in that way, that they have been at the core of my own gift of self to you.

Father Paul

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24 April 2005

Parting Notes: The fourth element of vision which we discussed at the Council of Council Meetings was hospitality: namely, making our churches more hospitable or friendly to youth and young families. At our meeting in September, the concern in this area was unanimous. What was not clear, was how to proceed.

However, we should be first aware of some of the initiatives that have taken place in the past several years. The Knights of Colombus began youth dances a few years ago at their hall. These have become highly popular with young people from Notre Dame and the younger students at St. Mary's. It is an example of one thing that works: finding an activity that young people enjoy to do together and making that possible.

Also, a number of our churches have done well at recognizing our youth with outings like Attack games or movies. This shows us a minimal we can all do: recognize and thank the youth and young people who are already contributing to our churches by their presence and service!

Another development was put together by the School Advisory Council at St. Basil's. They have monthly gatherings after each of the masses at St. Mary's in Owen Sound. This has been a wonderful opportunity for families with young children to socialize and get to know each other better. It has also made a firmer link between church and school.

The resurrected Garden Party at St. Mary's is also an example of an activity that draws young families together. It's just a single day, but it's an opportunity to have fun for the littlest members of our church. (Older people seem to enjoy the day too!)

A first attempt was made at St. Mary's Parish to start something up for high school students. As yet, this initiative has not really gotten off the ground. However, just the attempt has raised awareness about one specific group of young people in our churches: those who live outside of Owen Sound and can find it challenging to get together with friends.

Obviously, there is more that is being done and more that needs to be done. What is ultimately required? Myself, the words I would use are "greater generosity." We often call ourselves generous and at times we are. But the gospel notion of generosity is complete and total self-giving in the service of others. In other words, until we have given everything that we are and have in this life, we still need to grow in generosity. Clearly, youth won't be the only recipients of our generosity: but even so, growing in hospitality will mean ultimately imitating Christ's selfless generosity in total self giving. To be present and hospitable to our youth and young families will require similar selflessness from us: not merely giving the crumbs of what is left over, but giving of our substance in the use of our time, talent and, yes, treasure too!

A Fall Prevention Program: Well-aged actors are wanted for "Stay on your Feet" Music Theatre. There's an information and recruiting session on Thursday April 28th, 2005 from 10 to 11:30 AM at the Harrison Park Senior's Centre in Owen Sound. I have distributed pink information sheets to our different churches if you want more info. Or you can call Joan Chandler at 534-3039.

Two Notes for St. Mary's in Owen Sound: St. Mary's has scheduled its Parish Annual Meeting for Saturday May 14th in the evening from 7:30 to 9:30. The format will be different than in years past. A report will be distributed with the bulletin a week before. All are then invited to the Meeting which will be a wine and cheese, come and go occasion. If you have questions and concerns you'll be able to bring them up one-on-one with the members of the council and various committees. If you don't, you can still relax and socialize with your fellow parishioners. Look for notices in the coming weeks.

Also, two new Parish Council members are needed for St. Mary's Church in Owen Sound. Nominations are open from now until Monday, May 16th. You may nominate yourself (if you do so, please sign your name) or another member of the parish. Nominations can be put in the collection or delivered to the parish office. Put on the outside of envelope: "Nomination for Parish Council." New Council members will be announced on the last Sunday of May.

Father Paul

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17 April 2005

"Where are you going?" This has certainly been the question which people have been asking me since I announced that I would be leaving at the end of June. Well, now I am able to tell you that I am going to Assumption Church in Windsor, next to the University of Windsor (as well as the Detroit River and the Ambassador Bridge). My principal responsibilities will be as pastor and everything which that entails, beginning July 1st. I am looking forward also to being associated with Basilians at Assumption University, which is the Catholic presence at the University. The combination of both, serving as a pastor but doing that within a university environment, is the main reason that I have accepted this position in the first place.

560 CFOS is recording the 9 and 11 am masses at St. Mary's in Owen Sound this weekend. If you are interested in hearing what they record, tune in next Sunday just after the 9 am news. Even better, tell your friends about it, so that they can hear what goes on when Catholics worship on Sunday.

Cursillo: In October last year, I received a great grace: I made a Cursillo at Deemerton with the men of our diocese. At first, I was not sure what to expect. I worried that it might be overly emotional. I worried that the schedule would be too heavy without breaks and without time to think and pray on my own. But as it turned out, my fears were unfounded. Instead, it was a wonderful experience.

In my own case, I went into the Cursillo asking God to help me to discern whether I should accept the invitation to move to Windsor or not. As the weekend went on, I felt that God was inviting me to accept this move as a grace and a cross. It would be a grace, because I heard again and again that I should trust the gifts I have been given and to put them at the service of others as well as possible. This was very much in line with a sense I had felt for some that Windsor would allow me to use gifts I have not been able to use as much here. However, it would also be a cross, mostly because it would mean leaving you to whom I have become quite attached. Even so, I grew to appreciate that in accepting this cross there would be new life both for me and for you!

I invite you then to make a Cursillo yourself next fall. There are both men's and women's Cursillo's scheduled for that time of year. Pick up a brochure at mass today which should be available at the door of the church. Consider giving yourself this time away from your day to day lives. I do not know what God will want to say to you. Nevertheless, I pray that God will call you to greater service in our family of churches.

Parting Notes #3. This Sunday is often called Good Shepherd Sunday, because the Gospel is always taken from the 10th Chapter of John's Gospel in which Jesus declares: "I am the good shepherd." In this chapter, Jesus tells us that he is the good shepherd because he lays down his life for us. In this way, he shows us the way that we are all to follow: we too are to lay down our lives in love and in service for one another.

Too often we narrowly associate this reading with only priests and religious sisters, i.e., the people who pastor us. What we often miss is that all of us, in one way or another, are called to have a shepherd's heart for our church. Each of us is called to imitate the good shepherd. Each of us is to develop Christ's love for the church and in our own way lay down our lives for our friends, our brothers and sisters in Christ. The invitation today is put forth to all of us.

This notion that all of us are called to pastor the church is very much in tune with the third element of vision put forward at the Council of Councils (the meeting of representatives of all our parish councils) in March: developing lay leadership. However, what has struck me most since becoming pastor is how the work of developing lay leaders is done by God. I have been constantly impressed by the leaders whom God has raised up for us: not only in seeing to bricks and mortar (though those things are important to) but also in raising up people who are tending to our lives as communities of faith. Most impressive to me have been the people who have served on parish pastoral councils in our different churches and those who shepherd us all through Sunday mass, week in and week out as liturgical ministers. There are also those who have stepped forward to serve us on the Spirituality Committee as well as those who are fostering adult religious education in our churches through courses and bible study.

Two initiatives in particular were simply placed in my lap. One has been Stewardship at St. Mary's, in which members of this parish came to me and asked to start this up. Their initiative has been a real grace; it's lay leadership in practice. However, in my own mind there was also something missing from Stewardship: a deep sense of its spirituality. I learned that spirituality on Cursillo. I came to realize last year that Cursillo presents us with the heart of Stewardship: which is to develop a servant's heart for God and for the Church. In my mind, Stewardship provides a lot of the nuts and bolts of lay leadership in our churches, but Cursillo informs our hearts and calls us to lay down our lives in service.

Father Paul

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10 April 2005

Remembering Pope John Paul II. The past two weeks, I reflected on the significance of the Second Sunday of Easter as Mercy Sunday. Pope John Paul had declared this to be Mercy Sunday when he celebrated the canonization of Sister Faustina, a Polish nun who popularized this devotion. It is therefore significant that Pope John Paul II died moments after the mass for the Second Sunday of Easter had been celebrated in his room. Though still Saturday, he had already begun to celebrate Mercy Sunday. He finished his celebration of that feast by entrusting himself to that same mercy in death.

It was also edifying to receive condolences from local Christians. Central Westside United Church sent us formal condolences last weekend, as did Rev. Bob Giuliano. Bob also joined us for mass on Sunday morning at St. Mary's in Owen Sound as did Rev. Gary Parker of Meaford the night before at the 5 pm mass in Owen Sound. We are being held up in the prayers of many Christians. May God bless them for their kindness and love.

Father Gerry Gregoire, pastor of this parish during the 1970s, passed away in Shanghai this past weekend. He had been on a tour of China at the time. Please remember him in your prayers.

Confirmation takes place this coming Saturday, April 16th. Please keep our confirmandi (those to be confirmed) in your prayers. May the Spirit of the Risen Jesus fill them with a deep conviction of God's love for them and God's love for all people. May the gifts and fruits of the Spirit be manifest in their lives. May they be witnesses to God's presence among us in all that they do and in simply being who they are!

It is also useful for each of us to reflect for a moment on the grace of this sacrament in our lives. Our Catholic teaching tells us that in Confirmation we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit comes to us from God, through Jesus. In turn, it forms us into the image of Jesus, and icon of Christ's presence in the world. Thus, this sacrament is at the heart of our entire Christian life, teaching us how to pray, molding us into servants of God and witnesses to the life of the resurrection in our midst.

So, as we pray for our young people, let us also pray for ourselves that the grace of this sacrament may be more clearly manifest in everything we say and do and everything that we are. Let us pray also for the members of our community, especially adults, who were never confirmed. May we as a community of faith attract them to this sacrament by our Spirit-filled lives!

Sacrament of the Sick is now regularly offered on the third Saturday of the month after the 9 am mass in Owen Sound. However, this month, because of Confirmation, we will delay our communal celebration of the Sacrament of the Sick by one week to Saturday, April 23. Anyone in need of healing for either physical or psychological infirmities is invited to receive this sacrament, especially those whose lives are threatened.

Parting Notes #2: The second vision piece that our Council of Councils set for itself in March was "shared programming". We did not define this element of our vision, but we did describe ways in which we are already implementing it. For example, through our shared finances we support our priests and their ministry to us. We thought the Finance Council, in which representatives from our different churches meet, as a good example of shared programming in which we discuss and discern things together. Another example would be our new Tithing Committee which discerns local charities to support. This year we are setting aside 1% of our total offertory, twice as much as we did last year, to support these local initiatives. We have also attempted to develop a shared program through our Spirituality Committee; however, to date this committee has been comprised mainly of St. Mary's Church in Owen Sound, St. Mary's in Hepworth and Holy Family in Sauble Beach. It meets next on April 21st in Owen Sound. It looks like we will have a new representative from Meaford at this meeting. It would be great if we could get representation from Chatsworth and Wiarton too (and Lion's Head and Tobermory)!

I am hopeful that as the years go on more such shared initiatives will develop. Each of our churches will definitely still have its own programs and events. But some sharing will also strengthen our bonds as a family of churches.

Father Paul

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3 April 2005

Mercy Sunday: Recently, I read a little book written by one of our confreres, Father George Kosicki, CSB, on the significance of today's feast. I found two things quite helpful in his book. First, he reminded me that the Sunday after Easter is actually the culmination of 10+ days of celebrating beginning with Holy Thursday. This feast, and today is a feast, gathers up these several days of celebration and puts an exclamation point on them. Just as the closing event of the Olympics sums up the previous days of competition and reminds us what the Olympics are supposed to be all about, so does today sum up all the past several days and remind us of what they mean to us.

Second, by being called "Mercy" Sunday, today reminds us why Christ suffered, died and rose again: namely, to communicate God's mercy to us all. Put another way, this Sunday reminds us that if God's mercy is the reason for the Paschal Mystery (Christ's Passion, Death and Resurrection) then God's mercy is much greater and wonderful than we can possibly imagine. It is so much more than God saying the words, "I forgive you." In the Paschal Mystery, God's mercy liberates us to live beyond death to see into the extraordinary future God has in store for us where death no longer holds power. God's mercy literally transforms us and all creation in the Christ. May we lay hold of this mercy today, and begin to comprehend what God has begun to do for us in initiating us into Christ's death and resurrection through the sacraments, especially Baptism and the Eucharist.

Marriage Preparation Course: This coming Friday evening and Saturday we are holding our marriage course. These courses were begun by Father Pat Parkin several years ago and have continued on an annual basis ever since. This year we have nineteen couples signed up, the most we have had in many years. Most of these will be married at St. Mary's or one of our other churches. However, there are three or four couples from elsewhere. Please keep them and the marriage preparation team in your prayers especially from 7 to 10 on Friday and 10 to 6 on Saturday.

Confirmation for our churches takes place on Saturday April 16th. Bishop Douglas Crosby from the Dioceses of Labrador-Schefferville and St. George's will confirm our young people. Please keep them in your prayers over these final few weeks of their time of preparation.

Parting Notes: Over the next thirteen Sundays, my last thirteen here, I would like to offer some parting notes. I have so deeply appreciated my time here, and would like to share with everyone my gratitude. So, part of what I want to do is to say thank you to you. But, I also want to make some closing observations and reflections. I figure that is part of my role: to share with you some of the things you have taught me.

One of the most gratifying developments in the past years has been our meeting of the Council of Councils, representing our six parishes councils as well as parishioners from Tobermory and Lion's Head. This group has slowly been developing a vision for our shared life and ministry as a family of parishes. At their most recent meeting on March 12th, we came up with four elements of a vision: Communications, Shared Programming, Lay Leadership and Hospitality — especially to youth and young families. Each of these elements needs to be fleshed out. We began by looking at communications and developing a vision statement which says:

Through Communications we will understand our different communities both individually and as a whole and we will develop connections that will allow us to operate as a family of churches that are in close communion with one another.

Each of our different Parish Councils will discuss aspects of this statement at either their April or May meetings. A subcommittee will meet on Saturday May 28th, to begin to put together a list of recommendations to begin to put this agenda into action. A full meeting of the Council of Councils will meet on Saturday October 22nd in Meaford to continue this work.

Father Paul

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27 March 2005

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! In our culture, when we want to say "hi" or "hello", we just say "hi" or "hello". We would not think of having a completely different greeting for someone we meet during the Easter Season. But millions of Christians do just that, especially among our Orthodox brothers and sisters and Eastern Rite Catholics. When they greet each other in the street they say: "Christ is Risen", and the other person responds: "Truly He is Risen!" For me, this is an extremely significant gesture. It says that the resurrection is an intimate part of everyday life. It says that even the simplest greetings we make to each other have been affected by the fact that Christ is risen from the dead. The resurrection changes everything.

The resurrection changes everything because it reminds us that death does not have the final word. Most of us, whether we can articulate it or not, live as if death does have the final word. We live in fear of our limits as creatures. For example, we avoid letting go of things we don't need. We hold on to them long after they are useful to us. Why do we have to have more stuff than we can possibly make use of? Aren't we afraid of our limits, not having everything we could possibly need? Can't we simply accept that we will never be able to acquire on our own everything we will need? More importantly, can't we trust that God will take care of us, despite our limits.

That is the heart of our faith in the resurrection. It is not a belief that we are immortal. It is a rather the act of trusting that whatever happens, God will be there. Whether we lose our job or a loved one or our very own lives, God will still be there. Loss and death do not have the final word: beyond loss and death there is always God. Beyond loss and death, God is there to hold us and rescue and love us and forgive us! This is what we proclaim when we say: Christ is Risen!

Mercy Sunday: The resurrection is also a declaration that sin does not have the final word. Too often we believe just the opposite. We find ourselves stuck in patterns of sinfulness, from simple back-biting to behaviours that are extremely addictive. We think we can break free of these patterns ourselves, especially more common sins like gossip and impatience. However, experience and honesty eventually tell us that we are completely powerless over any kind of sinfulness. Once patterns of sinfulness are at work within us, we cannot get out of them on our own. Most of us become discouraged. Or we just give up. We say: "If nothing I do will make any difference, why fight it?"

The resurrection however says to us at this moment, that we are not stuck in our sins. Even in the midst of our sinfulness, we discover that there is a merciful and loving presence that has never abandoned us. Sin is not the final word. Though our sins pin us down, enslave us and kill us, Christ is there. Where we expected to find futility and slavery and death, we have found one who loves us, whom we cannot dispatch or get rid of. Christ is risen as forgiveness and mercy!

This is in part why Pope John Paul II has declared the eighth day after Easter Sunday to be Mercy Sunday. Mercy Sunday is the end of our eight day celebration of the solemnity of Easter. On this day, as it were, we look back over the preceding celebrations of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and the days of Easter thus far. We look back at them and realize, perhaps for the first time, that there is something beyond death. Just like Thomas, we realize that our cynicism does not have the last word. Like Mary Magdalen, we are no longer stuck in our sorrow. Like Simon Peter, we realize that even our betrayal of Jesus is not the end of the story. Christ is risen! Christ is present as mercy and forgiveness!

Thus, Mercy Sunday, next Sunday, is a kind of vista from which we can begin to realize the wonderful things that have begun today. It will be, as if, we find ourselves on high ground, overlooking the path we have just traveled. From this higher vantage point, as we will be able to see everything that God has done for us in Jesus. Then, we will begin to see that death and sin do not have the last word. Beyond them is new life in Christ; there is, as the 130th psalm tells us: mercy and redemption.

Christ is Risen! Truly he is Risen!

Father Paul

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20 March 2005

Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land: This Friday, as every year, our collection goes to support the church in the Holy Land. Specifically, it supports the upkeep of the holy places and the needs of the church there, such as the education of seminarians and outreach to those in need.

This collection joins us, in a very practical way, with the church in the land where Jesus and the apostles walked. In giving to it, we become part of those committed to proclaiming the Gospel where Jesus did likewise. The collection supports 330 missionaries, 22 parishes, 16 schools, 4 pilgrim "casas", 3 educational establishments, 1 publisher, 460 apartments for needy families and 100 University scholarships.

As the Commissary of the Holy Land in Canada, Father Edouard Otis, ofm, wrote in his annual report: "The Church in the Holy Land still suffers and just like at the time of St. Paul, we must count on the sharing of goods in order to lend a helping hand to the Church in the Holy Land who is in need."

Memories of Martin: This Friday evening at 10 pm, Vision TV has a one hour documentary on the life of an extraordinary Canadian priest, Father Martin Royackers, SJ, who was murdered in his rectory in Annotto Bay, Jamaica. Father Martin grew up in Parkhill, Ontario right beside Father Ted Johnson's family farm. The news release from Vision TV describes him: "To parishioners, he was the rare sort of priest who didn't mind getting his hands dirty. Royackers helped to establish a co-operative for local farmers and laboured right alongside them, fueled by coffee and cigarettes. He saw to it that local schools had recreation equipment and facilities. His Toyota pickup truck doubled often as a bus and ambulance for locals. And it served as a hearse after the funeral service . . . Shortly after his murder, members of the community created a makeshift shrine in his memory. On the spot where Royackers died, they placed a rough wooden cross, a bottle of Red Stripe beer and a pack of Craven A cigarettes." Father James Webb, SJ said, "If you stayed around long enough to realize his compassion, his goodness, his zeal, his passion about life and what was right and truth . . . you would see, as some have said, a diamond in the rough."

Food Issues in Owen Sound: With the soup kitchen about to close down, many members of our community are concerned about addressing food needs here. This Wednesday, March 23rd from 3 to 5 pm, at the Owen Sound Public Library Auditorium there is a special meeting of those who share concerns about things like a soup kitchen; or helping our neighbours to get healthy, affordable food; or the resources in our community or beyond that we can mobilize to help out. Everyone is welcome. They tell us that healthy food will be available.

Lenten Reflections #6: As Lent draws to a close, we are drawn to the final moments of Jesus' life and remember what he said and did. We also embrace his death and resurrection as realities to which we are also called to enter. Thus, the liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday celebrate the reason for the season of Lent: Christ's death and resurrection. I invite you to come to these liturgies and drink deeply of the Word of God, the sacraments we celebrate, the music and the rituals. There is so much to feed our souls here!

For example, take the simple ritual of foot washing on Holy Thursday. The image is meant to remind us of Jesus' self humbling on the cross. However, in our