Fr. Murray SamplePastor

St. Michael’s Parish Newsletter

“Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and wipe them with a towel that was tied around him” (Jn 13:5) Holy Thursday

“ ‘It is finished!’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (Jn 19:30) Good Friday

“Do not be afraid, I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised as he said.” (Matt 28:5) Holy Saturday / Easter Sunday

Dear Sisters & Brothers in Christ,

I draw your attention to the three quotes that are at the beginning of this Easter letter. They are quotes taken from the gospels that will be read at the Three Great Days of Easter. We call these days the Triduum. Each day, although very meaningful and beautiful, cannot stand alone. In fact the Church envisions that God’s people will attend each celebration of the Triduum and so it treats the three celebrations as one celebration. There is no final blessing given on Holy Thursday or Good Friday but is given at the Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday celebrations.

Our Easter celebration begins in an upper room in Jerusalem at the beginning of Passover. Later this same night Jesus will be arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. The ritual of the Passover meal has begun. Jesus is the host – the disciples are gathered around him.

Jesus knows that Judas is about to betray him. They are eating in an upstairs room. When they arrived for the meal there were no servants present to wash their feet. It was a custom for dinner guests to have the dirt washed from their feet on their arrival. This was a menial task. Since there were no servants the disciples had gone to the table with dirty feet. It would never have occurred to any of them to perform this function. Their minds were on more important things. They actually had argued among themselves as to who would be greatest in the Messiah’s new government.

Now the truly unimaginable thing happens. Without a word of explanation, Jesus gets up from the table, takes off his robe, wraps himself in a towel, and gets a basin of water. Stooping or kneeling, he washes each of the disciples’ feet. The disciples are stunned. When Jesus comes to Peter the disciple refuses to allow it. “You will never wash my feet,” Is Peter too proud or too unworthy? Jesus responds, “Unless I wash your feet you have no share with me.”

This is an astonishing moment. Jesus, who is God, has acted like a Gentile slave. Kneeling in front of each disciple is the One who called into existence the sun, moon and the stars. Royalty had stooped to wash the feet of the subjects. What a dramatic way of demonstrating “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first must be your slave.” (Mark 10:43) This was a call to his followers to become servants.

This stooping to conquer continues over the Triduum. Jesus stoops to be crowned with thorns. He bows as he is nailed to the cross. He enters the realm of death as the servant of the servants.

Jesus’ ultimate role as servant is seen in the empty tomb, for he destroys the power of evil by serving.

The Easter celebration reaches the highest point when we remember that we are called to be servants. The renewal of our Baptism, the refreshing sprinkling rite with Easter Water, reminds us of what it means to be a Christian. It means to be a servant of others. What will people think of us? We commit ourselves to be disciples leading others to be disciples of the Servant King.

Easter 2020Issue 41

A welcoming Eucharistic community, sharing Faith and reaching out to all...

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The Intentional Disciple Spotlight

If you’ve attended any Social gatherings at our parish you’re sure to have received a welcoming smile from Joanne Zwolski.

Joanne joined our parish family in 2008, returning to her London roots after many years in Sault Ste. Marie. She visited St. Michael’s and felt immediately at home. She was eager to get involved in order to meet people, create a new community around herself and enjoy an active retirement.

In her short time in the parish, Joanne has been an engaged parishioner. Joanne sat on the Parish Council for three years. She also joined the Steering Committee for the 100th Anniversary celebrations, which afterwards evolved into the Social Committee. She is proud of the learning and refining that this committee has done, such that Coffee Sundays and other special social gatherings now run like well-oiled machines.

Joanne heads up the Decorating Committee. With her background in interior design, she has a good eye. We all benefit from the beautiful decor which graces the sanctuary and church during significant liturgies throughout the year.

Recently, Joanne has joined the four-part harmony choir. She enjoys adding her voice to the mix and learning alongside the other members. Being part of this choir has re-kindled Joanne’s joy for music.

Joanne has been an involved person throughout her life, and her participation at St. Michael’s confirms this. She enjoys meeting the variety of people encountered in different groups. She is a team player who recognizes and celebrates the unique talents in others. She sees strength in the sharing of many gifts.

The next time you enjoy a social event at our parish, be sure to meet Joanne and give her a word of thanks for her dedicated service.

Joanne Zwolski

by Louanne Henderson

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The Intentional Disciple Spotlight...continuedby Louanne Henderson

Meet the Ambrosio-Ungson family. Luis, Rossana, Luis-Roberto and Juan joined our parish family in 2011.

Luis and Rossana began their married life in Monterey in Northern Mexico, where their two sons, Luis-Roberto and Juan were born. In 2008 they began the process to move their life farther north, to Canada, and arrived in London in 2011. Their first priority was to decide on a school for their boys. Luis attended Catholic schools for all his schooling and they felt comfortable and welcomed at St. Catherine of Siena. Shortly afterward they joined St. Michael’s parish so that Luis-Roberto could receive his formation for First Eucharist.

St Michael’s Parish has played an important role as the Ambrosio-Ungson family made their way in a new community and culture. Finding themselves in a city without family and wanting to make new friends, the parish has been a good place to get involved. The family attends Sunday Mass each week. Rossana trained and now volunteers as an extraordinary Eucharistic Minister, while Luis

trained as an usher and is a member of the Knights of Columbus. The boys began altar serving during their grade school years and continue to this day. The family also acts as sacristans, washing the Eucharistic dishes and caring for the altar each week. The family has made a commitment to their ministries and the family weekend routine revolves around attendance at 12:30 Mass.

For Luis and Rossana, the most important benefit of their family’s volunteer service is instilling good Catholic values in their sons. They want them to know the importance of contributing their time and how much other people appreciate their service. The boys have grown in confidence with altar serving and are reliable ministers each week. Luis-Roberto has developed his leadership skills and the two brothers, much to the pride of their parents, have learned and practised teamwork and bonded in their joint commitment.

The Ambrosio-Ungson family benefitted from our parish mission to be a welcoming community when they first joined us several years ago. In turn, they continue extending that welcome to parishioners as they happily and consistently serve as intentional disciples.

Luis, Luis-Roberto, Juan, Rossana

Our Newsletter Team: Carmen Gicante, Keith Rodrigues, Louanne

Henderson, Carolyn Miranda, Angela Townend, Stephen Schlueter, and Emma Coelho

Newsletter Design: Elise Nguyen & Joyce Mbika

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LifeTeenby Joshua Rodrigo

My name is Joshua Rodrigo and I am the new leader of LifeTeen at St. Michael’s Parish in London. I was asked by the youth minister at the parish to write a little article up about our amazing new program, which is starting up on March 8th, but I thought it would be appropriate to first tell you a little bit about myself.

I am a student currently, studying Marketing at Fanshawe. I come from a Sri Lankan

heritage, although I was actually born in New Zealand and grew up from the age of one in Australia. In 2017, I served 12 months with NET Ministries Australia, which is a youth mission where I gave up 12 months of my life to lead a team of 11 young adults as we travelled around Australia ministering to school-age children. That year was the year that really changed everything in my life. I experienced God’s love in such an immense way through that year, and grew in many ways as a young man. I also met a young woman who had come from Canada to join my team, and we ended up falling in love. Thus about a year after this mission, I moved out here!

Now I know the life that I started this article off with that might sound a little cliché perhaps, or as if it’s just something you say, but that’s why I do what I do. In fact, that is why so many young adults around the world are investing in youth ministry. For me, youth ministry is not just preaching or throwing bible quotes out at kids; it’s all about journeying with them through whatever they need. My goal is not to convert the students to being Catholic,

but rather to allow their heart to be realigned with heart of Jesus. Teens in today’s world deal with things that even I didn’t have to deal with when I was growing up, and they are having more and more pressure put on them every day. They need a place where they can rest, and reinvigorate themselves to go out and do more, and be more. This is where LifeTeen really comes into play.

LifeTeen at St. Michael’s Parish is about creating a place for teens that is safe, fun and refining. We want teens to feel as though the Church isn’t some distant, boring place where you go on Sundays, but rather as a place where their hearts find rest; a place they truly feel at home in. This is why we decided to start this whole new adventure, and the reason I wanted to be part of it. I needed a place like this when I was younger, and I was lucky enough someone did reach out to me. I was shown the joy and love of God, and allowed to experience what truly being at home in the Church is like. The people who reached out to me refined my life and that’s why I am here, trying to pass that on.

If you feel as though there is something holding either yourself or a teen that you know back from fully embracing the Church, why not come to LifeTeen and see why millions of young people call the Church home? You never know, you may be surprised by some things we do.

Event: LifeTeen London Location: St Michael’s ParishTime: After 12:30pm LifeTeen Mass, every other Sunday

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Men of Faith Conference

On January 18th, 2020 over 300 men of all ages and from all over Southwestern Ontario gathered for the Men of Faith Conference at St. Michael’s Parish. St. Michael’s has hosted the Men of Faith Conference for several years now, and usually hosts the event for a whole day on a Saturday, from 8am to 4pm, utilizing the nave and parish hall for the activities.

The event is organized by Family Foundations Institute (FFI), a charity based in the London area that seeks to enrich all aspects of family life with formational activities and Catholic community. The idea for the Men of Faith Conference is to provide an event for men of all ages to be renewed and encouraged in their faith with new information, powerful speakers, and strength from comradeship with other men of faith.

The theme this year was “Courage & Fortitude to do His Will”. The guest speakers were Elvis Grbac, former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl champion, and Cale Clarke, the director of the Faith Explained Institute. Both speakers spoke at great length about having the courage and fortitude to do God’s will in our lives. Elvis shared his experience as a pro NFL football player and athletic leader, as he witnessed and remained true to his faith in a secular environment. Cale Clarke embarked on an historical account of the lives of the apostles, and how the message and mission of Jesus Christ remains the same even today. Both speakers presented a life in the image of Jesus Christ through practical commitments such as prayer and the sacraments. Ultimately, the message of the day was about developing what it takes to live and share our faith with family, co-workers, and friends.

Cale Clarke began with a reference to the Gospel of Mark, and Jesus’ appearance to the apostles after His resurrection when He commissions them, “go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation,” (Mark 16:15). The first part of that passage begins with Jesus upbraiding the eleven for their unbelief in His resurrection. Cale compared this to a story of Coach Belichick scolding Tom Brady, the six-time Super Bowl champion, highlighting the importance

of accountability even among top athletes, or, in the case of Scripture, the first apostles of Jesus. “Peter’s His QB, he’s His quarterback, he’s His team leader on the field, of his apostolic tribe.” Cale expanded on the analogy, “they thought it was a ‘tall tale’ when the women spoke of the risen Christ.” God’s ways are not our ways; the method by which Christ decided to share His resurrection was through small personal interactions with the first disciples, not through conventional human displays of power and triumph. Cale Clarke argued that the Church is bleeding out from its active participation. “If we were all functional in the faith,” continued Clarke, “why are we not having the impact for Jesus Christ in the world that maybe we should?” Cale Clarke’s overall message was one of evangelization. He stressed the importance of an active participation in the parish that is rooted in a personal relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist, and reaches out to other Catholics with friendship and love in order to bring them back into the fold.

“It’s up to you, each individual guy in this room,” Elvis opened his first talk, “to be the men you are called to be.” Elvis Grbac gave three talks – “True to the Faith in the Middle of the World”, “Men of Faith Pray”, and “What Am I Doing Today?” The humility that Elvis exemplified was inspiring: he placed his Super Bowl championship ring on the ground in front of the altar and asked, “do you see a difference?” The perspective was apparent once the small ring was placed on the ground in front of the steps and large altar at St. Michael’s. The successful athlete came

by Adam Helmers

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Men of Faith Conference...continuedby Adam Helmers

from humble beginnings: two immigrant parents who worked as hard as they could to provide for the family. He attributed his faith to the faith exhibited by his parents - “my parents taught me three things; faith, family, education.” Drawing from Scripture and the gospels, Elvis drove home the importance of sacrifice and love. “Whatever success that you want, I’m here to tell you, put Christ as the centre of it” Elvis concluded, just as Christ laid down His life for us, we are all called to offer up our whole life to Him in serving our communities, friends, and family.

Year to year the conference theme varies with the guest speaker, but there is one consistent tagline for the whole event: a men of faith conference is once a year, a men of faith commitment is 365 days a year. While the event is packed with motivation and energy, for the organizers it is crucial that the men who attend are not left on their own until next year’s conference. That is why all the guys are encouraged to make a commitment based on a series of example commitments illustrated by the guest speaker and outlined in the conference program. These commitments include visiting the sick, attending daily Mass, receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, daily prayer and more. This year

marked the introduction of a new opportunity for men to follow up on their experience at the conference. 2:12 is the name of a men’s group that kicked off with a “spiritual boot camp” that started one week after the conference. Following the boot camp men are then

invited to join in small groups that meet two times a month for 12 months, to hold each other accountable for their faith commitments and to learn to deepen their understanding of the Catholic faith together.

St.Michael’s Four-Part Harmony Choir by Angela Townend

The Lord bless you and keep you;The Lord make His face to shine upon you

To shine upon you and be graciousAnd be gracious unto you

(From John Rutter’s The Lord Bless You and Keep You)

We recently sat down with our lovely choir director here at St. Michael’s, Holly Langohr. Holly’s most recent endeavour has been the assembly of a four-part harmony choir. We were pleased to discover more about this choir including its open and ongoing invitation for parishioners to join by lending their own voices and talents to its membership. Holly graciously offered her time after the 8:30 am Mass one cold Sunday morning this past January to answer some of our questions.

1. Holly, where did the idea to have this choir originate?

From Father Murray. He always wanted to have a big choir with a lot of harmony, so he brought the idea to me. We first considered how it could work here at our parish, then assessed possible interest. When we identified that the interest was in fact very good, we began planning.

2. What exactly is a four-part harmony choir?”Normal” singing at Mass is the melody portion.

Harmony includes the different notes where the sounds blend well with the melody. For many, this blend sounds “pretty”, and is very enjoyable to the ear. If you think of a piano, you can play one note at a time or multiple notes at a time. Hearing the piano play many notes at a time is the harmony. As a singer, you can only sing one note at a time so

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St.Michael’s Four-Part Harmony Choir...continuedby Angela Townend

in order to get harmony you need to rely on other voices to sing different notes. In traditional four-part harmony there is a soprano line (highest female voices which typically sing the melody), alto line (lower female voices), tenor line (high male voices) and bass line (lower male voices).

3. Has this type of choir existed at St. Michael’s before?

We do sing in harmony at the Masses I direct, 8:30 am and 5:30 pm. However, this choir has all four parts and therefore more challenging music can be sung.

4. At which Masses does this choir perform?There is in fact no set Mass at which we perform. We

rotate between the Masses. Most of the four parts will be sung at some Masses but not always. There are special occasions where we will plan to all be present including the anniversary Mass in February and we all commit to attend at least one Mass a month.

5. How did your recruit members and are you open to taking more?

We made many announcements at Mass and put notices in the bulletin. We were pleased that some new members came forward to join. For some it is appealing that this is not a regular Sunday commitment, which for some individuals can be difficult to manage although some have joined and now do sing with us every Sunday as well at special Masses. The flexibility is key to attracting more individuals who do have an interest in singing with us. We do have a weekly practice as well.

6. What has been personally rewarding about leading this choir?

It’s nice having more singers in the choir. As we continue to sing at Masses and attend practice I enjoy seeing us

improve and grow. I also appreciate that we now can choose from a more challenging repertoire of songs, not just hymns but choral and contemporary pieces as well.

7. Holly, do you have a favourite hymn that this choir performs?

I really enjoy John Rutter’s “The Lord Bless You and Keep You”. It’s a very challenging piece to sing in terms of its compositional structure and how it’s written. Assembling all four parts is more complex than with some pieces.

I also like Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus”. This is an older and more traditional piece and I very much enjoy its calming sounds.

8. Are there special challenges of leading this type of choir?

Actually, it’s easier to have more singers. There is more we can do including taking on more challenging music. In some cases, it’s easier to put together the different parts so there are more options we can consider when choosing our songs. Also, the choir is more excited because they get to learn different things. Without the four-part harmony you are sometimes faced with more repetition in your choice of songs as performing some of the more challenging pieces may not be possible.

9. What are your hopes for this choir?More singers! We can never have too many singers and

parishioners need to know that no experience is required or needed. They do not have to consider themselves really good singers. There are people in the choir who have never sung before. Many are learning together. ”I’d like to join but I can’t sing” is often what I hear from some people but that shouldn’t stop someone from joining us. Every single person’s voice will help make the choir better. And over time you will get better. And no one needs to worry about being made to sing alone!

10. Is there anything else you would like to share with us about this choir, Holly?

Nando is of course our wonderful pianist for the choir, as well as Tom Hart on violin. And as mentioned, we would love to have more singers.

Thank you Holly for your time, your talents, and for sharing with us this exciting new musical endeavour at St. Michael’s. We look forward to hearing more of these beautiful pieces of music under your leadership and are grateful to your members and their many wonderful voices that make up this new choir.

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KofC CWL Dinner & Dance 2020

We recently reached out to the seminarians from our London Diocese as well as their Vocations Director, Father Danny Santos, and asked each of them to share with us a special memory they have of the Lenten season or what they find especially meaningful during this time.

Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts; we pray for your ongoing formation and that God will bless and watch over you during this time.

Matthew Sawyer, Theology IISt. Vincent de Paul, Mitchell

As I grow in relationship with the Lord, the connection between our baptismal promises and the Lenten season stand out in greater detail. As the members of the RCIA initiatives around the world prepare to enter the Church

at Easter, I like to use Lent as an opportunity to reflect on distractions that keep me from the Lord and to build good habits in living out a better relationship with Him.

Deacon Phil Guimaraes, Theology IVOur Lady, Queen of Martyrs Parish, Delhi

My favourite memory for the Lenten season goes way back in time to Portugal. On Palm Sunday my brothers and I would go and cut large bay leaf branches, some as large as a 1 ½ inch in diameter and carry them to our church about four kilometres away. Inside the church there were branches everywhere. Some were bay leaf, some were rosemary and others juniper branches. The bouquet was almost intoxicating. During the Mass these branches were held up high for the procession and subsequent blessing. At the end of the Mass these were carried home and used through out the year in the preparation of many wonderful meals.

James Martin, Arts IIISt. Patrick’s Parish, Merlin

A fond memory I have during the Lenten season is when I was a Columbian Squire in Tilbury. The Squires would spend a night fasting at St. Francis Xavier church in Tilbury. During this time, we would learn why we were fasting, the significance of Lent, and also some history about the church in Tilbury. Aside from learning, we would have time to pray and even time to play games such as mini sticks (hockey).

London Diocesan Seminarians – A Lenten Reflectionby Angela Townend

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The fasting began on the Friday night after supper and would end after 5:00 p.m. Mass the next day (Saturday). This experience remains a great memory as I was able to build friendships, learn about the faith and enjoy time with my brother Squires.

Deacon Steve Eckert, Theology VSt. James Parish, Seaforth

Growing up, Lent started the day after Pancake Tuesday. Pancake Tuesday was the day to have thick pancakes with blueberries and maple syrup. Yumm! The next

day, I went with my class to church for Ash Wednesday. Though my school cancelled its regular Wednesday ‘hot dog day’ I looked forward more to receiving the mark of ashes instead! God satisfies more than food.

Andrew Roelands, Theology ISacred Heart, Parkhill

Lent is a special time for me to focus on the love Jesus has for me in sacrificing His life for me and my sins by suffering and dying on the cross, and then rising again triumphant over sin and death. In Lent I prepare myself to solemnly celebrate the holiest days of the Catholic liturgical year by striving to purifying my life through prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and ridding my life of sin. This is all for the goal of letting Jesus win my heart and bring His peace, freedom and love into my life. “Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!” – “Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands.”

T.J. Vandermeer, Theology IHoly Trinity Parish, Woodstock

Lent is a time of preparation. We should be preparing ourselves for Easter, which is the memorial of when Jesus gave Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. But I think Lent also reminds us to live in the present moment. To me, this reminder is very meaningful. We are called to look at ourselves, look at what we do and believe and see what is keeping us from accepting Jesus into our hearts. We all have certain walls we have put up in our lives, me just as much as

the next person. These walls could be a past hurt we have not forgiven, a sin we hold onto, or perhaps a feeling of control that we feel we just can’t give up. To me, this is what is so special about Lent.It is an opportunity for me to surrender myself more fully to Jesus, so that His sacrifice on the cross can redeem all of me, not just the parts of me that I have given to Him in the past. This present moment, right now, is a new, profound, supernatural opportunity to give myself over to Jesus again. This time, just one step further than the last.

James Prins, Theology ISt. Patrick Parish, Lucan

To me, Lent is a time of prayerful self-evaluation in preparation for the commemoration of Our Lord’s death and resurrection. During Lent, I like to reflect on the past year: on the graces I’ve received, on the ways I’ve become closer to Christ, and on how I need to grow in loving and serving God. I find Lent to be a powerful time of prayer and spiritual growth, focused around prayerful meditation on God’s immense love for us. My favourite part of Lent is the Easter Vigil Mass. It’s amazing to see and hear the story of redemption, from the time of Adam and Eve up to the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and to be part of the joyful celebration of His victory over sin and death.

Kenneth Dupuis, Arts IAll Saints Catholic Church, Strathroy

Something that I found spiritually exciting about Lent was when I was younger; I decided to do something good or help someone every day. After the 40 days, it became a habit and overall helped me develop into a better person. Not only that, but it also helped other people within their lives. The fantastic thing about Lent is that it allows us to

London Diocesan Seminarians – A Lenten Reflection...continuedby Angela Townend

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London Diocesan Seminarians – A Lenten Reflection...continuedby Angela Townend

deepen our connection with God by creating new positive habits and breaking negative ones.

Deacon Rob Renaud, Theology VSt. Joseph Parish, Chatham

When I was quite young, my family made a commitment to pray the rosary together every night during one particularly difficult Lent season. Our Lenten commitment to prayer helped my family grow in virtue and we resolved to face any challenges together. My family could really feel Our Lady’s embrace, which led us to be strengthened as a family by her Son. Lent has been especially meaningful to me since. When we travel through this season with Jesus, our prayer, fasting and almsgiving truly helps us to grow as His disciples.

Father Danny Santos, Vocations DirectorDiocese of London

What I find meaningful for Lent it that it is a time to prepare for the joy of Christ’s resurrection by increasing our prayer, working on our fasting, and being selfless in our almsgiving. For me, fasting is more than just giving something up that is good but it means taking something up as well. When I would give up social media, I tried to do more spiritual reading or when I gave up listening to popular music, I tried to listen to more Christian or classical music. I find it helped me to form good habits that would help my spiritual life way beyond just the Lenten season. One of my favourite memories of Lent as a young boy was the Mass of Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday. We would get our palms before the Mass (and trying my best to not to be tempted to poke my little brother with it) I would start making palm crosses at Mass. After the Mass, I would bring my palm crosses home and place them behind the crucifix in my room.

James Prins Theology I

St. Patrick, Lucan

T.J Vandermeer Theology I

Holy Trinity, Woodstock

Deacon Rob Renaud Theology V

Chatham Catholic Family of Parishes

Lucas Ruiz Arts II

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Winsor

James MartinArts III

St. Patrick’s, Merlin

Mathew SawyerTheology II

St. Vincent de Paul, Mitchell

Steve Eckert Theology V

St. James, Seaforth

Deacon Phil Guimaraes Theology V

Catholic Family of Parishes in Norfolk

Andrew Roelands Theology I

Sacred Heart, Parkhill

Kenneth Dupuis Arts I

All Saints, Strathroy

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Celebrating Sundayby Corrie Gicante

We pray what we believe.We live what we celebrate.

Our liturgy, our rites reflect who we are.We are formed by what we do.

On January 25th, over 100 parishioners attended Celebrating Sunday, a day of formation and nourishment. Catherine Ecker, author, catechist, storyteller and collaborator with the Ontario Conference of Bishops from the Archdiocese of Toronto, provided parishioners an opportunity to explore how celebrating Sunday can warm and sustain us. When we gather as one body of Christ and participate through Word, song, ritual and gestures, we are nourished and drawn deeper into the paschal mystery. We learned how to celebrate and live at the Eucharistic Table, a gift that shapes our lives.

During our day together, the speaker reinforced that Sunday must be ranked as the first holy day of all. It is the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day, “when the Church celebrates the paschal mystery.” No activity of a parish is as vital or as community- forming as the scared celebration of the Lord’s Day. The speaker challenged everyone to reflect on how we as a parish must “invest” in celebrating Sunday if we are to create a lively sense of community. We engaged in table discussions and asked excellent questions.

To ensure we keep Sunday holy involves more than attending Mass. It is a day of Creation, of Resurrection, of Light and of the Church. It is time spent with others, a day that is different from others. Why does the Church celebrate

three sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion? These Sacraments draw us into the Paschal Mystery and into a new-shared life with our Triune God. The Church gathers on Sunday to give glory and praise, to proclaim the death of our Lord, to be nourished with words and sacraments, to remember who we are and to serve God and one another. The speaker underscored that “liturgical services

are not private functions, but are celebrations of the Church.” We bring our personal relationship with God to a communal celebration.

The Church’s greatest prayer, the Eucharistic Prayer, is when we ask the Holy Spirit to change us into the body and spirit of Christ. We pray what we believe and we live what we celebrate. During the Communion procession “we walk as one”. Receiving Holy Communion is a profoundly public, personal act-- a very intimate and vulnerable act. We are “sharing” in a holy meal, not “getting” a holy meal. We then respect a moment of silence, reflection, and prayer and are anointed for a mission to carry the light of Christ: pray, teach, work for justice and peace, to glorify the Lord by the life we live.

Parishioners responded very positively to this day of formation:

“A reaffirming day, renewing the importance of Sunday

celebration.”

“Community strengthens our commitment to our faith.”

“Very informative. I picked up what I had learned in the RCIA course, and also what I haven’t learned before.”

“I found new meaning for the importance of celebrating

Sunday at Mass.”

“Celebrating Sunday changed our perspective about the Mass. It was a great day, time well spent.”

We are grateful to the many parishioners who contributed to the successful day. Debbie Walsh, Pastoral Minister, spearheaded the event. Volunteers provided refreshment breaks and a delicious lunch; thank you to Gail Brown, Josie Farrugia, Joan Lobsinger, Marilyn Morgan, Rosemary McEllistrum, Janet Peckham, Gerarda Smith-Hillier, Lucie Sollazzo, Dorothy Solomon, Mary Gaye Wade, Grace Wren, Megan Young, and Judy and Howie Wright.

Celebrating Sunday, a day of formation and nourishment of spirit, reminds us “every Sunday God calls us to gather as one body of Christ.” The celebration of the Eucharist on this day is the single most important act in the life of the Church and of individual Catholics. It is the primary source of the Church’s energy for carrying out its mission in the world: “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord of your life. Proclaim the Good News.”

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Time To Grow - Foundation For Our Future Wrap-up by Doug Manners

It was back in August of 2014 that the diocese held a meeting with a few representatives from the parish, to discuss the necessary upgrades and the capital investment required to accomplish them. There was an underlying concern about the ability of St. Michael’s to plan, conduct and see a Capital Campaign through to a successful completion. The numbers were in front of us: a current loan balance with the Diocese of $104,339.07, and a list of capital improvements with projected cost of $1.3 million. It seemed like a nearly impossible task at the time. Some even said that we would fail in our efforts. However, that meeting set the wheels of discussion in motion to begin a campaign that would finish with an overwhelmingly successful conclusion, and prove all detractors completely wrong! We would like to provide a summary of the Give to Grow campaign, to thank those who were so vital in its success and to share all that we have been able to accomplish in the past five and a half years.

The first important step was to form a committee that had the drive and the leadership skills to plan, organize and implement our campaign. Parishioner Mike Whelan was selected to be the ideal chair of the committee and when asked, graciously accepted the undertaking. Mike had a friend with connections to St. Michael’s and had success in the business world. He asked Greg Masse to serve as his co-chair. Greg accepted, and the two worked seamlessly as a team to put together the plan that would result in a positive, inclusive campaign. This campaign would see the parishioners of St. Michael’s themselves be the people who would go forth, showing their dedication to St. Michael’s through personal visits with parishioners and their families, asking directly for their financial commitments to the future of our parish home. We cannot forget the involvement of our pastor Fr. Murray in those asks, as well as Fr. John Sharp, who was happy to lend his deep love for St. Michael’s in serving as our honorary chair, and joined in with the family visits.

The first of the projects started in the fall of 2014, the replacement of the old and inefficient boiler in the parish hall. Following this was the installation of the copper roof over the nave and the flat section of the roof that covers the east/ west portion of the building. The next year’s project was the complete redesign of the HVAC system in the nave and the flat portion of the north/ south roof. The projects that followed were the updating of the public washrooms and providing the parish hall with upgrades, including painting and a new A/V system. Along the way we ran into two additional and unplanned repairs of a considerable

nature: the main plumbing outlet of the rectory, and then the failure of the original furnace in the rectory.

The truly blessed thing about the overall success of our campaign is that not only were most of the identified projects over the original estimate of costs, but we also managed to add to our list of upgrades and improvements, as well as deal with emergency repairs, and still pay off the entire cost of every one of the projects. The total cost of the work to secure St. Michael’s as a foundational church in the Diocese of London was over $1.8 million.

So far we have covered all of the work completed, but have not yet mentioned that we were also able not only to pay off all of the debts with the diocese, but to actually record funds on deposit by the end of January 2020! While we were told that our efforts would fail, we can credit this truly inspired success, of course, to the blessings of our Lord, but also to the dedication and generosity of our parishioner brothers and sisters. Some became Archangel donors, some Angel donors, and some gave all that they could offer in support of the future of our parish, motivated simply by the love of our church. We wish we could thank each of you by name, but please know that every dollar, every donation to Give to Grow contributed meaningfully to the incredible success of this major undertaking. To date, the contributions to Give to Grow from parishioners, not including bequests, sits at $1,678,802, with no signs of stopping! Some parishes ask their people to give for one project or two, while leaving other projects for future years. Here at St. Michael’s we came at you with a long and expensive list and you all said ‘yes.’ What an incredible gift

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Time To Grow - Foundation For Our Future Wrap-up...continued

by Doug Manners

you have given to your brothers and sisters, to the Catholic faithful in London, and especially to future generations of the people of St. Michael’s Parish. Thank you!

It is important to us to recognize those individuals who served directly on the Give to Grow committee as planners or as volunteers to go and ‘ask.’ Their dedication, giving of their time and stepping outside of their comfort zone truly made the difference between success and failure. Please remember these people and all of our hundreds of donors in a simple prayer of thanksgiving:

Mike & Vicki Whelan, Greg Masse, Father Murray Sample, Father John Sharp, Gil & Karen Owens, Dr. Archie & Cherylann Grace, Lyndon Campbell, Carmen & Corrie Gicante, Jeff Gordon, David Howie, Geoff Hutton, Larry McKenzie, Frank Maas, David Markle, Doug Manners, Terry McBride, Jane McIver, Jim McKee, Jim Mignault, John Mombourquette, Don & Misa Moynihan, Tom Prosser, Paul

Theriault, Donna Thompson, Mike Tidy, Scott Veenvliet, Howie Wright, Penny Yip, Trish Zanin, Luisa Zeni and Rene Zwinkels.

We would also like to honour the memories of Agnes McAdam and Grace Solomon.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article and pause to reflect on what a significant moment it is in the 119-year history of St. Michael’s Parish in London. Thank you for what you have done to make our campaign a success. May God continue to share His abundant blessings with you and your family.

Father Murray and the Give to Grow Committee welcome you to a celebratory weekend to recognize our shared success after each Mass on the weekend of May 16th & 17th.

Farewell to Mary Eganby Dorothy Solomon

Who is Mary Egan? We know her as secretary, yet that one title says so much. She is highly skilled at multitasking, has a strong composure when faced with many needs being tossed at her and has the ability to recall the task she was last involved with. Mary is like a traffic control officer, managing the ringing phone, staff requests, door bell rings, emails and messages to answer. These are a few of the gifts manifested when you meet Mary.

What hobbies or interests help you replenish your energy?

I enjoy gardening, reading, crafting, and walking.

Is there a secret to leaving work matters at work at the end of the day?

Not really, sometimes it does overflow but I found if I stayed organized and prioritized, things usually work out.

What are your plans for your first day of retirement?

I think I will sleep in by turning off the 6:30 a.m. alarm, but seriously I am just going to relax for a few days then make some plans together with my husband Mike.

What do you hope to do with the rest of your free time? My husband and I love to dance so I’m hoping we have some opportunity for dancing. I also want to connect with some friends I haven’t seen for a while and to spend some more time with our children and grandchildren. I’m thinking also of doing some kind of business from home – maybe making bridal bouquets and other wedding decorations-- since two of our children were married in the last five years and I did a lot of that type of thing for their weddings. I may do some volunteer work, just not sure what area.

You are graced with a calming spirit. How are you nourished spiritually?

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Farewell to Mary Egan...continued

Welcome to our New Parish Secretary

by Dorothy Solomon

by Doug Manners

I have worked 25 years in churches for the diocese with seven different pastors, twenty associate pastors and many others in all the other positions in a church office, and found that there are many opportunities to learn about your faith, observe how others live their faith and be grateful to have my faith to help me through any challenging times.

Any words of wisdom you can offer the family of St. Michael’s?

I guess I’ll go back to a couple of things I learned from my childhood when my mother said, ”never be afraid to say you don’t know something, as that is how we all learn. Also, say you’re sorry as that mends fences faster than nails and keeps the communication lines open.” My own thought is to keep a sense of humour in your life by seeing the funny side of things that aren’t always as funny, as that lifts my spirits and keeps my faith strong so I can be thankful for all my blessings, small and large. I have been very blessed in my life and one of those blessings was the opportunity to be part of St. Michael’s staff and community. I have met a lot of wonderful people in my time as secretary and will have some lovely memories of meeting many of you to look back on. I have truly enjoyed my time here, especially the wonderful parish team and staff I have been fortunate enough to work alongside.

There are some people who impact our lives directly with their service in large and small ways; at times that impact is direct. Any encounter with Mary is always most personable. We thank you, Mary, and we wish you a future of new discoveries and adventures. “May your days be many and your troubles few; may all God’s blessings descend upon you. May peace be within you, may your heart be strong. May you find what you are seeking, wherever you roam.” An Irish Blessing

Father Murray and the staff of St. Michael’s Parish would like to welcome Mary Cole as the new Parish Secretary hired to replace the retiring Mary Egan. Mary is very familiar with St. Michael’s as she has been a parishioner here since 1996, along with her husband Mark Van den Bossche and their son Kyle. They

usually attend the 10:30 Mass. Mary has been an active member of the parish in many ways. She has been an RCIA sponsor four times, is currently an extraordinary Eucharistic Minister, and a volunteer for Northern Hospitality. Mary comes from more than 35 years in the hospitality industry, having worked in hotels and a restaurant.

When asked how she feels about now coming to work

for the parish, she said that she is happy to have this opportunity and is very much looking forward to serving the parish in this role. As Mary embarks on this new phase of her career, she finds it helpful that she knows so many people in the parish, which already makes her feel connected, and she looks forward to meeting and getting to know many more. In closing, Mary wanted everyone to know that she is very excited to be able to combine her faith with her work in serving the parish of St. Michael’s. If you have an occasion to do so, please welcome Mary to the team of St. Michael’s staff.

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Parish Photos

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St. Michael’s Parish, 511 Cheapside St., London, ON N5Y 3X5Phone: 519-433-6689

E-mail: stmichlon@dol.ca • www.stmichaelslondon.caOffice Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Sunday MassesSaturday: 5:00 p.m.

Sunday: 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.Weekday Masses

Tuesday & Thursday: 12:00 noonWednesday & Friday: 8:00 a.m.

Saturday: 9:00 a.m.African Caribbean Catholic Community Mass

(St. Josephine Bakhita) 4th Sunday of each month at 2:30 p.m.

Children’s MinistriesSunday: 10:30 a.m. Mass

Liturgy of the Word: Age 4-9Sunday School: Aged 3 to Grade 1

Babysitting: Infants to age 3

Sacrament of ReconciliationSaturday: 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. and 4:00 - 4:30 p.m.

Free Bus Service to 10:30 a.m. Mass

The route . . . 9:35 a.m. (new time) • 64 Wyndham• Blackwater east of Adelaide - bus stop• Grenfell just east of Blackwater• Fanshawe/Trossacks - bus stop on corner• 770 Fanshawe Park Rd east of Fremont - bus stop• Fanshawe Park Road - west of Fremont• Adelaide/Fanshawe - bus stop south of Fanshawe• Kipps Lane/Adelaide - bus shelter just east of

Adelaide• Kipps Lane/Barker• Kipps Lane - bus stop east of Barker• Kipps Lane/Kenmore Place - bus stop • 295 Briarhill• Cheapside/Boullee• Huron Street - bus stop east of Wedgewood Drive

10:15 a.m.• Royal Oak Apartments - 3 stops

go to St. Michael’s Church The bus will stop at regular bus stops or wherever it is hailed along the route.

Pastoral TeamFather Murray Sample, Pastor

msample@dol.ca ext. 202Father Pio D’Oria, Parochial Vicar

pdoria@dol.ca ext. 306Deacon Gaston Mabaya, Deacon

gmabaya@dol.ca Debbie Walsh, Pastoral Minister

dwalsh@dol.ca ext. 203Sylvain Patry, Coordinator of Youth Ministry

spatry@dol.ca ext. 206Staff

Doug Manners, Business Administrator dmanners@dol.ca ext. 205 Mary Cole, Parish Secretary

stmichlon@dol.ca ext. 201Jolanda Squire, Administrative Assistant

jsquire@dol.ca ext. 208Laszlo Molnar, Custodian/Hall Manager

lmolnar@dol.ca ext. 210Parish Council Chairperson

Gerarda Smith-Hillier

Calendar of Events First Communions May 02-03 & May 09-10 May 16-17 & May 23-24 Ascension May 24 Pentecost May 31 Confirmations May 20 & May 24 Knights of Columbus Yard Sale June 13

Parish Information