For the 67th time Our Lady of Knock Shrine at St Malachy’s Church in Mayo, QC. will be holding a pilgrimage to honour Our Lady’s apparition. The Eucharist will be celebrated in
English by Bishop Jean-Louis Plouffe assisted by Father Greg Murray of St. Malachy's parish.
Pour la 67e fois un pèlerinage aura lieu au sanctuaire Our Lady of Knock de l’église St. Malachy de Mayo, Québec, pour commémorer l’apparition de Notre-Dame. L'Eveque Jean-Louis Plouffe célébrera l’Eucharistie en anglais, assisté du père Greg Murray de la paroisse St. Malachy.
On the occasion of May 1st, International Workers’ Day and the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, the Quebec Assembly of Catholic Bishops invites Christian communities to pay attention to the current food crisis, to analyze the situation in the light of the Gospel, and to consider various courses of action to ensure that everyone has enough to eat.
IN THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL
Faced with the current food crisis, our Christian communities, which are often already committed to helping the vulnerable, must respond to the call of the hungry. Why should we do so? Because, in doing so, we will be acting for justice, as Jesus Christ taught us, in continuity with the great biblical tradition of commitment to justice.
This interpellation is found in “the multiplication of the loaves”. It would be more accurate to speak of “the breaking and distribution of the loaves”, i.e. their sharing (partage) in both senses of the word. This sharing is fundamental. It prefigures the Eucharist, since the evangelists use the same words as in the Last Supper to describe Jesus’ action of taking the loaves, giving thanks, breaking them, and distributing them to his disciples. Above all, the sharing of the loaves shows us that the ability to adequately feed the hungry, even today, is within our grasp. Indeed, Jesus shows us how to respond with Him to His call, “You give them something to eat”, when we can be tempted to leave each individual to his or her own means of feeding themselves. Jesus reminds us that every time we give food and drink to those who are hungry and thirsty, we are doing so to Him, bearing witness to our love and faith. Our Christian ideal is that everyone should have enough to eat. How can we achieve this, or at least come close? The first step is to take a close look at the resources available. This is the kind of counting Jesus encourages: “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” Then we need to organize a fair redistribution of resources, that is, a sharing inspired and guided by the God of love and mercy, who has given goods a universal destination and to whom we bring the little we have. This sharing involves the formation of small groups, thanksgiving, the involvement of the disciples, the actual redistribution, and, finally, the gathering of the surplus, which will once again fulfill the Lord’s word quoted by the prophet Elisha: “They shall eat and have some left.”
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES FOR SENIORS IN BUCKINGHAM
Connexions is an important support organization for the English-speaking community of the Outaouais. Their mission is to promote the health, social wellbeing, and vitality of the English-speaking community through empowerment, participation and collaboration within the Outaouais.
Connexions has partnered with the local seniors’ centre, Centre Action Générations des Aînés, or CAGA as it is better known. Every other Monday morning at 10 am, Connexions will host one-hour activities offered in English at CAGA’s location, 390 avenue de Buckingham.
Message from the Diocesan Coordinator for Establishing Safe Environments
Hello everyone, I have just about completed two visits of each French and English parish, presenting the Diocesan Guide for the implementation of measures to make our parishes safe for minors and vulnerable persons, and to protect them from other types of harm (theft, fraud, breach of confidentiality, harassment, etc.). These meetings also allowed for the presentation of concrete tools for putting these safety measures in place.
Just a reminder that this project is a diocesan priority and is compulsory, affecting both volunteers and paid staff, including priests.
As a Christian community we can be proud, to finally make this significant change, assuring all parishioners served by their parish, whether young, old, or vulnerable, that they can feel (fully) secure.
Code of Ethics and Conduct
The diocese and parishes have adopted a code of ethics and conduct. Why? Remember what Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”. (John 13:34-35). Are our attitudes and actions toward others always in keeping with the values of the Gospel? Working and being of service in a parish means being attentive and concerned for others, especially when relating to those who are most vulnerable. Adopting a code of ethics and conduct means adopting values that help us remember and live Jesus’ message to, “Love one another”.
Our First Value - Human dignity
To behave towards others with courtesy, and kindness. It means helping each other and listening. When we disrespect, belittle, harass, or humiliate another person with words and gestures, we deeply wound them in their dignity. Be attentive so that our relationships are healthy and respectful.
Our Second Value - Autonomy and Self determination
No matter where we come from, how we were brought up, or what we are capable of, each one of us has the right to express themselves, to make their own choices, to act and think for themselves. This is what the value of autonomy and self-determination in our Code of ethics means. Encourage your peers to express themselves and discuss their opinions. It is not always easy to accept having our ideas questioned by people whose opinions or experiences are different from our own. Of course, this needs to be done respectfully, that is, in consideration of others’ existence, ideas, and opinions. Maintaining prejudices, violating the right to speak, seeking to control others are just some examples of not living up to this value. “Love one another with mutual affection” (Romans 12:10). With the people we serve and in our relationships with volunteers and employees, let’s encourage one another to express ourselves and share our points of view.
Our Third Value - Personal safety
The 3rd value in our Code of Ethics and Conduct, mentions the importance of adopting physical contact that respects people's comfort level, especially if they are minors or vulnerable. How do we approach others? Are we still in the era of hugs? We have to have personal limits. These are influenced in particular by our culture and upbringing, and also, for priests, by an awareness of their authority in the Church. Jesus himself exercised authority: "Jesus spoke with authority", as the Scriptures say. The healthy authority that priests must exercise in their ministry is that of Jesus: an authority that empowers others, that listens, that inspires trust and action, that makes people want to follow, that gives them responsibility and makes them aware of their own resources. Jesus did not condemn or judge; his authority was to serve, to lift up, to liberate. Let us be mindful of the distances we need to take from people who are living in a vulnerable situation. Let's behave safely with them. I'll come back to this in a future article.
Our Fourth Value - Confidentiality
We don’t always realize how much damage is done when there is a breach of confidentiality. In this time of social media when financial institutions lose personal information, the protection of an individual’s private information is paramount. Discretion goes beyond being a good quality, it is now an obligation. A person who speaks with the secretary, with the priest, who confides in a volunteer, expects that what she/he has shared will be respected and remain confidential. What if the secretary discovers in the baptismal records that a child’s parents are not the ones, she/he thought they were, and he/she reveals that information! What if a person confides in a volunteer that they were abused as a child and that information gets out to the group of volunteers! Even the simplest type of personal data is confidential. If the person hasn’t given permission to share it, it should not be communicated to others. During committee meetings when an individual parishioner or volunteer is being discussed, always ask yourself, is it necessary to name the person? To share their personal information? To reveal all the information we have? If it is absolutely necessary, share as little as possible. A breach of confidentiality is potentially very damaging. Think about it!
Our Fifth Value - Loyalty and Integrity
“You shall not steal”, God’s 7th commandment. In a way, you might say that this commandment summarizes the 5th and last value in our Code of Ethics and Conduct: Loyalty and Integrity! Being honest and loyal. Do what is right. This last value seems to touch on all the expected behaviours included in our Code of ethics: act with respect, honesty, justice, fairness, confidentiality, etc. The parish must be able to place its trust in its employees and volunteers.
To have integrity is to rigorously observe, in all one's actions, the principles of justice and morality. Big words to say what exactly? They can trust me, I am a responsible person and I own the choices and decisions I make, I show gratitude towards others, I admit my mistakes, I don't take parish donations for myself, I don't use social networks to post malicious criticisms or insinuations about my parish or its employees and volunteers. A person of integrity is also someone who willingly offers to help, who is sincere in both words and actions. Finally, it also means that I will denounce any inappropriate behaviour, abusive language or gestures, especially when made towards minors or vulnerable persons.
Chantale Duguay, Diocesan Coordinator for Establishing Safe Environments
OVERVIEW OF ARCHBISHOP’S VISIT
On Saturday, January 28th, Archbishop Paul-André Durocher met with the OLV Wardens and OLV representatives on the Inter-Parish Planning Committee. It was a very positive meeting with open and honest dialogue presented by the individuals at the meeting.
It is important to note that the discussion and the Archbishop’s intention was about addressing issues to ensure Parish sustainability and not about closing the parish’s doors. In fact, the Archbishop indicated that the responsibility for closing parishes was up to Parishioners, not the Archbishop.
It was pointed out to the Archbishop that we had a very strong core of volunteers that keep the parish going. For now, it is a stable core that has been volunteering for quite a while. We told him that this volunteer core totalled approximately 17 individuals and we are having a difficult time obtaining new blood. It was pointed out to him that the average age of parishioners was 75 plus and that typically, we have between 30 to 40 individuals attending Sunday mass celebrations. So this is a challenge that was identified.
On the pastoral front, the Archbishop mentioned that our partnering with St. Malachy through the Inter-Parish Planning Committee was a very important pastoral tool. We provided an overview of the Committee whose key elements are:
Provide leadership, information sharing and content planning
Respond to pastoral requests from the Diocese
Develop special pastoral projects
With respect to partnerships, the Archbishop suggested that the Parishes in the English Pastoral Zone get together to discuss pastoral issues, challenges, and possible solutions. He will follow up on this proposal.
A proposal for a Bible Study session was raised and the Archbishop mentioned he has a colleague who could facilitate such sessions - he will follow up. The study sessions would be open to all parishioners of the Diocese.
Archbishop Durocher commented positively on our use of Zoom technology during the pandemic to broadcast our mass celebrations. He mentioned that many activities are happening over the internet such as retreats and Lenten projects, etc. He is urging everyone to explore the possibilities of the internet.
With respect to the social environment, the Archbishop is very impressed with our involvement in the community at large. In particular, he was impressed with the current initiative where we invite community organizations to attend our fellowship and coffee gatherings and present their organization’s mandate and mission. The Archbishop sees this as an example of what it means to be an outgoing church.
We discussed the Parish’s financial situation and presented him with a chart that indicated that our financial position was solid. We did identify two areas of concern: one is a leakage of water in the basement, and the second, the fact that the wood paneling in the basement may not meet the city’s fire code. We also advised him that our properties (Rectory and Church) were in good shape.
In closing, due to illness, the Archbishop was unable to preside at Sunday’s mass celebration. We look forward to his returning to celebrate mass at Our Lady of Victory Parish once his tour of diocesan parishes will be completed.
A FACEBOOK PAGE AND BLOG ADDRESSED TO OUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE PARISHIONERS
The archdiocese has launched a new Facebook page specifically addressed to our English-language parishioners. You don't need to have an account to see posts, only if you want to comment, share and like them.
We also launched a new English-language blog entitled "Together on the Way". We'll be posting longer articles here, reflections and testimonies. If you want to share a story about something going on in your parish, please feel free to contact our communications team at the diocese.
