Christmas Messages

FR. GYAN TOPNO
Peace on earth and goodwill to all men. This phraseology is often repeated at this time of the year. In reality, that is a vision we should all share not only at Christmas, but throughout the year. At times, we may be troubled by world events as they unfold or by the materialism and commercialism which abounds around Christmas, or by our own personal situation or that of a family member. Yet, when we really think about it, we are fortunate as a community, to be surrounded by generosity and goodwill. We see it when we provide weekly assistance to the food bank and soup kitchen, when we bring communion to the sheltered or when we warmly welcome parishioners at the doors of the church.

During this Christmas season, let us be grateful for our good fortune and let us take a moment to reflect and say a quiet prayer for those who may be troubled or less fortunate. To all of the Parishioners from both Parishes, I offer my prayers and best wishes as we celebrate the birth of the Christ child.

OLV WARDENS
The OLV wardens would like to take this opportunity to wish all our Parishioners a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year. The generosity, good will and support we have received from this community has been truly inspiring for our team and we can’t say enough about how proud we are of this parish and the generosity of our parishioners who are always ready to reach out to help those in need. On this Christmas day, let us reflect on God’s presence in the love we show for each other.

ST. MALACHY (Wardens, Shrine & Cemetery Committees)
"To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord". (Luke 2.11). The Lord Jesus was born to enfold us all in a circle of this redeeming love. (Let us rejoice and be glad. We wish you, your family and friends a Blessed Christmas and may the Lord Jesus be your Peace and Joy in the New Year.

LITURGY COMMITTEE
The birth of a child is an amazingly wonderful event that leaves us in awe and wonder. Despite the commercialism that surrounds Christmas in our time, if we stop – be still and listen; deep within us, there is still that sense of wonder at the birth of Jesus Emmanuel "God with us". As we give gifts this Christmas, let us give them remembering Jesus Emmanuel “God with us,’’ the most wonderful gift of all, to mankind.

Wishing you a Blessed and Joyous Christmas and a Happy Peaceful New Year.

BAPTISM PREPARATION TEAM
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." He is for us the fulfillment of God’s promise. He is the morning star, the new dawn and new day. He is our hope and the light that leads us out of the darkness. He is Emmanuel, God-With-Us. May we celebrate this special time in peace and love.

OLV SOCIETY
As you are aware, the Society undertook a successful pie venture with St. Malachy. This was a day of trading skills, building friendships, sharing plenty of laughter and ending with a commitment by all to do it again next year.

During this venture, one of the pie buyers, asked if we could deliver their purchase to a couple whose spirits were low because they had both fallen ill and were home bound. This small gesture opened our eyes to the fact that no matter what the Society undertakes, you ALL offer your time, help, advice and generosity in making this a stronger and caring Christian community. May we continue to open our hearts to answer the needs of our fellow men.

Wishing all parishioners, their families and friends a Christmas full of love, joy, happiness and kindness to all.

TRANSFORMATION COMMITTEE
The year 2010 saw many challenges. We responded generously to requests for aid to Haiti, our Development and Peace Share Lent campaign, the growing need for non-perishable food at the food bank and more recently, the Lions Telethon. The generosity of our parishioners illustrates that the giving of gifts is not only at Christmas, but year round. May your Christmas be a peaceful and joyful time, and the New Year bring you health, happiness and many blessings.

MORE DONATIONS FOR OLV

Knights of Columbus
The Wardens would like to thank the Knights of Columbus for the donation of $800.00 towards our roof project. This $800.00 is in addition to a $1000.00 which was donated earlier this year to help out with our oil bills. We thank them for their continuing support.

Résidence Sérénité J.D.K.
The Residence donated $100.00 towards our roof project in appreciation for the support that our Parishioners provide, by bringing Eucharist to those living at this residence. We appreciate their gesture.

Anonymous Donor
A Parishioner who wishes to remain anonymous has donated $100.00 towards our roof project. We thank them for their support.

Do you have Family Members Buried in the St-Grégoire Cemetery?

For visitors to our parish, we would like to advise you that for the past few weeks, we have been publishing lists of families buried in the St-Grégoire cemetery. The committee at St-Grégoire who is responsible for updating the cemetery files has requested our assistance in trying to locate the descendants/relatives of certain persons buried in the cemetery. Many of these grave sites are very old and in many instances, there are no immediate family members or relatives, either alive or living, in this area. The lists of families who have no identified family contacts can be found on our web site at the following address: www.stmalachyolv.com. If you have any information regarding relatives/descendants, please advise Christiane Lefebvre at 819-986-8585. Christiane's office hours at the St-Grégoire rectory are from 12:30 to 4:30 PM. She is fluently bilingual. We will continue to publish more lists in the upcoming weeks.