ST. MICHAEL’S PARISH

P.O. BOX 610 - BELL ISLAND, NF - A0A 4H0
PHONE: 488-2525 – FAX: 488-3399

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) speaks about the two-fold purpose of Lent as a period of final preparation for those who are to be baptized at Easter (the elect) and as a period of preparation to renew the Baptism of those who have already been claimed by Christ in the waters of the font (RCIA, 138). For all of us, Lent is a season to prepare once again to meet God’s abundant love and mercy in the baptismal waters of new life.
For the elect, their preparation is a model for the rest of the Church. During Lent they enter a final period of spiritual preparation and purification. They spend the Lenten period praying and reflecting on the great mystery they are about to enter through their Baptism.
So, too, do the baptized prepare. With the elect we prepare by intense prayer and reflection, penance, and reconciliation. With the elect we prepare to renew the great mystery in which we have been incorporated into the death and Resurrection of Christ.
There are ways that the Church has long provided as means of this preparation: penance; the ancient disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving; self-denial and self-discipline. However, it is always important to remember that none of these are ends in and of themselves. They are always meant to be the ways by which we prepare to receive God’s merciful forgiveness in penance and reconciliation and to renew the Baptism in which we first experienced that mercy, forgiveness, and love. Together, elect and Baptized alike, we journey through this period of Lent, focused on the Paschal Mystery and the eternal life it promises.

Tuesday 7:00 p.m. Joseph Normore; Ann (Sis Fowler); Scott King;
Feb. 27th Frank Pendergast Sr. & Jr.; Michael McLean

Wednesday 9:30 p.m. (Baby) Morgan Pendergast; William & Agnes Hedderson
Feb. 28th & Dec. Family; Kevin Hedderson; Lawrence Tremblett; William & Catherine Tremblett & Dec. Family

Thursday 7:00 p.m. William Gordon Lahey; Jack & Lou Ann Kent; James
Mar. 1st. Kavanagh Sr.; Sadie Kavanagh; John Murphy
Friday 12:00 p.m. Arthur Reid; Florence Kavanagh; James Kavanagh
Mar. 2nd Jr.; Special Intention (Recovery from Illness); Emily Bennett
My Way of the Cross

Saturday 4:00 p.m. Sacrament of Penance
Mar. 3rd 5:00 p.m. Eveleigh, Stone & Hammond Family; William & Elizabeth
Ezekiel; Patrick Ezekiel; Johnny Ezekiel; Phonse, Jenny,
Gary Sweeney; Mark Nolan; Sylvester Kennedy; Thomas
Dwyer; Horrace Gendreau

Sunday 10:30 a.m. Vocations to the Priesthood & Religious Life
Mar. 4th

Collection for Feb. 17th & Feb. 18th, 2007
Offertory – 123 envelopes…………………………………………………….$1, 330.21
Dues – 2 envelopes……………………………………………………………. $15.00
Initial - 1 envelope……………………………………………………………. $5.00

Thank –You for your Financial Support

SANCTUARY CANDLE: In Memory of Darlene (Curnew)Boudreau

Dates To Remember
April 6th Good Friday
April 7th Holy Saturday
April 8th Easter Sunday

Liturgical Ministers
Saturday 5:00 p.m. Readers: Amanda Curnew & Karen Seward
Mar. 3rd Eucharistic Ministers: Loretta Byrne; Jody Whelan; Fred Carroll;
Raymond Whelan
Presentation of Gifts: Irene & Kevin Delahunty
Ushers: Bill Hammond; George Hickey; George Jackman; Keith Pitts

Sunday 10:30 a.m. Readers: Susan Boone & Sister Phyllis Corbett
Mar. 4th Eucharistic Ministers: Bonnie Spracklin; Tom Spracklin; Sid Maddigan; Christine Quinlan
Presentation of Gifts: Valerie Gorman Family
Children’s Liturgy: Ros Hurley
Ushers: Ray Kennedy; Alex Newell; Charlie O’Brien; Ray Whalen

Church Cleaning Team - 3 - for week of Feb 26th - Mar. 2rd, 2007
Geraldine Fitzgerald; Riv Fitzgerald; Doug O’Neill; Patricia King; George Jackman; Ros Hurley
St. Patrick’s Day Weekend
All plans are now under way for the St. Patrick’s Day Weekend celebrations. On Saturday, March 17th, Irish Stew takeout from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eat in at 6:00 p.m. downstairs following the 5:00 p.m. Mass. ($5.00 for Irish Stew, Roll and Desert). On Sunday evening, March 18th, 7:00 p.m. please attend our annual St. Patrick’s Day concert at St. Michael’s Hall. Admission $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children. Then on Monday, March 19th, their will be a Super Card Game with special prizes.

World Day of Prayer
The World Day of Prayer is observed annually on the first Friday in March. It is an
invitation for Christians to pause and pray together ecumenically. Each year it recalls our Christian responsibility to be sensitive to the signs of the times so that we might bring a more authentically Christian dimension to the concerns of our world, our country, our community. This day of prayer is sponsored by the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada and its national counterparts around the world. It is celebrated in approximately 165 countries. In Canada, Catholics are members of the national council of the WICC as well as of many local councils across the country. This day can be an opportunity for moving toward a more important role for prayer in the life of our Christian community. It is fitting to have such a day of prayer in Lent, when we are called to more fervent prayer for others.

Visitation of the Sick & Shut Ins
Sister Phyllis Corbett & Father James Beresford will be visiting the Sick & Shut Ins of our Parish on Friday, March 2nd, 2007. Please prepare for their visit and if you are not going to be home on that day, please call the office to let us know. This will give Sister Phyllis and Father Beresford extra time to spend with the Sick & Shut Ins.

Wholistic Wellness for Life
Wholistic Wellness is a continual process of self renewal and change discovering internal and external resources as a person seeks to find personal meaning, purpose, and a sense of balance in mind body and spirit. This one day workshop will explore aspects of life and living which will include the mental; emotional, physical (nutrition, exercise, sleep), spiritual, energy, environmental, and cosmic, using the integration of Western and Holistic medicine. Facilitator: C. Ryan, R.N.; B.Sc. Nsg.; MScMed; MBA: Wholistic Wellness Practitioner, Saturday, March 3, 2007 from 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. To register call Sr. Loretta Walsh, Family Life Bureau at 579-0168.

St. John’s and Area Council of Churches
1) In cooperation with the Community Mediation Services we wish to advise you that another Community Justice Breakfast is being held at the Battery on Tuesday, February 27th, 2007. Details are available from Charmaine Davidge, Project Manager, (709) 722-5040.
2) Another evening of Christian/Jewish/ Muslim dialogue will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 27th in the Engineering Lecture Theatre (EN2006). Parking is available in Lot # 16. Theme for the evening is Justice. Panelists are Phil Lewis (Christian), Arnold Bennett (Jewish) and Dr. Mahmoud Hadara (Muslim).
3) Men’s Cursillo Weekend
Will be held on Thursday, April 12th to Sunday, April 15th at Burry Heights, Salmonier Line. For further information please contact Ron Rossiter at 745-1502

“Come and See Retreat Weekend:”
Come and See if God is calling you to join us in our Mission of Evangelization in St. John’s, NL on March 30th – April 1st, 2007. This Retreat Weekend is an opportunity for men (age 18-40) to come and discover what Redemptorist Life and Ministry is all about, while at the same time to learn about discernment and God’s call in their life. Knowing that discernment to Religious Life as a Priest or a Brother is a special and specific call and vocation like Diocesan priesthood, it is important for us to be able to provide opportunities for young men to discern where God may be calling them to service in the Church. For more information : www.redemptorists.ca or by calling (416) - 789-3217. E-mail: vocations@redemptorists.ca

    Top of Page