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A Word from Fr. James
Labour
Day weekend marks for many of us a passage from Summer
living to our regular routines. It also marks the
beginning of the church ministry season when operations
and ministries start up. This first "season" will be
different for me as I feel largely unprepared for the
next few months. Rather than launching programs this
Fall my main goals are to continue to get to know
people, to find out how everything works and begin
planning for the introduction of programs for after
Christmas (Oh, yes, I still have to unpack and set up my
office). My parish email address is
fr.james@saintbenedict.ca, however, it is best for
me that those wanting to have an appointment to see me
contact Lynda at the office. I will be providing her
with various 30 minute time slots on my schedule. So
please contact her for an appointment.
For the most part we are proceeding with a "keep doing
what you're doing unless you hear otherwise" policy.
That being said, I wish to mention a few changes that
have been implemented:
1) After consulting with the funeral team, parishioners and the pastoral staff we have decided to move the time for funerals to 10:30 am. This will allow more time after the morning Mass for set up and preparation (we have had five funerals already since I arrived at the parish).
2) As of next weekend we will be handing out the
bulletins after Mass. This avoids bulletins being left
behind in the pews and reduces distractions during the
homily!
3) As of this week we will be having a weekday coffee
social following the 9:00 am Mass every Tuesday. The
parish staff will join us for Mass and the social and
then will leave for the weekly staff meeting. This will
give an opportunity for community building. This will
be every week unless there is a funeral. We will be
looking for parishioners to volunteer to take turns to
help with this.
4) Staff Changes: As noted, Lynda Roberts who has
served our parish for 19 years has decided to take an
early retirement. Lynda will remain with us until we
have hired and trained her successor. We will have an
opportunity to honour and thank Lynda when the time for
her departure nears. I have increased Patrick Salah's
official position to half time (20 hrs/wk) music
director to match the amount of work that he has already
been doing. Adam Theriault’s workload has also been
increased to include oversight of the A/V system (slide
preparation, operation and recruitment and training of
volunteers). We have hired Mr. Ron Huntley, a half-time
Director of Evangelization. Ron will start his work on
September 10th and will be properly
introduced next weekend at all the Masses. His position
will be to lead in the implementation and running of the
Alpha course under various formats and schedules, to
assist the creation of home groups and to plan and
implement evangelistic outreach to the community
especially targeting young families.
Holy Land Pilgrimage –
Last year I was involved with leading a ten day pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We were a group of 48 pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Halifax. I will be leading another group this year, assisted by Fr. Owen Connolly on May 10th-21st. Last year the trip sold out on the very first night and we have a great deal of interest in this trip already. I have requested 15 spots to be held for Saint Benedict parishioners. We will be having an information and sign-up night at Saint Benedict parish hall on Saturday September 25th at 7 pm. In the meantime, if anyone is interested in more information you may contact Bob Sime at bsime@privatelabeltravel.ca or call (902) 482-2275. It would be wonderful to a have a good group from the parish to share this experience with (last year there were seven or eight Saint Benedict parishioners in the group).
Once again, I ask for your patience with me as there is so much to do with limited time. Please keep me and the staff in your prayers as we begin what I believe will be a wonderful and exciting first year together!
J
OB OPPORTUNITY WITH SAINT BENEDICT PARISHSaint Benedict Parish is inviting interested individuals to submit their resume for the position of “Secretary/Receptionist” to work in the parish office. This is a full-time position. A copy of the job description is available for download here. Applications should be returned to Deacon Robert Doyle at the parish office by September 24th
Daily Mass on Mondays
Beginning
August 23rd, there will be Mass at 9 am
Monday morning in addition to Mass Tuesday to Friday.
Upcoming Meetings
The Knights of Columbus will meet on Tuesday, September 7th at 7:30 pm in the Reverend Bernard O’Neill Auditorium. All members are encouraged to join us for the kick-off of our new year in our new Church. Please use the Ministry Centre, lower entrance, for access.
The Catholic Women’s League will meet on Wednesday, September 8th at 7:00 pm in the Reverend Bernard O’Neill Auditorium. There will be no Mass this month.
A meeting for Mass Coordinators and Servers for Daily Mass will be held on Wednesday, September 8th at 7:00 pm in the Church.
The Fall meeting of the Pastoral Council will take place on Monday, September 13th at 7 pm.
The 45 Card Social will resume on Monday, September 13th at 7:30 pm. Please use the Ministry Centre door on the lower level for entry (lots of parking).
The Social Justice Committee will meet in the Ministry Centre on Wednesday, September 15th at 7:00 pm.
Special Collection for Pakistan
Parishioners are invited to contribute to a special collection in support of the relief effort to alleviate the suffering and to help the people of Pakistan affected by the recent flood which has left thousands homeless. The funds will be sent to Caritas Pakistan through Development and Peace. The Federal Government will contribute an equal amount received from “Canadian registered charities” by September 12. Please use the envelopes attached to the bulletin and place your donation in the regular collection. For tax purposes you can mark on the envelope your regular envelope number. Donations can also be made directly through Development and Peace via their website: http://www.devp.org/
Becoming Catholic:
If you or someone you know might be interested in
joining the Catholic Church, contact Dinah at 443-0725
ext 24 for information on the
Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
Sunday Choir:
Practices for the 11:00 Sunday Mass choir will resume
Sunday September 12, 2010 in the church following the
11:00 Mass. New members are invited to join, especially
men who are able to sing Tenor and Bass. For more
information contact Patrick Salah at the parish office;
443-0725 or
salah_patrick@hotmail.com.
Mass Cards:
If you would like to pick up a Mass card after hours, you can obtain a Mass card from one of the following parishioners: Stephen & Anne Clancey 443-2870, Barbara & Jim Shea 443-1056, Betty & Fred Gallagher 443-4182, Stella & Gerry Fogarty 443-1175, Barbara Baker 457-1078, Mary Saulnier 445-4035, Eve Shiers 445-3681, Anne Marie Tobin 445-2255, Deacon George Rose 443-1097.
Day Chapel:
The St. Elizabeth Seton Day Chapel is open from 7:30 am
to 4:00 pm from Monday to Friday. Any early-morning
walkers are invited to drop into the Day chapel to spend
some time with the Lord. What a nice way to begin the
day!
We would like to extend the period of time that the St. Elizabeth Seton Chapel can be made available to individuals during the day. We are looking for parishioners interested in locking the side door of the church at 7:30 pm each week day. Please contact the parish office if you are available.
Memorial donations:
If you would like to cover the cost of a tree or shrub
on the church property in memory of a loved one, please
contact the office. We are thankful to all who have
made donations so far. As it is not feasible to place a
plaque at each tree, we will be displaying the name of
the donor and their loved one in a special memorial
book.
Catechetics Registration:
Registration forms are available in the foyer.
Prayer Shawls
are available to parishioners who are facing surgery and a long-term recovery, diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, and/or anyone who is providing full time care for a family member who is ill. For more information, please call Carol 443-4690.
Koinonia:
The Archdiocese of Halifax Lay Formation Program begins
September 10th and 11th.
Brochures are available in the foyer. For more
information, please contact Dinah at the Parish Office
443-0725.
Anyone who is involved with young children and/or vulnerable adults and who missed the workshops MUST attend a workshop and follow the new safe environment protocol prior to beginning/continuing in ministry affected by the protocol. An additional workshop will be held once the total number of participants is known. Contact Deacon Robert Doyle at 443-0725 ext. 26.
