Parish Charity Work for People in Need in Ukraine

Summer 2024

Dear Parishioners,

I would like to present to you a letter that was received from a priest of our Salvatorian Order, Fr. Damian Pankowiak, SDS, who is working in Ukraine.

Fr. Damian, as well as other Salvatorian priests, chose not to leave Ukraine when the war began but to remain with the people. Because of this, they have gained much respect since many of their own people fled.

We as Salvatorians in all parts of the world (including the members of our Salvatorian parishes and communities) provide help and support to each other where it is most needed in different places around the world. The help that the Salvatorians give goes from their hands directly into the hands of the people in need.

For me, close to my heart are two communities: first, is Manilla (the project was supported by our Australian region) which I will talk to you about later, and then the Salvatorian communities in Ukraine and Belarus.

Once more, I would like to express my thankfulness for your support of the Salvatorians generally, as well as projects like Ukraine as you did last year.

Fr. Robert, SDS

P.S. You will see photos below with their captions. We also have many more photos from Fr. Damian, and you can see them on our Salvatorian bulletin board in the parish.

 

Letter from Fr. Damian Pankowiak, SDS

Dear Benefactors from Salvatorian parishes in Canada,

Dear Brothers and Sisters. Greetings to you from war-torn Ukraine. I would like to express not only my own gratitude, but also that of my parishioners and friends, for your prayers and financial support. This full-scale war has been ongoing for the past two and a half years. This is a very difficult time for Ukraine and its people. Thousands of people have fled their family homes and towns, relocating or emigrating to safe places around the world. The majority however, have stayed behind and are trying to live as normally as possible during this unjust war. Unfortunately, this is not always possible.

Daily missile strikes destroy not only the energy infrastructure, but also hospitals, kindergartens, schools, places of recreation, residence and work. These strikes claim the lives of innocent civilians. Not to mention the soldiers. Pastoral work during the war goes on as usual. When there are no anti air-raids, Masses and other Church services are celebrated as scheduled. We meet with children, teenagers and adults.

Since the beginning of this war, as Salvatorians, we were involved in supplying humanitarian aid to refugees, those most in need, and families whose fathers, brothers or sons went off to war. This is aid directed to a specific place, for specific people. Thanks to your donations we have been able to supply the following aid:

• Cars for humanitarian work
• Cars for evacuating people from endangered places
• Full-scale Medical aid
• Food products
• Chemical products
• Clothing
• Power generators

And much, much more.

Thank you once again for your invaluable help!

Glory to Ukraine, God bless Canada!

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Damian Pankowiak, SDS

 

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Prayer through the intercession of Blessed Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan:

God our Father, you called
Father Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan to be
your apostle, to make you known and loved
by all people everywhere, using all the ways
and means your love inspires.
You filled him with universal apostolic zeal,
with the goodness and the kindness of
the Divine Saviour, with a deep trust in
God’s loving providence, with a profound
spirit of prayer, with a sincere devotion to
Mary, Mother of the Saviour, and with the
courage to follow you, even into the
mystery of the Cross.
Grant us, by his intercession, and according
to your will, the graces we ask you ……………,
hoping that he will soon be numbered
among your saints.
We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Donuts & Bingo Mardi Gras Celebration!

March 2nd, after the 11 AM Mass

Below are some pictures from the Mardi Gras party last Sunday, March 2.

Shrove Tuesday
PANCAKES and Time Together

March 4, 2025 – two seatings
4:30 pm and 5:30 pm

Feast day of St. Agatha

Wednesday, February 5th, 2025
8:00 am

On the Feast day of St. Agatha, Wednesday, February 5, (Memorial of St. Agatha) during the 8:00 AM Mass, will be a blessing of the bread. The bread is taken home and instead of eating it, it is kept at home to protect from fire and calamities.

St. Agatha, virgin and martyr. Latinized form of the Greek name Ἀγαθή (Agathe), derived from Greek ἀγαθός (agathos) meaning “good”. Saint Agatha was a 3rd-century martyr from Sicily who was tortured and killed after spurning the advances of a Roman official. St. Agatha’s name appears in the Roman Canon which is the Eucharistic prayer used in the Mass of the Roman Rite and dates its arrangement to at least the 7th century. She is the patron saint of breast cancer patients and of various localities in Italy and elsewhere.

Parish Advent Reconciliation Times

(Prepare for Christmas, arrive with a clean heart)

Prepare Your Heart for Jesus’ coming through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is so important during the Liturgical Season of Advent to prepare your heart for Christmas – to arrive with an open and clean heart.

Advent Confessions Times:
Thursday, December 12, 2024
from 8:30 am to 9:45 am
and 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

Everyone, please plan to attend.

Resurrection of Our Lord Parish Christmas Concert

There is going to be a celebration of Christmas with Sacred Music and Carols, being sung in English, French, and Polish in the church on Sunday, December 8, at 3:00pm, continuing in the parish hall with a singalong. There will be a small reception with refreshments served. Freewill donations will be gratefully accepted. (RSVP would be appreciated so we can know how to plan for the reception.)

Memorial Mass

Friday, November 22nd, 2024
Mass at 7:00 pm.

On Friday the 22nd of November at 7:00 p.m. here at Resurrection of Our Lord Parish will be celebrated a Memorial Mass for all those who have died during the past year. Families of those buried from Resurrection Parish will receive invitations. However, any member of our parish who has lost someone since last November 1st, is also welcome to have that person remembered at the Memorial Mass. To ensure those you would like mentioned are included, please call the parish office.

Remembrance Day

Monday, November 11th, 2024
Mass at 11:00 am.

Since many people cannot make it to the commemoration on Parliament Hill on November 11th, a Remembrance Day Mass is celebrated here at Resurrection of Our Lord Parish at 11:00 AM, beginning with two minutes of silence. Veterans are invited to the Mass wearing their uniforms and medals.

Thank you to all Veterans who served our Country and protected us so that we can live in peace.

We love you!

In Flanders Fields
(BY JOHN MCCRAE)

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Blessing of the Animals
Dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi

On Saturday the 5th of October 3:30 PM, In the Church Parking Lot. Bring your Pets !

Blessing of Cars – St. Christopher’s Day

After Sunday Masses on the Weekend of July 20th – 21st.

There will be a St. Christopher’s Day blessing of cars at the parish after Sunday Masses on July 20th and 21st.

St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers and of children. He is one of the most popular Saints of the East and West. There are many legends concerning this Saint. One of the most popular of them holds that St. Christopher was a giant who helped people across a raging stream. It is believed that he carried the Christ Child across this same stream. Hence, his name Christopher, Christ-bearer. He is Patron of motorists, and is invoked against storms, plagues, etc. He died a Martyr during the reign of Decius in the 3rd century and is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers invoked for emergencies or afflictions. (Lives of the Saints)

Blessing for a Car: Grant your blessing, Lord God, upon these cars, and bless those who use them. Let them not abuse, harm, or destroy your creation, or use these vehicles to disturb or hurt other people. May they use these vehicles for your honour and glory, for the benefit and service of others, and to build up your holy Church.

Five Reasons Why Our
Confirmation Candidates Want to be Confirmed

Have a quick look at the Sacraments page to read five reasons why Confirmation candidates at Resurrection of Our Lord Parish want to be confirmed.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Let us recall with gratitude and affection all mothers, those who are still with us and those who have gone to Heaven. Let us entrust them to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

CURRENT Invitation to families

An invitation is going out to all the Families whose Children received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion in 2023 for an anniversary Mass on Sunday, May 19th at 11:00 am, celebrating the 1st year anniversary.

Our First Holy Communion Candidates

Our First Holy Communion candidates have been preparing since last fall for this coming Sunday’s celebration of the Sacrament of First Holy Communion to be celebrated on May 12th at 1:00 p.m. These pictures are from last weekend’s retreat (Saturday, May 4th).

Thank you to staff May Arbach, Phillip Herby, and the parents of these children for all the hard work and commitment towards this important step for our children in their faith life in the Church.

It is such a blessed day, with much to celebrated, and a happy occasion for our parish. Deo gratias!

 

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Christ is Risen! He lives!

This triumphant, faith-filled acclamation is an Easter greeting used in many parts of the world. That the Lord Jesus who was crucified and died on Calvary LIVES. He Is Risen! This is the foundational confession of our Christian faith.

On Good Friday, with the Apostles, we were the witness of Jesus’s suffering, humiliation and death. A terrible experience both for them and for us.

When the Apostles saw with their own eyes what happened to Jesus, they were horrified. As a result, they lost their faith, their trust, and their hope. In fear and with a sense of devastation, they fled from Jerusalem, from Jesus, from His mother, from the community, and from the Church.

The same can happen with us. When we hear terrible things, we too can be terrified and paralyzed. We may feel depressed, powerless. We want to run away, but we have nowhere to go. It can be difficult for us to cope with it all. This is why so often we run away from God, the Church, community, and even from members of our family. We try to blame God for our misfortunes, such as the death of a loved one or a serious illness in the family. We may find it easier to blame others for our sin, or make them guilty of the things that are happening to us. We try to shift our pain onto others. It’s a cry of despair. It is not an easy time for us.

The Apostles left. They disappeared. But when they heard what happened on that Sunday, they returned. They recognized that Jesus’ mission of redemption would have been a total failure if his death on Calvary had been the final stop of His journey.

But His body didn’t remain in the sepulcher because He couldn’t be held prisoner by death. That tomb couldn’t hold on to “the living one” (Rev 1:18).

The Resurrection is an event that has profoundly changed the course of world history, as well as the human experience and the lives of countless individuals. It tipped the scales once and for all on the side of life, of goodness, of hope, and of forgiveness.

The Apostles came back stronger. They were strengthened by the truth of the resurrection.

No one has described the absolute centrality of belief in the Resurrection better than St. Paul. He wrote, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Cor 15:17). Without this firm conviction of Jesus’ bodily resurrection, Christianity loses its meaning and would never have developed. The Apostles would not have carried the faith to others. They would not have been martyrs.

This is why I deeply believe that those words about Christ’s Resurrection – “Christ is Risen” – can change us, just as they changed the Apostles. I hope that they will help us to return to unity with God, the community, the Church, our loved ones and ourselves. The strength of Christ and the Easter message can help us regain our faith and hope, and survive those things that cannot be changed.

Jesus overcame death. The Apostles overcame fear and hopelessness. We, through our faith and union with Christ, and strengthened by the prayers of the Apostles, Holy Mary and the Church community, can overcome many difficulties and keep our faith and love until death.

Take strength from the empty tomb, the Risen Christ, and the blessed Apostles.

Happy and blessed Easter!

Fr Robert Masternak SDS

Holy Saturday Food Basket Blessing

This Year’s Easter Blessing of the Food was a joyful celebration, as you can see evidence of in these pictures taken on Holy Saturday morning. The celebration of the Easter meal after the Lenten fast promised to be sumptuous. The Lord is Risen! Alleluia!

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Ottawa Hospital – Spiritual Care Team

It was an honor to host The Ottawa Hospital Spiritual Care Team here at our parish. All of us benefit by their presence and help.

 

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Cleaning Day Outside at the Parish

It went well and about 16 people showed up for an impromptu day of cleaning outside because Saturday’s cleanup was cancelled since it unexpectedly snowed. Wouldn’t you know it!
There were many who would have been able to help on the weekend, and it was a surprise to have the helping hands of sixteen helpers on very short notice for a Tuesday morning. Believe it or not, 36 leaf bags were filled, and one dedicated worker stayed for more than two and a half hours after everyone else had left, to sweep the walkways and front steps.
Probably no one expected to have worked so vigorously, but with 36 hands (that’s one full leaf bag per hand) it lightened each other’s loads. Now things will be refreshed for our Easter celebrations!

 

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Salvatorian Alms for Ukraine

Dear Parishioners, during Lent many of you gave something up and offered an Alm to generously support parishes and communities in Ukraine. Below is an update from a Salvatorian-led Parish in Brzozdowce, Ukraine, highlighting some of the projects funded by Salvatorian Parishes around the world, including Resurrection of Our Lord Parish. There have been transports with humanitarian aid to Salvatorian Parishes helping refugees in Ukraine. A Mitsubishi L200 truck was purchased (as well as a new ambulance). The truck is operated by a local parishioner (a platoon paramedic) to provide medical aid to those wounded in combat in Eastern Ukraine. In addition to providing relief to refugees, the Parish in Brzozdowce has become a humanitarian aid point. Aid supports the immediate needs of the population, but is mainly distributed by the Pastor to hospitals and dormitories sheltering refugees in Nowy Rozdół, Ukraine. Aid is also sent to volunteer organizations caring for young children and orphans from areas affected by intense military operations (the bombarded city of Bucza near Kiev, as well as Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhia oblatsts). Mattresses were provided for an orphanage in Eastern Ukraine, and for Ukrainian defenders, as well as for refugees in the Brzozdowce Parish boundaries. The Salvatorian Fathers continue to organize convoys with aid!

On behalf of the Salvatorian Fathers working in Ukraine, the people of Brzozdowce parish, and those who live there as refugees, I want to say thanks to Resurrection of Our Lord Parishioners who gave Alms to the people in Ukraine. And I would like to personally say congratulations to those who gave their gifts by giving something up for themselves to give to others.

 

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