A waymark is a sign, marker or symbol that helps guide. A waymark may prevent someone from getting lost, may indicate an important milestone or give assurance. Those on a journey depend on waymarks to point the way. The same is true for those on a faith journey. God offers waymarks to guide and affirm those who seek his love. Through videos, readings and discussion, participants in Waymark take a moment to deliberately seek out God’s waymarks.
Who is this for?
- This is for non-Catholics who are curious about the Catholic faith. Maybe they have a Catholic spouse and want to know more about the beliefs of thier spouse. Maybe they have children in Catholic schools and want to know more about what their children are learning. Maybe they simply wish to know more or wonder about becoming Catholic.
- This is for Baptized Catholics who wish to receive their First Communion or receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. For Catholics wishing to be sponsors or godparents, they may need to be fully initiated into the Catholic Church before assuming those important roles.
- This is for Baptized Catholics who simply wish to know more about or renew their faith.
Self-paced Reflection
Participants of Waymark are invited into some self-paced reflection at home through readings and videos. This is designed to fit into any lifestyle over eight or more weeks. There’s no need to buy anything; all material is available online. The reading material comes from two books. Those who prefer to read from physical copies may purchase them here and here. Ebook versions of the books are also freely available through formed.org, here and here.
See the Reflections
Week 1 – God and the Holy Spirit (Complete by January 6th)
From the book “Yes or No”, read the following
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 – Why Believe
- Chapter 2 – Faith and Reason
- Chapter 3 – Can you prove that God exists?
- Chapter 4 – Science and Religion
From the book “Catholic Christianity”, read the following
- Part 1, Chapter 2, Sections 7 through 15
Watch the following video
Week 2 – The human person becoming a child of God (Complete by January 13th)
From the book “Yes or No”, read the following
- Chapter 5 – The Problem of Evil
- Chapter 6 – Who is Jesus
- Chapter 7 – The Resurrection
- Chapter 8 – Miracles
- Chapter 9 – The Bible, myth or history?
From the book “Catholic Christianity”, read the following
- Part 3, Chapters 2 and 3
Watch the following videos
Week 3 – Sharing in God’s Service (Complete by January 20th)
From the book “Yes or No”, read the following
- Chapter 10 – Death
- Chapter 11 – Immortality
- Chapter 12 – Longing
- Chapter 13 – Heaven
- Chapter 14 – Hell
- Chapter 15 – Roads to Heaven and Hell
From the book “Catholic Christianity”, read the following
- Part 3, Chapters 6 and 7
Watch the following videos
Week 4 – The Church (Complete by January 27th)
From the book “Yes or No”, read the following
- Chapter 16 – Other Religions
- Chapter 17 – Relevance
- Chapter 18 – Yes or No
- Concluding Dialogue
From the book “Catholic Christianity”, read the following
- Part 1, Chapter 7
Watch the following videos
Week 5 – Life in Christ (Complete by February 3rd)
From the book “Catholic Christianity”, read the following
- Part 2, Chapters 1 – 4
Watch the following videos
Week 6 – Following God’s Commandments (Complete by February 10th)
From the book “Catholic Christianity”, read the following
- Part 2, Chapters 5 – 7
Watch the following videos
Week 7 – Becoming a Disciple (Complete by February 24th)
From the book “Catholic Christianity”, read the following
- Part 2, Chapters 8 – 10
Watch the following videos
Week 8 – The end of Time (Complete by March 3rd)
Watch the following videos
In person discussion
Waymark participants are invited to participate in seven in-person discussions where questions are answered, reflection material reviewed, a deeper look into the prayer life of Christians explored and experiences of service shared.
See all dates and times for in-person discussions
- Introduction to prayer fasting and almsgiving
Wednesday, January 14th at 6:30pm or Saturday, January 17th at 10:00am - How to pray with and use a Bible
Wednesday, January 21st at 6:30pm or Saturday, January 24th at 10:00am - Praying with Mary and the Saints
Wednesday, January 28th at 6:30pm or Saturday, January 31st at 10:00am - Praying with the Sacraments
Wednesday, February 4th at 6:30pm or Saturday, February 7th at 10:00am - Marriage and Holy Orders
Wednesday, February 11th at 6:30pm or Saturday, February 21st at 10:00am - Praying with the Church
Wednesday, February 25th at 6:30pm or Saturday, February 28rd at 10:00am - Living as a Disciple
Wednesday, March 4th at 6:30pm or Saturday, March 7th at 10:00am
For adults seeking Baptism, First Communion or Confirmation
For adults, the process of becoming fully initiated members of the Catholic Church looks a little different than it does for youth and children. For children this process often takes years and is designed to complement the different stages of young human development. For adults, the process may take several months and is completed at a special candelight ritual on the eve of Easter. On top of participating in Waymarks, adults seeking Baptism, First Communion or Confirmation are expected to complete a few other tasks:
Meet with the pastor
Before beginning Waymark, adults seeking Baptism, First Communion or Confirmation will want to meet with the pastor so he has an idea of their background and what their unique needs are. Some candidates may need to find a sponsor or may need to have a marriage blessed. Candidates who have already been Baptized or married may be asked to provide certificates. At a brief meeting with the pastor, all this will be determined.
Service
Adults seeking Baptism, First Communion or Confirmation are expected to offer at least an hour of service each month in a ministry of their choosing. Through this, candidates will get to know others of our community, what it means to live as a disciple and how we can meet our Saviour through our service to others.
Find opportunities to serve
| Opportunity | Details |
|---|---|
| Hospitality | Help welcome those who join our community for worship by greeting at the doors, assisting those who need the lift to access the church and by helping to take up the collection. You’re already coming to church on Sunday’s, why not arrive a few minutes early on occasion to serve! To get involved, contact Joe at j.jeronimo64@rogers.com. |
| Food Sort | The food bank serves nearly 150 families every month! Loads of donated food arrives weekly and needs to be sorted. Give a hand on Tuesdays afternoons to help sort the food that arrives. To get involved, contact Christine at cboyd0535@rogers.com. |
| St. Vincent de Paul Store | The St. Vincent de Paul store downtown assists those in need in so many ways. To keep costs down and best serve our community, the store depends on volunteers. To get involved, contact manager.svdp9774@gmail.com. |
| Church Cleanup | Every Saturday morning, a team of people spend 30-60 minutes giving the church a cleanup and preparing for the weekend worship. This is one way we love all those who come to worship: by offering a clean place. No need to sign up to help, just show up on any Saturday morning after the 9am Mass (usually around 9:30am). |
| Lead Devotions | Before every Saturday evening, Sunday and Tuesday evening Mass, our community prays a devotion, like the Rosary. Someone has to go to the front to lead our shared prayer though. No fear when public speaking? This might be a great ministry to get involved in. To get involved, contact Rina at rmvvc07@gmail.com. |
| Choir | Our choirs at the 9am and 11am Sunday Masses take the prayers of our community to the next level by lending their voices and enhancing our worship. Even for those who don’t have the greatest voices, this is a great way to contribute to our community. These choirs also rehearse on Wednesday evenings. To get involved, contact Kelly at kellyrobertson1@gmail.com. |
| Breakfast Sunday | Once a month, the Knights of Columbus host an affordable breakfast after the 9am and 11am Sunday Masses. This is where many in our community get to know one another. But lots of help is needed. To get involved, contact Andrew at amiller@pvnccdsb.on.ca. |
| Children’s Liturgy | During the 9am and 11am Sunday Masses, children are invited to listen, to worship and to reflect on the Word of God at their level for the first half of the Mass (usually about 20-30 minutes). We have some great leaders, but they need a support team to back them up. This is a great ministry for those who enjoy working with children or who have children who may appreciate this ministry. Police checks and background references will be required for those who serve our children. To get involved, contact Helena at superstar4726@gmail.com. |
| Youth Dances | Twice a month on a Friday evening, youth in grades 5 through 8 are invited to a youth dance in the parish hall where they can socialize in a Christian environment and get to know our community. To ensure a safe environment, volunteers are needed to keep an eye. Police checks and background references will be required for those who serve youth in our parish. To get involved, contact Mike at michaelauger.mail@gmail.com. |
| Bingo | Weekly, on Thursday evenings, our parish hosts Bingo. It’s a chance for many to have a fun evening, get to know our community and support the works of our church. To get involved, contact Margo at (905) 243-0605. |
| Compass Youth Group | Weekly on Wednesday evenings, youth in our community, especially those preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation, are welcome to participate in Compass, a youth program where they can express and develop their faith among friends in a fun environment. Police checks and background references will be required for those who serve youth in our parish. To get involved, contact Fr. Craig at pastor@stjoeschurch.ca. |
Participate in rituals and scrutinies
Promises are serious. Adults seeking Baptism, First Communion or Confirmation are not expected to make commitments until completing Waymark. Beginning in March, participants will participate in three rituals at the church, called scrutinies, designed to encourage them to prayerfully consider the promises they would be expected to make at Easter. Through these rituals, the congregation will also support candidates through their own prayers.
After all preparation is completed and candidates have had an opportunity to prayerfully consider their study, those who wish will be invited to receive the Sacraments of Initiation and become fully initiated members of the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, a candlelight celebration the night before Easter.
See all ritual dates and times
- First Scrutiny on one of
Saturday, March 7th at 4:30pm
Sunday, March 8th at 9am, 11am or 7pm - Second Scrutiny on one of
Saturday, March 14th at 4:30pm
Sunday, March 15th at 9am, 11am or 7pm - Third Scrutiny on one of
Saturday, March 21st at 4:30pm
Sunday, March 22nd at 9am, 11am or 7pm - Sacraments of Initiation – Saturday, April 4th at 8:30pm
In the meantime…
During Waymark, all participants are welcome to participate in the worship of our church, especially at the Sunday Masses. However, during Mass, those who have not received their First Communion should not come to receive Communion, but are instead welcome to receive a blessing; this can be indicated by crossing arms across the chest during the time of Communion. Candidates and their families are welcome to participate in any groups or events at our church too; it’s a great way to connect further with our community.
