Past News

Triduum: A Spiritual Pilgrimage cinematically walks through the locations of the Holy Week story, representing the most important days of human history. Immersed in the Holy Land, the pilgrim is brought tangibly nearer to the story, the landscape, and the reality of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

For several months, members of our parish have connected with local agencies, churches and government to address some of the social challenges afflicting our community, especially homelessness. The group calls themselves ICONIC, the Integrated Community Outreach Network in Clarington. As a direct result, new opportunities for access to shelter and food during the coldest months of the year were generated and the work continues. Recently, this team received official recognition for their work. See more on Clarington’s news source.

You may notice something different about the decor of our church this weekend. All crosses and sacred images are veiled in purple, marking the two weeks before Easter, a period called ‘Passiontide’ where we begin to reflect on the moments leading to the death of Jesus. The veils seem out of place; they’re attention grabbing, alerting us that something is different. The veiled images are a reminder that we, in a way, live in a veiled world where God is sometimes difficult to see; they build within us a longing for Easter Sunday when God’s glory is visible for all.

The Augustine Institute presents a beautiful meditation on the Stations of the Cross by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, narrated by Dr. Christopher Blum. This prayerful reflection is accompanied by the Schola Cantorum of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Littleton, CO, chanting the traditional Catholic hymn Stabat Mater, in Latin, which depicts the loving presence of Our Sorrowful Mother, sharing in the suffering of Christ at the foot of the cross. Take advantage of this audio on your commute, at home, or anywhere you find the time, to enrich your prayer during Lent or throughout the year, and better unite yourself to the Passion of Christ.

Join Dr. Tim Gray and Dr. Mark Giszczak, professor of Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology, as they walk through the liturgies of Holy Week, historical spots in the Holy Land, and how to prepare our hearts for the events of the Passion.

The Shroud of Turin is the subject of a lot of rumors, myths and controversies — maybe you’ve heard some of them yourself and don’t know what to believe. In this episode, Fr. Robert Spitzer offers amazing facts and stories about the Shroud.

Come to church on April 5th to encounter the Mercy of God especially through worship and through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Here’s what to expect for the day:

9:00am: Mass and Exposition celebrated by Br. Joseph

9:45am – 1:30pm: Confessions with Br. Joseph

1:30pm – 4:15pm: Confessions with Fr. Craig

4:00pm: Benediction celebrated by Br. Joseph

4:30pm: Mass celebrated by Fr. Craig

5:45pm to 7:00pm: Confessions with Fr. Craig

Guides for making a Confession designed for different age groups will be available at the church, or you can check them out in advance on our website.

Priests will also be available in our neighbouring parishes to hear Confessions too:

• St. Francis or Assisi, Newcastle – 10am to 1pm
• St. Therese of Lisieux – 8:00am till 9:30am and 2:00pm to 4:30pm

Dear fellow parishioners:

Two of our three parish schools, St. Joseph’s School and St. Elizabeth School, have already introduced the Rosary Prayer Program. We hope to also teach students at Holy Family School beginning in October 2025.

The Rosary Prayer Program is supported by volunteers and helps students learn contemplative prayer, strengthen leadership in prayer and serve others through prayer.

The commitment is:

• To visit classrooms one morning per month from October to May and pray the Rosary with students.

• You will initially be teamed up with experienced Rosary Visitors.

If you wish to support Rosary Prayer Program in any of the above elementary schools, or to receive more information, please email: Heidi_minuti49@outlook.com or text her 289-992-9536.

Be assured of a rewarding experience passing down the faith to a younger generation.

Dear Parishioners,

We are overwhelmed with gratitude for your incredible generosity in response to the downtown fire. Together, we raised a total of $1,490.00 to support our neighbors in need during this challenging time.

This year Franciscans around the world will be celebrating and studying in various ways the first poem written by St Francis of Assisi during the final two years of his life 1225/1226.

At La Verna we will be offering retreats based upon this poem,  “The Canticle of Creatures” sometimes known as The Canticle of the Sun. One retreat explores the Canticle and it’s content as written by St Francis and a second reflects on where we will consider the Canticle through the life and art of a young French artist of the late 1800’s, Marie Charles Dulac. We will also be introducing in late April a ‘Le Celle Day’, a day of contemplative prayer and quiet taken from St Francis of Assisi’s tradition of retreating to the caves of the Umbria region.