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NEWS FROM THE DIOCESAN SERVICES - March 19, 2024
The next Infolettre will be published on April 9.
The diocesan team wishes you a happy Easter.
CHRISMAL MASS - March 27 AT 7 PM
You are invited to participate in the celebration of the CHRISMAL MASS, during which Mgr Durocher will bless the oil of the catechumens and the oil of the sick, and consecrate the holy chrism, on Holy Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at 7 p.m. SAINT-JOSEPH CATHEDRAL 245 Saint-Joseph Boulevard, Gatineau.
Free parking available behind the church and on nearby streets.
How I wish I could experience Easter without having to endure Good Friday!
How pleasant it would be to lose weight without dieting or exercising, to master an art without practising for hours, or to succeed in a project without devoting so much energy and resources to it! It would be wonderful to be loved without having to give of myself to another, to be forgiven without having to ask for forgiveness, to be reconciled without having to overcome my pride.
And when I think of the world around me, why so much negotiation to reach an agreement, so many struggles to achieve justice, so much effort to establish peace?
What do you want, such is life! Jesus accepted it and fully embraced this human condition of ours. He would have preferred to avoid the horror of crucifixion, but he prayed: "Father, not as I will, but as you will!" He showed the same way to his friends: "Whoever wants to be my disciple, let him take up his cross and follow me."
Easter makes us believe that it's all worth it, that beyond the trial and the sacrifice there is glory and joy. Yes, we can invest the effort because the resurrection of Jesus guarantees its fruitfulness. An old French hymn sings: "You chose to teach us, on the Cross, the way to joy!"
So let us dare to live our sombre Good Fridays because, with Jesus, we will one day know the radiant sun of Easter!
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DEATH IN VAIN?
Before the Second Vatican Council, Palm Sunday and the preceding Sunday formed what was once called the "Passiontide". Thus, Palm Sunday was considered as the "Second Sunday of the Passion". Following the revision of the liturgical year, Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday celebrate Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, welcomed by the people waving palm branches. The Church also commemorates the Passion of Christ. This Sunday opens Holy Week.
In the first part of the celebration (Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem), one is immediately struck by the sobering account. The choice of mount is unimpressive: a small colt. Here, the evangelist intends to emphasize the humble and peaceful nature of Christ's reign, which is centered on bringing peace.
In the second part of the celebration (the Passion), the "servant's song" resounds as a message addressed to the people of Israel living through the painful experience of exile. It is the people who are collectively considered the suffering servant. Through his passion, Jesus will in some way live out this experience (he emptied himself, 2nd reading). The narrative of the Passion, in turn, reminds us of the foundation of the Christian faith: the passion Righteousness. But at the heart of this passion, while he is mistreated, mocked, assaulted, and nailed to the wood, the dawn of a new world is on the horizon, the day when humanity will be bathed in the grace of God: Easter. The resurrection of Christ tells us that his death was not futile. He died as he lived: entirely for us.
Have a blessed Holy Week!
Rodhain Kasuba
The Office for Evangelization and Catechesis, in collaboration with the National Liturgy Office and the Office national de liturgie, launches the 2024 video series titled Journey Through Lent. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, 14 February 2024, and for each Sunday in Lent, up to and including Palm Sunday, a video will be uploaded to the CCCB website featuring pastoral reflections based on the Readings for the Sunday Eucharistic Celebration. Geared to individuals, families, and communities, this series is meant to offer spiritual inspiration and guidance on how to prepare well for the Easter season.
In his video message for the annual campaign to support parishes (tithing), Bishop Paul-André Durocher reminds us how parishes are vibrant and dynamic, as well as places where the wealth, talents and gifts of all can be shared. "Following Jesus' example, everyone can make a difference in their community by sharing their time, talents and treasures."
Under the theme For my parish...with all my heart, Sharing our gifts, the campaign runs throughout the spring, with a reminder in the fall. This campaign, which has been supported by promotional tools since the 1990s, is of great importance in the donations that parishes receive to enable them to pursue their mission at the heart of the Outaouais population. To make a donation to any of the 57 parishes in the diocese, you can use the online donation platform on the Archdiocese of Gatineau website.
Joyfully, let's share our gifts. Thank you for your support!
NEWS FROM THE PARISHES AND MOVEMENTS
This Lent, please give generously
This Solidarity Sunday, Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada's Reaping our Rights campaign invites you to give generously and thanks you warmly for your generosity.
Your donation transforms the lives of some of our most vulnerable sisters and brothers across the world.
"Development and Peace — Caritas Canada accompanies, supports and respects our institutional autonomy. It creates a climate of trust. I thank our sisters and brothers in Canada for their solidarity, a solidarity that generates life opportunities, that accompanies the dreams of women and men, of families, of communities and territories. Thank you!" ― Eva Colque, Executive Director, Fundación NUNA, a partner in Bolivia
Help create hope and dreams of the communities we support in the Global South by giving to your Share Lent parish collection or at devp.org/give. Thank you for your solidarity!
POSITION AVAILABLE - PARISH ADMINISTRATOR
St. Stephen's parish, Chelsea, is seeking a bilingual individual to fill the part-time position of Church Administrator reporting to the Fabrique. The current office schedule is Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. but is flexible. Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.
For any inquiries, contact us at pierre.le.bel@bell.net or at 819-360-5785.
To apply, send your Curriculum Vitae to admin@st-stephen.ca along with a cover letter. References will be requested at a later date.
ANNOUNCEMENTS/INVITATIONS TO SHARE
This section is for the sharing of announcements/invitations from parishes and movements in the diocese. If you have an activity to share or advertise, please send a note to Bozica Domitrovic on Friday before the newsletter release.
CONTACT
BOZICA DOMITROVIC, Communication technician
domitrovicb@diocesegatineau.org / Telephone: 819 771-8391, ext. 308
ADRESSE
180, boulevard du Mont-Bleu, Gatineau (Québec) J8Z 3J5
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