August 2010

Message from our Pastor

Dear Parishioners…

September is a month of new beginnings.

There is the start of a new school year. Government and the Courts begin their Fall
terms. We go back to work, hopefully refreshed by a time of vacation. In the wider
scheme of things there is the Jewish New Year and the start of the new Liturgical
Year for those who follow the Calendar of the Orthodox and Eastern Rite
Churches. Certainly there are more examples, but rather than being an end of
things, Fall brings its own particular sense of newness.

At Our Lady of Sorrows we will welcome parishioners back from vacation to the
assembly and to ministry. We will plan parish and school involvement in Eucharist
and Catechesis. Christian Initiation will begin a new session of gatherings.
Candidates will begin their preparation for Communion and Confirmation. Parents
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish

will learn of their continuing and more developed role in the sacramental
preparation of their children. And, as a parish, we will begin to image and plan the
projects that will take us into our next decade of growth and development.

Certainly it is about projects; but it is also, and even more so, about our coming
together to build the Church in this parish community.

The Second Vatican Council reminded us that parishes "set up locally under a
pastor who takes the place of the bishop…represent the visible Church constituted
throughout the world (Liturgy Constitution 42)". What we do on Sunday through
Newsletter
WWW.SORROWS.CA

worship, at home and school through teaching and preparation, and each day of
our lives in the public market, is the image of the Church made concrete and
visible.

This year, on the days leading up to the Solemnity of Our Lady of Sorrows, our
parish feast day, we will gather to reflect on the tasks set before us and to pray for
assistance in bringing those tasks to completion. During those days we will open
ourselves to some of the ways that the Church invites us to pray, both ancient and
new, centred on, deriving from and leading to Eucharist.

I invite you to pray with us and to discover with your fellow parishioners during
these unique and important days.

Inside this issue:

Message from our Pastor …..………...….1

OLS Parish Prayer Days…..……………...2
Share Life Committee Update.…………...3
Pastors Advisory Committee Update…....3
Pastor The office for Refugees……………………3
Confirmation, First Communion & Recon-
ciliation Preparation……………….……….4
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish Prayer Days

Sunday 12 September 7:00 pm Guest Speaker Prof. Richard Schneider

Topic: “Nathex: our entry into the Church:”

Night Prayer and Benediction

FOLLOWED BY Coffee and Conversation

Monday 13 September 7:30 pm speaker Nick Olkovich

Topic: "grace and Christian living”

Evening prayer
anticipation of the Feast of the Holy Cross
Followed by : Coffee and Conversation

Tuesday 14 September 7:30 pm speaker Nick Olkovich

Topic: "retrieving the sacrament of penance"

Reconciliation celebration
preparation for the Titular Feast
Followed by: Coffee and Conversation

Wednesday 15 September 7:30 PM Solemnity of Our Lady of Sorrows

Most Reverend John Boissonneau Bishop auxiliary of Toronto

Followed by Refreshments in the parish hall

Guest Speaker—Professor Richard Schneider
Professor Schneider teaches in History and Human-
ities and his courses are cross-listed with religious
studies; the chief areas of his teaching are church
history and medieval cultural history -- especially
iconography, and also critical methodology in
history.
In addition to his teaching, Professor Schneider is
active in a number of national and international
church and ecumenical bodies, especially the Gov-
erning Board of the Canadian Council of Churches.
Speaker—Nick Olkovich
Nick Olkovich attained an MDiv in 2009 from the University of
St. Michael’s College. He is currently pursuing a PhD in philo-
sophical theology at the University of St. Michael’s College
and an S.T.L. (Licentiate in Sacred Theology) at Regis Col-
lege in Toronto. His research focuses on the philosophy and
theology of Canadian Jesuit Bernard Lonergan; the relation-
ship between philosophy, religious studies and theology; and
religion’s role in a liberal democracy. He regularly designs
and facilitates retreats for grade school and high school stu-
dents across the GTA and has served as Youth Minister and
Catechetical Director for the RCIA program at Our Lady Sor-
rows since early 2009.

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Share Life Committee Update

The Share Life Committee is pleased to announce that the 2010 has been the most successful
campaign in Our Lady of Sorrows Parish’s history. Not only did the Parish surpass all previous
campaigns in dollar raised—a record $ 353,000 surpassing the 2009 campaign by 16%, we also
saw an increase in numbers of donors from 20% of the parishioners to 30% of the parishioners.
The Share Life Committee’s fundraising events not only increased the sense of community of our
Parish, their fundraising events raised $ 8,500. Thank you to all who contributed in their time and
through your contributions!

Pastors Advisory Committee Update

Our Priorities: The Spiritual well being of all Parishioners, Communication, a Sense of
Community and the Restoration of the Parish Premises.
We are pleased to update the Parish on our activities. Through committees like Share Life and
our Outdoor Mass we were able to enjoy an increase in community events. All of the Share Life
activities were sold out and the Outdoor mass was a huge success! Thank you to all of the vol-
unteers that made these events a success.
This year we also began work on understanding what needs our Parish premises require. We
undertook to have a Building Condition Report conducted. It has confirmed what we already
know. We are in need of many repairs, many of them serious in nature. Both the Finance and
Pastors Advisory Committees are working together on a reviewing this report. In addition, we
have now undertaken to review options that will see how our Parish will be a viable and place in
the future. We are committed to creating a legacy for all Parishioners. We are in the process of
having proposals completed that will explore what options are available to us. Once complete
and our committees have had an opportunity to review, we will be sharing the results with the
entire Parish. Our commitment is to update you once we have all the information in the form of
Parish information sessions. As progress is made we will be announcing the dates in the bulle-
tins this fall.

The office for Refugee Archdiocese of Toronto

The Archdiocese of Toronto is responding to the Iraqi refugee crisis. Their Christian community
is facing systematic elimination similar to genocide. As the Archdiocese did thirty years ago, the
Catholic community was one of the leading faith groups in saving the lives of Vietnamese (the
boat people), the Archdiocese is again asking the community to come to the aid of the refugees.
In response, Our Lady of Sorrows Parish will be sponsoring an Iraqi refugee family. If you are
interested in becoming involved, please let the office know. We will be holding an Information
Session in the fall.

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O U R L A D Y O F S O R R O W S P A R I S H NE W S L E T T E R
Confirmation , First Communion & Reconciliation Preparation
The immediate preparation for the sacraments is the responsibility of the parents and the parish
and it takes place in the parish. At Our Lady of Sorrows Parish all parents / guardians wishing to
prepare their child to celebrate Confirmation or First Communion and Reconciliation are invited to
attend an important information meeting.
Please take note of the following dates and plan to attend the information meetings that are appli-
cable to your family. Please note if you have a child preparing for Confirmation and another child
preparing for First Communion you must attend two different meetings because the preparation
is different.
We ask that you arrange for child care so that you may participate in the meeting without distrac-
tion. It is essential that you attend the information meeting because details will be provided re-
garding registration and future gatherings. All meetings will be held in the church.

First Communion & Reconciliation

If your child was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church and born in 2003 or earlier and
you wish to prepare your child to celebrate First Communion please attend one of the Parent In-
formation Meetings on:

Sunday September 19th from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. OR Thursday September 23rd from 7:30 – 9:00 pm

Confirmation
If your child was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church and born in 1997 or earlier and
you wish to prepare your child to celebrate Confirmation please attend one of the Parent Infor-
mation Meetings on

Sunday October 3rd from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. OR Thursday October 7th from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Information regarding preparing your child to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation
(Confession) will be shared at this meeting.

Note: Proof of Baptism will be required in order to complete the registration for sacraments.
Please be sure you have a copy of your child's Baptism Certificate.

Baptism for Children in School

Baptism is the first Sacrament of Initiation and it is the sacrament that prepares us to celebrate
Confirmation and First Eucharist. If your child is not baptized or if your child was baptized in an-
other Christian Church (Anglican, Lutheran, etc.) and you would like your child to be a member
of the Catholic Church please call the parish at 416 231 6016 and leave a message for Patrick
Sibley.

Our Lady of Sorrows Parish

We look forward to seeing you at
our Parish Prayer Days and cele-
3055 Bloor Street West
brating with us on our
Toronto, Ontario
Parish Feast day—September
M8X 1C6
15th.
Phone: (416) 231-6016
Thank you for taking the time to
Fax: (416) 231-1924
read our Newsletter. Hope you
E-mail: olosorrows@bellnet.ca
have had a wonderful summer.
Website: www.sorrows.ca

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