TESTER

Posted On 23rd Nov 2017

Fr. Oliver Iwuchukwu CSSp

Lucia Vacca

Organization & Membership

Mai Tran

Ingrid Hart

We have less than two months to go before the Christmas bells begin to “jingle all the way.” Between now and then, comes the season of Advent when our prayers and songs are about longing and waiting, and of hope and great expectations. It is the season for getting ready for Christmas—a deeply religious season that has unfortunately been high-jacked and commercialized by the secular world. Occasionally, we will hear lone voices telling anybody who cares to listen to keep Christ in Christmas. Addressed to us too! “Keep Christ in Christmas,” we are told. What does this ask of us as we inch our way to another Christmas? Yes, another Christmas. We have seen it before. We have celebrated many of them. But perhaps we can make this one more meaningful, more spiritually enriching, more joyful and more full peace—peace of soul, peace with God, and peace between us and our neighbors. This peace and joy does not come from buying more and having more of what the commercial world has to offer. It comes from keeping Christ in Christmas. And we do this by availing of opportunities that Advent offers us to dust our lives clean by making sure we are in right relationship with our God and with one another. As a result, we can experience that religious joy, that inner joy of light and peace which, according to Pope Francis, is characteristic of Christmas. I wish you this religious joy, this inner joy of light and peace that is God’s gift to those who keep Christ in Christmas.

<blockquote> Matthew 1:22–23 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” </blockquote> The season of Advent is soon upon us as we look forward with anticipation for the birth of our Saviour we are reminded that “God is with us”. We are so blessed in St. Joseph’s Parish with so many wonderful ministries serving our God in various ways. Each of us has a special gift and talent to share and by using these God given gifts we can collectively build and strengthen our Parish and Community by what we say and do with our actions. Be the beacon of good will. Our focus is to support those who are struggling, are alone, in need of friendship, those in need our financial support and our homeless. Serving those in need this is why we fundraise to support our chosen charities and ask for your continued and generous contributions. Our reminder is “God is with us” in our everyday lives all we need to do is to look in someone’s eyes. We all need to love of God and love of our neighbour. For more information on how we can serve our sisters and brothers in need go to www.cwltoronto.ca and read the document “50 Plus Ways to Help People Who are Homeless”. Be moved by the Spirit and take action. <blockquote> Matthew 25:40 And the king will say to them in reply, “Amen I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” </blockquote> Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas and may you be Blessed with much Love. Lucia

Annual Bazaar – Saturday, November 18th from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Remember to join us with your time and with your contributions to the Bake Sale, Apple Pie, International Foods, Bake table, Tea Room etc… Setup for the Bazaar will be on Friday November 17th from 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. As in the past, the proceeds of this event will be distributed to various charities. Your involvement is appreciated. Without our efforts, others will not benefit. Call us we need your help at the various tables to make this event a success. Give us a call if you can assist in any of these areas ASAP Membership Renewal Your CWL Membership Renewal is NOW due. Please complete the Membership form attached to this Newsletter and return it as soon as possible to any of your executive members or the Parish Office. You may also drop it in the collection baskets at any Mass. Please be sure to clearly mark your envelope: “CWL MEMBERSHIP”. If you are writing a cheque, please make it payable to: St. Joseph’s CWL. Memberships are due to National by January 1st, 2018. This year we will once again have an early bird special for all renewals received on or before the night of December 11th. One lucky member will be the winner of a draw taken from the renewals received. The prize will be a $25.00 gift voucher, so don’t delay in completing your renewal and entering the draw. The lucky draw will take place at the Pot Luck Social - December 11th. Fall Bazaar November 18th Annual Bazaar is on Saturday November 18th from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm and your help for set up on Friday, November 17th (11:00 am to 9:00 pm) would be greatly appreciated. You can also drop off your donations for the Bake Table, Treasure Table, Raffle, Tea Room etc...at that time. Also, don’t forget to help out on the day of the Bazaar with whatever time or contribution you can give it will be very much appreciated as it is a very busy and important day for our council. Proceeds from this fundraiser help support our many charities and projects. Don’t forget to start baking and spread the word. As well if you can contribute $5.00 towards this event it is greatly appreciated to purchase supplies that we need. Any questions call 416-283-3536 Annual Apple Pie Making was once again a great turnout with many members participating. We had lots of fun as members shared many stories and bonded in a spirit of hard work and sisterhood. A big thanks to the washers, peelers, cutters, rollers, dough makers, mixers, assemblers and those who helped store our apple pies in their freezers. None of this could be possible without you and your amazing work. Over 350 pies were made. Advent Pot Luck Social and Service Awards Night Monday, December 11th, at 7:00 p.m. is our Advent Pot Luck Social. Please join your CWL sisters as we celebrate the season. Your spouse or guest is also welcome to join us and remember to bring your favourite dish of food to share for the Pot Luck. Thank you in advance for your generosity. On this special night, we will also present the 2017 recipient of the St. Joseph’s Betty Anne Brown Davidson Award of Honour. As well as 40 ladies will be receiving their respective years of service pins. We will also be accepting your donations of men’s new socks and underwear for the Good Shepherd Center on this night so please give what you can, as the need for these men`s items is great. This action is to keep the homeless and those in need warm for the winter months.

22nd Annual Interfaith Celebration Our 2017 Interfaith Celebration was held on the evening of Friday October 20th with neighbouring Churches of various denominations in our community participating. It was an evening of sharing prayers, stories, songs, readings which represented the respective faiths under the theme “Inspired by the Spirit Women Respond to God's Call” The evening was well attended with over 100 parishioners, members and friends from the community. Thank you to the members who brought in goodies. We thank the Fr. Olive Iwuchukwu for his presence and welcoming of our neighbours, the Celebration Choir and the Prayer Group Choir with their musical talents. The celebration was followed by a reception with an opportunity to meet our neighbours, a wonderful way to get to know our community and celebrate together

At this time of year let us remember all our brothers and sisters who are less fortunate than us and keep them in our prayers, that God may give them strength and courage to face each day. May they find joy and peace in this season of Advent. Let us remember that Christ is the reason for the season. I would like to wish you and your families a Blessed prosperous, healthy Christmas and New Year.