Heart to Heart: Issue #531
FEBRUARY 29th MARKS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE DIOCESE OF HAMILTON! Having been established in the leap year of 1856, this is only the 42nd time in the 168-year history of the Diocese that the occasion has been celebrated on its proper date! Learn about this rich history and the founding documents held in the Bishop Farrell Library and Archives online here. Happy Anniversary!!!
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT is the annual Day of Prayer for Survivors and Victims of Sexual Abuse. The Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors proposed a universal day of prayer in 2016. “In the experience of our members, victims/survivors have often expressed a desire for prayer as an important element in their healing process.” Our Diocesan Liturgy Office has provided information and prayer resources to our parishes for Holy Hours, Liturgies of the Word, prayer intentions, Benediction, and Prayers of the Faithful. May these efforts support the paths of human and spiritual recovery not only for victims and survivors, but also for families and communities similarly affected.
DIRECTORS AND COORDINATORS OF MUSIC, Cantors, Musicians, and Choir members are invited and encouraged to participate in a Music Ministers Retreat on March 16, 2024, at Annunciation of Our Lord Parish in Hamilton. The session begins at 9:30 a.m. and continues to 3:00 p.m. The facilitator for the day is Dr. Glenn Byer, and his theme: Near Occasions of Grace! Dr. Byer is an award-winning author who has written widely on liturgical and pastoral ministry, including a series in Today’s Liturgy. The day will begin with sung Morning Prayer, followed by four 45-minute sessions on Transfiguring our Lives and Relationships through Sacred Music. The presentations will invite participants to sing hymns and reflect on themes. Check here for registration. An uplifting Lenten experience!
FOR MORE THAN A MILLENNIUM, the university has been understood to be “where the Church goes to think” about questions related to faith, life, existence and the common good of society. For almost 160 years, St. Jerome’s University has been serving this need and preparing generations of leaders for lives of service to the Church and the world. Next Monday, Dr. Peter Meehan, President of St. Jerome’s University, will be meeting with Catholic School Board Chairs, Board Directors of Education, and Chancery staff of the Hamilton Diocese at Mount Mary Immaculate Retreat Centre to present a new educational initiative in development at the University. The Certificate in Catholic Leadership is focused on preparing individuals in the Diocese of Hamilton and beyond with the intellectual, spiritual and experiential formation required for ministerial, educational, medical and social service to the needs of the contemporary Church and the world. May the meeting be an historic opportunity for St. Jerome’s University!
ST. PETER’S SEMINARY BOARD meets next Tuesday in London. The Board is chaired by Bishop Ronald Fabbro of the Diocese of London. Bishop Gerard Bergie, Bishop Daniel Miehm, Archbishop Brian Dunn and I are members of the Board, along with Priests from the Dioceses of London and Hamilton, lay representatives from London and representatives from the Seminary staff. Father Denis Grecco, Seminary Rector is a key member providing helpful information and formation opportunities for Board members.
THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION picks up again with celebrations in St. Matthew Parish next Saturday, March 2nd. Pray for the young people who present themselves for the Sacrament, so they may be blessed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and through their good works the Lord may “renew the face of the earth.”
Our Lady of the Annunciation, pray for us!
Ex corde, +Douglas, OMI