Family Matters. Welcome to our Parish! July 2017 HOLY FAMILY PARISH SUMMER OFFICE HOURS. 777 Valetta St., London, ON N6H 2Y9

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1 Family Matters July 2017 Welcome to our Parish! HOLY FAMILY PARISH 777 Valetta St., London, ON N6H 2Y9 WEBSITE: PH. # (519) FAX # (519) SUMMER OFFICE HOURS Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 12 :00 noon and 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. Friday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon SUNDAY MASS Saturday 5 pm Sunday 8:30 am 10:30 am 6:30 pm WEEKDAY MASS Tuesday 6:30 pm Wednesday to Friday 10:00 am

2 CONTENTS Family Matters will be published on the first Sunday of the month. Feel free to contact us with a story or witness talk, along with pictures by sending it to us at hfparish@dol.ca July 2017 A WORD FROM FR. BOB A Reflection on what s to come SUMMER CAMP Get ready! WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST REFUGEE FAMILY ALPHA Alpha Testimonies From the ALPHA Kitchen BUILDING COMMUNITY PALOOZA FAMILY MATTERS JULY 2017 holyfamilylondon.ca 2

3 A WORD FROM FR. BOB The parish monthly communique,, Family Matters, has returned to Holy Family Parish. Isn t it wonderful that, providentially, this premier issue is being presented on Canada s 150 th birthday, to the day: July 1, It is our hope that this monthly missive will be both informative, in terms of parish events and planning, as well as showcasing testimonies of wonderful parishioners engaged in our faith community. We Canadians have so much for which to be grateful to God, the source of all blessings. Holy Family Parish is a perfect example of the mosaic of wonderful individuals and families who have made Canada their permanent home. You might recall at the great Pentecost Feast this past June 4th, that we were able to surface some fifty to sixty countries of origin that comprise our rich faith community. That is who we are: strong, proud, united and profoundly grateful! We stand on guard for thee both Canada and Holy Family Parish! You have heard the expression, the only constant is change. That is true for upcoming developments here at Holy Family. Here are some of the leadership changes: Tom Boone, our present Business Administrator, will be retiring (for the second time in his career, the first from his accounting firm) at the end of July. Tom has shepherded the financial, property and building responsibilities for the past two and one half years. He began shortly after our return to the (mostly) renovated building. It was quite a task to oversee the many details of the building that remained to be completed in addition to the completion of the Building Community Campaign. This gentle, diligent man persevered in achieving all that we had hoped for, and more. Tom, we owe you a debt of gratitude for all that FAMILY MATTERS JULY 2017 holyfamilylondon.ca 3

4 you have been and done for Holy Family. May the Lord bless you and Liz in your second retirement, with good health in mind and body, continued faith, and many years to enjoy together! We will be introducing Tom s successor in mid-july, as our new Business Manager is completing work with his present employer. Still in the realm of temporal services to the parish, we express our gratitude to Michael Scott, who is finishing a long term as chair of the Finance Council. He has offered stellar leadership and wisdom in working alongside with Tom Boone, to manage our financial responsibilities. We can t thank you enough, Michael! We also bid a warm and grateful farewell to Raymond Murray, who has served on the Finance Council for many years. His immense experience in employer/employee relationships has served us well. Thank you, Raymond! Finally, I am grateful to Marycatherine atherine Kusch, a faithful member of our Finance Council, who has graciously accepted my invitation to serve as the Council s new chair. We are confident that she will shepherd the temporal responsibilities of the parish well, alongside of our new Business Manager. Thank you Marycatherine! I am announcing this weekend, the opening of a new part-time time contract position on our staff. We are looking for someone to serve young people, ages, seven to thirteen, in their preparation of the reception of the sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation. This person will be directly involved with our five Catholic elementary schools as well as with our Crossfire process. Working mostly with students, this person will also work alongside parish staff and parents in assisting in the faith development of their children. The actual job posting can be found on our parish website ( with copies placed in the narthex pamphlet rack. according to the school year schedule. This person will work FAMILY MATTERS JULY 2017 holyfamilylondon.ca 4

5 WELCOME TO SUMMER CAMP! August 7 11, ;00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. We have a new team leading camp this year and amazing activities to keep everyone engaged. We will learn about things that took place during Jesus time in Jerusalem. We have a lot of new crafts for everyone to learn and a special event on the second last afternoon that all the parents will want to come and see. We also have a completely new program for our Leaders In Training (Gr.7 & 8) so they are prepared to return in 2018 as camp leaders. Camp Leaders (Gr. 9+) note that training dates are August 2 & 3 (9am 3pm) with a possible extra morning on August 4 for setup (9-12). We are always accepting donations for camp, check the youth bulletin board for details on what we need. Registration is closed but we are still accepting a few camp leaders (Gr. 9 & up). Camp Leaders are joining us, not just for Community Service Hours, but because they understand the Gospel message to serve. Please contact Nicole Murphy at holyfamilycamp@gmail.com for more information or call x258 and leave a message for Tom MacLeod. Thanks to the generosity of our parishioners, our refugee family has settled into an apartment that has been well set up. Nazanen, the mother, has already taken an English test and will be starting English lessons in July. Eron, now 20 years old, has been working on his resume and hopes to get a part-time job nearby. In September, he will attend school to get his high school diploma. Shad, who is 14, loves the new computer and will start grade 9 in the fall. Both boys will have their English testing in August. They are keen to be independent as they adapt to their new home and country. They are grateful for the support they have received. Nazanen always has a smile on her face - the best thanks of all! A big thank you to all who have supported this family through donations, time and prayers. God bless! Welcome to our Newest Refugee Family FAMILY MATTERS JULY 2017 holyfamilylondon.ca 5

6 After Mass at 6:30 p.m., Heather asked me if I would consider sharing about my experience with ALPHA. During Mass, Fr. Bob told us that God sits on our hearts and when it is broken, God seeps into the cracks, I believe this is what has happened to me. After the passing of my husband Marty, I have been struggling emotionally. On a Thursday morning in January, for reasons I don t understand, I went on line to read the parish bulletin. I hadn t attended Mass on the weekend, so I didn t pick one up. I was reading Heather s comments about the ALPHA program and I thought this sounds like something I need to look into. Then I saw it was to start that very evening. I truly believe this was no accident that I would be given the sign. It has been one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I was part of a very wonderful group and I look forward to what is ahead in my journey to be closer to God. Mary O Brien FROM THE ALPHA KITCHEN My husband Mark and I, and our children, Catherine and John, belonged to St. Patrick s Parish in Lucan for 25 years before coming to Holy Family parish 6 years ago. It was there that I experienced the ALPHA Program with the pastor at that time, Fr. Vince Van Zutphen. A group of parishioners met in the rectory, shared a meal, viewed a video and broke into group discussions. With subsequent ALPHA programs, the first group set-up, cooked, fed and cleaned up for the next group of participants. So, when ALPHA was introduced last September here at Holy Family Parish as a way to become Intentional Disciples, I wanted to support that endeavour. I wanted to belong. I wanted to be a part of this process. Having already taken the ALPHA Program, I was aware of the support services required, so I offered to help in the kitchen. No one expected the numbers that would register for the first session. It exceeded everyone s expectations! So it wasn t hard to find a job, setting up, cooking, serving, cleaning up for 200 plus folk, a simply huge endeavour. Huge! The great team of ALPHA alumni who came forward to accomplish this particular task in the kitchen was a marvelous group of faith filled people who love to serve and we did just that. What a job! All recognized the riches provided to us through belonging, sharing, loving and serving our fellow parishioners. We made new friends, nurtured our souls, strengthened our relationship with Jesus and met Him in the hearts of those searching for more. It was a great team! I hope that when the 2017 Fall ALPHA starts up on Wednesday, September 20 th, there will be no shortage of true servants who come forward to serve with glad hearts those who are embarking for the first time on the ALPHA journey! Cyndy Ouellette FAMILY MATTERS JULY 2017 holyfamilylondon.ca 6

7 PARISH STAFF (OFFICE ; FR. BOB REMARK (ext n #228) Pastor FR. SEEJO JOHN (ext n #226) Parochial Vicar HEATHER CUSHING (ext n #260) Pastoral Minister TOM BOONE (ext n #224) Business Administrator DEACON JOHN VALLELY DEACON GEORGE SEBOK DEACON HENRY KLING Messages for our Permanent Deacon can be left at ext n 201 SHEILA O BRIEN (ext n #222) KELLY WILSON (ext n #201) Secretaries ANNE SANDERSON (ext n #229) Bookkeeper STEVE BALDINELLI (ext n #261) Building & Property Coordinator SAVE THE DATE Building Community Palooza Friday, September 1 st Tickets are FREE and available beginning the weekend of July 22-23, 2017 IF YOU RE INTERESTED IN THE SACRAMENTS OF BAPTISM OR MATRIMONY AT HOLY FAMILY PARISH, PLEASE NOTE THAT IN ADDITON TO PREPARATION, WE REQUIRE THAT YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US A MINIMUM OF 3 MONTHS IN ADVANCE OF YOUR HOPED-FOR DATE FOR BAPTISM AND ONE YEAR PRIOR TO YOUR DESIRED WEDDING DATE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BAPTISM, PLEASE CONTACT SHEILA: sobrien@dol.ca or ext n 222. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WEDDINGS, PLEASE CONTACT KELLY: kwilson@dol.ca or ext n 201 FOR FUNERALS, PLEASE CONTACT HEATHER: hcushing@dol.ca or ext n 260 or KELLY: kwilson@dol.ca or ext n 201 If you are new to the parish, please introduce yourself to one of our parish staff. If you like to register, go to FAMILY MATTERS JULY 2017 holyfamilylondon.ca 7

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