NOVEMBER 2024 BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mount Mary Open House All are welcome to the annual Come Home for Christmas Festival at Mount Mary Immaculate Retreat Centre on Sunday December 1st, 2024 from 1:00 am – 4:00 pm. There will be activities for children including cookie decorating, face painting, and ornament making. We will also have refreshments and local vendors selling small items. There is no entry fee; however, we are accepting donations of unused socks, gloves, hats, scarves and soap for the DeMazenod Door Outreach Centre. For more information please visit www.mountmary.ca. We look forward to seeing you there!
World Youth Day On Sunday, November 24th, 2024 we celebrate World Youth Day! The theme young people are called to reflect on is: “those who hope in the Lord will run and not be weary”. In his message addressed to young people the Holy Father, invites young people to set out on the pilgrimage of life before them, in joy and in hope! To see how others are celebrating world youth day around the Diocese and resources to celebrate yourself please visit: www.wyd.hamiltondiocese.com
Called to Witness and Proclaim: A Pastoral Letter on Evangelization and Catechesis in the Family – On October 9th, 2024, the Episcopal Commission for Evangelization and Catechesis of the English Sector of Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) released a beautiful document titled, Called to Witness and Proclaim: A Pastoral Letter on Evangelization and Catechesis in the Family. The letter, which is a beautiful message to families, can be found by looking on the left hand side of the diocesan website (hamiltondiocse.com) under Departments and Programs in the Family Ministry Office section and then look under parenting and grandparenting.
PARENTING TIP OF THE MONTH #163 On November 1st the Church celebrates the feast of All Saints. On that day, we celebrate with all those who have died and are now with God in heaven. There are many saints and those we are named after are our patron saints. In a world in need of positive and faithful mentors for our children, saints fit the need. November is a great month to explore the lives of saints each family members is named after, or saints who your children might be curious about, perhaps names of other relatives. Talk about how saints lives were not always easy, but they did good and difficult things because they trusted and loved God. Our children grow and learn by the examples of others they see and hear about. Who better to imitate than the saints in heaven! (From: Teresa Hartnett, Family Ministry Office; 905-528-7988 ext. 2250)
MARRIAGE TIP OF THE MONTH Tip #143 There is much written these days about the positive affects on people, emotionally, mentally and physically, when they learn to develop an attitude of gratitude. This is true for marriage as well. When we learn to see our spouses as those we have a high regard for, we look at our spouse with a different set of eyes. We place great value in their attributes, those things they bring to the family and to us, and we learn to find moments every day of thankfulness for their gifts and presence in our lives. Life is about choices, choose gratitude for your spouse (on purpose) and life will be so much happier for both of you. (From: Teresa Hartnett, Family Ministry Office; 905-528-7988 ext. 2250)
Heartache to Healing – Grief Support Group at St. Michael Parish, Waterloo – Grief support provides companionship on the long journey through the grief process. Our support group follows the process developed by Dr. Bill Webster, an experienced leader in grief counselling. All who have suffered a loss are welcome, regardless of how much time has passed since your loss. A monthly informal drop-in support is available at St. Michael Parish on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 7pm in the Parish Resource Centre/Library.
RESTART: Refresh, Renew, Revive Friday Night Support Group – Struggling after divorce or separation? Join us for learning, support and fun on Friday evenings. Held the 2nd & 3rd Fridays of each month, these get-togethers offer continual support and insights for people as they journey through the divorce/separation process and beyond. Join in-person (700 King St. West, Hamilton), or by ZOOM. Register before each session here: https://sites.google.com/view/hamilton-restart/home, contact Sarah at familyministry@hamiltondiocese.com, or call her at 905-528-7988 ext. 2249. We look forward to seeing you!
The Reel Justice Film Festival is excited to release our dates for the 2025 season. Our films this year focus on hope and the personal stories that give voice to those that often go unheard. Themes include women’s empowerment, refugees, youth, Indigenous justice, and environmental care. We start the season on January 23, 2025 with She Rises Up, a revealing look at the power of women’s economic participation. The film follows radically different women from Sri Lanka, Peru, and Senegal who are fighting to build businesses, create job opportunities for women, and contribute to the reduction of poverty in their communities. Film Director, Maureen Castle Tusty and Executive Producer James Tusty will join us as guest speakers. In 2008, they founded Sky Films Inc. to produce documentary films that inform, uplift, and inspire. The Reel Justice Film Festival is a partnership between the Bishop Farrell Library & Archives and Development and Peace. Film screenings are shown online, once a month from January to May. You can view our full film lineup at: https://hamiltondiocese.com/reel-justice-film-festival/ We hope you can join us!
LISTENING TOGETHER, a reflection series will be hosted by the Office for Evangelization and Catechesis throughout the month of November, discussing the pre-Synod meditations from Cardinal-Elect Timothy Radcliffe from the 2024 Synod gathering in Rome. These discussions are virtual sessions, hosted on Tuesday afternoons from 1:00-2:00pm with readings provided as digital texts a week in advance. All are very welcome to participate, registration can be found here: https://hamiltondiocese.com/events/2024/10/fall-book-club-emlistening-together-continued-em/ .
PREPARING FOR THE JUBILEE: Msgr. Kroetsch and Christina Mines will be hosting preparation sessions for Adult Faith Formation Leaders in anticipation of the Jubilee of Hope beginning on December 24, 2024. This is an important moment in the life of the Church! Four brief sessions will be offered around the Diocese of Hamilton throughout the month of November to equip pastoral leaders for adult programming initiatives throughout the Jubilee year. All are welcome to participate. For registration and more information contact:
ECHOES OF HOPE: A RETREAT FOR CATECHISTS: The Office for Evangelization and Catechesis is very pleased to offer a full-day retreat for all catechists at Mount Mary Retreat Centre on Saturday, November 23, 2024. Join us as we journey towards the Jubilee of Hope in prayer, conversation, and thanksgiving for the gift of ministry. Our day will include group and personal reflection, prayer, and a catechist resource fair. Registration and further details can be found here: https://hamiltondiocese.com/events/2024/09/echoes-of-hope-a-retreat-day-for-catechists/.
Young Adults Night – Saturday, December 7th – Brantford During the Advent Season, Fr. Mark Morley invites all young adults (ages 20s and 30s) of our diocese to attend an evening of prayer, fellowship and praise music in support of your vocations. The Young Adults Night includes a Holy Hour (6:30pm-7:30 pm), social with food (7:30pm-8:00pm), praise night with vocations testimony (8:00pm-9:00pm), and Compline (9:00pm) on Saturday, December 7th at St. Basil’s Church (50 Palace Street, Brantford). Sponsored by the Vocations Office of the Diocese of Hamilton: https://hamiltondiocese.com/vocations/ For information, please contact: vocations@hamiltondiocese.com.
ADVENT HYMN FESTIVAL To begin the Advent season, the Diocesan Choir is pleased to announce an Advent Hymn Festival at St. Joseph Parish, 260 Herkimer Street, Hamilton, ON, on Sunday, December 1, 2024, at 7 p.m. Registration is not required, and there is no charge—however, a goodwill offering will go to St. Jospeh’s Parish Neighbours in Need Program. Please see the Upcoming events on the Diocese of Hamilton web page.
