Year of St. Joseph's - Pope Francis dedicated this year to St. Joseph.  One of the ways in which we will be marking this special year is by a Consecration to Jesus through Jesus through St. Joseph (see Registration link below) 

Consecration to Jesus through St. Joseph
Facilitated by: David and Virginia Charlesworth
To begin March 18, 2021
 
Let’s take this opportunity during the Year of St. Joseph, as declared by Pope Francis, to commit our lives to one of our parish family patrons - St. Joseph. Dr. Greg Bottaro is the author of a new version of an old practice. Dr. Greg is the founder and director of the CatholicPsych Institute, an organization formed to integrate psychology with the Catholic faith. This group is open to all. We will gather each day for a short time via Zoom to read the consecration prayers. Once/ week we will gather (either in person or virtually - to be determined) to discuss a few reflection questions and share faith while integrating mental health.

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul will have available collection boxes for your donations on a monthly basis beginning the weekend of September 26 & 27.  Keeping with the physical distancing protocols, we will not be standing by our boxes at this time. Thank you for your continued support as we serve the people in need in our community

Stratford & District Right to Life Chain  - a silent witness for the unborn on Sunday, October 4th from 2 - 3 pm. at two locations: 1.  in front of St Joseph's Church on Huron St and 2.  in front of Walmart on Ontario St. There will be no social gathering before or after the chain so we thank you advance for your participation in this powerful message of Life.

Heart of Mary ministry for women will continue with self guided monthly programming that can be watched from the comfort of your home. September features lesson one from the series "The Bible and the Church Fathers" a series by Scott Hahn offered through the St. Paul Center. The video addresses several popular questions regarding Church Fathers and you can download the free workbook for lesson one. All information and downloads can be found at www.mountcarmelplaceofprayer.com

Virtual/ Online Worldwide Marriage Encounter Experience No matter where you are in your marriage journey, the Marriage Encounter experience is a heart haven that helps you listen, share and connect more deeply. There’s no group discussion. It’s just about the two of you learning to be the best, most loving couple you can be. It is based around Catholic values, but couples of all faiths are welcome. October 23-25, 2020 For the application and inquiry please contact Gerard & Marge McCauley at gerard.marge@rogers.com or (905) 792-1925. Website: www.wwme.org

Exploring the Word for October/November and Living in Faith daily reflection booklets for October/November/December are now in.  Because you cannot pick up this resource from the churches, we would like to offer to mail copies for anyone interested in receiving one. You can also choose contactless pickup at our outdoor mailbox. All COVID practices are in place to put the material in envelopes to either mail or for pick up. Please email Mary Chisholm at mchisholm@dol.ca or Elizabeth Manto at emanto@dol.ca  if you would like a copy  and please include your address if you would prefer the material to be mailed.
 

Retreats – Visible Signs of God’s Powerful Grace 

A retreat is a time to step back and see what is beyond.  It is done simply with songs, gestures and listening to the Word of God to physically gather with the children.  Our Family of Parishes has a team that leads retreats for Elementary students in all our five schools – grades 1 – 8.  Our team is made up of Fr David Butler, Fr Chris Pietraszko, Marc Bauer-Maison, Donna Campbell, Mary Kay Lobsinger, Amanda Vander Ploeg & Nicole Wallace.  Due to the pandemic, we have not been able to gather but the team has recorded several retreats for the students to watch in their classrooms.