EPARCHIAL NEWSLETTER June 2019

UPCOMING EVENT

• The Annual “Aid to the Missionary Church in the World” collection is taken up throughout the Eparchy of Edmonton on Pentecost Sunday.

     Christ died for our sins on the life-giving wood of the Cross. His message of love, mercy and forgiveness is needed ever more in our broken world. As Christians, we are called to continue Jesus’ mission of spreading the Good News, each according to our ability and means.

     Concretely, the Church invites us to collaborate in the mission of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, by giving generously to the following international collections: 

• • Peter’s Pence (Pope’s Pastoral Works or Papal Charities),
  • World Mission Fund,
  • Collection for the Holy Land,
  • Catholic Near East Welfare Association, and
  • Aid to the Church in Ukraine.
    
    
•  Annual Clergy Retreat – June 10-14 (Sanctum Retreat Centre, Caroline). Retreat Master Rev. Roman Dusanowskyj, Pastor, Descent of the Holy Spirit Parish, Sydney, Nova Scotia (Eparchy of Toronto).a
• Bishop David will ordain Subdeacon Cyril Kennedy to the Diaconate through the laying on of hands on July 20 at Saint Elias the Prophet Parish, Brampton, ON.
• 2019 Presbyteral Council Meetings: (2:00 – 5:00 pm, Pastoral Centre):  October 28.
  
• Clergy Conferences: (10:00 am – 4:00 pm):  November 1.
• Annual Clergy Study Days:  October 28-31 (Providence Renewal Centre, Edmonton). Led by Dr. Stéphane Saulnier, Newman Theological College (Professor, Head of Scripture, History, Foundations Department, Director of Undergraduate Programs).a

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Pope Francis invited the leaders of the Ukrainian Catholic Church to Rome from July 5-6, 2019. The Holy See’s Press Office said that the Pope has called the meeting as a sign of his closeness to the community and his efforts to build peace in the troubled nation of Ukraine.

  Pope Francis is once more reaching out to the troubled spots of the world in his effort to bring about peace and harmony.  This time, on the eve of his visit to Bulgaria and North Macedonia, the Holy Father turned his attention to Ukraine.

  The Holy See Press Office released a statement on Saturday saying the Pope has invited the leaders of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church for a meeting in Rome, July 5-6.

  In the delicate and complex situation in which Ukraine finds itself, the Holy Father Francis has decided to invite to Rome, July 5 to 6, 2019, the Major Archbishop, the members of the permanent Synod and the Metropolitans of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church.

  The meeting will also be attended by the Superiors of the competent Dicasteries of the Roman Curia responsible for the country.

  With this meeting, the Holy Father wishes to give a sign of his closeness to the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church that carries out pastoral service both at home and in various places in the world.

  This meeting will also offer a further opportunity to deepen the analysis of the life and needs of Ukraine, with the aim of identifying the ways in which the Catholic Church, and in particular the Greek-Catholic Church, can dedicate itself ever more effectively to preaching the Gospel, contributing to the support of those who suffer and promoting peace, in agreement, as far as possible, with the Catholic Church of the Latin rite and with other Churches and Christian communities.

 

• Pope Francis published an Apostolic Letter entitled You are the light of the world (Vos estis lux mundi). This document clarifies a number of issues with regard to reporting procedures on sexual abuse and accountability within the Church. At the same time, the document demonstrates Pope Francis’ commitment to amend the Code of Canon Law and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches with the inclusion of serious measures to protect the most vulnerable from sexual abuse.

  The document is available at:  Apostolic Letter “Vos estis lux mundi”

  A short video summarizing the document can be found at:  https://youtu.be/PL-hJjk4O_4

• Bishop David, in consulation with the Presbyteral Council, revised an eparchial policy on Voluntary Offerings on the Occasion of Liturgical Celebrations, effective June 1, 2019. The previous policy dates back to 2012.

              On the occasion of the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, sacraments (mysteries), sacramentals and other liturgical celebrations, the Christian faithful often inquiry as to whether a voluntary offering is appropriate in the performance of pastoral functions by the pastor and other clergy attached to the parish.

              The policy is intended by way of guidelines to assist the faithful in responding to questions of voluntary offerings.

• Bishop David appointed Rev. Janko Herbut as eparchial representative to the National Federation of Presbyteral Councils (2019-2022).

         The National Federation of Presbyteral Councils works in a spirit of unity and collegiality with priests and bishops in Canada. It serves the pastoral needs of the people of God by supporting Presbyteral Councils in their roles as advisors to individual bishops and by assisting priests in the integration of their spirituality, ministry and leadership.

• Bishop David appointed Rev. Mike Bombak as eparchial representative for Priests for Life Canada (2019-2021).

    Priests for Life is an association of Canadian Catholic priests and lay people who give special emphasis to promoting and defending the sanctity of life.

• Bishop David received Rev. Matthew Drury, osbm, into the Eparchy of Edmonton for a one-year period, following a grant of Indult of Exlaustration from the Order of Saint Basil the Great – Sacred Heart Province, Canada.  Father Matthew will be available for clergy substitutions upon request.
• Pope Francis proclaimed an Extraordinary Missionary Month to be celebrated October 2019:  Baptized and Sent, the Church of Christ on Mission in the World.
  The Holy Father invites us to live out each day Jesus’ The Commissioning of the Disciples, where he says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28: 19-20).       Pope Francis writes:  “May the Extraordinary Missionar Month prove an intense and fruitful occasion of grace, and promote initiatives and above all prayer, the soul of all missionary activity.  May it likewise advance the preaching of the Gospel, works of Christian charity, and practical works of cooperation and solidarity between Churches, so that missionary zeal may revive and never be wanting among us.”       The Extraordinary Missionary Month October 2019

         In 2019, to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Pope Benedict XV’s Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud, Pope Francis announced the Extraordinary Missionary Month October 2019. 

         The Theme of the Extraordinary Missionary Month October 2019

         For the Extraordinary Missionary Month, the Holy Father has chosen the theme “Baptized and Sent: The Church of Christ on a Mission in the World.” Awakening the awareness of the missio ad gentes, and reinvigorating the responsibility of proclaiming the Gospel with new enthusiasm, are themes that combine the pastoral concern of Pope Benedict XV in Maximum Illud with the missionary vitality expressed by Pope Francis in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium: “Missionary action is the paradigm of every work of the Church” (EG 15).

         How to Live the Extraordinary Missionary Month October 2019

         There are four dimensions, specified by the Pope, to live more intensely the journey of preparation for the Extraordinary Missionary Month October 2019:

  1. A personal encounter with Jesus Christ living in His Church through the Eucharist, the Word of God, personal and communal prayer;
  2. Testimony: missionary saints, martyrs and confessors of the faith, as an expression of the Church scattered throughout the world;
  3. Missionary formation: biblical, catechetical, spiritual and theological;
  4. Missionary charity.

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Prayer proposed by Pope Francis for the Extraordinary Missionary Month  October 2019

Heavenly Father, when your only begotten Son Jesus Christ rose from the dead, he commissioned his followers to “go and make disciples of all nations” and you remind us that through our Baptism we are made sharers in the mission of the Church.

Empower us by the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be courageous and zealous in bearing witness to the Gospel, so that the mission entrusted to the Church, which is still very far from completion, may find new and efficacious expressions that bring life and light to the world.

Help us make it possible for all peoples to experience the saving love and mercy of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever.

Amen.

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