Holy Name Parish, Toronto

My dear friends,
The Gospel passage for today’s feast of the Ascension of the Lord is the final scene from of Matthew’s Gospel, in which the risen Christ appears on a mountaintop in Galilee, majestically commissioning his disciples to bring the good news of Christ to all nations. The Gospel ends with Christ’s promise: “I am with you always, until the end of the age.” By the power of the Holy Spirit, God is present and available to all of us who wish to be in relationship with him, partake in his mission and share his glory. This is the great calling and destiny we all share in as followers of the Lord Jesus.
As the Easter Season draws to a close, we might pray together:
‘Lord, we believe you are indeed our light, help and stronghold in these dark times. May your Holy Spirit comfort us all; and may our relationship of loving trust with you deepen.’ Amen.

Today is the feast of ascension. To those who wonder what it’s about: It’s the day when Jesus started to work from home.):

Be assured of my prayers and support

Have a lovely week
Fr. Jinto Mathew CSC

My dear friends :)
Even though we remain conscious of the real challenges that we continue to struggle with today, there is a sense of joy in this week’s readings. We hear of it arising from the marvelous acts of the apostles (today’s First Reading), and also in the Psalm, a hymn rejoicing in the great things the Lord has done for his people. In the same way, we have a taste of this joy in the Gospel promise: The Spirit will be given to us, and the Lord will be in us and we in the Lord.
This week, let’s pray that the struggles we have faced over the past months, and the struggles we continue to endure will not hold back the life of the Spirit in us. Let us continually ask the Holy Spirit to carry us forward.  In all things, may we speak with joy of the good things the Lord has done and continues to work in our lives.

Let us pray for the children whose First Communion and Confirmation has been postponed that their desire for Jesus and the Holy Spirit may grow during this time of waiting.
Let us continue to pray for the sick and for all those who are working hard to keep us safe and healthy.

Be assured of my prayers and support.

Many of God's Blessings upon you.
Fr. Jinto Mathew CSC

Dear Parishioners,
I trust you, and your families are well and safe. I am keeping well and I wish to express my gratitude to you for the many ways you support the parish and the community. On Friday 1 May 2020, the Catholic Bishops of Canada consecrated their individual dioceses to Mary, Mother of the Church, seeking her protection during the Corona virus pandemic.  As you know, May is the month dedicated in a special way to the Mother of Christ. During this month let us turn to her and ask for the help of herpowerful prayers to God for us.
Reflection
In the reading for this Sunday Jesus uses the image of both a shepherd and sheep to express the relationship between God and humanity, a relationship that grows with our faith in God. But this faith sometimes is strong, and sometimes it seems weak. So how do we deal with those moments when faith is weak? There is a story of a boy by name Bill who grew up on a farm. He had one task that terrified him. During the fall when his father had to mind the furnace in the barn late every evening, Bill had to bring his father's dinner to him. Invariably, it was dark when he had to make his trip. Bill was frightened by all the sounds and shadows. By the time he reached the barn he was literally trembling with fear.
He was too proud to tell his dad how frightened he was, but somehow his dad became aware of it. So, one night, after he finished his dinner, his dad said, "Maybe I'll walk back home with you this evening." With that, the father extended his hand and Bill reached up to take it. On the trip home, Bill realized that “Every frightening thing stayed in its place!" When our spirits alternate between strong faith and dark fear, we must take the hand of the good shepherd and let him guide us in love. And let us also extend our hands to reach out especially to those who need a supporting hand.
I assure you of my prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Jinto Mathew CSC

WEEKLY COLLECTION
Due to all Masses being cancelled, there is no weekend collection. Thank you to all those that have dropped off their donation envelopes at the Parish office and to those who have signed up for Pre-Authorized Giving (PAG).
There are several ways that you can continue to support Holy Name Parish at this time:

• Drop off in our office mailbox or mail in your regular weekly offertory contribution to the Parish office.

• Contribute to the Parish offertory through Pre-Authorized Giving through withdrawls from your bank account. You can make a onetime donation or a recurring contribution to Holy Name offertory or other special funds. You can request a form from our Parish office through email. Contributions are withdrawn on the 20th of each month. Please contact us at: (416) 466-8281 or by email at:holyname@rogers.com.

LIVING OUR BAPTISMAL CALL

As Jesus is at prayer after submitting to John's baptism, his true identity is revealed. He is God's beloved Son, the one filled with the Holy Spirit. This powerful experience marks the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, his work of proclaiming and making present the Reign of God. It forms the overarching context for all that Jesus will say and do.

On this feast of the Baptism of the Lord, each of us is invited to reflect on our own baptism. In that sacrament our true identity was received and affirmed. Each one of us is a beloved daughter or son of God. As we come to realize our identity more deeply, we are changed. That experience is transformative. It changes the way we envision our lives, other people, and what is really essential in life.

Jesus' experience of living as God's beloved Son impelled him toward his mission of proclaiming the Reign of God. As God's beloved daughters and sons, we are commissioned to continue the mission of Jesus. It is by strengthening our relationships with God, with our sisters and brothers in Christ, and with the people we are sent to serve, that we realize our identity – that we become who we really are. Along the path of that journey, God speaks in the hearts of each one of us: "You are my beloved son/daughter; with you I am well pleased."

Fr. Jinto

GOING ON VACATION?

If you are planning to be away on vacation and are a user of weekly envelopes, we encourage you to include those envelopes for those weeks you will be absent from the parish. We depend on your regular contributions to maintain our weekly, ongoing expenses. Remember, postdated cheques can be used anytime in the collection basket or by the Pre-Authorized Giving Plan. Support can now be automatic through a pre-authorized giving plan available to our parish. Brochures are available at the entrance of the church and at the parish office. To participate please complete the authorization form. Forms are on bookrack at the entrance of the church. Forms may be returned in the collection basket next week or mailed to the parish office. Thank you for your continued, generous support!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Family of Faith Campaign and Upcoming Projects

First of all, I want to thank you for your on-going commitment to the Family of Faith campaign and for honoring the pledge that you have made. As you are aware a substantial portion of the funds raised will be used right in our parish and we are using some of it to pay for renovations and accessibility facilities.
After discussing and getting the approval of our finance council I have requested for $30,000 dollars from parish's share for a couple of projects. The funds will be used to replace the shingles on the rectory roof and for improved lighting in the church. The shingles on the rectory roof is in a bad shape and needs to be replaced. We will also be replacing the present light bulbs with LED lights in the church and rectory and will be doing some electrical upgrade as requested by our insurance company.

These two projects are expected to be completed by the end of the month.

Fr. Jinto, C.S.C.