127 Liberty Street South, Bowmanville, Ontario  L1C 2P5

stjoeschurch.ca  |  [email protected]  |  Facebook  |  905-623-3233

Saturday, December 12th

8:00am - Daily Mass in the church

for the special intention of Ricardo de Dios Jr.

3:45pm to 4:15pm - Reconciliation in the church

4:30pm - Sunday Mass in the church and online

for the special intention of Pat Coles

Sunday, December 13th (Third Sunday of Advent)

9:00am - Sunday Mass in the church and online

for the people

11:00am - Sunday Mass in the church and online

for the soul of Werner Ruthard

7:00pm - Sunday Mass in the church and online

for the deceased members of Knights of Columbus 6361



Monday, December 14th

8:00am - Daily Mass in the church

for the special intention of all cancer patients



Tuesday, December 15th

6:15pm to 6:45pm - Reconciliation in the church

7:00pm - Daily Mass in the church

for the special intention of Amber Gormley



Wednesday, December 16th

8:00am - Daily Mass in the church



Thursday, December 17th

8:00am - Daily Mass in the church

for the soul of Alma Tanti



Friday, December 18th

8:00am - Daily Mass and Holy Hour in the church

for the soul of Christine Adams



Saturday, December 19th (Day of Mercy)

8:00am - Daily Mass in the church

8:30am to 4:15pm & 5:30pm to 7:45pm - Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions

10:00am - Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary in the church

3:00pm - Chaplet of Divine Mercy in the church

4:30pm - Sunday Mass in the church and online

for the souls of Charles Coady & Doreen Reid



Sunday, December 20th (Fourth Sunday of Advent)

9:00am - Sunday Mass in the church and online

11:00am - Sunday Mass in the church and online

for the people

7:00pm - Sunday Mass in the church and online

for the souls of Margaret, Gerard & Daniel Clancy

Except for those who have a medical exemption, all who join us for worship in person are required to wear a face covering over chin, nose and mouth while in the church.



At the request of the Ontario Bishops, all are now required to sign in with a name and phone number when entering the church for any celebration (including Sunday and daily Masses, Baptisms and Funerals). This information is kept for contacting tracing purposes only.

Sign up for Mass next weekend today! All are welcome to save space for their household any day of the week directly from our website. Signup closes on Friday's at noon.

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Experience the love of God first hand during a day of Mercy on Saturday, December 19th. Here’s what’s happening:

8:00am - Mass

10:00am - Joyful Mysteris of the Rosary

3:00pm - Chaplet of Divine Mercy

4:30pm - Mass

7:30pm - Benediction

Expostion of the Blessed Sacrament

8:30am to 4:15pm & 5:30pm to 8:00pm

Confessions

8:45am to 4:15pm & 5:30pm to 7:30pm

To accommodate more Christmas Masses, the schedule is a bit different this year:

Christmas Eve, December 24th at 4:00pm, 5:30pm, 7:00pm, 8:30pm and 10:00pm

Christmas midnight Mass on December 25th at 12:00am

Christmas Day, December 25th at 10:00am and 11:30am



Christmas Masses will also be streamed online!

Share the Good News of our Saviour's birth with a friend, family member or loved one! Invite them to Christmas Mass. You will also receive a reminder in your email.

those who have died, especially...

Jim Johann, Annie Ward Hughes,
Mauricio Luis Almedia, Valerian & Lethisia Gomes, 
Violet & Robert D'Souza, Ben,

Reynol Miranda, Anthony Kattikaran,

Kirthi Mohan, Kavya's Mom,

Shravan's Mom, Bharathi Aunty,

C D'Souza, Carol O'Rourke,
Yvonne McDonough, Cormac Kerin,
Joseph Zerafa & Tracy Kitchen



and those who are sick, especially...

Edrean Rubejes, Ann Maas,
Mia Ward, Peggy Burt,
Pat Coles, Brian Wihlidal,
Shane Richard, Gail Lorraine
& Shea Kerin



Jesus, Our Lord, we ask you to have mercy on all who are sick. Give them your strength and love and help them carry this cross with faith. May their sufferings be one with yours, overcome the power of evil and lead others to our Father in Heaven. Lord Jesus, hear our prayer, for you are Lord forever and ever. Amen.

Have a name to add to this list?

December 7, 2020

Memorial of St. Ambrose

Dear Clergy, Religious and Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Peterborough,

As the season of Advent progresses, it is a time of longing and expectation like no other. We continue to pray for health, wellbeing, and a return to normal life, but we know that the COVID-19 pandemic will be with us for a while still.

Since the re-opening of our churches in June we have worked diligently as clergy and parishioners, in partnership with public health officials, to implement our Worship Safe guidelines and ensure the health and welfare of our people. I wish to thank you for your patience and your diligent efforts in this regard. They have allowed our parishes to promote the spiritual lives of the faithful while also attending to their physical health. As Catholics, we follow the prudent restrictions that are outlined in these protocols as a matter of good citizenship and as an exercise of our faith. Moreover, they help us to fulfill the obligations of charity and justice toward our neighbour.

While a certain amount of pandemic fatigue is understandable, it is important for all of us to redouble our efforts to follow the Worship Safe protocols. The Assembly of Ontario Bishops Worship Safe Committee has recently released some enhanced protocols to ensure the wellbeing of the people who come to our churches. This is important as we head into the winter months and as we are seeing a great surge in the number of cases in our province. We must be diligent about wearing masks at church and continue to practice safe physical distancing – at least 2 meters if not in the same household. This allows us to have confidence in each other and assures the civil authorities that we are being responsible in what we are doing to follow public health guidelines here in our Diocese.

With the recent, dramatic increase in the number of cases in our province, I wish to reaffirm our stated policy on the reception of Communion. Holy Communion must be received on the hand rather than the tongue during this time. While reception on the tongue remains normative in our Church, it is good to recall that the practice of receiving on the hand is an ancient and venerable one. As long ago as the 4th century, St. Cyril of Jerusalem wrote, “In approaching therefore, come not with your wrists extended or your fingers spread; but make your left hand a throne for the right, as for that which is to receive a King.” I am aware that this is a sensitive matter for some. Canon law reminds us that the exercise of our rights in the Church must take account of the common good and our duty toward others (C. 223 §1). Therefore, I ask that those whose practice is to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, set aside this right for the sake of others. This practice of charity and fraternity will be an expression of who we are as the Church.

It is also important that physical distancing be maintained during the procession for Holy Communion and that masks be worn – they are to be removed at the moment of reception using the straps, without touching the front of the mask.

I thank you for your attention to and cooperation with these protocols which have been implemented for the wellbeing of all who come to our churches. With you, I pray for an end to this pandemic with the hopes that we might return to a more typical celebration of the Mass sometime in 2021.

May God bless you abundantly in this joyful Advent and Christmas time, and may you and your family members be safe and well.

Yours in Christ,

+Most. Rev. Daniel Miehm, Bishop of Peterborough

Sunday Missals are now available after Masses this weekend! Get one for $5. To make this a safe, contactless transaction, please have exact change ready as no change will be given.



Giving Envelopes are also ready to pick up.



To get yours, see one of our hospitality ministers

The sponsorship of our refugee family is soon coming to an end. On December 10, 2019, Nael, Linda, Mira and Zaid landed in Toronto, coming to us via Turkey. They were so happy to be reunited with their family residing in Newcastle after six years of separation. They quickly adapted to life in Bowmanville, learning how to shop in the various stores and take local transit. All members of the family have improved their English by attending classes in school or online. When COVID-19 hit, they coped well and always had smiles on their faces. Linda, who is a good seamstress, donated many face masks and gowns she made to local long term care homes. Nael the father, found a job first at Price’s Market then at Algoma Orchards until the end of November. The Lutfi family recently moved to Cobourg where we were able to find a three-bedroom house for them. Nael has also found a suitable job. We wish them well on their new journey. Although they succeeded in many ways, the pandemic did not allow the family to benefit from all the usual help available to new immigrants. They still need our prayers.

When life resumes to normal, our committee plans to have a parish reception for the Lutfi family.

Blessings and thanks to all those who have contributed money, their time and support to our Syrian family.

St. Joseph Welcome Committee

Nick, Liesje, Hedy, Mary Jo, Christina, Chris, Barb and Susan.

Each week, our priests open the Good News for us through the message of the homily. Both the transcript and a recording of these homilies are available for reflection right from the website:

The Bishops of Canada offer weekly reflections for each week of Advent.



Watch them here!

Congratulations to Thomas Gurr who will be Baptized at St. Joseph Church this weekend!



Keep him in your prayers

Regular offerings for our parish can be put in the mail slot of the parish office.



See more ways to support our parish at give.stjoeschurch.ca!