SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER PARISH

Fr. Peter Proulx, Pastor Deacon Don Smith

331 Plaunt Street, South; P.O. Box 396
Renfrew, Ontario K7V 4A6
Tel: (613) 432-5825 Fax: (613) 432-6663
E mail: sfx.parish@on.aibn.com Web Site: www.sfxrenfrew.blogspot.com
“St. Francis Xavier, a welcoming faith community lovingly sharing the gifts of God.”

1ST SUNDAY OF LENT

FEBRUARY 21ST, 2010
PRAYERS FOR THE DECEASED: We pray for our loved ones who have died recently.
PRAYERS FOR THE SICK AND SHUT-IN: “Let us raise up in prayer those who seek
God’s healing love, those at the hospital, hospice and at home. May your struggle be
consoled by Christ’s love“.

Please note that Father Proulx will be away
Monday , Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
We are happy to welcome Fr. John McElliott for
our weekly liturgy
Haiti Relief Collection: Bishop Mulhall wishes to ex-
press his appreciation to those who donated so generously
to the parish collections for Haiti. The people of the Dio-
cese of Pembroke have generously donated $192,453.99 to
assist those directly affected by this devastation.
THE WAY OF THE CROSS: An ancient and
powerful tradition of our Church is to gather,
particularly during Lent to pray – the Way of the
Cross. We here at St. Francis are fortunate to
have the C.W.L.
members facilitate this prayer time each Monday
of Lent at 12:10 p.m. Please join us. If you have
never had the opportunity we welcome you and
will provide the booklets for your reflection on
each of the fifteen stations.

A LENTEN OPPORTUNITY!
Caritas in Veritate
We will not be hosting a Parish Mission during Lent this year. We are naturally planning for this opportunity
next year. We are however pleased to have Fr. Bill Ryan with us this year. On the weekend of March 6th and
7th, Fr. Ryan will be the homilist at our masses. On Sunday evening March 7th at 7:00 p.m. he will speak on
“CHARITAS IN VERITATE”; Pope Benedict’s Encyclical on Love expressed through Charity, Truth
and Justice. A social time will follow the presentation. Please note the date and time and please feel wel-
come to invite your friends to join us.

LENTEN COLLECTION: Bishop Mulhall has written a message about our Annual Lenten Collection.
Share Lent and Development & Peace have become somewhat synonymous. Due to some enquiry about
some of the Development & Peace partnerships, the Bishop has made alterations in the way in which Pem-
broke Diocese will administer funds. Copies of the Bishop’s letter are available at the tables near the en-
trances to the church.

COUNTING TO FORTY: There are 46, not 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. So
how do we get 40? Not through mathematics, but through theology! Every Sunday is the memorial of
the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus – every Sunday, in a sense, is Easter, even during the
Lenten season. When we subtract the six Sundays of Lent (including Palm Sunday) from the
total, we end up with exactly 40 days. Traditionally, these 40 days include two periods of fasting; the
Lenten fast, which takes us through Wednesday of Holy Week (which concludes at sunset on Holy
Thursday right before the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper); and the more ancient Paschal fast
during the Triduum itself (Good Friday– Holy Saturday).

Does this mean the Sundays of Lent don’t count – that we should indulge in the things we give up during
the rest of Lent on those days? Of course not! The Sundays of Lent are the heart of the Lenten season.
Although we don’t have to adhere to our Lenten promises on Sunday, it makes sense to continue our
Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving on these days. Lent is an exercise in grace – not
mathematics!
 LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS
Please carefully note the times of the daily Liturgies
MON Feb. 22 12:10 p.m. THE WAY OF THE CROSS
7:00 p.m. Marlene Windle – The Family
TUE Feb. 23 9:30 a.m. Anna McArthur – Son Mickey & Family
WED Feb. 24 4:30 p.m. Trudy Tomlin – Muriel Freamo-Deslaurier
THU Feb. 25 10:30 a.m. Theresa Lynch – Jean Lynch
12:10 p.m. Anna Mae Belanger – Darlene & Fay
FRI Feb. 26 8:00 a.m. C.J. McNulty – Aileen Power
SAT Feb. 26 5:00 p.m. Tom Prince – The Family
SUN Feb. 27 10:30 a.m. Intentions of Bob Dooling – Joan Skebo & Family
Intentions of the Parishioners – Father Proulx
LITURGICAL ROLES
FEBRUARY 27th/28th, 2010 – 2nd Sunday of Lent
SUNDAY OFFERING:
SATURDAY EVENING MASS - 5:00 p.m.
MINISTERS OF THE WORD – P. Dowdall; J. Dowdall
February 14th:
MINISTERS OF HOSPITALITY – M. Maloney; D. & C. Sulpher; E. Yantha $3,490.51
$3,273.00 (230 envelopes –
MINISTERS OF THE EUCHARIST – L. Armstrong; D. Lennox; D. Mantil;
average donation: $13.88) +
D. Mooney; H. Robinson $56.51 (Loose)
ALTAR SERVERS: K. & C. Dowdall; C. Holley; T. Sul + $161.00 (9 EFT postings)
CANTOR: L. Mahusky
SUNDAY MORNING MASS - 10:30 a.m.
MINISTER S OF THE WORD – J. Perry; M. Richards
THIS WEEK AT S.F.X.:
MINISTERS OF HOSPITALITY – B. & M. Charbonneau; B. & E. Keon *Wed. Bereavement Grp. 7:30 p.m.
EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS – A.M. Millar; M.L. Rowat; T. McIntyre
(Rectory Mtg. Rm. #1)
D. & M. McIntyre
ALTAR SERVERS: A. & N. Wright; S. Rowat; S. Daynes
CANTOR: J. Mathieu
ON OUR WAY WITH JESUS
The young people and their parents are again on their way – now preparing to come to the Table of
Eucharist. Please keep them in prayer. May this year of journeying with God and our Parish be very
rewarding. St. Francis Pa
Parish
rish will be enriched by your ongoing faith formation.
CONFIRMATION
Bishop Mulhall will be here on April 17th to celebrate Confirmation at the 5:00 p.m. Mass. Who should be
confirmed? Young people who desire to experience the Spirit of God in their lives. Registration forms
are available at the parish office. The time of preparation will soon begin. Our gratitude is expressed to
the parish catechists who are willing to journey with the candidates and their families.
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
The World Day of Prayer is observed annually on the first Friday in March. It is an invitation for
Christians to pause and pray together ecumenically. Each year it recalls our Christian responsibility to
be sensitive to the signs of the times so that we might bring a more authentically Christian dimension to
the concerns of our world, our country, our community. This day of prayer is sponsored by the
Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada and its national counterparts around the world. It is cele-
brated in approximately 165 countries. In Canada, Catholics are members of the national council of
the WICC as well as of many local councils across the country. This day can be an opportunity for
moving toward more important role for prayer in the life of our Christian community. It is fitting to
have such a day of prayer in Lent, when we are called to more fervent prayer for others.
This year the local service will be hosted here, at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Friday,
March 5th at 2:00 p.m. This year’s theme is “Let everything that has breath praise
God.”

ALL SINGERS: are invited to practice for new songs. The rehearsals will be Saturdays at
6:00 p.m. on February 27, March 6, 13 and 20 and Saturday, April 3 at 4:15 p.m.

>BELL TOWER FUNDRAISING LUNCH: for Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish ~ Soup, Sandwiches &
Something Sweet ~ February 20th from 12 to 2 p.m. ~ Cost :$12 ~ Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish
Hall, Braeside ~ see posters.
>Holy Name Society of Our Lady of Fatima Card Parties: Feb. 21, Mar. 7 and Mar. 21. at 7 p.m. in
OLF Parish Hall. Admission: $3; lunch will be served; 50/50 available.
>SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL: for the Messenger of the Sacred Heart is $15.00. Please remit to Johanna
Mathieu. Payments may be put in the collection basket in an envelope clearly marked “Sacred Heart Messenger Re-
newal”; please include name and phone number. New members encouraged. Info contact Johanna at 432-7622.
>VICTIMS SERVICE OF RENFREW COUNTY : is looking for Crisis Responder Volunteers. Info call 613-649-
2852 or 1-877-568-5730. Applications are now being accepted for our Spring Training.