“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. … And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God.” Rev 11.12

Dear parishioners,

It’s hard not to see Mary and Jesus in this mysterious yet beautiful passage from the book of Revelation.  How nice it is that this year, the feast of the Assumption of Mary falls on a Sunday. Let us celebrate this feast in oneness of heart and mind with the patroness of our parish, wherever we may be.

This will be my last pastor’s corner until Sunday September 12th, since I am leaving this coming Tuesday, August 17th, for a three-week visit to my family in Saskatchewan. I return on September 7th. The parish bulletin will be renewed each week, so keep watching it for new developments and announcements. Next Sunday we will try to resume pre-mass projection of news and upcoming events. This will replace the endless priests’ end-of-mass messages! It has become possible to renew the projections, since there are more and more people in attendance at Sunday masses. Let’s just hope and pray that our projectors will hold out until we have time and financial means to replace them with flat screen televisions.

Fr. Gustave Nsengiyumva o.p., Fr. Gary Franken, and Bishop Monroe will be stepping in to help Fr. Gabriel in my absence. I thank them all for their precious help. 

Admittedly, it is with a certain apprehension and reluctance that I leave on vacation, given the current Covid situation. Daily new cases are on the rise, and are projected to reach 1000/day by September, unless restrictions are re-introduced, which, I don’t think, is going to happen. Further complicating matters, we seem to be hitting a ceiling with respect to vaccinations. The immediate future could be a bumpy ride. Let’s be mentally prepared for a possible rollback of the freedoms we now enjoy, and at St. Mary’s,  let’s stay the course. When at the church, let’s continue to wear masks, sanitize as we enter and leave the church, and distance ourselves as much as possible from people we don’t live with while in the church. Recent developments only confirm that we are doing the right thing. My guess is that in September, Dr. Bonnie Henry will at the very least extend into fall the few restrictions that still remain. We shall see.

In the meantime, strive to enjoy the lovely weather. For the sake of the common good, get vaccinated if you can. And keep safe until we meet again in September. God bless us all in the weeks to come, and may our Mother Mary hold us up to the Father and to the Son in her all-powerful intercession.

Fr. Guy