Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time August 19, 2018

Tuesday, August 21, 6:30 pm Mass: 
For the repose of the soul of John McGhee
Mass intention by:  John and Sheila Long

Wednesday, August 22, 12:15 pm Mass: 
For the repose of the soul of Brenda Simmons
Mass intention by:  John and Sheila Long

Thursday,  August 23, 12:15 pm Mass: 
For the repose of the soul of Marie-Anne and Baby Oliver McGuire
Mass intention by:   Marlene and Al Bush

Friday, August 24, 8:30 am Mass: 
For the intentions of the people

Saturday, August 25, 7:00 pm Mass: 
For the repose of the soul of Brenda Simmons
Mass intention by:  John and Sheila Long

Sunday, August 26, 10:00 am Mass: 
For the intentions of Amy Shen
Mass intention by:  Marta Bartley
 
Announcements:
 
For parents of Grade Two children, the First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation sessions will begin in late September.  Stay tuned for more announcement from both the school and parish.  Children in Grade Three and above who have not received the sacraments are also welcomed to attend.
 
St. Michael's is hosting a Summer Bible Camp for children age 5 to 12 from the 20th to 24rth of August, 9:30 to 11:30 am. See poster.pdf
 
We have Safeway and Save-On cards for sale.  We sell them to raise funds for the new church building.  They are good across Western Canada.
 
Our next fundraiser for our Shrine Church is Sponsorships. Be sure to check our list of items, in the school entrance.

T.I.A.  2018 -  Together In Action                                          
Parish  TIA Goal:           $18,072.00
Raised to date:                $6,628.00
 
From the Diocese
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There are many scams going around masquerading as your clergy (priests, deacons or lately, the bishop). Please exercise caution when responding to email messages.  If you receive unusual emails, check the sender's email address to see whether it is the person’s genuine address. Even if the sender's address looks correct, always verify suspicious emails by phoning the sender. There have been many similar scams reported by several parishes in our diocese and across Canada.  Please note that these scams do not stop at emails. Those in social media should stay vigilant when responding to friend requests or to other compelling posts requiring a response. There are many fake Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts trying to impersonate people you know and our church leaders. Some scammers may take the time to build a relationship with you to gain your trust, before trying to extort money or other things like gift cards. Please exercise vigilance when you are being charitable. Use the channels you are most familiar with and avoid becoming victims of a scam.

Blessing to Aid our Efforts at Prayer
 
Saint John Paul II wrote that prayer “is always God’s initiative within us.  This initiative restores in us our true humanity; it restores in us our unique dignity.”  The following litany is meant to help believers to enter into this divine initiative while at the same time leaving behind all distractions.
 
Lord Jesus Christ, son of the living God,
Have mercy on me, a sinner.
 
Without prayer, I forget that for me to be, I depend, so I beg, R
Even though I feel unworthy of a relationship with you,R
Distractions and temptations torment me from every side, but, R
When I don’t know words or the right way to pray,R
It is so hard to be silent, centered and still, so R
Prayer is the way that I educate by heart, so R
My defects and failings discourage me from praying; please R
It is easy to doubt the good prayer can do and to see it as a waste of time, so I beg, R
When I am embarrassed to pray or tempted to see it as a sign of weakness, R
Save me from comparing myself to others, from trying to impress you with my virtues, R
I feel so arid, so listless and empty, but, R
When I resist prayer because fatalism tells me that I can never change, R
Since prayer is the only gesture that totally realizes the human being’s stature, R
My attempts at prayer are so crippled because I am so critical of others; please, R
When self-righteousness seduces me to think I am “beyond” prayer, R
We are made as attraction and thirst for life, so I ask in prayer, R
Without prayer you become an abstraction, and so I cry, R
It is so easy to get cynical, skeptical and snide. R
All you ask for in prayer is a heart given over to you. R
The height of prayer is seeing the depths as if they were everyday things. R
Let me always remember that prayer is your gift. R
Prayer is the recognition of the Presence that is my destiny. R
Amen