The mission of our Church endures through every generation, as Christ calls us to be His presence in our world and local community. In this special Jubilee year we celebrate our shared legacy of faith and commitment, recognizing our collective responsibility to preserve and strengthen what has been given to us and what we are called to pass on to future generations. Our parish facilities, like any treasured home, require ongoing care and updating to continue to meet the needs of our parishioners and community. Over the past months, our Parish Finance Council and Church Renovation Committee have carefully reviewed the condition of our campus and outlined recommendations for necessary renovations, which we enclose here for your consideration.
READ MOREAs we celebrate this Jubilee year, we are called to reflect on the growth of our faith community and ensure that our parish remains a welcoming and vibrant place of worship for future generations. Our Lady of Fatima Parish has long been a cornerstone of faith, community, and spiritual nourishment, and we now embark on an important journey to revitalize our sacred spaces to better serve our parishioners and community. This renovation project, designed to enhance both functionality and beauty, will encompass key improvements to the upper and lower levels of our church as well as exterior updates that ensure accessibility and inclusivity.
READ MOREThe Feast of Corpus Christi is celebrated in the Catholic Church on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or, in some places, it is transferred to the Sunday. The feast was instituted to honour the Lord’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament.
St. Juliana had a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament from her youth and longed for a special feast to celebrate devotion to Our Lord’s Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. The saint had a vision of the Church under the appearance of a full moon which had one dark spot. During the vision, she heard a mysterious, heavenly voice explain that the moon represented the Church at that time, and the dark spot symbolized the fact that a great feast in honour of the Blessed Sacrament was missing from the liturgical calendar. St Juliana confessed the vision to Bishop Robert de Thorete, then Bishop of Liège, and Jacques Pantaléon, who later became Pope Urban IV. Bishop Robert was favorably impressed, and called a synod in 1246 which authorized the celebration of a feast dedicated to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament – Corpus Christi – to be held in the diocese in the following year.
READ MOREThere are several accounts of this little girl, later named Little Li. These accounts have various time frames and details surrounding her death. No matter how these narratives differ, this brave little girl showed a deep love and respect for Jesus Christ in the Eucharist that resulted in her paying the ultimate price, her life. Her story has touched the hearts of millions of Catholics throughout the world.
READ MOREThomas of Celano, the first biographer of St. Francis of Assisi, tells us that the saint often used to tell people: “If I should happen at the same time to come upon any saint coming from heaven and some little poor priest, I would first show honor to the priest, and hurry more quickly to kiss his hands. For I would say to the saint: ‘Hey, St. Lawrence, wait! His hands may handle the Word of Life and possess something more than human!'” Such was the love of St. Francis for the Eucharist.
READ MOREJohn Eudes was born in Ri, a small farming village in the Normandy region of northwestern France. His parents were devout Catholics that made a pilgrimage to the Church of Notre-Dame de la Recouvrance following John’s birth to dedicate their son to God. Their devotion paid off, as John developed a strong Catholic faith from a young age.
READ MORESt. Alphonsus was a former lawyer who was later ordained and became not only a bishop, but also a Doctor of the Church. He was a prolific writer, composer, musician, poet, scholastic philosopher, and theologian. He was the founder of the Redemptorist Order, a congregation of missionary priests and brothers who preach the Word and serve the poor and most abandoned.
READ MOREThe martyr of Auschwitz, St. Maximilian Kolbe had a tremendous devotion to the Eucharist. While a student at the Franciscan minor seminary, he often visited Jesus in the tabernacle before or after classes, and signed up as a perpetual adorer at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish. After his ordination, he celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with such profound reverence that those in attendance were drawn into a more personal encounter with Christ. He continued his frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament after his ordination and as his priestly ministry expanded.
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