Sts. Peter & Paul Parish

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS
POPE BENEDICT XVI
FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE
WORLD DAY OF PEACE
1 JANUARY 2012

EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE IN JUSTICE AND PEACE

1. The beginning of a new year, God’s gift to humanity, prompts me to extend to all, with great confidence and affection, my heartfelt good wishes that this time now before us may be marked concretely by justice and peace.

With what attitude should we look to the New Year? We find a very beautiful image in Psalm 130. The Psalmist says that people of faith wait for the Lord “more than those who watch for the morning” (v. 6); they wait for him with firm hope because they know that he will bring light, mercy, salvation. This waiting was born of the experience of the Chosen People, who realized that God taught them to look at the world in its truth and not to be overwhelmed by tribulation. I invite you to look to 2012 with this attitude of confident trust. It is true that the year now ending has been marked by a rising sense of frustration at the crisis looming over society, the world of labour and the economy, a crisis whose roots are primarily cultural and anthropological. It seems as if a shadow has fallen over our time, preventing us from clearly seeing the light of day.

In this shadow, however, human hearts continue to wait for the dawn of which the Psalmist speaks. Because this expectation is particularly powerful and evident in young people, my thoughts turn to them and to the contribution which they can and must make to society. I would like therefore to devote this message for the XLV World Day of Peace to the theme of education: “Educating Young People in Justice and Peace”, in the conviction that the young, with their enthusiasm and idealism, can offer new hope to the world.

My Message is also addressed to parents, families and all those involved in the area of education and formation, as well as to leaders in the various spheres of religious, social, political, economic and cultural life and in the media.

Attentiveness to young people and their concerns, the ability to listen to them and appreciate them, is not merely something expedient; it represents a primary duty for society as a whole, for the sake of building a future of justice and peace. It is a matter of communicating to young people an appreciation for the positive value of life and of awakening in them a desire to spend their lives in the service of the Good. This is a task which engages each of us personally.

The concerns expressed in recent times by many young people around the world demonstrate that they desire to look to the future with solid hope. At the present time, they are experiencing apprehension about many things: they want to receive an education which prepares them more fully to deal with the real world, they see how difficult it is to form a family and to find stable employment; they wonder if they can really contribute to political, cultural and economic life in order to build a society with a more human and fraternal face.

It is important that this unease and its underlying idealism receive due attention at every level of society. The Church looks to young people with hope and confidence; she encourages them to seek truth, to defend the common good, to be open to the world around them and willing to see “new things” (Is 42:9; 48:6).

2. Education is the most interesting and difficult adventure in life. Educating - from the Latin educere - means leading young people to move beyond themselves and introducing them to reality, towards a fullness that leads to growth. This process is fostered by the encounter of two freedoms, that of adults and that of the young. It calls for responsibility on the part of the learners, who must be open to being led to the knowledge of reality, and on the part of educators, who must be ready to give of themselves. For this reason, today more than ever we need authentic witness, and not simply people who parcel out rules and facts; we need witnesses capable of seeing farther than others because their life is so much broader. A witness is someone who first lives the life that he proposes to others.

Where does true education in peace and justice take place? First of all, in the family, since parents are the first educators. The family is the primary cell of society; "it is in the family that children learn the human and Christian values which enable them to have a constructive and peaceful coexistence. It is in family that they learn solidarity between the generations, respect for rules, forgiveness and how to welcome others." (1) The family is the first school in Which we are trained injustice and peace.

We are living in a world where families, and life itself, are constantly threatened and not infrequently fragmented. Working conditions which are often incompatible with family responsibilities, worries about the future, the #4 frenetic pace of life, the need to move frequently ensure that children receive one of the most precious of treasures: the presence of their parents. This presence makes it possible to share more deeply in the journey of life and thus to pass on experiences and convictions gained with the passing of the years, experiences and convictions which can only be communicated by spending time together. I would urge parents not to grow disheartened! May they encourage children by the example of their lives to put their hope before all else in God, the one source of authentic justice and peace.

I would like to address a word to those in charge of educational institutions: with a great sense of responsibility may they ensure that the dignity of each person is always respected and appreciated. Let them be concerned that every young person be able to discover his or her own vocation and helped to develop his or her God-given gifts. May they reassure families that their children can receive an education that does not conflict with their consciences and their religious principles.

Every educational setting can be a place of openness to the transcendent and to others; a place of dialogue, cohesiveness and attentive listening, where young people feel appreciated for their personal abilities and inner riches, and can learn to esteem their brothers ,and sisters. May young people be taught to savour the joy which comes from the daily exercise of charity and compassion towards others and from taking an active part in the building of more humane and fraternal society.

3. St. Augustine once asked: “What does man desire more deeply then truth?” The human face of society depends very much on the contribution of education to keep this irrepressible question alive. Education, indeed, is concerned with the integral formation of the person, including the moral and spiritual dimension, focused upon man’s final end and the good of the society to which he belongs. Therefore, in order to educate in truth, it is necessary first to know who the human person is, to know human nature. Contemplating the world around him, the Psalmist reflects: “When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you arranged, what is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that you care for him?” (Ps 8:4-5). This is the fundamental question that must be asked: who is man? Man is a being who bears within his heart a thirst for the infinite, the thirst for truth – a truth which is not partial but capable of explaining life’s meaning – since he was created in in the image and likeness of God. The grateful recognition that life is an inestimable gift, then, leads to the discovery of one’s own profound dignity and the inviolability of every single person. Hence the first step in education is learning to recognize the Creator’s image in man, and consequently learning to have a profound respect for every human being and helping others to live a life of consonant with this supreme dignity. We must never forget that “authentic human development concerns the whole of the person in every single dimension”, including the transcendent dimension, and that the person cannot be sacrificed for the sake of attaining a particular good, whether this be economic or social, individual or collective... (to be continued)

Something to ponder:
“God’s sign is simplicity.  God’s sign is the baby.  God’s sign is that He makes Himself small for us.  This is how he reigns.  He does not come with power and outward splendour.  He comes as a baby – defenceless and in need of our help.  He does not want to overwhelm us with his strength.  He takes away our fear of His greatness.  He asks for our love: so He makes Himself a child. He wants nothing other from us than our love, through which we spontaneously learn to enter into His feelings, His thoughts and His will – we learn to live with Him and to practice with Him that humility of renunciation that belongs to the very essence of love.  God made Himself small so that we could understand Him, welcome Him, and love Him.” Pope Benedict XVI, Christmas Homily 2006

Catholic Marriage Tribunal

If you are considering remarriage in the Catholic Church at some point, or hoping to enter a marriage with someone previously married, please speak to a priest, or contact the Catholic Marriage Tribunal in St. Catharines at (905) 687-8817. Information Pamphlets - at the back of the church.

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.  To you we cry, poor banished children of Eve.  To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in the valley of tears.  Turn then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us, and after this exile show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.  O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Are you alone? Getting tired? Mount Carmel is an ideal Retirement Home for older adults who prefer independent living supported by personal services.  Operated by the Carmelite Sisters for 90 years in St. Catharines, Mount Carmel offers an affordable, professional and caring environment, enriched by a Christian atmosphere, daily Mass and other devotions.

Please call 905-685-9155 or email carmel@vaxxine.com for a tour of this beautiful Home.

NEW BEGINNINGS (support group for separated and divorced) meeting is held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month at St. Mary’s of the Assumption parish hall (169 Paul Cres., St. Catharines) from 7 - 9 PM. For info please contact Deacon Bob Wood at (905) 682-5664 or Karmen Plantic at (905) 646-2421.

St Mary's St Vincent de Paul is looking for new members. We pride ourselves on making home visits to the needy in our community. Our conference was founded in 1955 and is the oldest in Welland. Last year we made over five hundred home visits and the need is even greater this year. Without new members we will not be able to continue our mission of helping the needy. It would be a shame to see our conference disappear, please consider giving a few hours of your time so that we can continue to serve the needy in our community. Please contact Patrick Rothwell at (905) 732-9475 for more information.

PRAYING THE ROSARY WITH ST. PAUL

First Luminous Mystery: The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan.

A reading from a Letter of Paul to the Romans (Rom 6:1-11)

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore, we have been buried with Him through Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him, For the death that He died, He  died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Second Luminous Mystery: The Wedding Feast of Cana in Galilee.

A reading from a Letter of Paul to the Ephesians (Eph 5:24-32)

The church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Even so, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Third Luminous Mystery: The preaching of the kingdom of God and the Call to Conversion.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 17:22-31)

Saint Paul standing in the middle of the Areopagus said: “Athenians, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription. ‘To an unknown god.’ What, therefore, you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for ’In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your poets have said, ’For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, a representation by the art and imagination of mortals. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Fourth Luminous Mystery: The Transfiguration.

A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians (2 Cor 4:16-5:6)

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is  wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because at what cannot be seen; for what we can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling - if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord - for we walk by faith, not by sight.

Fifth Luminous Mystery: The Institution of the Eucharist.

A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians (1Cor 10:16-17 & 11:23-30)

Is not the cup of blessings which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.

CANADIAN SAINTS

St. Isaac Jogues (1608 - 1646)
St. Jean de Brebeuf (1593 - 1649
St. Charles Garnier (1606 - 1649)
St. Antoine Daniel (1600 - 1648)
St. Gabriele Lalemant (1610 - 1649)
St. Noel Chabanel (1613 - 1649)
St. Rene Goupil (1608 - 1642)
St. Jean de La Lande (1600 -1646)
St. Marguerite d’Youville (1701 - 1771)

CANADIAN VENERABLE
(Servants of God)

Bishop Vital Grandin, OMI (1829 - 1902)
Alfred Pampalon (1867 - 1896)
Elisabeth Bergeron (1851 - 1936)
Delia Tetreault (1865 - 1941)

CANADIAN CAUSES FOR SAINTHOOD
(Servants of God)
Jerome Le Royer de la Dauversiere (1597-1659)
Jeanne Mance (1606-1673)
Fr. Pierre-Joseph Marie Chaumont (1611-1864)
Br. Didace Pelletier (1657-1699)
Jeanne LeBer (1662-1714)
Sr. Rosalie Cadron-Jette (1794-1864)
Sr. Marcelle Mallet (1805-1871)
Sr. Elisabeth Bruyere (1818-1876)
Sr. Elisabeth Turgeron (1840-1881)
Sr. Marie Fitzbach (1806-1885)
Sr. Eleonore Potvin (1865-1903)
Sr. Catherine-Aurelie Caouette (1833-1905)
Fr. Alexis-Louis Mangin (1856-1920)
Br. Theophanius-Leo (Adolphe Chatillon) (1871-1929)
Gerard Raymond (1912-1932)
Bishop Ovide Charlebois, OMI (1862-1933)
Sr. Marie-Clement Staub (1876-1936)
Fr. Eugene Prevost (1860-1946)
Br. Antoni Kowalczyk, OMI (1866-1947)
Louis Emond (1876-1949)
Fr. Victor Lelievire, OMI (1876-1956
Catherine de Hueck Doherty (1896-1985)
Pauline Archer-Vanier (1898-1991)
Georges Vanier (1888-1967)
Sr. Carmelina Tarantino (1937-1992)

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

By observing the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary we honour this “jewel of our race” who, entirely free from all stain of original sin, at the end of her earthly life was taken body and soul into the glory of heaven.  Her assumption is a unique participation in the glory of her Son’s Resurrection, but it also anticipates the resurrection of other Christians.  Crowned now as Queen over all things by the Lord, she is conformed fully to her Son in glory.  Yet, Mary remains for us a mother in the order of grace, and a model in her obedience, faith, hope and ardent love. Mother of God, pray for us!

PRAYER OF A SINGLE PERSON

Guide me, Lord,
that I might do your work
your will, each day.
Thank you, Lord,
for the gift of life, and the
beauty of your creation,
in which I take part.
Give me strength, Lord,
to love, to trust, to live fully,
and to know, always,
that You walk with me,
and I am never alone.

WHAT CANCER CAN’T DO

Cancer is so limited
It cannot cripple love
It cannot shatter hope
It cannot erode faith
It cannot eat away peace
It cannot destroy confidence
It cannot kill friendship
It cannot shut out memories
It cannot silence courage
It cannot invade the soul
It cannot reduce eternal life
It cannot quench the spirit
It cannot lessen the power of the Resurrection

(Anonymous „Catholic Digest” March 2008)

Castelgandolfo, Aug 8, 2007 (CNA):

A friend and admirer of St. Basil, whom the Holy Father remembered last week, St. Gregory was inspired to seek Baptism and to enter monastic life, devoting himself to prayer, solitude, and meditation. The Pope recalled how St. Gregory “loved to leave behind the things of this world and enter into intimate communion with God, so that the depths of his soul became like a mirror reflecting the divine light.”

“Here was a man who sensed the primacy of God and so speaks to us today, to this world of ours,” the Pope said. “Without God, man loses his greatness; without God, there is no true humanism. That’s why we listen to this voice and also try to come to know the face of God.” The Pope recalled how St. Gregory reluctantly, but in a spirit of obedience, accepted priestly ordination. He was then sent to Constantinople, where he preached his five Orations: “beautifully reasoned presentations of the Church’s teaching,” the Pope said.

The Orations, known as "The Theologian", stressed that “theology is more than merely human reflection,” the Pope explained. “It springs from a life of prayer and holiness, from wonder at the marvels of God’s revelation.”

Gregory was elected Bishop of Constantinople and presided over the Council that took place there in the year 381. But the Pope recalled how he encountered so much hostility that he withdrew once more to lead a life of solitude.

“His spiritual autobiography from this final period includes some of his most beautiful poetry,” the Pope said. “As we admire the wisdom with which he defended the Church’s doctrine, let us be moved by the love that is conveyed in his poetry.” At the end of the audience in the Paul VI auditorium, the Holy Father greeted the faithful present, and remembered the young, the sick and newlyweds.

He also recalled St. Dominic of Guzman, tireless preacher of the Gospel, and pointed out that tomorrow is the Feast of St. Teresa Benedetta of the Cross, also known as Edith Stein, co-patron of Europe. “These two saints help you, dear young people, to have simple faith in Christ,” the Pope said. “Their example sustains you, dear sufferers of illness, to participate with faith in the salvific power of the Cross. They encourage you, dear newlyweds, to be spread the light of God through your reciprocal faith.

ANGELS are spirits, but it is not because they are spirits that they are angels. They become angels when they are sent. For the name angel refers to their office, not their nature. You ask the name of this nature, it is spirit; you ask its office, it is that of an angel, which is a messenger.  (St. Augustine)

Why do we live in a different way than we believe in?

In eighth period English class I was told an interesting story. My teacher was parked outside of a church building because he was waiting for his grandmother. His car was blocking the drive-thru area, and another car began honking. He finally moved his car to the side, and upon turning around to see the other driver, he was exposed to the sight of a middle finger. The irony is that the driver had just come out of church. This situation and many others have made me wonder how come there is such a gap between the way a person acts in church and out of church? How come people have such a hard time applying the values of the Church to their own lives? What can young people do to make God more visible through their actions, rather than empty statements?

by Emily Pobratyn

Christ to shield me today

Christ with me,
Christ before me Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down
Christ when I arise
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me
Christ in every eye that sees me
Christ in every ear that hears me

“We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.” - Benedict XVI, Mass of Installation, April 24th, 2005.

Two years before becoming Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Ratzinger, with the approval of Pope John Paul II, wrote in Doctrinal Note from the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith: "{A} well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals." He went on to say: "Laws must defend the basic right to life from conception to natural death... Analogously, the family needs to be safeguarded and promoted based on monogamous marriage between a man and a woman."

St. Eugene de Mazenod

Pope John Paul II said of St. Eugene that “his life was distinguished by an uncommon zeal - something that arose from his great faith, hope and apostolic love.  He was one of those apostles who readied the coming of our time”.  The love of Christ was what drove St. Eugene’s life and his works.  “Jesus, make me love You.  I ask nothing else of You, since I know well that love of You is everything.”

May the 3rd of December - the anniversary of St. Eugene de Mazenod’s canonization - be a day of great gratitude to God for the gift of our Founder and for calling us to the congregation of His sons.  May we also ponder St. Eugene’s holiness and his total dedication to God.

ROSARIES for VOCATIONS

“In our times God has added to the power of the Rosary such that there is no problem, either temporal or spiritual, which cannot be solved this means.” Sr. Lucy of Fatima.

We would like to take part in a wonderful work to pray for vocations to the priesthood, especially from and for our Diocese of St. Catharines.

We are asking people to agree to pray fifty rosaries, or to include in fifty rosaries, the intention of vocations to the ministerial priesthood., especially for our Diocese. If you with to commit to this, or some part of it, please contact Fr. Paul McDonald, one of the vocations workers of our diocese at St. Vincent de Paul Church, Niagara-on-the-Lake, tel. 905-468-7272; e-mail pjm@vaxxine.com

A Deadly Harvest

It is all that surprising that AIDS is on the increase worldwide? Where was AIDS before the time of "if it feels good do it" became a slogan?

Promoting safe sex and the use of condoms, which have proven to be ineffective, condoning extra and premarital sex, encouraging and expecting teenagers to be sexually active, at the same time protecting their privacy from parents, have all contributed to this worldwide epidemic and all the money poured into finding a cure will not help.

The only safe 100-percent protection from AIDS and STDS is abstinence and fidelity in marriage. In the meantime, if self-indulgence is the accepted norm, instead of self control, then we reap what we sow.

Mary P. Nicol, Scarborough, Ontario, Readers speak out,
"The Catholic Register" August 22-29, 2004
Email: Editor@catholicregister.org

A Daily Offering

Oh, Gracious God, I greet you
today with a heart filled with gladness.
May I recognize and appreciate the
blessings you offer me today-and every day.
Give me the grace to experience more fully
your loving, guiding hand in my life.

Oh, Loving God, I place
myself freely in your hands.
May I become more loving and
compassionate with each passing day.
May my whole life be a witness to your love.
I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Fr. Randall, S.T.

Did you know that Catholic health care institutions throughout the world total 110,954?

The Catholic Church administers 6,038 hospitals, 17, 189 ambulatories, 799 leprosariums, 13,238 centers for old people, the chronically ill and the handicapped, 8,711 orphanages, 10,368 child care centers, 10,565 marriage counseling centers, 18,789 specialized centers for education or social re-education and 25,257 centers for the health care ministry.

DID YOU KNOW, THAT: According to the 2001 Catholic Almanac – Brazil has 139 million Catholics, Mexico 118 million, US 62.4 million.  The remainder of the top 10 Catholic coutries, in order, are the Philippines, Italy, France, Poland, Spain, Colombia, and Germany.

Some Statistics for the Church in the World 1978-2000

The number of baptized increased worldwide by 38%, going from 757 million in 1978 to just over one billion, 17.3% of mankind, in 2000. Catholics represent 62.8% of the population in the Americas, 40% in Europe and 2.9% in Asia.

Priests in the year 2000 numbered 405,178 (265,781 diocesan and 139,397 religious), a decrease of 3.75% compared with 1978. This reflects a reduction of 12.4% in the diocesan clergy and an increase of 1.26% in the religious.

Permanent deacons are the group that underwent the greatest evolution over the period in question: Numbers increased fivefold on all continents. Between 1978 and 2000 their numbers went from 5,562 to 27,824, a relative increase of 400.25% .

The number of candidates to the priesthood grew worldwide from 64,000 in 1978 to 111,000 in 2000, with uninerrupted upward trend over the entire period.

20TH CENTURY SAW 65% OF CHRISTIAN MARTYRS

The 20th century may have been the most striking in the annals of Christian martyrdom, and a new book shows it with numbers.

In two millennia of Christian history, about 70 million faithful have given their lives for the faith, and of these, 45.5 million –- fully 65% -- were the the last century, according to "The New Persecuted".

Italian journalist Antonio Socci presented his work during a conference on "Anti-Christian Persecution in the 20th Century" held on May 10, 2002 at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum.

In the journalist’s analysis, the term "Christian martyrs" is not understood in the specific sense of the word (with the recognition of the Church’s processes of canonization), but according to the common assessment of scholars who have compiled statistics on religious persecutions.

Socci’s map of the current persecution highlights countries where Christians are dying for their faith.

It includes the Molucca Islands of Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, East Timor, Cuba, the former Soviet republics, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim coutries, Vietnam, China and others.

CATHOLIC MARRIAGE TRIBUNAL

If you are considering remarriage in the Catholic Church at some point, or hoping to enter a marriage with someone previously married, you should speak to a priest, or contact the Diocesan Catholic Marriage Tribunal in St. Catharines at (905) 687-8817.

For Tribunal information pamphlets ask Fr. Stan.

TO OUR WEB PAGE

Since August 1, 1997, our web site has grown from 5 pages to 41 pages full of historical data and pictures. There have been over 20,000 visits to our web site. We would like to thank all of the visitors to our site.

We ask that anyone who may have information or pictures of historical parish events to please contact Tony Gallaccio, our page's web master, so that they could be considered for insertion on our web site.

Tony can be reached at (905) 735-4644 or by e-mail at tgallaccio@cogeco.ca

As our new church has risen from the "ashes of our past", we as a parish community, can proudly present the "rebirth of our future" for all the world to see.

Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Web Site

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS

Would you like to advertise your business on our "Advertiser's Page" in our weekly church bulletin and our internet web page?

Please contact our Parish office at (905) 734-4824.

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