Announcements

Message from the Pastor

The life of the Church is marked by the changes in the liturgical seasons or to give it its more formal designation, the Liturgical Year. We move through Advent, Christmastide, Lent, Eastertide and go back and forth between the seasons to Ordinary Time. These seasons are marked by the change in the colour of the vestments, in the decoration of our church buildings, and of course in the liturgy. In the life of our Pastoral Unit there is also a Pastoral Year, it begins on August 1, and it is marked this year by a significant change in the composition of Pastoral Team. Susan Gardner, Pastoral Coordinator has retired from her position after 20 years with the Pastoral Unit. Diane Lemay has also retired after many years of service to Faith Education as Pastoral Agent. Alex Lasalle, Pastoral Agent, continues to work for the diocese at the Diocesan Center and has also moved on to new opportunities outside of the Pastoral Unit. On behalf of all our parishioners, we wish them well in the next stage of their journey.

The Pastoral Team welcomes a new Pastoral Agent, Ljubica Dekic. In planning the Pastoral Year, and during the consultations for the Future of the Parishes Report, we identified Youth Ministry and Family Ministry as needing particular attention, Ljubica will have focused responsibility for these areas of pastoral ministry, as well as working with the other Pastoral Agents, Karen DeKoninck and Christine Wright to support the Faith Education Program.

On September 1 we welcome Christine Gage as she takes up her newly created post of Administrative Coordinator for the Pastoral Unit. Christine will work to support the administrative side of delivering Faith Education as well as fulfilling a coordination and connectivity role. Christine will share my Pastoral Office at Saint Mary’s Parish and will be at the service of all eight parishes in her capacity as Coordinator.

I look forward to the close collaboration of the new and existing Pastoral Team members as we endeavour, as priests and mandated lay people, to serve the needs of all parishioners of the Saint John Paul II Pastoral Unit. You will find the contact details of Christine Gage and Ljubica Dekic on the website and in the Parish Bulletins of the Pastoral Unit.

Please pray for the Pastoral Team as we go forward, in faith, hope and love into the new Pastoral year.

Fr Manus Bradley

Pastor

Saint John Paul II Pastoral Unit.