A Boy and his dog

Fr. Matt and his dog Watson over looking Whitehorse
Fr. Peter Keller

St. Michael's & Sacred Heart Faith Community

From Your Pastor

Oh, what a life! We cannot wait,

To be in that arctic land,

Where we'll be masters of our fate,

And lead a life that's grand!

 

Like Calvin from the comic strip, I am off to the Yukon to visit my good friend, Fr. Matt George.  Fr. Matt volunteered to go to the Yukon for two years.  He has found the Yukon is a big place that allows you to do some big thinking.  So I look forward to his insights after his first year there.

My vacation this year came in bite sized pieces that helped stretch summer.  A new associate, Catholic Christian Leadership Camp, Notre Dame Vision and my family get away were all taste little pieces of life that will nourish me for the year to come. I know my trip to the Yukon will be an important break for me to put together the pieces of a busy summer.

Flesh and Blood

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=7d8585b74257fb3467e3f4d2d087fd96568359428289c2d8e

Can we help you in?

From Your Pastor:  Can we help you in?  You will notice at Sacred Heart we have repainted the lines in the parking lot.  We have added a handicapped spot but kept the same traffic flow.  Our parking lot has two entrances and only one exit.  It is the goal of the Pastoral Team, Administrative Support Staff and Maintenance Staff to make our parishes more welcoming to all.   This sometimes means some housekeeping and reminding everyone how we need to work together.  Because space is tight please do not exit out of the Charlesworth entrance.  The traffic on that side of the church is one way; heading north.  We also have angle parking so please do not back into your spot.  Safety is important so please exit the parking lot onto Lecaron Avenue.

What is feeding you?

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=1af33f138a4f7cde075b3240f3a4c87d381fc5f440ac2a082

or what is eating you?

Faith is re-creation

I write this from the heart of Muskoka, enjoying my family vacation. It is a great time to renew relationships and reflect on what is important in life. The self-induced stresses of life float away on the lake with my nieces as we sit and wait for a favourable breeze to fill our sails again. We talk and drift for hours until finally a wind picks up and graciously draws us home.
It is heartfelt gratitude that makes these moments significant. Not something we can grasp at or manufacture but something that can only be received as a gift. These people, this moment, this place... a gift.
Gratitude lies at the heart of true spirituality. It is only gratitude that allows us to receive the gift of others and most importantly it is gratitude that allows us to receive the ultimate other; namely God. When we grasp at or try to manufacture spirituality we are left embracing the lesser gods of pleasure, power, wealth or honour. While all these are good, yet they don't fulfil us totally. Just read the tabloids to see how pleasure, power, wealth and honour can quickly turn and abandon those they once embrace.
Take time this summer and throughout the year to give thanks to God for all things. This essential gratitude allows us to live in relationship with God and others.