April 2/3, 2022 - Sunday Bulletin
5th Week of Lent
This week in the Church
Fridays During Lent
NO 7:30am Mass
9:00am Mass
6:30pm Stations of the Cross
7:00pm Mass
Parish Lenten Retreat
Penitential Services
Thursday, April 7 – St. Stephen’s @10:30am
Important Updates
Penitential Services
Tuesday, April 12 – Christ the Redeemer @7pm
Wednesday April 13 – Holy Trinity @7pm
Holy Week Schedule
Holy Thursday (April 14) – 11am – Gr. 5 class will be presenting the Stations of the Cross
Holy Thursday Mass (April 14) – 7pm
Good Friday Liturgy (April 15) – 3pm
Easter Vigil (April 16) – 9pm (please note time)
Easter Sunday (April 17) – 8am/9:30am/11am
CWL
On April 15th, the Catholic Women’s League will offer soup and buns after the Veneration of the Cross which starts @ 3:00 p.m.
On Sunday, April 17th, there will be a Pop-up Bake Sale hosted by the CWL after the 8 & 9:30am Masses
Lenten Contributions
Your Lenten contribution will go to the education of students who need assistance. A collection box is near the West 6th Church door.
Helping Refugees
The Parish is in the process of welcoming a family of 5 to North Vancouver. If you would like to help, please join the Refugee Committee by contacting the Parish Office
North Shore Pro-life
NS Pro-Life encourages your participation in 40 Days for Life from March 1 to April 11.
There are many opportunities to participate virtually or in person. Your prayerful support is welcome.
2021 Tax Receipts
Pick up from back of church this weekend & next
Pick up from parish office
Have them emailed to you – be sure we have your correct email
2022 Collection Envelopes
New sets of envelopes are in the Parish Office for you to pick up. It is important that you use this year’s envelopes to help ensure that you get credit for your donations. Please do not use envelopes from previous years.
Reflections
A Lesson in Divine Mercy and Forgiveness
The Gospel for the fifth Sunday of Lent continues to offer lessons about God's mercy and forgiveness. Last Sunday we heard the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the Gospel of Luke. Today we hear not a parable, but the report from John's Gospel of an encounter among Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees, and a woman caught in adultery.
In John's Gospel, the conflict between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees occurs much earlier than in the Synoptic Gospels. Jesus' cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem is reported at the beginning of John's Gospel. Even after this event, Jesus continues to teach in the Temple. After returning to Galilee for a time, Jesus again enters Jerusalem and cures a man on the Sabbath. From this point forward in John's Gospel, the Pharisees are described as making plans for Jesus' arrest and seeking his death.
In the chapter preceding today's Gospel, Jesus was teaching in the Temple area. Feeling threatened by his teaching and his actions, the chief priests and the Pharisees are already sending guards to arrest Jesus. The guards return, however, without arresting Jesus because they have been impressed by his words. Even more than this, some among the crowds are considering the possibility that Jesus is the Messiah. The chief priests and the Pharisees change their plan. Before making an arrest, they seek to gather more evidence against Jesus by posing a question intended to trap Jesus.
Today's Gospel begins by reporting that Jesus is again teaching the crowds in the vicinity of the Temple. The scribes and the Pharisees approach Jesus, bringing a woman who has been caught in the act of adultery. They put to Jesus the question of what ought to be done in this case.
The Pharisees state clearly that, according to the Law of Moses, those caught in the act of adultery were to be stoned to death. Under Roman occupation, however, the Jewish people did not have the authority to execute people; this is cited in John's passion narrative. To answer the Pharisees' question, Jesus must propose an action that will be either contrary to the Law of Moses or contrary to Roman law. The purpose of the question appears to be similar to the question about paying taxes found in Mark 12:13-17. Either answer, yes or no, will support the Pharisees' case against Jesus.
Jesus avoids the trap, however, by offering an answer that was not anticipated by those who posed the question. Jesus, after writing on the ground with his finger, addresses those who stand before him and suggests that the one without sin cast the first stone. Jesus then returns to his writing. This Scripture reading, by the way, is the only evidence we have of Jesus writing. Yet there are no specific details about what he wrote.
We can easily imagine the scene as the Pharisees and the elders disperse, one by one. Jesus has eluded the trap they had prepared. We might also give credit to the elders and the Pharisees who do not, in the end, claim to be sinless and worthy of passing judgment. These Pharisees are not as self-righteous as the portrait found in the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector (See Luke 18:9-14).
Left alone with the woman, Jesus asks where the accusers have gone. With no one remaining to condemn the woman, Jesus (the one who truly is without sin) sends the woman on her way, refusing to pass judgment on her and exhorting her to avoid future sin.
Jesus' response to those who accuse the woman is more than a caution to us about making judgment of others. It is a profound lesson in divine mercy and forgiveness. As sinners, we are all unworthy to judge the sins of others and we would stand convicted by God for our transgressions. Yet Jesus, the one without sin and thus our judge, offers us who are sinners his mercy and forgiveness. Redeemed by Jesus' compassion, we are sent to sin no more and to live in God's love and peace.
~ Loyola Press
Mass Intentions
Sunday, April 3
· Repose of the Souls of Ukrainians who died in the current conflict
· Repose Elisa & Carmine D’Uva by Michelina & Tony Digregorio
· Repose Luz Lammoglia by Elisa & John Bueno
Monday, April 4
· Repose Rose Yoong by Elizabeth Wong
· Repose Manuel Quieto by wife Gilda & family
· Spec. Intention Anna Hrvatin by Liz Snadel
Tuesday, April 5
· Repose St. Edmund Parishioners
· Spec. Intention Daily Rosary Group & St. Edmund Parishioners by Diane Nation
· Spec. Intention Charlene Wilson by Hildegard Fercho
Wednesday, April 6
· Spec. Intention Lynn McLeod by Elizabeth Wong
Thursday, April 7
· Repose Sr. John Vincent by Elizabeth Livingston
Saturday, April 9
· Repose Michael Goodsell by Elizabeth Livingston
· Repose Raffaele Cusano by wife Rosa
If you need a Mass Intention, please contact the Parish Office
Events
Parish
Parish Groups
ST. Edmund's Christian Meditation Group
Re-starting "In Person" Meditation Sessions
Date: All Mondays at 7:00 PM
Participation in person:
please contact Luis Zunino - lzunino@gzarchitects.com or at 604-987-8304
Option to participate via ZOOM:
For an introductory conversation, please contact Luis Zunino - lzunino@gzarchitects.com or at 604-987-8304 – Afterwards, A ZOOM link will be provided
CWL
Catholic Women’s League meetings are now in person on the 2nd Thursday of each month @ 7pm
On April 15th, the Catholic Women’s League will offer soup and buns after the Veneration of the Cross which starts @ 3:00 p.m.
On Sunday, April 17th, there will be a Pop-up Bake Sale hosted by the CWL after the 8 & 9:30am Masses
School
St. Edmund’s Elementary School - Fundraiser
PICK UP PURDY ORDERS on April 12th at St Edmunds School 2:30-3:30pm
Bishop Thomas J. Lobsinger, OMI Memorial Bursary Program
The annual British Columbia & Yukon Bursary program known as the Bishop Thomas J. Lobsinger, OMI Memorial Bursary Program is underway. The 2022 program is now receiving applications. We are privileged to offer fourteen bursaries of $1,000.00 each to Catholic students across BC. These bursaries are made available on a one-time only basis to young practicing Catholic students who are in post secondary education at a recognized institute of higher learning within the BC. Applications are accepted from Jan. 1, 2022 until June 30, 2022 with the bursaries being awarded in the fall. The Terms of Reference may be found on our web site (kofcbc.org) after Jan 1, 2022.
Requests for application should be addressed to:
Knights of Columbus BC & Yukon
809 Mara Drive, Coquitlam, BC V3C 5T9
Attn: Herb Yang, Bursaries Chairman
Or email: herbykofc@gmail.com
We would like to congratulate the many recipients once again over the past years and look forward to the opportunity to assist many more young people in the advancement of their education.
Religious Education
PREP
Every Thursday at 6 PM - In Person
Children's Choir Training
Every Saturday at 10 AM
Archdiocese Events
Synod
Pope Francis has decided the next world Synod of Bishops at the Vatican, which will take place in October 2022, will have the theme: "For a synodal church: Communion, participation and mission." With that in mind, there will be information cards available at the Church entrance with Topics of Conversation suggested on the reverse side and encouraging us to check for updates on the Archdiocese site www.rcav.org/synod
Special Gifts
Flowers
NO FLOWERS DURING LENT
Altar Candles & Sanctuary Lamp
March 26 – April 8
Special Intentions & Blessings for Jasmin Pinto
April 2 – April 29
Special Intentions of the St. Edmunds Parishioner-Family who donated for the month of April
Bread & Wine
April 2 – April 29
Special Intentions of the St. Edmunds Parishioner - Family who donated for the month of April
Remember a loved one with a special gift
The remembrance can be for an anniversary, a birthday, in thanksgiving or to remember our deceased loved ones. Stop by the Parish Office to arrange to have the Bread and Wine, Flowers, Altar Candles and/or Sanctuary Lamp donated for someone you love. All donations are for one week.
Altar Flowers - $30
Bread & Wine - $25
Altar Candles - $20
Sanctuary Lamp - $20
Masses - $10 (per Mass)
Please contact the Parish Office
Financial Updates
Remember St Edmund's in your Will
A planned gift to be realized in the future, such as the options below, may be the best approach for you and may allow you to make a larger gift than you might have thought possible.
A Gift in Your Will - This is the most common type of planned gift - a gift in your will. Arranged today, a bequest is paid to St. Edmund’s Parish through your estate, after your death. You can give a specific sum, property, or a percentage of your estate. It is important that the full name of the parish and charitable number be included in your will so that there is no confusion about your intentions. (St. Edmund’s Parish, North Vancouver # 11884 9470 RR0064)
Life Insurance - A gift of life insurance is a simple and thoughtful way to make a gift to St. Edmund’s Parish. Insurance allows you to make a modest gift now for a significant gift in the future.
RRSP and RRIF Funds - Naming St. Edmund’s Parish a beneficiary of your RRSPs and RRIFs means all or a portion of these assets can now be left directly to St. Edmund’s Parish upon your death without having to pass through your estate. This arrangement means that no probate fees are payable on these assets. In most cases, the taxes owing on your donated RRSPs or RRIFs at death are offset by the charitable tax credits generated by your donation. Donations of this type are a great way to reduce the substantial deferred tax burden that many RRSP and RRIF plans carry.
Prayer Requests and Advertisements
Our Parish Community is asked to pray for the Special Intention of St. Edmund Parishioners | ||
Our Parish Community is asked to pray for the Special Intention of All Carmelite Priests | ||
Our Parish Community is asked to pray for the Special Intention of Father Steny & Father Cannio |
