Thanks to Cyril Dowling for providing this jpg.

VM269 (2004-51)         December 17, 2004

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

FOLKS - this is the MOST important article this week:

From: John O'Brien

Dear Friends, As you probably know by now, Chris and LeeAnn Corkery lost their home to a fire Sunday afternoon. There's been incredible outpouring of support, and I know the Corkerys are grateful for this.  At the moment their immediate needs are being looked after by local friends and family. 

While they have lost all their possessions, it is difficult for them to receive donations of goods at this time, so, effective immediately, there is a bank account available to receive financial donations in their name. The press is announcing this as well; feel free to pass this on.

Please direct donations to:

Bank: Any CIBC branch in Canada

Account name: Chris and LeeAnn Corkery Trust

Account number: 1034537

(if needed for reference purposes: CIBC Lakefield branch transit # 04942)

In the meantime, let us keep the Corkery family in prayer as they deal with this unexpected tragedy. Omnes in bonum!   Thanks,  John

Coming soon! - have you been to the golf page at all?  Jack Egan will start to have a weekly “tips” page ... in fact we are two weeks late - keep checking!

The last couple of weeks - we asked you to vote for People's choice movie.

This week - many of you, were forwarding an email about the City {some said CTV} TV phone poll.  I know because, I received it 13 times, and I called each time.  I wondered, why it was so easy - as everybody pointed out.  I asked the guys at Thursday morning breakfast - and nobody knew of a scam.

Well, finally Monique Crowley has provided us with:

From: Monique Crowley ... BOGUS phone in poll — we've been duped! ... Check out the news story below.  Serves ME right for not having checked it out myself!   My apologies....   Monique

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/dec/04121608.html

So folks, instead of dismaying about being duped let’s read:

Click here for the statement of Archbishop Prendergast of Halifax on Same-Sex Marriage and an article by Richard Gwyn on why Canada is not a real democracy. Submitted by Fr. Lindsay Harrison, who also sent in:

Attached is the press release issued on December 8th announcing the launch of ENSHRINE MARRIAGE CANADA, an organization devoted to having the

traditional definition of marriage enshrined in our Constitution. - click here:

and here for an essay by one of the members of its steering committee, Richard Bastien, written well before the committee was ever formed.  It reflects his own personal and reasoned viewpoint but is NOT meant to be a statement of the committee's position or that of its other members:

The Companions of the Cross

Scripture Study Mini-Conference  "The Word of God, Living and Active"

Friday Feb 4th 7:00pm to 9:30 pm

Saturday Feb 5th 8:30 to 5:00pm

YOUTHFEST   7:00 pm

$45.00 per person  (Catered Lunch included)

Tudor Inn Bowesville Road

Contact Mary Lauzon by email at marylauzon@virtualministry.com

From: Christina Lamothe,  

Subject:            Christmas Pageant - Live Nativity Performance

This is an invitation -

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints presents a live performance of the birth of Christ, complete with farm animals, angels and music etc.

Monday and Tuesday Dec 20 & 21st at 7:00 and 8:00 pm

It's outdoors its fun and especially wonderful for children.

There's even free hot chocolate & cookies in our cultural hall (looks like a gym to me).

The church is located north of Baseline Road - 1017 Prince of Wales Dr.

All are welcome.

From: ted and joanne sabourin 

Now you can have your own electronic copy of the Best English translation of the Catholic Bible.  

direct link http://www.zeitun-eg.org/bibmedr.zip to download

or go to this website http://www.zeitun-eg.org (Our Lady of Zeitun) and you'll find the download

I Already installed it and it is  pretty cool.

What is the Douay Rheims Bible?

Catholics looking for the traditional Catholic Bible in English should look no further!

• The Douay-Rheims Bible is an English translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible, a version universally used in the Church for over 1500 years, itself meticulously translated from the original Hebrew and Greek by St. Jerome (A.D. 340-420).

• In 1546, the Council of Trent declared the Latin Vulgate Bible as authentic, and declared that "No one (may) dare or presume under any pretext whatsoever to reject it" (4th Session, April 8, 1546).

• In 1943, Pope Pius XII stated that the continuous use of the Vulgate Bible in the Church for many centuries showed that it was "free from any error whatsoever in matters of faith and morals" (Divino Afflante Spiritu (1943), paragraph 21).

• In 1749-1752, Bishop Challoner, knowing that many English Catholics were reading distorted Protestant versions of the Bible such as the King James Version (KJV), made major revisions to the Douay-Rheims version, to improve its readability without diminishing its accuracy.

• The revised Douay-Rheims Bible has been approved by the Church many times over, including the approbation of Cardinal Gibbons for the 1899 edition that Baronius Press is publishing.

• For over 300 years, the Douay Rheims Bible was the only Catholic English translation of Scripture used. It continues to be used officially in Catholic churches today.

• Many anti-Catholics accuse the Church of having hidden Scripture from the faithful by refusing to translate it into the vernacular tongue. The Douay-Rheims was completed in 1609, and is therefore older than the King James Version, the oldest Protestant translation still in use, which was published in 1611. The Rheims New Testament was published nearly thirty years earlier, in 1582.

• Further, the translators of the KJV make specific reference to the Douay version in their translators' preface. It is commonly acknowledged that, in preparing the KJV, the translators made use of the Rheims New Testament and adopted many of its readings in preference to those of other English editions.

• Since it was translated quite literally and with great reverence for each individual word from the Vulgate, which in turn reflects the structure of the original languages very clearly, the Douay-Rheims Bible can give great inside into the minds of the sacred authors.
  The notes, written by Bishop Challoner are entirely faithful to the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church.

Quotes taken from Baronius Press!

P.S.  Douay Rheims Bibles can be ordered from www.Tanbooks.com

God Bless! Ted & Joanne

And while sharing one site, they have also included: 

Some pretty cool stuff on this site I stumbled across.

Thought you might want to check it out! God Bless!

www.missionoftheshroud.com/

From: Diane Naipaul 

Subject: Eucharistic Adoration in Canada

Dear friends in Christ,

Do you know of any Church in Canada where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed either perpetually, or for any period during the day?   If your answer is yes, please send the name and address of the Church and the Exposition times to: add@therealpresence.org .

This wonderful Site - www.therealpresence.org, has a list of the Churches (that they know of), in Ontario, where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed and would be willing to add other Churches to their list.

God bless. Yours in Christ,   Diane

A few weeks ago, at the monthly Family Formation meeting, I saw a card game. I was very impressed with it ... read on:

This card game (it is actually three different decks, any of which can be played independently but are bought as a set) is based on the popular game called "Taboo" but this is a Catholic version.  The first deck is the general edition and it is quite simple, ie) for the word "liturgy" you have to think of words other than the five "sacred" words - word, Eucharist, mass, Sunday and Church - to say in order for your teammates to guess your word.  The other two decks are the Bible edition and the Saints edition. The Saints edition is the most challenging, in my humble opinion.  The game is good for young and old, it is portable (good for long car trips!) and also a great learning tool. For those who like trivia and are good at impromptu thinking, this game is a perfect fit.  It would make a good stocking stuffer for someone who is hard to buy for.   Personally, we have enjoyed the game with our children and also with adult friends.  The cost is $20 for the three decks and proceeds go to support Familia.  If anyone would like to purchase Sacred Word, they could call or email.  Delivery cost not included; hopefully we could get the decks to people without extra cost.

Click here if you are interested.

To find out more about Familia - please visit FamiliaUSA

From: Graham Cuthbert

This is to mention that on Sunday December 12 and 19 at 12:30 pm on the CTS TV station the "Food for Life" program is scheduled to carry a two part interview in which St. Mary's parishioner Cyril Dowling speaks with Fr. Bob Bedard.  In Ottawa CTS is carried on channnel 25 on Rogers Cable and it is available by antenna on UHF channel 32.

If you didn't know - Cyril is leading the following project: SITE of the WEEK - a new version for us.  One that we have never done before, but because we love him {brother Cyril Dowling} so much, we are having our SITE of the WEEK, point to a SITE of the MONTH ... Remember last week's? http://www.holyfamilyinstitute.ca

The following article is about quality movies - as an update - PLEASE NOTE that we are trying to bring Therese to Ottawa as a fundraiser for the Holy Family Institute

From: Madeleine Thomson   

Subject:  National Rosary Novena re Same-sex Marriage Vote

Please consider joining the spiritual battle in this National Rosary Novena which begins December 19th.  Pass this on to all in your address book.  God bless you.

Hello Friends:

Like many Catholics I am dismayed about the December 9 Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriages.  And, like many, I realized the absolute necessity for prayer as this decision is transferred to the House of Commons for a vote in January.

I thought it would be wonderful if we could aim at a national rosary campaign in the next month.  So I contacted Lifesite, and they have agreed to post the link to a National Rosary Campaign blogsite I created.  The link should be posted on Lifesite Newsbytes in the next few days.  

Lifesite is found at www.lifesitenews.com

In the meantime you can check out the direct link to the National Rosary Campaign here:  www.VivaCristoRey.blogspotcom

So, please pass this email on to everyone in your address book, and encourage all to keep passing it on.  The novena commences this Sunday, December 19.

If not me, then who; if not now, then when; if not here, then where.

Prayer can change the course of history.  

Pax, Donna

A people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants. 

William Penn  1644-1718

From: Carly Grant

Teresa Hurley has started a Dessert Catering Business.  

click here for the 6 page attachment

The Balandis/Graham Christmas letter has arrived. Is my first for this season.

GO TO LIGHTERSIDE Can you imagine? We have had too many funny bone contributions - be sure to go and see entries from Deacon Chuck Fink, Eleanor Sunstrum, Joe Lecour from Sudbury, Harvey & Gloria Winn, even Cindy’s reflection from Illinois - would qualify for this page, AND Fr Lindsay has so many that we decided to also put in his Polar Bear pictures

JAMES 1:17