Advent is long over, and we have also come to the successful conclusion of this worthwhile activity. Thank you to everyone who participated in the Reverse Advent Calendar Project. All contributions were received this morning (9 am - 12 noon, January 4) and were delivered to our local Food Cupboard in Blackburn Hamlet. They were very grateful for the generosity of our parish and sincerely thank everyone who participated in this outreach project. The need for assistance is ongoing, and those who visit the Food Cupboard for help will be the recipients of our parish’s generosity and kindness. For those who did not deliver their box of items Saturday morning, you may bring them to the church during office hours and they will be delivered to the Food Cupboard in the normal delivery cycle.

Thank you to all you so generously helped to provide the beautiful flower arrangements! Please see the list of intentions and donors here.

I want to personally thank everyone who helped make our Christmas celebration a successful one. Without your help it would not have been done. You made this Christmas season a joyful and blessed one by giving your time and talent. My appreciation to Deacons Dan Careau and Philip Tang and to our talented lively different musical groups, sacristans, ushers, welcoming teams, Eucharistic ministers, the Knights of Columbus and our Décor team and all those who contributed towards Christmas flowers and the new nativity scene. Most of the time you don’t hear but the priest hears all the comments. Many parishioners and visitors said the church was beautiful, liturgical celebration and the music was great and the people were so welcoming. Keep up the good spirit. I would also like to extend my gratitude to everyone for the Christmas cards and your gifts. Thank you for so kind towards me during Christmas time.

Our new sound system has been installed. Thank you to Steve Hughes and Cliff Seibel for all their dedication to this project. Thank you to all the Parishioners who donated to this project as well.

Advent is a season of prayer… we seek to improve our prayer habits, as individuals and as a family. The handouts on this activity are posted on the parish website: https://www.thegoodshepherdparish.com/news/reverse-advent-calendar-2019 Say a prayer each day…Come, Lord Jesus! …then place an item in your box. ** Please deliver your box to the church between 9:00 am – 12:00 Noon on Saturday 5 January 2019 **

Everyone is invited to consider donating to the liturgical décor for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. If you so wish, your donation may be made in memory of a loved one. All “in memory of” names will be published in the bulletins on the weekends of 21/22 and 28/29 December 2019. Specially marked envelopes are available from the Greeters or the Ushers at each Sunday Mass on the first three weekends of Advent; Please clearly PRINT your name and envelope number (for tax purposes), and clearly PRINT the name of the person(s) in whose memory you are making the gift. Donations will also be accepted at the parish office during working hours up to Friday 20 December 2019.

Under the Spiritual leadership of Fr. Vernon Boyd, SJ, Pastor of Holy Rosary Church in Guelph, Ont. October 19-30, 2020 for 12 days at $4390.00. Travel arrangements by International Heritage Tours. For more information, please contact Michael Kwadrans at 1-877-999-8868 ext. 367 or email at michael@intours.com. Flyers will be available at the church foyer.

2020 Sunday Envelopes – The 2020 Sunday envelopes are available to be picked up in the gathering space. The new envelopes begin on January 1st, 2020

Joe Dunham from Net Ministries will be appealing for Parish support for Net Ministries next weekend, November 23/24. Please make cheques payable to the Good Shepherd Parish.

Pope Francis has invited each one us to reflect on this day, the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Throughout the year, the poor need our help by way of prayer, donations of clothing and furniture. A monetary offering will help our St. Vincent de Paul Council provide them with food. Envelopes are provided at the back of the church for your donation. Please make cheques payable to Good Shepherd Parish.

Do you like yummy treats? Are you pro-life and want to help the cause? Delicious traditional Christmas cakes and other tasty gifts made by the Cistercian Monks of Val Notre-Dame Abbaye in St-Jean-de-Matha, Quebec will be for sale in our church the first and second weekends of December after all Masses. All proceeds go to help the preterm babies.

* DATE/TIME CHANGE* Christmas Parish Potluck Luncheon - Sunday 08 December 2019 following the 11:15 am Mass Due to a conflict with other planned community and parish activities the date for this event has changed and it is now a potluck luncheon. Please mark your calendar for Sunday 08 December, following the 11:15 am Mass. At this event we will also be marking a special farewell and gratitude to Deacon Dan as he retires from active Diaconate Ministry; best wishes will also be extended to Dee, his wife, who has journeyed with him in his years of ministry. Please plan to attend, bring along your favourite dish to share and enjoy wonderful fellowship with your faith family. We will have a Christmas sing-along and some activities for children as we endeavour to make this a memorable spiritfilled gathering. We are grateful for all help with the set-up in the morning and tear down at the end. Please contact Marilyn Olsen, Pastoral Council Chair at mabolsen@rogers.com; enter “2019 Christmas Parish Potluck” in the subject line.

The new Living with Christ Sunday Missals will be available for purchase on the weekends of 23/24 November and 30 November/01 December. A table will be set up in the Gathering Space both weekends; cost is $5.00 each. Copies can be purchased any time during office hours.

YOUTH GROUP – Come out to youth group Friday nights for food, fun and fellowship! Junior youth group (grades 6-8) runs from 6:30-8pm and Senior (grades 9-12) from 8:15-9:45pm. All are welcome! Any questions or interested in volunteering? Please contact Kate at: youth@thegoodshepherdparish.com

SECOND COLLECTION – there will be a second collection for the Catholic Missions in Canada the weekend of November 16/17. There are no envelopes in the envelope box for this collection. Additional envelope will be provided.

St-Vincent de Paul and the Knights of Columbus would like to announce: “Pick an angel tag and buy a Christmas present for a child!” By the main entrance, you will find angel tags hung on the Christmas tree. The blue tag indicates the age of a boy, and the pink tag indicate the age of a girl. This is in order to provide a gift appropriate for this child ….

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS 9005 CHARITY AUCTION – Friday, November 8th at 7:00 pm. The cost of the event is $5.00. Proceeds from the auction will go to the Christmas Food Hampers/Food Banks in the community. Donations of cash or unused/new items would be appreciated. Items can be dropped off of Friday, November 8th from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm.

The new heating unit will be installed on Wednesday, October 30th. A crane will be needed to lift the unit into place. At this time, we are unsure where the crane will be placed. If it is blocking the main doors, please use the side entrances.

Saturday, November 2 – 9:00-2:00 pm - Don't miss the opportunity of finding just the right gift for your family and friends. Home baked goodies are waiting for you on the bake table and you can choose from cakes, squares, cookies, etc. Rest awhile and have a delicious soup and sandwich for lunch or a coffee and muffin at the Café.

CURSILLO - It is that time again for all Christian women to consider taking a Cursillo weekend, October 17-20, 2019 at the Notre Dame Retreat Facilities, on St-Joseph Blvd. You must register on-line before Oct 15, 2019. There is still room available, please see the Ottawa Cursillo Movement for more details in what it covers, or call Helen Lemoire at 613 590-7450 anytime for help or more information. I promise once you attend you will be pleasantly surprised and fulfilled with the love of God. You can also see information in the Good Shepherd website under Cursillo.