Daily readings:
22/03 Monday: [1] Daniel 13.1-9, 15-17,19-30, 33-64 [Gospel] John 8.1-1S1
23/03 Tuesday: [1] Numbers 21.4-9 [Gospel] John 8.21-30
24/03 Wednesday: [1] Daniel 3.13-20, 24, 49- 50, 91-95 [Gospel] John 8.31-42
25/03 Thursday: SOLEMNITY OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD [1] Isaiah 7.10-14; 8.10d [2] Hebrews 10.4-10 [Gospel] Luke 1.26-38
26/03 Friday: [1] Jeremiah 20.7, 10-13 [Gospel] John 10.31-42
27/03 Saturday: [1] Ezekiel 37.21-28 [Gospel] John 11.45-57
28/03 Sunday: PASSION (PALM) SUNDAY [Gospel] Mark 11.1-10 or John 12.12-16 [1] Isaiah 50.4-7 [2] Philippians 2.6-11 [Gospel] Mark 14.1 - 15.47
REFLECTION ON THE READINGS
FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
- First Reading Jeremiah 31.31-34
Am I still getting to know the Lord, or is his law right in my heart? Am I as faithful to God’s law as I would be to my spouse? What might tempt someone to infidelity to a spouse? What might tempt me to infidelity to God? Have I come to know God better through his forgiveness of my sins?
Psalm 51: “Create in me a clean heart, O Lord.”
2. Second Reading Hebrews 5.7-9
Why did Jesus, “in the days of his flesh”, pray to be saved from death? Did he really have to suffer to learn obedience? Did he have to be made perfect? How has the suffering in my life affected my relationship with God? Has suffering helped me to learn obedience to God, or to become more holy?
“Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus Christ! Whoever serves me must follow me, says the Lord; where I am, there will my servant be also.”
3. Gospel Reading John 3.14-21
How much do I want to see Jesus? Do I love my life in the world, or hate it? What then can I expect for eternal life? Am I ready to follow Jesus as his servant? Am I ready to follow even to death on the cross? Do I need a voice of encouragement and praise? Did Jesus? How was the name of the Father glorified through his Son?
PRAY FOR THE SICK: May Chu, Caroline Bayle, Camilo Romero, Adela Lim, Mary Martin, Ky Truong, Gina Tabul, Olivera Lambeta, Ngan Thi Trinh, Thuong Van Tran, Francesca Cabrales, Maria Garcia, Pho Ho, Danita Chow, Hong Van Le, Tuyen Thi Nguyen, Phu Thi Truong, Bernard Boos, Hanh Huynh, Mary Magdalene H, Thanh Thi Dao, Sa Thi Dang, Phuong Van Nguyen, Hoa Xuan Thi Le, Estrella Rodriguez, Felipe Sobredo, Long Van Nguyen, Tuyen Van Nguyen, Patricia Rudolph, Shirley De La Cruz, Dinh Thi Luyen, Fr. Vincent Thao Dinh, Fr. Joseph Thuy Le.
PRAYER FOR THE MONTH (March)
Sacrament of Reconciliation: Let us pray that we may experience the sacrament of reconciliation with renewed depth, to taste the infinite mercy of God.
PARISH NEWS
Holy Communion Distribution: has resumed and will be offered at the following times: Saturdays from 8:15pm to 9:00pm and Sundays from 1pm to 2pm on the west side of our church (at the choir entrance). Please be sure to follow the parish safety plan and instructions from the Parish Security Team.
Second Collection: for Building Fund
Live-Streamed Mass on Saturdays: at 9am during Lent, followed by Stations of the Cross at 9:30am.
Parish Learning Incentive Program. Our Parish is currently looking for financial donors for our elementary school. There are 8 classes in the school and each class is funded $300/year. Funds would be used for in-class awards and activities that encourage academic success. Please contact the parish office for more information.
Parish Lenten retreat: “To be with God in the Midst of Sufferings” will be given by Fr. Joseph Mary An Gia Cao, S.J from Rome, will be held via Zoom and live-streamed via YouTube through our parish website on the following dates:
- Tuesday, March 23 from 8pm - 10pm in English
- Wednesday, March 24 from 8pm-10pm in Vietnamese.
Attending via Zoom requires registration through the Eventbrite website. The tickets are limited and available now until March 21.
Lenten confession times:
- Tuesday-Thursday: 7pm to 8pm
- Friday-Saturday: 6pm to 6:45pm.
- For special cases, please contact the parish office to make an appointment.
Fasting during Lent:
Fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday
- Adults: from 18 to 59 years old: fasting and abstinence
- Children from 14 to 17 years: abstain from eating meat
- Elderly from 60 and older: abstain from eating meat
- All Fridays during Lent: abstain from eating meat or can be replaced by acts of charity.
• Exempt: Those who cannot keep fasting and abstinence due to health reasons, can do a self-sacrificing or some kind of sacrifice or charity.
Tax Receipts: Please pick up your tax receipts for 2020 donations to the parish, school and Project Advance at the parish office. They are in numerical order by your envelope number or alphabetical order by family name for donors who do not have envelope numbers.
Parish Pre-school Service: Our Parish is currently applying for permits to operate a Pre-School. Parents with children from ages 2.5 to 5 are encouraged to contact the parish office if they are interested in registering for the September 2021 school year.
All Were Filled: Do you know anyone struggling to have enough food to eat? Maybe you lost your job due to Covid-19 and are having trouble making ends meet. The All Were Filled Project offers free frozen food packets of hearty soups and/or entrées to put over rice, pasta or potatoes. There is no qualifying requirement to receive the food, and your order is confidential. Every week, you can order your box of food by Friday at 5 pm and pick it up or have it delivered on Friday afternoon the following week. Just call 604-876-7826 or email [email protected] to order a box that has 6 different dishes (7 servings each). We are in this together. Help us get the word out or call to place your order today. No one we know should go hungry!
Weekly Collection Envelopes: for 2021 can be picked up at the church entrance.
PARISH INFORMATION
LENTEN CONFESSION – Tuesday-Thursday: 7pm to 8pm, Friday-Saturday: 6pm to 6:45pm. For special cases, please contact the parish office to make an appointment Friday-Saturday: 6pm to 6:45pm.
BAPTISM – Baptism is celebrated on the 1 st Saturday of each month at 3pm. Parents must attend the Baptism Preparation Seminar prior to the date of Baptism. Please contact parish office at least 3 weeks in advance.
WEDDING - Please contact parish office at least 6 months before wedding date.
ANNOINTING OF THE SICK - Please contact parish office, 9:00 - 17:00, weekdays: 604-876-7826. After 17:00 and weekends: 604-710-2175
HOUSE AND VEHICLE BLESSING: Please contact parish office
Grade 8 Application now available - St. Patrick Regional Secondary Applications for the 2021-2022 school year are now available online for St. Patrick Regional. For more info, please visit our website at www.stpats.bc.ca.
Mass schedules: The suspension of Masses in person has been extended until further notice by the provincial health officer. Please check our website for further COVID updates.
Livestreamed Masses continue at 11:30 am Sunday in English, and Friday and Saturday evenings, and Sunday at 9:30 am in Vietnamese.
The Church is open for private prayer: from Monday to Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Hand sanitizer, supplies to clean the pews, and marking guides to ensure distancing are available. Please help lower the risk of spreading infection at church by trying to minimize your contacts and staying home when ill, wearing a mask in the church, hand washing/sanitizing, cleaning the pew when you leave and giving other people space to stay safe. Thank you very much!
Stay in Touch: We welcome emails or phone calls to the parish office (604-876-7826 / [email protected]) if you have suggestions or need assistance. Please keep your contact information (address, phone, email) up to date.
Donations: To donate online go to www.rcav.org/sunday-offering and select St. Joseph, Van Offering.
ARCHDIOCESAN NEWS
40 Days for Life - Daily Online Rosary during Lent: Join us for the 40 Days for Life Evening Zoom Rosary at 8:00 pm every night throughout Lent. Sign-up at https://sthelen.ca/events/40-days-for-life-lenten-campaign
Share Lent Series 2021 - This Lent, Development and Peace invites us to share love and spread the message of social fraternity given by Pope Francis in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti. Each week, a different aspect of the work of Development and Peace will be explored through various virtual activities. This series will take place until March 27. Learn more at https://beholdvancouver.org/events/sha re-lent.
Pilgrimage to Holy Rosary Cathedral: will continue to meet outside the Cathedral each Sunday to pray for the restoration of the public celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as long as restrictions on public worship persist.
FREE Estate & Memorial Planning Webinar: Join us for a free webinar to help you plan your estate, learn the beauty of the funeral rite, and start thinking about a pre-need plan on Thursday, March 18 at 11:00 am Register for free at rccav.org This event is presented by Gardens of Gethsemani Catholic Cemetery, a ministry of the Archdiocese of Vancouver.
Advance Planning for Catholics - FREE Webinar Series: This free webinar series offers a Catholic perspective on advance care planning, estates, wills, legacy, and memorialization. Register online for free at https://planning.rcav.org/
Into the Deep: St. Joseph and Year of the Family: Join us on Friday, March 19 at 7:00 pm on Zoom to learn more about St. Joseph and the Year of the Family. Register online for free at https://beholdvancouver.org/events/i nto-the-deep-st-joseph-and-the-year-of- the-family *
Navigate Life Together - The Marriage Course: This is the time, more than ever, to invest in your marriage and build a more joyful family, especially during the pandemic. The Marriage Course is a 7-week series designed for married couples whether you’ve been married for 3 or 63 years. Join us on Wednesdays from 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm beginning on March 31. Register online at https://beholdvancouver.org/events/nav igate-life-together-the-marriage-course
Holy Week Retreat: Prayer and Contemplation with the Holy Scriptures: Join Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OMV, an America's preeminent writer on Ignatian spiritual direction on Friday, March 26 from 7:00 - 9:00 pm online. His clear and practical approach will invite us into the imaginative scenes of scripture and the characters we encounter throughout Holy Week. For more info and registration for free at https://beholdvancouver.org/events/hol y-week-retreat#overview
Growing into the Likeness of the Lord - Easter Vigil Talk: Join us together with Fr. Pierre Leblond, OP to change our life for the better with the Risen Lord, on Saturday, April 3 at 7:00 pm. Register online at https://beholdvancouver.org/events/grow ing-into-the-likeness-of-the-lord-an- easter-vigil-talk
Spirit Day 2021 “Connected as One”: Join us for the 17 th annual Spirit Day on Saturday April 24 th ! This event is designed to celebrate Grade Seven youth of our Archdiocese. The event has grown tremendously since the inaugural event in February 2005. It helps participants encounter the love of Christ, gets them excited about receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, and awakens the Holy Spirit in young and old alike. BEHOLD: Be sure to sign up and check this new archdiocesan portal for spiritual writing, workshops, events and other links! https://beholdvancouver.org/
CHABC's $500 Bursary for Graduating Students
This year, the Catholic Health Association of BC (CHABC) will award a bursary valued at $500 to a graduating student who is enrolled in a Catholic secondary school, or who is a member of a BC or Yukon parish and enrolled in a public secondary school, or who is home-schooled. To apply for this bursary, students are asked to submit a 500-word essay before April 2, 2021. For essay and submission guidelines, please visit www.chabc.bc.ca/bursary
BEHOLD: Be sure to sign up and check this new archdiocesan portal for spiritual writing, workshops, events and other links! https://beholdvancouver.org/
