Second Sunday of Advent
Important Updates
Online Giving
Make a weekly, or one-time donation to the St. Edmund's Parish collection.
Heartfelt thanks to everyone for your donations. We are continuing to collect food items & gift cards for needy families. You can drop off your full bags at the back of the church or the Parish Office.
2025 ENVELOPES ARE READY… please pick them up from the parish office this coming week. Next weekend they will be in the back of the church. They are in Alphabetical order.
We reduced the amount of envelope boxes we purchased therefore anyone who had a number over 401; has been assigned a new number.
2024-25 SUNDAY MISSALS are available from the Parish Office at $5.00 each. There is a limited supply
ADVENT PENITENTIAL SERVICES:l
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 11TH – 7-8:30 PM – St. Pius
THURSDAY, DEC. 12TH – 7-8:30 PM – St. Edmund’s
FRIDAY, DEC. 13TH – 9am – Noon – STA
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18TH – 10-30 am – 12:30 pm – St. Stephen’s
THURSDAY, DEC. 19TH – 7-8:30 am – Christ the Redeemer
MASS SCHEDULE FOR DECEMBER 15 TO JANUARY 2
CHRISTMAS TREE SET-UP & DECORATION
We are excited to announce that the Christmas trees have arrived! A heartfelt thank you to the badminton team for helping us transport them. We kindly ask for your assistance in two key activities:
Decorating the trees – Sunday, December 8th after the 11:00 am Mass
Your help will be greatly appreciated in making this event a success. A special thank you goes to all the generous sponsors who have made this possible by sponsoring the trees. We look forward to working together to bring the holiday spirit to life!
SPECIAL DECEMBER 8TH EVENT – The Knights will provide their delicious breakfast after the 8 & 9:30 am Masses & the CWL will host the Craft & Bake Sale throughout the morning (see the following poster). Not only that – North Shore Pro Life Christmas Cards will be available at $10.00 per pack/ 3pkgs for $25. What a great way to get the Christmas Season underway!
CHRISTMAS PARTY VOLUNTEERS
We are looking for Volunteers to help decorate the gym for the Christmas Party
DATE: Friday, December 13
TIME: 4:30 pm to 9 pm
Please contact Marie Dayton 604 990 4542, email madayton123@gmail.com or the Parish Office 604 988 3211.
ST. EDMUND'S CHRISTMAS DINNER & CHRISTMAS TREE DISPLAYS is on Saturday, December 14 @ 6 pm. Tickets are available after all Masses starting next weekend.
Prices are Adults - $40
Children aged 6 to 12 - $20.
Children under 5 are admitted free. Reserved seating is being offered.
THE FILIPINO MASS is on the 1st Sunday of the month at 6 pm.
Christian Meditation Group meets in person on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 7 pm.
Special Notes
CWL BOTTLE, CAN DRIVE FUNDRAISER is ongoing. CWL has an account with Return It Express. You can take your bottles, cans, tetra packs, milk, plant-based beverage containers to any Return-It location. Instructions are as follows:
Place unsorted bottles in a clear plastic bag(s)
Print off sticker @ Kiosk – Use phone # 778-996-3407
Text code RVCA TO 778-400-5253
To open the door, touch the keypad with your finger or the back of your hand to activate it
Enter the one-time pin code you receive by message. The one-time pin will time out in a few minutes. Repeat if it has timed out.
The Keypad light will turn green. Open door and drop off bag(s)
North Vancouver Return It Express Locations:
310 Brooksbank Ave. (Mon-Fri 8-4/Sat 8-5/Sun 9-5/closed holidays)
At Superstore 333 Seymour Blvd. (everyday 8-8)
235 Donaghy Ave. (Mon-Sat 8-5/Sun 10-4/closed holidays)
30 Riverside Dr.-North Shore Recycling Depot (Tues-Fri 8-5/Sat., Sun, Holidays 9-5)
FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, PLASTIC BAGS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE CHURCH ENTRANCE
Proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards the renovation of the Kitchen cabinets, countertops, and flooring in the school gym.
If you are unable to return the bottles yourself, please get in touch with Donna @ 778-996-3407 / dkcolcleugh@gmail.com. Donna will happily pick them up for you and make the deposit.
Please do not drop off bottles at the church or parish office.
Reflections
THE KEY THEME OF ADVENT
This week and next, our Gospel readings invite us to consider John the Baptist and his relationship to Jesus. John the Baptist appears in the tradition of the great prophets, preaching repentance and reform to the people of Israel. To affirm this, Luke quotes at length from the prophet Isaiah. John baptizes for repentance and for forgiveness of sins, preparing the way for God's salvation.
The three Synoptic Gospels—Mark, Matthew, and Luke—attest to the importance of the baptism of John in preparing for Jesus. Only the Gospel of Luke, however, extends the connection between these two men to their birth. The first two chapters of Luke's Gospel contain the Infancy Narrative, which tells about the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. These stories set the stage for the beginning of Jesus' public ministry in chapter 3.
The evangelist Luke is the author of the Gospel that bears his name, and he also wrote the Acts of the Apostles as a continuation of the story of Jesus and the Church. In these two works, Luke's sense of time and history emerges. He identifies three epochs of salvation history: the time before Christ, the time of Christ, and the time of the Church and the Holy Spirit. In today's Gospel reading, as elsewhere, John the Baptist is presented as the figure who bridges the time before Christ and prepares the way for Christ's own ministry.
In today's Gospel we also note Luke's attention to political and historical detail. Luke shows that salvation is for all people and situated in world events. Therefore, Luke lists the political and religious leaders at the time of John's appearance in the desert. Salvation is understood as God's breaking into this political and social history.
John's preaching of the coming of the Lord is a key theme of the Advent season. As John's message prepared the way for Jesus, we too are called to prepare ourselves for Jesus' coming. We respond to John's message by repentance and reform of our lives. We are also called to be prophets of Christ, who announce by our lives the coming of the Lord, as John did.
~ Loyola Press
Mass Intentions
Sunday, December 8
Spec. Int for Marie Mussatto
Repose Michelina Tinaburri by daughter Paola Vignone
Repose Bernard Demers by Fernande & Peter Husar
Repose Mum & Dad by Rosa Zivarts
Monday, December 9
Repose Christy Patterson by Sister Catherine Burke, SEJ
Spec. Intention Raiden Mendonca from his family
Repose Maria Caridad Campas Mendoza by Zofia Bronowska
Tuesday, December 10
Spec. Intention St. Edmund Parishioners
Spec. Intention Elizabeth Livingston by Bev Watson
Wednesday, December 11
Repose Anne Steigewald by Joann Hanlon
Thursday, December 12
Spec. Intention Celia Brading by Liz Wong
Spec. Intention Elizabeth Livingston by Zofia Bronowska
Spec. Intention Elizabeth Livingston by Roz Kerr
Friday, December 13
Spec. Intention Celia Brading by Liz Wong
Repose Carol & Harold Palleson
Saturday, December 14
Spec. Intention Filomena Achery & her Parents by Lynn McLeod
Parish Events
CWL 2nd Thursday of each month @ 7 PM
CWL Bake & Craft Sale Dec 08 after all Masses
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus general meetings are in person on the 1st Tuesday each month @7pm/executive meetings are also in person on the last Tuesday of the month @7pm
SPECIAL OFFER - Knights of Columbus - Free 1 Year On-Line Membership. You can enjoy the benefits of being a Knights of Columbus member including Accidental Death Benefit and the famous Columbia Magazine.
Promo Code: BLESSEDMCGIVNEY
After joining, please check your Inbox for confirmation.
St. Eds Christian Meditation Group
The St Edmund's Parish unit of the 'World Community for Christian Meditation' (WCCM) will resume its in-person meditation meeting, on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 7.00 pm in St Edmund's Church.
"No Experience Necessary"- The group leader will give new people the basics of meditation and some resources.
WCCM continues to hold a weekly virtual meeting on Mondays (via ZOOM), also at 7.00 pm. You are sincerely invited to attend the WCCM meeting(s). All are welcome.
To learn more about WCCM, kindly contact: Luis Zunino - email lzunino@gzarchitects.com
School Events
St. Edmunds Elementary School
A SWEET DEAL Collect your delicious treats on December 10 at the St Edmunds Gym - Mahon Street entrance. 📦 Share the love with friends and family who might be interested – it means the world to us! 🌍💖
St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School
Thank you, STA Community! - Your participation in #GivingTuesday, with gifts to the STA Giving & Gratitude Annual Fund, was a success and we truly harnessed the power of participation.
Highlights
77 participants from our goal of 50
$20,050 in donations plus an additional $10,000 donation from an STA family as the #GivingDay challenge. This leadership resulted in a second family donating $10,000.
The Annual Fund total to date towards the new school bus: $65,885
Impact of Your Participation
Legacy - STA’s legacy is the generosity of parents, alumni, alumni parents and extended family from generation to generation who give because we believe in our sons and daughters.
Philanthropy – We know families have many options when they consider their giving priorities. We are grateful for the gifts that everyone has contributed to the Annual Fund so far this year, especially on #GivingTuesday.
Annual fund priorities – With the gifts from the student-led Walkathon, we have ordered the much-needed replacement staging for the Performing & Visual Arts department. Your gifts on #GivingTuesday will go directly towards the new, small school bus.
Tax receipts
If you donated to the Walkathon or Annual Fund online, your tax receipts were automatically emailed to you at the time of your donation. If you donated with a cheque, your tax receipt will be sent to you in January.
Thank you again for your generosity and participation, STA!
Religious Education
PREP 2024-2025
PREP REGISTRATION IS OPEN until September 15th. Please complete the registration form and hand it into the Parish Office or leave it in the mailbox to the left of the office entry gate. There are copies at the entrance.
PREP classes are in St. Edmund’s School and begin on September 11, 2024. Classes will be held every Wednesday from 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Any questions can be sent to prepatsteds@shaw.ca
Children's Choir Training
Practices will be every 2nd & 4th Saturday of the month @10am - Masses will be every 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month @ 11am
Altar Server Training
Every Saturday 11-11:30 am
Archdiocese Notices & Events
MAIL DISRUPTION: The B.C. Catholic Print Edition
Stay informed and inspired with The B.C. Catholic digital edition, now available for free at digital.bccatholic.ca. Due to a mail service disruption, our print edition is temporarily paused. We will resume printing as soon as the postal service returns to normal.
Ember of Hope - An Advent Retreat for Divorced and Separated
Location John Paul II Pastoral Centre 4885 Saint John Paul II Way Vancouver, BC V5Z 0G3 | Date and Time Saturday, Dec 14, 20249:30 AM - 3:00 PM |
Do the weeks leading up to Christmas ever feel like a hurried race to a finish line? Do the holidays bring a particular kind of tension within your relationships and spiritual life? How can we truly encounter Christ in the midst of our busy and complicated lives?Join us as we explore Christ's love during the season of Advent, the season of anticipation and hope. Adoration and the sacrament of Reconciliation will be available. The talks, guided meditation, sharing, and worship songs will be led by Deacon Andre and Vea Coronado. They have been serving youth, family, and parish ministry together for nearly 2 decades. After being married for 11 years, Andre was ordained into the Permanent Diaconate. They both serve Our Lady of Mercy parish.
Registration deadline: Please see link below to register
Registration is $20 - Register by Dec. 9 – Below is the link to the Registration page
GOOD NEWS!!!
We have reached our parish goal so now all pledges made will come back to the parish.
You have the option to collect the pledge forms from our parish office or receive a scanned version via email.
Financial Updates
Remember St. Edmund's in your Will
Bread & Wine
Prayer Requests
Our Parish Community is asked to pray for the Special Intention of Father Steny & Father Cannio
Our Parish Community is asked to pray for the Special Intention of Father Jeevan Prakash D'Almeda
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 Intentions of All Carmelite Priests
Our Parish Community is asked to pray for the Repose of the Soul of Maria Caridad Campos Mendoza
Our Parish Community is asked to pray for the Special Intention of Erneida & Joel de Guzman
Advertisements
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