The 4th Sunday of Lent
Follow this beautiful Carmelite Lenten Retreat with Catholics around the world.
This Week in the Church
FRIDAY, MARCH24TH - 9am & 7pm Masses – 6:30pm Stations of the Cross
Important Updates
Penitential Services
· Monday, April 3 – Christ the Redeemer @7pm
· Tuesday April 4 – St. Stephen’s @10:30am
FRIDAY. MARCH 24TH IS A BIG DAY!!!!
THE BIRTHDAY OF OUR BELOVED ASSISTANT PASTOR
Join us after 9am Mass in the PREP ROOM on Friday, March 24th for coffee and cake as we extend our BEST WISHES to Father Cannio.
May the year ahead be filled with God’s Abundant Blessings.
CWL Coffee Sunday & Bake Sale is after all Masses on Sunday, March 26th. Baking donations will be gratefully received prior to the Masses. Please allow the CWL to price your baked goods.
2nd Sunday of each Month – there will be a Filipino Mass at 6pm
2022 TAX RECEIPTS are available at the parish office.
Reflections
Those Who Are Not Blind Yet Cannot See
As we did last week, we are reading today from the Gospel of John. In today’s Gospel, the healing of the man born blind invites us to focus on the physical and spiritual aspects of sight and light. In the first part of today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus’ response to a prevalent belief of his time: that misfortune and disability were the result of sin. That belief is why Jesus is asked the question of whose sin caused the man’s blindness—his own or his parents’. Jesus does not answer directly, but instead gives the question an entirely different dimension—through this man’s disability, God’s power will be made manifest. Jesus then heals the man.
The healing is controversial because Jesus heals on the Sabbath. The Pharisees, the religious authorities of Jesus’ time, understood that the law of Moses forbade work (including healing) on the Sabbath. They also have trouble believing that Jesus performed a miracle. To determine whether the man was really born blind, the Pharisees question him and his parents. The man challenges the leaders of the synagogue about their assessment of the good that Jesus has done. In turn, they expel the man for questioning their judgment.
The final revelation and moment of enlightenment comes when the man born blind encounters Jesus again. Having heard the news of his expulsion, Jesus seeks out the man born blind and reveals himself to him as the Son of Man. In this moment, the man born blind shows himself to be a man of faith and worships Jesus. Jesus replies by identifying the irony of the experience of many who encounter Jesus: Those who are blind will now see, and those who think they now see will be found to be blind.
As in last week’s Gospel about Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman, today’s reading has many allusions to Baptism. The washing of the man in the pool of Siloam is a prototype for Christian Baptism. Through the man’s encounter with Jesus, the man born blind is healed, his sight is restored, and his conversion to discipleship begins. The man born blind gradually comes to a greater understanding about who Jesus is and what it means to be his disciple, while the Pharisees (those who should see) are the ones who remain blind.
~ Loyola Press
Mass Intentions
Sunday, March 19
· Repose Mary Elizabeth Marmont by Nora Gemino
· Repose Joey Valdes by wife Cynthia & family
· Repose Domenico & Carmela Maglieri by daughter Pasqualina
· Repose Joseph Hiep Pham by daughter Rosa Zivarts
· Spec. Intention Thanksgiving to St. Joseph by Liz Wong
Monday, March 20
· Spec. Intention St. Edmund’s Parishioners
· Spec. Intention Theo Wouters by Roger & Pat Labreche
Tuesday, March 21
· Repose Weber D’Aguiar by wife & family
Wednesday, March 22
· Repose Antonio Testa by wife Lucia & family
Friday, March 24
· Spec. Intention Hildegard Fercho by Hildegard Fercho
· Spec. Intention Father Cannio by Lynn & Jane
· Spec. Intention Thanksgiving Mass by Paula Vendargon
Saturday, March 25
· Repose Elisa Maglieri by son Domenico & family
· Repose Chris Farrell by wife Sue
If you need a Mass Intention, please contact the Parish Office
Events
Parish
Parish Groups
ST. Edmund's Christian Meditation Group
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
Catholic Women’s League meetings are now in person on the 2nd Thursday of each month @ 7pm
SPECIAL NOTE: Starting April meetings will be in person
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
Please note - the Knights’ Pancake Breakfast will not take place in March or April.
All Spring Term lessons are now available to book at https://cjtenniscoaching.ca/booking-page-groups .
Registration for Summer camps and lessons will be available in April.
School
KINDERGARTEN APPLICATIONS for the 2023/2024 school year are now being accepted at St. Edmund’s School. Please submit a copy of your child’s birth and baptism certificates with your application form. If you are non-Catholic, please submit a birth certificate. Application forms may be printed from our website www.stedmunds.ca and e-mailed to the school office at office@stedmunds.ca
Kindergarten to Grade 7 Principal: Ms. Diana Silva
Office Telephone: 604.988-7364
Email: office@stedmunds.ca
Website: www.stedmunds.ca
Instagram: @stedselementary
Our school is a vibrant faith and learning community dedicated to developing the full potential of each child using Christ as our centre. We are blessed with caring and dedicated educators committed to inspiring life-long learners in all areas. We welcome the opportunity to share the many enriching learning experiences with you and your family. Please contact the school office for more information.
Religious Education
PREP
Every Wednesday at 6-7pm
Children's Choir Training
Every Saturday at 10 AM
Altar Servers’ Training
Every Saturday at 11 - 11:30am
Archdiocese Notices & Events
SHARE LENT- Please read this important letter from Archbishop Michael Miller regarding Share Lent 2023
World Wide Marriage Encounter hosts a weekend retreat - April 14-16, 2023 in Kamloops! Come join us to live your best life in love, renew your marriage & rekindle romance. For more information and to register visit: Behold Vancouver website
Registration closes Mar 28/23 - see WWME on Youtube: https://youtu.be/VvQUEZ35Ufg
CWL RETREAT - Please join Fr. James Comey and the Holy Trinity CWL on our annual retreat at Westminster Abbey on March 24-26. Our theme: Lent and Celtic Spirituality. All women are warmly welcomed. Cost: $175. For more details and to secure your place, please contact Nicole @ 778-886-3340 or nickitancredi@gmail.com
Catholic Health Association of BC
Apply for our $500 Bursary!
This year, the board of directors of CHABC is pleased to announce that it will grant a $500 Bursary to a graduating student who is enrolled in a Catholic secondary school, or a member of a BC or Yukon parish and enrolled in a public secondary school, or home-schooled.
Interested students are invited to submit a 500-word essay by April 7, 2023, that demonstrates an awareness and understanding of the significance of Spirituality in Health Care. In your essay, please explain why you believe that care for the spirit is just as significant as care for the body, and why spiritual care is particularly important in tending to the sick and dying, to their families, and to those who care for them. Applicants must demonstrate a clear understanding of spirituality in care as opposed to focusing on religious beliefs and services
Deadline: April 7, 2023
Emailed submissions must be sent prior to midnight on
April 7, 2023 to info@chabc.bc.ca
For essay and submission guidelines, please visit www.chabc.bc.ca/bursary
Catholic Health Association of British Columbia
Project Advance 2023
The Project Advance Webpage is live, please visit projectadvance.ca
You can donate by scanning ↘
Special Gifts
Remember a loved one with a special gift
Financial Updates
Remember St Edmund's in your Will
Prayer Requests and Advertisements
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 |  | 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 Special Intention of Father Steny & Father Cannio |  | |