Adoration
Adoration will be held on Sunday, November 3rd, 2 – 4pm. All are welcome.
First Friday Holy Hour And Mass
The monthly First Friday Holy Hour will take place at St. Joachim’s, this Friday, November 1st from 11am – 12:30pm. The Holy Hour begins at 11am and will consist of exposition, adoration, and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament; concluding with 12 noon Mass.
K of C Seniors’ Dinner
K of C 8364 will be holding their annual free Seniors Dinner on Monday, November 11th. Doors open at noon; dinner begins at 1pm; sing along after dinner. Sign-up sheets are available in foyer. Please note: Seating is limited, so you must sign-up in order to attend.
Religious Education Update
We still do not have enough teachers for most of the grades for our parish catechism program, so we are unable to offer a program for the children in our parish this year. Parents, as the primary educators of their children, and entrusted with the responsibility of passing on the faith to their children, are encouraged to teach their own children at home. To assist parents in teaching their own children, material from the “Faith and Life” series can be ordered through Ignatius Press. This is the absolute best catechism program, and far surpasses anything else available anywhere. This series can also be used by participating though an online format.
As well, parents may find the following websites helpful: Family Catechism; and Be My Disciples.
Christmas Baskets
Christmas Basket Registrations will be taking place from 10am – 12 noon in the Parish Hall on Monday, November 18th; Thursday, November 21st; Monday, November 25th & Thursday, November 28th. Please bring Medicare cards for every member of your household, as well as a piece of identification with your current address. If you have a social assistance card, that would also be helpful.
Weekday Masses
There will be no noon Mass this week on either Wednesday, October 16th, or Friday, October 18th.
Empty Stocking Fund
The Telegraph-Journal has decided to have an earlier cutoff date for this year’s Empty Stocking Fund. As a result, we will only be taking registrations on two dates – Monday, November 18th, and Thursday, November 21st. (You can also register for Christmas Baskets on those two days.) Registration will take place on both days between 10am – 12 noon in the Parish Hall. The Telegraph-Journal requires that you bring in Medicare Cards for all children who will be listed on the form. Please note: Unfortunately, we cannot accept Empty Stocking registrations after November 21st.
Applications will be available in the newspaper and on the Empty Stocking website (emptystockingfund.ca) after November 1st. Those who will be applying for the Empty Stocking Fund are welcome to fill out an application in advance and bring it in on one of the registration days. If you can’t get a form, we will have forms here during registration.
Empty Stocking Fund gift cards will be available after the second week of December. Those registered for the Empty Stocking Fund will be called as soon as the cards are available.
Religious Education Update
We will not know if there will be a Religious Education program at Saint Joachim’s this year until the last weekend of October. If the decision is made that there will not be classes this year, the parish will provide parents with information on where they can obtain religious education textbooks in order to teach their children at home.
Obviously, we would prefer to have classes at the church, but we still do not have enough teachers to make this happen. If you can spare one hour a week to assist with the education of the children of our parish, please contact Fr. Stephen (653-6842) as soon as possible.
