COFFEE SUNDAY
This Sunday November 12, please join our monthly Coffee Sunday after all morning Masses (8am, 10am, 12pm) in the Holy Cross School gym. We have various treats donated by Cobs on Kensington and Valley Bakery.
PARISH OFFICE CLOSED MONDAY NOVEMBER 13
The Parish office is closed on Monday November 13th for the Remembrance Day statutory holiday and morning Mass on Monday will be at 9:00 am.
MASSES CANCELLED Tues Nov 14 to Fri Nov 17
There will be no Masses from Tuesday, November 14 to Friday November 17 (also no Divine Mercy Mass on Friday November 17). At 8.15 am on these days, there will be the Liturgy of the Word with the distribution of Holy Communion officiated by our acolyte Carmine Morelli.
INVITATION TO ALL HOLY CROSS LADIES
Please consider joining our CWL!
The Holy Cross Catholic Women’s League (CWL) will be having their annual membership drive after every Mass next weekend (November 18 and 19) and new members are always welcome to join. Your support of our CWL Council by joining our Council or renewing your membership is very much appreciated. If you or your friend or family member wants to join or know more about the CWL, you can talk to one of the members or email holycrosscwl@gmail.com. You can also go to our National website https://www.cwl.ca/why-become-a-member/
ALPHA FOR MEN – STARTING JANUARY 2024
Do you have big questions about the meaning of life? Do you want to learn more about what it means to follow Jesus? Do you want to grow in your faith?
If so and you are a man aged 30 to 55, we invite you to join Alpha for Men at Holy Cross – a set of weekly evening gatherings that will explore these questions. If you have a husband, brother, or son who may not be a believer or has drifted from their faith, Alpha is also for them. All are welcome.
Each gathering consists of dinner followed by a short video and small group discussion. Alpha for Men begins on Friday, January 12 at 6:30pm at the parish.
Alpha has changed countless lives. To get a taste of what Alpha is about, watch this short video on how Alpha transformed a parish in Montreal.
To join Alpha for Men at Holy Cross, sign up here. We hope to see you on January 12!
12-HOUR EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
We would like to encourage everyone to come and participate in our 12-hour Eucharistic Adoration starting after the Divine Mercy Mass at 9pm on Friday November 24th and ending at 9:00am before morning Mass on the next day, Saturday November 25th. It can be a holy hour or a holy 15 minutes…. come and spend some time with Jesus. There will be always at least one male person at every hour, so you won’t be alone. Come and see Jesus face to face. He is waiting for you!
Advent Wreath Workshop
Come learn about the significance of the Advent wreath and create your own wreath to take home. Takes place on Saturday Dec 2, from 2-4pm in the School gym. Cost $40. Children can attend with a parent for a fun family workshop! Sign up online https://forms.gle/oEoC3DSXQWWtBFwc8 or in person on November 26 after all Masses. Register early as space is limited.
CHRISTMAS MIDNIGHT MASS CHOIR
Our Christmas Midnight Mass choir has just started practicing and musicians and those who would like to sing with us in the choir are still very welcome. We will practice in the Church on Sundays November 12, 19, 26 and December 3, 10 and 17 from 6:00-7:30 pm. Please contact Lanny Hui at lanny.hui@gmail.com, if you would like to join or have any questions.
Homeless Program – Thank You
Thanks be to God! It was a blessing to receive your donations and thank you to everyone who contributed a bag(s). Your donations were distributed to the following places in the Downtown Eastside: the Door is Open, the Women’s Emergency Shelter, and the Women’s Center (a drop-in center for women). Apart from the Downtown Eastside, the remainder of your donations were delivered to the following locations: the Catholic Charities Men’s Shelter, Belkin House Homeless Shelter, the Gathering Place (a community center for the homeless), and the Yukon Homeless Shelter. Once again, thank you for supporting the homeless in their time of need.
2024 SUNDAY MISSALS, CHILDRENS MISSALS AND LITTLE BOOKS
The 2024 Sunday Missals (for Adults and for Young Catholics) and the Little Books for Advent and Christmas are available for sale in the back of the church. If you are a Sunday Mass reader, you should consider buying a Sunday Missal now as, when they are sold out, we cannot get any more. The Sunday Missals are $5.00 each, the Children and Youth Missals are $8.00 each and the Little Books are $3.00 each. Please place the money in the brown box.
CWL MEETING ON THURSDAY NOV 16TH
Please join us on Thursday November 16th at 7:00 pm for a General Meeting and social in the Music Room. (There is no Mass before the meeting as our priests are away). As it is the month of November, we will be honouring our deceased members at this meeting. Also, we will be distributing nomination packages and discussing our membership drive on November 17th and 18th. All ladies are welcome – you don’t have to be a member to attend our meetings.
If you are looking for some religious Christmas cards or other Advent items, the CWL is selling religious articles next weekend.
PURDY’S CHOCOLATES FOR CHRISTMAS (FUNDRAISER)
Christmas is less than 2 months away (yes, really!) and if you want to get started on your shopping, you can support our Holy Cross Catholic Women’s League’s (CWL) Christmas fundraiser by buying Purdy’s chocolates for your Christmas stockings, or for Christmas gifts. The CWL supports our parish with their fundraising proceeds so your support is greatly appreciated.
To place an order, click on the following link to “Join a Campaign”: https://fundraising.purdys.com/1536029-108413.
Should you have trouble accessing the site when clicking on the link, please visit: www.fundraising.purdys.com and select “Join a Campaign”. You will be asked to provide your email address and our Customer Number (63039).
If you know someone who cannot order online, they can fill out a paper order form (available from the Parish office or on the shelf underneath the CWL bulletin board.) (Please put the completed order form with a cheque payable to the Holy Cross CWL for the order amount and drop it off at the Parish Office or in the collection basket in an envelope marked CWL.)
Deadline to place an order is Sunday November 26th and orders will be available for pick up after all Sunday Masses on December 10.
If you have any questions or need help ordering, you can call the Parish office 604-299-3814 ext. 2 or email Marisa Demare marisademare@gmail.com
If you don’t want chocolates, you can still support our CWL with a monetary donation.
Knights of Columbus Annual Charity Appeal is live.
Here is the link to the charity appeal draw.
https://kofcdraw.net/c5423 – Remember to pick “Burnaby-5423 Holy Cross” from the organization list when entering your billing information. Draw date is December 16th.
ALL SOULS ENVELOPES
The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of November to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. During November we pray for the souls of those who have died, especially those whom we have known and loved. Remembering them, praying for them, and giving thanks for them pleases God, who makes use of our prayers to help purify those souls in Purgatory that He loves.
The Roman Catholic celebration is associated with the doctrine that the souls of the faithful, who at death have not been cleansed from temporal punishment, due to light sins and from attachment to mortal sins, cannot immediately enter heaven. Therefore, they must be purified of “lesser faults,” and the temporal effects of sin.
The Catholic Church calls this purification “purgatory”. The universal Christian teaching on Purgatory requires belief in two realities: 1) That there will be a purification of believers prior to entering heaven. 2) That the prayers and Masses of the faithful in some way benefit those in this state of purification. We, as Catholics, believe that these souls may be helped by our prayers and by the sacrifice of the Mass.
During the month of November we have a long-standing tradition of accepting Masses by All Souls Envelopes:
1. Each envelope is a request for one Mass. Please take these from the entrance of the church or make your own envelope that is clearly marked “All Souls”.
2. Write the names of your deceased on the front and, along with your donation, put it in the Sunday collection basket (during the entire month of November), or bring it to our parish office OR send it to us via mail.
3. Each of these envelopes will be used as one Mass intention, celebrated by Fr. Tomasz or myself, or perhaps another priest. PLEASE NOTE: we will not be able to let you know the date on which your Mass will be observed.
I encourage you to continue this beautiful practice that will help in setting our hearts and minds in the strong belief of Christ’s resurrection. This is our spiritual gift, not only for our deceased, but also for all the forgotten souls. May they rest in peace!
Please remember that we can assist all the departed by way of ALMSGIVING, INDULGENCES, AND WORKS OF PENANCE on their behalf.
SCHOOL WINTER WINELAND FUNDRAISER – Sat Nov 25
The School is holding a fundraiser on Sat Nov 25th in the School Gym. For more information, go to the link below.
https://mcusercontent.com/fcccbe40d06d8b95d8776326e/files/123d34a7-3fcc-03e6-8702-f518fdd15948/Winter_Wineland_combined.pdf
PROJECT ADVANCE
We are very excited to announce that we have surpassed the Archdiocesan Goal of $56,400 for Project Advance at Holy Cross Parish. A very sincere thank you to all our parishioners who have helped make this happen. This is great news because any further donations to Project Advance will go directly to our Parish and help us achieve our three main campaign goals for this year and, they are as follows:
– Replacing the furnace in the rectory – $13,000
– Parking Lot Repairs – $22,000
– Seismic upgrade of our elementary school
Our sincere gratitude to all our Parishioners who have donated so far and to those who still wish to participate in the 2023 Project Advance Campaign.
You can drop off your pledge form in the collection basket, at the parish office or go online to give at www.projectadvance.ca and. . . please. . . designate our parish as the recipient. You can also make a donation by phoning the Parish Office with your credit card information.
Kindergarten 2024 Applications
Holy Cross Elementary School will be accepting applications for prospective Kindergarten students who will be 5 years old (born in 2019). If you are interested in having your child attend Holy Cross Elementary, please complete the application form which can be found on the school website (www.holycrosselementary.ca) and bring the following to the school office: child’s birth certificate, baptismal certificate (if baptized Catholic), completed application form and a $25.00 application fee payable by cash or cheque between November 15, 2023 and December 8, 2023. In-person interviews for families selected based on our admissions policy will be on January 12, 2024.
Save the Dates in 2024
Please mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
Sunday Feb. 11, 2024 – Super Bowl Party
Friday May 10, 2024 – Annual Golf Tournament
Sunday Sept. 15, 2024 – Annual Salmon Barbecue
MASS INTENTIONS for next week November 13 to 19, 2023 (requested by):
Mon. Nov 13 9:00 am
+Mirella Nicoletti (Giuseppina G.)
Tues. Nov 14 8:15 am
No Mass
Wed. Nov 15 8:15 am
No Mass
Thurs. Nov 16 8:15 am
No Mass
Fri. Nov 17 8:15 am
No Mass
Fri. Nov 17 7:30 pm
No Mass
Sat. Nov 18 9:00 am
+Agostino Velenosi (Family)
Sat. Nov 18 5:00 pm
+Carmelo Egitto (Teresa and Domenico Sorace)
Spl. Int. Rio Morris (Diva)
Spl. Int. Marcelo San Juan (Grace San Juan)
Spl. Int. Makiko and Carmine (Kit)
Sun. Nov 19 8:00 am
++Mun Han Choi and Spouse (Family)
++Deceased Members of Mauro and Romano Families (Family)
+Rosa Manetta (Family)
++Teodosio and Giovanna Mandiello (Family)
++Deceased Members of Petrollini Family (Family)
+Owen Pavan (Ivania and Tony Gazzola)
Spl. Int. Marcelo San Juan (Grace San Juan)
Spl. Int. Joseph Myung and Family (Family)
Spl. Int. Cathy Kinniston (Kit)
Sun. Nov 19 10:00am
+Nicolina Porciello (Carmine and Makiko)
+Andreina Artuso (Artuso and Mariutti Families)
++Deceased Members of Esposito Family (Stella Esposito and Family)
+Davor Crnica (Family)
+Peter Zanetti (Family)
++Domenico and Filomena Pesa (Emilio and Toni Pesa)
+Rosa Milillo (Anna Colonna)
++Deceased Members of the Familia Bagnolese
Spl. Int. for Peace in Gaza (Maria Hu)
Sun. Nov 19 12:00 Noon
+Maria Masi (Mary and Martin Zupan)
++Lucija and Paul Sigurnjak (Family)
++Carlo De Renzio and Vito Tritone (Family)
+Bev Chan (Family)
+Anna Maria Pannozzo (Franca Zumpano)
+John Morris (Giuseppina G.)
+Saverino Filippelli (Family)
+John Ford (Gray Family)
+Tony Magistrale (Family)
Spl. Int. David Hokanson (Family)
Sun. Nov 19 5:00 pm
+Alex Dobrzanski
+Rodolfo Giron (Grace San Juan)