Renovation and Seismic Project UPDATE
Engaging School Families in Support of Our Capital Campaign
As mentioned in last week’s bulletin, we will be reaching out to our Grade 7 families who may not have another child continuing at the school. Our goal is to visit as many families as possible to personally connect about our school’s campaign and offer the opportunity for each family to consider making a thoughtful and meaningful gift to our campaign. Our first priority will be to meet with these Grade 7 families, as we will be saying goodbye to many of them at the end of the school year, and we want to ensure these families have the opportunity to participate as we work together to support the school’s Renovation and Seismic project.
12-HOUR OVERNIGHT EUCHARISTIC ADORATION TONIGHT
Everyone is invited to join in our 12-hour Eucharistic Adoration starting after the Divine Mercy Mass tonight (November 22) at 9:00 pm and ending at 9:00 am before morning Mass tomorrow (Saturday November 23.) It can be a holy hour or a holy 15 minutes…. come and spend some time with Jesus. There is a sign-up sheet by the Adoration Chapel. Jesus is waiting for you!
ALL HOLY CROSS LADIES – Please consider joining our CWL!
Our Holy Cross Catholic Women’s League (CWL) will be having their annual membership drive after every Mass this weekend November 23 and 24) and new members are very welcome to join. If you or your friend or family member wants to join or know more about the CWL, please visit our CWL table in the lobby of the Church and talk to our members. You can also go to our National website where there are some brief stories and videos to inspire at https://cwl.ca/to-inspire/
Our CWL membership fee is $45.00 – you can pay by cheque or cash. (If you pay by cash, please put the $45.00 cash in an envelope with your name, address, phone number and email address on the front of the envelope – volunteers at Mass do not have change so please give the exact amount if possible). Please advise our volunteers if there are any changes to your address, phone number or email address. Please be assured that any information you give us is kept confidential and not shared with anyone.
If you can’t come to Mass this weekend, please drop off your payment at the Parish Office or put it in the collection basket as soon as possible (make sure to clearly label your envelope CWL). You can also phone the Parish office with your credit card number (604-299-3814 ext. 2) to pay your membership by credit card.
KNIGHTS PANCAKE BREAKFAST is THIS SUNDAY
Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast is this Sunday November 24th after the 8am, 10am, and 12pm Masses. Entry is by donation and everyone is welcome. Money from this breakfast will go to RCIA.
What is Share Christmas?
Share Christmas is a program designed to help the less fortunate at Christmastime through food donations. How is it done? Food products are printed on cards, which are hung on a Christmas tree in the Church vestibule on the 1st Sunday of Advent. Each card on the tree would request a food product be purchased in quantity form for approximately $25 worth. For example, on the Christmas tree, one card would list Chicken Noodle Soup, another card would list Jam, and so on. If Chicken Noodle Soup was chosen, the parishioner would purchase $25 worth of it. At the store, Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup, 284 mL is $1.49/can. Purchasing 17 cans would be enough, as it works out to about $25.
Share Christmas Begins Next Weekend
Share Christmas begins next weekend (Nov 30 – Dec 1) and it is the only weekend the program will run. Next weekend, as parishioners enter the church, they will find a Christmas tree decorated with cards requesting food products to be purchased. If some parishioners are working with a tight budget and would like to participate, they still can. They can take a card and share it with another parishioner(s). The following weekend (Dec 7-8) is Receiving Day where food donations along with Share Christmas tree cards are dropped off in the school gym. That same weekend, Sunday (Dec 8), all food products received will be delivered to a convent in the Downtown Eastside. The Sisters will distribute your food donations to the families and individuals in need. This year we are using the honor system and there is no need to register your card. However, a Share Christmas Information Table will be present in the church vestibule for parishioners who may have any inquiries.
Share Christmas – Volunteers Needed (Dec 8)
We are looking for volunteers to help us load and off-load our delivery truck on Sunday, Dec 8 at 3:00 pm. Volunteers who have good backs is a requirement. Also, from the volunteers, we will be looking for drivers who can carpool to and from the convent in the Downtown Eastside. The work will take about 2.5 hrs to complete. If you are interested, please bring a pair of gloves, wear comfortable shoes, and dress for the weather. For more information, please phone/text Dillon Fong (604 561-6918).
Knights of Columbus Exemplification for new members.
The Exemplification for new members will be on Thursday Nov. 28th at 7:30pm in the church basement.
2025 SUNDay Missals, Children’s Missals and little books
Some 2025 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.
PURDY’S CHOCOLATES FOR CHRISTMAS (FUNDRAISER)
You only have 1 week left to support the CWL Purdy’s fundraiser! You can do some shopping from the comfort of your home and you can support our Holy Cross Catholic Women’s League’s (CWL) Christmas fundraiser at the same time by buying Purdy’s chocolates for stocking stuffers or Christmas gifts. The CWL supports our parish and the community and we thank you for your support.
To place an order, click on the following link to “Join a Campaign”:
Holy Cross CWL Christmas 2024 Fundraising Link: https://fundraising.purdys.com/1536029-118406
If 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 can’t order online, or have any questions, please call or email the Parish office (parish.hcb@rcav.org) or email Marisa (marisademare@gmail.com). Thank you!
If you don’t want chocolates, you can still support our CWL with a monetary donation.
The Deadline to place an order is Monday December 2nd and orders will be available for pick up after all Sunday Masses on December 15.
The B.C. Catholic Print Edition DURING THE MAIL STRIKE
Due to a mail service disruption, the print edition of the BC Catholic paper is temporarily paused. It will resume printing as soon as the postal service returns to normal. Stay informed and inspired with The B.C. Catholic digital edition, now available for free at digital.bccatholic.ca.
CHRISTMAS CARDS AND 2025 CALENDARS FOR THE PRISON MINISTRY
We are collecting unused Christmas cards, all occasion cards (i.e. Happy Birthday, Get Well Soon, etc.) and 2025 calendars for the Prison Ministry. Calendars can be wall, desk or appointment calendars without coils and should have a modest theme. Please put the cards and calendars in the boxes in the lobby of the Church. (We will be collecting these items until early January 2025.)
Kindergarten 2025 Applications
Holy Cross Elementary School will be accepting applications for prospective Kindergarten students who will be 5 years old (born in 2020). 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 by Friday November 29, 2024. In-person interviews for families selected based on our admissions policy will be on January 10, 2025.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS ANNUAL CHARITY APPEAL
Knights of Columbus Annual Charity Appeal is now live, draw date is December 14th. Tickets can be purchased online from the following link: https://kofcdraw.net/C05423
First prize is a Ford Escape Hybrid and there are a number of cash and early bird prizes. A portion of the ticket sales come back directly to our Council to support the various charities and ministries in our community.
ALPHA – STARTING JANUARY 2025
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, we invite you to join Alpha at Holy Cross – a set of weekly evening gatherings that will explore these questions.
Alpha 2025 begins on Friday, January 17th at 6:30 pm at Holy Cross and is free of charge. Each gathering consists of a dinner followed by a short video and small group discussion. We’re welcoming all men and women to come join us, with a special invitation for parents to participate. Alpha is open to all faith traditions as well as to individuals with no religious affiliation.
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 2025 at Holy Cross, sign up here. We hope to see you on January 17th!
2025 SAVE THE DATES
Holy Cross Super Bowl Party
Sunday February 9,2025 – 2:30 pm to 7:00 pm
Holy Cross Annual Golf Tournament
Friday May 9, 2025 – 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm
MASS INTENTIONS for Monday November 25, 2024 to Sunday December 1, 2024 (Requested by)
Mon. Nov 25 8:15 am +John Van Essen (Family)
Tues. Nov 26 8:15 am Spl. Int. for Thanksgiving for Dawson and Mary Fong’s 64th Wedding Anniversary
Wed. Nov 27 8:15 am ++Deceased Members of the Guttadauro Family (Giuseppina G.)
Thurs. Nov 28 8:15 am +Zosia Zgudziak
+Tony De Santis (Ivania and Tony)
Spl. Int. Ivania and Tony on their 60th Wedding Anniversary (Franca)
Fri. Nov 29 8:15 am +Giuseppe Guttadauro (Giuseppina G.)
Fri. Nov 29 7:30 pm +Giuseppe Mancini (Costanza)
++Nicola and Rosa Maria Farella (Costanza)
+Rocco Farella (Costanza)
+Emma Isaacs (Costanza)
+Cecilia Iorio (Costanza)
+Stella Natola (Costanza)
Spl. Int. Marie and Allen (Family)
Spl. Int. for Healing for Alejo Mariano Junior (Angelina Mariano)
Spl. Int. Agnes Wan (Sunday 5:00 pm Mass Choir)
Spl. Int. Urbana Olandria (Diva)
Spl. Int. Antonio and Socoro Carrion (Diva)
Spl. Int. Catherine, Angela, Monica and Joachim Chen (Agnes)
Spl. Int. Cecelia Wan and David Greenshields (Agnes)
Sat. Nov 30 9:00 am ++Nazzareno and Victoria Catania (Family)
Sat. Nov 30 5:00 pm +Tony De Santis (Barichello Family)
+Alfonso Crescenzo (Family)
Spl. Int. Detlef Hoffman (Daphne)
Spl. Int. Rose Wan (Agnes)
Sun. Dec 1 8:00 am +Tony De Santis (Family)
+Benito Poato (Rosa and Family)
+Joe Dale (Alberti Family)
Sun. Dec 1 10:00am ++Deceased Members of the Snyder and Garzon-Gomes Families (Family)
+Tony De Santis (Joe and Lucia Simon)
+Anis Nakhleh (Peter and Andrea and Family)
+Vincenza Ferro (Corrado Family)
+Ann Fahey (Liguori Family)
+Anna Bruni (Rosina and Jack Massullo)
+Percy Liang (Yue Family)
Spl. Int. Betty Chung (Family)
Sun. Dec 1 12:00 Noon +Helen Morris (Diva)
+Zarela Delgado de Brain (Costanza)
++Vito and Natale Iacobellis (Family)
+Gilbert Schaubroeck (Rose and Family)
+Luigi DAttilo (Parishioner)
+Mike De Mare (Tina Giannelli)
+Philippe Krayem (Perla)
Sun. Dec 1 5:00 pm ++Salvatore and Maria Demare (Marisa D. & Nick G.)
+Rosemary Glavina
++Souls in Purgatory (Angie and David)
Spl. Int. Personal Intentions