1. POSTNA NEDELJA 1ST SUNDAY OF LENT SLOVENSKA ŽUPNIJA SV. GREGORIJA VELIKEGA | ST. GREGORY THE GREAT SLOVENIAN CHURCH 7/52 Številka - Number / Leto - Year 7. 2. 2016 Fr. Drago Gačnik, SDB ŽUPNIK - PASTOR NASLOV - ADDRESS 125 Centennial Pkwy N Hamilton, ON L8E 1H8 TEL.: 905-561-5971 FAX: 905-561-5109 E-MAIL Gregory_sdb@ stgregoryhamilton.ca WEB PAGE www.carantha.com HALL RENTALS CELL: 905-518-6159 E-MAIL Hallrental@ stgregoryhamilton.ca VESTNIK SPREOBRNITE SE /Pastirsko pismo za postni čas 2016 (II. Del) Bratje in sestre! Sveti oče Frančišek nam za tekoče sveto leto v buli »Obličje usmiljenja« nakazuje različne poti za izkazovanje in prejemanje usmiljenja. Med temi je tudi zakrament sprave, o katerem piše: »Pastirji naj zlasti v milostnem postnem času skrbno vabijo vernike, naj se približajo 'prestolu milosti, da bodo dosegli usmiljenje in našli milost'« . Po zgledu svetega očeta vam, dragi verniki, v pripravi na postni čas tudi vaši škofje kličemo: »Postavimo spoved znova v središče!« Nujnost spreobrnjenja Spoved nam je tudi v našem času zelo potrebna: krst nam sicer izbriše izvirni greh in vse pred krstom storjene grehe, toda tudi zaklad krstnih milosti nosimo v »glinastih posodah« in človeško »srce je zvijačno bolj ko vse, kdo ga more doumeti«. Zato je naših krivd vedno več kot las na naši glavi, kakor pravi psalmist, in težijo nas naši skriti grehi, ki se jih niti ne zavedamo. Zato je popolnoma zanesljiva tudi beseda apostola Janeza: »Če rečemo, da nimamo greha, sami sebe varamo in v nas ni resnice«. Zato sveti oče svojo spodbudo nadaljuje z mislijo o spreobrnjenju: »O, da bi beseda odpuščanja dosegla vse! Naj klic k izkušanju usmiljenja nikogar ne pusti brez-brižnega! Moje povabilo k spreobrnjenju se obrača še vztrajneje k tistim, ki so zaradi svojega načina življenja daleč od Božje milosti«. Spreobrniti se pomeni premisliti se, kakor so se premislili Ninivljani in kakor se je premisli sin, ki ni hotel iti v vinograd, in kakor se je premislil izgubljeni sin, ki je zapravil polovico očetovega imetja. Nujnost osebne spovedi Pogosto se sliši ugovor: »Zakaj ravno spoved? Pustite me na miru, jaz bom s svojim Bogom vse uredil sam!« Toda ravno v tem se naša vera, dragi bratje in sestre, razlikuje od vseh drugih verstev. Bistvena značilnost in resnica naše vere je namreč tudi to, da je vsa utemeljena na posredništvu. Najprej na velikem Sredniku med Bogom in človeštvom, to je na Jezusu Kristusu, kakor piše apostol Pavel: »Zakaj en Bog je; eden tudi srednik med Bogom in ljudmi, človek Kristus Jezus, ki je dal sam sebe v odkupnino za vse, v pričevanje ob svojem času«. Potem je utemeljena tudi na srednišvu Kristusovega naslednika apostola Petra, ki mu je Gospod izročil ključe: »Dal ti bom ključe nebeškega kraljestva; in karkoli boš zavezal na zemlji, bo zavezano tudi v nebesih; in karkoli boš razvezal na zemlji, bo razvezano tudi v nebesih«. In končno je utemeljena na sredništvu apostolov in njihovih naslednikov: »Prejmite Svetega Duha: katerim grehe odpustite, so jim odpuščeni, katerim jih zadržite, so jim za­držani!«. Velika značilnost našega Boga je torej tudi v tem, da je rad med ljudmi in da svoje delo opravlja in svoje načrte uresničuje po ljudeh. Nujnost sprave z bližnjim Drugi razlog za osebno spoved in izpoved pa je v tem, da smo vsi povezani v skrivnostno Kristusovo telo in z vsakim grehom škodimo ne samo sebi, temveč tudi drugim in vsemu telesu, kakor piše apostol Pavel: »In če en ud trpi, trpijo z njim vsi udje, in če je en ud v časti, se z njim veselijo vsi udje«. »Mar ne veste, da malo kvasa prekvasi vse testo? Postrgajte stari kvas, da boste novo testo, ker ste nekvašeni. Kristus, naše velikonočno jagnje, je bil namreč žrtvovan!«. Kako sprava s Cerkvijo ni ločljiva od sprave z Bogom, spoznavamo tudi iz Kristusovega naročila: »Pojdi in se najprej spravi s svojim bratom!«. Bog, bodi milostljiv meni grešniku! Tretji razlog za osebno spoved in izpoved pa je ta, da se na ta način laže prisilimo in zagotovo priznamo sami sebi, da smo grešniki. Kdor ni drugemu pripravljen priznati, da je grešnik, tudi sam sebi ne priznava, da je grešnik. Zato nam tudi apostol Jakob naroča: »Drug drugemu priznavajte svoje grehe in molite drug za drugega, da ozdravite. Veliko premore goreča molitev pravičnega!«. Dragi bratje in sestre! Sveto leto usmiljenja nam še posebej kliče v spomin besede apostola Pavla: »Glejte, zdaj je čas milosti, glejte, zdaj je dan rešitve!«. Če torej v tem letu zaslišite Gospodov glas, ne zakrknite svojih src, temveč se potrudite, da pridete do notranjega miru, ki ga omenja tudi sveti oče v svojem vabilu. Dragi bratje in sestre! Želimo vam obilnih milosti svetega leta usmiljenja in kličemo na vas Gospodov blagoslov. Vaši škofje 58 | VESTNIK 2016 60 | VESTNIK 2016 62 | VESTNIK 2016 64 | VESTNIK 2016 66 | VESTNIK 2016 68 | VESTNIK 2016 70 | VESTNIK 2016 72 | VESTNIK 2016 I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU LIFE AND DEATH’ Message for Lent 2016 by the Most Reverend Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops My brothers and sisters in Christ, The readings of the liturgy for the opening days of Lent invite us to focus on some basic questions as we begin our journey through this sacred season. What does it mean to repent and believe the Good News? What difference should faith make to our living and dying? How do we convert hearts and lives? The Old Testament reading for the Thursday after Ash Wednesday has particular significance this year for us as God’s people and as a country: I call heaven and earth to witness … that I have set before you life and death …. Choose life, so that you and your descendants may live…. (Deuteronomy 30.19) The Supreme Court of Canada a year ago, in its decision in the case of Carter v. Canada, invited those in our land to choose death. Any adult suffering from an illness, disease or disa-bility would have the option of physician-assisted suicide. Already, various voices in our country have argued in favour of this even be-ing extended to minors. Appalling as that is, it is not surprising. Children as well as incapaci-tated adults are being euthanized in the handful of other countries where assisted suicide and euthanasia are now legal. Throughout the Church’s funeral rite, we are reminded that each life and each death has an important impact on the life of others. In the words of Saint Paul, We do not live to our-selves, and we do not die to ourselves (Romans 14.7). A consequence of this for Christians is that our mission and our glory is to defend and protect life from conception to natural death as a sacred gift from God, Source of all life. This year, the Thursday after Ash Wednes-day is also the World Day of the Sick. In his Message for this day, Pope Francis reminds us that when we experience suffering, pain and vulnerability, our faith in God is on the one hand tested, yet at the same time can reveal all of its positive resources. Not because faith makes illness, pain, or the questions which they raise, disappear, but because it offers a key by which we can discover the deepest meaning of what we are experiencing; a key that helps us to see how illness can be the way to draw near-er to Jesus who walks at our side, weighed down by the Cross. And this key is given to us by Mary, our Mother, who has known this way at first hand. During this Lenten season, together with my brother Bishops, I invite our community of faith and all its members to ponder deeply on this important and crucial juncture which our country is facing. Will we prefer palliative and home care, or assisted suicide and euthanasia? The choice is simple. Do we collaborate as communities of loving concern, supporting and encouraging one another to live our lives fully and in Christ’s footsteps until God calls us to our heavenly reward? Or do we abandon the vulnerable, the elderly, the sick, the handi-capped, the dying and the depressed, leaving them to stumble through loneliness and despair into the tragedy of dying by suicide? Do we defend health-care practitioners and institutions from being forced into becoming collaborators, obliged to condone or administer death by sui-cide? Or do we instead provide a system of social wellbeing and health care that protects the dignity of human life and the inviolability of conscience? In urging you to be in full communion with the Holy Father and your Bishops on this fun-damental question, I invite you: To pray that the Holy Spirit enlighten and persuade the hearts and consciences of our Members of Parliament, provincial, territorial and municipal leaders, and those engaged in providing health care, so the lives of all the vulnerable are protected from conception to natural death; To become more knowledgeable about the negative moral and social consequences that euthanasia and assisted suicide will inevitably have on society and on individual lives; To express to your political representatives your concerns and your convictions about the necessity for palliative and home care, the need for national and local strategies to prevent suicide, and the evil of euthanasia and assisted suicide; To share with your family, friends, community and coworkers the resources developed as part of the Life-Giving Love National Campaign for Palliative and Home Care: Against Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide(http://www.lifegivinglove.com/); To sign the ecumenical / interfaith Declaration on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide which has been endorsed by Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical Protestant, Jewish and Muslim faith leaders, together with more than 13,000 other Canadians (http://www.euthanasiadeclaration.ca/declaration/ / http://www.euthanasiadeclaration.ca/fr-declaration/). The fullness of life means choosing to be merciful and attentive to the needs of others; to pray and care for the sick, the suffering and the dying; and to accompany and comfort each of our brothers and sisters until death does us part. By choosing to be witnesses to and col-laborators in God’s saving mercy, we then choose – as Pope Francis reminded us earlier in this Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy – to be reborn, to overcome the indifference which blocks solidarity, and to leave behind the false neutrality which prevents sharing. Through the grace of Christ, we can cooperate with him in building an ever more just and fraternal world, a world in which every person and every crea-ture can dwell in peace, in the harmony of God’s original creation. (Homily for the So-lemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, and the 49th World Day of Peace, January 1, 2016) My brothers and sisters, as with Adam and Eve at the beginning of time, ours is the choice of eating of the tree of life, or from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which will surely lead to death. Just as Moses put before the Hebrews entering the Promised Land the life-altering choice of deciding to live as chil-dren of the living God, the One who is Lord, so we too, at the brink of such societal change, are called to choose life, truth, goodness and true mercy. The choice is set before us. (Most Rev.) Douglas Crosby, OMI, Bishop of Hamilton President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops - 8 February 2016 VESTNIK 2016 | 59 VESTNIK 2016 | 61 VESTNIK 2016 | 63 VESTNIK 2016 | 65 VESTNIK 2016 | 67 VESTNIK 2016 | 69 VESTNIK 2016 | 71 KULTURNI DAN PRI SAVI - BRESLAU Sunday, February 2nd, 2016 I would like to sincerely thank all the Board mem-bers and everyone else that helped out in any way, to make the event into a beautiful day. All the ladies for the homemaking, Jozica, Marica, Olga, Vida, Luci-jana, Angela, Fran, Zinka, Viki, Majda and Breda, so much of excellent verity of dessert. To Christina and the kitchen crew the dinner was fabulous. Thank you to servers, Sydney and Mady, to Steve and Angela for taking care of the Bar and tickets. Thank you to Alex, Viki, Frank and Lojze for setting up for Mass and the hall. Thank you to Majda , Fran and Zinka for all your assistance with dinner and program. Special thank you to Father Drago for work on the certificates and printing, to Kristijan for all your help, delivery and taking care of the sound sys-tem. Thank you Kristina for helping me frame the certificates. The honored members were very happy and surprised. The stars of the program were, Nina Bizjak, and world famous champion on the Diatonic Accordion Denis Novato. Excellent performance by Nina and Denis unforgettable time. All the members and guests seemed to enjoy the afternoon. If I have missed anyone, thank you again, let as remember a beautiful Prešeren’s day celebration, of caring on our tradition and culture. Thank you for making it all possible. All the best, Maria Prilesnik Maša v Londonu ST. GREGORY THE GREAT SLOVENIAN PARISH – OBČNI ZBOR – APRIL 12TH 2015 – 3:00P.M. Draft minutes Council members present: Father Drago Gačnik, Milan Ferletič, Tony Horvat, Jenny Antolin, Sonya Podrebarac, Karl Ferko, Heidy Novak, Pamela Gosgnach. 46 parishioners in attendance – including council members. Welcome: The meeting opened at 3:00p.m. Milan welcomed everyone and reminded those present of the contributions made to the success of the parish by former priests and parishioners. A moment of silence was observed in their honour. Father Drago led the opening prayer. Acceptance of the proposed agenda: Proposed by Karl Ferko, seconded by Heidy Novak. All in favour. Approval of minutes of Feb. 16th, 2014 Občni Zbor: Proposed by Jožica Vegelj, seconded by Heidy Novak. All in favour. Committee Reports: Liturgični Odsek: Sonya Podrebarac outlined the composition and purpose of the committee, noted the success of the 50th anniversary event and made reference to the many spiritual celebrations held throughout the year. Parish statistics for the year included: Christenings – 21, First Holy Communion recipients – 11, Confirmandi – 6, Weddings – 2, Deaths – 14. New initiatives included: Celebrating only one Sunday Mass at 10:00a.m for special celebrations and events and organizing gift bearers for Sunday Masses. Slomškovo Oltarno Društvo: 48 members. Jožica Vegelj presented the report on behalf of the president, Mrs. Francka Cestnik. She outlined the 50 - year history of the group and noted that the age of members had necessitated some changes in how they carried out their work. She was pleased to say that members of the Catholic Women’s League had volunteered to assist with the church- cleaning schedule. She also reported on the annual Mass, held in May, to honour 25 deceased members. Katoliška Ženska Zveza: Heidy Novak reported on the many activities undertaken by members of the CWL: organizing the annual bazaar, Our Lady of Good Council Mass, presentations to First Communion and Confirmation candidates, the annual summer social, the child sponsorship programme, the Mass of Remembrance for deceased members, the annual Christmas food drive, the Christmas social event and the new cooking class initiative. Financial information included: an $8,500 donation from bazaar profit to St. Gregory’s, a $1,185.24 donation to the church from the proceeds of votive candle collections and a donation of $348 paid to Chalice for the child sponsorship programme. She concluded the report by thanking Father Drago for his support and encouragement of the CWL Catholic Girl’s Club: Heidy Novak reported on the activities of the club, noting that during 2014 there were some challenges in organizing regular meetings. The annual spaghetti dinner was well attended and raised $1,500 for Operation Smile. The girls were also responsible for organizing the Children’s Centre at the CWL bazaar. Heidy concluded by thanking all parishioners for supporting the Catholic Girl’s Club fund raising activities, Kulturno društvo: Slovenska šola: 36 students registered. Sandy Allen outlined the goals of the school, currently staffed by Mateja Mihelčič, Lorie Mramor and Sandy Allen with Kristina Kure Hočevar teaching catechism and preparing the children to receive First Communion and Confirmation. Father Drago is responsible for teaching singing and for celebrating Mass with the students on the last Saturday of each month. 4 students graduated in 2014 – Joel Antolin, Adriana Erzar, Amalia Lukežič and Maya Marinčič. Students from the school participated in traditional annual events. Sandy also noted that the school staff participated in a workshop given by professors from Slovenia and are currently working to update the curriculum. She concluded by thanking the parents for bringing their children to Slovenian School and for fostering a love of their Slovenian heritage. Pevski zbori: Frank Novak spoke about the involvement of the four parish choirs: the mixed choir, Majolka, the women’s choir and the English choir. He noted that their singing enhances the experience of the Mass on special occasions. Plesni skupini: David Antolin stated that the Soča group remained inactive in 2014. There are currently 16 active members of Venec. Their main focus in 2014 was the preparation of new costumes representative of regions in Western Gorenjska. Through strong ties to Slovenian cultural associations, the dance group was able to create meticulous reproductions. David Antolin and Sylvia Ferenčak (a former member of the group) worked together on this project. The group performed at Slovenian Day festivities, St. Gregory’s 50th anniversary and at one of Hamilton’s retirement homes. They also prepared “Butare” for Palm Sunday Mass. David Antolin was interviewed for a feature article published in the magazine ”Glasilo”. In conclusion, David encouraged all group members to stay committed to their goal of preserving traditional Slovenian dance. Summer Day Camp: Heidy Novak reported that 46 children participated in the camp. The daily programme included a short religious celebration followed by crafts and sporting activities. Special events such as the “bouncy castle” and the cotton candy machine were highlights for the children. Many volunteers helped to make the week a great success. Leader volunteers were: Joel Antolin, Adriana Erzar, Steven Horvat, Julia Labricciosa, Amalia Lukežič, Maya Marinčič, Amanda Novak, Jessica Novak, Nicholas Scarcelli and Leah Škerl. Junior volunteer were: Adam Antolin, Christopher Dunn, Jason Horvat, Sofia Labricciosa, Isabelle Marinčič, and Vanessa Scarcelli. The camp concluded with the annual parent- camper soccer game, attended by 92 campers and family members. Heidy thanked Father Drago for his involvement and the parishioners for their support. She also noted financial contributions from, the parish council, the Catholic Women’s League, the St. Joseph’s Society and the Slovenian Credit Union. St. Joseph’s Society: 120 paid members. Report prepared by Jerry Ponikvar and read by Pamela Gosgnach. Jerry noted that the Board of Directors met regularly with Active Management to discuss issues related to Villa Slovenia. Several members of the Slovenian community have taken up residence in the villa as units become available. The report outlined weekly and annual social events arranged for members including, bingo, the bocce league, social evenings, excursions taken to Cleveland Polkafest and Breslau Oktoberfest as well as Christmas parties arranged for Villa residents and members of the society. Jerry reported that financial contributions were made to: visiting priests from Slovenia, St. Gregory’s Summer Day Camp, Canadian – Slovenian Scholarship Foundation and the Venerable Bishop Baraga Foundation. Masses were requested for 5 deceased members: Frank Pelcar, Jože Bregar, Anton Šverko, Janez Selšek and Veronika Obal. Canadian Slovenian Scholarship Foundation: Karl Ferko Karl reported that the foundation had initiated some changes due to a decrease in funds raised through the Golf Tournament and the Scholarship Banquet and an increase in the number of applicants. The new plan includes the following criteria. The amount of money awarded as scholarships, will be equal to the sum raised at the two annual events. In 2015 that amount will be $6,000. Applicants will need to demonstrate a strong volunteer commitment to St. Gregory’s parish. The award ceremony will change from a Saturday evening dinner dance format to a Sunday lunch to be held at St. Gregory’s on a designated Sunday in October (Oct. 25th in 2015). All organization for the lunch will be handled by the CSSF. In conclusion, Karl reminded those in attendance about the upcoming golf tournament in May. Gospodarsko poročilo: Mirko Zorko Mirko provided a detailed report of all regular monthly, quarterly and annual maintenance tasks. He noted that much of the work done throughout the year was to update electrical systems/features. Repairs to furniture and kitchen equipment were also completed. A major project in 2014 was the renovation of space in the rectory basement to house the Canadian Slovenian Historical Society library collection. In conclusion, Mirko thanked Father Drago and Tony Franc for their invaluable assistance. Finančno poročilo: Prepared by Theresa Farbotko and read by Karl Ferko. Karl provided complete details of all income and expenses for both church and hall. Total amount of funds raised at parish events and included in income statement- $28,520.51 Župnijski Pastorlni Svet: Milan Ferletič / Father Drago Gačnik Milan spoke about the desperate need for new parish council members. Father Drago mentioned the need to pay attention to the financial report as it gives us an idea of our strengths and weaknesses as a parish and provides some direction for the future. He pointed to the improvement in hall rental income and thanked Nancy for her work. He explained two sources of revenue growth for 2014: a onetime rebate of HST charges from the hall renovation project ($38,056.31) and a reduction in Cathedraticum payments due to the removal of hall rental income and CWL donations from the income amount reported to the diocese. He outlined ongoing renovation expenses due to the age of the buildings and explained that these would fluctuate from year to year. Father Drago stated that in 2015, the parish would discharge approximately half of the amount owed on the building loan. Payment would come from the building fund and from the sale of a strip of land along Centennial Parkway, needed by the City of Hamilton for road upgrade work. He made reference to the improved net income and a reduction in waste disposal costs following contract renegotiations. He also commended Gizela Hauzar and Sonja Langenfus for their work in the rectory. He referred to items listed in the Liturgical Committee report and outlined his responsibilities to Slovenians in neighbouring communities, where Masses are scheduled at regular intervals. KRATKA PAVZA- 10 minutes 5. Open discussion regarding the reports: Sonya invited discussion about the reports. Questions were raised about the poor profit from Silvestrovanje. Tony Horvat explained the financial details of the event. One suggestion made was to change the event to a dance, with the bar open but no meal served. Frank Novak emphasized the need to establish a different format for the Občni Zbor meeting to attract a younger audience willing to volunteer. The possibility of a Saturday meeting was suggested. 6. New Business: Volunteers: Heidy Novak. Heidy spoke about the ongoing and urgent need to attract volunteers to assist with parish functions and activities. A sign up chart was provided that listed several of the volunteer opportunities available. Heidy also noted the need to attract younger parishioners to serve on the parish council. Suggestions made: To change the Občni zbor meeting to a Saturday at the same time as Slovenian School. To provide coffee after Mass every second Sunday to get different generations together. To personally contact parishioners by phone. To talk to family members about the need for volunteers/parish council members. Nomination of new council members: Heidy asked for nominations stating that two or three new members were needed. 7. Pastor’s Address: Father spoke about the importance of volunteers and having as many people as possible participate in the life of the church. He thanked everyone for all they had done and hoped that parishioners would continue to work together for the benefit of St. Gregory’s. 8. Meeting Adjournment: Father Drago concluded the meeting with a prayer. 9. Refreshments and light snack provided. Minutes submitted by Pamela Gosgnach Total income for church-2014 Total expenses for church-2014 Net income 2014 Bank balance 31/12/2014 $263,909.61 $143,037.32 $120,872.29 $180,844.64 Balance of loan 31/12/2014 Building fund 31/12/2014 Special collections 2014 $144,296.62 $58,894.01 $4,427.00 Total income for hall 2014 Total expenses for hall 2014 Net income 2014 Bank balance/SCU $109,151.54 $78,376.83 $30,774.71 $51,750.15 $14,047.32-S.C.U CHURCH HALL Nominee Nominated by Seconded by Elka Peršin Sonya Podrebarac Terezija Sarjaš Accepted PUSTOVANJE PRI SV. GREGORIJU Last Saturday, February 6, was another great evening here at our Parish. Our “Pustovanje” (Mardi Gras) event was truly a success. The evening brought out approximately 163 enthusiastic guests, many of whom came in costumes that entertained everyone. The smiles and the laughs that were shared by everyone, because of those who took the time to dress up were in part what made the night such a good time. The band Slo Beat did a great job entertaining us as we danced to the beat of their music. We had excellent food and krofe, the bar was stocked, raffle prizes where second to none, but the best part of it all, the mood was certainly festive. Without naming all of the volunteers it took to put that night together – we extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made the night a success! 1ST SUNDAY OF LENT Response: Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble. First Reading Deuteronomy 26:4-10 The people make a thanksgiving offering to the Lord, remembering God’s great act of liberation. Second Reading Romans 10:8-13 The Lord is rich in mercy to all who call on him. Gospel Luke 4:1-13 The devil tempts Jesus with good things. If you are the Son of God…” Illustration Last year marked the fiftieth anniversary of a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement in the USA, when Dr Martin Luther King led a march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital, Montgomery, to protest against the obstacles that were prevent-ing black citizens from being able to register to vote. Although the march was met with extreme violence on the part of the white police force, ultimately the movement was successful in its goals, culminating in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, making discriminatory voting practices illegal. One scene in the film Selma, re-leased to coincide with the anniversary, vividly cap-tures the dramatic moment when the police barred the way of the marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, ordering the crowd to lie down on the ground. The marchers had a choice to make: wheth-er to lie down or, in a very literal sense, to stand up for what they believed and suffer the painful conse-quences. Gospel Teaching All our readings today are descriptions of people standing up for what they believe and putting their lives on the line as a consequence of that belief. The words of Moses – “My father was a wandering Aramae-an” – are a form of foundational creed of the Jewish people. It expresses their origins, their identity, their relationship with God, and their belief in what God has done for them and what God’s loving plans and inten-tions are for them. God turned this group of nomads into a settled people, freeing them from slavery and giving them a blessed and fruitful land in which they could live in peace with each other and with their God. That is the dream. St Paul expresses his belief in how that dream has in fact come to fruition in Jesus Christ: God’s plan of a holy nation, living at peace with each other and with God, is now extended to embrace the whole of humanity – “Jew and Greek”. All who put their faith in Jesus as Lord can know the liberation, the salva-tion, the mercy of God. Jesus’ responses to the devil’s three temptations in effect give us Jesus’ own statement of faith. He re-jects the lure of materialism, the danger of thinking that all that is important to the human person is to feed the body, to look for happiness and fulfilment in the mate-rial things of life. Man and woman need more than that to be whole. Jesus also resists the attractions of power, fame, glory, popularity, wealth. These are idols, false gods that demand our souls but cannot save. God alone is worthy of our worship. And finally, perhaps the great-est temptation, Jesus refuses to doubt God, to put God to the test. This is the refusal to presume on God’s mer-cy, or to try to manipulate God or seek to make God act according to my plans, my timetable, my agenda. Sig-nificantly, the devil withdraws to await a more oppor-tune time. And it is in Gethsemane, and on the cross, that Jesus has, in effect, to stand up and be counted for his beliefs. So although he prays that the chalice of suf-fering might pass him by, nevertheless he is able to pray: “Not my will, but yours be done.” PILGRIMAGE SUNDAY AT THE CATHEDRAL BASILICA OF CHRIST THE KING You are welcome to make a Year of Mer-cy pilgrimage to the Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King, Hamilton on Sunday, Feb-ruary 21st, 2016. You may enter through the Door of Mer-cy (located near the elevator entrance). At 2:00 p.m. we will begin with Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; the Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be offered at 3:00 p.m. followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Pilgrims are most wel-come to stay for our regular 4:00 p.m. Mass that day. All are welcome to come and share in the Father's mercy and peace. 24 HOURS FOR THE LORD Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, invites us to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation as part of a worldwide initiative called “24 Hours for the Lord.” Confessors will be available at the Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King, Hamilton on Friday, March 4th from 4:30 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. with Father Bill Trusz (Missionary of Mercy) preaching at 7:00 p.m. On Saturday, March 5th we will begin with a Mass for Reconciliation and Peace at 8:30 a.m. in the Cathedral Basilica. Confessions will resume after Mass until 4:30 p.m KROFI - DONUTS Vas obveščamo, da bomo v nedeljo 21. februarja učiteljice in otroci slovenske šole nudili krofe, kavo/čaj in sok v spodnji dvorani po obeh mašah. Vljudno Vas prosimo in Vas vabimo, da pridete in se pogostite. Ce hocete naročit krofe po »dozen« prosim do torka 16. februarja pokličite Sandy Ferletič (905) 977-8464 ali spo-ročite po emailu: sferletic@gmail.com . The teachers and students of Slovenian School will be serving donuts, coffee, tea and after both Masses on Sunday, Novemer 22nd in the downstairs hall. We will be there from 9:00 AM to 12 noon. We invite you to come and relax with your friends and family. If you would like to order Krofe by the dozen, please call Sandy Ferletic at (905) 977-8464 or by email at sferlet-ic@gmail.com before Tuesday February 16th. This way we can ensure that we order enough for everyone. We thank you in advance for your generosity and cooperation. We hope to see you soon for coffee/tea/juice, donuts and some friendly chit-chat! OBVESTILA - ANNOUNCEMENTS PEVSKE VAJE Mešani pevski zbor bo imel v četrtek zvečer po maši pevske vaje. DOGODKI V BLIŽNJI PRIHODNOSTI . 21. februar: St. Gregory - General meeting . 28. februar: CWL-KŽZ: BAZAR, Društvo sv. Jožefa: general meeting. Mass only at 10:00 a.m. . 13. marec: Društvo sv. Jožefa - Banket . 20. marec: Palm Sunday - Mass starts at 9:15 in the hall. Sava: Mass at 12:00, London -St. John the Divene, Mass at 4:00 p.m. . 20. marec: Lipa park - Predstavitev novega ambasadorja leta 2016 - začetek ob 1:00 p.m.- igra: »Europa« (Steve Cafuta) PRINAŠANJE DAROV: GIFT BEARERS Feb. 14th, 9:30 a.m.: Eva Erzetič & Jožica Vegelj CWL-KŽZ Our Parish family and friends are invited to our Annual Parish Bazaar, Sunday February 28. Doors open at 11am. It is at this time, that we the Catholic Wom-en's League, need to reach out and kindly ask not only our members but parish members alike, to please donate new and or crafted items that we can present at our Penny Sale and Raffle Tables. Home baked items are also needed for the Baked Goods Table. We rely on your generosity to fill these ta-bles. We are always sincerely appreciative of that generosity and thoughtfulness. Strudel orders have met their deadline of Feb.5th. If you have missed this deadline and would like some strudel, you can call Vera Gonza at 905 560 0089. We may be able to accommodate your order. We will only be selling apple strudel pieces at the bazaar. We have only a few booklets of Lottery tick-ets left, which continue to be on sale before and after Sunday masses. We kindly ask that our members attempt to sell 5 booklets each. If anyone is having difficulty selling their tickets PLEASE return them as soon as possible to al-low someone else to try to sell them. Our goal is to sell ALL our tickets. All the profit income from the sale of these tickets are 100% donat-ed to our parish. Lunch Tickets are being sold by Teresa Sarjaš and Pamela Gosgnach at Sunday masses. Re-served tickets are $15/ at the door $17 for adults. Children 10 and under are $5. Children 3 and under are free. Parish family, it is only your attendance, generosity and support that will allow us to continue the tradition of this, over 40 year family event and for it to be successful. We rely on and look forward to your continued sup-port. DRUŠTVO SV. JOŽEFA Slovenian Society/Villa Slovenia Annual Meeting - Sunday, February 28th: Meeting will be held following the 10:00 a.m. Mass at Villa Slovenia. Reports will be presented on the activi-ties of the Društvo and Villa. All members and new members are invited to attend. Coffee and Krofi will be served. St. Joseph Society/Društvo membership is now due. Please see Frank Erzar for payment of your 2016 membership card. The Annual St. Joseph Society Banquet will be held on Sunday, March 13th. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased by contacting Frank Erzar @ 905-643-0285. Entertainment and door prizes. Reserve your table now. Admission: Adults: $25, Students 20, Children: $7. A Call for Youth Talent: At the annual St. Joseph Society Banquet we will be featuring “Nageljčki Dancers” from Toronto & our own youth who will share their artistic talents. Perfor-mances may include: dance, vocal, instrumental, gymnastics or other stage performances. - For interest and confirmation contact: Peter Novak @ 905-662-3641or Jerry Ponikvar @ 905-333-5813. POKOJNI V torek, 9. februarja 2016, je odšel k Bogu po večno plačilo naš faran Vid Kastelic. Vid je bil dolgoletni član župnijskega moškega zbora Majolka in mešanega zbora. Pokojni je bil v 82. letu starosti. V četrtek popoldne ob pol štirih smo molili za pokoj njegove duše v P.X. Dermody Funeral home. V petek, 12. februarja pa je bila ob 10h dopoldne v župnijski cerkvi pogrebna sveta maša, pri kateri sta pela oba zbora. Pokojni počiva na Our Lady of the Angels pokopališču. Iskreno sožalje ženi Milki in vsej družini. Pokojnemu Vidu pa večni mir in pokoj. KONZULARNE URE Veleposlaništvo republike Slovenije v Ottavi sporoča, da bodo naslednje konzularne ure v prostorih Generalnega konzulata RS v Torontu na 747 Browns Line v soboto 20. feb. 2016 med 11.00 in 15.00 uro. DAROVI Za misijone so darovali: $100 Marija Glavač z družino, $100 Veronika čurič; $100 Anton in Marija Franc. Namesto cvetja na grob Milke Kastelic sta darovala Slomškovemu oltarnemu društvu za cvetje $100 Mila in Vid Kastelic. Hvala vsem za vaše darove. CAN-SLO BUTTON ACCORDIAN CHAMPION-SHIP During the July long weekend, Slovenski Park is hosting the Canadian Slovenian Button Accor-dion Championship. Tickets for a chance to win an accordion will be sold at church events. Half the proceeds of these tickets sales will be going to Slovenski Park and the other half will be going to the Girls Club and the church. Any questions about the draw sales please contact Leah Skerl at 905-979-1551 or by email at leahskerl@gmail.com OBČNI ZBOR - GENERAL MEETING: 3:00 P.M. A reminder to everyone that next Sunday we will be holding our Annual General Meeting (Občni zbor). We welcome everyone to come and hear all the updates within our parish. Find out what’s been happening, what’s on the plan for the upcoming year and come out to share your ideas… we never have enough of those. The draft minutes to be approved at our AGM are included in this Vestnik to give everyone a chance to have a read before next Sunday. There will be light refreshments available for everyone to enjoy, so mark the date on your cal-endars… and we’ll see you then! SVETE MAŠE - MASS TIMES: Ponedeljek/Monday – Petek/Friday: 7:00 P.M. Sobota/Saturday: 8:00 A.M. – slovenska / in Slovenian 5:30 P.M. – slovenska / in Slovenian - Nedelja/Sunday: 9:30 A.M. – slovenska / in Slovenian - 11:00 A.M. – angleška / in English KRSTI / BAPTISMS: Po dogovoru, prijava 1 mesec prej. - For an app’t, call one month before. POROKE / MARRIAGE: Prijava eno leto prej. / For an app’t, call one year before the wedding date. SPOVED / CONFESSIONS: Vsak prvi petek ob 6:00 P.M. / First Friday of the month 6-7:00 P.M. (or by appointment) BOLNIKI - Sporočite, če je kdo bolan ali v bolnišnici, da ga obiščemo. You are welcome to call for a personal conversation (person counselling) with your priest – please call during business hours for an appointment. Tel: 905-561-5971. DON BOSCO 1. POSTNA NEDELJA 14. FEBRUAR Valentin (Zdravko), mučenec †† za žive in rajne župljane Pok. iz družine Sagadin in Kisner Bogu v zahvalo za 60 let poroke 9:30 A.M. 11:00 A.M. Julija Sagadin z družino Ignac in Marija Korošec PONEDELJEK - MONDAY 15. FEBRUAR Klavdij, red. † † Florian Miklavčič Stanko Bratuž 7:00 P.M. Žena z družino žena TOREK - TUESDAY 16. FEBRUAR Julijana, mučenka Za zdravje Silve 8:00 A.M. Nevenka G. Z družino SREDA - WEDNESDAY 17. FEBRUAR Aleš, spokornik † Milka Kastelic Bogu v zahvalo 7:00 P.M. Vid in Milka Kastelic Sonja L. ČETRTEK - THURSDAY 18. FEBRUAR Flavijan, škof †† †† Slavko, Dana in Cindy Mužar Angela in Carl Knaus 7:00 P.M. Pavel in Jožica Novak Gerda Žekš z družino PETEK - FRIDAY 19. FEBRUAR Bonifacij, škof † † † KRIŽEV POT Pavel Richard Novak Vid Kastelic Vid Kastelic 6:30 P.M. 7:00 P.M. Tone in Marija Bukvič Patti Stapleton Margaret Bennett SOBOTA - SATURDAY 20. FEBRUAR Leon Sicilski, škof kvatre †† † †† † Za verne duše v vicah Alojz in Julijana Pozderec Annie Kozlar Albin in pokojni Žagar Marija Mes 8:00 A.M. 5:30 P.M. N.N. Julija Sagadin Marija in Martin Zver Družina Mlačak Hči Kristina z družino 2. POSTNA NEDELJA 21. FEBRUAR Peter Damiani, škof † †† za žive in rajne župljane Francka Pust Verona in Štefan Prša OBČNI ZBOR-GENERAL MEETING 9:30 A.M. 11:00 A.M. 3:00 P.M. Družina Pust Joe in Kathy Prša Upper Parish Hall SVETE MAŠE - MASSES Od 14. 2. 2016 Do 21. 2. 2016