August 2010

August News Notes

Blessings on all of the members of our Parish Community. May you and your families continue to enjoy a safe and peaceful summer. A summer prayer:

We pray for the faith to recognize God's presence in our world. God our Father, open our eyes to see your hand at work in the splendour of creation, in the beauty of human life. Touched by your hand, our life is holy. Help us to cherish the gifts that surround us, to share your blessings with our brothers and sisters, and to experience the joy of life in your presence. Amen.

One Bulletin for August

There will only be one bulletin for August. Daily Mass intentions will be posted by the week on the bulletin board in the foyer.

Office Closed

The office will be closed Monday August 2 for the Civic Holiday. Morning Mass on the holiday will be at 10:00 a.m.

Sunday evening Mass

Sunday evening Mass is cancelled for the summer. We will resume the 5:00 p.m. Sunday Mass September 19.

There will be no St. Vincent de Paul meeting in August.

Pope Benedict's Charity in Truth!

Insert in the August Bulletin – Pope Benedict's Charity in Truth! Caritas in Veritate or Charity in Truth is Pope Benedict's encyclical on social ethics. This Catholic Update is a brief summary of the key themes Pope Benedict develops in this long and at times challenging social teaching. Challenging is a good word because the social teaching offered by Pope Benedict is deeply thought out and reasoned, not easy to grasp with simply one reading; it is challenging, as well, because of the nature of this social teaching, a teaching that calls us to share, to live solidarity and to commit ourselves to work to realize the common good. For Pope Benedict, every aspect of our economy has an ethical dimension. The beauty of this four-page Update is that Pope Benedict's thought becomes more accessible to Catholics. This Update is very worthy of the half-hour of your time during these August days. The more we understand the better able we are to question the economic, political and social structures that keep people economically poor and prevent integral human development. And such questioning will also lead to action, action grounded in the gospel call for justice and peace.

High Price of Cheap Bananas – We need fair trade! Part One

Sonia Furstenau – Toronto Star June 5, 2010

Standing in the grocery store with my two small children on a Saturday afternoon surveying the bananas, I am momentarily transported to a different world: the world where the bananas originate.

In this other world, according to Human Rights Watch and Banana Link, parents and their children are working 10- to 12-hour days, and earning as little as $1.50 a day. In this world, workers on banana plantations, including children as young as 8, are exposed to toxic and cancer-causing chemicals and dangerous conditions, and if they are injured or sick they are given no compensation or medical care.

In this world, there is no job security, no protection for women who are sexually harassed or paid a fraction of what their male counterparts earn, no limits to the lengths corporations will go to extract the greatest profit out of their products.

Who is responsible for the reality of this other world? We are.

We expect our grocery stores to supply us with a vast array of produce, and we expect them to offer it to us at the lowest possible price. In the world of bananas, this resulted in a "race to the bottom" – supermarkets are on the hunt for the lowest priced bananas, which means that the companies growing those bananas find ways to cut as many of their costs as they can.

The world's largest banana companies – Dole, Chiquita and Del Monte – seek out plantations in countries that have lax labour and environmental laws so they can keep labour costs at a minimum and use toxic pesticides and fungicides. The banana industry uses more than 400 agrochemicals, many of which are associated with sterility, cancer, birth defects and mortality. The land used for banana plantations is devastated first by deforestation, then by monoculture growing conditions and chemicals use. In Costa Rica, runoff from banana plantations has caused damage to 60 percent of the coral reefs in Cahuita National Park.

In Ecuador, blue plastic bags containing insecticides – including a neurotoxin associated with asthma and reproductive and developmental toxicity – are left on the ground after being used to shield the bananas before harvest. They end up in rivers and streams, on roadsides and in remote areas, their chemical contents seeping into soil, water and air. Ecuador also practises aerial spraying of pesticides that penetrate houses, schools, soil and drinking water.

All of these practices are undertaken to minimize costs and maximize the number of bananas that can be provided to us, the consumers, at the lowest possible price. But we have a choice, and our choices can have enormous impact on the world. We can choose Fair Trade.

High Price of Cheap Bananas – We need fair trade! Part Two

Sonia Furstenau – Toronto Star June 5, 2010

Fair Trade allows us as consumers to choose not to buy food that was cultivated in these conditions. (Please refer to Part 1 that was in the July Bulletin and is still on our website.) Fair Trade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) ensures that farmers in the developing world receive fair payment for their labour and their products.

Products purchased in the Fair Trade system are identified by a Fair Trade logo, which guarantees not only that the producers have received a fair price, but that the benefits are equally shared among all of the workers. Unions are encouraged and strengthened, strict labour codes are in place, and there are specific restrictions on the use of pesticides and fungicides, as well as other environmental standards geared toward sustainablility and waste reduction. Children under 15 are prohibited from working, and all Fair Trade suppliers must eliminate gender discrimination.

Fair trade goes beyond fair and stable prices. Fair Trade supports small producers and cooperatives, allowing farmers to maintain their own lands rather than work for transnational corporations.

There is a Fair Trade premium that producers must invest in social, environmental or economic improvements. This translates into schools and health centres, sustainable farming methods, and pension incomes for retired or injured workers. Fair Trade organizations also provide grants and loans to help sustain plantations so that workers are guaranteed year-round, stable income. We can take one step further toward justice by investing funds with institutions such as Oikocredit that provide microloans to Fair Trade organizations – loans that help sustain and expand Fair Trade practices in developing countries.

William Stapelton, a farmer in the Dominican Republic, summarizes the difference that Fair Trade has made for him: "First, it protects me and my health by some rules: having to use a respirator, gloves, etc. Secondly, it makes me grow more organic food, use less pesticides, use more organic manure. . . . I would like to use the premium for the protection of rivers and will submit this idea to my group."

So the next time you buy bananas, think of what Fair Trade gives back to the farmers who grew them: healthy food, clean water, sanitation, education, environmental sustainability and dignity. Your voice counts, your dollars count and your choices can change the world.

This Summer's Vacation Bible School

Parents and grand parents, please mark your calendars: Vacation Bible School takes place for children in Grades 1-6, in the week of August 9-13 in the Parish Hall. Please check the bulletin board for more Vacation Bible School information.

Vacation Bible School

Our St. Kevin's Youth Ministry's Vacation Bible School, 2010 will be held the week of August 9th to August 13th at St. Kevin's Church in the Delaney Hall from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The theme is "POWER LAB" discovering Jesus' miraculous power, a life changing impact of getting to know Jesus. They'll have an exciting adventure following Jesus as he heals, helps and gives power to the people who need him. Admission is free with donations to the "St. Kevin's Food Bank". The program is open to students going into Grades 1 to 6 in September 2010. Your children will have a great time with lively songs, hilarious skits, creative crafts, exciting games, Bible stories and tasty snacks, all of the things that make V.B.S. so much fun for our children. On top of that, we will be helping children to learn about how to have courage to serve God. Registration forms are available at the church office or from Dahlia Brannigan, Youth Ministry Coordinator at email or the church's website.

RCIA - The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults

This wonderful experience is a process for persons wishing to become Roman Catholic or for Catholics who have very little background in the understanding and practice of our Catholic faith. If you know someone who might be open to journey with our RCIA team please be in touch with Fr. Norm or Fr. Jim. The brochure on the Bulletin Board is a great description of the RCIA process. A number of brochures may be found in the Foyer. Please share this brochure with those who may be interested in our Catholic faith and tradition.

Celebrating the Canonization of Brother André, CSC

Alfred Bessette, known as Brother André of Montreal, a Holy Cross Brother, will be canonized as the first Canadian male saint by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome on October 17. For Canadians and for the Holy Cross Fathers, this is great reason to celebrate. Here at St. Kevin's, the CWL is planning a celebratory parish supper October 17; at all the Masses that weekend we will include a special prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of Brother André and for the work of St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal.

Catholic Women's League News:

The CWL Newsletters with raffle tickets are in the foyer. Please pick up your envelope, and return sold tickets and monies in the collection basket in an envelope marked CWL Tickets.

First meeting will be Thursday, September 2nd at 7:00 pm – Mass and Pin Presentation followed by Wine and Cheese. Please come out to honour sisters in the League.

Blue Jays vs Red Sox's Parish Baseball Excursion

Parish Baseball Excursion– trip to Toronto for a Baseball game on Tuesday evening at 7:07 pm on August 10, 2010. Tickets are $58.00 (this includes cost of ticket & bus + GST & parking) and we have some tickets for sale. If you want to attend please contact Joe Barkovich at 905-735-3562. The bus for Rogers Centre on August 10 will leave the church parking lot at 4:15 p.m. The bus will drop us off in the church parking lot after the game. Please be prompt in returning to the bus after the game is over so we can leave Toronto as quickly as possible.

AN APPEAL FROM THE FOOD BANK

As the calls to St. Vincent de Paul are increasing, so are the numbers using the Parish Food Bank. The supplies are quickly running out. Those who work in social services notice that dollars are not going far enough. Before, people could make it to the end of the month; now the struggle seems to be throughout the whole of the month. 30% of those using our food bank are children under the age of 12.

Particular need for Food Bank!

Our parishioners are so very good in stocking our Food Bank. Our needs are greater in the summer during holiday time for the schools. Please be even more generous than usual. We have shopping lists available for August attached to the bulletin board.

Parish Planning for September and October

• September 2 – CWL – Mass and Pin Presentation
• September 6 – Labour Day – the Office is closed. Mass is at 10:00 a.m.
• September 7 – School begins
• September 9 – Choir practice resumes
• September 13 – RCIA begins
• September 16 – Seniors cards resumes in the Hospitality Room
• September 17 – Altar Servers Meeting – 4:30 p.m.
• September 19 – Children's Liturgy at 10:00 Mass resumes
• September 19 – 5:00 Sunday Evening Mass resumes
• September 21 – Liturgy Committee Meeting – 9:30 a.m. Rectory
• September 28 – Rite of Enrolment for Confirmation Candidates
• September 28-29-30 – Parents meeting #1 for First Communion
• October 2-3 – Rosary Distribution for Grade Threes
• October 11 – Thanksgiving
• October 12 – Taizé Prayer of Thanksgiving
• October 17 – Rome – Canonization of Brother André, CSC

Seniors Card Group

St. Kevin Seniors Card Group will meet on Thursday, September 16th at 1:00 p.m. in the Hospitality Room.

St. Kevin Food Bank Social Justice Scholarship

Three scholarships have been awarded by the St. Kevin Food Bank Social Justice Scholarship Committee. Recipients are: Hailey Kolpin, Paul Nohara and Nicolle Thomas. The three are Grade 12 graduates of Notre Dame College School. The $1,000 scholarships were presented at the graduation ceremonies, June 29. Soup'sOn!, held annually the last Friday in January at our parish, is the main source of funding for the scholarship.

St. Marys RC Welland Jubilee Celebrations

St. Marys Parish will be celebrating its 100th anniversary with a Jubilee Mass at 10:30 am on Sunday September 12, 2010, followed by a reception in the Church hall. Our Parish will be creating a DVD slide show which will be shown at this time and copies will be sold. At this time we are looking for historic photos of the interior or exterior of the church as well as historic occasions. We are also hoping to interview any elders or families from our community that would share their experiences. If you have any photos, memorabilia or names of people you feel should be included, please contact us by email or leave a message at 905-734-3143 and someone will be contact with you.

New Beginnings

NEW BEGINNINGS (support group for separated and divorced) will not be meeting during the month of August. Meetings usually take place every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month at St. Mary's Parish (169 St. Paul Crescent., St. Catharines) from 7:00–9:00 p.m. For information contact Deacon Bob Wood at 905-682-5664 or Karmen Plantic at 905-646-2421. Next meetings will take place on September 1st and 15th.

Mount Carmel Retirement Home

Are you alone? Getting tired? Mount Carmel is an ideal Retirement Home for older adults who prefer independent living supported by personal services. Operated by the Carmelite Sisters for 90 years in St. Catharines, Mount Carmel offers an affordable, professional and caring environment, enriched by a Christian atmosphere, daily Mass and other devotions. Please call 905-685-3755 or email for a tour of this beautiful Home.

Permanent Diaconate

The Office of the Permanent Diaconate is interviewing men who feel they may have a vocation to Diaconate. If you feel the call to serve the Church as a deacon, contact the Office of the Diaconte at the Catholic Centre, Deacon George Newman at 9025-684-0154 ext 225 or email

There is a promise of marriage between

Antonio Parente & Tina Bruni

Greg Valovich & Marlayna Mihaljev

Mark Tulumello & Shora Niaboli

Bryan Robillard & Ellen Nelson

EMPTY Fair Trade Coffee Bags

Please bring in your EMPTY Fair Trade Coffee Bags, Two ND students are going to recycle them!

Catholic Marriage Tribunal

If you are considering remarriage in the Catholic Church at some point, or hoping to enter a marriage with someone previously married, please speak to a priest, or contact the Diocesan Catholic Marriage Tribunal in St. Catharines at 905-687-8817. Information Pamphlets are available through the parish.

PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Due to the privacy laws, the hospital does not list our parishioners by address or parish unless you state your religion as ST. KEVIN PARISH when you are admitted. It would help the parish visiting team if when the hospital asks religion – you respond ST. KEVIN'S PARISH. If you or a family member enter a hospital for several days please be sure to call the parish office to let us know if you wish a visit. If you wish the Anointing of the Sick before an operation, either at home or while in the hospital, be sure to inform the parish office. A priest will come as soon as possible to administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. We also have a group of lay people from our parish who each week visit or bring communion to Catholic parishioners in the hospital. Please, we need to know that you are there!

THE FIVE SECRETS – Of successful parking at St. Kevin's!

1. Our parking lot parking is limited and so must be modeled after the way one would park on a ferryboat. Please enter by Niagara Street and exit on to Northcote. Please, please do not park in front of the exit, blocking all cars!
2. For maximum efficiency – use the three lanes and please move directly up to the space behind the car ahead of you. Spaces are clearly marked.
3. Do not give bad example. The one-way arrows clearly indicate the flow of the traffic from Niagara Street to Northcote. Do not slip your car in and put it in the opposite direction for quick exit. That is illegal.
4. Upon leaving church and exiting the parking lot, please be patient and respectful of one another.
5. Beware! If you are parked illegally on the streets surrounding the parish – the Niagara Regional Police (to borrow a phrase from St. Peter's letter) are lurking about like a lion – waiting to ticket you.

Sunday Offering Envelopes for 2010

Envelopes for 2010 are available in the foyer. If you did not use envelopes last year, and wish to use them in 2010, please fill in a registration form and take a blank box and write your full name and address on the first few envelopes.

REMINDER:

Are You Registered in Our Parish?

Please do not take for granted that you are registered in the parish just because you attend Mass here. If we have no record of your parish membership, it could be quite embarrassing to us, or to you or your family, when someone wishes to make wedding plans, have a baby baptized, or if you have been asked to act as a sponsor for baptism or confirmation. Please fill out a registration form. This form is on the shelf in the book stand in the foyer of the church. When you have completed the form, place in the collection basket or return it to the Parish Office