The Parish Community of St. Kevin

Served by the Holy Cross Fathers

303 Niagara Street
Welland, Ontario  L3C 1K5

Email
905-735-5885

June 29, 2025

 

Faith in Full Bloom

As we enter the heart of summer, July offers us a sacred invitation to slow down, rest, and reflect on God’s goodness. Just as nature flourishes under the sun’s warmth, may our hearts grow in faith and gratitude under the light of Christ. This is a time for family, for community, and for quiet moments with God. Amid vacations and sunshine, let us not forget to pause and pray, to care for one another, and to recognize the beauty of creation around us. July also reminds us of the precious gift of freedom — in our nations and in our faith. Let us use this freedom to serve others and draw closer to Christ. May your summer be blessed with peace, joy, and spiritual renewal. Let every moment — whether restful or busy — be lived with a thankful heart. Wishing you a grace-filled July!

 

Happy Canada Day

On this Canada Day, we give thanks for the land we share, the freedoms we enjoy, and the people who call this country home. May we walk together with respect, seek justice with humility, and build a future rooted in peace and compassion. We pray for unity and for God’s continued guidance over our nation.

 

St. Kevin Parish Picnic & BBQ

Chippawa Park Pavilion Sunday, August 17th at 1:00pm

We have our Parish Picnic coming up on August 17! It is a great social event that allows us to meet and mingle with other parishioners, as well as an opportunity to celebrate being a part of the Parish Community of St Kevin. It will be held at Chippawa Park – (2 mins from the church). Tickets will be on sale for $7-Adults & $3-Children in the foyer at all Masses on the weekends of July 19/20 and July 26/27 or from the Parish Office from July 21-July 25 during office hours. We urge you to get a ticket so that we can have a fairly accurate head count and order the appropriate supplies. An event such as this takes a major effort to organize, so that all goes seamlessly and there is plenty of time for fun and fellowship. To do this, we need your help!!We are currently looking for volunteers to:

• Help BBQ the hot dogs and burgers (we will have veggie and gluten-free options)
• Help serve the food (burgers and hot dogs), salads, drinks, ice cream
• Volunteers to take tickets
• Help with clean-up, recycling, and keeping our area of the park clean
• Help run the games for the young kids

We also require volunteers, with a truck or a vehicle with a trailer hitch, who could assist with the picking up of the BBQ and the transportation of supplies to the park.  Please let us know asap if you can help with this task. There will be a sign-up sheet (name, contact number, and email) for volunteers also on those same two weekends in July in the foyer (19/20 and 26/27). Many thanks to our Holy Name Society for taking the lead on this event! So, let’s all make it a time for us to have fun and enjoy our church community. Please plan to attend and we would be grateful if you would help out!

 

Mission Appeal

We welcome Fr. Roni Mukkuzhy, V.C., a Vincentian missionary priest from India, who will visit our parish on August 2nd and 3rd as part of the Missionary Cooperation Plan. He will speak at all Masses about his missionary work and appeal on behalf of the Vincentian Missions.

The Vincentian Congregation, founded in Kerala, India in 1904, follows the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul. Their missionaries serve in India, East Africa, and Peru, especially in the areas of education, pastoral care, and formation of seminarians.

A special mission collection will be taken up to support their vital work. Please be generous and keep Fr. Roni and all Vincentian Missionaries in your prayers. Learn more at: www.vincentians.in

 

Summertime

As we enter summer, the parish shifts into a quieter pace. Many ministries pause as families travel and take a well-earned break. We wish you safe travels and joyful memories!

Please note: For July and August, the Parish Office will be open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00am to 3:00pm and closed on Wednesdays. We appreciate your understanding as we enjoy a slower summer rhythm.

 

SCUBA - Vacation Bible School

 

Note: We’re looking for enthusiastic and reliable volunteers to help during the week of July 28 to August 3! This is a great opportunity to get involved, meet others, and support our parish’s summer activities. We need help with event setup and cleanup, hospitality and welcoming, children’s activities and general support wherever needed.

Whether you can spare a day or just a few hours, your help will be greatly appreciated! To sign up or learn more, please contact stkevinsyouth25@gmail.com and let’s make this summer week a blessing for all!

We made a short video for SCUBA VBS. Please click here to view.

 

Please remember the Poor Box as you leave the Church.
 

Worth Repeating

The items below you may have seen before but remain here if seasonally important information

or

General information that people need to review from time to time.

 

Housekeeping Reminders

  • Please place hymn books neatly back in their spots. Please be sure to dispose of tissues, wrappers, or other debris when leaving. And don’t forget your bulletin. Please do not leave behind daily Missalettes at the end of the month – simply recycle them.

  • When entering the parking lot please do so from Niagara Street and exit via Northcote. Please drive slowly in our parking lot as well. If you are parking on the side streets for Mass, please be respectful of road signs and driveways. Please be sure to lock your car doors when you come for Mass or any other function.

  • Please also be very careful with perfumes and colognes. Some parishioners tend to go very heavy with these and it can be difficult for fellow parishioners with allergies or breathing troubles. We have had many parishioners come to us about this requesting that we ask people to not wear scents. Please refrain or use the tiniest amount possible.

  • For those who place loose bills or coins in the collection – we would like to give you proper credit for income tax purposes. Please consider using our Visitor envelopes or asking Father/our Staff for a box of envelopes.

The Vineyard, the Diocese of St. Catharines journal has gone digital.

It can be viewed at http://saintcd.com/diocesan-directory/the-vineyard

 

Safety Reminder

We wish to remind Parishioners to please lock car doors when attending Mass and please do not leave valuables in vehicles, in the parking lot or on the street. Thank you.

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!

A Review of Some Parish Policies

  1. Requests: We often receive requests for baptism or marriage, or Pastoral References for teachers, who are not members of St. Kevin's Parish. Examples would be: They might like our church and so want to get married here although they live elsewhere. Or: they were baptized here and so they would like their child to be baptized here although they live elsewhere. Or: I went to Notre Dame College School. The main point here is "they live elsewhere". Now – wherever elsewhere might be, there is a Catholic parish there. Our policy is to minister to the parishioners of St. Kevin's. We have more than 3400 families; there is a lot of ministry work for us to do here. Our focus and attention is first and foremost on our own parishioners.

  2. Parishioners should be registered: And here it is important to remember – that all of our parishioners should be registered in the parish, that is, on our books with names and phone numbers and addresses.

  3. Young Adults: There is a point when the young person must register in our Parish. It does not suffice to say my parents are members of St. Kevin's and I was confirmed at St. Kevin's when that person has been living on his or her own. The young adult should not depend on the faith and loyalty of parents or grandparents but must take ownership of his or her own faith. That means, as well, the young person should be engaged in the financial support of the Parish.

  4. Support of the Church: One of the precepts of the church – parishioners should be generous in supporting the material needs of the church. Today, we do this best by regularly using envelopes to help with the expenses of administering a very large parish such as St. Kevin's.

  5. Needing a Letter of Permission: Hospitality is a wonderful characteristic of St. Kevin's Parish. And we do want to be open and hospitable to folks who are not registered members in the parish. Yet – we must be careful to observe church laws and regulations. We will consider doing a marriage or a baptism of those folks from elsewhere. But – we must ask that the person or persons making this request of us have a "letter of permission" from elsewhere, that is, from the parish in which they are actually living - a letter from the Pastor of that parish giving us permission to do the baptism or marriage. Without such a letter of permission our policy must be to refuse to do such baptisms or marriages.

  6. Weddings: To be married in St. Kevin's, one should be registered in the parish. Please call at least six months in advance to make arrangements. If not a registered member of our parish, we must have a Letter of Permission from the Pastor in which the person(s) is registered. (See above.)

  7. Baptisms: To be baptized in St. Kevin's, one should be registered in the Parish. Please call as early as possible to arrange a baptism. If one is not registered, we must have a Letter of Permission from the Pastor in which the family is registered. (See above.)

  8. Pastoral References for Teachers: Pastoral references for teachers are given for those persons who are registered in St. Kevin's Parish. The Pastoral Reference for teachers testifies that the person practices his or her faith regularly. Sunday Eucharist is the great Christian norm for the practice of the faith. The Pastoral Reference for teachers inquires as to how active the person is in participating in different dimensions of parish or civic life.

  9. Godparents / Christian Witness for Baptism: At baptism, a Roman Catholic sponsor is called a Godparent. All Godparents for Baptism should be practicing Catholics. One of the sponsors at baptism must be a Roman Catholic, 16 years of age and already confirmed. A non-Catholic sponsor is called a "Christian Witness". (This presumes that the non- Catholic is indeed a practicing Christian and baptized in a Christian church). In choosing a Godparent for baptism, parents should keep in mind that a Godparent at baptism should also be the person's sponsor at Confirmation.

  10. Confirmation Sponsors: A Confirmation sponsor must be a practicing Roman Catholic, already confirmed and 16 years of age. We ask the sponsor at Confirmation to have a brief meeting with the Pastor of his/her Parish. Simply inform the Pastor of your desire to act as a Confirmation sponsor at St. Kevin's and kindly ask the Pastor to sign the Sponsor Form. The Sponsor Form itself presents in a clear way the expectations for a Confirmation Sponsor.

  11. Parish Pastoral Practice.
    •   If someone is seriously sick at home or in the hospital, please call the office. One of the priests will be happy to visit.
    •   If one is unable to come to Sunday Eucharist over a long period of time, please call the office and arrange for a communion visit on the part of our Eucharist Ministers.
    •   When spending time in the hospital, please indicate that you are Roman Catholic and a member of St. Kevin's.

     

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