We are made pure and blameless through Jesus Christ.

 Letter From Our Pastor

“The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord.” Henri Nouwen

We have begun our four-week journey of Advent to prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25^th. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin verb “advenire” that means “to come or to arrive”. It is a sacred time to prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. We can use this time to reflect on how we make room in our lives, our families and our hearts for Jesus Christ not only at Christmas but also every day. The quotation from Henri Nouwen is a positive reminder of how we can prepare ourselves to celebrate Christmas.

This year, we have three Masses on Christmas Eve – 4:30 pm, 7:00 pm and a new Mass at 9:00 pm with a more contemporary ‘flavour’ to the music. On Christmas Day, we have one Mass at 10:00 am. All are welcome to attend! Taking an hour to gather with others, thanking God for the blessings we have received, celebrating the joy of Christmas and enjoying each other’s company at this special time of the year is a gift. May God bless your Advent journey this year and may the Holy Spirit lead you deeper into the mystery of the Christ Child whose birth we celebrate with joy and thanksgiving.

Father Geoffrey Kerslake

Pastor

Sunday Reflection:  Second Sunday of Advent, December 8 , 2024

We are made pure and blameless through Jesus Christ.

Reflection

“A voice cries out:  In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD…”  We typically don’t think of Advent as a wilderness experience, do we?  The Israelites encountered the Lord in the wilderness of the desert during their Exodus journey from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land.  Their pilgrimage through it is an image of the journey we each make through this life to God’s kingdom.  Both are journeys where we have an idea of the destination but not how long it will take, nor do we have an exact GPS route from here to there.  Advent is our pilgrimage towards Christmas.

Father Geoffrey Kerslake

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To all the Parish’s generous faithful

Thank you to all who donate to the ongoing operation of the parish.  For e-Transfer please send it to admin@holyspiritparish.ca and use the password, Holyspirit (all one word with a capital H).  We currently have a significant number of parishioners who contribute via bank auto debit.  If you would like more information about the program or wish to participate, please contact the parish office at 613-836-8881 or email admin@holyspiritparish.ca