News

The Diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador is currently seeking applications for the position of Accounting Clerk.  This part-time position is located in Corner Brook and reports directly to the Financial Administrator.

Click here for the full job description.

On behalf of the people of the diocese, Bishop Hundt wishes to extend birthday wishes to Msgr. Roderick White on the occasion of his 95^th birthday on September 19.  Since his ordination to the priesthood on April 8, 1951, Msgr. Roddy has served in many parishes throughout the diocese, and fulfilled many roles within the diocesan structure.

Happy birthday, Msgr. Roddy, with prayers and best wishes from Bishop Hundt and the people of the Diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador. We thank you for your devotion to your ministry over the years and for sharing your gifts of music and love of history with all of us.

On Saturday, September 8, the parishioners of Our Lady of Labrador Parish in West St. Modeste had a celebration of thanksgiving for the ministry of Sister Lorraine Power, rsm.  Bishop Hundt presided at the Mass and thanked Sister for her ministry to the people and priests of the parish. Sister Lorraine is returning to St. John’s to live and her absence will be felt in the community and indeed, throughout the many communities of coastal Labrador where she served as a medical doctor for many years.

Please join with Bishop Hundt in expressing gratitude for Sister's service to the people of NL, in particular to the people of West St. Modeste, and in prayer for good health and a happy retirement.

The five-week period between September 1 and October 4 is known as Time for Creation.  September 1 is the beginning of the Orthodox Church Year, a date when, since 1989, the Orthodox Church also commemorates God’s Creation by observing a Day of Prayer for the Environment.  In August 2015, Pope Francis announced the establishment of a World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, to be observed annually on September 1. October 4 was chosen to mark the end of the Time for Creation as it is the celebration of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and ecology. We are encouraged during this time especially to pray, to organize practical initiatives to combat the environmental crisis facing our planet and to reflect on ways to reduce the impact of our lifestyles on the environment.

This year on September 1, the Catholic Church celebrates the  fourth annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. In establishing this World Day of prayer in 2015, Pope francis said that it would be a time for individuals and communities to "reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation as well as his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live."

We celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary each year on August 15. This Feast commemorates the death of Mary and her bodily assumption into heaven.

Father Christopher Paul Rushton, OMI, died peacefully on July 30, 2018, surrounded by saddened members of his Religious community, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Predeceased by his parents, Louis and Eileen Rushton, and two brothers, Norman and Brian, he is mourned by his remaining brother, Pat (Joan) of Almonte, ON, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Father Chris ministered in Labrador on and off for over 30 years, mainly serving the Innu communities of Sheshatshiu and Natuashish.

He will be waked at St. Patrick’s Church, 440 King Street East, Hamilton, ON on Friday, August 3, 2018 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., with prayers being offered at 8:30. His remains will be transferred to Holy Canadian Martyrs Parish, Ottawa, for Vigil and prayers at 7:00 p.m. and Mass of Resurrection, on Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at 11 a.m. followed by the burial at 2 p.m. at St. Theresa’s Oblate Cemetery in Arnprior, ON.

The diocese offers condolences to the Lacombe Province of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Father Chris's brother and his family, and to his other relatives and many friends, including the people of Sheshatshiu and Natuashish.

May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

The CCCB has issued a statement marking the 50^th anniversary of the Encyclical Humanæ Vitæ, which falls on 25 July 2018. The text, titled The Joy of Married Love, presents the teaching of Humanæ Vitæ in an accessible and uplifting style aimed at inspiring and providing encouragement to married couples. It was developed jointly between the CCCB’s Commission for Doctrine and The Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF).

Click here to read the statement in its entirety.

Today the diocese received a note from a family of 10 in western Pennsylvania telling us that as part of their nightly devotions during the last two weeks of July they will be praying for  Bishop Hundt and the needs of the diocese.

In expressing his gratitude to the family Bishop Hundt said "Your thoughtfulness is greatly apreciated and your prayers are a wonderful blessing for me and the diocese.  With gratitude and prayers for God's blessings upon you..."

Let us continue to pray for one another as we journey together in faith.

Last week, the Cannabis Act was passed by the Senate and received Royal Assent, thereby legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Canada. On Monday, June 25, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) issued a statement on the legalization of cannabis, which comments on what the CCCB worries will be the effects of using and promoting the use of marijuana for recreational purposes, reiterating the information and insights already expressed in its prior “Statement on Canada’s Opioid Crisis and Drug Addiction”, as well as highlighting the important evidence-based concerns raised by a number of community professionals and the Holy See.