The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) will hold its annual Plenary Assembly at the Nav Canada Centre, Cornwall, Ontario, in the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall from September 25-29, 2017. The meeting will be chaired by the Most Reverend Douglas Crosby, O. M. I., Bishop of Hamilton and President of the CCCB, who will finish his term as President at the end of this Plenary. Please pray for Bishop Hundt and his brother Bishops as they embark on these important meetings.

Every year, the Bishops of Canada make an appeal for financial assistance to support its work through the Collection for the Needs of the Church in Canada. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is the national assembly of Catholic Bishops in Canada, including the Eastern Catholic Churches of Canada.

Each diocese participates in financing the regional assemblies and the national Conference by a contribution based on its Catholic population. The annual Collection for the Needs of the Church in Canada invites all the faithful to participate in this financing by helping their diocese meet its financial obligations to the regional assemblies and to the national Conference. Any additional revenues raised help the diocese support its own diocesan pastoral programs and other activities. This special collection will be taken up on the weekend of September 23-24.

 

The Diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador currently requires a Financial Administrator.  This full time position is located in Corner Brook and reports directly to the Bishop.

On September 1, the Catholic Church celebrates the  World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. In honor of this third annual World Day of Prayer, Pope Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew  have issued a joint message, inviting all to prayer and to reflection on wise use of the earth's resources.

"Therefore, united by the same concern for God’s creation and acknowledging the earth as a shared good, we fervently invite all people of goodwill to dedicate a time of prayer for the environment on 1 September.  On this occasion, we wish to offer thanks to the loving Creator for the noble gift of creation and to pledge commitment to its care and preservation for the sake of future generations. After all, we know that we labour in vain if the Lord is not by our side (cf. Ps 126-127), if prayer is not at the centre of our reflection and celebration. Indeed, an objective of our prayer is to change the way we perceive the world in order to change the way we relate to the world. The goal of our promise is to be courageous in embracing greater simplicity and solidarity in our lives."

Click here to read the entire message. 

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.

We are pleased to welcome to our Diocese Reverend “Joe” Pichai Pillai Vellankanni, C.M., a member of the Southern Indian Province of the Congregation for the Mission, who arrived in the Diocese on August 14. Please join in welcoming Father Joe to the diocese and praying for God’s blessing upon his ministry.

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.

It is with great sadness that the Diocese announces the sudden death of Father Johnbosco Vellaphadass, HGN.  Father Johnbosco died Wednesday, July 26, 2017, at the age of 39.  At the time of his tragic death, Father Vellaphadass was serving as Administrator of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Bird Cove.  Father arrived in our diocese in December 2014 and began his ministry to the people of the Northern Peninsula on March 8, 2015.

The Compassionate Community Care (CCC) helpline, 1-855-675-8749 is a national service for people who are seeking advice, help & support regarding euthanasia & assisted suicide prevention, &/or end-of-life treatment issues or concerns.

Bill C-16, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code, was recently passed by the Parliament of Canada and received royal assent on 19 June 2017. This Act adds gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act, and also modifies the Criminal Code to extend the protection against hate crimes to members of groups distinguished by gender identity or expression.

While the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops supports Bill C-16's intention to protect Canadians from harm, some of the principles behind the legislation – even if widely accepted in our society – cannot be endorsed by Catholics.

The read CCCB President, Bishop Douglas Crosby’s letter in its entirety and to find further sources of information please visit cccb.ca