The next steps

Those first few days following the resurrection of Jesus could not have been easy for the disciples to experience.  They had been filled with such hope, and then Jesus had been arrested, put on trial and killed.  Even though they had seen the risen Lord in the Upper Room, the joy that had filled their hearts was far too easily replaced by doubt.  Today’s gospel tells us that some of them had gathered on the shores of the Sea of Tiberius (cf Jn 21:1-3).  The scriptures record only a few words, spoken by Peter: I’m going fishing, yet we can hear disappointment in his voice, and perhaps we can sympathize with him too.

For the last few months, all of us who are part of the Catholic communities in Elliot Lake have been asking increasing numbers of questions about the next steps for our local Church.  Like the disciples, we too may be feeling doubts and fears about what is to come.   Like the disciples, a part of us longs to go back to the way things used to be, but we cannot go backwards; we must face the future, and we can do this because, like the disciples, Jesus meets us where we are and asks us to cast our nets, and to bring some of the fish that we have caught – that is to say that we are being invited to bring our talents and gifts and to share them freely and lovingly so that together we can build a vibrant community of faith in this city.

The members of the Transition Team have been hard at work planning the details of the final liturgies that will be celebrated in the parish churches of Ste-Marie and Our Lady of Fatima. It is our hope that each of these celebrations will be an opportunity for us to look back, to remember the lives of faith that have been lived in these two places of worship and to give thanks to God for all the blessings we have received.

The closing liturgy for Our Lady of Fatima parish will be celebrated on Saturday afternoon, June 1st beginning at 4:00pm, and the final Mass at Ste-Marie will be celebrated the following day: June 2nd beginning at 9:30am.  Following the completion of these Masses, the two churches will be closed and there will be no weekday Masses celebrated during that week.  The regular weekday liturgies will begin again on Tuesday, June 11th.

On Sunday morning, June 9th, we will celebrate the first Mass in the new parish church of Saint Bernadette, beginning at 10:00am.  This will be an opportunity for all of us to celebrate a new beginning in the story of faith that we are writing together here in this part of the Lord’s vineyard.

Beginning on the weekend of June 15th and 16th, the regular schedule of Masses for the Lord’s day will include two Masses celebrated in English – one on Saturday afternoon at 4:00pm and the other one on Sunday morning at 11:00am; and one Mass celebrated in French on Sunday morning at 9:00am.

At the conclusion of today’s gospel, Jesus spoke with Peter and granted him a new beginning (cf Jn 21:15-19).  Let us pray for one another, that this new beginning will be a time of grace and blessing for all of us.