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Registration for First Holy Communion will begin October 6th - December 15th.  Please follow the following link to see the information package -- fhc-rec.nativityym.com

today's readings are 2 Kings 19; Psalm 48 and Matt. 7: 6, 12-14 King Hezekiah made a choice that many would have said was unwise.  He ignores the reasoning  the reasoning of King Sennacherib of Assyria - he chooses to follow the Lord and trust in Him, rather than simply caving in to the threats of an evil king and empire, even though many other nations had done it already.  In so many ways, Hezekiah choose the narrow gate that Jesus speaks of in our gospel. This narrow gate is often not popular.  For the crowds don't choose it, they choose whatever is popular at that time, listening and bowing to the views of a society, views that so often can be in opposition to what Jesus teaches us.   Following Jesus instead of following the crowds can come at a price.  We can be mocked, scorned or ignored.  But we make the right choice.  We choose the narrow gate.  We choose Him. P.S.    Dear reader:  this is my final reflection as tomorrow I move onto St. Ambrose.  These reflections originated during the time of Covid, and were an opportunity to reach out to you and many others when we could not gather in person to worship.   I continued to do these reflections, mind you, not as often as during the shutdown.  I deeply appreciate the time you have taken to consider and ponder what I have shared.  And it has been a privilege for me to do so, as it has also benefitted me for my continued spiritual development. A special thank you goes to Evan Hennessy, the creator and administrator of our parish website.  Evan has shared a fabulous website for us and we are the beneficiaries of his efforts. Bless you, Evan! Finally, bless you, dear reader.  May you continue to cherish the precious gift of the Word of God shared with us in our daily masses.  Peace be with you!!! Fr. Michael Machacek. --

today's readings are Isaiah 49: 1-6; Psalm 139; Acts 13: 22-26 and Lk. 1: 57-66, 80 "What then will this child become?" For indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. In our gospel story of the Nativity of John the Baptist, the people are amazed.  Amazed that an old woman could bear a child.  Amazed that the father who was struck mute can now speak.  And amazed at the precious gift of new life bestowed upon them. And the question they ask of the child, when you think about it, could be asked of every child - what will this child become? Every child comes with the message that God has not yet given up on us.  Every child is a gift from God.  And the upbringing of the child is not restricted to the parents or the extended family, but in many ways, to all of us.   This is a reason why our parish has invested so much, in terms of time and money into ministry for our young. So we have 2 week Bible camp each summer for kids from Grade 2 through 5.  We have the EDGE camp at the end of August.  Our teens are going to Steubenville in a few days from now for a huge gathering.  And then, we have our EDGE and Lifeteen programmes for our youth. What then will this child become?  How often I ask that question when I look on one of our little ones.  The answer is who knows?  But God has plans for each one of them.  And we do our part to help enable that to happen.   P.S. in case you are wondering, the little boy (aged about 2.5) in the photo above is me.  I'm sure that my parents had no idea of what I would become. One thing for sure - God had plans for me - as He does for you. 

today's readings are Job 38: 1-11; Psalm 107; 2 Cor. 5:14-17 and Mark 4: 35-41 Being in control.  Wanting to be in control. A lot of people want to be in control.  Including me.    Our desire to be in control starts when we are children – thinking that that people are there for the sole purpose of meeting our needs. As we grow older, we learn that this is not true.  But that doesn’t stop us from trying to set up things so that our own desires are met.  Thus, we spend an inordinate amount of time planning and planning, so things are under control.  At times, we may even try to manipulate others to get our way.  Like using angry outbursts to control family members. Or publicly putting down others who present a different way of dealing with a difficult situation.     Trying to always be in control is even extended to trying to control God.  I remember Fr. Brian sharing a story many years ago about a parishioner who told him she prayed to God that her sister be cured from cancer. But her sister died. That lady was upset, feeling like God had let her down. And to show God that He had let her down, she stopped coming to Mass.  Her desire to be in control, to have her own way, was manifested in a passive-aggressive way by not going to church. It was like she was saying, “Okay God, if you won’t answer my prayers, why should I worship you?”  The reality is that we can’t control God, and often can't control others.  In fact, life teaches us again and again that we are not in control. For example, when we experience unemployment, financial difficulty, loss of a loved one, a broken friendship, household disputes between teens and parents – we learn we are not in control – or when severe health issues, whether your own or a loved one intrudes into our lives; or when we are uprooted by a transfer, we see that no, we are not in control.  Is it possible for us to overcome this constant drive to need to be in control? Can the Word of God we heard proclaimed today help us with this issue? The answer to that is yes.  Our first reading is from the Book of Job in the Old Testament. At this point in the story, God is a bit frustrated with Job and his friends who are so limited in their understanding of His ways.  God says to Job, “I am the one who set boundaries around the sea. Don’t you think you can put your trust in Me?” The message? Trust in God.  Let go and let God.  Now there’s an idea.   In our Gospel, the disciples are being tossed about in the boat as a storm bears down on them. Waves crash over the side. The boat is sinking. But Jesus is with them. They wake him up, and Jesus calms the storm.  One might think that a takeaway from this story is that if we are holy enough or if we say the right kinds of prayers, that Jesus will always calm the storms of our lives.  To which Jesus says, "The answer to that is no".  If this were so, then God would be a thing we could control whenever we have a bad day. “God, make it all go away.”    God rarely addresses our desire for things to change each time we call on Him in prayer.  But He does desire to create a fundamental change in the way we view the reality of our lives - an ability to see the bigger picture; to see the world as God sees it.  Life unfolds. Hours turn into days and days into years. We ponder the universe and our place in it. Our faith in Jesus helps us to see what we otherwise would not be able to see. Like seeing that even in the most difficult times of your lives when you are overwhelmed by your fears and insecurities about the many things you can’t control, there is one constant.  God is there with you.  And you are loved by God. So, set aside your inner control freak, and trust in Him.  Let go and let God.  Letting go. I am having a hard time letting go of this parish. It has been 12 fascinating years, my dear people.  So much has happened. Some things have been constant during these years – like the grace and presence of God in the life of our parish.  Another constant has been your witness to the faith that I have seen so many times.  Another is your constant support and prayers for me.  The welcome you gave me upon my return to the parish where I first started.  The support of the various initiatives we undertook.  Again and again, you answered the call – such as responding to my call for volunteers during the Covid shutdown; your support for these renovations; your support for our youth ministry and St. Vincent de Paul and the various ministries, organizations and activities of the parish; your financial support of the Family of Faith Campaign back in 2015; the warm atmosphere you created during masses that visitors would always comment on to me.   You answered the call.  You witnessed to our faith.  Thank you.  Bless you. It has been pure privilege to be here.  How I will miss you.     

today's other readings are Psalm 132 and Matt. 6: 19-32 It is sad to see how a lust for power, and keeping it, will put aside all normal human needs, even the need to grieve a loved one.   The Queen Mother, Athaliah, has lost her only son, Ahaziah.  Her position of great power is now in peril.  Rather than simply focusing on grieving the death of her son, she does her best to consolidate her power - by killing her grandchildren.  But one is saved - Joash - who is hidden.   When Joash, the rightful heir to the throne is revealed the military leaders and the priests of the Temple, their is only one choice.  Joash must be put on the throne.   We later hear of the execution of Athaliah.  While an understandable response is that this is another story of violence in the Old Testament, that would be wrong.  This is a story of a lust for power gone astray.   A lust for power has plagued humanity for a long time.  And in many cases, such desire has no limits on what will be done.  Today's story is a classic case of this. Lord, protect us from such a misguided desire. 

today's readings are Sirach 48: 1-14;  Psalm 97 and Matthew 6: 7-15 Yesterday at the end of year mass for Nativity school, at the point where we recite the Lord's prayer, I mentioned to the children that Jesus taught us many, many things - about God's love for one of us, about what He does for us, about how to live well and responsibly, about caring for others, and many more things.   But interestingly, Jesus only taught us one prayer.  The Lord's Prayer.  The prayer found in today's gospel.   Think about that.  We know Jesus prayed, as all the gospel writers tell us.  But this is the only prayer He taught us.   We know it well.  So well that we often don't think about what we are actually praying. Today, say it slowly.  Savour what is said.  For this is the prayer He taught us.  

today's other readings are Psalm 31 and Matt. 6: 1-6, 16-18 In St. Patrick's Church in Markham, ON, one finds a fascinating stained glass window.  It is located just inside the main doors of the church, and it is overhead.  Most interestingly, it is oriented so that when one leaves the church  you get the proper view of it.   The image is based on today's first reading. In the window one sees an image of ascending into heaven in a flaming chariot with horses.  There we see Elijah in the chariot, letting go of his mantle.  But fascinatingly, Elisha is nowhere to be found in the window.   The message of the window is clear. The mantle is being passed onto each person leaving the church after mass.  We are called, as we leave the church, to live out what we have just celebrated.  For we have been given a mantle of faith that is being passed onto us from the previous generation.  We too, one day, will pass on the mantle to the next generation. 

Nativity of Our Lord Pastoral Council Meeting Thursday, June 6, 2024, at 7:30 pm (Room 1) In Attendance: Pastor: Fr. Michael Machacek Deacon: Deacon Gerry Almeida Executive Committee: Chair: Caroline D’Souza Vice Chair: Open Council Secretary: Stella Almeida  Co-secretary - Open Council Members Present: Regrets: Legion of Mary: Theresa Roberts CWL: Donna Capobianco (regrets) S.S.V.P: Friendly Visits: Kathy Haugh Youth Ministry: Arianne Hashim Past Chair: Pat Manuk (regrets) Lectors: Leslie Borbas Welcoming Ushers/Alpha/Social: Carol Janssen Sacristans - Cletus Duffy (Absent) Caring Ministry: Keith Lewis K of C: Robert Boyko Property/Finance: Peter Matthews (absent) Divine Renovations: Maria Del Rizzo S.S.V.P: Tina Conti (replacement for John Neander) The Pastoral Council Meeting commenced at: 7:35 PM 1) Welcome: Caroline opened the meeting and thanked everyone who attended the meeting. She welcomed Tina Conti – representing S.S.V.P and announced regrets from Donna Capobianco (CWL), John Neander (S.S.V.P) and Pat Manuk. Opening Prayer: Fr. Michael 2) Review & Adoption of February 22, 2024 Minutes: Caroline asked the council if there were any amendments to the minutes as distributed. No amendments. Minutes Adopted by: Robert Boyko Seconded by: Keith Lewis 3) Fr. Michael – Parish Report: 1) Amost all of the work for the renovations is completed. We are waiting for some proposals from the architects re. an additional hand railing, located to the right of the altar (as you look from the pews). Also, a quote on some updated chairs suitable for the sanctuary. Finally, the lighting company is preparing a proposal and demonstration for improved lighting for the glass reredos. 2) I will be doing a presentation to the parish on some of the theology behind the renovations in place of a homily on the weekend of June 8/9. This presentation will be part of the livestream this weekend and it will be posted on the parish website, along with a summary about the new icon of Jesus in the tabernacle alcove. 3) At the current time we have $320K in our bank account and on deposit with the archdiocese. It is anticipated that we will have $160 K left in our account, when all payments are made. Please note that the proposed works in #1 are not included in this amount. 4) I have posted a notice on the website about the secretary position at St. Ambrose, as the current secretary is leaving at the end of July. 5) Fr. Jan Gogolewski will be arriving on Wed. June 26th – while we have had a few brief conversations, I anticipate will be meeting before my departure. 6) I was overwhelmed in a wonderful way by the send- off on June 2nd. I am so grateful for the kindness and love of all. 7) Memories – arrival in 2012 – coming “back home”. Challenges of different Youth ministers and the evolution of the ministry under Sean, Nick, Sarah, Courtney and Arianne. 8) Thankful for the help of the priests who lived here, and of course, Deacon Gerry Almeida, as well as all the parish staff. 9) Many pilgrimages to the Holy Land – at least 5, if not 6. 10) All the celebrations (our 60th anniversary, dances, etc) 11) Love for my 25th anniversary in 2016, my 65th birthday, anniversary driveby on May 11,2020, 12) Covid – how the parish rallied – livestreams, financial support volunteers for attendance, staffing, etc. and then a rebirth of the parish community, advent of DR efforts to help our parish grow. 4) PARISH MINISTRY REPORTS: A. EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION MINISTRY REPORT: DEACON GERRY AND STELLA ALMEIDA Our 27 strong Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion continue to serve the parish. One of the problems faced in this ministry is when ministers wish to take the summer off, and the same issue arises during key liturgical celebrations like Holy Week and Christmas. This creates a real challenge regarding scheduling, as the remaining ministers have to pick up the shortfall. So, the question that arises is,” Do you NOT attend mass?” The other issue that arises is the need to pray before carrying out your ministry. We all need God’s help to serve Him, and we do this only by praying and asking for His assistance. We cannot remember every procedure in order to fulfil our vocation, so there is the need to revisit and follow the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion handbook and procedures often. It is our continued hope and trust in the Lord that the fruits of the ministry of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, will be realized by the ministers as they continue their journey to Holiness, and be an example to those discerning the call to serve in this ministry. B. REPORTS FROM CAROL JANSSEN: Welcome Ushers: Nothing new to report, except that we’re always looking for an infusion of new volunteers for this ministry. Social Committee On March 2nd, we held The Taste of Nativity, and it was, once again, a resounding success. Parishioners were proud and excited to share their culture through food and we had 30 countries represented. The evening was filled with lively conversation, music, and food from around the world. It was a wonderful example of what our parish can create when we come together. We thank Father Michael for providing financial support for the event. No new social event has been scheduled, as we await the arrival of the incoming pastor. Alpha:  We began another Alpha session on March 6th of this year, and it ran for 9 weeks. There was also a retreat day. 19 guests attended. Since we began this program in 2019, guest feedback has been consistent. Alpha is transformational. Faith is deepened, community is created, and meaningful recognition happens. We experienced a ‘pay it forward’ thinking as many of our former Alpha guests signed up to help make a meal. 19 of our 30 meal team volunteers were Alpha alumni. These folks were so joyful to be back in the Alpha world, as they gathered to feed our guests. We are deeply grateful to Father Michael for bringing this program to our parish, for joining our leadership team and for providing the financial support needed. We pray that our incoming pastor will see the spiritual value of Alpha and keep it going. C. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS REPORT: ROBERT BOYKO The Knights of Columbus, Nativity of Our Lord held our annual elections at our last meeting and the new Grand Knight will be Neville Saldana. He will assume office at our next meeting in September, 2024. Please update your contact list. I had to step down, as a new volunteer position has presented itself with the Western Ontario Commandery of the Order of St. Lazarus in Canada. The Knights hosted the Communion Breakfast on Mother’s day Sunday, May 12, 2024. We had a sold out event and everyone had a great time. Pictures of the Church were taken prior to the renovations commencing and provided to Fr. Michael for the archives. I will take post-renovation photographs from the same locations in the church for comparison in June prior to his departure, as a parting gift. It is with great sadness that we learn of Fr. Michael’s reassignment later this year. He has been the soul of this community and I know that his heart is with Nativity of Our Lord. He will be greatly missed. D. YOUTH MINISTRY: ARIANNE HASHIM As our regular youth ministry year comes to close, a few things to highlight over the last few months - Our confirmation preparation was a great success! The first year that it was purely original content & we had 74 confirmation candidates receive the sacrament of confirmation. Their parents & sponsors were both engaged throughout the entire process, having one on one meetings with Arianne throughout the year. Students have been engaged in different fundraising efforts - namely the valentines candy gram fundraiser & the parish car wash. Both fundraisers were a success and contributed to the subsidy or sponsoring of children attending the Lifeteen retreat or Steubenville conference. Our last Edges will be June 7th and June 21st. Our last Lifeteen is June 14th. We will be going to the Steubenville conference June 28th-30th. Our summer camp preparations are underway - we’ve received funding from Canada Summer Jobs for our camp staff, and they’ve begun working already. Summer Camp will be running July 15-19th & 22-26th. 26 (potentially 27) Children are going to Edge Camp on August 21st-25th. The Youth Ministry will kick off again in September. As many of you know, my husband and I are expecting our first child in October. That being said, I will be going on pregnancy/maternity leave starting halfway through September in preparation for our baby girl’s arrival. I will be on leave for 12 months. My hope is to onboard a temporary youth minister before I go on leave in September - but this is still to be determined. E. THE LEGION OF MARY REPORT: THERESA ROBERTS Station of the Cross in March. Pilgrim Virgin Statues in homes. Rosary in many schools and crowning of Mother Mary in the school s. Visitation in seniors home and hospitals. Feeding program continues in seniors home. Holy communion to home bound residents. Members attend the Acies at St. Mary’s Church. Crowning of Mother Mary at Nativity in May. Supper Saints dinner was planned for the month of May had to be canceled. F. THE CARING MINISTRY REPORT: KEITH LEWIS Total members 12. Holy Communion taken to homebound parishioners every alternate Wednesday or as per the need and request of the homebound parishioner at 9:30 AM followed by distribution of Holy Communion to the sick at the LTC home at Centennial Park. After 5:00 PM Mass every Saturday Holy Communion is taken to the sick at home. After the 9:00 AM Mass every Sunday communion is taken to homebound Parishioners. The Caring Ministry meets once every six months. We are hosting a small farewell to our dear Rev. Father Michael on June 22, 2024 at our meeting. The Caring Ministry is always hungry for new members and ready to reach out to homebound parishioners when we get requests. G. ALTAR SERVER MINISTRY REPORT. – DEACON GERRY ALMEIDA The Altar Server Ministry now has 22 members. The ministry continues to evolve and needs refresher courses from time to time. We meet monthly to exchange any issues the altar servers may have and to let them know upcoming special services, like the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. At the final monthly meeting on May 31, 2024, the altar servers participated in a written exam consisting of 10 questions. Some multiple choice, some essays. The exam was on the contents of the Altar Server Handbook given to them at the start of their ministry. It is heartwarming to learn that young as they are, procedures are relevant to the development of being involved in ministry. They do realize the importance of prayer before undertaking their assigned tasks and always arrive early to robe and spend some time in the sanctuary in prayer. In closing, we must be appreciative of these fine young boys and girls who serve punctually and with the utmost reverence, especially at the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. The altar servers now have time to enjoy the summer and regroup until we meet again in September. H. LECTORS MINISTRY REPORT: LES BORBAS We continue to give thanks to God for the opportunity to proclaim His Word. Our Lector Ministry has provided a steady supply of readers throughout the year and our hope is that we will attract more lectors in the future. In particular, we will need new lectors for the 11:30 mass. We also give thanks for Fr Michael – and Fr Brian. They have been a blessing to all of us at Nativity, and we wish them every success and happiness at St Ambrose. From our hearts, we embrace both of you. God speed and God bless! I. S.S.V.P FRIENDLY VISITS REPORT: KATHY HAUGH · There were 3 new friends whom FV visited. Two have decided not to continue. · Currently we have 2 friends we visit – the initial pilot person and the (third) one new. · Two volunteers have decided for personal reasons to leave FV. The invitation to rejoin at some point in the future if they want has been extended. · There currently are 11 FV volunteers · Three members of the initial FV committee will meet in the next month or two to discuss the ministry and how it might evolve. A suggestion of rebranding or adding a monthly parish social meetup has been made. After committee meets will discuss with John N (SSVP). · Initial outreach to Centennial seniors home has not been responded to by the coordinator. This is paused until discussed with new priest. · In August FV will request a meeting with new parish priest to discuss FV ministry and any changes. At this meeting will hopefully be the FV committee and John N. J. S.S.V.P REPORT: WRITTEN BY JOHN NEANDER (REGRETS) - PRESENTED BY TINA CONTI Here are some notes about our most salient activities in the last months. We held our second Bundle Weekend of the year on May 11th and 12th Our annual collection for Marygrove camp takes place on the weekend of June 8th and 9th With the help of the EYSC we registered 25 children of our neighbours in need to play soccer this summer We have an expression of interest from one perhaps two new members. By way of follow up: Tina Conte, vice president, will attend for SSVP. K. FAIRWELL CELEBRATION FOR FR. MICHAEL Below are the comments regarding June 2nd’event – by MARIA DEL RIZZO · Fr. Michael’s Farewell/Thank you lunch on June 2nd was a sold out event · We printed and sold 500 tickets, if we had printed 600 or 700, we probably would have sold out at those numbers as well · Parishioners really wanted to be there to show their thanks, appreciation and love for Fr. Michael and Fr. Brian · We couldn’t have had such a successful event with such large numbers without the wonderful volunteers—from selling tickets, setting up the hall, prepping the food, serving the food and cleaning the hall—they gave it their all · Volunteers serving the food in particular went above and beyond and wouldn’t even take a break until the majority of people had been served · A thank you to Arianne and the youth for their skits · A thank you to Abigail for pulling together and sorting through all the pictures and videos that were sent for the slide presentation · It was amazing to see such support and teamwork come together · I think I also said a thank you should go out to Pat/Eric Manuk for reaching out to the Pickle Barrel and providing me with a great contact—Theresa. She was excellent to work with. Answered all my questions, we went back and forth on numbers as our numbers increased over the various weeks and she was extremely accommodating L. NATIVITY CWL REPORT – DONNA CAPOBIANCO (via email). Nativity CWL held a Day of Reflection on Saturday April 13th; this was open to CWL and all the parish. It was well attended. Father Michael did a presentation on Lectio Divina, and everyone appreciated and enjoyed the day. In May, CWL presented gifts to sixty-seven children receiving their First Communion and seventy-four students that were confirmed. This is an annual tradition that CWL has done for many years, and we always look forward to it. Ladies are now busy preparing, working for our Spring Café on June 9th.We have invited outside vendors selling assorted crafts along with our popular bake and jewellery table, to make sure that there is something for everyone. We will be holding our CWL Members Summer Break dinner on Thursday June 27th in the parish hall. Our monthly meeting schedule will start again in September. Now that the renovations are complete, hopefully our scheduling challenges are over and can get back to our normal schedule. 5) Caroline: Once again, Caroline thanked all the heads of ministries, other volunteers, those that made big contributions, Tony Marinucci, and David Ellis. All ministries continue to grow. Caroline thanked Fr. Michael for his spiritual leadership on behalf of the Parish Council. 6) OTHER BUSINESS: Carol thanked Arianne Hashim and the youth ministry for their contributions at the presentation for Fr. Michael; Abigail Muree for her work in streaming and providing help with online overhead pictures and is working on providing a link for the parish website so all parishioners may enjoy. Carol also commended the volunteers at the procession. Theresa Roberts thanked and congratulated the Pastoral Planning committee and volunteers. It was a great event and had excellent people. Theresa thanked Fr. Michael, especially during covid. Deacon Gerry said the final closing prayer and thanked Fr. Michael and wished him well.

today's other readings are Psalm 27 and Matt. 5: 27-32 Silence. Sheer silence.  That is what Elijah heard when the Lord passed by.  Not a great wind, not an earthquake, not fire, but sheer silence.   The story is told of St. Anthony of Egypt that when the Patriarch of Alexandria came to visit him in his monastic cell, the saint said nothing.  Enraged, the Patriarch stormed off.  When questioned by his fellow monks as to why he had done so, Anthony replied, "If the Patriarch could not appreciate my silence, how could he appreciate my words?" Silence is where God is found.  As the Lord spoke through the psalmist, "Be still and know that I am God". (Psalm 46:10) Want to find God today?  Place yourself before the Lord, and be silent.

today's other readings are Psalm 16 and Matt. 5: 17-19 Brash. Bold. Courageous.  These words come to mind about the prophet Elijah.   There he is, on Mt. Carmel, in the face of many opponents - 450 prophets of Baal, countless Israelites who have turned their backs on God, and the spineless and evil King Ahab.  Things are not looking good.  He puts a proposition before the people - they are impressed by its wisdom, so they agree.  Now And show begins.  Baal's prophets do their best.  But no answer.  Now it's Elijah's turn.  Notice he begin by inviting the people to get closer to him - not just to see better what he is going to do, but get closer to the one who speaks the word of God.  He repairs the altar, a living image of how the people have damaged their relationship with God.  Then he makes the sacrifice even harder, with the pouring of water, a precious commodity in the Holy Land.  Then he calls on God.  And we hear what happens next.   One question remains for me  - while the people proclaim that the Lord is God, how long did their affirmation last?  How well grounded was it?  As the months and years pass, were they as committed to the faith as they were on that day? We can be like them, dear reader.  At times we boldly proclaim and live our faith.  But sometimes we turn our backs.   Let us pray that we remain steadfast to the faith.