Bulletin: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted 2025-10-03 by @saintmichaelyyc

What you need to know from this weekend’s bulletin:

Life as Stewardship

October 5, 2025

We sometimes tend to think that the world owes us a living. This sense of entitlement weakens or even destroys our ability to be thankful or grateful. If we feel or think that we deserve everything we get or want, there is no room for gratitude.

The slave in the gospel story stands for ourselves and the field or sheepfold stands for the world we live in. Seeing ourselves as mere slaves who owe the fruit of our labors to a landowner puts our lives in a wholly new perspective. We always like to think we really own things. We speak of my car, my house, my bank account, or even my St. Michael Church. In a narrow or legal sense, this can be true. The right to private property is fundamental and rightly protected by our civil laws. But in an even more fundamental sense we own nothing, not even our lives or the material things that make our lives possible. Like the slave in the parable, we are only a slave or a servant or a custodian…

God is our Creator and the world we live in is His creation. For a borrowed period of a lifetime, we are stewards of a property not our own. The problems of this world and most of its crimes can be traced our human urge to cling to what we think we “own”. If we are all convinced that our tenancy here is only temporary, if all begin to use the world we inhabit in a way pleasing to its true owner, humanity would be transformed. We would have no excuses for war. The roots of poverty would be eliminated and the riches of the world would be more equitably divided among humankind. But the truth that we really own nothing and we are answerable to God for what we do with “our” property, is not easy to accept. It upsets our innate acquisitiveness. We have to realize the truth of life’s fragility and the fleeting nature of our own days.

The parable highlights the theme of life as a stewardship. It underlines a system of managing our affairs in anticipation the Lord’s return after a period of absence which is in direct contradiction to our current tendency to use our gifts and resources in a spirit of absolute ownership, domination and superiority. Stewardship is service-oriented. It is life-affirming. It is inspired by a closeness to our Creator. It expresses an active organization of our life in the light of the priorities required by God’s kingdom. It considers the needs of others and the requirements of the future generations. It believes that we borrow this earth from our children’s children.

At the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, we declare “It is right and just” to give God thanks and praise. Are we in this spirit as we become together in solidarity with fellow believers? What prayers of thanksgiving do we bring along to this Eucharist? What gifts do we bring to share with one another and with the world? As we approach Thanksgiving weekend, let us be more convinced that nothing is ours but time, that we are mere slaves in the Lord’s field or sheepfold and that it is right give God our thanks and praise.

Fr. Edmund,

fredmund@saintmichael.ca

Healing Lines

Being abused can be the most traumatic times of our lives. We are not able to manage on our own so it is the time to call on God. Trust that God knows more about what way that is best for us to escape these situations and make a better life for ourselves and our children. He is always there to carry us in times of need and comfort us in times of despair. Of course we also need to take some steps ourselves and reach out to resources that work with abused adults and children. We have our work to do and God can guide us, making the impossible possible.

Announcements:

Please see this weekend’s bulletins for all announcements:

Download St. Michael bulletin

Download Diocesan bulletin (Condensed)

Download Diocesan bulletin (Full Length)

October: the Month of the Rosary

The Catholic Church dedicates October as the month of the Rosary when Catholics honour Mary as the mother of Jesus and our mother. We invite family and friends to pray the rosary during this special month for devotion to Blessed Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary. At St. Michael Parish, please join us to pray the rosary: Weekdays at 8:20am: before daily Mass, and Tuesdays at 5:20pm: before evening Mass.

The Living Rosary

The Rosary Group and the CWL group would like to invite you to join us to pray the Living Rosary by candlelight on Tuesday, October 14 at 6:30pm after daily Mass (this will replace the regularly scheduled rosary time of 5:20pm for this day only). In a Living Rosary, each person stands in the place of a bead of the rosary and leads the prayer when it is their turn. Each person will be holding a torch candle and will light the candle when it is his or her turn. We will be in a circle shaped like a rosary. Please feel free to pray in your own language when it is your turn. We look forward to you to joining us and to pray the rosary together as a parish. Light refreshments will follow provided by the CWL group.

Contribution Envelopes

We have several 2025 envelope boxes that have not been picked up. Please pick up your envelope box before October 31, 2025. If you do not pick up, your box number will be re-assigned. Please ensure you are only using the envelope box for the current year. We have reduced envelope boxes over the last several years which has resulted in changing of envelope numbers.

Daily Mass Cancellations

Daily Mass be will be cancelled on Tuesday, October 7 and Wednesday, October 8 due to priest study days.

Saturday Night Lights

Youths in grades 7-12 are invited to an evening of music, food, friendships, and talks hosted by Access 52. Dates for the evenings are October 25, November 29, January 10, February 14, and April 25. This is a free event. You may register by visiting the website https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/saturday-night-lights-youth-group-october-25-tickets-1708730341449?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Parish Renewal Plan Launch – Save the date!

We are excited to celebrate the official launch of our Parish Renewal Plan! Please join us in the Narthex on October 4 and 5 and pick up your copy of the plan. This is a time for thanksgiving and prayer as we begin implementing the vision and mission of our renewal journey. In the coming weeks, we will share ways that you can become involved in renewal at SMCC. Click here to view the plan.

Children’s Sacraments

Registration for all children’s Sacraments are now open! If you would like more information, or would like to register your children for Baptism, First Reconciliation/ First Communion, or Confirmation, please visit the Sacrament section of our website.

Together in Action (TIA)

This year’s goal is $121,243 and currently, we have reached 63% of this target amount. Thanks to your generosity, we reached this target amount last year. All surplus funds will go to our Building Fund to help pay our loan.

Cancellations

Tuesday, October 7, 2025:

*Rosary Group

*Daily Mass

Wednesday, October 8, 2025:

*Daily Mass

*Coffee Wednesday

*Women’s Ministry

Thursday, October 9, 2025:

*Moms & Tots

Rescheduled – One Time Only

Monday, October 6: Bible Study in St. Michael’s Room

Tuesday, October 7: RCIA in Theater

Tuesday, October 14: Rosary Group at 6:30pm

Monday, October 20: Bible Study in Theater

Week-at-a-Glance: (Sat. Oct. 4 – Mon. Oct. 13, 2025):

Saturday, October 4:

Parish Renewal Plan Launch

Blessing of Pets: Outside Main Entrance, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Sunday, October 5:

Parish Renewal Plan Launch

Potluck Sunday & Name Tag Sunday: Narthex, after 5:00 pm Mass

Monday, October 6: