We need help from the Holy Spirit more than ever. As we celebrate PENTECOST this Sunday, let us all pray together the first verse of the Holy Spirit Sequence, “COME, HOLY SPIRIT, COME!” Yes, the Holy Spirit is able to transform each of us. We just have to surrender to Him and let Him guide us!

The two and half months of isolation (staying home) have been challenging for everyone. It has been a time to discover more about who we are and what matters the most in our lives. It has been a time of reflection on both life and death. It has been a time for mourning the loss of some relatives or friends. It has been a time to seek God's presence and love. It has been a time to rediscover family life. It has also been a time of frustration and anxiety. We all know that we will die one day but we try not to think about it. The coronavirus pandemic has been a daily reminder of our human fragility. On the other hand, the 50 days of the Easter Season, ending Sunday, have been a reminder that Jesus is victorious over death and gives us the promise of eternal life (no more death).

The celebration of our Parish Feast Day on Ascension Sunday (May 24th) was a beautiful way to help us prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The outdoor crowning of Mary reminded us Mary is Queen of Heaven and Earth. As the mother of Christ the King, she is the powerful Queen Mother; she can always protect us and lead us to Jesus the Son of God, who is ONE with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit in this Mystery of the Holy Trinity. The Ascension of our Lord Jesus to Heaven reminds us that Jesus did not leave us as orphans, he promised he will never leave us alone and will send us the Holy Spirit. As He ascends, He blesses us (end of Luke's Gospel) and since then, never stops blessing us (last chapter of Pope Benedict XVI’s book “Jesus of Nazareth "). We are always in His hands. His hands transmit to us the Love of the Holy Spirit. Nobody, but only we alone, can separate ourselves from His hands.

I want to express my appreciation to all that participated in the Crowning of Mary and our 40th Parish Feast Day (Click here to watch). Special thanks go to Archbishop Gregory who took the time to address us on that special occasion (click here to watch his message).  His message highlights the power of Our Lady Help of Christians, who comes to our rescue in every trial. Archbishop Gregory also announces the good news that he will come to visit us in September for our 40th anniversary. He encourages us to renew our trust and dedication to Our Lady as we look to her as a sure sign of hope and comfort. He concludes his address to all of us in “praying that our patroness Saint, Our Lady Help of Christians, will continue to protect us and lead us to experience the love and mercy of her son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen." 

We look forward to the opening of our church this Sunday. Due to safety and prudence, we are beginning with a single Mass at 10 am on May 31st. This will also be the only English Mass live-streamed on our OLHOC YouTube channel this weekend (we will also have the 7 pm Mass in Spanish, but no French Mass).  For those of you who may have missed last week's re-opening update on Flocknote, you can click here, and read A Word from the Pastor from May 22nd, for the detailed guidelines regarding Mass attendance and participation. Note that unless you have already called the office or signed-up online, this week you will not be able to attend Mass in person but can join us on YouTube.

Anticipating an increased demand, our Task Force is already planning for several Masses to be held the following Sunday, June 7th. Assuming we can recruit enough volunteers, we tentatively plan to hold four Masses in English: 5 pm on Saturday, June 6th and on Sunday, June 7th at 8 am, 10 am and noon. We need 2 greeters, 4 ushers, and 4 people to disinfect pews for each Mass. These new tasks are safe and not physically demanding. Please consider volunteering so more parishioners can join our Sunday Masses and receive the Eucharist. Note that we are temporarily modifying the starting times of our traditional 8:30 am Mass (30 minutes earlier) and 11:30 Mass (30 minutes later) so as to allow a minimum of one full hour between Masses. Once we are back to “normal", we plan to revert to the traditional Mass times. For those of you who may have missed last week's update on Flocknote, you can click here for the detailed guidelines regarding Mass attendance and participation.

We wish all of you a most blessed Pentecost. As we continue to face the challenges of the Coronavirus Pandemic, may the all-powerful God help us open our hearts to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit so as to give us Peace and Joy right here, right now. Inspired by the beautiful Pentecost Sequence (normally sung before the proclamation of the Pentecost Gospel), let us pray together:

"Come, Holy Spirit, Come! And from your celestial home shed a ray of light divine...Shine within these hearts of yours...Heal our wounds, our strength renew...Wash the stains of guilt away ...Guide the steps that go astray...Give your faithful joys that never end. AMEN! ALLELUIA!"

One in Christ,

Fr. Alain

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