In 2024, a 50th Anniversary Committee was formed to plan and organize a year-long celebration marking our parish’s 50-year milestone. Throughout that year, many beautiful initiatives, focusing on hospitality and prayer, were introduced and warmly embraced by our parish community.
While some events – such as the beloved All Choirs Christmas Concert – have become welcome annual traditions, three key initiatives that take place during Mass, or involve sign-up before or after Mass, continue because of their strong impact and participation.
The Travelling Prayer Cross is a sign of our unity as a parish family, united with Jesus through prayer. Each week, these blessed Crosses journey home with parishioners, deepening prayer for our families, our parish, our community, and the Universal Church. Blessed by Bishop McGrattan, each Cross is assigned to a specific weekend Mass time and should be treated with reverence and care.
The program runs on a 13-week schedule, from weekend to weekend. Parishioners may sign up for any available week by adding their name and contact information to the sign-up sheet corresponding to their preferred Mass time, located in the Gathering Area. The Cross is picked up after that Mass from the designated caddy and must be returned to the same location before the following weekend’s Mass.
If a Cross is available during the week, it may also be signed out for the remainder of that week, but must still be returned prior to its next scheduled weekend Mass.
How to Participate:
Praying with the Travelling Prayer Cross is a simple but powerful way to enrich your personal and family prayer life – and to unite with our parish community in faith and intercession.
Click the button below to read a moving testimony from a parishioner who experienced answered prayers while praying with the Cross in her home.
Founded in 1992, Chalice Canada is a Catholic international aid charity that supports impoverished children and elders through a sponsorship model. Chalice provides financial assistance, education, and medical aid, and operates in 13 countries. In addition to sponsorships, Chalice also offers a Gift Catalogue, allowing donors to purchase meaningful items – such as animals, farming supplies, household essentials and more – for families in need.
At each Sunday liturgy, while the regular collection is being taken, children quietly come forward to the altar steps to place their donations into specially marked Chalice Collection baskets – one on each side of the altar steps. This has become a well-loved tradition in our parish, giving children a meaningful way to give to others.
Between August 2024 (when this initiative began) and May 2025, our Children’s Chalice Collection has raised $8,163 – enough to purchase eight “Fill a Stable” gifts from Chalice. Each gift provides a family with enough livestock (tailored to their region) to fill a stable, offering long-term food security and income through eggs, milk, wool, and more. These animals also help support school lunch programs and local sustainability efforts.
Thank you to all the children for their generosity. This initiative proves that even the youngest among us can make a profound difference in the lives of others.
On the last weekend of each month, we take a few moments at the end of every Mass to recognize and bless parishioners celebrating special milestones.
The presiding priest invites all those who celebrated a birthday that month to stand and receive a special blessing. He then invites couples who celebrated a wedding anniversary to stand and offers a blessing for them as well.
This simple yet meaningful tradition allows us to celebrate the lives and vocations within our parish family in a spirit of gratitude and joy.
These three initiatives – rooted in prayer, generosity, and community – have become meaningful parts of our parish life. Their ongoing presence is a beautiful reminder that the spirit of our 50th Anniversary lives on, not just in celebration, but in how we continue to grow together in faith.
We thank all parishioners for your heartfelt participation and encourage everyone to keep embracing these opportunities to deepen our shared journey as a faith-filled community. If you’re new to our parish, we invite you to explore these initiatives and take part in the beautiful traditions that continue to unite us as a community.
