Jubilee Hymn - Pilgrims of Hope
Sometimes as we are walking along, a song comes to mind which really seems to express how we are feeling. This is also true for the life of faith, which is a pilgrimage toward the light of the Risen Lord. The Sacred Scriptures are steeped in song, and the Psalms are a striking example: the prayers of the people of Israel were written to be sung, and it was in song that the most human events were presented before the Lord. The tradition of the Church has continued this, making music and song one of the lungs of its liturgy. The Jubilee, which in itself is expressed as an event of people on pilgrimage to the Holy Door, also uses song as one of the ways of expressing its motto, “Pilgrims of Hope”.
Many themes of the Holy Year are woven into the text written by Pierangelo Sequeri and set to music by Francesco Meneghello. The Choir and Cantors in our Family of Parishes have begun introducing "Pilgrims of Hope" to our liturgies - as a prelude or postlude. You will find copies of the hymn in the back of our black binders at Immaculate Conception Church and St Joseph's Church and in your pews at Holy Name of Mary Church. We look forward to singing this beautiful piece together at Mass this upcoming year!
UPDATE: STEPPING UP FOR ST. JOSEPHS
Because of you, we are 30% of the way toward our fundraising goal of $1,000,000! Your support has been a true blessing, and we are so grateful for each and every contribution.
Today, we sit at just under $300,000 raised. We still need your help to reach our goal and continue the vital work of the stair project. Every donation, big or small, makes a difference. Please consider giving as you are able. Contributions made to the end of February can be attributed to your 2024 tax return, so if this is something you wish to consider, please reach out to Connie at canderson@dol.ca or by phone at 519-271-6722 ext. 23.
JOHN MCDERMOTT
We are working with Mr. McDermott to determine a date he can perform in Stratford. As soon as we know this date and time, we will be sure to share that news in the bulletin, and through our social media feeds. If you purchased a ticket last Fall, and chose to transfer it to this forthcoming concert, we will contact you directly.
Featured in this week's bulletin: (please see bulletin for full details)
-Tuesday, February 4th at the 7 pm. Mass we are celebrating the Feast of St. Blaise with the blessing of throats.
-Holy Name of Mary Social Committee is hosting a lunch on February 9th and the Knights of Columbus are hosting a spaghetti dinner on February 12th.
-This week is National Catholic Health Care Week
-Throughout the Jubilee Year, we will be reciting the Nicene Creed from time to time. Please see back page for a well explained history of this Creed.