Filling the Bassinet Again
Thank you St. Charles folks for your generous outpouring of love towards new babies and their moms. St. Charles Ladies' Association chose two worthwhile organizations to support this year.
Villa Rosa provides lodging before and after childbirth. Its mission is to support single mothers, babies, and their families. It offers a wide variety of programs in a safe and nurturing environment. Unmarried, pregnant women, or new parents in need may access their services. Villa Rosa was grateful for the bulging carload of beautiful, new baby clothes, blankets, handmade items, diapers, personal hygiene products, and more.
The second recipient was the Family Support Center on Broadway West. The Family Support Centre is a Christian organization providing non-judgmental, compassionate care and companionship to women, men, and children facing difficult situations. It offers a wide range of supportive services that are free of charge and completely confidential. The Centre has been around since 1985 and has helped thousands of women, men, and families. They were delighted to receive several cases of formula to fill their nearly bare cupboards.
St.Charles Ladies’ Association Hosts Winter Retreat
Sixty-six women and men attended the retreat.
This year’s retreat theme, Finding God in Our Everyday, attracted 66 women and men from a number of parishes. This included participants from as far away St.Theresa’s Point - a distant 1,038 kilometers!
The day opened with a welcome, a prayer, and a smudging offered by Beatrice Chartrand of St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish. Beatrice explained the significance of the smudge in clearing our senses and our bodies so that we can notice the good and do it throughout our day. The chant, Open Our Eyes Lord, was sung during the smudge.
Our presenter was Sister Cathy Laviolette from the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Sister Cathy led meditations inspired by scripture, shared words of wisdom, audiovisuals, and practical examples of God's awareness. “God”, she emphasized, “is present in the NOW. God’s name is I AM: not I WAS: not I WILL BE. It is essential, therefore, that we are in the present and aware of God with us.”
The retreat included times of animated sharing and individual meditation on The Beatitudes.
Following a lunch prepared by the hosts, St. Charles Ladies’ Association, Sister Cathy challenged all attendees. She said, “You are the Church. God is in you - the Church, and God wants to get out not just to family and your circle, but also to the larger community in order to bring about Justice”.
One Thousand Pounds of Food Collected for Emergency Hamper Program
Again this year, Father Allan Hall Knights of Columbus Council #8604 at St. Charles Parish, spearheaded a 40 Cans for Lent event. They collected 1,000 pounds of food and $600 in cash donations from St. Charles parishioners and students of St. Charles Catholic School.
Brandy Bobier, CEO and Community Connector for Community Helpers Unite Inc., thanked the group for their generous donations. She said, “We will be utilizing these donations in our emergency hamper program, as well as our youth mentorship program, for youth in independent living or aging out of the Child and Family Services system”.
Thank you to our Knights for a job well done!
“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ ”
PRAYER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO MARY
Cathy Bouchard, National Chairperson of Spiritual Development for The Catholic Women's League of Canada, requests that we pray for the health of Pope Francis.
O Mary,
You shine continuously on our journey
as a sign of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick,
who, at the foot of the cross,
were united with Jesus’ suffering,
and persevered in your faith.“Protectress of the Roman people”,
you know our needs,
and we know that you will provide,
so that, as at Cana in Galilee,
joy and celebration may return
after this time of trial.Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the will of the Father
and to do what Jesus tells us.
For he took upon himself our suffering,
and burdened himself with our sorrows
to bring us, through the cross,
to the joy of the Resurrection.
Amen.We fly to your protection,
O Holy Mother of God;
Do not despise our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us always
from every danger,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.
Winter Retreat 2023
Take a break from the long, cold winter. The St. Charles Ladies’ Association invites both men and women to our upcoming retreat.
St. Charles Ladies’ Association Newsletter 2022
Our mission is to assist the parish, under the guidance of the Pastor, to develop a sense of community among women, which promotes the development of the spiritual and social life of the parish.
St. Charles Ladies’ Association 2022-23 Executive
Back left Denyse, Annette, Kim, Anna, Lynda Ann. Front left Florence, Diana, Eva. Missing Rita Tully.
Introducing our new Executive
President Diana Hooper
President Elect Kim Zapotochny
Past President Florence Weber
Secretary Eva Arsenault
Treasurer Lynda Ann Smith
Spiritual Convener Anna Desilets
Kitchen Convener Annette Kohut
Events Convener Denyse Lafleche Turnbull
Communication Convener Rita Tully
Past Events
Funeral for Father Terry - The funeral Mass for our former pastor, Rev Terrance P. McGrath, was held at St Charles on September 7, as per Fr Terry’s wishes. Archbishop Richard Gagnon presided and many priests from the Archdiocese concelebrated.
Many family members and friends from out of town were unable to attend. The Mass was live-streamed and viewed over 345 times.
It was an honor and a privilege for the ladies to be asked to prepare the funeral luncheon for over 200 people. In decorating, we paid tribute to his deep Irish roots.
St. Charles Night - November 5, the parish hosted a dinner dance to celebrate our patron St. Charles Borromeo. The Ladies’ Association wishes to thank all the women of the parish who contributed to its success - selling tickets, setting up the hall, donating cakes for the auction, running the ‘Gift Card Tree’, selling sponsorships and much more. With our help the parish raised much needed funds.
The Christmas Bake and Craft Sale - December 3 and 4. We earned a profit of $1,757.50 which was donated to the Catholic School of Evangelization in St. Malo. The funds will be used by the CSE to help in renovating their kitchen. CSE hosts summer and winter camps for youth who want to grow in their Catholic faith.
Evergreen Workshop - Dodie Labbe facilitated the workshop on December 14 in the parish hall. The participants spent a fun afternoon creating center pieces and wreaths. Funds raised were donated to the Christmas Cheer Board.
Upcoming Events
Post-Christmas Pot Luck Lunch & Gathering - Saturday, January 21, doors open at 11:30 am and lunch at 12:00 pm. A short meeting and fellowship will follow this.
Chili Sunday - February 5 - The Ladies’ Association has committed to providing two meals per year for 300 people at the Immaculate Conception Soup Kitchen. We invite parishioners to bring in Chili or make a monetary donation towards the meal.
In February, 2022, our parishioners donated enough chili to fill 8 large pots. They used the leftovers to make ‘chili dogs’ at a later date.
Assisting Mothers and Babies - Again this February, the Ladies’ Association will collect items for babies i.e. diapers, clothing and formula which will be donated to pro-life groups - Crisis Pregnancy Centre and Villa Rosa.
“Christmas Blessing
May you be filled with the wonder of Mary, the obedience of Joseph, the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the determination of the magi, and the peace of the Christ child.”
St. Charles Shindig 2022
On November 5, 2022, St. Charles Parish hosted a dinner and dance to celebrate our patron, St. Charles Borromeo. Besides raising over $8,000, a great time was had by all. Thank you to all the hard-working volunteers and to everyone who attended.
Every Life Must Be Remembered
Members of the ‘Graveyard Gang’ - Bill, Bev, Ron, Paul and Bob.
When remains are laid to rest in a sacred place, the members of the community have the opportunity to spend time with them. A cemetery is a place for families and friends to mourn and reflect on the lives of the deceased.
St. Charles parish cemetery was established in 1872 with grave markers dating back to the 1800s. After years of neglect, the graveyard had fallen into disrepair. The ground was uneven and many of the gravestones were broken or falling over.
In the early 1990s, a group of men belonging to St. Charles Parish decided to repair and restore this historic property. They used money from the St. Charles Cemetery Trust Fund to buy equipment and materials. As time went on, cement curbs and bases were poured, damaged headstones were repaired and trees and flowers were planted.
In 1997 The Apostles Columbarium was erected. When the first structure reached near capacity, a second one, called The Holy Spirit Columbarium, was built in 2016. This Columbarium has over eighty spots still available.
For Ron Desilets, one of the original group of parishioners who restored the graveyard, taking care of the cemetery is a labor of love. He has recruited a group of buddies who help him and they call themselves ‘The Graveyard Gang’.
When asked why he feels taking care of the graveyard is important he said, ”People live, die, and are buried here. Their family moves away and they have no one to take care of their graves.” The perpetual care provided shows the faithful departed are not being forgotten and their remains are being respected.
Many thanks to The Graveyard Gang - Bill, Bev, Ron, Paul, and Bob for your many hours of labor making St. Charles Cemetery a beautiful resting place for our departed family and friends.
God’s Comfort and Love
“Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” Song of Songs 2:12
The flowers in the Bible symbolize beauty, growth, and life. Flowers convey the message of God’s comfort and love. Along with being very pleasant to look at, flowers provide many benefits. They can improve mood and boost energy levels. Most of all, flowers, help build relationships. Our beautiful flowers greet our parishioners as well as visitors and demonstrates that our community is welcoming and caring.