St. Mary's and the Missions

Roman Catholic Parish in Owen Sound

What's New

From the Pastor's Desk

From the Pastor's Desk

There are 2 ways in which we nourish our spiritual life, the life of our soul. First we must reject anything that leads us away from God; and second, we embrace everything that is of God. The Church reminds us of this important reality of rejecting sin and embracing God over and over again through the study of the teachings of Jesus. We are reminded of this especially at the beginning of the penitential season of Lent, when on Ash Wednesday as we receive the sign of repentanc

St. Mary's and the Missions

St. Mary's and the Missions

Back in the fall I met with the representatives of our many churches in order to become familiar with the needs of our parish community. As a new pastor I was informed that the greatest difficulty was the timing of the weekend Masses which changed when the number of priests serving in Owen Sound was reduced to two. Ever since the Mass times changed there was a noticeable reduction in Mass attendance in a number of our mission churches. Bishop Crosby was invited to meet wit

Keeping it Simple

Keeping it Simple

When my husband and I were first married, I lovingly (and mistakenly) began the practice of bringing him coffee in bed each and every morning. It was a simple task, a small thing, but it meant a lot to him. It was easy. I smile now at the thought of how things…how life can begin simply enough and, over time, become more complicated. In those early days, when we were young and attractive, and love was new and easy, it was coffee, black – simple. Over time, things change, we ch

Penance Celebration

Penance Celebration

This Friday, March 17, our parish will host Bishop Douglas Crosby, the Bishop of Hamilton. The Bishop will be visiting us in order to meet with the representatives of the parish councils from all our mission churches. The hope of this meeting is to listen to our unique needs and find the best way to accommodate those needs. One of the issues to be addressed is the issue of Mass times at the mission churches. Ever since we went down to two priests, Mass times inevitably had

Becoming More Aware of Our Relationship with God

Becoming More Aware of Our Relationship with God

What comes to mind when we think of Lent? I’m sure that everyone has some memories and associations with Lent. We may think of Lent as a time of giving things up, or a time of doing more good things. Biblically the season of Lent is connected with a journey of repentance, purification, and growth. Lent is a type of retreat which reminds us who we are before God, for it is only in accepting our own human limitations in the spirit of humility that we can receive union with Go