Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Basil’s,
Thank you for your kind messages and emails. I miss you all, too, and I continue to offer my daily private Mass and time of silent prayer for your intentions, health, and wellbeing.
With faith and confidence, I want to reassure you that God loves us so much that He will never abandon us. Stay strong and persevere in prayer and, God-willing, we will be able to open our churches soon and celebrate the Sacraments again.
St. Gianna Beretta Molla once said: “The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what he is sending us every day in his goodness.” Realistically, you may be inclined to ask: What is He sending us these days? I hear you, – it is not always easy to be thankful in times of an unprecedented pandemic. This is certainly not what we bargained for. But perhaps He’s allowing it? There’s no easy answer but here’s the thing, there’s always a greater good that God brings about for His people. For now, all we have to do is cling to our faith and keep it alive. He is alive, and present, right there in the middle of all this with you. You are in the palm of His hand and He is watching over you and protecting you. Stay strong!
May is the Month of Our Blessed Mother and we continue to offer our prayers, petitions, and devotions to Mother Mary. On Friday the 1st of May, Bishop Crosby consecrated our entire diocese to Our Lady for healing and an end to this trial. On the same day, I also consecrated our parish and parishioners to Mary. Be assured that she loves you and you are under Her Mantle.
To all the mothers in our parish, those who act in the place of mothers, and those who have the heart of a mother, God bless you. I want to wish you a Happy Mother’s Day. I will be praying for you in a very special way. Beginning with Mother Mary, we thank God for all these mothers in the world. Imagine how lost we would have been without them.
On this coming Sunday, I will be offering my Mass for all our parishioners, as always. It will be recorded and the link will be posted for you on our parish website: https://stbasilparish.ca/
For those who have been supporting the parish by dropping off your offertory envelopes or donating online through the red Donate button on the parish website, thank you so much. You are a blessing and your donations are keeping the parish fires burning.
Lastly, I will leave you with a beautiful reflection from the diocesan website. It is appropriate for this time, and most of all, a message of hope:
FROM THE CARMEL OF ST JOSEPH
And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.
And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.
And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.
Sincerely,
Fr. Kevin D’Souza
Pastor
St. Basil’s Parish, Brantford, ON.
Dear Parishioners and Friends of St Basil's,
On this special Octave day of Easter I want to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Easter. Of course, it has been quite different this year but I know that you continue to presevere in your faith and pray and hope. And God bless you for hanging in.
Today, in a sense, we are similarily shaken up and exiled from our place of worship and comfort. We miss Holy Mass and receiving the Sacraments and are isolated from our faith community whom we have grown to worship with over the years. I am with you in spirit and pray for all of you everyday at my private daily Mass in my chapel and during my time in Adoration.
More than just wishing you a Happy Easter, and on a deeper level, my message to you is from Jeremaiah's letter (29:11) to the Israelites who were exiled to Babylon. Here are the beautiful words of hope that the Lord gives to his people in Exile.
Be Calm..., "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you."
May these words bring us comfort and hope right now as we continue to obediently stay exiled in isolation. For those of you who have sent me Easter wishes and cards thank you for your kind words, thoughts and gifts.
Also thanks to those who have been dropping off their weekly offertory envelopes through the Parish office drop box. They are much needed to keep the church fires burning and the buildings in good order. You can also donate to St Basil's online by clicking the red "Donate" button located above.
Sincerely in Christ and Mary Immaculate,
Father Kevin D'Souza
Pastor
Dear Parishioners and Friends of St Basil's,
I trust that you are keeping healthy, exercising, and doing your best to keep your chin up. Perhaps our Lent seems to have taken a very different turn this year. You are not alone as all of our brothers and sisters around the world are also restrained as a result of this pandemic emergency. Many are hurting in different ways but Hopefully this is bringing us all together, in a sense, at least virtually for now, as we practice what it is to be homebound. Use this time wisely to be quiet, to listen in silence to the Spirit, and to reflect on what He is trying to say to us specifically at this special time.
Mass: As a real test of our faith, we are currently unable to attend Mass or any public liturgies. It is also prudent as congregating together, even in faith and worship, puts us all at risk. Our Bishop has decreed that all Masses and liturgy services be suspended for the near future. This includes all Holy Week Liturgies - the Easter Triduum and all Easter Sunday Masses.
Donations: Your weekly offertory collections are appreciated and much needed to help keep the Church fires burning. Please drop off your weekly donation envelopes through the drop box / slot in the front office door. You may also donate to St. Basil's online by clicking the red "Donate" button on the right and choosing St. Basil's Parish.
Palms: I have blessed palms and they will be distributed to our parishoners in the near future, IN THE CHURCH, once we are able to begin the public celebration of Mass again.
You may certainly follow the Mass with your famililies via television or the internet. Holy Mass is available everyday on Salt and Light TV, Daily TV Mass, Word on Fire Ministeries, EWTN etc.
Although you now physically cannot receive Holy Communion, you may make a spirtual communion by reciting this beautiful prayer composed by St. Alphonsus Liguori:
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself completely to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Confession: As per the Apostolic Penitentiary (March 20, 2020) regarding the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and further as per Bishop Crosby's directive, be assured that as a penitent, your sincere request for forgiveness, a perfect act of contrition and the firm resolution to confess your sins (even mortal sins) as soon as it is possible (i.e. when the situation gets better), OBTAINS THE FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS RIGHT NOW. I sincerely hope that this puts you at peace.
I encourage everyone to take this time to pray together as a family. The Rosary is a powerful weapon against the enemy and it brings the family together. Pray the rosary often as a family, especially at this critical time as we ask our Blessed Mother Mary to protect us in her mantle and intercede for us. The Divine Mercy chaplet is another powerful prayer for all times.
Pope Francis has invited all Catholics throughout the world to join him in praying the Lord's Prayer at twelve noon. The bells of the Cathedreal Basilica of Christ the King in Hamilton will ring out each day at 9 AM, 12 PM, 3 PM, and 6 PM as a reminder to pray the "Our Father" for our Health Care workers dealing with this pandemic.
Our Bells at St. Basil's will also ring out in solidarity each day at 12 Noon and 6 PM. Please pray the Lord's Prayer for our brave and dedicated frontline Health Care workers.
Be assured that I am praying for each of you and your intentions as I offer Mass every day, privately, in my Rectory Chapel and also during my daily hour of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.
A good question to ask ourselves and reflect upon now as we take this opportunity to follow the Spirit and listen to Him in silence is: What can we learn from all this? Take care.
Praying for you everyday,
Father Kevin D'Souza,
Pastor.