On February 3, on the memorial of St. Blaise, the custom is to bless the throat of the faithful after Mass. For the blessing the priest uses the following words: “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness. In…
Mary Mother of God and the New Year
January 1st, the day of New Year is the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God. On this day we commemorate that Our Lady gave birth to Jesus Christ, true God and true Man. In Canada this is a Holy Day of Obligation, meaning that for Catholics this is a day in which we must go…
Christmas Mass Schedule
Celebrate the birth of Our Lord at the Cathedral Mass Schedule: Chrsitmas Eve: Tuesday December 24: 5 PM, 8 PM and Midnight. The Midnight Mass will be celebrated by the Archbishop. Before the Midnight Mass at 11 PM there will be a Christmas Carol Concert Christmas Day: Wednesday December 25 8 AM, 9:30 AM, 11 AM, 12:30…
Confessions for Advent
Immaculate Conception December 4 @ 7 PM 3778 W. 28th Ave. Vancouver Our Lady of Perpetual Help December 8 @ 2 PM 2465 Crown St., Vancouver Blessed Sacrament December 10 @ 7 PM 3040 Heather St., Vancouver St. Mark December 11 @ 7 PM 5935 Iona Drive, Vancouver St. Patrick December 11 @ 7 PM…
Advent is Here
The Advent season is here… It focuses on expectation and it serves as an anticipation of Jesus Christ’s birth in our hearts at Christmas. The word advent is derived from the Latin word ‘adventus’ meaning anticipation. This is a translation of the Greek word ‘parousia.’ The Catholic Catechism (#524) speaks to us about the spiritual…
November… remembering the faithful departed.
The Catholic Church presents to us in November the themes of death, judgment, heaven and hell. This is done to both encourage and challenge us in our faith journey. From Scripture and the Catholic Catechism, we can get an idea of what happens after death. The staff from Catholic Answers wrote the following article in…
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is celebrated in Canada on November 11th. The Canadian Bishops offer us three aspects to this special day to ponder and to act on: First, we pause and pray to remember those who died in war and to pray for the victims of aggression and inhumanity around the world. Second, Remembrance Day is…
World Mission Sunday
World Mission Sunday is celebrated on Sunday October 21 this year. Because of our baptism into the life and love of Jesus, each of us shares in the mission of the Church. Jesus described that mission of the Church as He ascended into heaven: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the…
Thanksgiving Prayer before a Meal
Sometimes parishioners ask us for a grace before meals that can be used not only for Catholics but for people of different faiths. Here is a suitable grace from the Catholic Bishops of Canada: “May we be strong in virtue, firm in time of trouble, and always ready to help others in time of need….
Devotion to the Cross
With September unfolding now we have many wonderful events in the Liturgical calendar. Two of these are the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14 and the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15. Devotion to the Holy Cross in the Liturgy dates back to the fourth century. The texts…