Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today we celebrate the feast of two pillars of the Church: St. Peter and St. Paul. St. Peter was crucified upside down on Vatican Hill in Rome. St. Paul was beheaded outside the walls of Rome. St. Peter – the Rock upon which Jesus built His Church.

St. Paul – the tireless missionary who brought God’s Word to the whole world. To Simon, son of Jonah, Jesus said: “You are Peter, and upon this Peter (rock) I will build My Church” Jesus changes Simon’s name to Peter because a rock gives solidity to the foundation. Moreover, He doesn’t say “a church,” but “My Church” – “my” is a possessive adjective, which indicates that the church of Jesus, Who is the Son of God, is built on Peter, the first Pope. Then, Jesus confers upon Peter strength, authority, and power through three profound metaphors:

• “the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” The Gates symbolizes “strength”;
• “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” The Keys symbolizes “authority”;
• and finally “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” Binding and loosing symbolizes “power”.

Together, Peter and Paul embody what we profess in the Nicene Creed: “I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” The Church is apostolic because it is built on the foundation of the Apostles. To say the Church is apostolic means that it can be traced a lineage back to the Apostles. It also means for us to be faithful to their teaching, continuing their mission, and being willing to offer our lives – as they did – for the sake of Christ and His Church.

        May our Blessed Mother, together with St. Peter and St. Paul, obtain for our Pope, our Bishop, our priests, and all the faithful the strength to remain steadfast in our Catholic faith.

Fr. Gastón Giacinti, IVE

WEEKLY NEWS

Friday Adoration at Sacred Heart

Every Friday there is adoration of the  Blessed Sacrament at Sacred Heart in  reparation for the offences made to the Sacred Heart of Jesus from 1:30 to 6:30PM and confessions from 5:00 to 6:30PM.

Catholic Missionary Children Oratory

For Children 7-12 years old. Saturdays 10:30 AM to noon at St. John the Baptist. For info or to register contact Sr. Inmaculada at stjohnandsacredheart@gmail.com

Bible Study on the Gospel of Matthew – Upcoming Class – July3rd at St. John

Join the DRIVEN TO PRAISE prayer Group as we journey now through the Gospel of St. Matthew 7pm – 8 pm at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. For more info contact Daniel 647 -928 6414. 

Altar Boy Group at Sacred Heart – Updated Time

Altar server’s meetings for the summer (until September) will be held 1st and  3rd Wednesdays  of the month from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, next   meeting will be Wednesday July 16th at 6:30pm.

DIOCESAN &O THER NEWS

Pope Leo XIV’s Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (released June 2025)

Lord, I come to your tender heart today, to you who have words that set my heart ablaze, to you who pour out compassion on the little ones and the poor, on those who suffer, and on all human miseries. I desire to know you more, to contemplate you in the Gospel, to be with you and learn from you and from the charity with which you allowed yourself to be touched by all forms of poverty. You showed us the Father’s love by loving us without measure with your divine and human heart. Grant all your children the grace of encountering you. Change, shape, and transform our plans, so that we seek only you in every circumstance: in prayer, in work, in encounters, and in our daily routine. From this encounter, send us out on mission, a mission of compassion for the world in which you are the source from which all consolation flows. Amen.

Jubilee Year Pilgrimage to Medjugorje – Youth Festival

August 2 to August 11, 2025, $2,585 (CAN) per person (double occupancy). For more information contact Group Leader, Karen Shannon, 613-848-5833 or email, Karen.Shannon@queensu.ca

SAVE THE DATE SUNDAY JULY 20

Please join us for a Jubilee Mass for all cultural groups in the Diocese of Peterborough at the Cathedral of St. Peter-In-Chains. Mass on Sunday, July 20 at 10:30 am reception and festivities to follow. Food & Fun don’t miss out!

Jubilee Mass – July 16 | Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Save The Date

St. Patrick’s Kearney, join us for a celebration of the Jubilee Year. Chief Celebrant: Most Rev. Bishop Daniel Miehm. Time: 11:00 AM All priests and faithful are warmly invited.

Central Deanery Pilgrimage

Saturday July 19, 2025, the parishes of the central dean will pilgrimage to the Cathedral of St. Peter-In-Chains beginning at 9:30 am. Tour of church and crypt, adoration, confessions and Mass at 12:00. Potluck follows in the Knights of Columbus Hall.

In the Footsteps of the Holy Canadian Martyrs

 The 11th Annual Walking Pilgrimage – In the Footsteps of the Holy Canadian Martyrs will take place on August 10-15, 2025. We will depart from St Joseph’s Church Powassan on August 10 and walk 130 km over 5 days to reach Holy Family Church, Britt where we will venerate the relics of the Martyrs. Contact frpeterlukow@peterboroughdiocese.org for a registration form.