Holy Family Parish, Vancouver, BC » Seasons

Stations of the Cross

John — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:49:28 +0000

On Fridays during Lent, beginning 11 March, we will pray the Stations of the Cross at 7:00 pm. This will be followed by Low Mass.

Epiphany house blessings

John — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:10:01 +0000

Homes are traditionally blessed during the Octave of Epiphany (6–13 January). The blessing is done with exorcised Epiphany Holy Water, blessed chalk, and exorcised incense (frankincense with myrrh).

Since for the most part we all live quite a distance from one another, priority will be given to homes that haven’t yet been blessed, then to those that have not been blessed in a very long time. We would like to group the blessings for regions—i.e. Vancouver, Coquitlam, Surrey, Abbotsford—on certain days insofar as this is possible .

Should the times available not be convenient fo ryou, we can always come by to bless your home later in the year with the regular blessing. Contact the Parish Office to book a day and time.

Ember days of September

John — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 20:52:32 +0000

Wednesday 22, Friday 24, and Saturday 25 September, 2010.

Four times a year, the Church sets aside the Ember Days. These quarterly periods take place around the beginnings of the natural seasons. These days are spent fasting and partially abstaining—voluntary since the 1983 Code of Canon Law—in penance, and are days favoured for priestly ordinations, prayers for priests, first Communions, almsgiving and other penitential and charitable acts, and prayers for the souls in Purgatory. Because of the days’ focus on nature, they are also traditional times for women to pray for children and safe deliveries.

Holy Week schedule, 2010

John — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:27:27 +0000

Maundy Thursday
7:30 am Office of Tenebrae
7:30 pm Mass of the Institution of the Blessed Sacrament

Good Friday
7:30 am Office of Tenebrae
3:00 pm Mass of the Presanctified

Holy Saturday
10:00 pm Easter Vigil

Easter Sunday
8:00 am Low Mass
10:30 am High Mass

Please note that there is no Mass in Abbotsford on Easter Sunday.

Lenten Retreats

John — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:47:57 +0000

Spiritually recharge for Lent with a silent retreat led by the priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. These separate retreats for women, men and youth are open to everyone, and are a great opportunity to invite a friend to join you in contemplation, prayer and the sacraments. Please bring a bagged lunch.

Women’s retreat: Saturday 6 March.
Men’s retreat: Saturday 27 March.

9:00 am, Holy Mass (and First Saturday Devotions, 6 March)
10:15 am, Break/Optional Breakfast
10:40 am, Spiritual Talk
11:15 am, Exposition and Confession
12:30 pm, Lunch with Spiritual Reading
1:30 pm, Spiritual Talk
2:15 pm, Rosary and Chaplet of the Divine Mercy
3:00 pm, Silent Time & Confession
4:00 pm, Retreat Ends

Youth & Young Adult retreat (ages 12–30): Saturday 13 March

9:00 am, Holy Mass
10:00 am, Breakfast
10:30 am, Spiritual Talk
11:00 am, Exposition and Confession
12:00 pm, Lunch with Spiritual Reading
12:30 pm, Recreation
2:00 pm, Spiritual Talk
2:30 pm, Rosary and Chaplet of the Divine Mercy
3:00 pm, Silent Time & Confession
4:00 pm, Retreat Ends

Obligations of Lent and Easter

John — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:12:24 +0000

The Church prescribes fasting and abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On these days, only one full meal is allowed, in addition to which two smaller collations are permitted according to need, which, if combined, would not be equal to a full meal. Catholics aged 14–59 are bound to abstinence from meat; those 18–59 must also fast. Those who are ill are freed from these obligations. Everyone, even those above the age of 59, is encouraged to fast and to abstain. Parents and educators are reminded of their duty to introduce children gradually to the understanding and practice of penance.

We must each make a good Confession in preparation for our Easter Communion. This is an obligation. Therefore, make good use of the Confession times at Holy Family. Confession is available before all Masses on weekdays as well as before and during Mass on Sundays.

Christmastide Schedule

John — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:23:58 +0000

This is the schedule of Christmastide services at Holy Family Church in Vancouver. Sunday services will be at the usual times.

Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December
7:30 am & 9:00 am

Christmas Day, Friday 25 December
Midnight Mass
8:00 am Low Mass
10:30 am High Mass

Feast of Saint Stephen, Saturday 26 December
7:30 am & 9:00 am

New Year’s Day, Friday 1 January
(Holy Day of Obligation in Canada)
8:00 am & 10:30 am

Epiphany, Wednesday 6 January
7:30 pm High Mass

Ember Days: 23, 25 & 26 September

John — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 07:15:26 +0000

This Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday are the autumn Ember Days. Four times a year, the Church sets aside three days to focus on God through His wonderful creation. These ‘Ember Days’ (or Quatuor Tempora in Latin) take place around the beginnings of the four natural seasons, and are each kept on a successive Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. These days are spent fasting and partially abstaining (voluntary since the 1983 Code of Canon Law) in penance, in thankfulness for the gifts God gives us in nature, and beseeching Him for the discipline to use them in moderation. In the Old Testament, the Jews fasted weekly on Tuesday and Thursday, but Christians changed the fast days to Wednesday (the day on which Christ was betrayed) and Friday (the day on which He was crucified) and added Saturday (the day He was entombed). Ember Days are days favoured for priestly ordinations, prayers for Priests, first Communions, almsgiving and other penitential and charitable acts, and prayers for the souls in Purgatory. Because of the days’ focus on nature, they are also traditional times for women to pray for children and for safe deliveries.

Rogation Days

John — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:43:28 +0000

These are days of penance and supplication, traditionally observed with solemn processions during which the Litany of the Saints is recited. There are four Rogation Days in the traditional calendar of the Latin Church: the Major Litany observed on the Feast of Saint Mark (25 April), and the three Minor Litanies observed on the three days preceding the Feast of the Ascension.

From The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger, OSB :

Laden as we are with the manifold graces of this holy Season, and elated with our Paschal joys, we must sober our gladness by reflecting on the motives which led the Church to cast this hour of shadow over our Easter sunshine. After all, we are sinners, with much to regret and much to fear; we have to avert those scourges which are due to the crimes of mankind; we must, by humbling ourselves and invoking the intercession of the Mother of God and the Saints, obtain the health of our bodies and preservation of the fruits of the earth; we have to offer atonement to Divine Justice for our own and the world’s pride, sinful indulgences, and insubordination. Let us enter into ourselves, and humbly confess that our own share in exciting God’s indignation is great; and our poor prayers, united with those of our Holy Mother the Church, will obtain mercy for the guilty, and for ourselves who are of their number.

A day, then, like this, of reparation to God’s offended majesty, would naturally suggest the necessity of joining some exterior penance to the interior dispositions of contrition which filled the hearts of Christians. Abstinence from flesh-meat was long observed on this day at Rome … a council held at Aachen in 836 enjoined the additional obligation of resting from servile work on this day.

Epiphany house blessings

John — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 02:14:38 +0000

Homes are traditionally blessed during the Octave of Epiphany (6–13 January). Those of you who haven’t had your homes blessed yet should arrange to do so. The blessing is done with exorcised Epiphany Holy Water, blessed chalk, and exorcised incense (Frankincense with Myrrh). Since, for the most part, we all live quite a distance from one another, priority will be given to homes that haven’t been blessed yet, then to those who haven’t had the homes blessed in a very long time. We would like to group the blessings for regions on certain days in so far as this is possible (i.e. Vancouver, Coquitlam, Surrey, Abbotsford). Should the times not work, we can always come by to bless your home later on in the year with the regular blessing. Contact the the priests for more information.