St. Francis of Assisi has said, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words.” Like his namesake, Pope Francis is calling us to actively live our catholic faith. Pope Francis has clearly stated that “the mission of the Church is to serve the poor, downtrodden and the lonely” - a vision of Church that makes social justice a priority. Our bishop, Jean Louis Plouffe, is inviting us to respond to the call to live out Christ’s mission of love and service and to put Catholic Social Teaching into action. A major part of The Journey is the establishment of a Center for Social Justice and Good Works. We have a rich history in our diocese of faith-filled people who have devoted their lives to providing health care, supporting the hungry and marginalized and educating young people in a faith-filled environment. We hope that their legacy of responding to the needs in our community will encourage and inspire young people to take an active role in building the community of God.
For years, students in Catholic schools have been actively involved in actions of Christian Service. The Ministry of Education has recognized the value of this community outreach and now requires all Ontario students to complete 40 hours of community involvement prior to secondary graduation. We want our students to be involved in meaningful experiences and invite and challenge them to go deeper, to genuinely learn about the needs of others and how we can best respond to address them.
It is our hope that the Centre for Social Justice and Good Works will strengthen the partnership between church, home and school and facilitate opportunities for involvement and leadership roles of our young people in actions and projects that create positive change in our local and global communities.
For updates on The Journey, please check our website regularly at: www.preciousbloodssm.com.
The Lottery:
Tickets for the Journey Lottery will be available shortly. The tickets will be $20 each with prizes of $49,000 with a draw each Saturday for $1,000 for 49 weeks. Winning tickets will be re-entered for the draws. Ticket information will be available soon. Please volunteer your time to sit and sell at great locations. Contact John Nesom at 705-575-4141.