CIRCULAR TO PARISHIONERS WEEK 70 - OCT. 01, 2005
A DRY WEARY LAND WITHOUT WATER
Welcome to the parishioners who have come back to our beloved parish of St. Martin of Tours in the
hope and expectation of a return to normalcy. Reconciliation has been advocated time and again and
many are asking when the life of the parish will be fully restored.
This is the time of year when members of our organizations return from holidays to resume full active
service to our parish community. In spite of the way many were rejected, they are ready to forgive and
eager to return. We look forward to the following groups fully reactivating their services, services that
identify with the living presence of Christ-among-us. With the full acceptance of ALL, the Body is
made whole. Conversely, if even one member is rejected, the Body remains broken, for “if you reject
me, you reject the one who sent me.”
• St. Vincent de Paul
• Knights of Columbus
• Lectors
• Ushers
• Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist
• Ministers of the Eucharist to the sick
• Altar Servers
• Altar Guild
• Birthright
• Sunday collection counters
• Youth Bell Choir
• The Choir that inspired liturgy
• High school students who prepared Christmas hampers for the needy
Like a dry weary land without water, we long for a return to the exercise of Christian involvement
practised in our parish since inception. We long for goodness, because God is good; for truth, because
God is truth; for unity, because God draws us to the unity of his will and ultimate destiny. The pain
suffered by many parishioners has been caused by resentment, rejection and reprobation, and was not
caused by God.
Today we are blessed with Fr. Joel, a priest of goodwill, as an administrator. In the administration of a
normal functioning parish, the above groups are a witness to the health of a parish, but not in ours.
Discipleship has been thwarted because “policies” remain in force. But we ask are these “policies”
truly policies or merely a remnant of previous personal whims - regulations at variance with the interests
of the parish? Policies/whims that inhibit redress and that insist on maintaining a detrimental situation
are by their nature dysfunctional. Dedicated people are affected every day by this dilemma. Hands are
tied - tongues are tied. Let us hope that the current calm is a positive turn of the tide, and not the
deceiving lull of the eye of the storm. And in the spirit of reconciliation, our prayer is that all
volunteers will be welcomed back to active participation and, like Samuel, answer to God’s call
“Here I am Lord”.
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Give us your feedback by email or phone call: Aisling Egan 416 671-4710
Pat DeAngelis 416 809-1819 Duncan Walker 905 277-9825
Lucy Pires 905 273-6093 Dunstan Bazely 905 275-3946
Judy Byrnes 905 275-1536 Patricia Russell 905 279-9205
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Email: bishop.boissonneau@rogers.com Fax: 416 207-4984.
ambrozic@archtoronto.org Fax: 416 934-3452 .
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