January 28, 2021
Our church may be closed, but our parish is still open
My dear Parishioners:
As we come to the end of January it is time to share some important updates and information with you.
Parish Envelope Boxes:
I wish to thank the over 330 parishioners who came to the church office or hall to pick up their 2021 envelope boxes, as well as the countless parishioners who are now using the Pre-Authorized Giving (PAG) programme or the Donate Now method of supporting our parish. If you wish to receive more information on the PAG or the Donate Now method of on-line giving, please see the bright pink “Give on-line Donate” post on the parish website homepage Home - Nativity of Our Lord (myparish.org)
By the end of the first week of February we will begin hand-delivering the remainder of the envelope boxes to parishioners’ mailboxes or else to their apartment front door. To do so, we will need many volunteers to help. If you are interested, please contact the office at [email protected] as soon as possible. In case you did not receive your envelope box by February 15th, please contact the parish office.
Income Tax receipts:
In February your 2020 income tax receipt for your donations to Nativity will be mailed to you through the Office of the Archdiocese of Toronto. Please note that these receipts will not include your donations to our Parish St. Vincent de Paul Society, as they will mail you a separate income tax receipt.
Parish Database Updates:
Since the start of the Pandemic we have made great strides in updating our parish database. However, we are still missing email addresses and phone numbers of many parishioners. In mid- February we will be launching a concerted effort to continue to update our database as well as reaching out to parishioners through phone calls. More information about this will be found in my next Parish Update in mid-February.
Communion Services:
We continue to hold our weekend Communion Services, at 15 minute intervals, on Saturdays from 3 pm through 5:15 pm and on Sundays from 11:15 am through 12:45 pm. Eventbrite registration for these services on our parish website begins Monday at 10 am and closes Friday shortly after 12 noon each week. Please go to the button marked “Communion Services” on the parish homepage to do so. As there can only be 9 people present + the Presider for the 8-9 minute service, we encourage you to register early in the week.
Mass Livestream:
Daily Mass livestreams continues Monday - Friday at 9:30am and Sundays at 10am on Youtube – the daily link can also be found on the homepage of our website.
Holy Hour Service and opportunities for Private Prayer in the Church:
On Friday evening, January 29th at 8 pm, we will hold an on-line Holy Hour livestream, with Adoration and Benediction and Music. To join us, go to – https://youtu.be/zs25BEbAQtQ . Our church continues to be open for private prayer each Tuesday from 10:30am -12:30 pm. Remember that only 10 people can be present at any one time.
Other items:
Please continue to follow us on our parish website www.myparish.org. On our website you will also find the links for our livestream masses as well as my daily reflections and homilies and other parish news.
You can also follow us on our social media accounts: Facebook: @NativityOfOurLordParishEtobicoke
Instagram: @NativityofOurlordparish Twitter: @OurNativity
If you or a parishioner you know requires help with shopping, please contact the parish office at 416.621.2732.
Finally, I truly look forward to that time when we can reopen again for Sunday and weekday masses. Let us continue to pray for all those involved in confronting the pandemic and may Almighty God bless their efforts as well as bless our parish and our families.
Peace and Prayers,
Fr. Michael Machacek.