Church of the Resurrection

9504 - 100th Avenue, Fort St. John, BC V1J 1X7 Pastor: Rev. Louis Kwena Secretary: Bernadette Antonio Off. Hrs.: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Parish Ph.: 250-785-3413 Fax: 250-785-4403 E-mail: cofres@shaw.ca or secretary@fsjresurrectionchurch.com Website: www.fsjresurrectionchurch.com

The Epiphany of the Lord January 7, 2018

GOOD NEWS REFLECTION

Gifts of new birth

The Season of Christmas includes a celebration that focuses on the adoration of magi from the East who had sought and found Christ the newborn king.

The Greek word "magi" meant oriental scientists. Also called astrologers, their worship of Jesus does not validate astrology, which assigns power over us to stars and planets; rather, it validates that Jesus was born to bring salvation to all, Gentiles as well as Jews. Their arrival at the manger demonstrates that Jesus was born for the sake of all who recognize that only God should have power over us. Jesus was born to free us from sin and all other forces that control us.

The magi also demonstrate that gift-giving is a normal part of worship. Their gift of gold honored Jesus as king. Their gift of incense honored Jesus as God. And their gift of myrrh honored the gift that Jesus would eventually give to us: his death. He was born to sacrifice his life for us. He took to the cross our sins, and then his resurrection destroyed the power of sin and the power of demons who tempt us to sin.

The gifts of the magi become gifts that we all give to Jesus: Gold represents our righteousness, which Christ's kingship over our lives makes possible so that we become more and more saintly each day. Incense represents our prayers going up to God -- prayers that involve giving God the gift of our trust. And myrrh is the gift of suffering for Christ: the sacrifices we make for the sake of his ongoing mission of transforming our world.

The word "epiphany" means a moment of discovery, a revelation that changes our lives. Did the magi have an epiphany about Jesus when they came into his presence? Did they realize that they were looking at the Savior of the world? Did they want this little baby to save them from their own sins?

We can safely assume that they never forgot about their trip to Bethlehem. Surely they kept their ears open for news about him as the years went by. Probably they heard about the King of the Jews who was crucified. We know that they in fact became very saintly Christians; their relics still exist and have been venerated since very early times.

What about you and me? Will we remember Jesus in some new way this year? Will our worship of him transform us? Will the power of sin be defeated by our faith in Christ when we face temptations?

Hopefully, we have been changed this Advent and Christmas Season by a new rebirth of Jesus into our lives and -- through our lives -- out into the world.

Our Parish Mission Statement

We at the Church of the Resurrection embrace our Baptismal promises and understand the need to bring

Christ into the world where we are. As community and family we recognize our diverse heritage and share our joys and sorrows while supporting each

other's journey in faith.

WELCOME

We extend our hands and hearts in Christian fellowship to you here, celebrating with us, whether

long-time residents or newly arrived in the parish. We thank God that you are with us. If you are new to the

parish please fill out a census form located on the table at the back of the church and place it in the

collection basket or bring to the parish office.

Marriage Contact the Pastor 6 months before the Wedding

Baptism Contact Betty Dvorak at the Parish Office Tues.-Fri. between 12 to 1 p.m. 3 months before the Baptism.

Funeral Contact the Funeral Home then parish office.

Visit / Prayer for the sick

Contact the parish office.

Reconciliation (Confession)

Saturday evenings at 6:30 p.m. or anytime by appointment.

Booking of the Immaculata Centre

Contact Lucy Gagne at 250-785-2867 or e-mail: sabou867@telus.net

Our Parish Mission Statement

We at the Church of the Resurrection embrace our Baptismal promises and understand the need to bring

Christ into the world where we are. As community and family we recognize our diverse heritage and share our joys and sorrows while supporting each

other's journey in faith.

WELCOME

We extend our hands and hearts in Christian fellowship to you here, celebrating with us, whether

long-time residents or newly arrived in the parish. We thank God that you are with us. If you are new to the

parish please fill out a census form located on the table at the back of the church and place it in the

collection basket or bring to the parish office.

Marriage Contact the Pastor 6 months before the Wedding

Baptism Contact Betty Dvorak at the Parish Office Tues.-Fri. between 12 to 1 p.m. 3 months before the Baptism

Funeral Contact the Funeral Home then parish office.

Visit / Prayer for the sick

Contact the parish office.

Reconciliation (Confession)

Saturday evenings at 6:30 p.m. or anytime by appointment.

Booking of the Immaculata Centre

Contact Lucy Gagne at 250-785-2867 or e-mail: sabou867@telus.net

Baptismal Preparation Parents (both father and mother) wanting their child baptized need to book an appointment for an interview with the Pastor before the Baptismal Preparation Class. Please phone the Parish Office to book an appointment. Please bring a copy of your child's birth certificate upon registration.

Parents (both father and mother) should attend the baptismal preparation class.

Date for DYC 2018 April 20-22, 2018 in Prince George, BC. Details to come

over the next several months but for now, mark those calendars!

Employment Opportunities Positions available for the Diocese of Prince George

go to: http://www.pgdiocese.bc.ca/employment-

opportunities/ o DRC Office Assistant o DRC Custodian

Positions still available WITH CISPG go to: http://cispg.ca/cispg/careers/

THIS WEEK IN OUR PARISH

Date Time Activity Place Mass Intentions

MON Jan 8

7 p.m.

Ladies Bible Study St. Joseph

TUE Jan 9

3 p.m. 7 p.m.

Mass Parish Pastoral Council & Parish Finance Council Meeting

Lutheran Ap’t

1. Justin Russell & relatives living & deceased 2. Emil Richter+

WED

Jan 10

7 p.m.

7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

Mass

Choir Practice CWL Meeting

Church

St. Thomas St. Benedict

David Stanonik+

THU Jan 11

10:30 a.m. 12 noon 7 p.m.

Celebrating the Word Mass Personal Spirit Retreat Journey information/registration meeting

St. Thomas Church St. Joseph

The Family of Walter & John Berresheim

FRI Jan 12

9 a.m.

Mass

Church

For the souls in purgatory

SAT Jan 13

5 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

Legion of Mary Reconciliation Mass

St. Joseph Church Church

Daniel James Gallagher+

SUN Jan 14

9 a.m. 10 a.m.

Children’s Catechism Mass

Church

For the People of the Church of the Resurrection

Catechism Classes 2017-2018 Sundays 9:00AM-9:45AM January 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2018 February 4, 18 & 25, 2018 March 4 & 11, 2018 April 8, 15, 22 & 29, 2018 May 6, 2018

All cheques written to the Church should be payable to

RCEC – Church of the Resurrection

RECEIVE ALL DIOCESAN NEWS DIRECTLY IN YOUR INBOX OR ON YOUR PHONE: Email Teresa at

reception@pgdiocese.bc.ca or send a text to 514-900-0130 to join Flocknote – it is an email and text

messaging tool created for churches, ministries, teams and other community organizations. It helps to

communicate with the people by sending a simple text message. Please join us in keeping up with all the

diocesan news.

Weekly newsletter from the Diocese can also

be access on our website www.fsjresurrectionchurch.com, go to Bulletin

and click on Diocese of Prince George

Wednesday Weekly

An account was opened for the Church at the Bottle Depot. You can request that the bottle refund you would

receive be put into this account as a donation to the

Church. The Account Name is RCEC – Church of the

Resurrection and the Account Number is 263.

Thank you.

PARISH SICK LIST: Please pray for… Andy Teslyk, Jaya Kumar, Nemia Taguban, Alveous Tan,

Romeo Boutin, Pat Pimm, Jeffrary Chong, Jana Leslie, Teri

Burkholder, Dwayne Burkholder, Mariette Dechaine, Elsa Galicia,

Luisa Quarenghi, Gerry Ross, Janet Stott, Lena Hanson,

Pauline Ladrido David, Angel Phillips, Anne Callison, Rita

Hancock, John Dore, Josephine Dancy, Betty Pimm, Timber Davis, Neil Paulson, Erma

Stanonik, Sean McMenamin, Jeannine Dechaine, Garrett

Tetrault, Lita Park, Walter Trask, Cherrie Paton, Walter

Berresheim, Renate Eicher, Hayley Trask, child Jacob

(Names will be removed after 1 month unless contacted)

Called Together –Giving, Sharing, Serving As of today, January 3, 2018, Called Together has reached 86.80% of the Diocesan goal in pledges, for a total of

$347,195.

The continued success of Called Together is dependent upon the participation of the many parishioners across the diocese. Our sincere thanks to all who have sent in their pledges already. We look forward to receiving the commitment of those who have not yet participated to this year’s Appeal.

Parish Rebates 7,915 1,951

Diocesan Goal 347,195

310,056

86.80% 77.51%

Personal Spiritual Retreat Journey This four week personal spiritual retreat journey is based on St. Ignatius'

approach to experiencing God's mercy, bringing you healing, hope, peace and reconciliation. The participants journey each day guided by the book "The Whole-Life Confession" by Father William M. Watson, S.J. Those who can are encouraged to attend the weekly group meetings for support and sharing with each other. Cost is $15.00 and includes the book. Pre-registration is required so books can be ordered.

An open and willing heart, 15-30 minutes a day and a "technology free" zone

are also needed for this journey. An information/registration meeting will be held on Thursday, January 11, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in St. Joseph's Room of Immaculata Centre. For more information contact Lynn Halverson at 250-787-9398

Parish

Appeal

Goal

Total

Pledged

Total % of

Goal

Pledges

Received

Annunciation, Prince Rupert 24,729 25,785 104.27% 23,345

Christ Our Saviour, Prince George 20,855 21,255 101.92% 16,635

Christ the King, Kitimat 40,352 25,470 63.12% 20,960

Resurrection, Fort St. John 36,691 23,663 64.49% 16,288

Holy Cross, Tumbler Ridge 2,700 1,050 38.89% 670

Immaculata, Burns Lake 15,665 9,065 57.87% 8,415

Immaculate Conception, Prince George 44,336 41,605 93.84% 38,823

Notre Dame, Dawson Creek 30,306 23,989 79.16% 21,487

Our Lady of Peace, Chetwynd 14,475 5,685 39.27% 5,705

Our Lady of Snows, Fort St. James 6,640 635 9.56% 435

Sacred Heart, Prince George 40,839 30,820 75.47% 27,780

Sacred Heart, Terrace 54,066 47,868 88.54% 39,224

St. Andrew's, Fraser Lake 10,978 11,455 104.35% 10,445

St. Anthony's, Houston 4,794 1,970 41.09% 1,970

St. Joseph's, Vanderhoof 10,641 9,633 90.53% 9,453

St. Joseph's, Smithers 26,845 17,985 67.00% 17,715

St. Mary's, Prince George 38,989 42,770 109.70% 38,900

St. Mary's, New Hazelton 5,593 2,543 45.47% 2,243

St. Patrick's, McBride 2,864 5,065 176.85% 4,815

St. Peter's, Mackenzie 7,642 4,690 61.37% 4,610

Unaffiliated Donors 2,109 2,089

Totals 400,000 355,110 88.78% 312,007

Sinulog – Feast of Sto. Niño

Church of the Resurrection Sunday, Jan. 21st, 2018 Filipino Mass at 5 PM. Potluck after Mass. All are welcome.

The Catholic Women's League

Meeting: Jan. 10th after Mass

Membership dues of $30.00 are

payable for 2018 as of January 1. These can be paid with the

envelope included in your box of Church envelopes, or paid during our membership drive before and

after Mass on the weekends of January 2018.

Meeting: Jan. 17th after Mass

Knights of Columbus

Dinner & Meeting: Jan. 16th at

6 p.m.