St. Gerard Majella Parish

Welcome to St. Gerard Majella Parish website.  This weekend we start a new liturgical year with the celebration of the First Sunday in Advent and the blessing of our new members of Parish Council and the Financial Committee.  You will find the names of these members in our News section.  During the time of Advent, it is important that we take the time to reflect on the meaning of the upcoming celebration of Christ's birthday and we try to keep our sanity with all the pressures of home preparation, shopping etc.  It is also only fitting that we have snow for it is time and it puts a new face on the city and surrounding area.  Besides, we need the snow for our winter activities such as skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, skating etc.  It is important to get out and enjoy the beautiful area we live in for we are truly blessed.

We have put an article for the Liturgy For November in the article section. The month of November is dedicated to the Souls in Purgatory, whose feast is celebrated on November 2. With the exception of the last Sunday, November falls during the liturgical season known as Ordinary Time and is represented by the liturgical color green. The last Sunday, which marks the beginning of the Advent season, the liturgical color changes to purple, representing a time of penance.

The Advent liturgy opens with that great yearning cry of the prophets of Israel to the Messiah and Redeemer whose advent they awaited. "Come!" God is not deaf to His people's cry. Fulfilling the promise of salvation made to our first parents at their fall He sent His Son into the world. And the application to all generations of mankind of the redemption that the Son of God made Man obtained for us by His passion continues until the end of time: it will conclude with the end of the world when the Messiah comes to complete His work and lead us into His kingdom. The history of the Church occupies the period between these two great events.

In the Mass of this Sunday the whole work of redemption is set before us, from its preparation in Israel's expectancy and its effect on our present lives down to its final fulfillment. The Church, in preparing us to celebrate at Christmas the birth of Him who came to snatch our souls from sin and transform them into the likeness of His own, invokes upon us and on all men the complete accomplishment of the mission of salvation that He came to perform upon this earth.

On the first Sunday of Advent, the traditional opening prayer (or Collect) prayed: "Stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, and come." With this request to God to "stir up" His might, this day was traditionally called Stir-Up Sunday. Many families create a traditional plum pudding or fruit cake or some other recipe that all the family and guests can "stir-up." This activity of stirring-up the ingredients symbolizes our hearts that must be stirred in preparation for Christ's birth.

If this is your first visit to our site then take some time to go over the information provided.  Also, we warmly invite you to join us in worship and fellowship.  You will find a warm and inviting environment in which to worship and connect. 

To assist your faith, you can go over the daily readings through our link to DAILY READINGS.  

If you are not a regular parishionner of St. Gerards and live in the area, plan on joining us.  You will find a warm and welcoming environment.

TAKE TIME TO GO OVER OUR NEWS AND EVENT SECTIONS FOR INFORMATION ON WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR PARISH AS WELL AS EVENTS IN OTHER PLACES.

It is our objective that this site becomes your prime source of information for our parish and its ongoing activities whether you are regularly attending our parish or unable to attend due to being out of town, ill or in a seniors complex.