Mar. 11, 2026
The Fourth Sunday in Lent, known as Laetare Sunday (Rejoice Sunday), serves as a mid-point, joyful pause in
the penitential season, with rose-colored vestments signaling that Easter is near. Key reflections focus on
God’s boundless mercy (Prodigal Son), the joy of returning home to God, and shifting from obligation to love.
Core Themes and Reflections
- Laetare (Rejoice): The day acts as a reminder that despite Lenten sacrifices, the joy of salvation is approaching.
- The Prodigal Son (God’s Mercy): The parable highlights a father waiting to embrace his lost children, symbolizing God’s readiness to forgive and restore us.
- From Obligation to Love: A common reflection is shifting from a “rule-following”, obligated faith to one based on a personal, loving relationship with God.
- Divine Light and Sight: The readings often touch upon moving from spiritual blindness (like the man born blind) to seeing the world through God’s light and mercy.
- Eucharistic Anticipation: The Sunday reflects on being fed by God, with connections drawn to the Israelites entering the Promised Land and eating its produce.
- Renewed Commitment: It is a time to re-engage with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving with renewed, eager hearts.
Key Scripture References
- Gospel: Often focuses on the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) or Jesus as the Light of the World (John 3 or John 9).
- First Reading: Often focuses on the Israelites entering the Promised Land and celebrating the Passover (Joshua 5).
This Sunday encourages us to move forward with hope, trust in God’s, grace, and focus on the joy of the
upcoming Easter celebration.
Worship Calendar
Mar. 15 Seeing and Seen John 9 Rev. Eric Lee
Mar. 22 When God Arrives Too Late John 11:1-45 Rev. Eric Lee
A Message from St. James Food Basket
Thank you for so diligently collecting egg cartons. We have once again reached storage capacity. We will let you know when we will need of more egg cartons.
Loonies for Lent
This year the Outreach Committee is asking you to set aside loonies and toonies or other monetary donations in order that we may send a large donation to the St James Food Basket. The money that we send will be used to purchase such basics as tuna, canned tomatoes and pasta which will be distributed to their client families.
Each year the number of people relying on food banks continues to grow and the current uncertain times are
adding to this need. Outreach is asking our church family to send their monetary donations (loonies/toonies
in containers, cash, cheques or e-transfers) to the church to support this initiative. Please mark your
envelopes for “Loonies for Lent, Outreach” and include your name and envelope number. We would
appreciate receiving your contribution by April 5 th .
Good Friday Hot Cross Bun Breakfast
Outreach will be hosting a Hot Cross Bun Breakfast on Good Friday, April 3rd at 9:30 am. There is a sign-up
sheet posted on the bulletin board in the foyer. Please let us know if you will be attending so that we will
have lots of food available. We hope to see many of you on Good Friday morning.
A Winter Devotional Update (February 24):
A new edition of Our Daily Bread (March/April/May), as well as the current edition of These
Days (January/February/March) are available on the table in the church vestibule and in the devotional box on
the church porch.
Lenten Candle Liturgy Readers
Mar. 15 – Iris L. & Carol H.
Mar. 22 – Kathy & Bob
Mar. 29 – Harry & Pat
World Day of Prayer
This year’s World Day of Prayer service titled ‘I Will Give You Rest: Come’ was held at Fellowship Christian Reformed Church on Friday, March 6. Volunteers from 6 of the area churches, Christ the King, Fellowship, Graceview, Nativity of Our Lord, Renforth Baptist and St. Clement, organized and participated in the
service and donated a fine selection of delicious goodies for a time of refreshment and fellowship after the service. The 2026 program was written by Nigerian women and included 3 of their very moving stories. We were also blessed this year to have a guest speaker, Kathy Vanderkloet. Kathy, a member of
Fellowship CRC, was a missionary in Nigeria for just over 33 years and gave a thoughtful overview of the country. The service was well attended, approximately 100 people, and there was lots of positive feedback. Next year, 2027, will be the 100 th Anniversary of the World Day of Prayer! Nancy McPherson
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Tuesdays @ 11:00 AM – Walking Group – All are welcome
- Thursdays @ 2:00 PM – Worship service at Centennial Park Place
- Thursday, Mar. 12 @ 9:30 AM – Sing! Etobicoke @ NPCC
- Tuesday, Mar. 24 @ 12:00 noon – Lenten Lunch followed by a Lenten Prayer Hour
- Thursday, Apr. 2 @ 2:00 – 4::00 PM – Stations of the Cross in the sanctuary
- Friday, Apr. 3 @ 9:30 AM – Hot Cross Buns served before Good Friday service
10 Facts about St. Patrick We Bet You Didn’t Know
By Megan Hills
- St. Patrick wasn’t Irish
Despite being the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick was born in Britain in either Scotland or Wales
(accounts tend to vary on that point). His parents, Calpurnius and Conchessa, were both Roman citizens and his mother gave birth to him in 385AD. - Slavery was what brought St. Patrick to Ireland
As a teenager, St. Patrick was kidnapped by a pirate raiding party and sold into slavery in Ireland. As a
slave, he looked after and herded sheep for many years before fleeing to a monastery in England. While
there, he became a devout follower of Christianity and was ordained a bishop, after which he returned to
Ireland as a missionary. - The shamrock as an Irish symbol is said to have been popularised by St. Patrick
As the stories go, St. Patrick supposedly used the iconic three-leafed shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity while preaching. With each leaf representing Christianity’s Holy Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it was a symbol that showed how they could be three different spiritual entities and yet all part of the same whole. - St. Patrick wore blue, not green
Although everyone is expected to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, all surviving artworks of St. Patrick
show him wearing blue robes. It’s the reason why through the years, flags, sports uniforms, and coat-of-
arms featured the color. As time progressed, green as a national color grew in favor, particularly in the
17th century. - St. Patrick probably didn’t drive all the snakes out of Ireland
One of the most popular myths about the Irish saint is that he rid the country of snakes, but modern
science has since ruined that belief for everyone. As Ireland has always been an incredibly cold country,
scientists have said that it’s highly unlikely that there were any snakes to begin with and there are no
fossils to disprove the theory. - St Patrick’s Day is held on the day he passed away
In the Catholic tradition, the day a saint passes away is considered a holy day to celebrate their ascension into heaven. St. Patrick passed away on March 17, and it continues to be when St. Patrick’s Day is held annually. - St. Patrick isn’t technically a saint…
While he’s been given the title in popular lore, St. Patrick was never actually officially canonized as a
saint. However many still recognise his contributions to the Catholic church, and he remains a spiritual
figure to this day. - …and Patrick wasn’t even St. Patrick’s given name
St. Patrick’s given name was Maewyn Succat. It wasn’t until he became a priest that he adopted a new
name – Patrick, after Patricius (which relates to the Latin root meaning father). - ‘Drowning the Shamrock’ is said to have started with St. Patrick
The tradition of drinking to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is said to have started with the saint himself, who
announced that everybody should have a drop of the hard stuff’ after an innkeeper was less than
forthcoming with a bottle of whiskey. While there was a brief period where drinking on St. Patrick’s Day
was banned, the tradition has since returned in full force. - Legend has it that St. Patrick’s walking stick grew into a tree while he was preaching
Another popular tale regarding St. Patrick tells the story of how he left his Ashwood walking stick in the
ground, while he went off to try and convert the villagers of a small town to Christianity. The effort took
so long that the walking stick became an ash tree which the town takes its name from – Aspatria,
Cumbria, in the north of England.