St. Bernard's Roman Catholic Church

10/25/2026

St. Bernard’s Masses:
10:00 am daily.

Next Weekend Retreat: D&P’s annual Fall retreat at the Anishinaabe Spiritual Centre is scheduled for October 30 - November 1. The theme of the retreat is Living our Faith in Chaotic Times. The cost of the etreat will be $175.00. Fee can be e-transferred to Yovita using the DP-CC email address at
[email protected].

Fundraising: Tributes at the NEMI Rec Centre are happening. Tickets sold by the church will now be $60.00 each. Contact Mike Blanchard or Tony Ferro to get your tickets.
The next big thing: Shania Twin Saturday Nov. 21st at 6pm Dinner and Show
Abba Saturday Dec.12th at 6pm... Dinner and Show Just a reminder this Sunday, October 25th , Steve Michaels, aka Elvis, will be joining us and singing with us during mass.

Please join us for fellowship after mass, and a chance to meet and greet Steve. Come and enjoy the songs and the music.

If you would like to donate to St. Bernard’s Church by e- transfer, send to Tina Tremblay at Nardi’s: [email protected]

Lectors’
Schedule:
Oct. 25
Reader 1 – Leon
Reader 2 – Margery
Nov. 1
Reader 1 – Ember
Reader 2 – Gisele
2nd Reader also reads Prayers of the Faithful.

A new document titled “Venite ad me: Considerations on the Transmission of the Faith in an Epochal Change,” was published on the Memorial of Saint John Paul II, by the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith. You can find the English link here: https://www.cccb.ca/media-release/new-document-from-the-dicastery-for-the-doctrine-of-faith-venite-ad-me/

Background on the Gospel
Reading
This week’s Gospel follows close behind the Gospel read last Sunday. It is the last of three questions put to Jesus by Jewish religious leaders who are trying to trick him into saying something that might get him arrested. This reminds us that the context for today’s reading is the mounting tension between Jesus and the religious leaders in Jerusalem.
The Herodians and the Pharisees asked the first question, which was about
taxes. The Sadducees asked the second question, which was about the Resurrection (see Matthew 22:22-33).
The third question, considered in today’s Gospel, is asked by a Pharisee who asks Jesus about the greatest of the commandments. The question requires Jesus to interpret the Law of Moses. The Mosaic Law consists of the Ten Commandments and many additional rules, numbering over six hundred.
Adherence to the Mosaic Law, for a devout Jew, is an expression of faithfulness to God’s covenant with Israel.
The ranking of the Commandments was regularly debated among the teachers of the Law.
Jesus answers the Pharisees’ question with a two-fold summary. Jesus says that all of the commandments can be summarized in two commandments: love God and love your neighbor. Both of these were central elements of
the religious tradition Jesus learned from his Jewish community. Indeed, these continue to be central aspects of contemporary Jewish religious understanding. Jesus’ response to his questioners proposed an integral
connection between these two aspects of the Jewish Law.
Love of God finds its expression in our love for our neighbor.
Sunday Connection | Loyola
Press

Save the date: November 20th – November 22nd “From Conflict to Connection. A Masterclass on Forgiveness by Msgr. David Reilander of
Catholic Missions in Canada. More information to follow.

Ottawa – The Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith has published today, on the Memorial of Saint John Paul II, a new document titled “Venite ad me: Considerations on the Transmission of the Faith in an Epochal Change.” Pope Leo XIV, during an audience granted to His Eminence Victor ...

10/23/2026

10/19/2026

Hold the date: Development and Peace’s annual fall retreat at the Anishinaabe Spiritual Centre is scheduled for October 30 - November 1. The theme of the retreat is Living our Faith in chaotic Times. The cost of the retreat will be $175.
Fee can be e-transferred to Yovita using the DP-CC email address at [email protected]
Fundraising: Tributes at the NEMI Rec Centre are fast approaching. Tickets sold by the church will now be $60.00 each. Contact Mike Blanchard or Tony Ferro to get your tickets.
The first tribute is Elvis:
Fri. Oct. 23 6:00 pm dinner & show.
Sat. Oct. 24 at 2:00 pm show only - $30.00 per ticket
Sat. Oct. 24 6:00 pm dinner & show
Just a reminder that next weekend on Sunday October 25th. Steve Michaels, aka Elvis, will be singing gospel songs at our church during mass. We hope that everyone will join us for fellowship after mass, and a chance to meet and greet Steve. Please come and enjoy the songs and the music.
Elvis tickets are still available for Friday and Saturday nights. They are $60 each for dinner and show.

If you would like to donate to St. Bernard’s Church by e-transfer, send to Tina Tremblay at Nardi’s: [email protected]
Lectors’ Schedule:
Oct. 18
Reader 1 – Michael
Reader 2 – Linda
Oct. 25
Reader 1 – Leon
Reader 2 – Margery
2nd Reader also reads Prayers of the Faithful.

We’re collecting stamps for Development & Peace. Cut out your envelopes, taking care not to touch the perforations on the stamps, and bring them into church.

Background on the Gospel Reading
In today’s Gospel Jesus and the religious leaders in Jerusalem continue their tense exchange of questions and challenges. At this point the disciples of the Pharisees, together with the Herodians, try to entrap Jesus by their question about the payment of taxes.
Matthew sets up an unusual partnership between the Pharisees and the Herodians. The Herodians were supporters of Herod Antipas, a Jewish political leader who collaborated with the Romans. Such collaboration would have required a compromised observance of the Mosaic Law. The Pharisees, on the other hand, taught scrupulous observance of the Mosaic Law and opposed Roman occupation. Herodians favored the payment of taxes; the Pharisees opposed it. The Herodians and the Pharisees approach Jesus, asking that he take sides in their dispute. If Jesus answers with the Pharisees, he shows himself to be an enemy of Rome. If he answers with the Herodians, he offends popular Jewish religious sensibilities.
Jesus’ response to this attempt to trap him exposes the guile of his questioners. From his first words to them, Jesus shows that he is very much aware of what they are trying to do. He asks to see a Roman coin, which is readily provided to him. It may have come from the hand of a Herodian, but the Pharisees show themselves to be quite willing to accept this compromise. Jesus has already exposed the Pharisees as hypocrites.
Jesus takes his response one step further. He asks that his questioners examine the coin. Agreeing that it is Caesar’s image on the coin, Jesus tells them that it must belong to Caesar. Avoiding the question of lawfulness altogether, Jesus answers their question with simple logic. Then, going further still, Jesus tells them that their obligation is to pay to God that which belongs to God.
Jesus’ response to the Herodians and Pharisees suggests the ethic that Christians ought to adopt. It reminds us of the importance of keeping things in their proper perspective. Do we attach ourselves to worldly things at the expense of the love and honor that we owe to God? Sunday Connection | Loyola Press

10/04/2026

St. Bernard’s Masses: 10:00 am daily.
There will be an outdoor public rosary, a Rosary Rally, on Saturday, October 10th, at 12:00 noon, in the parking lot of Our Lady of Canada Church, Mindemoya. The program will be available in print form at the welcome table in the foyer, at St. Bernard’s this Sunday.
Fundraising: Tributes at the NEMI Rec Centre are fast approaching. Tickets sold by the church will now be $60.00 each. Contact Mike Blanchard or Tony Ferro to get your tickets.
The first tribute is Elvis:
Fri. Oct. 23 6:00 pm dinner & show.
Sat. Oct. 24 at 2:00 pm show only - $30.00 per ticket
Sat. Oct. 24 6:00 pm dinner & show

If you would like to donate to St. Bernard’s Church by e-transfer, send to Tina Tremblay at Nardi’s: [email protected].

Lectors’ Schedule:
Oct. 4
Reader 1 – Ember
Reader 2 – Margery
Oct. 11
Reader 1 – Lynda
Reader 2 – Gisele
2nd Reader also reads Prayers of the Faithful.

We’re collecting stamps for Development & Peace (D&P). Cut out your envelopes, taking care not to touch the perforations on the stamps, and bring them into church.

Hold the date: D&P’s annual Fall retreat at the Anishinaabe Spiritual Centre is scheduled for October 30 - November 1. The theme of the retreat is Living our Faith in Chaotic Times. The cost of the retreat will be $175.00. Fee can be e-transferred to Yovita using the DP-CC email address at [email protected]

Background on the Gospel Reading
In today's Gospel, Jesus once again speaks to the priests and elders with a parable. In this parable, the landowner leases his vineyard to tenants and sends his servants to collect the portion of the harvest that the tenants owe to him. Several times the servants are sent to collect payment, and each time they are beaten and killed by the tenants. Finally, the landowner sends his son to collect his rent. The tenants, believing that they will inherit the vineyard if the landowner dies without an heir, plot together and kill the landowner's son.
After telling the parable, Jesus questions the chief priests and elders about what the landowner will do to the wicked tenants. They all agree that the landowner will kill the wicked tenants and give the land to new tenants who will pay the rent.
In telling the parable, Jesus is clearly drawing upon Isaiah 5:1-7, which is today's first reading and one that the priests and elders would have known well. No need to explain the symbolism of the parable; the Pharisees would have understood the vineyard represented Israel, the landowner was God, the servants represented the prophets, and the bad tenants were the religious leaders. Yet Jesus nonetheless explains the meaning of the parable for his audience: the Kingdom of God will be taken from the unbelieving and given to the faithful. The chief priests and elders have condemned themselves with their answer to Jesus' question.
Today's Gospel has a parallel in Mark 12:1-12. There are some notable differences, however. In Matthew's version, the religious leaders condemn themselves; in Mark's Gospel, Jesus answers his own question. Matthew names the religious leaders as Pharisees and chief priests. Clearly this Gospel shows the tension that was mounting between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders who thought that his message was dangerous. Matthew's Gospel was written about 70 years after Jesus' death and reflects the conflicts and tensions found in the Christian community for whom Matthew was writing. Many biblical scholars believe that the tension between Matthew's community and their Jewish neighbors can also be heard in today's reading.
God speaks to us in many ways—through Scripture, through our Church tradition, in our Church's teaching, and through modern-day prophets. Are we attentive and receptive to God's word to us through these messengers?
Sunday Connection | Loyola Press

09/27/2026

St. Bernard’s Masses: 10 am daily.
Join us for coffee and fellowship following Mass today.
There will be an outdoor public rosary, a Rosary Rally, on Saturday, October 10 at 12 noon, in the parking lot of Our Lady of Canada Church, Mindemoya. The program will be available in print form at the welcome table in the foyer, at St. Bernard’s this Sunday.

Fundraising: Tributes at the NEMI Rec Centre are fast approaching. Tickets sold by the church will now be $60.00 each. Contact Mike Blanchard or Tony Ferro to get your tickets.
The first tribute is Elvis:
Fri. Oct. 23 6:00 pm dinner & show.
Sat. Oct. 24 at 2:00 pm show only - $30.00 per ticket
Sat. Oct. 24 6:00 pm dinner & show

If you would like to donate to St. Bernard’s Church by e-transfer, send to Nardi’s at: [email protected]

Lectors’ Schedule:
Sept. 27
Reader 1 – Leon
Reader 2 – Michael
Oct. 4
Reader 1 – Ember
Reader 2 – Margery
2nd Reader also reads Prayers of the Faithful.

We’re collecting stamps for Development & Peace (D&P). Cut out your envelopes, taking care not to touch the perforations on the stamps, and bring them into church.

Hold the date: D&P’s annual Fall retreat at the Anishinaabe Spiritual Centre is scheduled for October 30 - November 1. The theme of the retreat is Living our Faith in Chaotic Times. The cost of the retreat will be $175.00. Fee can be e-transferred to Yovita using the DP-CC email address at [email protected].

Background on the Gospel Reading
The context for today’s Gospel is the mounting tension between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus has entered Jerusalem and overturned the money changers’ tables in the Temple. Jesus has caught the attention of the religious authorities; the chief priests and elders question Jesus about the source of his authority. Jesus refuses to name for these religious leaders the source of his authority. Instead, he questions the priests and elders through the parable we hear in today’s Gospel. The answer given by the religious leaders is correct, but it convicts them for their failure to heed the call of John the Baptist and for their inability to recognize the Kingdom of God.
The situation Jesus poses is rather straightforward. Given the same task by their father, one son asserts his disobedience in words, but then obeys in his actions; the second son obeys with his words but disobeys in his actions. The question that Jesus poses is pointed and direct: Which son did what the father wanted? All would agree that “actions speak louder than words” and that even if his words were disobedient, the son who did the work as ordered did the father’s will.
Jesus’ conclusion is also direct. The chief priests and elders, the ones who speak most often about God, did not act accordingly. They did not respond to the message of repentance announced by John the Baptist with a change of heart. Instead, John’s message was heeded by those one would not expect to repent—tax collectors, prostitutes, and other sinners. Because of their actions, these sinners will enter the Kingdom of God ahead of the religious leaders.
Jesus could ask us the same question. Do our words indicate our obedience to God? If not our words, do our actions? God desires a full conversion of heart, that our actions (and our words as well) will give evidence of our love for God.
Sunday Connection | Loyola Press

09/26/2026

St. Bernard’s Mases:
10 am daily.
Fundraising: Tributes at the NEMI Rec Centre are fast approaching. Tickets sold by
the church will now be $60 each. Contact Mike Blanchard or Tony Ferro to get your
tickets.
The first tribute is Elvis:
Fri. Oct. 23 6:00 pm dinner & show.
Sat. Oct. 24 at 2:00 pm show only - $30.00 per ticket
Sat. Oct. 24 6:00 pm dinner & show
Shania Twin
Sat. Nov. 21st at 6pm... dinner and show
Abba
Sat. Dec.12th at 6pm... dinner and show

If you would like to donate to St. Bernard’s Church by e-transfer, send to Nardi’s at:
[email protected].

Lectors’
Schedule:
Sept. 20
Reader 1 – Linda
Reader 2 – Lynda

Sept. 27
Reader 1 – Leon
Reader 2 – Michael
2nd Reader also reads Prayers of the Faithful.

We’re collecting stamps for Development & Peace (D&P). If you would like to support this initiative, cut out your envelopes, taking care not to touch the
perforations on the stamps and bring them into church. There is a box labeled to put them in.

Hold the date: D&P’s annual Fall retreat at the Anishinaabe Spiritual Centre is scheduled for October 30 - November 1. The theme of the retreat is Living our
Faith in Chaotic Times. Rose Marie Valade and Pat Carter will be the facilitators of the retreat. It will begin after supper on October 30 and end after lunch on November 1st. The cost of the retreat will be $175.00. Fee can be e-transferred to Yovita using the DP-CC email address at [email protected].

Background on the Gospel
Reading
In today's Gospel, Jesus is sought out by great crowds and tested by the Pharisees on issues such as marriage and divorce. Jesus also encounters a rich young man who is unable to accept that he must leave his possessions to follow Jesus. Jesus' response to the rich young man is very much like the conclusion in today's Gospel: the first will be last and the last will be first.
On the surface, the parable of the workers in the vineyard appears to be an offense to common sense. Those who work a longer day ought to be paid more than those who work just an hour or two; the landowner seems unfair, but that is our own preconceived notion of how fairness and equality should be quantified.
A close read shows us that the landowner paid on the terms that were negotiated, the landowner has acted justly.
The parable goes beyond that, however, and we come to see that the landowner is not simply just, he is exceptionally just. He is radically just. He has given those who labored in the field for a full day their due pay. But he has also given a full-day's wage to those who worked only a single hour. No one is cheated, but a few receive abundantly from the landowner just as we receive from God more than what is merely justifiable or due.
God, like the landowner, is radically just and abundantly generous.
The workers who complain are made to look foolish as they lament the fact that the
landowner has made all workers equal. Indeed, what more could one ask for than to
be treated as an equal at work or anywhere else?
The parable reminds us that although God owes us nothing, he offers abundantly and equally. We are occasionally tempted to think that our own actions deserve more reward, more of God's abundant mercy, than the actions of others. But God's generosity cannot be quantified or partitioned into different amounts for different people.
When we think that way, we are trying to relate to God on our terms rather than to accept God's radically different ways.
Sunday Connection | Loyola Press

09/25/2026

Message from Fr. Gerry:

There will be an outdoor public rosary, a Rosary Rally, on Saturday, October 10th, at 12:00 noon, in the parking lot of Our Lady of Canada Church, Mindemoya. I am unable to attach the bulletin invitation at the moment, but the program will be available in print form at the welcome table in the foyer, on Sunday morning.

This Sunday is World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

Sunday, October 4th, is the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, and though not liturgically honoured, because it falls on Sunday, since it being the closing of the Season of Creation, there will be prayers for Creation in mass that day.

08/30/2026

St. Bernard’s Mases:
10:00 am daily.
Stay after Mass
for coffee and
fellowship this Sunday.
Fundraising: Carey Lee and
St. Bernard church have joined
together to host tributes in the
upstairs hall at the NEMI Rec
Centre. Because of the extra
costs, tickets sold by the
church will now be $60.00
each, while the price on line
will remain at $75.00 plus
service charge and taxes.
The first tribute is Elvis:
Fri. Oct. 23 6:00 pm dinner &
show.
Sat. Oct. 24 at 2:00 pm show
only - $30.00 per ticket
Sat. Oct. 24 6:00 pm dinner &
show
Shania Twin
Sat. Nov. 21st at 6pm... dinner
and show
Abba
Sat. Dec.12th at 6pm... dinner
and show
Sunday Collection:
August 23 $ 867.00
If you would like to donate to

St. Bernard’s Church by e- transfer, just add:
[email protected]

Lectors’
Schedule:
August 30
Reader 1 – Linda
Reader 2 – Michael
September 6
Reader 1 – Leon
Reader 2 – Margery
2nd Reader also reads
Prayers of the Faithful.

We’re collecting stamps for Development & Peace. Please place them in the box at the entrance to the church.

First Reading
Jeremiah 20:7-9
Jeremiah laments but cannot
fail to speak in God’s name.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 63:2-6,8-9
Our souls yearn for God.
Second Reading
Romans 12:1-2
Paul encourages the Romans
to stay faithf
ul to God.
Gospel Reading
Matthew 16:21-27
Jesus speaks of his Passion
and rebukes Peter for his
objection.

Background on the
Gospel Reading
Today’s Gospel continues the
story that began in last week’s
Gospel. Simon Peter was
called the “rock” upon which
Jesus would build his Church,
and yet Peter continues to
show the limitations of his
understanding of Jesus’
identity. Now that the disciples
have acknowledged that Jesus
is the Messiah, Jesus confides
in them the outcome of his
ministry: he must suffer and
die in Jerusalem to be raised on
the third day. Peter rejects this
prediction, and Jesus rebukes
him severely, calling him
“Satan.” In opposing this
aspect of Jesus’ mission, Peter
shows that he is no longer
speaking based on the
revelation from God but as a
human being. Jesus then
teaches all of the disciples
about the difficult path of
discipleship: to be Christ’s
disciple is to follow in his way
of the cross.
Peter could not yet understand
what it meant to call Jesus the
Messiah. It is unlikely that the
other disciples understood any
better. Messianic expectations

were a common aspect of first-
century Judaism. Under

Roman occupation, many in
Israel hoped and prayed that
God would send a Messiah to
free the Jews from Roman
oppression. The common view
was that the Messiah would be
a political figure, a king that
would free Israel from Roman
rule. This is perhaps what
Peter envisioned when he was
led to recognize Jesus as the
Messiah. In this passage,
however, Jesus is beginning to
teach his disciples that he
would be the Messiah in a
different way.
Jesus would be more like the
suffering servant described by
the prophet Isaiah than the
political liberator. Those who
would be Jesus' disciples
would be called to a similar
life of service. Perhaps this is
what Peter feared most in
Jesus’ prediction of his
Passion. He whom Jesus had
called “rock” would also be
called upon to offer himself in
sacrifice and service to others.
Christian leaders today are still
called to sacrifice and serve
others as Jesus did. Sunday
Connection | Loyola Press

08/13/2026

Dear Friends,

Thank you to all who came out on Tuesday and Thursday last week, and the past week, July 28th and 30th, August 4th and 6th, for table tennis (ping pong) evenings. These evenings were set up to appeal to youth and young at heart. No particular age group was specifically invited, and these were fun social times, for youth, children, parents, grandparents, and all parishioners. Those who came on August 6th ate pizza prepared by our parish elves. Thank you, elves!

I will need to take a brief time of personal recreation at the end of August, so I have four more evening ping pong events scheduled, for now:

Tuesday, August 11th 6-8 p.m.

Sunday, August 16th 6-8 p.m.
Special guest Fr. Edmund Lo, S.J.

Tuesday, August 18th 6-8 p.m.

Thursday, August 20th 6-8 p.m.
Feast of St. Bernard

On Sunday, August 16th, Fr. Ed Lo, S.J., is visiting. Fr. Ed is the vocations director for the Jesuits of Canada. I think the he is terrific at table tennis, so this evening should be really fun! Fr. Paul Robson, S.J. will also be present, and an invitation has been extended to the parishes of Wiikwemkoong. There will be snacks (maybe even pizza ???).

Thursday, August 20, is the Feast of St. Bernard of Clairveux, our patronal feast. We will close off our summer ping pong evenings with a special celebration of our own Saint! There will be cake.

I hope you can come. Of course, everyone is welcome, and please bring a friend.

Blessed Summer,

Fr Gerry

07/25/2026

Dear Daily Mass Goers, Due to funerals elsewhere, there will not be mass at St Bernard’s
Saturday July 25
Monday July 27
Sorry

Sunday July 26
Mass as usual

Mass at Centennial Manor
Wednesday July 29
No mass at St Bernard’s

Otherwise, no change
Mass as usual
Tuesday July 28
Thursday July 30
Friday July 31
Saturday August 1

Fr Gerry
705-862-2801