St. Julia Roman Catholic Church

09/09/2026

Only 2 weeks until our RCIA information night! 🎉 We can't wait to meet you and answer all of your questions! (No, really - we'll try to answer every 👏🏼single👏🏼 question you have)

The 23rd is all about learning more about the RCIA process, meeting our formation team, asking questions, and finding out what the year ahead looks like.

No pressure, no need to have it all figured out. We got you ✨️🙏🏼

📅 Wednesday, September 23
🕖 7:00 p.m.
📍 Divinity Room — downstairs at St. Julia

Come curious. Come with questions. Come ready to learn.

Registration happens through the parish or you can sign up right there at the info night!

📧 [email protected]
📞 905-684-5603

09/09/2026

It’s September 9 — you know what to do. 🍻

Happy Buy a Priest a Beer Day!

09/08/2026

So… you’ve got questions about Catholicism? 👀

Maybe you’re thinking about becoming Catholic. Maybe you’re Catholic but still waiting on some Sacraments. Maybe you’ve been Catholic your whole life and realized there are approximately 7,000 things you still don’t understand 😂 - or maybe you just don’t even know what you’re searching for, you just know there’s got to be something more to all this.

Good news: you’re in the right place… and we have answers.

Join us for our RCIA Information & Registration Night to learn more about the RCIA process, meet our formation team, ask questions, and find out what the year ahead looks like.

RCIA is a place to explore the Catholic faith, meet some great people, and grow deeper in your relationship with Christ and His Church — no pressure, no need to have it all figured out.

📅 Wednesday, September 23
🕖 7:00 p.m.
📍 Divinity Room — downstairs at St. Julia

Come curious. Come with questions. Come ready to learn.

Registration happens through the parish or you can sign up right there at the info night!

📧 [email protected]
📞 905-684-5603

Come find community + clarity. We can’t wait to meet you. ✨

09/08/2026

Today we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - a feast of hope, joy, and the quiet beginnings of God’s plan.

Mary’s life reminds us that we rarely see the whole story while we're living it. What seems small or ordinary may be part of something far greater than we can imagine.

May we meet our own lives with the same trust, and may Mary lead us ever closer to her Son.

Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us 💙🙏🏼

09/05/2026

As summer comes to an end, September brings a familiar rhythm back into our lives. Children and young people return to school, families settle into new routines, parish ministries begin again, and our calendars slowly fill with activities and commitments.

The beginning of a new school year is an opportunity not only for a fresh start academically, but also spiritually. It is a wonderful time to ask: How will I make room for God in the months ahead?

The Church traditionally dedicates the month of September to Our Lady of Sorrows. At first, this may seem like an unusual devotion as we begin a new season. Yet Mary's example speaks beautifully to us as we face the joys, challenges, uncertainties, and responsibilities that come with a new year.

Mary knew both joy and sorrow. She rejoiced at the birth of Jesus, yet she also experienced the pain of watching her Son suffer and die. Simeon foretold this when he told her:
“And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
— Luke 2:35

Mary stood faithfully at the foot of the Cross. She could not remove her Son's suffering, but she remained with Him.

That is one of the great lessons of Our Lady of Sorrows: sometimes we cannot fix another person's problems or remove their suffering, but we can remain present, pray, and love.

As our children return to school, parents may have concerns about friendships, academic pressures, faith, and the challenges young people face today. Our Lady understands a parent's concern. She knows what it means to entrust a child to God while also experiencing fear and uncertainty.

This September, let us place our families under Mary's maternal care. Pray for our students, teachers, administrators, and all those returning to school. Pray especially for young people who may be struggling, lonely, or searching for direction.

And as parish life begins again, perhaps we can take one lesson from Mary: do not run away from difficult things. Stay close to Christ.

When life is joyful, uncertain, and at times painful, stay close to Him.

Our Lady of Sorrows teaches us that faith does not mean that we will never experience suffering. It means that we never have to face suffering alone.

May this new season be a time of renewed faith for our parish family. May Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, accompany our families, protect our children, strengthen those who are struggling, and lead each of us closer to her Son, Jesus Christ.

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.

Fr. Ronald

08/14/2026

St. Maximilian Kolbe understood something beautiful: devotion to Mary always leads us more deeply to Jesus.

For generations, Christians have turned to the Blessed Mother as a guide, an intercessor, and a model of complete trust in God.

Marian devotion is not about drawing attention away from Christ — it is about learning, with Mary, how to say yes to Him.

May her example lead us to greater faith, deeper prayer, and hearts more open to God's will.

The final slide includes St. Maximilian Kolbe’s prayer of consecration to the Immaculata — a beautiful prayer of entrusting our whole lives to Mary and, through her, to Christ.

“To Jesus through Mary.” 🤍

St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.

08/14/2026

“I am a Catholic priest. Let me take his place.”

In July 1941, St. Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward at Auschwitz to take the place of a fellow prisoner, Franciszek Gajowniczek, who had been condemned to die.

Gajowniczek had cried out for his wife and children. Kolbe heard him — and offered his own life instead.

Kolbe and the other condemned prisoners were taken to Block 13, the starvation bunker. There, even in the face of death, his faith never wavered. He prayed with the prisoners, encouraged them, and sang hymns with them as one by one they died.

After two weeks, Kolbe was still alive. He was ultimately killed by lethal injection on August 14, 1941.

Franciszek Gajowniczek survived Auschwitz.

He would spend the rest of his life telling the world about the priest who gave his life for his.

St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.

08/12/2026

𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳 — 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽

On Monday morning, August 10, the western side of Colombia was struck by a deadly 7.4-magnitude earthquake that has claimed lives, caused widespread devastation, and left families and communities in need of support.

In response to this devastating event, a few of our Colombian parishioners have come together to organize a relief initiative within our parish community to support our brothers and sisters in Colombia.

We are calling on our parish & local community to come together and assist those affected by this tragedy.

WE ARE ACCEPTING DONATIONS OF:
Non-perishable food
Hygiene products
First-aid supplies
All donations must be newly purchased and unopened. If you are donating a large quantity, please bring the items in a box or other suitable container.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We are looking for volunteers to help receive, sort, organize, and pack donated items during the drop-off hours.

If you are available to volunteer, please contact our parish office at 905-684-5603.

DROP-OFF HOURS
Thursday, August 13: 9 AM–4 PM
Friday, August 14: 9 AM–5 PM
Saturday, August 15: 1 PM–5 PM
Sunday, August 16: 9 AM–12 PM

LOCATION
St. Julia Catholic Church
251 Glenridge Avenue
St. Catharines, ON

All donated supplies will be transported to Golf On Lounge in Mississauga on Sunday evening by parish staff, where they will be collected as part of a larger relief effort organized in the GTA.

Please keep all those affected by the earthquake, the rescue efforts, and those providing assistance in your prayers. We also ask you to pray for the repose of the souls of all who have died.

Every donation and every helping hand makes a difference. Thank you in advance for all your help & generosity!

God bless,

St. Julia Parish Staff

08/10/2026

07/31/2026

In recent weeks, we have witnessed heartbreaking images from around the world. Devastating wildfires have destroyed homes and communities, flooding here in St. Catharines. Powerful earthquakes have taken countless lives and left many families grieving. Faced with such suffering, it is natural to ask, "Where is God in all of this?"

While there are no easy answers to the mystery of suffering, our Catholic faith reminds us that God never abandons His people. He entered our suffering through Jesus Christ, who carried the Cross, experienced grief, and conquered death through His Resurrection. In every trial, Christ remains with us.

As we dedicate the month of August to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Church invites us to turn with confidence to our Blessed Mother. Mary's heart is the heart of a mother who understands sorrow. Simeon foretold that "a sword will pierce your own soul" (Luke 2:35), and those words were fulfilled as she stood faithfully at the foot of the Cross. She knows what it is to watch innocent suffering. She knows what it is to trust God when the future seems uncertain.

Because Mary shared so intimately in the life, suffering, death, and Resurrection of her Son, the Church has always recognized the power of her maternal intercession. At the wedding feast of Cana (John 2), it was Mary who noticed the needs of the couple before anyone else. With quiet confidence she brought their need to Jesus, and His first public miracle followed. This Gospel reminds us that Mary continues to notice the needs of her children and lovingly brings them before her Son.

Throughout history, Christians have turned to Mary's intercession during times of plague, war, famine, and natural disaster. Whether through the Rosary, the Memorare, or simple heartfelt prayer, the faithful have found comfort in entrusting themselves to the Mother whom Christ gave to us from the Cross.

This does not mean that every suffering is immediately removed. Rather, Mary's prayers obtain for us the graces we need: strength in weakness, hope in despair, peace in anxiety, perseverance in trials, and, above all, a deeper union with Christ. Like every loving mother, she walks beside her children and gently leads them to the One who alone can heal every wound.

As we enjoy these final weeks of summer and prepare for the return to our regular routines, let us also remember those whose lives have been forever changed by recent disasters. Let us pray for those who mourn, for first responders, relief workers, and all who continue to rebuild their lives.

This August, may we confidently entrust our families, our parish, and our world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May she wrap us in her maternal care, intercede for those who suffer, strengthen those who have lost hope, and always lead us closer to her Son. With the confidence of children, let us pray each day:
"O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee."


Fr. Ronald