Category Archives: Chaplain’s Message

Message from your Chaplain

Chaplain's Message, June

Dear Brother Knights,

We are still in the Easter season and will be until the great feast of Pentecost.  Certainly there are signs around us of Resurrection as we enter firmly into spring.  As William Jennings Bryan wrote

“To every created thing God has given a tongue that proclaims a resurrection.  If the Father designs to touch with divine power the cold and pulseless heart of the buried acorn, and make it burst forth from its prison wall, will he leave neglected the soul of man, who is made in the image of the Creator?”

The doctrine of the resurrection is the central doctrine of our faith.  Our belief in the resurrection gives our lives meaning and direction, and offers us hope.  Belief in the resurrection gives us hope to face all the circumstances of our lives.  It touches our lives here and now, here and everywhere.  Even in our suffering and the little deaths that we face, there are little resurrections.  This is what we call the Paschal mystery that we celebrate at each mass, and find present in our lives.

I want to thank you for the honour guards that you will be supplying for Confirmation coming up and also the weekend that the Bishop is here for the open house.  I want to thank you for all that you do in our church and in our community.  Rose Sunday will take place on Mother’s Day and I thank you for that as well.

During this Easter season let all of us open our hearts to the miracle of the resurrection.

Your Chaplain,

Fr. Dick Bester

Message from your Chaplain

2017, Chaplain's Message, May

Dear Brother Knights,

By the time that you receive this bulletin, we will be celebrating Easter. Holy Week as you know, is the week which precedes the great Feast of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.  This week includes the last days of Lent and the beginning of the Easter Triduum.  During Holy Week, the Church celebrates the mysteries of salvation accomplished by Christ in the last days of His life on earth, beginning with His messianic entrance into Jerusalem.

The Resurrection is the central doctrine of our faith.  Historically, it is rooted in Christ, and we wait for the resurrection on the last day.  It is a source of hope for all of us and gives our life direction.

For the Resurrection to be experienced, it has to touch all the aspects of our lives, here and now , here and everywhere.  We all have our days of Calvary and we all have our days of Resurrection.  But it is our belief that there is life after death that sees us through the difficult times.  At every Eucharist, we celebrate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ.  This is what we call the Paschal Mystery and this Pascal Mystery is what is experienced in our life.

At this time, I want to wish you and your families a Happy Easter and thank you for all that you do for our Church and the wider community.

Your Chaplain

Father Dick Bester

Message from your Chaplain

April, Chaplain's Message

We are well into Lent and I hope that your Lenten disciplines are going well. I want to thank you for leading the Stations of The Cross on March 10 even though we were back to winter when they were celebrated. These Stations of the Cross have inspired millions for centuries.

Over the next few weeks, our Gospels for Sundays will be dealing with the theme of baptism as the catechumens are preparing for baptism, and each of us is preparing to renew our baptismal promises. When we are baptized, each of us has a threefold role to play in our response to our baptismal call. We are to be prophets, priests and kings. These three groups of people were anointed before they began their public ministry in Sacred Scripture.. Christ himself was baptized before He began his public ministry. Through this Lenten season, we not only need to reflect on our baptism, but also to make this first sacrament of initiation into the life of the Church part of our way of living by doing the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

The many good works that you do as Knights, and the many charities that you support are signs that you have taken your baptism seriously. Thank you.

May we continue to support each other through the remaining time of Lent.

Your Chaplain,

Fr. Dick Bester

Message from your Chaplain

2017, Chaplain's Message, March

Bythe time that you receive this bulletin, we will nearly be in the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday, celebrated on March 1, begins the season of Lent and is a universal day of fast and abstinence in our universal Church Lent is the yearly celebration by the Church of its corporate conversion in Jesus Christ. During Lent, the liturgy prepares catechumens to celebrate the Paschal Mystery by the various stages of initiation. It also prepares the faithful for Easter as they recall their baptism and do penance in preparation for the greatest Feast of the year.

Lent has two major purposes. It recalls or prepares for baptism, and emphasizes a spirit of penance. Through forty days of closer attention to God’s Word and of more fervent prayer, believers are prepared to celebrate the Paschal Mystery. Lenten instructions stress these baptismal and penitential themes.

Sin has social consequences. At the heart of the virtue of penance is hatred of sin as an offence against God. We encourage penitential practices that are external and social, reflecting the circumstances of individuals and communities, as we pray and do penance for sinners. We also stress individual and interior penitential practices. The three preferred penances of the Church are fasting prayer and alms giving.

In our cluster we have a number of opportunities to get involved in the life of the Church and do penances at the same time. Just watch our Church bulletin. Thank you for taking one of the evenings and leading the Stations of The Cross, this prayer which has inspired Christians for centuries.

As the Lenten season soon begins, may you have a blessed and good Lent.

Your Chaplain,

Fr. Dick Bester

 

Message from your Chaplain

Chaplain's Message, January

 

By the time that you receive this bulletin, we will be nearly through the Christmas holidays and the children and teachers will be returning to school. The Christmas season will soon be over.

I trust that everyone enjoyed the Christmas season and the magic like atmosphere which can exist at this time.

The nativity scene which captures our God becoming man in the person of Jesus, Emmanuel, keeps us focused. At Christmas, we recall that God’s reign is now, that Christ birth attests that God is now marching with us in history as Archbishop Romero said. Aspects like justice, love, peace are possible because the builder of these things is in our midst. What we say and what we do brings these characteristics to life. Meister Eckhart, a thirteenth century mystic wrote that we are all called to be mothers of God. “What good is it he says, if the eternal birth of the divine Son takes place unceasingly but does not take place within myself?” Every day could be Christmas if we allowed the Christ child to be born where we walk, where we talk, where we eat and drink, where we mix with people. Everywhere we go, Christ goes with us and is born again and again by what we say and do.

As we enter the new year, I would like to wish you and your families a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous new year.

Your Chaplain,

Fr. Dick Bester

Message from your Chaplain

2016, Chaplain's Message, December

 

Dear Brother Knights,

The Christmas season is just about upon us. This season celebrates the birth of the Lord Jesus and the ways he manifested the presence of God among us. For the Church, only the Easter celebration of the Lord’s death and rising is more important than the Christmas season.

More Christians will go to mass on this day more than any other day of the year. I believe there are a number of reasons. First I believe that we find hope at the stable and our world desperately needs hope. I believe that we find peace at the stable in the person of Jesus. We find love at this humble stable and all of us need to know love and experience it. We ultimately find God at the stable and it is this belief that gives our lives direction and anchors us.

As we gather as families through this holiday time, let us make our gatherings wherever they take place, stables where Christ can come among us. Let our gatherings be places of hope, peace and love. Let our gatherings be a place where God comes among us. Let our gatherings be a place where Jesus can be born again and again.

I want to thank you for all that you do for our faith community, and the community at large. May you and your families have a blessed Christmas and many many blessings in the New Year.

Your Chaplain,

Fr. Dick Bester

Message from your Chaplain

2016, Chaplain's Message, December

 

Dear Brother Knights,

By the time that you receive this message our Liturgical Year will be ending, and a new season called Advent will have started along with a new liturgical year.

Advent has a twofold nature: it prepares us for Christmas, when we recall Christ’s first coming among us, and it is also a time when we look forward to his second coming at the end of the ages. Advent is a season of joyful expectation. During Advent, each Sunday’s Gospel reading has a specific focus. The Old Testament readings, especially those taken from Isaiah, are prophecies about the Messiah and messianic times. The selections from the writings of the Apostles present exhortations and instructions on different themes of this season.

To help prepare for the great feast of Christmas, we will have Advent materials to help us pray and meditate. We will have increased opportunities to celebrate the sacrament of confession.

This season is a time of waiting, and can get lost in all the busyness of the preparations for Christmas. Part of our waiting might be taking time to pray and setting time aside to reflect. If we think about it, our lives are an Advent. Let us all have a good Advent season.

Again, I want to thank you for all that you do for the Church and the wider community. May God bless you and your families.

Your Chaplain,

Fr. Dick Bester

Message from your Chaplain

2016, Chaplain's Message, November

 

Dear Brother Knights,

We have just celebrated Thanksgiving and I hope all of you enjoyed the beautiful Day. We have so much for which to be thankful.

By the time that you receive this bulletin, we will be preparing for the three days of Hallowe’en, All Saints Day and All Souls day. November is the month when we commemorate the faithful departed.Over the last year, we have had a number of Knights pass away. .On November 2, we will have a memorial service at 7:00p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church. This is a time when we not only remember the deceased Knights but all the faithful departed from our cluster who died over the past year. It is also a way for us to support the families that are grieving the loss of their loved ones. I hope as many as possible will attend this service.

As Christians, we believe in the doctrine of the Resurrection.It is the central doctrine of our faith. Life for us is changed not ended.Belief in the Resurrection gives us hope and at a time of sadness, there can be joy because of our belief. In our wake service, we say the old order has passed away, welcome the person into paradise where there will be no sorrow, no weeping nor pain but the fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.Surely this gives us hope. I want to assure you of our prayers and support through your time of grief.

I want to thank all of you for what you do for our faith community and the wider community.May God bless you and your families.

Your Chaplain

Fr. Dick Bester

Message from your Chaplain

Chaplain's Message, October

Dear Brother Knights,

With Labour Day celebrated, the shorter days and longer nights and  all the groups are meeting again, we know that fall has arrived.  With fall, of course, the Knights regroup again.

With a new beginning, we ask the Lord to bless us and our work as we begin a new year.  Keep us mindful that all our works are done for you.  Let your Holy Spirit give us light  and lead all of us to you Guide us in all that we do and help us build up your kingdom.  We ask that you send us new members who are looking for fraternity and a spirituality consistent with that of the Knights of Columbus.

I want to thank all those Knights who helped with cleaning the Church at St. Anthony’s and all those who helped with arranging the reception that took place on the grounds after the mass.  It was a lovely celebration made possible through your good works and generosity.  Thank you.

While it is a little early, thanksgiving is just around the corner.  May you and your families have a blessed Thanksgiving.  May the Lord bless our year.

Your Chaplain

Fr. Dick Bester

Message from your Chaplain

Chaplain's Message, September

 

Dear Bother Knights,

By the time you receive this bulletin, we will be in the month of August. I hope that your summer is going well and you are getting some rest, and enjoying the hot hazy days.

I want to thank you for all that you have done for the cluster and the community since the last bulletin. I specifically thank you for barbequing for the parish picnic which was a great success.

I also thank you for barbequing at the Faith Alive Bible Camp, and also for your generous contribution in support of the camp. There were 140 people took part in the camp with over 70 of them being campers. This is a big event in our cluster and we need the support of groups like yourselves to hold it. Thank you.

It is too early to talk about beginning in the fall again, but I ask that you help recruit men to this organization. Please enjoy the rest of the summer

Thank you for all that you do in the cluster and wider community.

Your Chaplain

Fr. Dick Bester

Message from your Chaplain

Chaplain's Message, June

By the time you receive this bulletin for July, we will be well into summer.  Many of you will be on vacation and enjoying well deserved holidays.  In some respects many of the groups and committees take a break from their activities

July 1 is celebrated as Canada’s birthday.  On that weekend, July 3, we will have our cluster swim at the Lion’s Pool from 4:00-5:00.  Following that there will be a barbeque and meal in the hall.  I want to thank the Knights for barbequing for this event.  At this event, we will be saying good bye to Father Seejo as he leaves for his new assignment in London at Holy Family Parish

Another event which will take place in the month of July is the annual Bible Camp.  Again I want to thank you for your financial support and the barbequing that you will provide following the closing mass on Friday, July 29.  Your support of parish events is very much appreciated.  Without your support and the support of other parish organizations, events like the Bible Camp would not be able to happen.  Thank you.

As we celebrate Canada Day weekend, let us remind ourselves that we are blessed to live in such a country as Canada.  We also need to remind ourselves that as Christian men, we act from Christian principles and attitudes in helping to shape the country in which we live.   Our life in this world is not our lasting home, and we should pray and work for justice and peace in Canada and throughout the world.

I want to thank you for all that you have done over the past year for our cluster and our wider community.  Enjoy the summer weather and your well deserved vacations.  May you be refreshed by the break.

Your Chaplain

Fr. Dick Bester

Message from your Chaplain

Chaplain's Message, June

 

Dear Brother Knights,

By the time you receive this bulletin, we will be approaching the great feast of Pentecost.  This will end the season of Easter in the Church.  On Pentecost, we will celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation in our cluster at 2:00 p.m.  on May 15.  I want to thank you for the honour guard that you will supply at this celebration.

I also want to thank you for all that you did for Deacon Mark Stagg and his family at the time of his death and funeral.  I know that arranging your involvement at the visitation took a lot of time on your part.  I also want to thank you for the honour guard that you provided at his funeral mass.  Both added dignity to the occasion.

Thank you also for supporting the Pro-Life Movement with Rose Sunday on Mother’s Day.  This is a demonstrative way of showing that we are against abortion.  Keep up the good work.

As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, I hope that you are able to take advantage of this and get some rest.

Thank you again

Your Chaplain

Fr. Dick Bester

Message from your Chaplain

Chaplain's Message, May

 

Dear Brother Knights,

As you know, we are in the Easter Season which is the highest season in the Christian Faith and our Church year.  I hope you all had a blessed Easter.  The weather sure made it seem like Easter and it helped us celebrate the Resurrection. 

Since Easter, we have been hearing about the post-Resurrection Appearances of Jesus, and hearing about the rise and activities of the early Christian communities who experienced the risen Lord.  In our own lives, we, too, experience the risen Lord many times each day.  Every time we celebrate a sacrament, we encounter the risen Lord.  Every time we show acts of kindness and extend mercy to those around us, we see the risen Lord.  With the coming of Spring, we see signs of the risen Lord.  We need to try to be conscious of this so that we experience the risen Lord in our lives.

On May 15, we will celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, the birthday of our Church.  We also celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation at 2:00 in our cluster at St. Joseph’s Church.  I want to thank the Fourth Degree for the honour guard you will supply for that celebration.  I also want to thank you for all that you do in our Church and wider community.

Continue to enjoy the Easter Season.

Your Chaplain,

Fr. Dick Bester

Message from your Chaplain

April, Chaplain's Message

 

Dear Brother Knights,

By the time you read this, we should be in the Easter Season. The Lord Jesus redeemed the human race and gave perfect glory to the Father. By dying, Christ destroyed our death; by rising, he restored our life. Those simple words are a profound mystery that we can only enter into over a life time. The Resurrection has changed everything. It is rooted in Christ, and something that we will experience at the end of time. But to be experienced, the resurrection has to be real in the present.

Every time we celebrate mass, we celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ. In our lives, we experience the same cycle. Not just once but many times.

I believe we all experience crosses in our lives, but there is also the resurrection to those crosses as we move through difficult situations and make adjustments to them. There is death and resurrection

I want to thank you Brother Knights for all that you do in our faith community. I thank you for leading the Stations of the cross through the Lenten season, and for all that you do for the wider community. May you and your families enjoy not just Easter Sunday, but also the fact that the Lord is risen.

Happy Easter to you and your families. Alleluia! He is risen.

Your Chaplain,

Fr. Dick Bester

Message from your Chaplain

Chaplain's Message, March

 

Dear Brother Knights,

By the time that you receive this message, we will be in the season of Lent. Lent is that period in our Church year when we prepare for the greatest feast day of Easter. The preferred penances of the Church are prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Through this season, we will all be doing some penance as hatred against sin. We have Lenten material that you can pick up at the Churches to help us in our prayer and meditations. I want to thank you for taking one of the evenings for the Stations of the Cross. This particular devotion has helped generations of people as they try to carry their own crosses. We also have adult faith formation being offered. Perhaps you could join in. They are all listed in the bulletin.

As this is the year of mercy, it might be a good idea to meditate and work at the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy.

Thank you again for all that you do for the Church and the wider community, you and your work are much appreciated. Have a blessed Lent.

Your Chaplain,

Fr. Dick Bester