Walking The Labyrinth

St. Charles Faith Sharing Group has finished another year. As is our custom, we took a day-long car trip to some interesting sites outside the city, along with a stop for lunch.

This year the group was guided through St. Benedict’s Retreat and Conference Centre by Director Mary Coswin. We ended the tour by joining the sisters for noon day prayers in the chapel. We strolled the grounds and silently walked on the labyrinth. The original function of labyrinths remains elusive, but some labyrinths, like Chartres in France, were used as a substitute for pilgrimages to the Holy Land during the Crusades. Today labyrinths are enjoying a revival as stress relievers and meditative tools.

Our next stop was Captain Kennedy Museum and Tea House which was built in 1866 by Captain William Kennedy an explorer, entrepreneur and trader. The glassed-in tearoom overlooks English gardens and the river. We enjoyed a delicious lunch and beautiful view.

We continued the day by visiting St. Andrews on the Red Anglican Church, which is the oldest stone church in Western Canada being used as a place of worship. The church was built between 1845 and 1849. Luckily the minister was in the church and he happily told us the history of the church and answered our questions.

We made a short stop at Lockport, where a dam and lock span across the Red River. This dam causes fish to congregate just below the locks. The fish attract flocks of white pelicans who station themselves at the locks and gorge themselves on the fish.

And what car trip would be complete without a trip to the ice cream store? Yum!

The faith sharing meetings are over for the summer and will resume in September at St. Charles Retreat Centre. The Wednesday mornings begin with Mass in the chapel at 9:00 AM followed by our meeting from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Everyone is invited. For more information call Fran 889-7348.

K of C Host Rosary & Spagetti Dinner Evening

On Sunday, May 27, the Fr. Allan Hall Council of the Knights of Columbus, hosted a Rosary & Spaghetti Supper Night for St. Charles parish.

Before the Rosary was recited, Father Paul Tinguely blessed a statue of the Blessed Mother for the Villa family.

To acknowledge the various cultures within St. Charles parish, each decade of the Rosary was recited in a different language; Spanish, Portuguese, French, Filipino and English.

Confirmation Class 2012

At St.Charles Church on Friday, May 25, we witnessed the Confirmation of 9 young adults. Archbishop James Weisgerber spoke to the candidates about their uniqueness and how they should not be swayed by the commercialism of modern society.

Confirmation is one of the sacraments through which Catholics pass in the process of their religious upbringing. According to Catholic doctrine, in this sacrament they receive the Holy Spirit and become adult members of the Catholic Church.

As the person is anointed during the Confirmation ceremony, the Bishop say, 'Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit'. This gesture and the words accompanying it express clearly the effects of the giving of the Holy Spirit. Signed with the perfumed oil, the young person receives the seal of the Lord and the gift of the Holy Spirit, drawing them closer to Christ and to the ministry for which all, as baptized Christians, are called.

Congratulation to all the candidates!

A Big Thank You to the Knights

On Wednesday, May 23, ten men from Father Allan Hall Council #8604 Knights of Columbus spent their evening sweeping and painting the parking lot of St. Charles Church. Thank you to the company which donated the sprayer and thank you to the Knights for paying for the paint. The parking lot will look clean and neat in anticipation of our guest for Confirmation on Friday and for the provincial Catholic Women’s League Convention June 2 and 3.

St. Charles Ladies Association Pot Luck Dinner

On Wednesday, May 16, a group of twenty St. Charles women attended their general meeting and Pot Luck dinner in the church hall. With May being the month of Mary, the evening began with the recitation of the rosary around the Marian shrine.

Rita, president of the Ladies’ Association, reported that Lori Williams will be organizing a “Craft & Bake Sale” November 17 and 18. The money raised from the sale will be given to St. Charles parish. Everyone was encouraged to support the sale with home made crafts and baking.

The date for the mixed retreat (both men and women) is Saturday, December 1 and the women’s retreat is February 2. Father John Kracher has been invited to facilitate both events.

One of the members of the St. Charles Ladies Association, Joan Chase, presented a beautiful painting to the parish. This painting will be hung beside another of her paintings in the church hall.

Got Talent?

Do you play a musical instrument well enough to accompany singers? Do you sing? Do you like to praise the Lord with music? If so,we invite you to share your talent with us at St. Charles at the 4 PM Saturday Liturgy. We would love to hear from you. Help will be given as needed. Please call Anna at 895-2420 to share your talents or ask questions.

The Birthday Gals Luncheon

What does the Bible say about Friends?

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9–12

On Tuesday, May 15, the St. Charles Parish Birthday Gals gathered for their monthly luncheon, at the Whitehorse Gift Emporium and Tea Room in St. Francois Xavier. Everyone enjoyed the scenic drive through the country side as well as a peek around the boutique which claims to be "Manitoba's Largest Gift Shop". The nineteen ladies enjoyed a lovely lunch in the sunny tea room with the enormous mural depicting some historic moments in the history of the area.

The St. Charles Birthday Gals have been celebrating each other's birthdays for over 18 years. The meetings are usually on the third Tuesday of the month with lunch beginning at 11:30 AM at various restaurants in the St. James area. Along with good food and pleasant conversation, there are several door prizes.

Next month is an exception to the rule with the date being Wednesday, June 20th (rather than Tuesday). We will be meeting at The Park Cafe in the Qualico Family Centre at Assiniboine Park. There is an open invitation to all ladies of St. Charles Parish as well as any of their friends or family members who would like to attend.

The July 17th gathering will be a Pot Luck at one of the lady's home. For further details, please contact Claire at 885-2724.

Confirmation Class Car Rally

This year St. Charles Parish is blessed with 9 candidates in the Confirmation program. To be eligible for the Confirmation program, candidates must be in Grade 8 or higher and have completed grade 7 Religious Education.

The Confirmation program includes 8 classes, which began the end of January. Classes were approximately one hour each and were held in the church library on Sunday evenings. The candidates covered topics such as the sacraments of initiation, the basic beliefs of the Catholic Church and the Holy Spirit. The coordinator for the Confirmation program was Colette Chelack who was assisted by Yolande Franzmann. Four of the parents helped out by volunteering to teach two classes each.

The candidates were required to do 25 hours of community service along with attending the classes.

At the conclusion of the course, the candidates were required to attend an all-day retreat at St. Charles Church. Many thanks to Janelle and Celeste Thibert for leading the retreat activities.

On Saturday, after the candidates attended a Confirmation rehearsal, they had a pizza party and a car rally. The car rally lasted about 2 hours and was within a four mile radius of the church. The 31 challenges included taking pictures, collecting items and finding information. The candidates had a great time!

I noted that neither Colette nor Yolande had children in the Confirmation class, so I ask them why they wanted to be involved. Yolande said, “This is part of my stewardship - we are a part of the church and this is where I help out”. She adds,”I had these kids back in grade 4 and I wanted to see how they were doing”. Colette mentioned that she really enjoyed working with young people. “It is wonderful to see them exploring and growing in their faith”.

Parishioner Featured in Winnipeg Free Press

The following article, written by Kevin Rollason, appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press on May 9th, 2012. Victor Morello, a St. Charles parishioner, is featured in the article.

3,000 cancer deaths prevented

Cancer survivor Victor Morello now volunteers his time to drive other cancer patients to their treatment appointments.

The payoff from more cancer screening and fewer smokers can be seen in the lives still being lived across the country.

According to statistics the Canadian Cancer Society (Manitoba Division) will release today, about 3,000 Manitobans were saved in the last 20 years because of declining smoking rates and more screening tests.

And across Canada, about 100,000 lives were saved.

Victor Morello is one of the local cancer survivors.

Morello, 75, was diagnosed with throat cancer three years ago. He has been cancer-free since being treated.

"I was a smoker," he said.

"I started when I was 12 because it was the in thing. I was a two-pack-a-day smoker."

But Morello said he puffed his last 12 years before his cancer diagnosis.

"I asked the doctor how could that be and the doctor said the damage was already done," he said.

"If it was today, I wouldn't have picked up the habit."

Will Cooke, the society's local tobacco advocacy co-ordinator, said the reduction in smoking in the last few decades has been "a massive public health achievement.

"There were more than 60 per cent (of Canadian men in the 1960s) smoking and we had high lung-cancer rates. Now there has been a 30-per-cent reduction in lung-cancer rates between 1988 and 2010.

Cooke said it has taken decades for a reduction in cancer rates linked to reduced smoking to transpire. "People get lung cancer from smoking a long time and the rates don't drop overnight," he said.

Cooke said because women were slower to kick the smoking habit in high numbers, taking until the early 1980s, the lung-cancer rate for women hasn't dropped yet.

Cooke said this year alone, the cancer society will invest $4 million in lung-cancer and tobacco-related research projects.

He said screening tests like those for colorectal, cervical and breast cancer have resulted in lower cancer death rates.

But Cooke said despite the successes seen against lung cancer and other cancers, there will still be thousands of Canadians who die from the disease.

This year, the society estimates where will be about 186,400 new cancer cases diagnosed, not including 81,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer.

The society estimates more than 75,000 Canadians will die from cancer this year.

"There is still a lot of work to be done, but there's been great progress," Cooke said.

Today, Morello is one of the local society's 10,000 volunteers.

He drives cancer patients from their residences to their treatment appointments.

"I was getting morphine during my treatment and I didn't know if I was coming or going," he said.

"My wife couldn't drive and drop me off because, since I was on morphine, I might have disappeared. So I was driven by the society's volunteer drivers.

"I didn't have to worry about the car or parking so I decided that if I got free of cancer I would volunteer. I have now for three years."

Catholicism Series Well Attended

The Catholicism series, which was recently shown in St. Charles parish hall, was well attended and very much enjoyed by the people who came.

It is a 10-part DVD series narrated by Father Robert Barron of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He, in his own way, and through dynamic images and locations of religious and spiritual sites throughout the world, clarifies and gives good understanding to our Catholic faith.

Father Barron seeks to tell the Catholic story for listeners in the 21st century, speaking to the head, the heart, and the soul.

One strength of the program is that he mostly avoids heady or pious language. In explaining papal infallibility, he compares the pope to a baseball umpire, the “living voice of authority” who keeps the game from dissolving into bickering.

Catholicism is nothing if not ambitious, and the product is stunning--visually beautiful, stirring, filmed at sites in Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Philippines, Turkey, India, and the Holy Land.

Evangelizing the culture is Father Robert Barron’s goal. His series on the Catholic faith might just go a long way in helping to achieve that goal.

St. Charles parish plans to re-run the last 5 sessions of the Catholicism series in the late fall and early Advent.

The CWL Provincial Convention Being Held at St. Charles Parish

The St. James Assiniboia Catholic Women’s League will be hosting the annual provincial convention which will be held at St. Charles Parish June 2 and 3. Approximately 100 people are expected to attend.

The St. James Assiniboia CWL is unique because it is composed of four parishes - St. Charles, St. Ann’s, St. Paul the Apostle and Blessed John 23rd. Janice Butler is leading the ten member organizing committee which has been working for over a year.

The Catholic Women's League of Canada was organized nationally on June 17, 1920. The League is officially recognized by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops as a lay association of women and is affiliated with the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations which has consultative status with agencies of the United Nations.

Fall Craft Sale November 17 & 18

We invite parishioners to start  working on craft items for this event.  Everyone is invited to the church basement for tea or coffee on Tuesday afternoons at 1:00 PM and join our Crafts and Conversation Group.  This month, one of our experienced knitters will give lessons on making mitts, hats and socks.  Come and learn something new or bring along your current craft project.  This is a great way to relax, make new friends and earn some money for the parish.  For more information call Laurie 832-2901.

House of Hesed Dinner Theatre Earns Rave Reviews

St. Charles parishioners Pat and Fred Olsen enjoyed
the dinner theatre production "Peril on the High Seas"

“Good food, good company, a crazy cast of characters - and a trip on a ship to London. What more could we want?” Anna

"An energetic, creative and zany cast who had us smiling, laughing and tapping our toes. What a great night!! " Alice

This weekend St. Charles Parish was treated to some hilarity on the high seas. For the fifth consecutive year, the twelve member cast of the House of Hesed Dinner Theatre presented an evening that was throughly enjoyed and appreciated by three nights of sold-out audiences. The play was written by Billy St. John and adapted for the group by director David Turnbull. St. Charles parishioner Ron Labbe undertook the job of producer.

The Mission of the House of Hesed is to provide a home for persons living with HIV/AIDS regardless of race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation. They provide a home-like setting promoting a physical, emotional, social, and spiritual quality of life. House of Hesed is committed to affirming the value of each person who resides with them, and educating the community about HIV/AIDS to help dispel the stigma and fear surrounding those living with HIV, replacing it with a spirit of compassion.

Over the past five years, the dinner theatre has raised close to $100,000 for the House of Hesed.

I spoke to Ron Labbe and asked him a few questions about his involvement with the House of Hesed Dinner Theatre.

What motivates you to put such a huge amount of time and energy in this project?

I am retired and have a little more time to commit to something large like this. I have always done volunteer work, it is in my nature. I receive as much as I give when working with people. Being with people is important to me. Things do not have to cost money, nor do you have to receive money to feel the reward. I have always responded to people in need and this is an extension of this. Like I said it is in my nature.

What is the biggest challenge in doing a project like this?

For me the biggest challenge was the learning about theatre production. Until last year, I was on stage not really understanding what goes on behind the scene. Last year as Assistant Producer, I was more involved, so got a taste. This year as Producer I am overseeing everything. There is a lot more than meets the eye. It has been a steep learning curve, even though I was more involved last year.

Is there anything in particular you want people to know about the dinner theatre, the cast or crew?

We are all volunteers. Not one person is paid. I am amazed at the commitment of these people and love the support that we give each other in our lives. They are a rare breed. Once you get to know about the House of Hesed and the love there, you get hooked. Moe's philosophy of love and beliefs are transcended to everyone she touches. She is motovation to all of us.