St. Joseph’s Church, Douro

As a caring and trusting Christian community we, the parishioners of St. Joseph’s Douro strive to follow Christ through the sharing of His Word, the sharing of Jesus in the Eucharist and in serving God and humanity through prayer and action.

Thanks to all who made our Returning to Douro Doings! Such a great success. Beautiful weather, great crowds at the park and wonderful support at parish dinner and Quit raffle in the evening.

It wonderful to have such a great supportive community! God Bless.

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Welcome Home

My Dear Friends:

The purpose of this letter is to offer a special welcome to those who are not in regular attendance at the celebration of the Eucharist. We’re glad you’re here…welcome back home.

This is one of those time when what ought to be said is difficult to say. There are a lot of feelings involved and feelings aren’t easy captured in words. For instance…I want to say we miss you. We’re sorry for anything we might have done to hurt you. I don’t know when it happened, or how it happened, but I know the kinds of hurts that can happen in the Church. You may have felt unwelcome because of separation or divorce. You may have felt angry because of all the changes in the Church, or the way they are implemented. Perhaps you had a bad experience at the time of a baptism or a wedding, or a funeral. You may have gotten into an argument with a Priest over just about anything. Well, whatever, the cause, whoever was at fault we’re sorry. The Lord taught us that we never have to be victims of our past. His gift of forgiveness and healing set us free – free to be a peace despite bad memories – free to love again –free to laugh.

So far I’ve been writing mostly about people who have been hurt. There are others, I know, who more or less just drifted away. Welcome back! We hope you find what we’ve found…a community whose beliefs, prayers, and sacraments give life and death more meaning – not answers for everything, just meaning and strength as we journey toward the ultimate answer…God.

To all who are here to this celebration, let me admit that this Church of ours is not perfect Church…it never was…and never will be. Sometimes people have the impression that we claim perfection or that we come together because we have a better-than –thou attitude. That’s not the case the Church Christ founded. He was accused of eating and drinking with sinners and that was true. We come together because we are sinners who need to be forgiven, supported, and challenged…not because we are perfect. We come together precisely because we are not perfect. The first thing we do at Mass – whether we are the Pope or a 3^rd grader – is acknowledge our sinfulness, “Kyrie Eleison – Lord have mercy”. In any language it means the same. It means that we are sinners who have come together because we believe in the Lord’s mercy. The prayer we say after the Our Father says it all; “Lord Jesus Christ, You said to Your apostles; I leave you peace, My peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of Your Church, and grant us Your peace”.

Your return need not be complicated. I’d suggest simply coming to Mass next Sunday and picking it up from there. If there is a problem with marriage outside of the Church or divorce, there have been some changes over the past years, and most of these situations can be resolved. Please don’t hesitate to talk to me. I’m here most of all to minister the Lord’s love and forgiveness.

Welcome Home Fr. Randy Foster pastor

Diocesan Pastoral Plan: Most Reverend Bishop Miehm’s Message

www.peterboroughdiocese.org/plan

The Holy Father has announced that 2025 will be a Jubilee Year, something which happens every 25 years. The theme for Jubilee 2025 is “Pilgrims of Hope,” and it will be a year of hope for a world suffering the impacts of war, the ongoing effects of COVID-19 pandemic, and the climate crisis.

Join us in prayers of thanksgiving for all the blessings we have received through the intercessions of St. Joseph and to pray for our parish family.

Do you know that every month we average at least 300 rosary being prayed by parishioners for sick, the dying, and other needs of parishioners.

Like to join your follower parishioners in praying for one another-simply offer a rosary for sick, shut-ins, hospital or for any parishioner and next time at church drop a small pebble in the gift page for each rosary said.

Dear Isadore, you know how common it is to cultivate the land, for you were employed as a farm labour for the greater part of your life. In your toils, you were blessed to received God’s help through Angles in the fields.

O Great Sant, help all farmers and gardeners spiritually to see the wonders God has strewn on this earth. Encourage them in their labours and help them to feed numerous people.

Amen

Remember- DON’T MISS EVENTS

Douro Doings Every Labour Day Games, Classic Car Show, Baseball, Douro Marathon Run and much more. Big event is Roast Beef Dinner, music and draws for over 20 hand made Quilts. Looking forward in seeing you at this event.

Cemetery Mass: August 15 Feast of the Assumption held in our Parish Cemetery at 7p.m. All are welcome bring your own lawn chairs.

This mass is for all our faithful departed even if they may not be buried in our parish cemetery.

2025 we will be celebrating 200 years of Robinson Immigration to Douro Township

Please make plans to joins for this wonderful historical event July 4,5,6 2025

There will be many historical information events, fun activities, spiritual programs and much more. Keep your eye out on here and local media for schedule of events.

We cordially welcome all of you to our parish website.

Here you can find relevant information about updates and activities going on in our Church.

Sacraments

Sacraments are visible rites seen as signs and efficacious channels of the grace of God to all those who receive them with the proper disposition. Find out more info on Sacraments and how you can receive it from this church.

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Liturgy of the hours

Liturgy of the hours is the official set of prayers “marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer”. It consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns, readings and other prayers and antiphons.

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Daily Mass Bible Readings

Daily Mass Bible Readings are the set of verses taken from the word of God. It consists of readings from the Old testament and New Testament. For more information and accessing to everyday materials click below.

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St Joseph’s Parish, Douro, Ontario

At St. Joseph’s Parish, it’s our mission to help you explore your relationship with God and improve those meaningful relationships in your family life. Join us each Sunday and experience the warmth of faith and the strength of our Douro Community.

FR. RANDY FOSTER

Fr. Randy was born and raised in Wallaceburg, Ontario. He comes
from a family of 4 children and has 2 older sisters and a younger brother. His parents are deceased.
Fr. Randy was the first vocation to come from his home parish of Holy Family. He studied at St. Peter Seminary in London.
Fr. Randy has been in the diocese since 1978. He was ordained a deacon in 1988 at St. Peter in chains Cathedral and ordained a priest in 1989 at St. Joseph’s Parish in Chatham, Ontario.

Parishes he served in: Deacon at St. Anne’s Peterborough, Associate Pastor at Immaculate Conception Parish Peterborough; Pastor at St. Francis of Assisi, Newcastle; Our Lady of Mercy at Port Hope, St. Thomas Moore at Millbrook; and prior coming here to St. Joseph’s Douro, St. Anne’s Parish, Peterborough.

Bishop
Daniel Miehm

Bishop of Peterborough

Bishop Daniel Miehm was born in 1960 in Kitchener, Ontario. He was ordained to the Priesthood in 1989. He was ordained Bishop at the Cathedral on May 7, 2013. He also serves on the Education Commission for the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario (ACBO)