Newman Catholic Students' Society of McGill University
If you were at our Fall Coffeehouse, you can relive the laughs, the awe, and the fun! If you weren’t able to make it, now you can! There’s more singing, more dancing, more sweets, and more all-around entertainment. SEE YOU THERE!
Mark Friday, February 20th at 7:30pm on your calendars!
We are looking for ACTS! If you are interested in performing or know someone who would like to perform, please contact angelique.empleo@mail.mcgill.ca. Thanks in advance! Spread the word!!
Did you know that it’s the Year for Consecrated Life? Pope Francis dedicated this year to raising awareness and celebrating consecrated life in the Church! (FYI Consecrated = sisters, brothers, lay consecrated etc.)
At Newman, we are preparing prayer indicators for some of the consecrated people here in Montreal, as a way to thank them for their years of service and their YES to living this vocation! Drop by the Newman Centre and offer an hour of studies, a decade of the rosary, an Our Father etc. for some of these awesome men and women and write them a little note with the supplies provided!
Other Tuesdays – 6:30PM – Newman Centre
NCSS Council meetings are more than just a chance to see what’s happening inside your NCSS. You get to help form and make events, influence how the society will be run, provide helpful feedback to help make future events better, and enjoy spending time with your friends (and if you’re new, new friends). Tuesday every fort night starting on the 13th.
It’s a new semester, and with new semesters come new opportunities to welcome! On Saturday, January 31, during the time that Saturday Night Suppers usually run, the NCSS will hold our winter Apartment Crawl. We are looking for members of our community who live on the west side of campus and are willing to open up their homes and serve one course of the meal (an appetizer, a main course, or a dessert). If you are interested in hosting or know anyone who is interested, please contact Angie via email at angelique.empleo@mail.mcgill.ca. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
It’s that time of year again – this coming February, the NCSS will be hosting our Winter Coffeehouse! And we are looking for ACTS! Can you sing? Can you dance? Can you pull a rabbit out of a hat? Whatever your talent is, we’d love to see you do it. If you’d like to sign up to perform, please contact Angie via email at angelique.empleo@mail.mcgill.ca. We can’t wait to see/hear/gape in awe at the wonderful gifts that God so graciously bestowed on you!
In part because of the tragic events that took place earlier this month in Paris, France, there is a lot of conversation happening through our social media’s about the relationship between freedom of religion and freedom of speech. This Friday at YOUCAT on TAP, we will explore the Christian origins these fundamental freedoms that have become the trade mark of western civilization. Hot chocolate, beer, and pizza will be served as of 5pm, and discussions will begin @ 5:30pm.
Please feel free to invite your friends to YOUCAT
A travel subsidy is available upon request
This conference is intended for university students who are interested in learning how to better encourage and support social justice and service initiatives on campus. This conference is organized by the Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry (CCCM) and the Canadian Catholic Students Association (CCSA). Registration fee is $150 with accomidations, $90 for communters. A travel subsidy is available upon request from the CCCM. Registration deadline is Friday Jan 23. For more info check out this website: http://www.cccm.ca/proclaim-justice-with-integrity/ or contact our campus minister at terrel.joseph@newmancentre.org
Do you feel called to serve or be a presence to help make the world a better place, but don’t know where to get information? Are you interested in gaining valuable experence for cross-cultural employment? the one-year Mission program at Scarboro Missions is a way of introducing adults, who already have an interest in mission, to Scarboro Missions and to mission. The one-year missioners will go to countries in continents where Scarboro Missions has strongly established relationships and where there are active lay missioners and/or partners such as South America, Asia and Africa.”For more info check out their website: https://www.scarboromissions.ca/Lay_missioners/one-year.php or contact our campus minister terrel.joseph@newmancentre.org
The Christian Life Movement (CLM) Mission trip is an opportunity for university aged young adults to deepen their faith through an experience of community and a participation in a social justice construction project in a developing country. This years CLM Canada Mission trip will be taking students to the slums of San Jose, Costa Rica, in Central America for two weeks in July. In addition, to the construction project, the mission trip will also include home visits for prayer and house blessings in the local community, and opportunities to do catechesis with school children. CLM mission trips also include spiritual and intellectual formation. Participants will have ample opportunity for worship and prayer together including daily Holy Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary, Evening Prayer, and large & small group discussion. We will also have opportunities for classes on topics such as: Human Anthropology; Evangelization; the Social Teachings of the Church; Vocation; and a theology of Reconciliation. Last but not least, CLM mission trips include cultural exploration. Participants will be immersed in Costa Rican culture, exploring it’s many unique qualities through cultural outings. We will also embarck on a two day trip to El Salvador to explore the life of Archbishop Oscar Romero. For more info, or to register please visit: http://clmcanada.org/mission-2015/. and email our campus minister at terrel.joseph@newmancentre.org.
Weekdays – 4:30 PM-5:30 PM – Newman Centre
Adoration and Evening Prayer is a great opportunity to connect with God. After every mass there is adoration from 4:30-5:30 ending with evening prayer. If you would like to attend adoration or lead Vespers every week there is a signup sheet that has been posted outside the chapel.
Wednesdays – 4:00 PM – Newman Centre
Every Wednesday at our 4:00pm mass we will have a special devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Fridays – 4:00 PM – Newman Centre
Please join us every Friday at our 4:00pm Mass which will be said for the Newman Catholic Students’ Society.
It’s chilly outside and it’s time to defrost…or should I say, DEFROSH! From January 16th-18th, Defrosh 2015, a dry frosh open to all winter applicants, will take place. A weekend full of various activities, a morning brunch, and an interdenominational Worship Night, Defrosh has plenty of opportunities for first-years, transfer students, and those who were unable to participate in the fall Fish Frosh to get in on all the fun! We are looking for LEADERS and VOLUNTEERS. In other words, we are looking for YOU! Please visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/1393399274286609/ for more information. If you have any questions, contact Angie at angelique.empleo@mail.mcgill.ca. Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, January 20th – 5 PM – Newman Centre
The 2015 Marguerite Bourgeoys Lecture on Education, “Making Meaning Visible: Catholic Education, the Human Person, and Contemporary Culture,” will be given by John Haldane on Tuesday, January 20th at 5:30 (5:00 welcome with mulled wine) at the Newman Centre of McGill, 3484 Peel St. This lecture will discuss what it means to be human, the role and importance of beauty in education, and the relationship of freedom to authority.
An Afternoon Tea with Prof. Haldane will be held for students on Monday, January 19th at 3:00 around a warm fire in Podles Hall. Prof. Haldane will give a short presentation on the recent groundbreaking Synod on the Family, followed by questions and answers from students. Tea and cake will be served! If you have class, please don’t be shy about dropping in a little late.
John Haldane is Professor and Director of Postgraduate Studies in Philosophy at St. Andrew’s University, as well as Director of the Centre for Ethics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs and Chair of the Royal Institute of Philosophy. Among the most cited contemporary philosophers in the English-speaking world, he was selected to give the prestigious Gifford Lectures of 2005 at Aberdeen. He holds research affiliations with the University of Notre Dame and the University of Birmingham, and serves on the Pontifical Council on Culture, where he acts as special advisor to the Vatican on contemporary ethical questions.
For more information visit www.newmancentre.org or call 514 398-4106.
Saturday January 17 – 3:30pm to 5pm
Special (dry) Defrosh edition
Talking to non-Christian friends about God can be fun, but can also be frustrating. This Saturday at YOUCAT on Tap we will be learning how to find what the Church Fathers called the “semina verbi” or the “seeds of the Word”. The seeds of the Word are the touching points to God ingredient in everything that He has made. As we become better and seeing and explaining the seeds of the Word in our culture, this will make it easier to find common ground in conversations with non-Christian friends about God. And maybe, just maybe, help them to recognize God in their lives. Join us for hot chocolate (no- alcohol this week 🙂 ) and delightful conversation!
This conference is intended for university students who are interested in learning how to better encourage and support social justice and service initiatives on campus. This conference is organized by the Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry (CCCM) and the Canadian Catholic Students Association (CCSA). Registration fee is $150 with accomidations, $90 for communters. A travel subsidy is available upon request from the CCCM. Registration deadline is Jan 23. For more info check out this website: http://www.cccm.ca/proclaim-justice-with-integrity/ or contact our campus minister at terrel.joseph@newmancentre.org
Do you feel called to serve or be a presence to help make the world a better place, but don’t know where to get information? Are you interested in gaining valuable expereince for cross-cultural employment? the one-year Mission program at Scarboro Missions is a way of introducing adults, who already have an interest in mission, to Scarboro Missions and to mission. The one-year missioners will go to countries in continents where Scarboro Missions has strongly established relationships and where there are active lay missioners and/or partners such as South America, Asia and Africa.”For more info check out their website: https://www.scarboromissions.ca/Lay_missioners/one-year.php or contact our campus minister terrel.joseph@newmancentre.org
Weekdays – 4:30 PM-5:30 PM – Newman Centre
Adoration and Evening Prayer is a great opportunity to connect with God. After every mass there is adoration from 4:30-5:30 ending with evening prayer. If you would like to attend adoration or lead Vespers every week there is a signup sheet that has been posted outside the chapel.
Wednesdays – 4:00 PM – Newman Centre
Every Wednesday at our 4:00pm mass we will have a special devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Fridays – 4:00 PM – Newman Centre
Please join us every Friday at our 4:00pm Mass which will be said for the Newman Catholic Students’ Society.
Today we begin a new series on the NCSS blog called “Saint of the Day.” The Catholic Church has such a rich history of holy men and women that we can look up to and ask to pray for us, so let’s get to know some of them throughout the semester. We start off with a Canadian saint, with this contribution to our Jesuit friend and Newman Alum, Brother Dan Leckman!
Being students of a downtown campus, you hopefully have walked around a little bit in the streets of Montreal, and you’ve noticed a lot of names of saints on the street names. If you’ve done your homework, you’ll even know that two of the biggest streets in the downtown/Plateau area of Montreal (Mainsoneuve, Jeanne Mance) are the names of people involved in the founding of Montreal. Indeed you can learn a lot about Montreal’s history just by looking at street names. However, one name you will not find, is that of today’s saint, Marguerite Bourgeoys. This to me is very strange, because her impact on the city was not small. In 1657, she persuaded a work party to form in order to build Ville- Marie’s (this is what Montreal used to be called) first permanent Church, The Chapel of our Lady of Good Counsel (Bonsecours in French), a chapel that was finally completed in 1673. She opened the first school in the city in 1658 (almost 20 years after De Mainsoneuve founded the city). In 1671, she had enough courage and vision to found a non-cloistered community of nuns in Montreal, called the Congrégation de Notre Dame (or CND) – nuns not living in a monastery is common today, but was unheard of back then! To top it all off, what amazes me about this woman was her devotion to being close to, and available for, the most marginalized people in society. The fact that she committed so many years of her life to the young girls, the poor, and the aboriginal population of Fort Ville Marie is a powerful testimony to that. I can’t help but think that much of the city’s concern for the poor today has its origins in her selfless acts!
Still, I wonder how Marguerite would feel if she walked around this city, a place that she gave so much of her life to, and noticed that there were no street named after her. Something tells me that she would feel peace, because such honors are not what would have mattered to her. She would instead rejoice at the fact that her sisters today represent this city’s rich history more beautifully than any other community one may find in Montreal –even my own, the Jesuits! She would be so proud that these modern day CNDs remain a vibrant community of nuns who are involved and engaged in the charism and vision of their foundress. Yes, she may feel some sadness that much of the works of the Church and of her community have declined dramatically over the years, but she would probably also feel hope, knowing thatshe had labored too hard to plant the seeds for there to be no hope, even today. So I pray that we can carry that hope for the Church in our lives today, and that we can all be as dedicated as she was to serving and caring for those who are less fortunate than we.
St Marguerite Bourgeoys, Pray for Us
Notre dame de Bonsecours, priez pour nous
Our Lady of Ville Marie, pray for us.
By: Brother Dan Leckman
Other Tuesdays – 6PM – Newman Centre
NCSS Council meetings are more than just a chance to see what’s happening inside your NCSS. You get to help form and make events, influence how the society will be run, provide helpful feedback to help make future events better, and enjoy spending time with your friends (and if you’re new, new friends). Tuesday every fort night starting on the 13th.
Faith studies are groups of 4-6 men or women who meet once a week for six weeks during the semester to go through a study about the Catholic faith. It is open to both Catholics and non-Catholics. Many students enjoy the new friendships they form and having an opportunity every week to spend some time growing in their faith. This semester we have new and exciting things planned for you to join, if you are interested in joining please email faithstudiesmcgill@gmail.com as soon as possible so the Faith Study co-ordinators can contact you.
January 15th – 7:00 pm – Newman Centre Fireside
As part of our ongoing series of “Theology Thursday” (the third Thursday of the month), join us in the main hall of the Newman Centre as we welcome McGill Professor Douglas Farrow to guide an open Q and A session on the topic of FREE WILL. Refreshments will be provided. All are welcome – invite your friends 🙂
It’s chilly outside and it’s time to defrost…or should I say, DEFROSH! From January 16th-18th, Defrosh 2015, a dry frosh open to all winter applicants, will take place. A weekend full of various activities, a morning brunch, and an interdenominational Worship Night, Defrosh has plenty of opportunities for first-years, transfer students, and those who were unable to participate in the fall Fish Frosh to get in on all the fun! We are looking for LEADERS and VOLUNTEERS. In other words, we are looking for YOU! Please visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/1393399274286609/ for more information. If you have any questions, contact Angie at angelique.empleo@mail.mcgill.ca. Hope to see you there!
January 8, 15, 22, 29 February 5, 12 – 6:30-9:00 pm – St. Willibrord’s Parish
The Social Justice department of the NCSS is taking part in a Pastoral Home Care Visitor Basic Formation this semester. The formation facilitated by Cathie Maccaulay from the Pastoral Home Care Services of the Archdiocese of Montreal, SASMAD ( Secteur Anglophone).
This formation is all about focusing on your skill development for pastoral accompaniment of the sick and the elderly in their own homes. The opportunity to touch the spirit of the person with deeper conversations, attentive listening or the simple act of just being with them, for the health of the soul and allowing your spirit to touch theirs.
The formation is to be held in Six Thursday Evenings January 8, 15, 22, 29 February 5, 12 From 6:30-9:00 pm at St. Willibrord’s Parish
351 Willibrord St. Verdun, Qc. H4G 2T7
Verdun Metro, Bus: 37,58,61,107
Topics will include:
A certificate of completion will be given for those who attend all six. The formation is offered Free Of Charge!
Sandwiches for the Homeless is back! and our very first event will be on the third week of January on the 24th. So come along and join us in spreading the fullness of being and especially of the lower stomach region as we prepare and distribute sandwiches to the homeless of downtown Montreal
Just like the last time and forever will be, details as follows:
PREPARATION = 12:00 – 1:00 pm
DISTRIBUTION = 1:00pm – 2:00pm
WHERE? Newman Centre – along Peel just below its intersection with Docteur-Penfield. and of course all round downtown Montreal.
We also take DONATIONS of food, bottled water and some small warm articles of clothing (proper clothes guys, like socks, mittens, yada yada-be creative).
Feel free to fill in the Google Doc right here being the kind person that I know you are, with your donations.
January 20th – 5:30 PM – Newman Centre
You are cordially invited to attend: Making Meaning Visible: Catholic Education, Human Nature, and Contemporary Culture with speaker John Haldane from St. Andrew’s University — a leading Catholic ethicist and special consultant to the Pope on the interrelationship between faith, beauty and culture. Tues., January 20th at 5:30 at the Newman Centre, 3484 Peel St. Welcoming with mulled wine at 5:00.
Monday, Jan. 19th – 3:00 PM – Newman Centre
Join us for an informal discussion with Prof. Haldane on Catholic ethics and the recent, groundbreaking Synod on the Family on Monday, Jan. 19th at 3:00. Tea and scones will be served by the fireplace in Podles Hall. If you have a schedule conflict, don’t feel shy about dropping in a little later.
Weekdays – 4:30 PM-5:30 PM – Newman Centre
Adoration and Evening Prayer is a great opportunity to connect with God. After every mass there is adoration from 4:30-5:30 ending with evening prayer. If you would like to attend adoration or lead Vespers every week there is a signup sheet that has been posted outside the chapel.
Wednesdays – 4:00 PM – Newman Centre
Every Wednesday at our 4:00pm mass we will have a special devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Fridays – 4:00 PM – Newman Centre
Please join us every Friday at our 4:00pm Mass which will be said for the Newman Catholic Students’ Society.
When I first heard the word ‘evangelization,’ it actually came with a whole lot of negative connotations. I had images of weird people who knew the Bible backwards and forwards standing on street corners shouting to strangers about Jesus. But the reality of evangelization for most of us is completely different. Today we share some of the most common evangelization myths debunked.
“I don’t know enough about my faith.” If we all waited until we knew ‘enough’ then no one would ever share their faith. We are all learning and growing. Even if you haven’t quite figured out what makes the pope infallible, or how Mary fits into the picture, you can still share the basic Gospel message, the clear and simple truth of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. If you still have doubts about your faith (and let’s face it most of us do), be a witness to others in seeking answers and searching after the Truth. Show the people you meet your desire for God and invite them into that journey with you.
“I’m kind of shy and not really into talking to random strangers.” Our most meaningful opportunities for evangelization happens with our friends, family, and colleagues rather than random strangers. Share your faith with your closest friends and family, rather than random strangers. Often these sorts of encounters are far more meaningful, as the message of Christ comes from someone they know and trust.
“I don’t want to push people into something they don’t want.” I agree! I don’t want to push things on people either. Evangelization is not ‘pushing’ the faith on someone, and besides, that wouldn’t work anyway. Being human means that we are constantly searching for meaning and truth. Evangelization is offering an avenue for that search. Your role is not to convince the people you meet of anything, but to present them with an opportunity to explore basic human questions. By being open to exploring, we allow the Holy Spirit to evangelize us. Also remember that if you truly have their best interests (salvation) at heart, you are proposing something they may not want but that they definitely need.
“I think evangelization is great, but I’m not really called to it” After the call to holiness comes the call to evangelization. Pope John Paul II wrote: “No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples.” (Read the whole encyclical here.) That includes us! We receive this call to evangelize with our baptism. So, evangelization is not a Protestant thing, or a charismatic thing, it’s a Christian thing!
“I don’t know how to start” Here are three super simple tips if you don’t know where to start. First, pray! Grow in your life of faith and pray for opportunities to share your faith. God will provide the opportunities if you ask. Second, often these opportunities to evangelize do not include actually vocally proclaiming the Gospel. There’s a quote attributed to St. Francis: “Preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words.” Your life, your actions, your choices should all point to God. How do you treat other people? Does your life proclaim the joy of Christ? Third (and most practically), be honest and be open about your faith life. Sometimes we feel like we have to hide the fact that we are going to mass, or heard an awesome talk, or did a super fun activity with church friends. Just being honest about the importance of faith in our life can often lead to really good conversations.
Remember that evangelization not up to you! The great evangelizer is the Holy Spirit. Your mission as a baptised Catholic is to be part of that greater mission. Evangelization is a great joy and not nearly as daunting once some of our common misconceptions have been debunked.
If you have any questions along the way, stop by to see your friendly campus minister (Terrel) at the Newman Centre, or shoot him an email (terrel.joseph@newmancentre.org). Also consider taking a 6-week faith study, where you can be equipped with more tools for proclaiming the Gospel. Email faithstudiesmcgill@gmail.com for more info or to sign up!
Like many people who live in cities, I often find myself waiting for some form of public transportation. When I’m waiting, whether for the bus or the metro, it is almost impossible not to find myself straining for signs that something is about to arrive: the glimmer of lights in the distance, the faint hum of an approaching train. When I catch myself scanning for these signals, I’m reminded of an anecdote I once read. Two friends were waiting for a bus, and eventually one could be seen approaching in the distance. “The bus is coming,” one friend said, relieved to finally have this visual confirmation that its approach was imminent. “The bus was always coming,” replied the friend.
During Advent, and especially in this final week, we can all but see Christ approaching in the distance. After what sometimes feels like a long wait, all the signs point to His imminent arrival. In the same way, as we near the end of Advent, we approach the end of a period in which we have the reassuring presence of symbols to remind us of Christ’s approach. Whether it be through spiritual rituals like the lighting of the fourth candle or, in a more secular way, the annual traditions many of us enact in the final days before Christmas, from travels home to baking gingerbread, you can look around, and your eyes and ears and nose with all tell you that Jesus is almost here. Like Mary in this week’s Gospel, we are given notice that the time is coming when the son of God will enter the world in human form.
This may feel like can feel like the culmination of preparation, and hopefully there is a deep sense of peace in welcoming Jesus into a heart made ready through spiritual preparation. On the other hand, maybe we are realizing that we have been so busy that we haven’t even been paying much attention to the signs leading up to His arrival. Or maybe this was a year in which, for any number of reasons, it was hard to feel close to Christ even in the weeks leading up to His nativity. The Advent candles shine as brightly as they do because the weeks in which they are lit are the darkest of the year; this can be a time of stress, anxiety, and doubt. The opportunity to reflect on the end of a calendar year can provoke questions that are sometimes uncomfortable to ask, and to answer.
But, the second friend was right: even before it was close enough to be visible, the bus was indeed still making its way towards its destination. Without being able to see or hear it, it can be hard to feel sure that something is coming, but that makes its eventual approach no less real. Whether we knew it or not, Christ was always coming. In the final days before the celebration of Christmas we have the opportunity to embrace that knowledge in a special way, and rest in it with a sense of security and peace. Whatever we have tried to do to prepare ourselves for Christ’s arrival, He is going to be there to welcome us. In remembering this, we are also reminded that in any liturgical season, at any time in our lives, this is a deep and abiding truth. The visible reminders of Advent manifest the hidden reminders we should carry in our hearts at all times: Christ is always coming. Every day of the year.
By: Danielle Barkley
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