Alpha Alpha is a ten-week opportunity to explore the validity and relevance of the Christian faith for our lives today. It is a practical introduction to the basics of Christianity with loads of opportunity for debate and discussion. The style of Alpha is informal, friendly and non-pressured - a style which seems to be appreciated in Canadian culture. Information: Alpha Canada web site
Baptism Baptism is the first sacrament of initiation that welcomes us into the Church. Baptism means a new birth in which we share in a new life that frees us from original sin. This sacrament involves the pouring of water to symbolize both the washing away of sin and also the living water which Christ promises to deliver to those who follow him.
Information:
Children's Liturgy of the Word At St. Leonard's 9:00 am Sunday mass, we practice a Children's Liturgy of the Word. After the opening rites, the young children are invited by the pastor to depart for the church hall to have their own version of the Liturgy of the Word. At the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the children return to the church. We cover the Gospel of the day at a level the children can understand and enjoy. We enrich this with discussion, prayers, songs, and crafts. We also try to raise awareness of God's love, the humanity of Jesus, the Seasons of the Church, the understanding of symbols in the Mass and the context of the Bible. Our aim is to make the children's experience of church meaningful, whilst helping them to grow in the faith of the Catholic Church and develop as full and active members of our Parish Community. Information: Sandra Valenti 822-0939 |
Cursillo & Challenge
Challenge is a Catholic retreat movement for youth, coordinated by youth. The first Ottawa Challenge was held in 1967; since then, there have been over 153 Weekends. Although there are two Challenge Weekends per year, the focus of Challenge is in the post-Weekend support. Challenge has its roots in the Cursillo Movement. Information:
Divine Mercy Cenacle
Meetings: Every 2nd Thursday at 7:30
Marriage Encounter The Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend is a positive and personal experience offering married couples an opportunity to learn a technique of loving communication that they can use for the rest of their lives. It's a chance to look deeply into their relationship with each other and with God. It's a time to share their feelings, hopes and dreams with each other. The emphasis of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend is on the communication between husbands and wives. It's not a retreat, marriage clinic, group sensitivity, or a substitute for counseling. It's a unique approach aimed at revitalizing Marriage. While couples listen to a series of presentations as a group, there is no group discussion. Information:
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Mary in the Morning
Meetings: Every Saturday morning at 7:30 am
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
Information: Parish Office 692-4254
Youth Committee Edge is Catholic Youth Ministry's parish-based middle school youth ministry program. Over 600 Catholic parishes utilize Edge for relevant and interactive catechesis based on a six semester curriculum. St. Leonard started its Edge program after a year of having a National Evangelical Team in our parish. Information: |
Cursillo is a worldwide lay movement that originated in Mallorca, Spain, in the early 1940s by Eduardo Bonnin. It is a three-day short course in Christian living presenting a method to motivate people to influence their environments in a Christian way. The first Ottawa Cursillo was held in 1966, the same year Pope Paul VI designated Cursillo a renewal movement of the Church and named St. Paul as patron. 
The message and devotion to Jesus as The Divine Mercy is based on the writings of 
Mary in the Morning gathers weekly for singing and praying the Rosary. After prayers, the group usually goes for coffee. All are welcome.
The RCIA is a communal process and involves a number of stages punctuated by liturgical rites to aid and assist the potential convert toward the final rite, usually at the Easter Vigil, at which time they will become full members of the Roman Catholic Church. The entire process takes several months, (ideally a minimum of one complete liturgical year), but participants are generally invited to proceed at a pace which suits them individually. The Church prefers to call this the process and not a program.