Saint Catharines Diocese, Ontario

1. DATES

2008 March-June  (.pdf version -- .doc version)

2008 July-October (.pdf version -- .doc version)

2008 November-December

2009 January-February

2009 March-June

2. PROJECT

"Pray for Our Priests"

Two-monthly or four-monthly prayer calendar.

Saint Catharines diocese, Ontario.

Initiative: Mr. Jerry Hendriks,

resident of Vineland, Ontario.

At his death in January 2004

at the age of 67,

one of his sons, Mr. Robert Hendriks, also of Vineland, Ontario, continued in memory of his father.

3. CONTACT ADDRESS

"Pray for your Priests"

"The Vineyard Harvesters"

(laity prayer group for priests)

P.O. Box 851

[3666 Claus Street]

Vineland, ON L0R 2C0

Phone: (905) 682-5567

[Other phone numbers: (905) 562-4082 and 562-6600]

Fax: (905) 682-6464

E-mail: robert.hendriks@sympatico.ca

4. DISTRIBUTION

The prayer calendar is sent to all the parishes of the diocese and to individual priests who are not associated with a parish

by e-mail, fax or apx (in that order of priority).

Total distribution: 80 (June 2004).

Parishes are asked to multiply and insert the prayer calendar in their bulletin or newsletter for the parishioners.

There is no guarantee that every parish will photocopy the calendar and, if it is done, there is no assurance that every parishioner will use it. The invitation is there but the commitment is not. Yet we must encourage and promote to pray for priests.

5. Cover letter

FROM: “Robert Hendriks” <robert.hendriks@sympatico.ca>

TO: “Chancery” <chancery@vaxxine.com>

Cc: “de Ruijte, Rev Francis”

<francis.de.Ruijte@paxetbonum.net>

DATE: 14 february 2008 15:31 [Eastern Standard Time]

ATTACHED: calMAR08toJUNE08.doc; calMAR08toJUNE08.wpd

SUBJECT: Pray for the Priests to Candace for distribution

“The Vineyard Harvesters”

P.O. Box 851, Vineland, ON L0R 2C0

14/02/2008

Dear Reverend Father:

Please find enclosed copies of the “Pray for your Priests” calendar for the months of March 2008 to June 2008. They are available in both WORD and WORDPERFECT file format or as per attached fax.

If you are the pastor of a church, then we ask that you consider including these calendars with your “Church Bulletin.” We realize that this may be a small sacrifice on your part, but we feel that the benefits to you and your fellow priests far outweigh the inconvenience. By inserting these calendars with your bulletin over the next four months, we can be assured that a copy of the calendar reaches all the lay people in the diocese.

Faithfully Yours,

The Vineyard Harvesters

Robert Hendriks for Jerry Hendriks

6. OBSERVATIONS

The four months March-June have 122 days.

24 days are doubled: March 1-24, 2008 = June 7-30, 2008.

This means that every priest of the Diocese of Saint Catharines will be prayed for once in 98 days (122-24) or after three months and one week, that is, less than four times per year. Yet it is important to pray for our priests. This must be encouraged and promoted, in this way of praying for priests or another.

In the archdiocese of Toronto – with 828 priests (*) – each priest’s turn to be prayed for will come after about 2 years and 3 months.

In Montreal – with 1265 priests (*) – it will be almost three and a half years before each priest will be prayed for. For large dioceses, this kind of prayer calendar is evidently not the proper way of praying for their priests.

((*) Figures taken from the [January] 2008 edition of the Directory of the Catholic Church in Canada, pages 326 and 190 respectively.)

7. STRUCTURE

Each month has seven (7) elements:

1. Title “Prayer Calendar”

2. Name of the month

3. Days of the week (Sunday-Saturday)

4. Dates (1-30 or 31)

5. Prayer for spiritual life

6. Prayer for our priests

7. Invitation “Please pray for our priests”

Document created: 2004 March 11.

Latest update: 2008-03-03