Pastoral Team
Pastor: Fr. Paul MacNeil
This Sunday's Bulletin
This Sunday's Bulletin
I was appointed as pastor of Our Lady of the Scapular parish in November 2015 and I am delighted to be here. Before that, I was pastor of St. Ann's parish in Fenwick Ontario, a small but loving community about 30 minutes from here. I was born and raised in St. Catharines and ordained to the priesthood in 1999. Currently I am Chair of the Niagara Catholic District School Board and I'm working on my PhD in Religious Studies at McMaster University. As your pastor, my first priority is just to listen, to get to know you and understand the best way for me to serve you and to bring you closer to each other and to God through Christ.
St. Denis Roman Catholic Church
A Catholic Centre of Excellence
The Sacrament of Holy Orders
Sacred ministers, those who serve the spiritual needs of others in the person of Christ, in the Catholic Church are ordained by a bishop and by means of a special sacrament called Holy Orders, which creates the hierarchy of deacon, priest and bishop. “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” - Psalm 110:4
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This sacrament can be received only once, but a man may also be ordained to a higher order up to the third degree. A man must first be ordained a deacon before being ordained a priest, and he must be ordained a deacon, and then a priest before being ordained a bishop.
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Jesus Christ instituted the Sacrament of Holy Orders at the Last Supper simultaneously with His institution of the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist. In order to be able to change bread and wine into the Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ, you need priests who have been given this power by virtue of their ordination.
If you are a single, baptized man and wonder if God may be calling you to be His priest, please contact Father Stephen Bruzzese at the parish office 905-685-5911.
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If you are a single or married, baptized man, who would like to know more about becoming a permanent deacon, you are also welcome to contact the parish office.