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Our Lady of Mercy Church St. Anthony of Padua Mission
196 Bridge Street West, P.O. Box 879 27 Victoria Street, P.O. Box 1200
Bancroft, ON, K0L 1C0 Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0
613-332-2954 Reverend Casmir Muobike SMMM, Parish Priest 705-457-3695
Email: olmbancroft@gmail.com Email: stanthonyhal@bellnet.ca https://olmbancroft.wixsite.com/ourladyofmercy https://stanthonyhal.wixsite.com/stanthonyofpadua
“LIKE” us on FACEBOOK!
Office Hours: Office Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday from 9:00 pm to 1:00 pm. Tuesdays from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm
Secretary: Mrs. Kathy Tripp Secretary: Mrs. Catherine Wheeler
Our Lady of Mercy School: 613-332-3300
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
February 21 and 22, 2026
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Saturday - Haliburton 4:30 pm Mary Paterson – Peggy and David Flowers
Sunday - Bancroft 10:00 am Missa Pro Populo – Mass for the People
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ROSARY WILL BE PRAYED BEFORE THE 9:00 AM MASS
Monday - Bancroft 9:00 am Special Intentions of Gary and Adrienne O’Donnell – Pauline Burcher
Tuesday - Bancroft 9:00 am Special Intentions of Rev. Casmir Muobike and Family
Wednesday - Haliburton 8:30 am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
9:00 am Rosary
9:30 am Irene Houtby – Doris Martyn
Thursday - Bancroft 8:30 am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
9:00 am Rosary
9:30 am Antje and Tom Johns – Madeleine and Michael Marentette
Friday - Bancroft 9:00 am Souls in Purgatory
- Haliburton 3:00 pm STATIONS OF THE CROSS
- Bancroft 5:00 pm STATIONS OF THE CROSS
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~ SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT ~
February 28 and March 1, 2026
Saturday - Haliburton 4:30 pm Missa Pro Populo – Mass for the People
Sunday - Bancroft 10:00 am Helena and Tadeusz – Ursula and Kris Krol
PRAYER CORNER
Maximillian Sullivan,
the Sullivan Family,
Evan and Gary Wheeler, Judy,
Katherine Flowers, Matt and Kate Flowers,
Alverna Ross, Paul Lee, Lori Best,
Samantha Spencer, Bill O’Shaughnessy,
Anne Carr, Silas Agina, Rita Stock,
Anita Neuman, Julian Joseph Forget,
Helen Curran, niece of Pauline Burcher,
Thomas Smallwood, Mary Hall,
Gladys Roberts, A.S. Crean,
Shirley Grimshaw, Gerald Diamond,
Brian Dunn, Barb Perog, Sandra Wheeler,
Rita Callaghan, Stacie Burnett,
Gina Mazara, Anthony, Reuben Maughan,
Dennis Purcell, Joan Colligan,
Eddie & Daphne Faria,
Clare Kavanagh, Marie Giamblanco,
Mike Flanagan, Annette Giamblanco,
Carolyne Morais, Frank Young,
Roger Musclow, Joanna Kastner,
Jean Tyler, Barry Malloy,
Bonnie Plourde.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
St. Anthony of Padua
Property and Finance Meeting
Tuesday, February 24th @ 5:15 pm
Our Lady of Mercy and St. Anthony’s
Barry’s Bay Deanery - Sunday, March 1st
at John Bosco School, Barry’s Bay –
2:00pm to 4:00pm
Our Lady of Mercy
March for Life in Ottawa
Thursday, May 14th
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ST. ANTHONY’S MISSION
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Sunday Mass Attendance: 80
ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA
SANCTUARY LAMP
For the week commencing
Sunday, Feb. 22nd – Feb. 28th:
All souls in Purgatory.
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OUR LADY OF MERCY CHURCH
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Sunday Mass Attendance: 99
OUR LADY OF MERCY
SANCTUARY LAMP
For the week commencing
Sunday, Feb. 22nd – Feb. 28th:
In reparation for the
Tumbler Ridge mass shooting.
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2026 WOMEN’S RETREAT COMBERMERE
All women are warmly invited to a weekend retreat.
Graphite Bible Camp, April 10-12, 2026;
(702 Graphite Rd,Maynooth, ON K0L 2S0)
$250.00
Led by the team from Madonna House – Shatzi Duffy and Fr. Brian Christi
Register @ https://forms.gle/YNBLnfPpsDZngKBe8.
Send e-transfer to womensretreatcombermere@gmail.com.
(Security question: Event; Answer: Retreat)
Once your registration and payment have been received,
we will send you a confirmation email.
Registration limited!
Please bring your Bible and journal to the retreat.
For more information,
Please call Kristan at 613 585-0579
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FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT: Our Lenten journey begins with Jesus in the desert, where he is tempted by the devil. To help us understand today’s Gospel, the First Reading from Genesis takes us back to the second Creation account and the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve encounter the serpent.
What is striking in this story is how quickly Eve – and then Adam – accept the serpent’s word. Though they lived in intimate relationship with God, they did not turn to him for guidance in the face of temptation. The Church teaches that through their disobedience, humanity embraced sin and fractured its relationship with God.
That story stands in sharp contrast to Jesus’ experience in the desert. Matthew’s Gospel opens with a key detail: “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” Unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus remains rooted in his relationship with the Father and the Spirit throughout his trial. Strengthened by that relationship, he faces three temptations that challenge his obedience to the commandment to love God with heart, soul, and strength.
When tempted by hunger, Jesus responds with Scripture: “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,” quoting Deuteronomy. When the devil twists Scripture to tempt Jesus to test God’s power, Jesus answers again from Deuteronomy: “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” Finally, when offered power over all the kingdoms of the world, Jesus firmly rejects the temptation: “The Lord your God shall you worship, and him alone shall you serve.”
Jesus, fully human, faces the same temptations as Adam and Eve – but he does not give in. Grounded in prayer, strengthened by the Spirit, and nourished by God’s Word, he shows us the path for our own Lenten journey. If we remain close to God and rooted in Scripture, we too can resist the temptations that draw us away from him.
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SOLEMN RECEPTION AND VENERATION
of the
Relic of Saint Sister Maria Faustina
A Unique blessing for Our Parish!
SUNDAY, MARCH 22ND @ 10:00 am
Chief Celebrant:
Most Reverend Michael Brehl, C.Ss.R.
Bishop of Pembroke
Join us as we welcome this sacred relic into our community,
serving as a powerful reminder of God’s grace and the communion of saints.
Veneration will follow the Mass.
All are welcome to share in this grace-filled moment.
Luncheon in the hall following the celebration.
