Almaguin Highlands Parish Information
Trout Creek and South River
Mass Times & News
Mass every day at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church,
Trout Creek, is located at: 165 Main Street West, Trout Creek, Ontario
Monday 8 am Adoration, 9 am Mass
Tuesday 8 am Adoration, 9 am Mass
Wednesday 8 am Adoration, 9 am Mass
Thursday 8 am Adoration, 9 am Mass
Friday 8 am Adoration, 9 am Mass
Saturday 5 pm Mass (20 mins before mass - confession)
Sunday 11:00 am Mass (20 mins before mass - confession)
St. Augustine's Church
South River located at: 23 Isabella Street, South River.
Mass Time:
Sunday at 9:00 am (20 mins before mass - confession)
Month of May is for Mother Mary:
May the Virgin Mary together with her loving child bless us. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Blessed be the Holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Holy Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, intercede for us. Amen
Office Hours this week FRIDAY MAY 8
Wednesday 10:30 am to 2:00 pm
Administrative Assistant: Erin O'Rourke
Bookkeeper: Laurie Dobbs
Parish office email contact:
office@sacredhearttroutcreek.caParish office -
Pastor: Fr. Isaac Ogwu -
Cell: 705-928-0167 - Email: ogwuisaac4@gmail.com - Rectory: 165 Main Street West, PO Box 25 - Trout Creek, Ontario, P0H2L0 - Phone: 705-723-5352
More information about the Parish
Organizations:
Catholic Women's League in
Trout Creek
Knights of Columbus in
Trout Creek/Powassan
Council - # 7308
Father Isaac's Reflection for Sunday May 16th, 2026
Solemnity of the Ascension
REFLECTION ON THE SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION-2026
Today the Church celebrates the solemnity of Ascension. All four Gospels presume that the post resurrection appearances of Jesus are limited. Jesus has passed the gate of death and is already sharing the glory of the Father, but for some days he wants to manifest himself to his disciples and give them last instructions. Biblically, forty stands for a period of preparation. So, forty days in this context is the final period of preparation of the disciples.
In the first reading Jesus was taken up to heaven as the apostles were watching, and a cloud hid him from their sight. It was in this way that Jesus willed to leave them suited to the culture of that time when people thought that heaven was above the earth. But it is not correct to localise heaven. Jesus is this spiritual centre-He is the spiritual centre from whom God directs human history.
However, the cloud is often a symbol of God’s presence. In Ex.40:34-35 the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. In Ex.13 :21 God was the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of light by night. On the Mountain of Transfiguration the bright cloud falls on Jesus and his disciples.
The cloud suggests transcendent-something beyond space and time, beyond ordinary human experience. It is a realm proper to God. Ascension does not mean that Jesus had gone into outer space. It means that Jesus has entered a communion of power and life with the living God. Think about all that is man made, they are outside him, and all that God made is outside God.
Because Jesus is with the Father he has not gone away but remains close to us. He is no longer in one location as was before his ascension, now through his power over space and time, he is present and accessible to all throughout history and every place.
In a very beautiful gospel story in Mt.14: Jesus made us understand this closeness: Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side of the lake. And went to the mountain to pray. When their boat went very far away, suddenly there was a headwind and turbulence. The disciples were threatened by the power of waves and storms. The Lord seems to be far away in prayer on the mountain. But because he is with the Father, he sees them, and because he sees them, he hurries down and goes into the boat and calms the storm, and they are able to reach their destination.
The boat is an image of the Church-intended also for us. The Lord is the mountain of the Father.Therefore,He sees us, he can get into the boat of our life at any moment. We can always call on Him; we can always be certain that he sees and hears us. In Matt.28:20-Jesus made a promise to his disciples: I am with you always, to the end of age.
It is a promise made to all followers down through the ages-including you and I. He says I am with you always-notice, he sets no qualifications. He doesn’t say I am with you when you are good…when you are successful…when you have clarity of vision…when you feel my presence.No,he says I am with you always-no matter what.
This steadfast presence of Jesus in our personal life, in our Church, and in our world is immensely comforting for me.No matter what circumstances, Jesus is with us. How encouraging, but extremely challenging. For Jesus is present not only to comfort and encourage, but also to nudge,prod,and press us to carry out his mission.
While the disciples were still looking into heaven, the two angels said to them, why this Jesus who has been taken into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him. The angels brought the apostles back to reality. Why keep looking into the sky? Go back to start work; Jesus’s task is yours now. You must assume your responsibility.
With leave in a society flooded with information, but starved of wisdom, connected digitally yet disconnected spiritually. Morality is adjusted to fit personal desires, and truth is often replaced with convenience. In such a climate believers cannot keep silent. Ascension reminds us that we have the responsibility to carry Christ into public squares, families, institutions, politics, education and social life.
The angels said He will come in the same way as you as you saw him go into heaven. Faith in Christ’s return is the second pillar of the Christian Confession - He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Vigilance is demanded of Christians as the basic attitude for transitional time. It means that we should not concern ourselves with material things only. In Mt.6;19-23 Jesus tells his disciples do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, but in heaven, where neither decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
St. Augustine once said that every creature is made ex-nihilo, it carries with it the heritage of non-being. There is a kind of shadow of nothingness that haunts every finite thing. No matter how exciting a thing or state is here below, it is destined to pass into non-being. Think of a gorgeous firework that bursts open like a giant flower and then, in the twinkling of an eye, is gone forever.
But it is not meant to depress us, it is meant to redirect our attention precisely to the treasures of heaven, to eternity of God. Once we see things from the light of God, we can learn to love the things of the world without clinging to them, and without expecting too much of them. The realization should affect the way we live, the choices we make, the way we relate to others. It will prevent us from getting too attached to worldly things.
Vigilance also means openness to the good, the truth, to God, in the midst of the power of evil. It means that we shouldn’t live according to our own wishes or pick and choose what we fancy or what is according to our taste. It means collaborating with God to fight the evil in our world.
The solemnity of Ascension reminds us of the following: No matter how bad or good this life may be, we have an added reason to hope, because we have been promised that we shall live forever. Never lose sight of heaven.
It reminds us that we are pilgrims on earth. But we are not alone in our journey, Christ is with us Monday to Friday-24/7. May we stop merely looking up to heaven while ignoring the cries of earth. Instead, may we become responsible believers who carry the light into our wounded world.
The Golden Arrow
Holy Face of Jesus
May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified, in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Adorable Face of Thy Beloved Son, for the honour and glory of Thy Holy Name, for the conversion of sinners and for the salvation of the dying.
www.praypraypray.ca
Almaguin Highlands in the Region of Parry Sound
W E L C O M E
Thank you for visiting us at www.praypraypray.ca
We are a Catholic family striving to ~ pray, pray, pray ~ every day. Our prayer group is open to all who want to make it a joy to pray to our Lord God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We pray for Peace ~ For the intentions of God, who has a plan for us. We need to be a part of His plan. When we show Him that we are here, then we can present Him with our "YES".
* Click on the Blog page for more information such as dates and time we meet.
* Click on the My Area page for a map you can zoom in to find us.
Our Lady has instructed us to "Pray until it becomes a joy for you" She continues to call upon her children because she is Our mother who loves us. In many messages to the world, Mary the Mother of Jesus has requested us to PRAY, PRAY, PRAY.
For more information take a peek at this website and feel free to email, call or text anytime.
Parishioners of Sacred Heart of Jesus in Trout Creek,
St. Augustine's Church in South River,
Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Burks Falls,
St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Kearney.
Please join us in regular prayer of the rosary!
Powerful Prayer
Psalm 91 & Psalm 51
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Psalm 51
Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offence.
Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me.
For I know my offence; my sin is always before me.
Against you alone have I sinned;
I have done such evil in your sight that you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn.
True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived me.
Still, you insist on sincerity of heart; in my inmost being teach me wisdom.
Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure; wash me, make me whiter than snow.
Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my guilt.
A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit.
Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me your holy spirit.
Restore my joy in your salvation; sustain in me a willing spirit.
I will teach the wicked your ways, that sinners may return to you.
Rescue me from death, God, my saving God, that my tongue may praise your healing power.
Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise.
For you do not desire sacrifice; a burnt offering you would not accept.
My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.
Make Zion prosper in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with proper sacrifice, burnt offerings and holocausts;
then bullocks will be offered on your altar.
The first Cenacle Prayer Group
The Last Supper by Stefanie Krajinovic
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Prayer Group Times Contact us for more information.