That's MY church!

"That's MY church!"

As we pulled up to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church today, one little sweetheart was so excited that we had arrived at HER church! What a wonderful feeling for a child to have! She felt this was a place she could call her own and where she belongs. 

That's OUR church! 

The boys and girls prayed, sang, and participated in our celebration led by Fr. Jack. It was a lovely gathering. Many thanks to the parents and younger siblings who shared in our mass with us. 

We were very fortunate to remain after mass for a tour with our delightful Grade 5 buddies! Care to join us?

This is the foyer of the church. It is the entrance to God's house. 

Then we enter our church. We were reminded it is our home. 

As we enter the church, we see the baptismal font where babies, children and adults are baptized. It is made of marble. Both of Mrs. Beliveau's kids were baptized here!

When we enter, we bless ourselves by dipping our fingertips into the holy water.

"In the name of the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit, Amen"

The narrow shelf behind the baptismal font (between the foyer doors) holds holy oils used at baptisms, confirmations, and for anointing the sick. 

This is the Paschal Candle. It represents Christ, our light. Each Easter, we get a new candle. This candle reminds us of our baptism, because when we are baptized our baptismal candle is lit from the Paschal Candle. 

To the side of the church is a small chapel. When just a few gather for mass, they celebrate here in this cozy area. 

This is the altar. It is like our dining room table. It is here where the priest stands to prepare the body and blood of Christ. 

The ciborium holds the body of Christ.

The chalice holds the blood of Christ. 

We use only our fanciest serving dishes at this special meal!

This is the ambo. 

The Word of God is proclaimed from here. 

This is the view from the ambo. Look at all the pews! The pews take up the most room in our church, and it is where we sit. We are important! God is present in us. 

We went behind the altar to a small room called the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. 

Here we saw a beautiful gold box called the tabernacle. The body of Christ is placed inside. A little red light shines up high, letting us know the body of Christ is present. 

The priest's clothing are called vestments. He chooses the colour of his vestments based upon the liturgical calendar, or what time of year it is in the church. 

Priests wear green during Ordinary Time, purple during Advent and Lent, white throughout Christmas and Easter, and red during feast days. 

In the church basement is the Clothing Nook where people can shop for free. Wouldn't this be a wonderful place to drop of our clothes when we outgrow them or don't need them anymore?

Today we learned so much about our church, the mass, and our faith! We are so very proud to call OLPH our home! Thank you to the kind and knowledgeable staff who led our tour, to the parent helpers who generously joined us, and to the students for participating respectfully and enthusiastically. We can't wait to come back!