Welcome to Our Lady of Peace

The best place to park is by the parish hall. Once you enter our parking lot, drive to the back portion of the lot and make a left. You can park anywhere in this lot and along side the curb. The doors to the church are along the driveway out of the parking lot and additional doors are peppered around toward the front and sides, as our church is in the shape of a circle.

Main doors to the church are on South Street, as well as doors on the left and right sides of the doors as you face the church. The rectory doors are on your left, as you leave the parking lot, with a marked sign.

The rectory doors are on your left, as you leave the parking lot behind the church, with a marked sign.   To help you identify it, look for garage doors–the rectory is just past there.

The entrance to our academy is right by the entrance of the property. As soon as you enter the driveway, the main entrance will be on your left, just before the white picket fence. The long walkway will lead you to the main school entrance.

Yes, children are always welcomed.  Please do not avoid coming because of your little ones.  How can they get used to going to church or living their faith if they don’t learn from you from the very beginning.

First of all, you keep breathing and remember that every parent in church has gone through the same thing.  A few suggestions in the event that you feel that you need to do something:

• • Feel free to take your child to the front vestibule, which is also in a direct line to the altar so you can still participate at mass.  
  • Some parents find that just cradling the baby/small child as they slowly walk the outer perimeter of the church gets them to not only get quiet but fall asleep. 
  •  If you look for the area where our music ministry is placed in the church (side of the church where the chair of the priest is located), there are exit doors of the church there, if you go our that door you’ll find a pretty good size playground.

• Absolutely, and you would not be the only one.  What we would ask is that in reference to the snack, be something that is not very loud as the child bites or jews on it, and if it could be something that doesn’t leave crumbs all over the seat.  We do ask our parents that do bring snacks to please make sure that the pew is left clean since we have masses one after the other without time to have a cleaning crew in the property but if it becomes messy just look for one of the ushers, altar servers or priest and they be more than happy to help
• In reference to activities, we ask that is not any kind of toy that plays music or makes sounds, coloring books or activity books are great ideas.  In the event that you forget, no sweat, just go to one of the tables in the back of the pews and we always have  little activities available too. If a particular table is empty, check one of the other three tables.

• Yes you can. Although there is not a completely gluten-free host for communion in the Catholic church, the level of gluten is very low and have no reports of any issues.  But in the event that you are extremely sensitive then we suggest that you receive only from the chalice, the Precious Blood.  
• Should you need the low-gluten host, please just tell one of the altar servers, ushers or priest before mass starts and we will make sure that the main celebrant will have it with him before he starts to distribute communion. When it’s your turn to receive, just let him know that you need the low-gluten host.  In the event that you end up arriving after the mass has started, just go to the main celebrant’s line and ask him.

We have 2 bathrooms toward the main doors of the church, straight across from the altar and into the main vestibule, one for the gentleman and the other for the ladies.

You can sit anywhere you want, the only area where most people will leave open is the first pew of the first group of seats by the left of the altar, for this row has been left with more space for wheelchairs, people with walkers or people who need assistance to get in and out can do so with more ease.  The other area, is at the complete other side of the church, which is the choir riser, but this is only for the masses where the choir is singing.

We do take a collection (and sometimes for special occasions we’ll have a second one) but only give if you want.  Coming to church and living one’s faith is absolutely free, but we do live conscious lives and appreciate donations to maintain different aspects of the property.  Common donations are between $10 and $20, others give less, others give more, but the bottom line is you give what you feel you can and should.

Our parish is a very down-to-earth, relaxed parish. Think of it this way: if you were going to visit a friend what would you wear? That’s your answer.  Some wear suits and ties, jeans and shirts all the way down to t-shirts and shorts for the guys. For the ladies, dresses, jeans and blouses, jeans and t-shirts–it’s up to you.

We have you covered. Pick up one of the soft cover song books found in any pew, look at the side page edges and find the pages in a darker gray.Those pages guide you through the entire mass, including responses. Also, look at the front part of the book for the actual sunday date, you’ll see the different readings particular to that sunday.  If you need help, trust me, ask someone sitting next to you and they will help.

Of Course you can, don’t be silly, and stop by a priest at the end as you leave, we’ll love to say hello to you.

It is not just our home, but the Lord’s home, it is your home, come and join us any time you would like.

There are none, just come on in and join us.

We are very conscious that not everyone walks into our parish the same way and therefore special care has been taken to make sure no one feels left out.  Not only do all of our sidewalks have ramps for easy access to them from the road or parking lots, but we also have two sets of automatic double doors on each side of the church.  We have a special area reserved for wheelchairs or those needing a little more help, as well as if you have difficulties to come to us for communion, just let us know and we’ll go.

We have a rich Ministry and they’re all listed here

• The Church’s teaching on confession is that every Catholic is obliged to go to confession for grave sins at least once a year, or if the Catholic is receiving communion on a regular basis and has committed a grave sin he/she should go to confession as soon as possible.  For venial sins it is recommended that a Catholic go to confession at least once a year as to benefit to a closer, more pure connection with God.  
• The process itself consists of looking at the scheduled times for confessions at any particular parish, calling the rectory if specific times are needed, or just talking to a priest at the end of mass or any time.

If one finds themselves at mass with the desire to receive communion but is aware of the need to go to confession, can they still receive communion?  The answer is yes.  Receiving the Body and Blood of Christ is so important that the Church has established a way that one can still receive Communion, being in a state of grace and then going to confession later.  All one has to do is pray an Act of Contrition, which places one in the state of grace long enough for communion, but at the same time that individual promises with that prayer to God to go to confession at the next available change.

If one is unable to attend mass because of being sick, hospitalized or homebound one can still receive communion by getting in contact with a parish and asking if a priest or someone could come to where the sick person is, pray with them and bring them communion.  Another way that one can receive communion even if a priest or an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist cannot come is to do a spiritual communion prayer.  For these one can look on line or call the rectory and ask for assistance.

Please take a look under our youth ministry section where you can find not only the different ministries catering to you, but also age appropriate.  A different option is to get in contact with Rachael F., our youth ministry leader and speak to her

Just call the rectory and we’ll be more than happy to give you a tour of the parish, including the school if you like. We can also connect you with some of our ministries if you’re looking to get involved.

Catholics are obligated to attend Mass every Sunday, go to confession at least once a year, and live a life according to God and His laws. We do this because we love God and desire a life with Him.

Each parish, or church as it is more commonly referred to, is not made up of brick and mortar, but instead of all its members, parishioners, staff and priests, each bringing their own personality to the community.  At Our Lady of Peace we believe that we do have a welcoming community.  Just like every family that has all sorts of personalities, so does our parish, for it truly has a little bit for everyone and everyone is welcomed. Our priests tell jokes and stories in their homilies, as much as the guidelines of the core teachings of the Church, just to give an example.  The best thing is to come and see for yourself.

The music ministry in our parish has had a dramatic overhaul in the past two years with the hiring of our new music director by our pastor.  We sing a little bit of everything, from classic hymns to the more modern. We truly have a great music ministry and all are welcome to join; just speak to our music director. We truly have a great music ministry and all are welcomed to join, just speak to Sarah our music director.

Each person donates what they can. Without donations, the parish would not survive. You can either donate through the weekly collection basket at Mass or through our online giving platform, Pushpay. With Pushpay, you also have the ability to donate to specific parish projects online. If you prefer writing a check, just note in the memo section which project you would like to donate to. Feel free to call the rectory or ask the pastor for more information.