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FROM THE PASTOR The Catholic Church in the United States has endured one of the greatest challenges during the past year and the scandal that has emerged has caused many to question their faith. Many Catholics have been humiliated and demoralized by the revelations that have emerged and all of us wonder what will happen next. All of us realize that we must do whatever we can to insure that these sins never be committed again but we also wonder what can we do about it. I am delighted to announce that the internationally known lecturer and retreat master, the REVEREND BENEDICT J. GROESCHEL, C.F.R., has accepted an invitation to come to our parish and to share his observations with us. Fr. Groeschel, who is also a pastoral psychologist, will be the Guest Speaker at a special Prayer Service on Tuesday evening, February 18th at 7:30 PM. Fr. Groeschel's talk will be entitled "From Scandal to Hope" and Fr. Groeschel will provide a forthright examination of the current crisis and offer some concrete suggestions of how we as a parish community can respond. It is Fr. Groeschel's hope, a hope that is shared by all of us, that out of the darkness of the past year a more purified and better Church will emerge in the United States. There are many details that must be addressed in order to prepare for Fr. Groeschel's upcoming visit. Volunteers are needed to help with planning for hospitality, publicity, logistics, and many other concerns so that this evening will be of benefit to all of us. There will be people at the doors of the Church this weekend to enlist your assistance on the various committees that have been established so that Fr. Groeschel's visit will be successful. I hope that all of you will offer whatever help you can so that we might welcome this humble priest in order that he might in turn offer us a way to respond to the challenges that this moment presents. This weekend we will be holding our elections to the PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL. In a break with past elections, we are placing the names of the nominees in a basket, placing it on the Altar, and inviting the community to pray as we seek the Lord's guidance in selecting the appropriate person to serve in this ministry. At the conclusion of the Prayer of the Faithful, a current member of the Pastoral Council will invite a member of the community to come forward and to select that candidate that God has called. The present members of the Council and I believe that this process will allow for the election to be more spiritually based and will serve to remind the selected candidates that they are commissioned by the Lord for service to the community in this important ministry. I want to thank allow you for your cooperation and to ask you to continue to pray that the Council will be focused upon doing what is God's will for His Church. I want to offer my prayerful best wishes and congratulations to EUNICE FARRELL who celebrates her 100th Birthday on February 1st. Eunice has long been a member of this parish and she is a remarkable woman of faith. With her pleasant demeanor and a great sense of humor, she has inspired many of us. May God bless her. HAPPY BIRTHDAY EUNICE. Mass Intentions This Week
Sun. 2/2 5:30 PM Family Healing Mass PLEASE PRAY FOR John Baker, David Cote, Richard & Sonia Guerin, Nadia DeMasi, Ralph Disney, Elvira Portyrala, Mike Fitzgerald, John Healey, Robert Conlin, Robert Cox and all the sick of the parish, as well as all the faithful departed especially Margaret Balducci, Edith Manucci, and Stella Doucette. SANCTUARY LAMPS LAMPS for the week of February 2 will burn in prayer for the Mary Blessed Mother, Brochu Family, Luisa Valenti, Grace Tiberio, Chal & Rory Thayer, Vincent Teso, and Manni LaCount. If you would like a LAMP in our Church or Adoration Chapel burning for one week, in memory of a loved one or for a special intention, please call the rectory (508) 653-1093. We are now accepting registration for Baptism for the month of March. The Sacrament of Baptism for the month of March will be on March 9th. Please call Deacon Jim Crump at the rectory at 508-653-1093 to register for Baptism Preparation which will take place on Sunday, March 2nd.
Eunice Farrell, of our St. Patrick Parish Family, is celebrating her 100th birthday on Saturday, February 1st. Our prayers and congratulations go out to Eunice on this wonderful day. Happy Birthday and God Bless You Eunice!!!! Parish Support January 26, 2003 Budgeted Offerings = $18,000.00 Actual Offerings = $12,381.25 Deficit = -$5,618.75 In order to reach our budgeted expenses, we are asking each parishioner to increase their weekly contribution by a minimum of $3. Thank you for your generous response. Envelope Users = $9,221.00 + Non-Envelope Users = $3,160.25 Total = $12,318.25 306 envelopes used for an average donation $27.28. The Special Collection for the Church in Latin America totaled $1,745.00. Thank you for your generosity! Stewardship When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple, they offered a sacrificial gift "in accord with the dictate in the law of the Lord." An offering of a specific size or kind is not "dictated" when we bring our gifts to the altar at Mass. Is my gift reflective of the many blessings I have received? Thank You From A Place to Turn On behalf of the staff and clients of A Place To Turn, please accept this belated thank you for all the generosity shown to us by your parish during the recent months. Your contributions and support during the holiday season, and throughout the year, are invaluable. A Place To Turn is experiencing a rise in clients using the pantry (currently up 12%). With this increase in use comes an increase in our need for resources. As winter turns to spring (eventually it will) the bounty of the holiday season will be depleted and we will need to replenish our stores. That is when we turn to our long-time supporters to keep us going. St. Patrick's has been very supportive of A Place To Turn over the years. Your continued commitment will help ensure that we are able to serve all who come to our door seeking help, not only during the holiday season, but all year long. Again, I extend heartfelt thanks to the entire St. Patrick's Parish for your generous support and look forward to continuing our very important work together, assisting our neighbors in their time of need. Happy New Year to all! Sincerely, Blood Drive Your precious gift of life is most needed, so please sign up on the weekend of February 8,9 and February 15,16 or call John or Rosemary at 508-651-3642 for an appointment Pine Street Inn, Sat 2/1, 4pm. Help us serve dinner to the poor at Pine Street Inn in Boston. Contact Eric, eje@wanco.com, 508-845-5008.First Friday Dinner, Fri 2/7, following the 7:30pm Mass. We get together after the parish Mass, go out to dinner, and hang out. Contact Eric, eje@wanco.com, 508-845-5008 Reflecting a Consistent Ethic of Life NEED A WAY TO CHANNEL YOUR IDEAS ON HOW TO RESPECT AND VALUE ALL LIFE??? NO to abortion, poverty, euthanasia and war may sound idealistic but Jesus tells us to keep running the race. Come to the Seamless Garment Commission meeting and join us in promoting a Consistent Ethic of Life. Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb 6 at 7:30pm in the Jospeh Center. For further information call: Nancy @508-653-9124 or Kay @508-653-2339. Religious Education Please use the Main Door of the Montrose School when coming and leaving religious classes. Thank you. Volunteers Needed to help with refreshments for Sunday morning Religious Education Classes. Can you pick up a box of Munchkins? Pour orange juice? Make coffee? Set up or clean up? Sign up for one Sunday or one Sunday a Month or every week. What ever you can manage. Please contact Manni LaCount @ patricknatmanni@aol.com or (508) 653-7542. 3 Hall Monitors are needed for Wednesday evenings. Are you available between 6:00 PM and 7:30 PM on Wednesday evenings, please call Manni at the Religious Ed Office. We need your help! MARK YOUR CALENDAR There will be Lead Teacher/Coordinator Meeting Tuesday, February 25 at 7:30 PM in the Religious Ed Office. Parents-this is for you! We are pleased to announce the first in our 2003 Parenting Seminar Series. On Sunday, February 9th from 10:15-11:30AM (while your child is at religious ed class), we will be meeting in Our Lady's Hall in the Montrose School. Our first seminar, entitled "Teaching Children Respect", will be presented by Lorraine Horgan. Lorraine's discussion will provide you with actionable ideas to help you in this important parenting subject. Refreshments will be served. THIRD GRADE FIELD TRIP There will be a third grade field trip on Sunday, February 9th. The third graders will meet at the Mary Ann Morse Nursing & Rehabilitation Center to make a craft and to enjoy refreshments with the residents. Parents, please make sure you complete and submit a parent permission form to your child's teacher by February 5th. Parent volunteers are needed to help with the craft and donate supplies. If you have any questions or can volunteer, call Kitty Gerry at 508-653-2393. The Office of Youth Ministry will hold its 2003 High School Convention on Saturday, February 8 at Boston College High School from 1:00PM to 10:00PM. The day includes a keynote address by Tripp Harris, workshops, games, skits, a great liturgy by Bishop Richard Lennon, dinner, dance and coffee house. Music by Bernie Choiniere and the East Coast Band. The cost is $30. If you are interested please contact Barbara Walsh at 508-651-0001. HIGH SCHOOL LENTEN SERVICE PROJECT A group of high school students from the parish are going to St. Matthews in Dorchester to help with various maintenance projects (i.e., cleaning, painting, etc.). Come join us and work with the youth of St. Matthews parish to help improve their parish facilities. Interested? Contact Tricia Fair 508-653-6281 or Barbara Walsh 508-651-9991. FEBRUARY EVENING OF PRAYER
Father Benedict Groeschel, CFR, is the Director of the Office of Spiritual Development of the Archdiocese of New York. He obtained his doctorate in psychology from Columbia University and is professor of pastoral psychology at Saint Joseph Seminary in New York. He has published a number of books and tapes on spirituality and pastoral counseling and is familiar to television audiences appearing numerous times on Eternal World Television Network (EWTN). Please watch him on Wednesday, February 5th, at 8:00 p.m. on EWTN Live...then come and listen to him in person here at Saint Patrick Church for our February Evening of Prayer on Tuesday, February 18th at 7:30p.m. Father Groeschel's recent book, "From Scandal to Hope," will be the subject of his talk. Please join us, and bring a friend. Fellowship of Young Adults Bible Study, Thu 2/6, 7:30pm. Learn more about your faith at our weekly Bible Study at the Joseph Center. We're studying Matthew. For more info contact Jonathan, jms2586@yahoo.com, 508-655-2410 First Friday Dinner, Fri 2/7, following the 7:30pm Mass. We get together after the parish Mass, go out to dinner, and hang out. Contact Eric, eje@ewanco.com, 508-845-5008 Adoration In addition to times of public adoration, we can each, as often as possible according to our personal schedules and circumstances, draw great nourishment from times of private adoration. St. Patrick's Day Dinner/Dance There will be a St. Patrick's Day Dinner/Dance on Saturday, March 15, 2003 at 6:00p.m. at Natick High School, West Street, Natick. VICTORY OVER DEATH! Retrouvaille of New England, Inc. Are you experiencing difficulties in your marriage? Is your marriage under stress? Are you contemplating separation and divorce? Have you heard of Retrouvaille? Retrouvaille is a program designed to help heal and renew a troubled marriage. SO, INSTEAD OF LOVING |
