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FROM THE PASTOR Wednesday of this week is ASH WEDNESDAY and it marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is a wonderful time for all of us to become renewed in spirit so that we can serve the Lord in freedom and joy. As we journey together towards the great event of our salvation, the death and resurrection of Christ, we grow in our appreciation of God's love for us and for all of His people. Our knowledge of His unconditional love, as demonstrated by His sacrificial death on Calvary, demands a response from us as we contemplate how best we can say thanks to Him. The season of Lent provides us with an opportunity to answer that question. The ashes that are imposed on our foreheads are outward signs of our desire to turn away from sin and selfishness and to live faithfully the Gospel message of Love. The Lenten sacrifices that we make and the spiritual exercises that we perform are expressions of our gratitude to the Lord for all that He has done for us. During the forty days of Lent, we grow in grace as we grow in our awareness of the need to serve God with our whole hearts, our whole minds, and our whole selves. One of the best ways to show our gratitude to the Lord is by uniting our prayers with the most perfect Prayer of all, the Mass. In order to allow for more people to participate in the awesome Gift of the Eucharist, we will celebrate Mass at St. Patrick's each day at 8:00 AM, Monday through Saturday. We will also be celebrating Mass on Monday through Friday at 6:30 AM so that those who have to commute to work will be able to begin their day around the Altar. There is also an evening Mass on Wednesdays at 7:30 PM. It is my hope that as many of you as possible will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to deepen your love for God through your participation at daily Mass. Ashes will be distributed at St. Patrick's during the Masses on Wednesday, March 5th.The Mass schedule for Ash Wednesday is 6:30 and 8:00 AM; 4:00 and 7:30 PM. During the season of Lent, we will pray the STATIONS OF THE CROSS each Friday at 7:30 PM in the Church and will conclude this time of prayer with BENEDICTION OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT. I hope that all of you will plan to be with us as we contemplate the passion of Christ and grow in our appreciation of His sacrificial love. The Most Reverend Richard G. Lennon, the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese, will celebrate a Mass at Noon on Ash Wednesday in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston to begin a special Archdiocesan Lenten Program of Prayer and Conversion. The Bishop has asked that each parish send representatives to the Mass. If you would be willing and able to attend this Mass, please call me at the Rectory for further details. I want to call your attention to a SPECIAL EVENING OF PRAYER on Monday, March 10th at 7:30 PM. We will celebrate a "TEACHING MASS" in the Church as part of our on-going spiritual renewal program. We hope to be able to better understand the many beautiful symbols that are used at Mass. Refreshments will be served in the hall afterwards. Message from Bishop Richard Lennon, Apostolic During the past few weeks, I have spoken of my desire that a season-long Lenten Program of Prayer and Conversion be undertaken by the whole of the Archdiocese of Boston. Much has happened over the past fourteen months in our lives as Church that has affected us enormously as individuals and as Church. The disclosures of clergy abuse of children, the inadequate manner in which we responded to the allegations administratively, the alienation of victims, their families, and others from their faith and from the Church, and the divisions that have arisen within the Church as a result of all of this, among many other things, point to the need for reconciliation and conversion in our lives and in the Church. Apart from these specific issues that have arisen within the past year, there is always the ongoing need for conversion to a deeper love and faith in God as we seek to grow in holiness. This means confronting our own sinfulness, whatever form it takes, confessing our sins, expressing our contrition and intention to avoid sin in the future, engaging in penance, and being reconciled to God once again through the sacramental life of the Church. The season of Lent provides us all with a special time within the Church's liturgical year to do just that. My hope is this Lenten Program of Prayer and Conversion will serve as a means for the healing, reconciliation, and conversion that we all need so much. WELCOME If you are a New Parishioner, please introduce yourself to the priest after Mass or at the Rectory. We want to know you and serve you. We welcome and invite you to become active members of our St. Patrick Parish Community Mass Intentions This Week
Sun. 3/2 5:30 PM Family Healing Mass PLEASE PRAY FOR Mary Cox, Richard & Sonia Guerin, Nadia DeMasi, Elvira Portyrala, Mike Fitzgerald, and all the sick of the parish, as well as all the faithful departed, especially Eleanor Murphy and Dorothea Fenton. SANCTUARY LAMPS for the week of March 2 will burn in prayer for the Brochu Family, Gerard Halpin, Jr., Luisa Valenti, Grace Tiberio, Richard Houton, Joseph Foster, and Norman Guerin. 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 April. The Sacrament of Baptism for the month of March will be on April 13th. Please call Deacon Jim Crump at the rectory at 508-653-1093 to register for Baptism Preparation which will take place on Sunday, April 6th. The following children were baptized in the month of January: Joseph Elliott Bent, Sawyer Alan Bosch, Jennifer Lee Damiano, Ryan Anthony Faulkner, Alanna Elizabeth Mariano, Jacob Bradley Morgan, Natalie Alys Reynolds, Cheshire Anya Sullivan, Charlotte Rose Taddeo Lenten Regulations ABSTINENCE from meat is to be observed by all Catholics 14 years old and older on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and on all the other Fridays of Lent. FASTING is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday by all Catholics who are 18 years of age but not yet 59. Those who are bound by this may take only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permitted if necessary to maintain strength according to one's needs, but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted. Parish Offertory for the week of 2/23 will be reported in next week's bulletin. Stewardship St. Paul tells the Corinthians that they are living letters, "known and read by all." What does the letter of my life reveal to those who read it? Can they tell by the way I live that I belong to Christ and that all I am and have is His? THANK YOU ! Thank you to all those who turned out to give the "gift of life" at the parish blood drive. St. Vincent de Paul Society Once again the St. Vincent de Paul Society in the Archdiocese will award tuition assistance to needy students (Grades 1 - 8) to enable them to receive a parochial school education. The grant amount is $1,000 per student, based solely on need. The procedure to be followed requires that each parish conference contact the school administration to get names of students who appear to need financial assistance. Following that, members of our conference will visit each family and leave an application. The completed application must be returned to our conference, at the Rectory, no later than Friday March 21, 2003. The deadline for all applications to be received by the Boston office is April 1, 2003. We will contact the following schools: St. Bridget, Framingham If you have a Student at any other parochial grammar school or have a question, please call the rectory 508-653-1093 and leave your name and telephone number. ASH WEDNESDAY Bishop Richard Lennon will celebrate a noontime Mass on Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2003 in the cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston to commence the season of Lent and the start of the Archdiocesan Lenten Program of Prayer and Conversion. He has asked that each parish send representatives to the Mass. Please speak with the pastor if you are able to attend. It is important that our parish be represented along with all the parishes of the Archdiocese. Religious Education UPCOMING EVENTS March 8 The High School Service Project at St. Matthews in Dorchester THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS! We'd like to thank Angela Spivack for volunteering to publish the monthly Religious Education Newsletter. Thank you Joe Leone, Mary Macissac, Joe McCarthy, Anne Garvey and Paul and Marsha Fosberg for serving as hall monitors. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Parents, we need some help picking up donuts for the Sunday morning religious education classes. They are ordered and paid for, all you need to do is run over to Dunkin donuts, grab several boxes of Munchkins and bring them to the School. Please sign up for a donut pick-up for one (or all:-) of the following dates: March 16, April 6, 13, or 27. Call Grace Kelemanik @ 508-651-9065 to sign up. MAY CROWNING Planning for St. Patrick's May Crowning is underway. We are looking for individuals interested in designing and coordinating this most blessed event to join the May Crowning Planning Committee. Our first meeting is Monday, March 10th at 7:00PM in the Lower Church. If you would like to find out more about this event or would like to join the committee, please contact Sharon Cowles (508-655-5139 scowlie@aol.com) or Grace Kelemanik (508-651-9065 Gracekelemanik@brahmacom.com). Many Hands Make Light Work! High school students and parents join us for our Saint Matthews Service Project! On Saturday, March 8, high school students and adults will travel to Dorchester to work with the youth of St. Matthews to help improve their facilities. To start, we'll be cleaning out and painting some rooms that to date have been used as storage areas. We need lots of hands and muscle. Please join us in Dorchester on Saturday, March 8th from 9:00AM to 3:00PM. Call Tricia Fair 508-653-6281 or Barbara Walsh 508-651-9991 to sign up. ANNOUNCING THE LENTEN OPERATION Please note that the Rice Bowl packets will be distributed at this weekend's Masses Healing Retreat for Post-Abortion Women A Post-Abortion Healing Retreat for women will be held the weekend of March 28-30th by the Project Rachel ministry of the Archdiocese of Boston. Previous participants have found the retreat a life-changing experience of forgiveness, healing and reconciliation. For more information, call Project Rachel at 617-783-8300. All calls are confidential. Adoration The Adoration Ministry will be listing hours (beginning with the ones below) where extra committed adorers are needed. If you are able to commit to one of these hours or have any questions regarding adoration please call Carole @ 508-653-0371. Praying for Peace, Relieving the Suffering Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25:41 The last two decades in Iraq's history have brought war and international sanctions, all of which have caused extreme hardship to the people of Iraq. Our Parish is responding to an urgent appeal from the American Friends Service Committee, to collect family-size kits of critically needed health items for the people of Iraq. Since last June, AFSC in cooperation with other aid agencies, has delivered three 40-ft. containers filled with health kits, school kits and blankets On the weekends of March 9 and March 16, the Peace & Justice Ministry will collect health items in the vestibule of the church. Please make up a complete kit (in a plastic bag) or bring as many of the following items that you choose. 4 bars soap Continue to pray for peace in the world. Fellowship of Young Adults Bible Study, Thu 3/6, 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. 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. |
