The Center of our Catholic faith has always been and will always be the conviction that Jesus Christ is really and truly present in the Eucharist. The Real Presence of Christ, under the appearance of bread and wine, is the Source and Summit of the life of every Catholic person. It is to Christ that we bring all that we have and all that we are and we are nourished with His won Body and Blood as the Food for our journey. The time that we spend in His Presence provides us with the strength that we need in order to stay the course as we go through our daily routine. One of the greatest gifts at St. Patrick’s Parish is the ability to come into the Lord’s presence 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year. This awesome privilege is sustained by the kindness and generosity of our brothers and sisters who devote themselves to faithfully adoring Jesus by serving in the ADORATION MINISTRY. In order to maintain this wonderful blessing of having the Blessed Sacrament available for worship, we are in need of people who would be willing to commit themselves to spending an hour in prayer with the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist. If you would be willing to help preserve this Source of Grace by giving an hour of your time, there are people in the vestibule of the Church who can assist you in determining an appropriate time.

Another nice facet of parish life at St. Patrick’s is the ADULT ALTAR SERVER ministry. We are so fortunate to have many of our adults who have offered to assist the priests at daily Mass. It is particularly gratifying to have their help at the many funerals that are celebrated in our church. We are always in need of more people to step forward and I would like to invite all parishioners to prayerfully consider joining this ministry. This is a wonderful way in which to enhance your participation in the liturgy as well as an opportunity to serve the needs of others. If you would be willing to become a part of this ministry, please call the Rectory so that we can arrange for a training session.

I have invited SISTER OLGA YAQOB, an Iraqi nun and hermit in the Archdiocese of Boston to speak to our entire parish on Monday evening, October 29th at 7:30 PM. Sister Olga is presently doing wonderful work in our Archdiocese as a Campus Minister at Boston University. Sister Olga ‘s life experiences and suffering, both in Iraq and the United States, have taught her how to be joyfully rooted in Jesus Christ and it will be an honor to welcome her to our parish family. I hope all will be present to hear this interesting and dynamic woman of faith.

Stewardship

“And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” - Luke 17:15

Only one returns to express gratitude, attributing the healing to God by openly singing His praises. Loving God, in all things I desire to sing your praises. Show me the way.

Let us pray for those who have died, especially

Janet Bouret and MaryAnn Jaczko

May they and all of our faithful departed rest in peace.

Each month Saint Patrick Parish celebrates a special Memorial Mass in memory of those who died the previous month. We remember in a special way our loved ones whose funerals were celebrated in our parish as well as those who were buried in Saint Patrick Cemetery. The next Monthly Memorial Mass will be celebrated next Sunday, October 21 at 11:30 a.m. All are welcome.

Adoration Ministry

Saint Patrick Parish is blessed to have perpetual Eucharistic Adoration for more than 10 years. One of the requirements of offering perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is that the Blessed Sacrament may never be left alone. We must ensure that at least one person is always present before Our Lord in the Adoration Chapel in order to meet this commitment. Please consider Jesus’ invitation to join Him in prayer by spending some quiet time before the Blessed Sacrament.

Members of the Adoration Ministry will be available after all Masses the weekends of October 13th-14th and October 20th-21st to invite people to become committed adorers and to answer any questions you may have. You may also contact Anne Reilly at 508-655-8516 for additional information.

Youth Altar Servers

Any boys or girls interested in becoming altar servers are invited to a preliminary meeting and training session this Thursday, October 18 at 4pm in the Upper Church. Those interested in serving but unable to attend this Thursday’s meeting should contact the Religious Education Office at (508) 907-6220 or stpatreled@comcast.net. We will hold another training session on Thursday, November 11 at 4pm.

Religious Education

We mentioned last week how we were able to organize additional 4th Grade classes as a result of generous volunteers offering to serve as catechists. We have a waiting list for 1st Grade. If an additional catechist and aide come forward we will open an additional class. At present all four 1st Grade classes are full.

Additionally, we are in need of a couple of aides to help on Wednesday evenings with middle grades. Please call Father Rafferty or Lisa Correia in the Religious Education Office if you can help.

St. Bridget School, 832 Worcester Road (Rte. 9), Framingham is holding a school tour on October 10 from 9-10 am for K1 (4 year old) and Kindergarten programs. For more information, call Jean Niglocshy at 508-875-0181 x229.

Catholic Memorial, 235 Baker Street, West Roxbury is having an open house on Sunday, October 21 from 1 – 3 pm. For more information visit www.catholicmemorial.org or call 617-469-8019.

St. Sebastian School, 1191 Greendale Avenue, Needham will host an Admissions Open House on Tuesday, October 23 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. St. Sebastian is a Catholic, independent day school for young men in grades 7 – 12. For further information, contact Admissions at 781-449-5200 or visit www.stsebastiansschool.org.

Xaverian Brothers High School, 800 Clapboardtree Street, Westwood will hold its only open house on Sunday, October 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 pm. For more information call 781-326-6392 or visit our website at www.XBHS.com.

Marian High School, 273 Union Avenue, Framingham, Tues., Oct. 16 from 5:00–8:00 pm or Sun., Nov. 11 from 1:00–3:00 pm. Call 508-875-7646 or visit www.marianhigh.org for more details. Placement test Sat., Nov. 17 or Sat., Dec. 8 at 8:00–11:30 am.

Mount Saint Joseph Academy, 617 Cambridge St., Boston, Sun., Oct. 14 from 12:00-2:30 p.m. and Thurs., Nov. 8 from 5:30-7:30 pm. Call 617-787-7999 or visit at www.mountsaintjosephacademy.org.

St. John’s High School, 378 Main Street, Shrewsbury, Sun., Oct. 14 and Sun., Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. Entrance exam on Sat., Nov. 10 at 8:30 a.m. Call 508-842-8934 or visit www.stjohnshigh.org for more details.

This study will focus on the Biblical stories that provide background for the mysteries of the rosary. The stories of Jesus are the best way to focus our prayer, and the rosary has provided a traditional format for doing this over the centuries. Please prayerfully consider joining us for this 6-week bible study series. We meet on Sunday morning beginning TODAY, October 14th in Our Lady’s Hall in the basement of the school building from 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. Study sets are available for $10.

Men’s Cursillo

The Archdiocesan Cursillo Movement is offering a Men’s Cursillo from Thursday evening, October 25 through Sunday afternoon, October 28 at The Marist Retreat House in Framingham. Cursillo is a short course in Christianity, which offers the participants a vibrant experience of the Christian Life and a method for living as an active member of the Church. For information and registration, please check the Archdiocesan Cursillo Website at: www.bostoncursillo.org or call the Office of Worship and Spiritual Life at 617-779-3640 or email us at spiritual_development@rcab.org.

LIFT – Catholic Worship for a NEW Generation

Join us for LIFT – an exciting new monthly worship event which includes vibrant praise and worship music, dynamic, challenging speakers and Eucharistic Adoration. LIFT is for all ages – from young adults to adults to teens to entire families. Be with us on Tuesday, October 16th as we welcome Steve Allgeyer as our speaker. The evening runs from 7 – 9 pm at Fontbonne Academy, 930 Brook Road, Milton, MA. Directions and a downloadable flyer, along with more information about LIFT, can be found on our website at www.liftedhigher.com. Come join in worship with hundreds of Catholics from around the Boston area!

Marriage Encounter

An experience for building communication, creating intimacy, self esteem and enriching the values of marriage, family and faith. This program is for couples who believe they have a good marriage but desire deeper understanding, richer communication, better quality and more spirituality in their marriage. Upcoming weekend date is November 30. For further information and details contact 1-800-367-0343 or www.mene.org.

Electronic Offertory

In an effort to make it more convenient for parishioners to financially support Saint Patrick Parish, we now offer you the ability to make your offertory contributions electronically. Rather than placing cash or checks in the collection basket each week, you now have the option to simply have a predetermined monthly amount withdrawn from your checking or savings account that will be automatically deposited into the Parish Offertory. Transactions will be made on the 15th of each month. If you are interested in signing up for electronic offertory payments, or if you would like additional information, please contact Jean Lorrey in the Parish Office at 508-653-1093. Thank you.

Christmas Craft Fair

St. Bridget School PTO, 832 Worcester Road, Framingham announces its Christmas Craft Fair to be held on Sunday, November 18 from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. Their special guest is children’s author, Barbara McGrath, who will be available to sign books from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Fair features puppets, quilts, jewelry, scrapbooks, holiday decorations and many gift items for friends, family and pets.

Natick Lions Club Annual “Chowda” Fest

The annual “Chowda” fest sponsored by the Natick Lions Club will be held on Saturday, October 20th from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, East Central Street, Natick. “Chowda”, salad, bread, dessert and coffee will be served. The cost is $5.00. Come, join the fun and vote for your favorite “chowda”.

CHRISTMAS PAGEANT

While it seems early to think about Christmas, it’s time to begin planning for this year’s Parish Children’s Christmas Pageant. The pageant offers children an opportunity to enact a Nativity narrative and learn traditional Christian Christmas hymns. The rehearsals and post-pageant collation provide a nice opportunity for children and families to socialize.

At last year’s pageant several parents expressed a willingness to get involved this year in planning and executing our annual pageant. Now is the time to come forward! By the time a planning session is held and a schedule arranged it will be time to secure talented singers and voices from our children’s ranks.

From time to time parish activities benefit from an infusion of new faces and ideas. How about becoming one of those fresh faces? Please talk to some friends and let’s see what we can do to enhance our Christmas Pageant. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks, Father Rafferty