SAINT MARGARET MARY PARISH

Transcription

1 SAINT MARGARET MARY PARISH 845 HIGH STREET, P.O. BOX 386 WESTWOOD, MA OFFICE FAX THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 17, 2017 P : Rev. Stephen J. Linehan - Ext. 103 D E : Rev. Mr. Joseph E. Holderried D F F F C Y : Karlene Duffy - Ext. 101 R E A A : Denise Ra ery - Ext. 102 D / : Mark Nemeskal - Ext. 111 P A Brian Cullen - Ext. 107 P A A : Jacqueline Kerr - Ext. 100 O H : M - F 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM M S : Saturday: Sunday: 4:30 PM 10:00 AM & 6:00 PM Weekdays: 9:00 AM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday C : Saturday 3:45-4:15 PM B : Second Sunday of the month at 12:00 PM. Contact the office. P C S : Contact the office for a visit to the homebound/sick. M : Please contact us at least six months in advance.

2 NOVEMBER OFFERTORY - Thank you! Offertory for Month of November $ 25,921 Budgeted Offertory for November $ 22,788 Surplus/(Shortfall): $ 3,133 RECENT SECOND COLLECTIONS Campaign for Human Development - November 4th & 5th Collection: $ 1,647 Retired Religious Sisters - November 18th & 19th Collection: $ 2,562 Thank you for your generosity! Christmas Eve: CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE 4:30 PM Mass - with Children s Choir 8:00 PM Mass - with Adult Choir, Harp, Violin, Trumpet and flute Christmas Day: 10:00 AM Mass CHRISTMAS COLLECTION - December 24th & 25th Supports the retirement, medical, and financial needs of priests of the Archdiocese of Boston. Thank you for your generosity! For more information visit Now through Dec 17 th Social Justice Projects December 2017 The Giving Tree, which supports children who attend the Mission Elementary School in Roxbury, starts December 2nd. To participate please choose an ornament from the tree and return the wrapped gift with the ornament attached by December 17th. "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25: 35-40"

3 THE PASTOR S PAGE Dear Parishioners, These Advent days and the coming Christmas season combine with the me of Epiphany to form our Church s efforts at celebra ng God is with us! We go to great lengths to keep the mystery of His presence before us. The gradual and progressive holiday decora ng seeks to build an cipa on. The lights, the color, the sounds all seek to draw us into the mystery... We all know it s a busy me of the year... It s stressful... it s expensive... it s overwhelming to many... It s life... the way we have made it in these days. Needless to say there are several lessons that we can draw from the liturgy... the tradi ons... the decora ons... and so many other happenings... That is a great part of the job descrip on of the priest (especially of a pastor)... as he writes and speaks. It s a tradi on that we have as a parish and you have at home too, to set up a creche scene that depicts the birth of Jesus. The creche scenes as we know them date back to St. Francis in the early 13th century. What did they do before that? That s a good ques on for another me. Our creche scene set up is underway... It s big and heavy and takes me... It snows and rains at just the right mes... and Deacon Joe working as fast as he can... with some key staff help! And besides Jesus is not due for a few weeks now! Part of the tradi on that looms in the background is the message that there was no room for them in the inn. We tell that story as a result of the tradi ons that have been built up not so much out of what may have actually happened. No room in the inn... We think maybe of rejec on... non-acceptance, and later the need to flee, to become refugees in Egypt. The news last week reminded us of the anniversary of the Sandy Hook shoo ng. I only men on this as the lessons of the Christmas creche can serve as a wonderful reminder of the need we have to reach out to people who are isolated, cut off, not accepted. It seems that too many of those who act out violently towards others or themselves seem so isolated. Some of the parents of the children lost in that terrible shoo ng have started a movement called Sandy Hook: Promise The promise is to do something about reducing gun violence and violence in general that does harm to others. They have introduced a program called Start with Hello. Kids are so good at helping and welcoming each other... most days! So many folks that act out in violence are people who have been so isolated. It s job number one for all of us to do the best we can in welcoming others... I know it s hard for some but it is a great lesson of life for all of us to learn how to welcome and to develop and hone those skills in our everyday life... It is a skill to be welcoming. It s a skill that can be developed. It s also a skill to help others in ways that help them, help themselves and get the assistance that they need to overcome social isola on... Last Sunday we welcomed two new parishioners... Nicholas George and John William... As part of the Bap smal ceremonies the priests says: The Church welcomes you with great joy. In its name, I claim you in the name of Christ our Savior. I now trace the Cross on your forehead and invite your parents to do the same... That is star ng with hello... It s the first formal address to an individual as they come into the Church! Welcome. How we welcome ma ers. Advent, Christmas and Epiphany are the days we remember His coming into our midst, His presence in our midst and His ul mate coming at the end... The more we experience His coming, the more we rejoice and welcome others and do what we can to help them to connect, reconnect and stay connected to the Lord, to their selves and to each other! Thank you for all your help with the Grand Annual, the Christmas Lights, Flowers and Music Drive and everything else. The CYO Basketball Mass had a great turnout last Sunday night at the 6pm. Thank you for the gi s for Veterans and a special word of thanks to all who gave to the Sock Drive for Women at the Framingham House of Correc on. And for all your support to the Giving Tree and Gi s for Kids program. Remember to come early for Christmas Masses, especially the Vigil Mass of Christmas at 4:30 PM. Midnight Mass is at 8:00 PM! Christmas Morning Mass is at 10:00 AM. God bless you and stay strong,

4 D BAPTISM Please welcome our newest members in the Catholic faith baptized at St. Margaret Mary on Sunday, December 10th John W. Doyle Nicholas G. Katsilieris We offer congratulations to the family and welcome them to the community! Tis the Season We have officially entered the BIG shopping season. Nowadays most of us are purchasing BIG gifts online to avoid the hassle of lugging these large items around. Once again, this year we are asking you to donate all BIG cartons. These will be used to build the sets for our February Vacation Bible School: Expedition Norway. Boxes can be collapsed and dropped off in the lower church. Thank you for supporting us as we strive to evangelize our youngest parishioners! T S O A Thanks to the hundreds of people who came to our Sunday night Mass last weekend. It was hosted by CYO and attended by athletes, coaches, refs and sports fans. Many wore their team colors and all were blessed. We collected more than 100 pairs of socks and 40 Dunkin Donut gift cards for clients of the NE Center for Homeless Veterans, Court Street, Boston. Special thanks to servers Ava Preskinis, Grace Foscaldo, Dahlia Leyden & Jack Dullea. Thank you to Mr. Pritchard for proclaiming God s word, Ken Foscaldo for organizing the event, Mia Warrington, Ms. Ciampa and Mr. & Mrs. LaRose for helping with set up in the lower church. Thanks also to Will and Eddie for helping with our sock collection. Remember, practice hard, play hard and pray hard! Take the Mass with you. Be Christ-centered ALWAYS. Monday Night Rosary There will be NO Rosary meeting at 8:10 PM on December 18th The Rosary will resume on January 8th, 2018 CHRISTMAS LIGHTS, FLOWERS AND MUSIC DONATIONS As we prepare for Christmas, we will be accepting donations to make the Christmas celebrations even more beautiful with special music and lovely flowers. There are envelopes in the entranceways of the Church or you may use this form. All memorial names will be included on a list on Christmas Day. Please have all names and donations in to the parish office by Sunday, December 17th. Christmas Lights, Music & Flowers Donation Amount: $ In Memory of: (please print) (LAST CHANCE TO SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST IS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17TH)

5 D T S O A Christmas Music at Saint Margaret Mary s For those who will join us to celebrate the Nativity Of Our Lord here at Saint Margaret Mary Parish, I offer a few details regarding the musical enhancements that will once again help to enrich our worship. At the Vigil Mass on December 24th at 4:30 PM, the Children s Choir will sing and, so we ask anyone who may want to join us, to contact me prior to the Christmas rehearsal for the Children which will take place on Thursday, December 21st at 6:00 PM SHARP. We welcome any new singers who would like to join us on Christmas Eve. Children should be in grades 3 and higher and be willing to commit to rehearsal on December 21st at 6:00 PM as well as rehearsal on the 24th at 3:30 PM prior to Mass at 4:30 PM. Please , call, or see me in person if your child would like to join us. ALL are welcome! At the Midnight Mass at 8:00 PM, the Adult Choir will be accompanied by Jane Soh, harpist; Amy Sims, violinist; Daniel Davis, trumpeter, and Kara Swindon, flutist. At 7:30 PM our half-hour prelude will include Carols for the congregation, selections from Handel s Messiah, and the beautiful Sleep Of The Infant Jesus, for harp, violin, and organ. On Christmas morning the music at the 10:00 Mass will be led by myself and our wonderful parish organist, Shawn Mikkelson. On behalf of all of us in the Music Ministry here at Saint Margaret Mary Parish, I wish you all a most happy and blessed Christmas! Mark Nemeskal Director of Music & Liturgy THIRD ANNUAL Service of Seven Lessons and Carols My Brothers Keeper is asking your support in helping to purchase groceries for Christmas dinner for local families in need who would otherwise go without. My Brothers Keeper, based in Easton, will serve over 3,000 families in December. Forms and envelopes for Christmas dinner donations can be found at the entrances to the Church. Thank you for supporting our mission to bring the Love and Hope of Jesus Christ to those we serve. Friday, January 5,th :30 PM Please join us as we celebrate a Service of Seven Lessons and Carols here at Saint Margaret Mary Parish. The Children s Choir, the Adult Choir, and instrumentalists will lead us through this beau ful evening of prayer and song.

6 D Dear Friends in Christ, Joy to the world! Let Earth receive her king! It might seem as though I ve jumped the gun, but we, the Church, are called to celebrate today, Gaudete Sunday with a special joy. We recognize the color of the priest s vestments this week as not the violet that we ve seen the last two weeks, but instead rose this week (yes, rose, not pink say pink to any priest and they ll correct you real quick!) The word Gaudete translates as rejoice. While we re not yet rejoicing in His coming among us, we re celebra ng in the joy that is to come. Remember last week when I men- oned how difficult it can seem when we re wai ng for something? Well, this something that we re wai ng for is far from ordinary this object of our wai ng and desire is Emmanuel, God with us! Our Blessed Mother certainly knew this joy well. For all of the challenges Mary faced in becoming the Mother of Jesus, her faith and trust in God shines so brightly in today s Responsorial Psalm. (I put the word Psalm in quota on marks as this doesn t come from the book of Psalms but from the lips of the Virgin Mary in the Gospel of Luke.) Mary joyfully proclaimed these words to her cousin Elizabeth who greeted Mary by saying Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. I ve included the whole prayer (known as the Magnificat or the Can cle of Mary) below for your con nued prayerful prepara on in this season joyful an cipa on: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, My Spirit rejoices in God my Savior For He has looked with favor on His lowly servant. From this day all genera ons will call me blessed: The Almighty has done great things for me, And holy is His Name. He has mercy on those who fear Him In every genera on. He has shown the strength of His arm, He has sca ered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, And has li ed up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. He has come to the help of His servant Israel For He has remembered His promise of mercy, The promise He made to our fathers, To Abraham and his children forever. (Luke 1:46-55) Yours in the Lord s Service, Brian Cullen T S O A 2ND ANNUAL ADVENT EVENT A Night of Praise & Worship St. Margaret Mary Parish Monday, December 18th 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM High School & Middle School students must attend as part of Confirmation curriculum. The evening will include: Music by the Delmore Worship Band Eucharistic adoration Opportunity for confession A witness talk/guest speaker Chance to talk with the members of the Delmore Worship Band Free Admission All are welcome and encouraged to attend! PARISH STAFF ADDRESSES Father Linehan Brian Cullen Max Collins Karlene Duffy Jacqueline Kerr Mark Nemeskal Denise Raftery Help us spread the word. We look forward to seeing you! Thanks and continued blessings to all who participated in and volunteered at our annual December Parents Night Out. This year it was The Gift of Advent by the Go Fish Guys. Check them out on Youtube. The wee ones went home with four homemade ornaments, a bit more info about Advent and new friends! Stay tuned for more info on our next Parents Night Out. s.linehan@saintmmparish.org b.cullen@saintmmparish.org m.collins@saintmmparish.org k.duffy@saintmmparish.org j.kerr@saintmmparish.org nemeskal@verizon.net d.raftery@saintmmparish.org

7 D Liturgies for the Week Dec. 16 Saturday 4:30 PM Mary M. Nolan Dec. 17 Sunday 10:00 AM Joseph & Margaret Sack 6:00 PM Harold McDonald Dec. 18 Monday 9:00 AM Richard F. Power Dec. 19 Tuesday 9:00 AM John Burns Dec. 21 Thursday 9:00 AM Catherine Burns Dec. 22 Friday 9:00 AM John J. Nolan Dec. 23 Saturday 4:30 PM Lydia Nolan Dec. 24 Sunday 10:00 AM Joe & Joan Kadlick Sunday, December 24th Ministers Schedule for 24th - 25th Christmas Eve & Christmas Day 4:30 PM Dick Toland Craig Foscaldo, Bill Reissfelder & Michael Stallings Lois & Ken Foscaldo Michael Stallings, Grace & Jack Foscaldo Ministers Schedule December 23rd & 24th Saturday, December 23rd 4:30 PM Jim Maguire Dick Toland, Chuck Spiegel & Ann Delaney Lendrum Ann Joyce & Mil Reissfelder Special ** EM Needed ** Sunday, December 24th T S O A Ann Joyce & Sean Lendrum ** 1 Altar Server Needed ** 10:00 AM Rachel Nelson Karen Mason & Gail Ronan ** EM Needed ** Mary & Reginald Sethna Karen Mason ** 2 Needed ** Sunday, December 24th Monday December 25th 8:00 PM Marney Barrett Mike Curtin, Nancy Meagher & Mil Reissfelder John Barrett & Rory Laughna Conor Curtin ** 2 Needed ** 10:00 AM Tom Leyden Mary Hayes, Paula McCoy & Chuck Spiegel Ann Joyce & Karen Mason Devin Hunt, Ollie Seed, Dahilia & Olivia Leyden