Saint Cecilia. Second Sunday of Advent. 4 December John the Baptist from the Great Desisis Vatopedi Monastery (c )

Transcription

1 Saint Cecilia P A R I S H Second Sunday of Advent 4 December 2011 John the Baptist from the Great Desisis Vatopedi Monastery (c )

2 Thanks to St. Cecilia for a memorable Thanksgiving! Pine Street Inn Ending Homelessness

3 our community news Ministers of the Liturgy Saturday 5:00 p.m. Rev. John Unni, presider Laura Orrell, lector Sunday 8:00 a.m. Rev. Thomas Gariepy, CSC, presider Jim Dougherty, lector Sunday 9:30 a.m. Rev. John Unni, presider Jim Kennedy, Tom Nicolini, & Catherine Horsley, lectors Sunday 11:15 a.m. Rev. John Unni, presider Joe Castellano, Peter Meade, & Rosanne Meade, lectors Special intentions Saturday, December 3 5:00 p.m. Margaret McCauley, Memorial Sunday, December 4 9:30 a.m. Gloria Iglesias, Twelfth Anniversary Sunday, December 4 11:15 a.m. Joseph "Jay" Bennett, Memorial Weekday Masses Beginning this week, Mass will be celebrated at eight o'clock on Thursday and Friday mornings. Sunday 6:00 p.m. Rev. John Unni, presider Bridget Spence & Caitlin Keeton, lectors today s readings Isaiah 40:1 5, Peter 3:8 14 Mark 1:1-8 next sunday s readings Isaiah 61:1 2a, I Thessalonians 5:16 24 John 1:6 8, Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care. 3

4 Prayers & Occasions Our Sick Please pray for all our sick and for those who are in need of our prayer, especially Josephine Parker, John Saulenas, K. Champoux, Patricia Hoggard, Jennifer Serpico, Christine St. Pierre, Jessica Coviello, Harold Williamson, Jessica Rivieccio, Earl Chilcote, Ellen Nora Toombs, Colonel Robert C. Tashjian, Roseanne Borgioli, Rosemary Messina, Kim Murray, Heather LoRe, Rudy Kikel, Herbert Simmons, Peggy Furey, Janice Mascia, Winnie Dyer, Jane Cox, Pamela D Ambra, Sue Lucas, Suki Coughlin, Roberta Keenan, Bridget Spence, Annette Kulas, Sam Gowan, Rhea Richard, Pil-Yun Son, Mary Yanez, Larry Buckley, M. Frances Driscoll, Father Harry Giroux, Ed Langlais, Bob McLaughlin, Steven Whitkens, Diana Slaton, Leo Garcia, Jean Marino, Joe Ford, Danny Cotter, Natalia Chilcote, Amy Sweetland, Jim Keyes, Michael Zawikowski, Cheryl Proctor, John Kiernan, Patricia Macdonald, Elvera Dowsky, Frank Ackley, Fred Haslee, Lorraine Haslee, Robert Menson, Paul Flaherty, William Louttit, Lucie Kelly, Bro. Adam Zielonka, O.C.S.O., Amy Duarte, Karen & Rick, Phyllis Porras, Jim Linderman, Mark Amerault, Sr. Nuala Cotter, R.A., Kristen DeFranco Martinez, Michele Crowley Tippens, Sara Lima Santos, Joseph Driscoll, Pete Huttlinger, Anthony Simboli, Lisa Caputo, Edward Gill, Darlene McLendon, Jeanne Tibbs, Debbie Pace, Peter Schwahn, Deidre Sullivan, Roosevelt Brown, Mary O Donnell, Ginny L Abbe, Steve Chamberlain, Matt Penchuk, Carrie Penchuk, Christy Cosgrove, Jacques Romberger, John Scaife, Maureen Sullivan, Alyce Haley, Joe Capizzi, David Walsh, Joe Huenke, Kaylin Marcotte, Avito Pacifici, Charlotte Egan, James Noone, Keith Plaster, Frederick Flather, David & Paula Fillion, Fred Maglero, Sarah Sweeney, Jeanne Boger, Susan Shea, Bill Croke, Ettore Bergamaschi, Ryan Delaney, and Anita Cipriani. World AIDS Day Today we commemorate World AIDS Day. Remember in your prayer all those who live with HIV/AIDS. Remember also those who care for individuals with this virus loved ones, physicians, nurses, and nursing assistants, as well as for scientists who work to find a cure. Gaudete Sunday Next Sunday is traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday, a day marked by a joyful anticipation of the Christmas celebration. Like Laetare Sunday in Lent, the optional liturgical color is rose. Help add to our celebration by wearing something rose colored to Mass next Sunday! The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception This Thursday, December 8, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patronal Feast Day of the United States. This day is observed as a holy day of obligation and Mass will be celebrated at eight o'clock a.m. and six thirty p.m. Eleven fifteen Coffee Hour This afternoon's eleven fifteen coffee hour is being hosted by the Saint Cecilia Rainbow Ministry. If you are participating in the elevenfifteen Mass, you are warmly invited to the Parish Hall following the liturgy for refreshments and conversation. Welcome, St. Mark Confirmation Candidates! At this morning's eleven fifteen Mass we warmly welcome twenty two confirmation candidates and their catechist, Camilla Duffy, from Saint Mark Parish in Dorchester. We're happy to have you all with us! 4

5 Baptisms At this morning's nine thirty liturgy, we baptize Giana Lyn, daughter of Jessica Rivieccio and granddaughter of Joe Rivieccio. At the eleven fifteen liturgy, we baptize Benjamin Maxwell, son of Eric Aulenback and Kimberly Zimmer and new little brother of Isabella; and we baptize Marin Cecilia, daughter of Shaun and Kristin McAuliffe. The Christian community welcomes you with great joy, Giana, Benjamin, and Marin! Bwavo Pou Gilly! For the past seven years Gilly Parker has coordinated the greeting ministry for our parish. Sadly for us, she s decided that seven years is long enough in that role and there will be an announcement of her replacement in these pages shortly. You all know Gilly, if not by name, by presence; she is the gentle, gracious woman at the door welcoming everyone to our church, answering all matters of questions, offering all kinds of assistance, never anything less than generous of spirit. When some of us went to Haiti a few years ago, we learned of a lovely prayerful practice where, in community, each person is asked to praise another (offer a bwavo pou ) for some positive act or way of being quietly recognized over the course of the day. The practice encourages you to look for and attend to the small and quiet good things that we do for one and another that don t always rise to the level of acclaim but make life a better and sweeter thing for us all. Gilly s effect among us has been just that; faithful and kind, generous and good, pervasive, yet without calling attention to itself. A true gift. So Bwavo pou Gilly! Thank you sincerely and all best wishes going forward. this week's prayer for your advent wreath SECOND WEEK Light two of the violet candles. During the rest of the week, these candles are relit at the evening meal or whenever you choose to do so. Jesus, John the Baptist told the people, "If you have two coats, give one to someone else who doesn't have any. If you have food, share it with someone else." As we light this candle, we remember that you bring the light of service into our lives. May your Word be always in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts. Amen. BE SURE TO TAKE HOME A LITTLE BLUE BOOK FOR ADVENT Six minutes a day. That's what you might consider giving during these next 37 days the 21 remaining days of the Advent season and the 16 days of Christmastide. The Little Blue Book includes daily reflections based on the Sunday Gospels for Cycle B. These books are in baskets in the rear of the church. Take one home and spend just six minutes a day in reflection. This is a great way to keep Advent and prepare for our celebration of the Lord's Nativity. 5

6 thanks for thanksgiving In the midst of the very busy Thanksgiving holiday so many parishioners pitched in to make Thanksgiving a lovely experience for others and to help with preparing the church for Advent. Twenty parishioners volunteered to serve Thanksgiving dinner at Morville House in the Fenway neighborhood. Our folks from Saint Cecilia were energetic, flexible, and cheerful as they served over 100 meals to the residents there with enough for leftovers! Many thanks to those who helped out in a myriad of ways: roasting and carving turkeys, preparing desserts, purchasing and donating pies from Community Servings, setting up, serving, and cleaning up. You all helped make an enjoyable and memorable day for the residents of Morville House. And, of course, we save our most heartfelt thanks for Kim Kates who once again did an extraordinary job of coordinating all the details for this Thanksgiving feast! Here at the church, we were delighted to host nearly fifty folks from the Pine Street Inn program that sets up formerly homeless people in homes, providing them with the appropriate level of support and services that allow them to begin the journey to self sufficiency. Some thirty parishioners decorated our Parish Hall, served dinner, purchased and donated Community Servings pies for dessert, and, most importantly, provided real hospitality and a generous welcome to our guests. We are grateful to those who worked to get our Advent Giving Tree up and ready for the First Sunday of Advent. Last Saturday, the Parish Hall was a busy workshop for ornament construction. The finished tree looks great! The tags are getting claimed as quickly as they are put up. It will be exciting to see the presents pile up, knowing that we'll be spreading Christmas joy in our community. Thank you to those who helped to make the church so beautiful for Advent both inside and out. There was a lot of work to be done cleaning, planting bulbs for the spring, and festooning greens and berries and dogwood branches. The team worked hard and the church was magnificent for the lighting of the first Advent candle. Now, even in the midst of the busyness that marks the weeks leading up to Christmas, we are invited to quiet our hearts and to prepare a place to welcome Christ more fully into our lives this Christmas. Here is one of our favorite Advent poems by Mary Oliver: Making the House Ready for the Lord Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but still nothing is as shining as it should be for you. Under the sink, for example, is an uproar of mice it is the season of their many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves and through the walls the squirrels have gnawed their ragged entrances but it is the season when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow; what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly up the path, to the door. And still I believe you will come, Lord: you will, when I speak to the fox, the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know that really I am speaking to you whenever I say, as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in. 6

7 christmas flowers You are invited to remember your loved ones by donating towards the Christmas flowers that will grace our sanctuary. In the back of the church you'll find envelopes that you can use for this purpose. Please drop the envelope in the collection basket or hand it to any staff person. The names of those remembered will be published in the Christmas bulletin. Please be sure to PRINT clearly. santa loves books! As a prelude to the anticipated Bookshop at Saint Cecilia we will be offering a selection of new children s books for sale in the Parish Pastoral Center after the nine thirty and eleven fifteen liturgies on December 11 and 18. Please stop by and take a look at what we think is a selection of the very best new books for children. Proceeds will benefit folks in need during the holiday season. write for human rights SECOND ANNUAL WRITE FOR RIGHTS YOUR WORDS CAN SAVE LIVES Each year people from across the globe mark International Human Rights Day on December 10 by taking part in Amnesty International s Write for Rights Global Write-a-thon. Next Saturday, December 10, from two to four o clock, we will gather in the Parish Hall to write letters and cards, demanding that the rights of individuals in twelve different cases are respected, protected, and fulfilled. Pen, paper, and suggested texts for the letters will be supplied and refreshments served. Please stop by whether you can write one letter or ten, and please bring your friends. Please enter the Parish Hall from the new glass entrance on Belvidere Street. If you have any questions, please contact parishioner Celina Valadao at cvaladao@aiusa.org or Mark Lippolt at mlippolt@hammondre.com. christmas cards for sale Starting this weekend, we will once again be selling Christmas cards to support the mission of Pine Street Inn, where Father John and several parishioners serve on the Board of Directors. This is a wonderful way of supporting Pine Street's mission of finding permanent solutions to homelessness while sharing some wonderful Boston themed Christmas cards with family and friends. the light is on for you On Wednesday, December 21, from six thirty to eight o'clock p.m., Saint Cecilia, along with every parish and chapel of the Archdiocese, will be open for individual confessions. Celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Advent is a wonderful way to prepare for the festivities of Christmas. thank you A. Russo & sons! We are grateful to A. Russo & Sons, 560 Pleasant Street in Watertown, for their generous donation of fresh fruit for the Pine Street Inn s satellite Thanksgiving Day dinner held in the Parish Hall. A small basket containing apples, oranges, bananas, and grapes graced each table, serving as a colorful, edible centerpiece. At the end of the meal, the guests were able to take home some of the delicious fruit for a healthy evening snack which was a treat for many of our guests as they seldom are able to enjoy fresh fruit. If you value the highest quality food and haven't been to Russo's, you're missing out! 7

8 St. Cecilia Parish Advent Giving Tree Our annual Advent giving tree has arrived! If you purchase a gift you will bring tidings of comfort and joy this Christmas to some of the many children, single parents and senior citizens who live in our neighborhood. Here is some information on the organizations that we are supporting this year. PROJECT HOPE works in partnership with families so they can move up and out of poverty. They do this by being a catalyst for change in the lives of families and in the systems that keep them poor; developing and providing family support solutions for homelessness and poverty; and advocating for just public policies that strengthen families. We have received 104 gift requests from Project Hope clients. ALL GIFTS for PROJECT HOPE must be delivered unwrapped so the parents participate in holiday giving by wrapping the gifts themselves. Gift tags should be securely attached to the outside of the unwrapped gift. FAMILIES IN TRANSITION is an emergency shelter program in our neighborhood for 22 single parents. FIT has been in operation for 13 years, working to help families become stabilized, to secure adequate and affordable housing and to develop the skills and ability to maintain their homes in their respective communities. We have received gift requests from 22 families. Gifts for these families should be wrapped with the gift tag securely attached to the outside of the gift. ELDERS LIVING AT HOME is a program of Boston Medical Center that supports elders in making the transition from homelessness to housing. The ELAHP mission provides supportive services to help elders overcome barriers to permanent housing. They provide a range of culturally competent services to a diverse group of older adults who are homeless, who have been homeless and who may be at risk of becoming homeless with the goal of helping them maintain their independence in safe, affordable permanent housing for as long as possible. The individuals served by ELAHP are very low-income, and many are socially isolated. Most would not be remembered at Christmas at all without the gifts given by Saint Cecilia parishioners. Our gifts to them not only help meet their significant material needs, but also offer them the much needed human touch and the feeling of being remembered and recognized as the unique and blessed individuals they are. There are 180 Clients served by this program. Homelessness is one of the most complex and challenging social problems in the United States. Pine Street Inn has crafted an ambitious plan to focus its efforts on permanent supportive housing. In January 2008, the Massachusetts Commission to End Homelessness released a five-year plan to end homelessness in the Commonwealth. It proposed to redirect resources from emergency shelter to permanent housing, homelessness prevention and asset development efforts. Pine Street currently owns and manages more than 600 units at 35 sites throughout greater Boston. The average income of residents is less than $10,000 and rent is calculated to be 30% of their income. The supportive housing model employed by Pine Street, incorporating case managers and house managers, has proven extremely effective in keeping individuals housed long-term. A comprehensive plan encourages each individual to reach his or her potential. The plan includes accessing health services, job training or mental health resources. We have received gift requests from 28 clients who live at one of the Pine Street Homes.

9 world aids day Today we commemorate World AIDS Day and will bless our AIDS Memorial Quilt hanging in the rear of the church. At the conclusion of the Universal Prayer (the Prayer of the Faithful) during the eleven-fifteen Mass, designated members of the assembly will come forward for the solemn reading of the 149 names inscribed on the Quilt. As members of the Church and society, we have a responsibility to stand in solidarity with and reach out with compassion and understanding to those exposed to or experiencing this disease. We must provide spiritual and pastoral care as well as medical and social services for them and support for their families and friends. (The Many Faces of AIDS: A Gospel Response. U.S. Catholic Conference Administrative Board) our aids memorial quilt Throughout history quilts have symbolized a legacy of memory and community. The Saint Cecilia AIDS Memorial Quilt, inspired by the NAMES Project which originated in San Francisco and is now based in Atlanta, was first dedicated at the Jesuit Urban Center in November of 1995 and brought to Saint Cecilia four years ago. It is a tapestry that binds us together and reminds us of the loved ones, friends, and partners this community has lost to the AIDS virus. In the mid-nineteen nineties, Michele Audet, Paul Goulet, Jean Marino, Mimi Rittenburg, and Janine Shahbaz, members of the Jesuit Urban Center s Last Tuesday Dinner Program (a program founded to serve a nutritious and delicious dinner on the last Tuesday of each month to people living with HIV/AIDS), came together to determine how best to honor the many wonderful people they loved who had died. It was during this gathering that the idea of an AIDS Memorial Quilt was born. Pedro Carasquilto, a Jesuit scholastic who was stationed at the church at this time, helped design this powerful visual reminder of so many lives cut short by the AIDS virus. Each Quilt panel in the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt is 3 feet by 6 feet; eight panels are sewn together to create full size quilts of 12 square feet. The Saint Cecilia AIDS Memorial Quilt is modeled after a full size quilt. The bold primary colors used in the Quilt contrast with its solemn symbolism. The Quilt evokes both Christian imagery and the memory of those who have died. IHS is derived from the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus (IHSOUS). In ancient times, this became a widely recognized monogram of the Christ. IHS is also featured in the Jesuit crest. The red AIDS ribbon is looped through the H. Each star circling around the central image represents someone from our community who died from AIDS. Michele, Paul, Jean, Mimi and Janine placed the Quilt on the altar of the church and lovingly inscribed the first ninetythree names on the stars. Names are added each year before it is displayed on the Sunday nearest World AIDS Day a stark reminder that AIDS is still with us. Calling us to the hope born of faith is a verse from the prophet Zephaniah, edging the Quilt in four-inch letters: I will sing and dance before the Lord. With happy song God will dance for you with shouts of joy. For God now rejoices over you. 9

10 koinonia events Koinonia, Saint Cecilia's ministry to parishioners in their twenties and thirties, will be holding several fun events in December. All are welcome! Christmas Party Join us on Wednesday evening, December 14, from seven-thirty to nine-thirty, in the Parish Hall at Saint C's for a Christmas party! More details will be announced next week. Bowling Fundraiser We will be going to Kings to bowl for charity on Sunday evening, December 18 from eight to ten o'clock. The beneficiary will be decided by the group. Trivia nights Koinonia meets every first and third Wednesday for trivia at Clerys (113 Dartmouth Street). To keep informed about Koinonia events, please join our e mail list by e mailing Kevin Daly at stcecilia.koinonia@gmail.com. sing in exultation We are looking for additional voices to join our Christmas Eve choir at either the four o'clock or six o'clock Mass (or both!). Rehearsals will be held in the church from seven to nine o'clock on the following Thursday evenings: Thursday, December 15 Thursday, December 22 If you are interested in singing with us, please see Music Director, Richard Clark or e mail him at RClark@stceciliaboston.org. next Pine street dinner THE NEXT FAITH FORMATION FAMILY/PINE STREET WOMEN'S INN DINNER IS ONE WEEK FROM TOMORROW On Monday, December 12, the Corcoran- Murphy, Eagan-Curtis, Galligan, and Franken- Townes families in the Faith Formation Program will cook and serve a holiday dinner at the Pine Street Women s Inn. These four families will supply a hot entrée, accompanied by potatoes, rice or pasta, a hot vegetable and a green salad. The Inn supplies the bread. The Saint Cecilia Food Group invites other Faith Formation families and parishioners to donate Christmas cookies and holiday desserts, fresh fruit or, if you prefer, to make a financial contribution. The Saint Cecilia Food Group will collect the donations next Sunday, December 11 between the morning Masses. Please look for the Faith Formation/Pine Street Women s Inn poster and donation baskets in the narthex. If there are any Faith Formation families who would like to help cook/serve a meal at Pine Street Women s Inn and have yet to sign up, please contact E. Jane Smith via e mail at ejsmith@rcn.com. There are many ways you can contribute to this program. PRISON & AFTER COMMITTEE OUR NEXT MEETING IS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 12:30 TO 2:00 On Sunday, December 18, the committee will be discussing the possible role of Saint Cecilia in supporting the men and women in our parish who area are seeking spiritual support as they make the transition from prison back to their communities. All are welcome to attend. 10

11 42nd annual martin luther king, jr. memorial breakfast MONDAY, JANUARY 16 8:00 BOSTON CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTER 415 SUMMER STREET The 42nd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast to commemorate the noble legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be held on Monday, January 16 at eight o'clock. This event features delicious food, live music and a diverse gathering of over 1,000 people, including business, civic and religious leaders from across Massachusetts. We need to reserve tables for this breakfast prior to December 31. Tickets are $40 each. If you would like to join us and sit at one of the Saint Cecilia tables, pleaes call the parish office or e mail Scott MacDonald at smacdonald@ stceciliaboston.org. If you've attended this breakfast in the past, you know what a moving and hope filled way this is to commemorate the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. parish christmas concert PARISH CHRISTMAS CONCERT FEATURING THE COPLEY SINGERS AND RECEPTION WITH CAROL SING Please plan to be with us on Tuesday evening, December 13 at seven o clock for our parish Christmas concert, featuring the Copley Singers, under the direction of Brian Jones. This will be a wonderful evening for both adults and children. Following the concert, there will be a festive reception in the Parish Hall with a carol sing and a visit from that right jolly old elf, Santa Claus! Founded in 2006, the Copley Singers are a congenial group of auditioned volunteers and professionals, all dedicated to the art of fine choral singing and the joy of communicating their love of this art to the public. Director Brian Jones is Emeritus Director of Music at Trinity Church, Copley Square, an active organ concert artist and guest conductor with many recordings to his credit. The group has performed throughout New England, including programs in Boston, Cambridge, Plymouth, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha s Vineyard, and many other venues. They collaborated with the Harvard University Choral Scholars in the 2007 Easter Service at The Memorial Church at Harvard, and offered a hymn festival for a convention of the Organ Historical Society several years ago in Plymouth, led on that occasion by Brian Jones and the late Reverend Peter J. Gomes. In the spring of 2009, they joined with the Ensemble Singers of Bermuda to perform a special concert which was part of the 400th anniversary of the establishment of the Island. They were honored in September, 2010 to be invited to sing for the memorial service of Rosemary Thompson, daughter of Harvard composer Randall Thompson. This fall, they were invited to sing at the 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Commemoration at Trinity Church Wall Street in Lower Manhattan and were one of nine choral groups that performed at the full day concert featuring celebrated choirs from New York City, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Boston regions forever linked by the tragic events of 9/11. You won t want to miss this fun evening. Tickets are $20 ($10 for students and seniors and no charge for children) and will be sold at the door. 11

12 By JAMES MARTIN, SJ SAINT CECILIA PARISH Goodbye to the "old" mass? An Elegy for the Sacramentary There has been a great deal of ink spilled (and pixels posted) over the new English translation of the Mass, that is, the new edition of the Roman Missal, which [was] formally introduced into American parishes [last] Sunday. Even the secular media has gotten wind of the changes, with the result that by now most Massgoing Catholics are aware of the changeover, as well as the discussions surrounding the new translations and the process that led to their approval. (Surveys show that less active Catholics are much less aware.) In short depending on who you read it's a beautiful translation that preserves the majesty of the original Latin; or it's not much of a change at all; or it's an overly literal translation that sounds clunky. Which is it? It's probably unfair to judge until a few months have passed, and the priests and people have had the chance to hear and speak and pray with the changes. Yet while there have been an enormous amount of commentary on the initiation of the new Roman Missal, there has been relatively less about the loss of the Sacramentary (the book of the Mass prayers) and an appreciation for the riches it brought to the church for the last few decades. Any significant change is like a death; and so any change brings about the need for some grieving. You sell a house and buy a new one; and you are sad about the loss of the old one even if your new house is more spacious. You move from one job to another; and you shed a few tears saying goodbye to old colleagues even if you're looking forward to the new position. You graduate from high school to college, and even if it's your top choice, you cry at your graduation. It would be odd, therefore, not to acknowledge some sadness over the passing of something so central to Catholic life as what will soon be called the "old" Sacramentary. Even if you are eagerly anticipating the new translations, something significant is moving into the past, and is being lost. So let me say something: I will miss the old prayers, even as I prepare for the new ones. I'm 50 years old, which means that by the time I was conscious of the Eucharist say, around 1967 the Mass was being celebrated in English. I dimly remember saying things like "It is right and just" as a very young boy, which was most likely a holdover from the early Mass translations after the Second Vatican Council. 12

13 But, for the most part, my entire Catholic life has been shaped by the familiar prayers of the Sacramentary, the book that we [left] behind [last] Sunday. Those prayers accompanied me as I marched up the aisle, hands folded tight, for my First Holy Communion and Confirmation in our suburban Philadelphia parish; they helped me to pray during some confusing high school years in that same church; they taught me about God during my college days in Philadelphia when I dragged myself (sometimes hungover) to Sunday Mass; they challenged me during my stint as a wannabe executive in New York City; and they startled me at times, and eventually helped prompt me to consider the priesthood, when I was working in Connecticut in my late twenties. As a Jesuit novice in Boston in the late 1980s, I listened far more intently to those prayers and grew to love their simplicity. One virtue of the prayers of the Sacramentary was their clarity, their economy, their clean lines. They seemed, well, natural, and sounded like the prayers I said when I was alone with God. And in the novitiate, when I began to attend daily Mass (a first for me), it seemed as if I was hearing some of those old phrases for the first time: "You renew the church in every age." "Each year you give us this joyful season." "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you." "Happy are those who are called to his supper." How wonderful that these prayers, which I had said as an eight-year-old, could deepen in me. In this way my adult faith felt profoundly connected to that of my youth. Over the next few years, during my Jesuit training, I would hear those prayers during philosophy studies in Chicago, when I prayed them with Jesuits from across the country; and in Nairobi, Kenya, where I would hear them said, and sung, with an East African accent. Later, during theology studies in Boston, I began to wonder what it would be like to say the priest's prayers. But I certainly didn't need to "learn" them any more than I needed to learn the Our Father; I had known them all my life. All I needed to do was grow in comfort at praying them in a new way. A few weeks before my diaconate ordination, my sister and brother-in-law gave me a great gift: the Sacramentary, and I began to study it in earnest. And on the day of my first Mass, I could barely believe that I had the privilege to say these words: "Father, you are holy indeed..." As many priests will tell you, it takes a while to move from saying the prayers of the Mass to praying them. From feeling like you are performing to praying with the congregation. And at some point I know I will feel comfortable with the new English translation. Last week I celebrated what was probably my last "public Mass" (that is, outside my Jesuit community) using the Sacramentary, and as I moved for the final time through the words that I've known since I was a boy, I became sad. Most likely I would never hear some of these phrases again. And as I stood at the altar, my mind went back to, oddly, my First Communion: I had heard these same words on that day. Other priests have shared with me their sadness as we set aside these familiar words, phrases and cadences. As we move to the new, let's not forget the value of the old. After all, tradition is an important part of the church, and we would be remiss if there was not an elegy for the old Sacramentary, the prayers of our youth: simple, clean, clear, direct, unadorned, beautiful. 13

14 Parish RESOURCES Parish Office & Mailing Address 18 Belvidere Street, Boston, MA Hours Monday Friday, 9:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Phone Fax Website Parish Staff Richard J. Clark, Director of Music and Organist, Mark Donohoe, Pastoral Associate for Administration, Genevieve Fiorente, Office Administrative Assistant Scott J. MacDonald, Director of Faith Formation and Leadership Development, Maureen Sullivan, Administrative Assistant to the Pastor, Rev. John J. Unni, Pastor, Assisting Clergy Rev. Charles Connolly, SJ Rev. Thomas Gariepy, CSC Rev. Peter Grover, OMV Rev. James Shaughnessy, SJ Rev. George Winchester, SJ In Residence Rev. Thomas A. Mahoney Schedule for Liturgy Thursday & Friday 8:00 a.m. Lord s Day Sat 5:00 p.m.; Sun 8:00, 9:30, 11:15, and 6:00 p.m. Holy Days 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Reconciliation By appointment at any time and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 8:00 during Lent. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the communal process through which non-baptized men and women become members of the Catholic Church. It is also suitable for those baptized in different faith traditions who are interested in becoming Catholic, or, for those who were baptized Catholic, but have yet to receive the sacraments of eucharist and confirmation. For more information, please contact Scott MacDonald. Baptism for Infants Infant baptism is celebrated on the first Sunday of the month. For more information, please contact Mark Donohoe. Faith Formation for Children To register your child for our Faith Formation Program, please contact Scott MacDonald in the parish office. Marriage Couples who wish to prepare for marriage should contact Mark Donohoe in the parish office at least six months in advance. Care of the Sick To arrange for the Sacrament of the Sick, for Holy Communion to be brought to those unable to attend the Sunday celebration, or for Viaticum for the Dying (Holy Communion for those in danger of death), please contact the parish office. It is always possible to anoint the sick during regularly scheduled liturgies. Order of Christian Funerals The parish is prepared to celebrate the Vigil (wake) in the church. Please contact the parish office for more information. Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Team The CAP Team is responsible for training all parish staff and volunteers in mandated reporting laws and the Protecting God s Children program (VIRTUS). They also provide consultation and support to anyone in the parish who has concerns about reporting child abuse and neglect. Please contact Lois Flaherty (loisflaherty@gmail.com), Ginny DiSanto (gin250boston@gmail.com) or Peg Quilty (nursempeg@gmail.com) if you have any questions or concerns. The Archdiocese of Boston has in place a vigorous program to protect children from harm and to educate its ministers and faithful about the nature of abuse, with a goal of increasing knowledge, creating a safe environment for children, and recognizing and reporting potentially dangerous situations. The full text of the policy is also available in the narthex and parish office, as well as on our website. For Those with Celiac Disease If you have celiac disease, please let us know. We have a supply of low-gluten altar bread available for those who cannot tolerate gluten. Hearing Assistance in Church The church is equipped with an FM listening device. Small receivers are available for anyone who may have trouble hearing the sound system. Simply request a receiver from any one of our greeters before Mass. Access for the Disabled The church is accessible by elevator. Parking Reduced-rate parking (maximum of three hours) is available Sundays at the Prudential Center parking garage, LAZ Parking (53 Belvidere Street), and at the Hilton Boston Back Bay. Please bring your parking ticket to church for validation before returning to the garage. Joining Our Community We re happy that you re with us! Our community offers a warm, spiritual home for a diverse group of Catholics. We come from many neighborhoods in and around Boston but also have parishioners from as far afield as Marlborough, Newburyport, and Stow. Please introduce yourself to a staff member, drop in for coffee on Sunday, or fill out a new parishioner form in the gathering space. No matter what your background, please know that you are always welcome at Saint Cecilia. 14