MOST HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY MAY St. Francis Xavier Parish

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1 MOST HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY MAY St. Francis Xavier Parish

2 St. Francis Xavier, Acushnet Diocese of Fall River Mass Intentions (May 21 - May 29) Sat. May 21 The Most Holy Trinity (Vigil) (Wh) 4:00pm Pro Populo Sun. May 22 The Most Holy Trinity (Wh) 8:00am Frances & William Kennedy 10:30am Paulino & Ana Vieira Mon. May 23 Feria (Gr) 9:00am Lauria Bousquet Tues. May 24 Feria (Gr) 9:00am Pauline Venancio Wed. May 25 St. Bede the Venerable; Priest (Wh) 9:00am George Fagundes Thurs. May 26 Corpus Christi (Wh) 5:30pm LATIN MASS Fri. May 27 St. Augustine of Canterbury (Wh) 9:00am Jennifer Lawrence Sat. May 28 Blessed Virgin Mary (Wh) 9:00am Antonio Resendes & Antonio Raposo Sat. May 28 Corpus Christi (Vigil) (Wh) 4:00pm Napoleon & Marion Poisson & Cora Fleurent Sun. May 29 Corpus Christi (Wh) 8:00am Sarah Gleeson 10:30am Pro Populo Financial Report Income: Pentecost Sunday.. $3, Parish Building Fund $4, Recent Expenses: Rectory Plumbing Repairs $ Sanctuary Lamp If you are interested in this weekly memorial, please contact the parish office. During Eucharistic Adoration please pray for the following person/s for whose intention the Sanctuary Candle burns: Doris Avila CONFESSIONS PASTOR S COLUMN CONFIRMATION 2016 We had a beautiful Confirmation Mass last week concelebrated by Bishop Da Cunha at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Fall River. Ten of our young men and women received the Sacrament at the hands of the Bishop. Thank you to all involved, especially Mrs. Hammarquist and Mrs. Beaulieu. CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION Please join us as we participate in the Corpus Christi Procession on Sunday, 29 th May with the Friars and community of Our Lady s Chapel. I think it is important that we, as a Eucharistic Adoration parish, are present for this wonderful witness of our Eucharistic Lord. The event starts at 2:00pm at Our Lady s Chapel. PARISHIONER SURVEY Please make sure that you take the online survey regarding our parish. You can access the survey through our website or the Diocese s website Please take the time to complete the survey - we want to hear from as many people as possible. If you do not have internet access you can get a paper-copy from the office. All survey s must be completed by 31st May. Thank you for taking the time to complete these. ADORATION CARDS We have some Adoration cards in the parish office available for $2 each. These cards can be sent to a person for whom a Eucharistic Holy Hour has been offered. It is a great devotion to remember others during our prayer time and we can always dedicate our Holy Hours to either the living or the dead. KEVIN KILEY Bishop Da Cunha has appointed a new CFO/Chancellor for the Diocese of Fall River. He is Mr. Kevin Kiley who has been working for the Archdiocese of Boston for 20 years in a similar role. Mr. Kiley will be making a visit to our parish on Wednesday, 25 May. I will assure him of the prayerful support of this parish for him and his important work. Please keep him in your prayers. TEACHER APPRECIATION We recently held a reception for our teachers to show our appreciation for all their hard work. After the rigors of the NEASC accreditation visit and IOWA testing we wanted to show them that this parish really does appreciate them. Our school is thriving and it is due to their dedication. Thank you to all our teachers and departmental staff. Monday: 5:30 to 6:30pm Saturday: 9:30 to 10:30am Saturday: 3:00 to 3:45pm MONTH OF MAY During the month of May we will recite the Rosary each day in the church at 6:00pm. We started this practice last year and many of you joined in the challenge to say the Rosary everyday during this month dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Please join us again. msgr@sfxparish.com

3 PARISH INFORMATION HELPFUL CONTACTS PARISH OFFICE HOURS Mon-Fri: 9:30am 4:00pm Please make an appointment to meet with Msgr. O Connor to schedule a Baptism or Wedding. Religious Education: School: School Fax: ACCESSIBILITY Open for Prayer Every Day Wheelchair Lift Cry-room Evening Prayer & Benediction Mon, Tues & Wed at 6:30pm St. Francis Xavier Parish 125 Main Street Acushnet, MA tel: (508) fax: (508) info@sfxparish.com Rev. Msgr. Gerard O Connor, Pastor [msgr@sfxparish.com] Deacon David Pepin [dbp@sfxparish.com] Mr. Steven Guillotte, Director of Pastoral Services [sng@sfxparish.com] Mrs. Michelle Russo, Principal [mrusso@sfxacushnet.com] Mrs. Anabela Shaughnessy, Asst. Principal [ashaughnessy@sfxacushnet.com] Mrs. Janine Hammarquist, Rel. Ed. Coordinator [jlh@sfxparish.com] HOLY MASS Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat 9:00am Thursday (1962 Latin Mass) 5:30pm Saturday Vigil 4:00pm Sunday 8:00am & 10:30am CONFESSIONS Monday 5:30-6:30pm Saturday 9:30-10:30am Saturday 3:00-3:45pm Any Time by Appointment ADORATION Mon, Tues & Wed 9:30am-9:00pm Thurs 7:00am-5:30pm Friday 9:30am-9:00pm Saturday 8:00am-2:45pm ON THE COVER The image of the Baptism of Christ painted by Giovanni Bellini in 1502 is our selection for the bulletin cover for today s feast of the Most Holy Trinity. This Baptism some 2000 years ago led to the greatest revelation of God to man: that God is the consubstantial union of Three Divine Persons Father, Son and Spirit. Man was always able through the use of reason and observation to conclude to the existence of God. But even with an infinite number of years and scientific resources man could never have discovered on his own the threefold nature of the Divinity. This must be acknowledged over and over again so that the first thing that every Christian should be thankful for is the knowledge that God gives of himself to mankind. God the Father reveals the Son, the Son reveals the Spirit, and the Spirit reveals in the hearts of men the divine communion. It is in this knowledge that man finally began to emerge out of the darkness and into the light. In Bellini s work, the Holy Trinity is painted in a directly descending line and the only thing to cross that line is the baptismal vessel of John the Baptist in the act of consecrating Jesus as the Messiah. Behind Jesus is the Jordan River which was once crossed miraculously by the Hebrews as they entered the Promised Land. Behind John the Baptist is his hermitage, but on the other side of the river almost in line with the hermitage is a walled Italian city so that the river serves to separate the old from the new. The three females standing on the other side, across from John the Baptist, indicate the transition from the line of prophets to the post-resurrection saints. What connects these is none other than Jesus Christ who stands bridging the gap between the two Testaments. The image of Jesus may serve as a bridge, but it also serves as a font; for the water that flows behind him is not simply the Jordan since it graphically divides (ancient) Israel from (renaissance) Italy. Instead, the water flows out behind Jesus and carries the Most Holy Trinity beyond countryside and mountain, out into the world. We are reminded of Our Lord s words to, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19). Thus, Bellini s landscape offers the imagination a space much larger than could ever be represented on canvas: the hope of heaven spreading out to the entire earth. This is the distance that the Church has been challenged to traverse in its missionary zeal. Even in the movements of our liturgy over three weeks from Pentecost to the Holy Trinity to Corpus Christi (next week) we are all being encouraged to go out into the world to profess the Catholic faith. The knowledge that we possess of the Holy Trinity must never become stale (nor should our making the Sign of the Cross ever become commonplace) because the understanding which we have of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is our continuous deliverance from the darkness, which we would have never escaped without such understanding.

4 End of Year Show is upon us! It will be Tuesday 24 th May 7pm at SFX School for all Rel. Ed. students & families. EUCHARISTIC ADORATION: All Monday evenings 7:30-8:30pm. Every grade level has a reserved hour of Adoration from October- May. May is Level 1. Works of Mercy: Visit the Imprisoned. This May all class levels will be collecting NEW white pillowcases, bar soap & toothpaste for inmates at local facilities. Please consider helping those imprisoned as we are called to do during this Year of Mercy. Drop off is in the parish center. Let us offer our prayers and remind them that: You God alone are the Almighty Judge. Give them repentance and let them believe in you. Give them patience and hope in their sufferings, and bring them home again soon. Comfort their near and dear ones. In Jesus name we pray. Amen The Most Holy Trinity May 22, 2016 Our St. Francis Xavier School students danced and sang their hearts out this weekend under the direction of middle school Math & Science teacher, Laurie Plante. This year s Musical Spectacular was a tremendous success, and our students certainly brought their God-given talents into the spotlight! Congratulations to all of our superstars of the stage, as well as our academic scholars who became newly inducted members to the National Junior Honor Society! Our annual NJHS induction ceremony was held this past Wednesday evening and was very well attended by many proud parents and family members. We continue to be extremely proud of our school and all its outstanding students! God Bless, Michelle Russo/Principal Most Holy Trinity Sanctify Us! READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 22, 2016 Sunday: Prv 8:22-31/Ps 8:4-9/Rom 5:1-5/Jn 16:12-15 Monday: 1 Pt 1:3-9/Ps 111:1-2, 5-6, 9-10/Mk 10:17-27 Tuesday: 1 Pt 1:10-16/Ps 98:1-4/Mk 10:28-31 Wednesday: 1 Pt 1:18-25/Ps 79:8-9, 11, 13/Mk 10:32-45 Thursday: 1 Pt 2:2-5, 9-12/Ps 100:2-5/Mk 10:46-52 Friday: 1 Pt 4:7-13/Ps 149:1-6, 9/Mk 11:11-26 Saturday: Jude 17, 20b-25/Ps 63:2-6/Mk 11:27-33 Next Sunday: Gn 14:18-20/Ps 110:1-4/1 Cor 11:23-26/Lk 9:11b- 17 Next Sunday: Acts 2:1-11/Ps 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34/Rom 8:8-17 or Descent of the Holy Spirit Upon the Apostles Duccio (1311) ""He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you." (Jn 16:14-15) SFX PARISH CALENDAR Sunday May 22 Rel. Ed Levels 1-6 9:15-10:15am Parish Ctr. Rel. Ed Levels :30am-12:30pm Parish Ctr. Monday May 23 EP & Benediction 6:30-7:00pm Church Eucharistic Adoration Level 1 7:30-8:30pm Church Tuesday May 24 EP & Benediction 6:30-7:00pm Church Rel. Ed End of Year Show 7:00pm SFX School Wednesday May 25 EP & Benediction 6:30-7:00pm Church Thursday May 26 Women of Grace 6:30-8:30pm Parish Ctr. UPCOMING SECOND & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS May 29 th - Diocesan Assessment June 5 th - Ecclesiastical Students June 12 th - Diocesan Assessment June 19 th - Parish Building Fund

5 SFX PRAYER LINE St. Francis Xavier runs a prayer line run in which fellow parishioners pray for your intentions. If you would like to add your intentions, please call , between the hours of 8am-8pm. Or send an to prayerapostolate@gmail.com. *Women of Grace 2016* Next meeting Closing Ceremony: Thursday 26th May 6:30-8:30pm Please pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the protection of all life. Consider lighting a candle in the Pro-Life room (near elevator) in front of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe for your intentions, the prayer room is open during the week until 4pm. Women of Grace Holy Hour every first Tuesday of the month 7:30-8:30pm in front of Blessed Sacrament. All women of the parish are welcome to join in this hour of prayer and reflection. CATHOLIC CHARITES 2016: Thus far, our three week total for the appeal is $14,820 in donations and pledges. We thank all of you who have already added to this amount and the many other parishioners still eager to donate to this worthy cause. Please note that we are not taxed/assessed by the diocese on any gift you make to Catholic Charities. Did you do yours yet? Every Day In 6pm Pray The Most Holy SFX Parish LAKESIDE FAMILY FESTIVAL: presented annually by St. John Neumann Parish in East Freetown is coming this Memorial Day weekend, May Hours are Fri. 6 to 11 pm and Sat. & Sun. Noon to 11pm. There will be a huge barn sale, classic car show (Sunday), lots of games, fun and food, amusement rides and a Grand Raffle. There is free admission and free parking for the event at 157 Middleboro Rd. (Rt 18). Go to lakeside-family-festival for more information. OUR ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY: continually collects non-perishable food items for the local poor. Please place your donated items in the box at the rear of the church. Please contact Bob Vigeant at if you have any special needs, and thank you!

6 IDEAS FOR PRAYER BY DOM HUBERT VAN ZELLER The point about love is that it must grow. It is not a static quality to be hoarded for personal enjoyment. It moves. Somehow we understand this about grace, which is just another word for love, but we miss the dynamic force of charity. Charity is not only an opportunity, it is a positive agent and factor. Charity towards people admits of tests just as charity towards God admits of tests. If we love one person to the exclusion of others it is not charity but human affection. If we love only the people who are agreeable, and with whom we find favor, we are not practicing supernatural charity but are reacting without reference to God. If on the other hand we can honestly say that our love of one person makes us more ready to love others, and if again we are ready to show charity to the disagreeable and to those who are indifferent to us, we are loving in Christ and for Christ. For charity to have upon it the stamp of authenticity it must reveal qualities which shone in the charity of Christ. It must be universal, extended to those who are technically unworthy, and must be without reproach or reservation. That such a love will spring up in us immediately is hardly to be expected, but it should be aimed at and seriously cultivated. Occasions are not wanting, and the grace of it is always there. SPRING & SUMMER WORK: We have already begun our seasonal projects by cleaning up our outdoor property. We just purchased a new stripe-liner so we should begin working on painting new parking lot lines. We are in the process of changing over our sanctuary arch lights to LED and our electrician, Doug Corrigan, is replacing many switches with dimmers and remotes. We hope to soon paint some areas of disrepair including the prayer room which had a leak in the ceiling and is darkened by candle smoke. We have had a roof leak already repaired and Flagship Roofing also replaced a series of clay tiles on the west-side roof. We thank you for giving to the Building Fund to support these and many other vital improvements and repairs. A QUOTE FROM THE CATECHISM The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration Let our adoration never cease The Most Holy Trinity May 22, 2016 (St. Pope John Paul II) STEVE S COLUMN FOR CORPUS CHRISTI: of all the Elven rings, Sauron most desired to possess them, for those who had them in their keeping could ward off the decays of time and postpone the weariness of the world. (The Silmarillion) In resistance to the one evil ring of Sauron, the elves of J.R.R. Tolkien kept three opposing rings: the rings of water, air, and fire so that where these rings resided, respectively, the rivers flowed unsullied, the stars shined brightest, and the hearts of the faithful were moved to valiant deeds. In the imagination of Tolkien, these rings (and in fact, the elves themselves) symbolize the preternatural realm of Eden, the time and place before The Fall when man possessed earthly bliss and life in the body without end; that is until Adam and Eve sinned and forfeited these superior gifts. Preternatural powers are not natural to man and must be gifted. They are the angelic powers gifted specifically to someone such as Samson or John the Baptist as superhuman capacities or virtues to accomplish great tasks. But just as the power of the three rings faded with the destruction of the evil ring, so have the preternatural gifts diminished with the destruction of death by Jesus Christ. Yet this is no cause for lamentation, for what has been (for the most part) withdrawn has been exchanged for what is far greater: the supernatural gifts of God s grace. These supernatural gifts are distributed by Christ himself through the mighty sacraments which he instituted while on earth. The first gift is the sanctification that each person receives in Baptism. Each sacrament, in fact, (of the Seven Sacraments) has its own special virtue, but in particular it is the Holy Eucharist which imparts that strength of Spirit to meet the challenges of the flesh, the world, and the devil and to allow each of us to live in greater imitation of Christ. And yet the Holy Eucharist has this other virtue: that when the society of the faithful presents itself worshipfully before the Holy Eucharist in devotion and perpetual adoration, a spiritual unification of mind and will ensues, so that the parish which achieves this can ward off the wariness of the world and the decay of those common distractions which might otherwise pilot them away from a united charity. Of course, you would have to worship in a place devoted to Eucharistic Adoration to truly understand the truth of this. St. Francis Xavier in Acushnet understands that the power of the Eucharist fills its parish with an abundance of grace that spills out like treasure into the community - a community which unawares becomes intrigued by its effects. Now next Sunday is the feast of Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ) and we invite all parishioners to march under our parish banner at the procession which begins at Our Lady s Chapel, New Bedford. Do not miss out on this opportunity to accompany this Blessed Sacrament through a city most in need of its grace and goodness. sngsfx@gmail.com

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