Saint Cecilia. Sixth Sunday of Easter. 5 May 2013

Transcription

1 Saint Cecilia P A R I S H Sixth Sunday of Easter 5 May 2013 Mosaic of the Ascension of Christ Basilica Cattedrale di S. Maria La Nuova Monreale, Sicily - 12th Century

2 Dear Friends, On behalf of the entire Nativity Preparatory School community, please accept our heartfelt gratitude for the outstanding role that the parishioners of St. Cecilia played in making the 2013 Nativity Spirit Dinner such a tremendous success. Your participation helped to make for an unforgettable evening with record setting attendance. We were thrilled to present Fr. John Unni and the parishioners of St. Cecilia with the Raymond J. Callahan Service Award. Thank you for the numerous ways you serve our students with your time, talent, and treasure. Our students are blessed to have many of you in their lives as cooks, tutors and mentors. If you have not been to Nativity Prep, please consider coming by for a visit so you can see our mission in action and allow the boys to thank you in person for your generosity. Our doors are open anytime you would like to visit, or join us for one of our upcoming Nativity Visitor Breakfasts on May 7 th, or May 14 th or May 21 st. For more information or to RSVP to a breakfast, please contact Brooke O Donnell at bodonnell@nativityboston.org or x21. Thanks for all your Nativity Spirit and your service to the greater Boston community! Gratefully, Rev. John Wronski, SJ President

3 our community news Ministers of the Liturgy Saturday 5:00 p.m. Rev. Peter Grover, OMV, celebrant Chris Orrell, lector Sunday 8:00 a.m. Rev. Thomas Gariepy, CSC, celebrant Louvere Walker, lector Sunday 9:30 a.m. Rev. Thomas Gariepy, CSC, celebrant Moira Macdonald, Victoria Maria Klyce, & Jim English, lectors special intentions Saturday, May 4 5:00 p.m. George Stannard, Memorial Sunday, May 5 8:00 a.m. Salvatore R. Pepe, Memorial Sunday, May 5 9:30 a.m. Emilia Marie Landry, Memorial Sunday, May 5 11:15 a.m. Arthur Joseph O'Keefe, 29th Anniversary Sunday 11:15 a.m. Rev. George Winchester, SJ, celebrant Nicole Benevenia, Zachary Fehst, & Kendra Metzger, lectors Sunday 6:00 p.m. Rev. Peter Grover, OMV, celebrant Caitlin Keeton & Letitia Howland, lectors today s readings Acts 15:1-2, Revelation 21:10-14, John 14:23-29 next sunday s Readings Acts 7:55-60 Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20 John 17:20-26 if you love me, keep my commandments, says the lord, and i will ask the father and he will send you another paraclete, to abide with you for ever, alleluia. communion antiphon for the sixth sunday of easter 3

4 Prayers & Occasions Our Sick Please pray for all our sick and for those who are in need of our prayer, especially Jennifer Serpico, Heather LoRe, Rudy Kikel, Annette Kulas, Steven Whitkens, Patricia Macdonald, Lucie Kelly, Anthony Simboli, Lisa Caputo, Jeanne Tibbs, Ginny L Abbe, Bill Croke, Anne Frenette Handly, Jan Igras, Frank DeMare, Ruth Frost, Elie Prevost, Roséa Aubrey, Chuck Campion, Brenna Smith, Mildred McLaughlin, Robert Gregory Sr., Hannah Mai Devery, Susanne Coyne, John Gilman, Ken Bennett, Vincent Fiorda, Mike Flynn, Laurette Carrier, Domenic Iannaccone, Jim Mootos, Sunny Castellano, Bill McDaid, James Geller, & Steve Matteson. Welcome to Saint Cecilia! We are delighted to welcome the following newly registered members of our parish: Jason Archambault of Boston; Keeley Wray of Brookline; Mark Beauchamp of South Boston; Christina Searby of Dorchester; Tricia and Robert Houde of Danvers; Michele Sageer of Boston; Matt Koelsch of South Boston; Erin Ramsey of Brighton; Peter Tooher of Brighton; and Monica Anda of Brighton. If you have not already registered with the parish, there are forms in the narthex for this purpose or you may register on-line at Ascension Thursday The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is observed on Thursday of this week. Ascension Thursday is a holy day of obligation and we will celebrate the liturgy at eight o'clock in the morning and at six-thirty in the evening (with music). Special Collection Next Weekend Next week s second collection supports The Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC). CCC develops media programming, projects and resources that promote Gospel values. Fifty percent of the collection supports local communications efforts, such as televised Masses and diocesan newspapers. The other fifty percent supports the development and production of a wide range of national media programming. Please visit www. USCCB.org/ccc for more information. Thank You! A big thank you to all who made our "Darkness to Light" concert last Tuesday such a wonderful evening. We are grateful to Brian Jones and The Copley Singers and to Richard Clark and our own Saint Cecilia Choir for filling our church with the most sublime music. We are also grateful to the many people who pitched in to provide food, help with the set-up and clean-up, greet our guests and distribute programs, and help with the collection. It was a true community event. We collected $3, to send to The One Fund, to help those most affected by the tragic events that occurred in Boston on April 15. Last Six O'clock Mass for the Season Today is the last six o'clock Mass until September. Eleven-fifteen Mass Time Change Next Sunday Next Sunday, First Holy Communion will be celebrated at the nine-thirty liturgy. In order to allow sufficient time between liturgies, the eleven-fifteen liturgy will be moved to eleven-thirty. Our First Communicants First Holy Communion is next Sunday at the nine-thirty liturgy! Please pray for our youngsters who will soon be joining us at the table of the Lord: Julie, Fiona, Louisa, Caroline, Austin, Pia, Andrés, Haleigh, Hannah, Coco, James, Owen, Annikamarie, Riccardo, Will, Kathryn, Mairead, and James. For Those Preparing for Ordination Pray for all who are being ordained this spring that God will strengthen and inspire them to serve the Body of Christ selflessly and faithfully. The 2013 Boston Presbyteral Ordination will take place on Saturday morning, May 25 at nine o'clock at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. All are invited to attend. 4

5 parish picnic! As the flowering trees around the neighborhood are telling us, spring has finally arrived in Boston. To help celebrate, all parishioners are invited to a parish picnic on Sunday, June 2 from 1:00 to 4:00 in the Parish Hall and our outdoor green spaces. If you would like to help out by bringing food items or beverages, there will be sign-up sheets in the narthex after weekend liturgies on May 11-12, 18-19, and If you have any questions, please contact Jeanne Bruno at jbruno@stceciliaboston. please donate your spare change to our YNIA During the next six weeks, there will be a water jug in the narthex in which you can donate your spare change to our Young Neighbors in Action participants. High school members of our community will be heading to Gallup, NM in June for a week of service and learning about Catholic Social Teaching and your contributions will help defray the cost of this trip. If you bring in a container of change and would rather not transfer it into the water jug, please just give it to one of our greeters or a staff person. In prior years, we have been able to raise $1,500 just by donations of change. This is a good cause and we thank you in advance! catholic appeal Many thanks to all who have contributed to the 2013 Catholic Appeal. We have raised $39,915 of our assigned goal of $48,813 (82%). If you have not made your pledge, please consider doing so soon. Remember, a rebate of 55% of paid pledges above our goal comes back to the parish. Last year we received almost $7,000 in rebate funds. Thank you very much for your generous consideration. flowers If you would like to contribute flowers for our altar or gathering space on a particular Sunday in memory of a loved one or in thanksgiving to God, all you need to do is contact Scott MacDonald (sj_macdonald@stceciliaboston.org) one week in advance. volunteering at pine street inn Our parish has committed to volunteering at the Pine Street Men's Inn one night a month throughout Because of our proximity to the shelter, we often are assigned evenings that are difficult for the Inn's other groups to fill. This month we will be at the Men's Inn on Sunday, May 26, the day before Memorial Day. There are eight slots open for volunteer parishioners to assist in feeding the poor at the Inn. We will be interacting with the agency's clients at Pine Street by plating meals in a cafeteria-style setting at the shelter. If you would like to join us from 4:45 to 6:30 p.m. on Harrison Avenue in the South End, please contact Mark Lippolt at mlippolt@ hammondre.com for more information. Some parking is available at the shelter. Please indicate if you can help with carpooling. mother's Day card sales On Mother's Day, honor a woman you love with a gift to women in need. Parishioners will be selling Mother's Day cards to benefit the Women's Lunch Place after Masses until May 12. There is a $25.00 donation for each card and the proceeds enable the Women's Lunch Place (WLP) to provide a safe, comfortable daytime shelter, nutritious food, and services for women who are homeless or poor. As an alternative, you can sponsor a day's breakfast ($125) or a lunch ($250) and have it dedicated to that special person in your life. If you are interested in helping sell cards, please contact Mark Lippolt at mlippolt@hammondre.com. Thank you in advance for your customary generosity and concern for those in need. 5

6 red sox & the pine street inn We are looking for volunteers from Saint Cecilia Parish to join Pine Street Inn tenants on Thursday, May 23 for the Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Indians home game. Prior to the game, the Parish will be hosting dinner for tenants, volunteers, and Pine Street staff in the Parish Hall starting at 5:00 p.m. We ask that volunteers arrive at 4:30 to help set up the dinner and welcome tenants. We will be leaving for the ballpark at 6:15 for the 7:10 start. Pine Street Inn tenants have been asked to pay for half of their ticket. We are asking that in addition to purchasing their own ticket to the game, volunteers from Saint Cecilia donate the remainder of a tenant s ticket. Tickets are located in the bleachers and cost $28; we ask that volunteers pay $42. We also ask volunteers to refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages at both the church and ballpark. If you are interested in attending the game or would like to donate towards the dinner we are hosting, please contact Mark Lippolt at mlippolt@hammondre.com. voices & visions The Home for Little Wanderers is a nationally renowned, private, non-profit child and family service agency. It has been part of the Massachusetts landscape for over 200 years, making it the oldest agency of its kind in the nation and one of the largest in New England. Among its many wonderful service programs is Waltham House, which offers a safe and nurturing environment for GLBTQ youths. Saint Cecilia parishioners have been supporters of Waltham House for the past several years. The Home's annual signature fundraising event, Voices & Visions 2013, will be held on Wednesday evening, May 29 at seven o'clock. The event, at the Seaport World Trade Center, is the culmination of a year-long arts project throughout their many programs. Saint Cecilia s own Chris Egan is a co-chair of the event, and Molly Diggins is serving on the event committee. Tickets for the gala, which includes a cocktail reception, silent auction, and dinner are $500. We are hoping to put together several tables of ten of Saint C s parishioners for the event. If interested, please contact (or approach after Mass) Chris Egan at cegan@carruthcapital.com, Molly Diggins at mmdiggins@me.com, or Mark Lippolt at mlippolt@hammondre.com. our lady's guild house Our Lady's Guild House (OLGH) is a rooming house for female students and professional women that provides a peaceful, spiritual, safe and community-oriented environment for residents. OLGH is located at 20 Charlesgate West in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston and was founded in 1947 by the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception, an American community of women religious founded in New Britain, Connecticut in Fenway Community Development Corporation (CDC) has been working with the residents of OLGH since last fall when they formed the Ladies' Resident Association (LRA) with the goals of preserving affordable rent and addressing other concerns of the residents of OLGH. During the summer of 2012, OLGH residents were given 30-days notice for a rent increase of $100. This is a 20% increase, when past yearly increases had been closer to $25 or 5%. Many of the residents at OLGH are low-income, elderly, or disabled and are already struggling to pay their rent. At least ten women who could not afford the rent increase have been threatened with eviction. If you would like to express your support of the LRA, there are postcards in the narthex for you to fill out. The LRA will mail the cards as a group to the Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception. If you wish, you can include your own message at the bottom of the card. attention graduates We want to acknowledge and celebrate all our graduates this spring. Please the names of parishioners who are graduating from high school or college to Scott MacDonald at smacdonald@stceciliaboston.org. Please place the word graduate in the subject line. Feel free to include the name of the school and the degree awarded. We are also happy to announce student recitals. 6

7 If There Is One Thing You Can Say, Make it This By JACKIE HOOPER I was 23 years old when I created "The Things You Would Have Said," and had never fully wrapped my head around coping with the death of a loved one. My Grandma died when I was nine years old, but I didn't speak often about my feelings and seemed to skip over certain parts of the grieving process. I think my lack of personal experience, both with death and grieving, is part of the reason I grew to have so many questions for those who had lost someone special to them, and why I was so unexpectedly affected by the death of actress Natasha Richardson. I didn't know much about Natasha, other than her role in Lindsay Lohan's version of The Parent Trap and her marriage to Liam Neeson. But when I heard the news of her falling during a skiing lesson and dying shortly thereafter from a brain injury, I quickly discovered more details about her; how she had two young boys, how she loved philanthropy and cherished friendships. I continually found myself mentally checking back in with her kids and couldn't help but wonder if they were okay, or what they would say to her if they had another chance. The loss of a mother seemed unfathomable to me, and my heart was glued to somehow ensuring that her boys' emotional health was safe and accounted for. So quickly our loved ones can leave us, I realized, as if the thought hadn't crossed my mind in too long of a while. What do we do with all of those things we never had a chance to say? I couldn't shake the reaction I had to her passing, and my overwhelming question of what we would say to someone if we had another chance. I wondered if others had the same question and if they ever said their feelings aloud. My intrigue grew so deep that I decided to start asking people about it. I traveled around the Pacific Northwest and invited others to write a letter to someone saying something they've always wanted to say, but never did. My hope was that they could finally release those built up emotions they've held in, let them out, and start to heal. Soon, with the help of friends, I created a blog and featured one letter each day on the site so that others could see the response I was getting and hopefully become inspired to write a letter of their own. I received letters from all over the world about heartbreak and unanswered questions, some writing to old boyfriends and others to parents who abandoned them. I learned of the struggles people go through as well as the strength they've bravely built up in order to face them. I learned that addressing words left unsaid resonates with everyone, regardless of your age, culture, country or upbringing. Sadly, too, I discovered that people felt shame for their emotions because they hadn't moved on as quickly as society wanted, as if grief has a time limit or expiration date. Though my heart was heavy for the writers' pain, regret and shame, I felt an overwhelming sense of inspiration and motivation. If they can be this strong, so can I. If they can speak up, others can, too. I felt forever changed by each letter I read and humbled that they 7

8 trusted me enough to share. It showed me a great deal about our human need for connection and our ability to trust others in the midst of fear and insecurity. I continue to feel lucky and honored to be involved with this project, learning new things about myself and the world every day. If I could impart the single, most important lesson I've learned over these last four years of working on The Things You Would Have Said, it would be this: If you love someone, tell them and tell them often. A partner, a friend, a family member, a teacher whomever you think fondly of please do not let it simply be a passing thought, an idea that warms only your own heart, or something you'll remember to tell them the next time you see them. Unfortunately, I've learned that we rely too heavily on tomorrow and that we assume there will always be a next time. Live life as if there is no next time, and express your love for others with urgency. Make it a point to make each conversation you have with a loved one truly count, and don't let fear or procrastination hold you back from saying everything you want to tell someone. And if life happens too quickly, words get lost, or moments pass you by, please know there are people in this world who want to hear what you have to say, to learn about your experiences, and to build a community of support around you. Visit to find just a few of them. Jackie Hooper is the creator of the popular blog turned book, "The Things You Would Have Said." She believes that self-expression, particularly through writing, is the most powerful tool for self-discovery and growth. Jackie facilitates expressive writing workshops and helps people learn how to incorporate expressive writing into their daily lives. To learn more about "The Things You Would Have Said," visit wouldhavesaid.com HOW I CAME TO UNDERSTAND SIN By JOAN CHITTISTER, OSB When Pope John XXIII talked about "the signs of the times" poverty, nuclearism, sexism I began to read these new signs with a new conscience and with a new sense of religious life in mind. Most of all, I began to read the scriptures through another lens. Who was this Jesus who "consorted with sinners" and cured on the Sabbath? Most of all, who was I who purported to be following him while police dogs snarled at black children and I made sure not to be late for prayer or leave my monastery after dark? What was "the prophetic dimension" of the Church supposed to be about if not the concerns of the prophets the widows, the orphans, the foreigners and the broken, vulnerable of every society? We prayed the psalms five times a day for years, but I had failed to hear them. What I heard in those early years of religious life was the need to pray. I forgot to hear what I was praying. Then, one day I realized just how secular the psalmist was in comparison to the religious standards in which I had been raised: "You, O God, do see trouble and grief.... You are the helper of the weak," the psalmist argues. No talk of fuzzy, warm religion here. This was life raw and hard. This was what God called to account (Psalm 10:14). This was sin. When the Latin American bishops talked about a "fundamental option for the poor," I began to see the poor in our inner-city neighborhood for the first time. When Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. finally stood up in Birmingham, Ala., I stood up, too. I was ready now. Like the blind man of Mark's gospel, I could finally see. The old question had been answered. The sin to be repented, amended, eradicated was the great systemic sin against God's little ones. For that kind of sin, in my silence, I had become deeply guilty. I had new questions then but they were far more energizing than the ones before them. I began to look more closely at what "living a good life" could possibly mean in a world that was so full of suffering, so full of greed. I began to realize that "a good life" had something do with making life good for other people. Slowly, slowly I began to arrive at the oldest Catholic truth of them all: all of life is good and that sanctity does not consist in denying that. Sanctity consists in making life good for everyone whose life we touch. 8

9 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 Rev. John J. Unni, Pastor, Mark Donohoe, Pastoral Associate for Administration, Scott J. MacDonald, Director of Faith Formation and Leadership Development, Jeanne Bruno, Coordinator of Pastoral Outreach, Richard J. Clark, Director of Music and Organist, Maureen Sullivan, Administrative Assistant to the Pastor, Genevieve Fiorente, Office Administrative Assistant Assisting Clergy Rev. Thomas Gariepy, CSC Rev. Peter Grover, OMV Rev. James Shaughnessy, SJ Rev. George Winchester, SJ Schedule for Liturgy Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday 8:00 a.m. Lord s Day Sat 5:00 p.m.; Sun 8:00, 9:30, & 11:15. Holy Days 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Reconciliation By appointment at any time. 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 Mark Donohoe. 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), Maria Roche (maria.roche15@gmail.com) or Letitia Howland (l_howland@hotmail. 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. Sunday Parking Reduced-rate parking is available on Sundays at the Prudential Center parking garage and at the Hilton Boston Back Bay; Sunday parking is also available at LAZ Parking (53 Belvidere Street maximum of three hours). Be sure to have one of our greeters validate your parking ticket before returning to your car. Saint Cecilia Rainbow Ministry Saint Cecilia Rainbow Ministry is a GLBTQ community at Saint Cecilia. For more information, contact stceciliarainbowministry@gmail.com. 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. 9