St. Francis of Assisi Parish

Transcription

1 St. Francis of Assisi Parish 530 Gardners Neck Road Swansea, Massachusetts Feast of the Epiphany They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. - Mt 2:10-11 Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass 2001, 1998, 1970 CCD. January 7, 2018 Liturgical Celebrations Parish Staff Saturday Vigil: Sundays: Monday Thursday: Civic Holidays: Pastor: Rev. Michael A. Ciryak Maintenance: Tony Roderigues Faith Formation/Office: Christine Patota (Grades 1-9) Finance/Office/Notary: Fran Kelley Music Director: Ada Simpson Cantors: Allison Messier, Mike Moniz and Christine Patota Youth Ministry: Justin & Amanda La Croix Parish Council President: Wayne Gray 4 p.m. 8, 9:30 & 11 a.m. 9 a.m. 9 a.m. only Contact: Parish Office: Parish fax: stfrancisswansea@comcast.net Website: Religious Education: or religiouseducation@stfrancisswansea.com St. Vincent de Paul: Youth Ministry: 50 Week Club: Bill & Kathy Sullivan / Parish Address: Church: Office/Rectory Office hours: 530 Gardners Neck Road 270 Ocean Grove Avenue Swansea, MA :30 a.m. 4 p.m. or by appointment

2 St. Francis of Assisi Parish Swansea, MA Parish Mission Statement: In the spirit of our patron, St. Francis of Assisi, we dedicate ourselves as living stones to building our parish family with Christ as our foundation. Enlivened by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves by sharing God s transforming love with our families, our community and our world. Sacraments: Baptism: Arrangements must be made in advance. Please call the Parish Office to arrange a date and supply pertinent information. Individual Baptismal preparation is required. Sponsors: must receive from their respective Catholic pastors a sponsor certificate, which is the signed word of one priest to another that the proposed godparent is a Confirmed, fully-practicing Catholic who is qualified to be a godparent by living in harmony with our faith. Reconciliation: Saturday from 3:15PM to 3:40PM or call the rectory for an appointment. First Eucharist & Confirmation: Preparation two years prior to receiving each Sacrament is mandatory as a registered student in the Faith Formation Program. Matrimony: Couples are asked to consult with our priest at least six months in advance of the intended date to allow time for marriage preparation, including the Diocesan Program. Ministry to the Sick: Please notify us if someone you know is homebound and would like to be added to our Communion call list, or would like to receive the Sacrament of the Sick. Low gluten hosts available: Please let us know before Mass if you have a need to receive this type of host. Church is handicapped accessible. Saint Francis of Assisi Memorial Fund Consider enrolling your deceased loved ones in the Saint Francis of Assisi Memorial Fund. Relatives and friends who donate to the fund in memory of a deceased receive a thank you card from the parish, and another card is sent notifying the bereaved of the gift. The gifts are charitable contributions and may be a supplement or a substitute for flowers. Those whose names are enrolled in the Saint Francis of Assisi Memorial Fund are remembered in the Masses and prayers of the parish. A special Mass is celebrated once a year for all the souls enrolled. Sat., Jan. 6 - The Epiphany of the Lord 4:00 p.m. Antone & Margaret Roderigues by Tony and Judy Roderigues Elizabeth Kern by the Roussel s Stella & Dominic Troy by family Sun., Jan. 7 The Epiphany of the Lord 8:00 a.m. Jeannine Blanchard by St. Francis F.F. Julie Janson by family 9:30 a.m. Rita Crook (5th Ann.) by Kathy & Bill Sullivan 11:00 a.m. All Souls in Purgatory by M/M Carreiro Mon., Jan. 8 - The Baptism of The Lord Tues., Jan. 9 Wed., Jan. 10 Thurs., Jan. 11 Sat., Jan The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:00 p.m. Robert J. Peloquin by family David Tuttle by wife Alexandre & Juliette Raymond by family Sun., Jan The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. Mr. & Mrs. Maurice Metivier and Rev. Rene Gauthier by Paul & Terry Gagnon 11:00 a.m. Gaston Plante & Gaston Plante, Jr. By Anthony & Pauline Santoro VENITE, ADOREMUS Wise men came bearing gifts to confirm their star talk, for the infant Jesus is revealed as the mystery saving everyone -believers and pagans. All people are encompassed in the good new, the promise of the Gospel. All share the same inheritance. All share Christ s body, the New Jerusalem that is the church mothering us to salvation. God s brightness draws us close as a family. Daughters and sons share in God s life. Come, let us adore him! Text, Philip J. Sandstrom, STD 2000, OCP. All rights reserved.

3 50 Week Club Join the fun in the new year...you don t want to be left out in the cold! Congratulations to: Donald Morrissette Winner for January 7, 2018 Our candles burn in memory of the following people: January Sanctuary Lamp: Noel & Exirina Peloquin by daughter-in-law Altar Candle: Bryan Kelley by parents Tabernacle Candle: Diane Roussel by family Crucifix Candle: Dave Tuttle by wife St. Vincent de Paul, Always Here To Help In this season of high utility bills and other rising costs, we know there may be a need for assistance. Please call the rectory and a representative from St. Vincent de Paul will contact you. Parish Events Cancellation Policy When Swansea Public Schools cancel school due to a weather related event, Mass and faith formation classes are also cancelled for that day. When Swansea Public Schools has an early dismissal due to weather, faith formation classes are cancelled. Faith formation class cancellations, whether weekday or weekend, will always be posted on our website and on WSAR.com and announced on WSAR radio 1480 AM. On the weekend, please use your best judgement when deciding to attend Mass. Sunday January 7, 2018 December 23 rd & 24 th Parish Support Budget Donations: $4, Diocesan Assessment: $ Christmas Budget Donations: $5, December 30 th & 31 st Budget Donations: $2, Repairs & Restoration: $1, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God 1/1/2018 Poor & Needy: $ Initial Offering: $ This weekend, January 6 th & 7 th, our second collection is our Initial Offering, used to defray the cost of the offering system. Next weekend, January 13 th & 14 th the second collection is for the Diocesan Assessment. The weekend of January 21 st the second collection is for the Catholic Communication Campaign. Information about this collection can be found on the USCCB website at: -giving/catholic-communication-campaign/index.cfm

4 The Feast of the Epiphany Help Wanted - Maintenance Specialist Cardinal Medeiros Residence - Home for Retired Priests 24 hours per week Experienced in a variety of general maintenance duties Please contact John Flanagan at Catholic Social Services is a non-profit, Approved Housing Counseling Agency and is offering financial capability workshops and one-to-one counseling to all, including homeowners and renters facing financial difficulties. Call them if any of the following apply to you: Have you suffered a reduction in income? Are you having difficulties making your mortgage or rental payment on time? Facing foreclosure? Need help budgeting? Are you a first time home buyer? Fall River location: 1600 Bay St New Bedford location: 238 Bonney St Spirituality for Everyday Living mini-retreat series will begin the New Year with Follow Your Bliss led by Peggy Patenaude of Taking Time Out. It will be held on Wednesday, January 10 at Sacred Hearts Retreat Center in Wareham, MA from 10:00am -12:30pm. (Coffee at 9:30) Cost is $25. Pre-registration required. Contact Peggy at or timeoutretreats@comcast.net. For more information, visit Marriage Encounter Weekend. The next Weekends are Jan 19-21, 2018 in South Kingstown, RI and Mar 9-11, 2018 in Duxbury, MA. For more information, call Stephen & Michelle O'Leary at or visit them at Grief Support Group: The Fall River Area Support Group helps people cope with the loss of a loved one. Losing someone we love truly hurts, leaving us with so many unanswered questions with a multitude of conflicting emotions. At first, we may turn to family and friends to share our grief; but as time goes on, we may find it difficult to reach out to them. It becomes difficult for them to understand our feelings. The basis of this group is to allow individuals to share their experiences, feelings, emotions, with others who are on the very same journey. In the sharing, often we discover new ways of coping, and begin to discover new strength and hope. This group meets on Tuesdays from 7-9 p.m. at the Catholic Education Center 423 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA. If interested, please call Ext. 27 or e- mail rsaraiva@dfrcs.org The next session will be January 9 th through February 20 th. The Diocese of Fall River is standing on the threshold of a life-changing chapter in its 113-year history, and is currently seeking to fill its newly created full-time position of Executive Director for The Catholic Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts. This fundraising leader will broaden, deepen and expand the relationships with current and future donors, and will work closely with Bishop da Cunha and the Board of Directors to ensure the appropriate strategies are developed and implemented. This once in a lifetime opportunity will be both challenging and rewarding. For a full description of the position, please go to and click on Employment Opportunities, or contact Peter Powers, Executive Director of Human Resources and Administration, at (508) , or by at ppowers@diocfr.org. Parish Ministry Volunteers Attention to those in ministry at St. Francis of Assisi: many of you are due to renew your CORI and Code of Conduct forms for If your name is on the list in the sacristy please plan on staying after Mass next weekend, January 13th or 14th and filling out the necessary forms. Please bring your valid driver s license with you. Any questions should be directed to Christine Patota at the rectory. Anyone, seventeen years old or older, who would like to volunteer at our parish, but has not participated in the mandatory Child Protection Course, should also contact Christine. A date will be set for this in the near future. New Members Wanted The next Family Life Committee Meeting will take place on Monday, January 8 th at 7:00 p.m. Please come join them plan the events for the coming year. Your ideas and presence will make such a difference in the life of our great parish! Faith Formation Schedule Tues., Jan. 9th 4:15-5:15 p.m. for grades 3, 4 & 5 Thurs., Jan. 11th 4:15-5:15 p.m. for grades 1 & 2 Sun., Jan. 14th after 9:30 a.m. Mass for grades 6 & 7

5 Sunday January 7, 2018 The Epiphany Our church looked beautiful inside, and out thanks to the generous gifts of time, treasure and talent of so many of our fine parishioners. Fr. Michael and Tony Roderigues wear many hats.