LENT WITH POPE FRANCIS THIS WEEK S MESSAGE PAGE 3

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1 The Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport HOLY FAMILY PARISH & OUR LADY OF GOOD VOYAGE PARISH A Community United in Prayer, Fellowship, and Service Third Sunday of Lent March 4, 2018 LENT WITH POPE FRANCIS THIS WEEK S MESSAGE PAGE 3 The Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport Live the Gospel. Share God s Love. Rebuild the Church. 74 Pleasant Street Gloucester, Massachusetts Phone: Fax: office@ccgronline.com Website: ccgronline.com Office Hours: Monday through Friday 10:00am-4:00pm Cover Art: White Crucifixion (Detail) by Marc Chagall

2 THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF GLOUCESTER & ROCKPORT THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT HOLY SEASON OF LENT _ The Light Is On For You! CONFESSIONS & EUCHARISTIC ADORATION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7TH 6:00PM-8:00PM During the Holy Season of Lent, all Catholics are invited to experience Christ s love and mercy through the Sacrament of Penance & Reconciliation (Confession). On four consecutive Wednesday evenings during Lent (February 21st through March 14th), all are invited to join us for The Light Is On For You! from 6:00pm until 8:00pm in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church. These special evenings of prayer will include Evening Prayer and Night Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours; Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament; and two full hours of confessions for those who feel called to participate. For some among us, this may be a time for confession and sacramental reconciliation. For some, it may be a time for silent prayer and reflection. And for some, it may be a time to begin or renew a life of faith. Our Guide for Making a Good Confession is available online and at the entrances of all of our churches. For additional information about the Sacrament of Penance & Reconciliation, please visit our website: ccgronline.com/sacraments; or contact Father Jim at frjim@ccgronline.com or Wherever you are on your faith journey, the light is on for you! Please join us! All are invited! All are welcome! Stations of the Cross THE TRADITIONAL LENTEN DEVOTION FRIDAY, MARCH 9TH 3:00PM & 7:00PM The Stations of the Cross are one of the most enduring and moving devotions of the Roman Catholic Church. By uniting our prayers with those of the suffering Christ through both word and imagery, we make a spiritual pilgrimage with our Lord as he experiences the Passion of the Cross. During Lent, all are invited to join the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in praying the Stations of the Cross on six consecutive Fridays (February 16th through March 23rd) according to the following schedule: Fridays at 3:00pm in Saint Ann Church and Fridays at 7:00pm in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church. Please note that we will not pray the Stations of the Cross on Friday, March 23rd at 7:00pm because that will be the final night of our Lent Mission & Retreat. For more information about the Holy Season of Lent in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport, please see Father Jim or contact him at or frjim@ccgronlin.com. Please join us! All are invited! All are welcome! Online Prayer Resources JOIN US EVERYDAY DURING LENT ccgronline.com/prayer In addition to participating in the sacramental life of our parishes, all of us are called to holiness through daily prayer. During Lent, all are invited to join us for a few moments of daily prayer and reflection at ccgronline.com/prayer. Our website features links to the Sharing the Word, Sunday Soundbites, and the Saint of the Day. These beautiful 90 second audio reflections provide an opportunity to take time out during the day for a brief retreat with Christ Jesus and the Communion of Saints. In addition, our website also includes an easy-to-use link for praying the Liturgy of the Hours online. Please also join us every Saturday morning for a new edition of Bringing Home the Word. This lectionary-based newsletter for individual or family use offers practical suggestions for prayer and reflection at home. Please take a few moments to pray with us everyday during Lent! All are invited! All are welcome! 2

3 THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF GLOUCESTER & ROCKPORT MARCH 4, 2018 THIS WEEK S MESSAGE _ Lent with Pope Francis LIVE THE GOSPEL. Jesus invites us to choose between two opposing ways of life: the way of the world and the way of the Gospel. The worldly spirit is not the spirit of Jesus. This is a matter of departing from the worldly spirit and its values, which the devil favors, in order to live according to the Gospel. How is worldliness manifested? Worldliness is manifested by attitudes of corruption, deception, and subjugation; and it constitutes the most ill-chosen road, the road of sin, because one leads you to the other! It is generally the easiest road to travel. Instead, the spirit of the Gospel requires a serious lifestyle: serious but joyful, serious and challenging. It is marked by honesty, fairness, respect for others and their dignity, and a sense of duty. The journey of life necessarily involves a choice between two roads: between honesty and dishonesty, between fidelity and infidelity, between selfishness and altruism, between good and evil. You cannot waver between one and the other because they move on different and conflicting forms of logic. It is important to decide which direction to take; and then, once you have chosen the right one, to walk it with enthusiasm and determination, trusting in God s grace and the support of the Holy Spirit. SHARE GOD S LOVE. We cannot escape the Lord s words to us and they will serve as the criteria upon which we will be judged. Did we feed the hungry? Did we give drink to the thirsty? Did we welcome the stranger? Did we clothe the naked? Did we visit the sick or the imprisoned? Moreover, we will be judged by our answers to further questions. Did we help others to escape the doubt that causes them to fall into despair and which is often a source of loneliness? Did we help to overcome the ignorance in which so many people live, especially children deprived of the necessary means to free them from the bonds of poverty? Were we close to the lonely and the afflicted? Did we forgive those who have offended us? Did we reject all forms of anger and hate that lead to violence? Did we have the kind of patience that God has with us? In each of these little ones, Christ is present. His flesh becomes visible in the flesh of the tortured, the crushed, the scourged, the malnourished, and the exiled in order to be acknowledged, touched, and cared for by all of us. REBUILD THE CHURCH. A heart troubled by the desire for possessions is a heart full of desire but empty of God. That is why Jesus frequently warned the rich, because they risk placing their security in worldly goods. But security, the final security, is in God. In a heart possessed by wealth, there is not much room for faith. However, if one gives God his rightful place, the first place, then his love leads one to share even one s wealth and to set it at the service of projects of solidarity and development. God s providence comes through our service to others and our sharing with others. If each of us accumulates not for ourselves alone but for the service of others, in acts of solidarity, then God s providence is made visible. But if one accumulates only for oneself, then what will happen when one is called home by God? No one can take his riches with him because a shroud has no pockets! It is better to share because we can take to heaven only what we have shared with others. ABOUT THIS WEEK S COVER Marc Chagall s White Crucifixion is Pope Francis s favorite painting. In order to call attention to the persecution and suffering of European Jews, it was the first in a series of Chagall s paintings that depicted Jesus as a Jewish martyr. By linking the Passion of Christ with the events of his time, Marc Chagall ( ) reminds us to pray for those who suffer; to reach out to them with compassion, love, and support; and to be ever vigilant in our opposition to all forms of bigotry, hatred, and violence in the world. 3

4 THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF GLOUCESTER & ROCKPORT THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT LIVING THE GOSPEL THE LEGION OF MARY New Members Always Welcome! Each week, members of the Legion of Mary from both Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish reach out to our aged, disabled, homebound, and sick fellow parishioners. They visit people in their homes and apartments, hospitals, and nursing homes. They pray together, offer companionship, and share God s love and mercy with those who are so often lonely and forgotten. Every Wednesday afternoon at 4:00pm, the Legion of Mary meets in our parish center (located at 74 Pleasant Street in Gloucester) to pray the Rosary, share their faith experiences, and participate in a period of formation under the guidance of their spiritual directors. For more information about the Legion of Mary and its good work in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport, please contact Sue Demetri at sdemetri2000@yahoo.com or leave a message at The Legion of Mary warmly welcomes new members! Please join us! SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY New Members Always Welcome! The Saint Vincent de Paul Society is an international organization dedicated to responding to any request from any person or family in need. Here on Cape Ann, we work from Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish to serve the poor and needy. Our Clothes Closet is open on Saturdays from 10:00am until 1:00pm. And our Food Pantry is stocked with non-perishable foods. Donation baskets are located at the entrances of our churches. The Food Pantry needs these items: Canned Fruits & Vegetables Canned Ham, Tuna & Beef Stew Tuna & Chicken Helper Chef Boyardee, Pasta & Sauce Pancake Mix & Syrup Hot & Cold Cereal Hot Chocolate Mix Crackers, Jelly, Mayonnaise Boxed Macaroni & Cheese and Ramen Noodles Donation envelopes are located at the entrances of our churches. Donations can be placed in the offertory basket or mailed to us. Checks should be made payable to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society. Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 4:00pm in Our Lady s Hall. The Saint Vincent de Paul Society warmly welcomes new members and volunteers! For more information, please contact Harry Miller at or Barbara Frontiero at Barbara.Frontiero@gortons.com. If you or your family need our assistance, please contact us at Thank you for your generous support! PRAYER, FELLOWSHIP, AND SERVICE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL th ANNIVERSARY Special Message of Thanks As the Knights of Columbus (Council 215) concludes its 120th Anniversary Celebration, we wish to thank the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport for its ongoing support. During the past year, your generous contributions to our Annual Raffle, Tootsie Roll Drive, and Annual Golf Tournament have enabled us to sponsor our canned food drive and the Red Cross Blood Drive; provide winter coats for more than thirty kids through the Saint Vincent de Paul Society; and support our seminaries and our own seminarian, John O Dowd. This year, we will also continue to support the Holy Family Women s Guild, Annual Summer Barbecue, and Annual Crowning Feast of the Holy Spirit. We value our ability to actively support our parishes through prayer, fellowship, and service; and we are grateful for your support! The Knights of Columbus (Council 215) is a fraternal and charitable organization of Catholic men that serves the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport. If you have twenty-four hours to volunteer this year, we can transform that commitment into meaningful results for you, your family, and our community. Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 13th at 7:00pm in the Parish Center (located at 74 Pleasant Street in Gloucester). For more information, please visit our website at kofc215.com; or contact Mark Natti at or grandknight@kofc215.com. New members are always welcome! Please join us! PASTOR S NOTE NEW YOUTH ALTAR SERVERS Answering the Call to Discipleship Lent is time for prayer and penance. It is also a time to perform good works and to count our many blessings. In this spirit, the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport is blessed with a new generation of young disciples who are preparing to answer the call to serve our parishes. Among these are five children who have volunteered as altar servers in both Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish: Lauren Brau, Thomas Dort, Rafael Jabba, Anthony Rano, and David Rano. As they begin their service, we thank them and we give God great thanks and praise for them and for the blessing of every young family that joins us for Mass each week! If your child would like join this growing corps of young disciples, please see me before or after Mass; or contact me at or frjim@ccgronline.com. May God bless our young disciples and their families! Peace and blessings to all Father Jim 4

5 THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF GLOUCESTER & ROCKPORT MARCH 4, 2018 PRAYER, FELLOWSHIP, AND SERVICE SHARING GOD S LOVE HOLY NAME SOCIETY Sunday, March 4th at 6:30pm The Holy Name Society is an organization of Catholic men that was founded to support Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish through prayer, fellowship, fundraising events, and volunteer service. Our next meeting is scheduled for this Sunday, March 4th at 6:30pm in Our Lady s Hall. For more information about the Holy Name Society and its good work in our parish community, please contact Matt Parisi at mparisis101@gmail.com or leave a message at New members are always very welcome! All are invited! Please join us! OUR LADY S GUILD Monday, March 5th at 6:30pm Founded in 1944, Our Lady s Guild works to build community among women of all ages in Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish through prayer, good works, social activities, and fundraising events. The Guild s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 5th at 6:30pm in Our Lady s Hall. Pat Sholds and Pat McCarthy will serve as cochairwomen for our meeting. After regular business, nominations will be put forward for our officers and board members. Our Lady s Guild also continues to accept donations for our Cakeless Cake Sale. Contributions can be mailed to Jean Madruga or brought to the meeting. For more information about Our Lady s Guild and its good work in our parish, please contact Beth Fosberry at jcbf33@yahoo.com or leave a message at New members are always welcome! Please join us! OUR LADY S GUILD PENNY SALE Monday, March 12th at 7:00pm All parishioners, friends, and guests of the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport are invited to join Our Lady s Guild for a Penny Sale on Monday, March 12th at 7:00pm in Our Lady s Hall. As always, the Penny Sale will feature great prizes, a raffle, delicious homemade sweetbread, and other fresh food and snacks. Donations are being accepted at our parish office (located at 74 Pleasant Street in Gloucester). Julia Garcia and Mary Piscitello will serve as co-chairwomen of this special event. For more information, please contact Beth Fosberry at jcbf33@yahoo.com or leave a message at Please join us! All are invited! All are welcome! SOMETHING MUST BE DONE Advocating for Gun Safety By Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York Learn more: assisiproject.com! May the Lord give you peace! CALLED TO FULLNESS OF LIFE with SISTER ELIZABETH WAGNER LENT MISSION & RETREAT March 21st March 23rd at 7:00pm All are invited to join us for the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport s Lent Mission & Retreat: Called to Fullness of Life from Wednesday, March 21st through Friday, March 23rd in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church. Each evening will begin with Mass at 7:00pm. We will be blessed to welcome back Sister Elizabeth Wagner as our special guest and spiritual director, who will lead us in prayer and reflection each evening after Mass. As part of our Year for Vocations, Sister Elizabeth will talk with us about finding meaning in daily life through God s abiding presence; discovering our true selves through God s grace; and growing into wholeness and purity of heart through God s love. In this way, our Lent Mission & Retreat is based on the promise that God calls each of us (heart, body, and soul) to live the Christian life. But because of our fallen natures, we spend our lives working our way back to God through an often painful process of discipleship and reintegration. According to Sister Elizabeth, the ancient monastics would counsel us that our ultimate goal is purity of heart or what we might call wholeness or the true self. Ultimately, this year s Lent Mission & Retreat is about our individual faith journey and the great walk back from unlikeness to the fullness of life with God. Sister Elizabeth Wagner lives a contemplative life at Transfiguration Hermitage in Windsor, Maine, which she founded as a semi-eremitical community devoted to prayer and solitude according to the Rule of Saint Benedict. She is a hermit, award-winning writer, spiritual director, and retreat leader. Sister Elizabeth is also formation director, gardener, and groundskeeper of the hermitage. Our Lent Mission & Retreat is free but donations will be gratefully accepted during Mass to support our adult faith formation programs. For more information, please contact Cliff Garvey at cgarvey@ccgronline.com or Please join us! All are invited! All are welcome! 5

6 THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF GLOUCESTER & ROCKPORT Saturday, March 3 4:00pm Saint Ann 6:00pm OLGV Sunday, March 4 7:00am OLGV OUR MASS INTENTIONS _ MARCH 3 MARCH 11, 2018 Vigil Third Sunday of Lent Ninfa & Gaetano Trupiano Shawn Flanagan Third Sunday of Lent John Barbosa OUR WEEKLY GIFTS _ THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT HOLY FAMILY PARISH Weekend of February 24th February 25th Weekly Offerings $6, Electronic Donations $ Total Offerings $7, Second Collection N/A Grand Annual Collection $39, Thank you for your generous support of Holy Family Parish! 8:15am Saint Ann 10:00am Saint Joachim 11:45am OLGV 5:00pm Saint Ann Monday, March 5 Tuesday, March 6 8:00am Saint Joachim Wednesday, March 7 Thursday, March 8 8:00am Saint Joachim Friday, March 9 Saturday, March 10 Saturday, March 10 4:00pm Saint Ann 6:00pm OLGV Sunday, March 11 7:00am OLGV 8:15am Saint Ann 10:00am Saint Joachim 11:45am OLGV 5:00pm Saint Ann Sebastian Nicastro William A. Morrison & Family Georgia Forrest All Victims of Gun Violence Third Week of Lent Tony & Mary Militello Paul R. Middleton Rosalina Mesquita Special Intention Sandra Brooks Anthony Gilardi Vigil Fourth Sunday of Lent Rosaria & Giuseppe Cambria Debbi Burns Fourth Sunday of Lent Joanna Vaught Giuseppe Zizzo Jim Contri & Family Alfredo Silva For All Immigrants OUR LADY OF GOOD VOYAGE PARISH Weekend of February 24th February 25th Weekly Offerings $2, Electronic Donations $80.00 Total Offerings $2, Second Collection (Easter Flowers) $1, Grand Annual Collection $18, Thank you for your generous support of Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish! SANCTUARY GIFTS At each of the churches in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport, sanctuary flowers, sanctuary candles, and altar gifts (hosts & wine) can be donated for a special intention or in memory of a departed loved one. The requested donation for flowers is $250. The requested donation for altar gifts is $175. And the requested donation for a sanctuary candle is $25. This week, donations were offered for the following intentions: In Memory of Sara Jean Tarr Sanctuary Candle Saint Ann Church In Memory of Georgia Forrest Sanctuary Candle Our Lady of Good Voyage Church For more information about donating sanctuary candles, flowers, or gifts for a special intention or in memory of a deceased family member, friend, or loved one, please contact Melissa Unis at office@ccgronline.com or Thank you for your generous support of the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport at Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish! May God bless you and your family! WESHARE Safe & Secure Electronic Giving Learn more: ccgronline.com/news!