Saint Cecilia. Seventh Sunday of Easter. First Holy Communion. 12 May Branches of an Almond Tree in Blossom Vincent van Gogh (1890)

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1 Saint Cecilia P A R I S H Seventh Sunday of Easter First Holy Communion 12 May 2013 Branches of an Almond Tree in Blossom Vincent van Gogh (1890)

2 our community news Ministers of the Liturgy Saturday 5:00 p.m. Rev. Peter Grover, OMV, celebrant Laura Andromalos, lector Sunday 8:00 a.m. Rev. George Winchester, SJ, celebrant Bob Mann, lector Sunday 9:30 a.m. Rev. John Unni, celebrant Ryan Santoro, Allegra Rollo, & Peter Knowlton, lectors Sunday 11:30 a.m. Rev. John Unni, celebrant Rosanne Meade, Peter Meade, & Kendra Metzger, lectors today s readings Acts 7:55-60 Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20 John 17:20-26 next sunday s Readings Proverb 8:22-31 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15 special intentions Sunday, May 12 9:30 a.m. For the Deceased Family Members of the Children Receiving First Holy Communion Sunday, May 12 11:30 a.m. Liz Pino, Memorial Thursday, May 16 8:00 a.m. Alec and Warren Bruno, Memorial Parish Operating Statement We are pleased to present the Parish Operating Statement (page 7) for the nine months ending March 31, The parish continues to grow steadily and this is reflected in our offertory collections as well as in gifts and bequests. We have experienced a significant surplus for the first nine months of this fiscal year. The majority of the surplus is attributable to the lease income wereceive from Berklee College of Music as well as from increased offertory contributions. As always, we thank you for your support as we strive to further the mission of our parish. It is only through sustained and predictable giving that we can continue to plan for the future of Saint Cecilia, so we continue to request that every parishioner join our Offertory Commitment Program (OCP), which will assist us in this planning. To enroll in the OCP, please contact Mark Donohoe in the Parish Office. 3

3 Prayers & Occasions Our Deceased Edwin McDaid died on May 1. Pray for his eternal repose as well as for the consolation of his parents, his siblings, and his dear friend, Father Dan Magni. 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: Jonathan Andrew Lichkus of Boston and John Pierce of Canton. 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 First Holy Communion Easter is the season of initiation, and therefore the very best time to celebrate first Holy Communion. We are delighted to have eighteen youngsters receiving communion for the first time at this morning s nine thirty liturgy. Please remember to keep these children in your prayer. Thank You! Thanks to your generosity over the weekend of May 4-5, we were able to donate $406 to support two important national Catholic missions: the Home Missions collection and the Black and Native American collection. Men's Spirituality Group The Men's Spirituality Group will meet this Friday morning, May 17 at seven o'clock in the Parish Hall. The meeting will end at seven-fifty so that those who wish may attend the eight o'clock Mass. All men of the parish are welcome to join us. Refreshments will be served. Special Collection This Weekend This 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. Mother's Day Today is a day for thinking about mothers and celebrating their love. It can also be a day for extending our thanks to all those women who have shown us the nurturing and supportive love of a mother along the way. We remember in prayer those for whom this day is particularly sad. We remember, too, all mothers who live in desperate circumstances, especially those who are victims of famine, warfare, poverty, and disease. Congratulations, Cathy! Cathy Anderson was awarded the master of science degree in nursing from Regis College yesterday. We're proud of you, Cathy! Special Collection Next Weekend Next week s second collection supports the formation and training of seminarians in the Archdiocese of Boston for service. We are blessed that many are responding to the call to serve the Church as priests. Your gift will help support these seminarians on their journey toward ordination to the priesthood. For more information, please visit Evening Prayer We will pray Evening Prayer this Thursday, May 16 at six-thirty. All are welcome to attend. Baptism At this morning's eleven-thirty liturgy we celebrate baptism for Ann Sharon, daughter of Chris and Susie Mitchell, and little sister of Thomas and Patrick. The Christian community welcomes you with great joy, Ann! 4

4 happy mother s day! What a beautiful day we have to honor our mothers, those who are with us, those who have gone before us, those who have given us life and those who have nurtured us. We remember our mothers and we bring God s presence into these relationships on this Mother s Day. first holy communion Some say First Eucharist, but these children have been with us at Eucharist faithfully for a long time. Today they celebrate a new level of relationship with the Body of Christ. We are delighted to welcome the following children to the table of Jesus, our gentle and good shepherd. May they always live in peace in the pastures where the Lord dwells. Julie Theresa DesAutels Fiona Shine Duncan Louisa Maria Essmann Caroline Cecilia Fisher Austin Grace Forrester Pia Isabella Franken Andrés Calvo Gómez Haleigh Catherine Jacobs Hannah Fleur Fuyun Knowlton Coco Kouyoumjian James Michael Madison Owen Carter O'Neill Annikamarie Ottaway-Velder Riccardo Alessandro Rollo Will Raymond Santoro Kathryn Clare Swords Mairead Mary Westover James Robert Wodarski Today we also celebrate with our first communicants who join us around the table for the first time at their first Holy Communion. Welcome to the Lord s table! Thanks to all our parents; you are the primary teachers of our children regarding faith. I am also grateful for all our catechists and especially our second grade catechists, Mr. Mark Lippolt and Miss Priscilla Vele, who have devoted so much time and energy to their teaching. We have so much to be thankful for today. Peace and Happy Mother s Day, Father John mother s day card sales last chance! 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 today. 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

5 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. we are taking cd orders For those who missed the benefit concert for The One Fund Boston or would like to hear it again, parishioner and recording engineer Evan Landry will be taking pre-orders for CDs of the concert after the nine-thirty and eleven-thirty litugies (or you may order a CD by ing Richard Clark at RClark@stceciliaboston.org). CDs are $20 and proceeds will go towards The One Fund Boston. The CD features fifty voices from the combined choirs of The Copley Singers and the Saint Cecilia Choir, directed by Brian Jones and Richard Clark. The music progresses from consolation to joy and includes works by Brahms, Lauridsen, Rutter, and several others, as well as the concert premiere of I Am Risen by Richard Clark. The CD will also include inspirational readings and the hymns "Amazing Grace," "Finlandia" ( This is My Song ), and "America the Beautiful." 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.org. Project bread's foodsource hotline Project Bread's toll-free FoodSource Hotline is the only information and referral service in Massachusetts for people facing hunger. Call The FoodSource Hotline: between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. FoodSource Hotline counselors provide callers with food resources in their communities as well as information about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/SNAP (formerly the Food Stamps Program) and other nutrition programs. The FoodSource Hotline can help hungry families in 160 languages from Arabic to Cambodian, Russian to Vietnamese. This special service links callers with a translator, usually within 30 seconds. The FoodSource Hotline is also able to serve hearing impaired callers through it's TTY line,

6 Saint Cecilia Parish Operating Statement FY July 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013 Checking Account as of 3/31/13 $244, Savings Accounts as of 3/31/13 $458, Renovation Loan Account as of 3/31/13 ($742,366.04) Income Offertory 197, OCP Offertory 354, Shrines, Candles & Flowers 7, Sacramental Offerings 52, Catholic Appeal Rebate 6, Gifts & Bequests 159, Religious Education 11, Lease/Rental Income 75, Interest and Dividend Income 5, Other Income 6, Other Donations/Shelter Meals Total Income 877, Expense Salaries Exempt & Non Exempt 156, Staff Benefits 48, All Clergy: Assigned and Unassigned Including Benefits 52, Data Processing Fees, Bank Service Charges 3, Professional Fees 10, Office Supplies, Postage, Printing 21, Telephone & Internet 9, Office Equipment Repair & Contracts 9, Books, Pamphlets, Dues, Subscriptions, Missalettes, 8, Household 3, Utilities, Heat, Water & Sewer 52, Building Insurance 23, Maintenance 50, Pastoral/Liturgical 68, Meetings & Workshops Fundraising 1, Acquisitions/Improvements Site 25, Acquisitions/Improvements Furniture, Equipment 23, Acquisitions/Improvements Building 95, Interest Payments Revolving Loan 23, Central Ministry Tithe 43, The Pilot Miscellaneous Total Expense 739, Net Operating Income 137,846.24

7 Forgiveness and the Law of Love By MARILYN SEWELL It is an unfortunate truth that happiness and good fortune rarely deepen us spiritually. It is when we run into unbearable grief and loss we are unprepared for that we are stripped of our vanity and our pride and begin to see, rock-bottom, what is really important to us. These occasions are what I call "leveling experiences" because they let us know that we, along with all human beings, are mortal and vulnerable. At these times so much of our anger and hard-heartedness seems petty, for we come to understand that all human beings suffer immeasurably as they journey through life, and we join them as fellow sufferers on the path. We gain a measure of humility, we become more compassionate and more forgiving. Profound spiritual lessons can come from those who provoke us the most. People we can hardly bear to be around, the ones who "hook" us emotionally, are the ones who carry our unconscious stuff around, bringing it uncomfortably close to the surface. We want to run, not walk, in the other direction. But we find we are looking in a mirror of sorts. We are led to ask ourselves, "What part of my shadow is this person asking me to uncover and examine?" These individuals are the ones who can stretch us the most, spiritually speaking. We also grow in our ability to forgive as we reflect upon the circumstances of our own lives. We realize that even our best-intentioned, most spirit-led decisions have the capacity to hurt others, including those we love. We have made mistakes, misjudgments, careless errors, perhaps, that have led to pain for others or even tragic consequences. In fact, there is no way for even the best intentioned, most moral individual to go through a life without hurting others. So each of us has to live with the consequences of our own inevitable harming of others, even when we would do only good never mind when we have been motivated by less than noble motives. This understanding helps us forgive those who have, for whatever reason, known or unknown, caused us to suffer. We, too, have caused others to suffer. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God," as my saintly grandmother used to remind me regularly. My father has been dead for almost 20 years now, but I remember having a conversation with him when I was a young adult. It was an awkward conversation. We somehow got around to talking about my growing-up days, and my father asked at one point, "I was a pretty good dad, wasn't I? I gave you whatever you needed didn't I?" My memory was different from that. I remembered that money was scarce, that my father threw it away on alcohol and gambling. "Well, actually, no, you didn't... you weren't... actually, our childhood was pretty difficult, Daddy." My father's face hardened in pain, and he said, "When you get older, you'll see. You'll see, when you have children of your own." And he was right. Yes, he hurt me grievously through his drinking, the same drinking that came between him and my mother, but I came to see that his alcoholism was not about me. It was about his emotional suffering from way back in his childhood and about his losing our mother, the only woman he ever loved, and about the addictive disease that alcohol is. Another person's behavior is really not about us. Most of the time, the harm another does comes out of ignorance, pain, neediness and confusion the very same qualities that push us to act in ways we really don't want to act. I did, in fact, find out what he meant by "I would see, when I had children of my own." He hurt his children, though he loved us. And though I loved them, I hurt my own children when I divorced their father. I can rationalize and say that they would have been worse off had I stayed with him, but I don't know that that's true. I know that I would have been worse off, and I was not willing to live half a life, with possibilities cut off. Will my children forgive me? I hope they will. We all cause pain, and we all need forgiveness. We need to be careful of piety that is, the dutiful obedience that is so often tinged with self-righteousness and pride. One of the most fascinating stories in the Hebrew Bible is the story of the Prodigal Son. You may remember the story: a wealthy landowner has two sons, the older one, who follows his father's every wish, and the younger one, who is something of a hell-raiser. So the younger son tells his father, "Give me my inheritance." (Read: "I don't want to wait until you kick off. 8

8 I want to party on, now!) So the father does as his son asks. The son goes into a far land and spends all his inheritance in profligate living, and when he runs out of money, he runs out of friends. He finds himself caring for the animals on a pig farm, and he realizes, "Why, even these pigs have better food than I have! I should go back home and tell my father that I really screwed up, and that I'm sorry." And that he does. When his father sees him coming in the distance, he says to his servants, "Kill the fatted calf! Invite my son's friends over for a party!" The son approaches his father, falls to the ground and begs for forgiveness, and the father puts a ring on his finger and rejoices, for that which was lost has been found. Now, the really interesting part to the story to me is the reaction of the older brother. He says to his father, "Father, you never killed a calf for me, never even killed a goat, for me and my friends. So how come he disobeyed you, left home, wasted all your money and now he gets all the goodies? I've obeyed you all these years, and I get nothing." Which brother would you like to have for a friend? Which one would you like to go out for an evening with? Sometimes we have to make mistakes and big ones before we learn a better way. But we are apt to grow richer and deeper, as we experience the bumps and bruises. Sometimes we bump and bruise others, as well. But how much more desirable this path, than the way of this prig of an older brother, who holds himself back from life and experience, and who judges himself worthy and his younger brother unworthy. Why could he not be happy at his brother's return? His piety had stolen his joy, his ability to rejoice in his brother's redemption. He is the big loser in the story. The problem with piety and self-righteousness, in general is that it separates us from others. In the safe and secure citadel of our own goodness, we place ourselves out of human reach. The law is what directs us, then, and mercy takes a back seat. We become blind to our own failings, so intent are we on judging others, and in fact on projecting our own flaws onto them. A person can follow all the rules and yet be lacking in the milk of human kindness. In fact, when people are too ruledriven, that is what generally results. The one law that is large enough to contain all the lesser laws, the one law that must be considered the grounding of the life well lived, is the law of love. If that law is grossly violated, it really doesn't matter how much money we make or how many accolades we receive. If we are able to live by this larger law, we will find within ourselves a kind and understanding heart, both for ourselves and for others. Forgiveness will come more easily because we know how morally frail we ourselves are, because we ourselves have blundered and because we know that the story is not over, that redemption is possible. It is comforting to me to remember that my very weaknesses form the tension that pulls me again and again to the Holy One, asking that my brokenness be made whole. Paradoxically, it is often when I feel most satisfied with myself that I find myself losing faith or becoming, as it were, faithless. Self-congratulatory, I say to myself, "I'm doing great... wasn't I?" Humility makes space for the Holy in our lives, whereas self-righteousness and judgment alienate others and elbow God out, as well. It seems to me that forgiveness is all of a piece: When we are unable to forgive, we then perpetuate the fruits of non-forgiveness anger, hatred, revenge, pettiness of character. And the fruits of forgiveness humility, compassion, love, peace are lost to us. The place to begin is not self-condemnation, but the sincere desire to begin anew. If we earnestly seek to forgive, if we seek a change of heart, we will at some point have what we seek, for the nature of God is love, is forgiveness. We ourselves are forgiven even before we think to ask. We don't have to earn it. We just have to be willing to receive. As we ourselves are forgiven, we can through that same fount of grace forgive the injuries done to us. The Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell is an accomplished Unitarian Univeralist minister, writer, activist and spiritual leader. She retired from parish ministry in 2009, after serving 17 years as the Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Church of Portland, Oregon, and was named Minister Emerita. Marilyn has become a noted figure in the Unitarian Univeralist movement, known for her dynamic speaking, her writing and her teaching. Frequently sought out by the media for interviews on various spiritual and social issues, she has received numerous awards and honors. Marilyn is the author and/or editor of nine books, including recent books on prayer and forgiveness. 9

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. 10