The Heart of the Matter

Transcription

1 The Heart of the Matter A quarterly publication of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Hopedale Becoming and Making Disciples, Welcoming All to Follow Jesus Christ Fall 2017 Dear Parish Family, Our Catholic community in Hopedale gives me inspiration and motivation as we work together to feed over 200 people at the Mustard Seed and the Trinity Church each month. We also visit over 60 home bound parishioners, visit all Catholics in the hospital each week, educate 400+ students and assist families at St. Gerard's Parish in Haiti. We have fantastic energy and spirit at our parish, as witnessed by our youth who gathered food for the less fortunate of our community by participating in the Fill-a-Ford and Trick or Treat so Others Can Eat food drives. But sometimes I feel discouraged. Does anybody care? Does anybody else have the same concerns that I do? At times, I think that our Catholic faith-life is in a crisis state here in Hopedale. I know that this is not unique to our parish, but I am not responsible for shepherding anywhere but the Catholics in Hopedale. Faith and our church community is very important to me, and I want to be sure that we can continue our mission into the future. Sadly for many, faith-life and community appears to be less important as from years past. Other activities seem to be much more important. We are a sacramental community, celebrating the faith-life of those being baptized, receiving First Communion, and the final step to becoming a Catholic - Confirmation. I reviewed the sacramental register for the most recent graduating class and the numbers are revealing. In 2000 In 2007 In 2017 we celebrated 54 Baptisms we celebrated 36 First Communions we celebrated 23 Confirmations Elsewhere in this newsletter you will see the Mass attendance statistics. You will note the steady decline in attendance. Every year, there seems to be more activities that compete with "keeping holy the Sabbath Day" and gathering as a community. How can we re-engage those who have forgotten that "we are in this together"? How can we work together in seeking to build a vibrant Catholic Faith Community here in Hopedale? How can we ensure that the needs of the single mom who recently called seeking help making Christmas special for her four children will be met? If you are not active, or as active as you would like to be, why not reconsider? You are NOT in this alone. Attend a small group sharing wisdom with those of like experiences, come to Parish Life Night, attend the Christmas Fair, Italian Night, Seder Supper or various wine and cheese socials and simply have a little fun. Take the first step and walk through the doors. Everyone has a story and everyone is welcome. You won't be sorry. The community will be better because of your participation. Fr. Bill

2 The Heart of the Matter Page 2 Faith Formation Upcoming Faith Formation Dates November 19 - Grade 6 Mass - 8:30am - Grade 1-6 Faith Formation 9:30am - Grade 7/8 The Church 9:30am - Confirmation II - Session 3 6:30pm November 20 - Kids Make Dinner for Mustard Seed 3:15pm November 26 - No Faith Formation Classes December 2 - Grades 1-6 Advent Retreat 2:00pm December 3 - No Faith Formation Grades Confirmation II Retreat 2:00pm December 9 - First Reconciliation Service 2:00pm December 10 -Grade 1-6 Faith Formation 9:30am - Confirmation I - Session 3 6:30pm December 12 - Toddler Story Time 10;00am December 16 -First Reconciliation Service 2:00pm December 17 - Grade 5 Mass - 8:30am - Grades 1-6 Faith Formation 9:30am - Confirmation II - Session 4 6:30pm December 24 - No Faith Formation December 31 - No Faith Formation Faith Formation Helps Fill a Ford Students brought in food as part of the Parish Fill a Ford event. Grades 4-6 had a contest to see who could bring in the most. Grade 5 won brining in FORTY items! This activity tied in with learning about world hunger and the theme of being invited to God's table as the parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew ). Faith Formation Gatherings At Faith Formation classes on October 1, Grades 1-6 came together in a session about Our Church. The children prayed together and then broke into groups. Grades 4-6 rotated through stations run by parishioners to learn about different ways they can be involved in our parish - as greeters, readers, altar servers and serving in the music ministry. Grades 1-3 learned the difference between a church as a building and the Church our community. Once a month, Grades 1-6 will come together as a group in different themed sessions. The next session is about our role as missionaries and our partnership with St. Gerard's parish in Haiti CHURCH OUTSIDE OF CHURCH During the last 6 weeks several of our 7 th and 8 th grade students have been participating in a module called Church Outside of Church. Students explore the questions, Why does church matter? What does it mean to belong to the Body of Christ? How does someone really live the Christian life? using a hands-on style experience. These students helped to prepare and serve meals at the Mustard Seed and Trinity Dinners, gathered food for the needy and visited the sick at Draper Place. They will be in charge of the Giving Tree Project.

3 The Heart of the Matter Page 3 Happy 100 th Birthday Arthur Russo! Worship A Vibrant Weekend Experience CREATING FAMILY TRADITIONS Advent can restore Jesus to the center of the Christmas celebration by talking about the birth of Jesus each Advent day. Here s how! Starting December 3rd Advent is a time of waiting, anticipation, expectation, joy and preparation for the coming of Jesus, the promised messiah. It is a season of looking forward to something wonderful! Why then, does it seem like something missing? In our busyness, we miss the signs of the season. Advent is a season of Mindfulness. A season to practice mindfulness, noticing and being present to God. God is present to us and among us now if only we notice. Let s be mindful of the richness of the season WEEK 1: Glow ADVENT HOMILY SERIES WEEK 2: Dirty Socks WEEK 3: Dusty Shoes WEEK 4: Christ in Us ADVENT WREATHS The Advent Wreath is the universal symbol of Advent. It is the Big Countdown. The candles symbolize hope, peace, joy and love. MANGERS / NATIVITY SETS Several times during Advent sit down with the manger figures and read a simple version of the Nativity story. A STOCKING FOR JESUS Put out a stocking for Jesus at the beginning of Advent. Throughout the season, whenever anyone does a good deed write down what they did on paper, and put it in the stocking. GET YOUR PURPLE ON Add a purple and rose table cloth or runner to your table to further emphasize the liturgical season. Or perhaps napkins, even paper ones that you use on Sundays. This would help in marking the liturgical shifts of the year. 4 th Monday of the month 6-8PM Come experience the visible presence of Jesus on earth in a monstrance in silence and humility. Hear him say Hello. In the presence of His Love, allow your mind and body to quiet down and work together to leave rid any confusion you may have. Let Christ help you make any decisions that need to be made. Let peace come.

4 The Heart of the Matter Page 4 Operations Financial Review The Heart of the Matter Page 4 Over the last year we have made many changes to the structure of the parish staff to help meet the needs of our vibrant organization. The changes include: Hiring of two administrative assistants who are job sharing, allowing each to focus on specific tasks to ensure efficiency. Adding a faith formation coordinator for children in grades 1-6 to offer additional programs for our young parishioners. Adding a Parish Ministry and Operations Manager, whose role is to ensure that each decision has a holistic approach to ensure that the best interests of the parish are the parishioners, is being met. Expenses Payroll expenses have increased from $102,033 to $117,132, however, total payroll taxes and benefits have decreased by $15,592. This number will be even greater in the upcoming year since the change were made mid Utilities increased last year by $5,429 due to the increase cost of gas, oil and electricity. Other expenses last year included: o general repairs to our campus o o purchase of new computers purchase of televisions for the entrances and parish hall Parish collections 295, ,518 Parish Income 29,545 16,353 Religious Ed income* 8,818 13,933 Parish Committees Income 14,856 12,112 Total income 348, ,916 Payroll expenses 117, ,033 Utilities 20,339 14,910 Property insurance 11,821 10,375 Cathedraticum 21,087 19,611 Snow removal 5,757 6,145 Payroll tax & benefits 52,513 67,465 Administrative Expenses 39,176 32,413 total income 348, ,916 total expense 340, ,803 8,322 17,113 *Religious education for 2016 reflects the tuition for 2 years due to the timing of payments for 2015.

5 Finances continued Looking Forward As we enter the new fiscal year we are looking at new ways to both improve efficacy while reducing costs. The parish is in the process of: revamping payroll services and transitioning to a bi-weekly payroll. This change will save the parish $2500/annually. renegotiating our copier contract to allow the in-house printing of the weekly bulletin without causing the overage fees. eliminate a postage meter. update phone system at the same amount of our old contract. Over the past few years, we have asked you to increase your weekly offerings by a significant percentage. Not only has this allowed us to fully meet the operational needs of the parish, but it has allowed us to strategically invest in our growth, through the programs we offer and the staff that supports them. This year we ask that you continue at this level, as we combine the cost savings with your contribution to increase the services we can offer. As a stewardship parish, everyone has accepted the challenge that we all own our parish. As you are aware, the official capital campaign will end this spring. Thank you for all you have done to help make our parish campus so beautiful. There is still more work to be done, including a new entrance with a portico off the parish center, improvements to the glass structure that connect the church and hall, additional air conditioning units in the church, along with updates to the parish center. As we move forward, we will continue to collect funds on a volunteer basis that will be held for capital improvements. No funds from this collection will be used for the general operations of the parish. Please see Fr. Bill or a member of the operations team, or join us at a Parish Life Night meeting to discuss any questions you may have regarding the Capital Campaign. Total Amount Pledged: $856, Total donations to date $819, Total expenses to date: $818, Remaining pledges to be collected = $37,926.00

6 The Heart of the Matter Page 6 Community Engagement NOVEMBER 18 TH 10am 2PM Fr. Reilley Center Join us again this year for Gourmet Food, Raffles, Vendors, Bake Sale, Kid s Activities and pictures with Santa! Calling all Elves! The Sacred Heart Church Christmas Fair Committee needs everyone s help again this year! Through the generous donations of many parishioners and local merchants, last year s fair was a great success both for the holiday fun it brought to the community and for the financial support it brought to our parish. We hope to make this year s fair even more successful. How you can help. Can you volunteer your time or do you have a teen who can donate their time Friday Nov. 17 to set up or Saturday Nov 18 to work the fair or clean up? Can you or your company commit to making a monetary donation to our cash raffle? Can you donate a gift of service, gift card, gift certificate, gift basket or a new children s craft, toy or game for one of our hourly raffle prizes? Can you offer to bake some treats to sell at our bake sale? The Café also needs canned soda, bottled water and juice boxes. Fill-A-Ford and Trick a Treat so others can Eat was a huge success! All food has been donated to the Hopedale Public Schools for their Grab and Go Bar and for vacation care packages for families in need. Jean Cormier Pete Mainville William Brennan Ray Cadoret, Sr. Fredrick Donahue Timothy McMahon Joseph Clark Charles Espanet Dennis Wirth Robert Moore Marsha DiFonzo Hank Schonhoff Betty Strobeck Jean Ruggiero Rosalyn Carney Phyllis Carroll Loved Ones We Said Good- Bye to at our Memorial Mass. Lena Fino Linda Lake Jean Fitch Theresa Villani Gloria Gagnon Janet Tosches K. Claire Turner Phil Lemarbre Antoinette Ferrucci Priscilla Davis Theresa Lessard Kathleen Donnelly George Phillips

7 The Heart of the Matter Page 7 Stewardship Good Stewards of What We Have Been Given Annual Stewardship Appeal Stewardship of Time as measured in Mass attendance: Gifts of Time this Advent Sharing your time is a wonderful option that encourages laughter and companionship. Spending time with a loved one a candlelight dinner or a walk can replace more expensive and less personal alternatives. Give the gift of forgiveness. Call an estranged friend or write a letter to someone you haven t seen in a long time. Making a real connection is sweeter than any other gift you can give. Set time aside for personal or family prayer. Attend morning Mass, light a vigil candle in someone s memory or attend Adoration. Number of cards mailed = 603 packets (477 active parishioners and 126 inactive parishioners) Our Goal = 250 cards. As of November 7, 2017 Cards Received: 135 New ministers: 56 Total pledged: $162, Projected expenses 2018: $414, Gifts of Talent this Advent You CAN make a great gift for someone! Give a personalized basket, filled with homemade muffins, cookies, and jam. Make a family calendar marked with important dates and family gatherings. Put together a photo album or a book of favorite family recipes. Prepare homemade soups or dinners that can be frozen. Offer to teach a skill you possess. Set aside time to participate in a ministry at Sacred Heart or volunteer in our local community. Gifts of Treasure this Advent Consider gifts of charity that touch the lives of people who are less privileged. Donate to Sacred Heart, St. Vincent de Paul or another charity in the name of a family member. Sponsor a Haitian child, support the Mustard Seed, or donate canned goods to the Food Pantry. Participate in the Giving Tree. Can you help us reach our goal?

8 Sacred Heart Church 187 Hopedale Street Hopedale, MA PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID HOPEDALE, MA PERMIT NO. 12 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED MASS SCHEDULE Saturday Vigil 4:00 PM Sunday 9:30 AM Daily *9:00 AM Mon Thu Holy Days 7:30 PM Vigil eve prior: 9:00 AM *Daily Mass is cancelled when there is a funeral AND when school is closed due to inclement weather. Communion Service Fridays 9:00 AM Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered on Saturdays at 3:00 PM or by appointment. Parish Office Christmas Eve - 4 & 7PM Christmas Day 10AM Bring food for your table to be blessed Bring food for the FOOD PANTRY to be shared