Saint Cecilia P A R I S H Fourth Sunday of Advent 23 December 2012 The Visitation Domenico Ghirlandaio (1535)
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our community news Ministers of the Liturgy Saturday 5:00 p.m. Rev. Peter Grover, OMV, celebrant Caroline Christian, lector Sunday 8:00 a.m. Rev. George Winchester, SJ, celebrant Louvere Walker, lector Sunday 9:30 a.m. Rev. James Shaughnessy, SJ, celebrant Letitia Howland & Jim Kennedy, lectors Sunday 11:15 a.m. Rev. John Unni, celebrant Paul Keating & Natasha M. Pierre, lectors special intentions Sunday, December 23 8:00 a.m. Colleen Kelly, Memorial Sunday, December 23 9:30 a.m. Joe Cochrane, Memorial Sunday, December 23 11:15 a.m. Alma Fitzpatrick, Memorial Christmas Liturgies Christmas Eve 4:00 & 6:30 Christmas Day 9:30 today s readings Micha 5:1-4a Hebrews 10:5-10 Luke 1:39-45 next sunday s Readings Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Colossians 3:12-21 Luke 2:41-52 3
Prayers & Occasions Our Deceased Please pray for the repose of the soul of Krit YaKham, who died on December 10. Pray also for the consolation of his dear friend, Matti Kniva Spencer. Our Sick Please pray for all our sick and for those who are in need of our prayer, especially Josephine Parker, John Saulenas, K. Champoux, Patricia Hoggard, Jennifer Serpico, Christine St. Pierre, Harold Williamson, Jessica Rivieccio, Earl Chilcote, Colonel Robert C. Tashjian, Kim Murray, Heather LoRe, Rudy Kikel, Herbert Simmons, Peggy Furey, Janice Mascia, Pamela D Ambra, Sue Lucas, Suki Coughlin, Roberta Keenan, Bridget Spence, Annette Kulas, Sam Gowan, Rhea Richard, Pil-Yun Son, Mary Yanez, Ed Langlais, Bob McLaughlin, Steven Whitkens, Diana Slaton, Leo Garcia, Joe Ford, Danny Cotter, Natalia Chilcote, Amy Sweetland, Jim Keyes, Michael Zawikowski, Patricia Macdonald, Elvera Dowsky, Frank Ackley, Fred Haslee, Lorraine Haslee, Robert Menson, Paul Flaherty, William Louttit, Lucie Kelly, Bro. Adam Zielonka, O.C.S.O., Amy Duarte, Karen & Rick, Phyllis Porras, Jim Linderman, Mark Amerault, Sr. Nuala Cotter, R.A., Kristen DeFranco Martinez, Michele Crowley Tippens, Pete Huttlinger, Anthony Simboli, Lisa Caputo, Edward Gill, Darlene McLendon, Jeanne Tibbs, Deidre Sullivan, Roosevelt Brown, Mary O Donnell, Ginny L Abbe, Steve Chamberlain, Matt Penchuk, Carrie Penchuk, Christy Cosgrove, Jacques Romberger, John Scaife, Maureen Sullivan, Alyce Haley, Joe Capizzi, David Walsh, Joe Huenke, Kaylin Marcotte, Avito Pacifici, Charlotte Egan, James Noone, Keith Plaster, David & Paula Fillion, Sarah Sweeney, Susan Shea, Bill Croke, Ettore Bergamaschi, Ryan Delaney, Manuela Almeida, Ilda Almeida, Joe Farrell, Ethan D Amato, Sophie Gagnon, Earl Meyers, Kathleen A. Meehan, Anne Frenette Handly, Jan Igras, Cheryl Sabin, Trish Mullen, Thomas Corrigan, Fernando Luis Riganti, Frank DeMare, Carmela Franchi, Little Tommy Sullivan, Kathy K., Julie Zaino, Ruth Frost, Benedicto Lopes, Elie Prevost, Roséa Aubrey, Patricia Dunham, & Bella Cashman. Evening Prayer This Week We will observe the Octave of Christmas by celebrating Vespers this week on Wednesday (Feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr), Thursday (Feast of Saint John, apostle and evangelist), and Friday (Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs) at six-thirty. All are welcome to attend. For Those Who Are Far from Home Pray for all who are away from home during the Christmas season, particularly missionaries and members of the military that God will fill their hearts with peace and reunite them with loved ones in the New Year. For Those Who Are Traveling Pray for all who are traveling over the next several days, that they may arrive at their destinations safely and share the love and warmth of family and friends. If you will not be with us tomorrow or Tuesday, when you come home Christmas will still be unfolding. We will be celebrating until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on January 13. Please travel safely and we wish you a happy and holy Christmas. For the People Who Inhabit the Holy Land Pray for for all who live in Bethlehem and the hill country of Judah; for Christians, Jews, and Muslims that God s spirit will open new pathways of peace and bring forth new hope for all who live in fear. For the Grace to Listen Pray that we may hear the fullness of God s message as it comes to us in word, in the lives of others, and in the events of our lives, and have the courage to respond in faith and love. For Peace in Troubled Parts of the World Pray for those who live amidst warfare and violence: that God will bring peace to their spirits and give them a new vision to help bring forth justice and peace in their land. For the Victims of Newtown, Connecticut In the wake of the horrific shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, we remember and pray for the victims, so many of them young children, as well as their grieving families who are dealing with an incalculable loss. We pray for parents everywhere whose hearts are numbed by this tragedy; we pray for the children who lost their classmates and teachers; and we pray for an end to violence. Let us continue to seek and to wait for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ who is our healing and our peace. 4
christmas flowers It's not too late to remember your loved ones by donating towards the Christmas flowers that will grace our sanctuary. In the back of the church you'll find envelopes that you can use for this purpose. Please drop the envelope in the collection basket or hand it to any staff person. The names of all flower memorials received as of last Sunday will be printed in the Christmas and Holy Family Sunday bulletins. All memorials received since last Sunday will be included in an updated list and printed in the Epiphany bulletin. Please be sure to PRINT clearly. Help Us Deck the halls Join us today after the elevenfifteen liturgy coffee hour for the greening of the church. We will be hanging wreaths, preparing the manger, and decorating the sanctuary. If you'd like, please bring some of your favorite Christmas cookies. Rumor has it that Jenny Jones will be baking some of her endlessly delicious mince pies. Please join us for all or some portion of the afternoon. we need your christmas cards YOUR CHRISTMAS CARDS CAN BE PUT TO GOOD USE Finally, a good use for your used Christmas cards Prison chaplains are not allowed to give the men and women they serve Christmas cards to send home to their loved ones but they are allowed to host card making activities. If you would like to donate your used cards, Chaplain Peg Newman will cut out hte usable pictures and make sure there is no personal information on the back. Your recycled cards will be put to good use next December. A plastic bin labeled Bridgewater State Hospital will be in the narthex through January 13. this week's prayer for your advent wreath FOURTH WEEK Light all four candles. During the rest of Advent, these candles are relit at the evening meal or whenever you choose to do so. Jesus, your mother Mary is "blessed among women." We are happy that she said "Yes" to being your mother. As we light this candle, we remember that you bring the light of love into our lives. May your Word be always in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts. Amen. Drivers Needed Each month parishioners have the opportunity to pick up donated meat, dairy products, and produce from a South Shore supermarket and baked goods from two Whole Foods stores and deliver it to Catholic Charities' Haitian Multi-Service Center in Dorchester along with the packaged food items donated at Saint Cecilia. This vital ministry takes place at seven-thirty on Sunday mornings and can be completed in time to attend the nine-thirty parish liturgy. We need five cars each time we deliver to Catholic Charities. Here are our upcoming dates: December 23 December 30 If you have a car and are interested in volunteering, please contact Mark Lippolt at mlippolt@hammondre. com. organ console update As of last Sunday, December 16th, we have raised $23,088, nearly double our goal of $12,000 The outpouring generosity has been extraordinary. Thank you The console should be up and running by Christmas Eve. Even though we have surpassed our goal, all donors of $500 or more will be honored on a plaque on the organ. 5
thank you Our Advent Giving Tree was once again a huge success. Due to the generosity of so many of you, we were able to provide more than 550 gifts to people at six different agencies. Your gifts will help many men, women, and children have a special Christmas There are so many people who help make this program successful including: Lauren who faithfully types hundreds of labels and all the ornament makers, ribbon cutters, gift organizers and drivers Cathy, Mary Jane, Charlie R., Charlie K., Brittaney, Linda, Karen, Gayle, Maire, Gina, Nicole, Margaret, Jody, Randy, Lucy, Nate, Ellen, Ann, and Ed and anyone else I forgot. Special thanks to Chris, Jenn, Julie and Christine who helped with everything from start to finish Ann 43rd annual martin luther king, jr. memorial breakfast MONDAY, JANUARY 21 8:00 BOSTON CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTER 415 SUMMER STREET The 43rd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast to commemorate the noble legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be held on Monday, January 21 at eight o'clock. This event features delicious food, live music and a diverse gathering of over 1,000 people, including business, civic and religious leaders from across Massachusetts. This year's event will feature a dynamic keynote address from Professor Jonathan L. Walton, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard University and Pusey Minister in Harvard's Memorial Church. We need to reserve tables for this breakfast prior to December 31. Tickets are $43 each. If you would like to join us and sit at one of the Saint Cecilia tables, pleaes call the parish office or e mail Scott MacDonald at smacdonald@stceciliaboston.org. If you've attended this breakfast in the past, you know what a moving and hope filled way this is to commemorate the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. HUSH, O WORLD, PLEASE JUST HUSH By JOHN HUDSON Time stopped and then there was silence. That s the only way I can describe my gut response and sense at the exact second I heard the news about the shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, last Friday. It was that rare spiritual moment when it seemed as if the whole world was hushed and the minutes ceased to tick away on the clock. The earth stopped rotating from day to night. Everything froze up in mute disbelief. When something so awful, so overwhelming, so horrendously unreal happens, that s our human response. The circuits in our brains fill to overload with information we can t compute. Our hearts fill to breaking with truth we cannot face. It is all too much. All we can say is, Oh my God. All we can ask is Why and confess we may never, ever receive an answer. If I had but one piece of spiritual wisdom to offer to all of us in the wake of this event, and the far too many like it which now happen on a regular basis, it would be that we need silence. Silence and space. To grieve. To weep. To wonder. To worry. To be broken but together in our brokenness. Silence: to light a candle and to pray for ourselves, personally and collectively, and for the victims, for that community. Silence and space. Unless we ve lost a loved one in similar circumstances, none of us can ever even come close to fathoming the grief and pain of Newtown parents and grandparents and educators and neighbors and classmates and first responders. None of us. We are so far removed as witnesses to this tragedy. We are bystanders at best and we need to honor this sacred boundary. But the truth is there may be no such boundaries in our culture anymore. There certainly hasn t been since the millisecond the Newtown news broke and for that I worry greatly for our world. It s now all sound and noise and clatter 24/7. We ve been drowning under a torrent of knee jerk opinions, presumptuous pontifications and blatantly political declarations since the 14th. I am exhausted by this. I just need some silence to take it all in, to think. How about you? I get that all of us have thoughts about the event. That s normal. Yet in 2012 do we really have to (Article continues in the right column of page 8) 6
An Advent Message of Hope Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent By MICHAEL G. RYAN The following homily was preached last Sunday by the Very Reverend Michael G. Ryan, pastor of Saint James Cathedral, Seattle. I had a homily all prepared for this weekend and was ready to give it until the horrific event of this past Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. That changed everything. Somehow, I knew I couldn t preach today without saying something about that event that has forever altered the lives of those families and shaken our nation to its very foundations. This is the Sunday we call Gaudete Sunday, Rejoice Sunday, but how are we to rejoice in the wake of that unspeakable tragedy? And how are we to find a path forward amid such darkness, death, such inexplicable evil? And those families who lost those twenty beautiful little children and other loved ones, too: how are they in this season when we celebrate light shining in the darkness, hope in the midst of despair how are they to find any light, any hope, at all? I have no ready answers for any of this. I don t. All I know is that at moments like this we need to come together in prayer, and we need to reach out in love and prayer and in every way we can to those sorrowing, grief-stricken families. Perhaps in doing so, we will light for them a flame of hope no matter how tiny or dim. That is what we do this morning. We come together as believers or as people who struggle to believe, and we find strength and comfort in simply being together, praying together, and in celebrating together the rituals of our faith. We listen to Advent readings that dare to speak of rejoicing even as we are feeling only great sadness. We want to believe, but find it so hard to believe, the words of the Prophet Zephaniah who proclaimed to the people, the Lord is in your midst He has removed the judgment against you you have no further misfortune to fear you need not be discouraged. And we want to heed the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again, rejoice Have no anxiety at all. But how in this broken world of ours how is it possible to rejoice? How is it possible not to fear or to be discouraged? One thing is certain: we cannot keep hope alive by ourselves. We can only do it with God s help and with the help and support we give to each other in community. And then, I think it may be helpful to know a little background to those readings. When the prophet Zephaniah spoke his words of hope to the people of Israel he was speaking to people who were in the midst of some gravely troubling times. They had suffered appalling losses to foreign powers and had been brought low and humiliated time and again by ruthless forces of occupation that made a mockery of their faith and ridiculed their religion. It was against that background that Zephaniah told them not to fear or be discouraged, but to rejoice with all your hearts because the Lord has taken away all judgments against you. And maybe it s helpful, too, to know that when St. Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians and told them to rejoice in the Lord always and to have no anxiety about anything, he was writing to them from Rome where he was in prison awaiting trial. And then there s today s passage from Luke s gospel. The crowds, eager for answers, ask John the Baptist, What shall we do? And the Baptist answers by telling them not to worry about themselves but to have a concern for and to take care of others. If you have two cloaks, he says, share with the person who has none at all, and do the same with any food you may have. And when tax collectors and soldiers question him about what they should do, he tells them to be just and honest in all their dealings. What shall we do? That s our question, too, isn t it? We really want to know what we are to do when we feel (Article continues in the left column of page 8) 7
(Continued from page 7) so helpless, so adrift on some very stormy seas. And it s hard not to wonder what the Baptist would tell us if we had the opportunity to ask him what we are to do? I can t be certain, of course, but something tells me that he would speak to us about regaining our moral compass as a society, about shunning the ways of violence that are aided and abetted by the easy availability of the most lethal kinds of assault weapons, and also by the violent video games that have come to pervade our culture. And I think that John the Baptist might well point his prophetic finger at us and tell us to get our priorities straight and to find humane, enlightened ways to help individuals and families who live with mental illness. That s my hunch. And, I know, none of what I ve said makes this moment any easier, nor does it soothe our sorrows or calm our fears. But maybe it offers a tiny glimmer of hope. And maybe it gives us a new resolve to embrace our faith more intentionally and to live it more authentically. We need each other and we need to do more than just wring our hands about terrible things that happen. Those things happen in a society that we are part of, a society that we have the power to influence and to change maybe not in big ways, but certainly in real ways. And we are part of a Church that preaches the gospel of love and justice and peace, but this gospel must first become our gospel, our way of life, before we can ever hope that it will have its impact on society. My friends in Christ, on this Advent Sunday, in the midst of a world with problems and challenges both agonizing and seemingly unsolvable, a world where glimpses of light are all too quickly eclipsed by darkness, in this vastly imperfect world of ours and of these vastly imperfect lives of ours, there is still room for hope great hope, because God s love has always been more powerful than even the greatest of human evils and it always will be. Advent dares to speak of light in the midst of darkness, hope for the world in the face of a tiny child, hope for the world in faces like yours and mine. Hemingway once wrote that life breaks all of us, but some people grow at the broken places. May the Body of Jesus broken for us in this Eucharist bring healing to all our broken places, and hope to broken hearts, and to our broken world (Continued from page 6) immediately share these ideas so publically, so instantaneously, so loudly, on Facebook and on Twitter? On The Today Show and Fox and Friends? From pulpits and in press conferences? I am spiritually suffocating under the weight of our national inability to be thoughtful anymore, to be silent, if just for one second, when it comes to our plugged in lives. Then there is also another weirdness in our culture to lay on top of all this. Why do we have to now so vicariously, digitally, quickly enter into the suffering of others? Is it about them? Is it about us? The motives may be good but the results are unsettling. This too has haunted me in the days after Newtown. It is as if none of us knows how to be silent anymore. How to possess an unshared opinion or thought. How to keep raw and unformed ideas to ourselves for just awhile. How to hold a precious and tender hope or grief between us and our God in silent prayer. How to give ourselves and others the silent space they need to just be. Instead we now bury each other in an avalanche of digital information with no time to pause or ponder or be still. Human life is far too big, messy, awful and awe-filled to be parsed immediately, to be opined or dissected or understood in the seconds it takes to make a status update or send a tweet or post on a blog or write a news story. Six days after Newtown I feel as if even these words are so woefully inadequate. Silence. Space. Quiet. That s what we all need right now. In the words of Christina Rossetti s Christmas hymn, In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, in the bleak midwinter, long ago. Hush. The Reverend John F. Hudson is the pastor of Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Sherborn, Massachusetts. Rev. Hudson is a Massachusetts native, has served UCC churches throughout New England, and is a newspaper columnist for several local papers. His ministry has been marked by a commitment to social outreach and justice, mission giving and ministry to children and young people. His blog, "Sherborn Pastor" can be found at www.sherbornpastor.blogspot. com. 8
Parish RESOURCES Parish Office & Mailing Address 18 Belvidere Street, Boston, MA 02115 Hours Monday Friday, 9:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Phone 617 536 4548 Fax 617 536 1781 E-mail info@stceciliaboston.org Website www.stceciliaboston.org Parish Staff Rev. John J. Unni, Pastor, junni@stceciliaboston.org Mark Donohoe, Pastoral Associate for Administration, mdonohoe@stceciliaboston.org Scott J. MacDonald, Director of Faith Formation and Leadership Development, smacdonald@stceciliaboston.org Richard J. Clark, Director of Music and Organist, rclark@stceciliaboston.org Maureen Sullivan, Administrative Assistant to the Pastor, msullivan@stceciliaboston.org 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 Wednesdays During Lent 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday 8:00 a.m. Lord s Day Sat 5:00 p.m.; Sun 8:00, 9:30, 11:15, & 6:00 p.m. Holy Days 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Reconciliation By appointment at any time and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 8:00 during Lent. 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. Parking Reduced-rate parking (maximum of three hours) is available Sundays at the Prudential Center parking garage, LAZ Parking (53 Belvidere Street), and at the Hilton Boston Back Bay. Please bring your parking ticket to church for validation before returning to the garage. 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