St. Francis of Assisi Parish 530 Gardners Neck Road Swansea, Massachusetts 02777 December 31, 2017 Holy Family Sunday Liturgical Celebrations Parish Staff Saturday Vigil: 4 p.m. Sundays: 8, 9:30 & 11 a.m. Monday Thursday: 9 a.m. Civic Holidays: 9 a.m. only 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 Contact: Parish Office: Parish fax: 508-672-6241 Email: stfrancisswansea@comcast.net Website: www.stfrancisswansea.com Religious Education: or 508-674-0024 Email: religiouseducation@stfrancisswansea.com St. Vincent de Paul: Youth Ministry: Parish Address: Church: Office/Rectory 530 Gardners Neck Road 270 Ocean Grove Avenue Swansea, MA 02777
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 and End of Year Tax Deductible Donations 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. As 2017 winds down, please consider a tax deductible donation to your parish. Sat., Dec. 30 - The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph 4:00 p.m. Desiree Choquette Debi Patterson, Brenda Rogers & deceased relatives by Gerry & Leo Masson Sun., Dec. 31 - The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph 8:00 a.m. Domingos & Orvalina Teles by family 9:30 a.m. Philippe Durette by family 11:00 a.m. Loretta Batts Jackson & Jean Ciryak Sun., Dec. 31 - Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God 4:00 p.m. Our loved ones, living and deceased Mon., Jan. 1 - Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God 9:00 a.m. Our loved ones, living and deceased Tues., Jan. 2 - Saints Basil the Great & Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church 9:00 a.m. Wed., Jan. 3 - The Most Holy Name of Jesus 9:00 a.m. Thurs., Jan. 4 - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious 9:00 a.m. Jean Ciryak & Loretta Batts Jackson 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 GOD S TIME In God s own good time, not ours, the promise of salvation is fulfilled. Abraham and Sarah were promised a land and as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. Finally they received a son, Isaac, and his aged mother laughed at the very idea of him. They all lived out their lives in expectant faith that the Lord s promise would be kept. Joseph, Mary, Simeon and Anna saw the infant Jesus who, despite all obstacles, would be a light to enlighten the nations and the glory of the people Israel. God still takes time to give us time to follow Jesus and to place faith in the Savior. Text, Philip J. Sandstrom, STD 1996, OCP. All rights reserved.
Sunday, December 31, 2017 50 Week Club Join the fun in the new year...you don t want to be left out in the cold! Congratulations to: Meg Sullivan Winner for December 31, 2017 Weekend of December 16th & 17th Budget Donations: $3,641.00 Repairs & Restoration Fund: $2,051.00 Our candles burn in memory of the following people: December Sanctuary Lamp: Seery & Masciarelli families by Steve & Ann Seery Altar Candle: Deceased Members of the Peloquin Family by Wanda Tabernacle Candle: Charles & Gloria Landry by Wanda Crucifix Candle: Bryan Kelley by parents Christmas Flowers: $1,362.00 Totals for the weekend of December 23rd and 24th were not available at the time of publication. It will be in the bulletin next week. Our second collection this weekend will be for Our Repairs & Restoration Fund. Next weekend, January 6th & 7th, our second collection is our Initial Offering, used to defray the cost of the offering system. Thank you for your generous support! 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 leave your first name and phone number 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.
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Help Homeless Children Start off the new year by doing good. Volunteer to play with homeless children at a Horizons for Homeless Children Playspace in one of more than 90 family shelters state. We have a high need for volunteers in Fall River & New Bedford. A commitment of 2 hours a week for 6 months and training are required. Upcoming volunteer training: Tuesday, February 6 6:00 9:00 PM Brockton, MA To find out more, view other training dates, or to apply, call 508.510.3250 or visit horizonschildren.org/playspace. 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 508-548-9149 or timeoutretreats@comcast.net. For more information, visit www.timeoutretreats.com. 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 800-710-9963 or visit them at https://wwmema.org/. 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 508-678-2828 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 www.fallriverdiocese.org and click on Employment Opportunities, or contact Peter Powers, Executive Director of Human Resources and Administration, at (508)985-6507, or by e-mail at ppowers@diocfr.org. Calendars Are Here! 2018 calendars are available at the entrances to church. Please support the sponsors of this years calendar: St. Dominic s Credit Union, Waring-Sullivan Home of Memorial Tribute and Richard Smith Plumbing and Heating. Their generosity means we can give our parishioners these calendars free of charge. Classes resume for the new year: For grades 3, 4 & 5 on Tuesday, January 2nd from 4:15 p.m. until 5:15 p.m. For grades 1 & 2 on Thursday, January 4th from 4:15 p.m. until 5:15 p.m. Confirmation II students have their retreat day on Saturday, January 6th at 8:45 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Next Family Life Committee Meeting will take place on Monday, January 8th at 7:00 p.m. Please come join them plan the events for the coming year.
Sunday December 31, 2017 Holy Family Sunday Masses for the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God will take place on Sunday, December 31 st at 4:00 p.m and on Monday, January 1 st at 9:00 a.m.