Saint Cecilia P A R I S H Third Sunday of Easter 118th Anniversary of the Dedication of Saint Cecilia Church 22 April 2012 The Supper at Emmaus by He Qi
Jaguza! 2012 Celebrate the Children of Uganda Saturday, May 5, 2012 2 pm-4 pm Simmons College Paretsky Center 300 The Fenway Parking available Fundraiser for The Makula Fund for Children featuring the dancing performed by African Cultural Experience and the screening of the short film Journey to Jamaa Silent Auction African food and African crafts available Sponsored by Simmons College School of Social Work Tickets: $20 Adults and $10 Students (Children under 5 free) Tickets available at the door For more information: info@makulafund.org or 617-522-2615
our community news Ministers of the Liturgy Saturday 5:00 p.m. Rev. Peter Grover, OMV, celebrant Daniel Hart, lector Sunday 8:00 a.m. Rev. Thomas Gariepy, CSC, celebrant Jim Dougherty, lector Sunday 9:30 a.m. Rev. John Unni, celebrant Allegra Rollo, Michele Maniscalco, & Mary Kane, lectors Sunday 11:15 a.m. Rev. John Unni, celebrant Maggie Mastricola, Zachary Fehst, & Jim English, lectors special intentions Saturday, April 21 5:00 p.m. Felicia Treadwell, Special Intention Sunday, April 22 8:00 a.m. Rita Gardiner, Memorial Sunday, April 22 9:30 a.m. William T. Mitchell, Memorial Sunday, April 22 11:15 a.m. Liz Pino, Memorial Sunday, April 22 6:00 p.m. Barbara Ryan, Memorial Sunday 6:00 p.m. Rev. John Unni, celebrant Malcolm White & Letitia Howland, lectors today s readings Acts 3:13 15, 17 19 I John 2:1 5a Luke 24:35 48 next sunday s Readings Acts 4:8 12 I John 3:1 2 John 10:11 18 Saint Cecilia Church in 1894 3
Prayers & Occasions 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, Jessica Coviello, Harold Williamson, Jessica Rivieccio, Earl Chilcote, Colonel Robert C. Tashjian, Roseanne Borgioli, Rosemary Messina, Kim Murray, Heather LoRe, Rudy Kikel, Herbert Simmons, Peggy Furey, Janice Mascia, Winnie Dyer, Jane Cox, Pamela D Ambra, Sue Lucas, Suki Coughlin, Roberta Keenan, Bridget Spence, Annette Kulas, Sam Gowan, Rhea Richard, Pil-Yun Son, Mary Yanez, Larry Buckley, M. Frances Driscoll, Ed Langlais, Bob McLaughlin, Steven Whitkens, Diana Slaton, Leo Garcia, Jean Marino, Joe Ford, Danny Cotter, Natalia Chilcote, Amy Sweetland, Jim Keyes, Michael Zawikowski, Cheryl Proctor, 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, Sara Lima Santos, Joseph Driscoll, Pete Huttlinger, Anthony Simboli, Lisa Caputo, Edward Gill, Darlene McLendon, Jeanne Tibbs, Debbie Pace, Peter Schwahn, 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, Frederick Flather, David & Paula Fillion, Fred Maglero, Sarah Sweeney, Susan Shea, Bill Croke, Ettore Bergamaschi, Ryan Delaney, Anita Cipriani, Cecile Finnerty, Manuela Almeida, Ilda Almeida, Joe Farrell, Ethan D Amato, Sophie Gagnon, Earl Meyers, and Kathleen A. Meehan. Bake Sale Today Our high school Young Neighbors in Action are preparing for their July service learning trip to Washington, D.C. and are hosting a bake sale this morning following the nine-thirty and eleven-fifteen liturgies. Bake sale proceeds will be used to defray the cost of the YNIA trip. Please stop by and show your support of their efforts. There is also a water jug nearby for loose change and dollar bills. This jug will be in the narthex for the next several weeks, so please bring your loose change and help out our high school parishioners. Evening Prayer This Thursday We will pray Evening Prayer this Thursday, April 26, at six-thirty, in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel. All are welcome. Happy Anniversary! Today marks the 118th anniversary of the dedication of Saint Cecilia Church. On Sunday, April 22, 1894, Saint Cecilia was dedicated during a solemn Pontifical Mass. The Most Rev. F. Satolli, the papal delegate to the United States, came from Washington, D.C. to assist in the ceremonies. Also in attendance were Rev. Richard J. Barry (first rector of Saint Cecilia), Archbishop John Williams (fourth Bishop of Boston and first Archbishop of Boston), Rt. Rev. John Brady (first Auxiliary Bishop of Boston), as well as many priests from other parishes in the archdiocese. Remember in prayer our forebears who sacrificed and gave of themselves to make this church a house of welcome and prayer for generations of citizens of Boston and its environs. Pray also that we will continue to be good stewards of this holy place. 4
the third sunday of easter The Paschal Triduum was truly a time of grace and beauty for us at Saint Cecilia. We are now two weeks into the Great Fifty Days of rejoicing, culminating in the celebration of Pentecost on May 27. Each year on the Third Sunday of Easter, the Gospel proclaims a post Resurrection appearance of Christ in which he shares a meal with his disciples. The Eucharistic theme is obvious. Let us rejoice and celebrate the fact that Christ is indeed made known to us in the scriptures and in the breaking of bread. evening prayer during eastertide We will be praying Evening Prayer a number of times during these fifty days of great rejoicing and hope you ll join us for all or some of them. Thursday, April 26, Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel 6:30 Thursday, May 3, Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles 6:30 Sunday, May 27, Pentecost Sunday 6:00 Thursday, May 31, Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin 6:30 Locus Iste! This place is the work of God The interior of Saint Cecilia Church in 1894 Today is the 118th Anniversary of the Dedication of Saint Cecilia Church. Established in 1888, Saint Cecilia Church was dedicated on this day in 1894. The anniversary of the dedication of a church is so significant that it is given the rank of a solemnity in that parish. This solemnity, in fact, takes precedence over most Sundays and feast days (though not Sundays during the Easter season). To commemorate this anniversary, the choirs at the 9:30 and 11:15 liturgies will sing settings of a few pertinent texts: Psalm 84, O How amiable are thy Dwellings (Ralph Vaughan Williams) where God prepares a home for all of us and Locus Iste (Anton Bruckner) a text that is traditionally sung at the dedication of a church: This place is the work of God, a mystery surpassing all comprehension, above all reproach. 5
donations for catholic charities food pantry While we look to our Faith Formation families to remember our commitment to Catholic Charities food pantry in Dorchester when the children bring up our offertory gifts at our nine-thirty liturgies, we hope that all parishioners will participate in this important ministry. The local economy may have improved for some of us, but the working poor and unemployed continue to face enormous challenges. As Father John mentioned on Holy Thursday, Catholic Charities is now distributing 48,000 pounds of food every month a tenfold increase since 2008. Saint Cecilia has committed to providing these items to the Catholic Charities food pantry: Cheerios or cornflakes, peanut butter, white flour pasta and spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, canned tuna fish, canned chicken breast, and tomato sauce. While any canned or shelf items are appreciated, it is particularly helpful when parishioners can help with the staples listed above. Because food is delivered only twice a month to the Catholic Charities food pantry, we cannot accept donations of baked items or produce in the narthex. attention Graduates We want to acknowledge and celebrate all our graduates this spring. Please e-mail the names of parishioners who are graduating from high school or college to Scott MacDonald at smacdonald@stceciliaboston.org. Please place the word graduate in the subject line. Feel free to include the name of the school and the degree awarded. We are also happy to announce student recitals. host family wanted A twenty year old French college student who is presently in Boston studying English, is looking for a host family for the month of May, during which time he will be studying at Berklee College of Music. He comes with the recommendation of the chancellor of the Archdiocese of Strasbourg, who says, He is a very nice and serious young man, who has participated in the World Youth Days in Madrid in 2011. He hasn t a lot of money, but he s hardworking and helpful. If you are interested in meeting him to see if this might be a good fit, please contact Scott MacDonald at the Parish Office (smacdonald@stceciliaboston.org). haiti vs harvard soccer The Harvard men s soccer team will host the Men s National Team of Haiti today, Sunday, April 22 at 5 p.m., to benefit Partners in Health relief efforts in Haiti. The Haiti National Team traveled to New England for a five-day benefit tour, taking on Dartmouth this past Friday before heading to Cambridge this afternoon for a 5 p.m. game at historic Harvard Stadium (65 N. Harvard Street, Allston). Last year s game against Haiti drew 11,513 fans to Harvard Stadium with an additional 1,900 viewers watching online in a dual-language broadcast in both English and Creole. Tickets to the Haiti-Harvard game ($10) can be purchased at the game or in advance at the Harvard Box Office or online. Go early to the Fan Zone where members of the Haitian National team will be signing autographs. Enjoy live Haitian music and talk to PIH staff about their ongoing work. 6
take home a little white book for easter In the back of the church we have little white books of six-minute reflections for the fifty days of Eastertide. Take one home and spend just six minutes a day in reflection. This is a great way to celebrate these fifty days of great rejoicing! join us at community servings Join us from ten to two o clock next Saturday morning, April 28 when we volunteer in the kitchens of Community Servings. We are looking for volunteers to assist in preparing and packaging nutritious meals for those who are homebound with life-threatening illnesses throughout Eastern Massachusetts. No culinary skills are required, but volunteers need to be at least thirteen years of age. Please feel free to join us even if you can t be there until a bit later than ten o clock. Community Servings is conveniently located next to the Stony Brook T Station in Jamaica Plain. To volunteer or for more information, please contact Mark Lippolt at: mlippolt@hammondre.com. Help to End Homelessness (and have a good time) mother s day card sales 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 between now and Mother s Day. 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. The WLP welcomes guests into a loving community each day and joyfully celebrates Mother s Day with a delectable meal, live entertainment, and personal gifts. These women are mothers, daughters, and sisters. If you are interested in helping sell cards at church, to your friends or where you work, please contact Mark Lippolt at mlippolt@hammondre.com. Take a spare moment to meet other young professionals while helping to raise money towards sponsoring a week of Pine Street s Outreach Vans, which go out every night of the year to help individuals living on the streets, providing both basic necessities and hope. On Wednesday evening, April 25 from six to eight o clock there will be a fundraiser at Kings Bowling Alley, 50 Dalton Street. The cost per person is $20 or $75 for a team of four if purchased before April 20. Tickets may be purchased online at www.pinestreetstrike. eventbrite.com/. For more information about this 21+ event, please contact Eric Monty at (617) 892-9173. 7
facing the false self An excerpt from Merton s New Seeds of Contemplation By THOMAS MERTON, OCSO A tree gives glory to God by being a tree. For in being what God means it to be it is obeying Him. The more a tree is like itself, the more it is like Him. strength. The lakes hidden among the hills are saints, and the sea too is a saint who praises God without interruption in her majestic dance. This particular tree will give glory to God by spreading out its roots in the earth and raising its branches into the air and the light in a way that no other tree before or after it ever did or will do. The special clumsy beauty of this particular colt on this April day in this field under these clouds is a holiness consecrated to God by His own creative wisdom and it declares the glory of God. Girl before a Mirror by Pablo Picasso, 1932 The great, gashed, half-naked mountain is another of God s saints. There is no other like him. He is alone in his own character; nothing else in the world ever did or ever will imitate God in quite the same way. That is his sanctity. For me to be a saint means to be myself. Therefore the problem of sanctity and salvation is in fact the problem of finding out who I am and of discovering my true self. The pale flowers of the dogwood outside this window are saints. The little yellow flowers that nobody notices on the edge of that road are saints looking up into the face of God. This leaf has it own texture and its own pattern of veins and its own holy shape, and the bass and trout hiding in the deep pools of the river are canonised by their beauty and their Trees and animals have no problem. God makes them what they are without consulting them, and they are perfectly satisfied. With us it is different. God leaves us free to be whatever we like. We can be ourselves or not, as we please. We are at liberty to be real, or to be unreal. We may be true or false, the choice is ours. We may wear now one mask 8
and now another, and never, if we so desire, appear with our own true face. But we cannot make these choices with impunity. Causes have effects, and if we lie to ourselves and to others, then we cannot expect to find truth and reality whenever we happen to want them. If we have chosen the way of falsity we must not be surprised that truth eludes us when we finally come to need it! Our vocation is not simply to be, but to work together with God in the creation of our own life, our own identity, our own destiny. The seeds that are planted in my liberty at every moment, by God s will, are the seeds of my own identity, my own reality, my own happiness, my own sanctity. Every one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self. This is the person that I want myself to be but who cannot exist, because God does not know anything about him. And to be unknown to God is altogether too much privacy. My false and private self is the one who wants to exist outside the reach of God s will and God s love outside of reality and outside of life. And such a self cannot help but be an illusion. We are not very good at recognising illusions, least of all the ones we cherish about ourselves the ones we are born with and which feed the roots of sin. For most of the people in the world, there is no greater subjective reality than this false self of theirs, which cannot exist. A life devoted to the cult of this shadow is what is called a life of sin. All sin starts from the assumption that my false self, the self that exists only in my own egocentric desires, is the fundamental reality of life to which everything else in the universe is ordered. Thus I use up my life in the desire for pleasures and the thirst for experiences, for power, honour, knowledge and love, to clothe this false self and construct its nothingness into something objectively real. And I wind experiences around myself and cover myself with pleasures and glory like bandages in order to make myself perceptible to myself and to the world, as if I were an invisible body that could only become visible when something visible covered its surface. The secret of my identity is hidden in the love and mercy of God, for whatever is in God is really identical with God for God s infinite simplicity admits no division and no distinction. Therefore, I cannot hope to find myself anywhere expect in God. Ultimately the only way I can be myself is to become identified with God in whom is hidden the reason and the fulfillment of my existence. Done time? Please join us for our Monday Night Gatherings. Men and women who have been incarcerated are invited to join this group which is designed to provide participants with a sense of welcome and support. The meetings are held from six to eight o clock (entrance on the side street) and begin with a group that provides an opportunity for individuals to talk about their personal experiences, insights and issues in a safe environment. A simple meal is shared after the group. It s fine to just come but if you would like additional information (or if you are interested in helping to host this group) please contact Peg Newman (peg_newman@msn.com; 508 587-4254) or Tom Ash (whatevertp@gmail.com; 617 642-9351). 9
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. Thursday & Friday 8:00 a.m. Lord s Day Sat 5:00 p.m.; Sun 8:00, 9:30, 11:15, and 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), Ginny DiSanto (gin250boston@gmail.com) or Peg Quilty (nursempeg@gmail.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. 10