The Parish of St. Agatha Milton ~ Quincy, MA December 9-10, 2017 StAgathaParish.org ST. AGATHA RECTORY Office Hours Monday - Friday 9am-4pm 432 Adams Street Milton, MA 02186 ST. AGATHA SCHOOL 440 Adams Street Milton, MA 02186 SCHEDULE OF MASSES Daily Masses: Monday-Friday: & Saturday& Holidays: 8:00am Reconciliation: 3:45-4:15pm on Saturdays. Any other time by appointment Weekend Masses: Saturday: Sunday: 4:30 pm 7:30 am 9:00 am 10:30 am 12:00 noon 5:00 pm Holy Days: As Announced There are assistive devices for the hearing impaired available in the Sacristy before all Masses. Low gluten hosts are available. Please see priest before Mass if needed. Sacrament of Reconciliation On Wednesday, December 13 & 20 from 6:30pm - 8pm, one of the priests will be hearing confessions in the Reconciliation Room in the Lower Church. The rosary is recited every morning before the 9am Mass. Please join us. Parish Mission Statement St. Agatha Parish is a Christian Community of Catholics from Milton, Quincy and beyond, whose Mission is to demonstrate Love by: proclaiming and celebrating God s Presence on earth; being open and welcoming to all; reaching out to our sisters and brothers near and far; providing opportunities for prayer, service, education and recreation. In living this Mission, we accept our responsibility for giving witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Eucharistic Adoration Every Friday after the 9am Mass in the Chapel until reposition at 1pm. Legion of Mary meets every Wednesday after the 9am Mass. Second Sunday Of Advent St. Agatha Parish Phone: 617-698-2439 Rectory@StAgathaParish.org Fax: 617-698-1517 Parish Website: www.stagathaparish.org Clergy Rev. William B. Palardy, Pastor Rev. Jason M. Makos, Parochial Vicar Deacon Daniel F. Sullivan Rev. Patrick McLaughlin, Senior Priest in Residence Rev. Thomas Powers, Senior Priest in Residence Deacon Baldemar Garza, Seminarian Intern Parish Administration Mr. Jack Riley, Finance and Operations Manager Ms. Kathy Monahan, Administrative Assistant and Bulletin Editor Music Ministry MusicDirector@StAgathaParish.org Ms. Agata Orzechowska, Director of Music St. Agatha School Phone: 617-696-3548 School@StAgathaParish.org Fax: 617-696-6288 School Website: www.stagathaparish.org/school Mr. David Marion, Principal Mrs. Michelle Tierney, Administrative Assistant Mrs. Joan Brown, Tuition Coordinator ST AGATHA FAITH FORMATION617-696-1388 Grades 1-8 FaithFormation@StAgathaparish.org Mrs. Ellen Cronin, Director Mrs. Jenn Caputo, Administrative Assistant Grade 9-11 & Young Church Ministry617-696-8978 YoungChurchMinistry@StAgathaParish.org Mr. Brian T. Pellicano
Second Sunday of Advent December 9-10, 2017 A Note from Our Pastor, Thank you once again to all who have organized and overseen our Giving Tree Project, and to so many of you generous parishioners who have taken ornaments and have brought gifts to church this weekend to bring joy to struggling families this upcoming Christmas season. This Tuesday the 12 th from 6:30 until 8pm in the Life Teen Room there ll be Pizza and Prayer, open to all teens. One wonderful way to prepare to celebrate the birthday of Jesus is to allow Him to wipe our slates clean in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In addition to our Saturday Confession times, this Wednesday and next, December 13 th and 20 th, the Sacrament of Reconciliation will also be celebrated from 6:30 to 8 pm in our Chapel in the lower church. The second (and final) meeting for parents whose children will be receiving First Penance (Reconciliation) will take place in the Gathering Space Thursday December 14 th at 9:45 am. Please contact Jenn Caputo to register for this meeting if you have not done so already or attended the meeting this past week. Next weekend our outdoor crèche will be set up by our parish s Boy Scouts, and the figures of the manger will make their appearance during the Fourth Week of Advent, thanks to the 8 th -graders of St. Agatha School. In Our Church Calendar we remember Pope St. Damasus of the 4 th century on Monday. He did much to build shrines to early Christian martyrs and to foster devotion to these courageous witnesses to Christ. He also encouraged St. Jerome to produce a new translation of the Bible in Latin called the Vulgate to make the Word of God much more accessible for all Christian believers. On Tuesday we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe the Patroness of all the Americas. This feast expresses the unity we have as Catholic Christians with all our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout all of North and South America, and especially with those of native American and Latino/a ethnicity. On Wednesday we honor St. Lucy, who like our patroness St. Agatha, was a virgin and early Christian martyr from Sicily. St. Lucy is the patron of all those suffering from any eye diseases. On Thursday we celebrate the of St. John of the Cross, a Carmelite who worked closely with St. Teresa of Avila in the 1500s in Spain to reform the Carmelite Order of men and women. Like St. Teresa, St. John is a doctor of the Church and a profound spiritual writer. Have a blessed week! Fr. Palardy Christmas ~ One Collection for the Clergy Health and Retirement Trust Our priests are always there for us; they share Christ s good news, perform good works, and build communi es of good faith. This Christmas there will be a diocese-wide collec on to benefit the Clergy Health and Re rement Trust which cares for the health and well-being of our 590 Boston priests. You can show your gra tude by giving generously to the collec on. You are also invited to make your gi online at clergytrust.org or you can donate $25 through your cell phone by tex ng the word PRIEST25 to 20222 (msg. & data rates may apply). Follow us on Facebook @ClergyTrust. Thank you in advance for your prayer and support. 2017 Giving Tree Project This is the weekend to Bring the Giving Tree gift with you to any Mass (except the 5:00 PM). After the 12:00 noon Mass the volunteers from the parish will help group each family s gifts together for delivery and the gifts will then be brought to My Brother s Keeper for distribution. Thank you so much for your continued support!
St. Agatha Parish Milton Quincy THEME: Preparing a pathway in our lives When you hear Isaiah comfort the people by promising that God is like a shepherd who gathers the lambs into his arms, what is your response? 1st Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins. A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Go up on to a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him. Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care. Please call 617-698-2439 and we will arrange for a minister of communion to bring Eucharist to you. Pastoral Planning December 10 ~ Second Sunday of Advent The prophet Isaiah instructs us: Prepare the way of the Lord. This is what Advent is about and yet, it can be difficult to keep this focus when we are pulled in too many directions by the shopping and cooking and card writing that go with the season. Don t allow the tasks to prevent you from finding time to prepare your heart for Christ. Begin each day this week by making a simple prayer, Come Lord Jesus, come! Come Lord Jesus, come! As we enter the season of Advent and begin a new Church year, it s nice to be able to note that all of this week s financial news in the parish is good! In fact, it s great! First, as you can see below we exceeded our Weekly Offertory budget. This is the second time this fiscal year that this has happened, and both times have been within the last month. Second, the Grand Annual continues to do very well. As of December 5 th the total collected thus far stands at $117,685. Our budgeted goal is $170,000 which is well within reach with the whole month of December still ahead of us. But we do need your help. If you have not had the opportunity to respond, there is still time to do so. Thanks for your generous support of the parish. Finally, when we were replacing the boiler in the Church we applied for an energy efficiency rebate from National Grid. It was very satisfying to open the mail last week and find a check for $8,000! So all in all it was a great week financially and a great way to start the Church s New Year! Jack Riley Weekly Offertory Report Weekly Budget Dec. 2-3 In-Pew Collection Electronic Collection Dec. 2-3 Total Offertory Weekly Difference Total Difference YTD $13,235 $10,836 $2,734 $13,570 $335 -$31,296
http://www.facebook.com/stagathaparishmiltonquincy December 9-10, 2017 St. Agatha Parish Christmas Mass Schedule Christmas Pageant Are you in Grades 3-6? Come tell the story of Jesus birth by participating in the St. Agatha Parish Christmas Pageant. Rehearsals will be held in the Upper Church on Wednesday, December 20th from 5:00 PM to 6:00PM and Thursday, December 21st from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM. You must attend both rehearsals to participate in the Pageant! The Pageant will be performed at the 6:00 PM Mass on December 24th! Questions? Email Maggie Reardon at mbr12345@gmail.com CREATIVITY & SPIRITUALITY The next session is Wednesday, December 13. The morning session is from 9:30-11am in the Gathering Space (lower church). The evening session is from 7-9pm in the lower rectory. Bring an old project or start a new one. Volunteer Opportunity Who: NVNA and Hospice What: Volunteer opportunities Where: Homes, skilled nursing facilities, Hospice Home, or office When: 3-4 hours per week Why: Giving back to your own community How: NVNA and Hospice 120 Longwater Drive, Norwell, MA 02061 Contact Kelly Tammaro, ktammaro@nvna.org or call 781-610-1427 CHRISTMAS EVE MASS SCHEDULE DECEMBER 24TH 4:00pm (Upper Church) Congregational Singing 4:00pm (Parish Center Gym) Congregational Singing 6:00pm Pageant & Children s Choir 11:45 pm Prelude Music/Carols 12 Midnight Music Ensemble and Congregational singing CHRISTMAS DAY MASS SCHEDULE DECEMBER 25TH 7:30am Congregational Singing Congregational Singing 10:30am Traditional Choir 12 Noon Congregational Singing NO 5:00PM MASS Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day ~December 12th Dearest Lady of Guadalupe, fruitful Mother of Holiness, teach me your ways of gentleness and strength. Hear my prayer, offered with deep-felt confidence to beg this favor O Mary, conceived without sin, I come to your throne of grace to share the fervent devotion of your faithful Mexican Children who call to thee under the glorious Aztec title of Guadalupe the Virgin who crushed the serpent. Queen of Martyrs, whose Immaculate Heart was pierced by seven swords of grief, help me to walk valiantly amid the sharp thorns strewn across my pathway. Invoke the Holy Spirit of Wisdom to fortify my will to frequent the Sacraments so that, thus enlightened and strengthened, I may prefer God to all creatures and shun every occasion of sin. Help me, as a living branch of the Vine that is Jesus Christ, to exemplify His divine charity always seeking the good of others. Queen of Apostles, aid me to win souls for the Sacred Heart of my Savior. Keep my apostolate fearless, dynamic and articulate, to proclaim the loving solicitude of Our Father in Heaven so that the wayward may heed His pleading and obtain pardon, through the merits of your merciful Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Rectory@StAgathaParish.org December 9-10, 2017 FAITH FORMATION UPDATES Currently looking for: a pianist, a percussionist and vocalists!!! The children of Faith Formation are trying very hard not to rush the season to Christmas, but to remain in hopeful waiting during the season of Advent. As is their annual tradition, they will be preparing the parish Christmas trees with decorations. Grades 3-6 will make ornaments this week. Due to space limitations we are unable to include the parents. Grades 1 & 2 will prepare their ornaments on Dec. 19-20-21 and, we invite parents/guardians to join the fun! Sorry, we cannot include younger siblings. The final meeting for parents of children preparing for First Penance will be on Thursday, Dec.14 at 9:45am in the Gathering Space of the Church. for those who did not attend the earlier meeting. Please RSVP to the Faith Formation Office so we will be prepared with adequate materials. This meeting is for parents only; the First Penance children should not attend. FOLLOW THE YOUTH GROUP ON @ staggieslifeteen or Brian s high school YouTube channel at StaggiesLT HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP: Pizza & Prayer Tuesday, December 12 th 6:30-8pm in the Life Teen room below the gym. We have pizza, play air hockey / foosball / chill, and then pray together a little bit. All HS teens are welcome, come check it out! Youth Group aka Life Night Sunday, Dec. 17 th 6-8pm in the Life Teen room below the gym. Feat. Former Harvard Soccer Player, Surfer, and now Catholic Priest! Come get some dinner and meet this awesome man! LIFE TEEN MASS: THIS Sunday, December 17 th at 5pm The life teen Mass with Contemporary worship music is Sunday, December 17 th at 5pm. If you enjoy this fresh style or have never heard it before definitely come check it out! If you are a teen interested in singing or playing with our group contact Brian Pellicano at the parish office! HIGH SCHOOL MISSION TRIP July 21 st 28th, 2018: Register NOW! Registration is now online for our high school mission trip to Kentucky through the Appalachia Service Project (ASP) we have 30 high school spots and 15 adult chaperone spots on a first come, first serve basis. This is an incredible experience where we will work together to repair up to 7 homes for families of great need. The cost is $350 per teen and just $250 per adult chaperone. Every volunteer (teen and adult) will be responsible for helping to raise money for our trip. There are many costs that excluding registration add up to about $14,000. Any additional financial support from our parishioners is greatly appreciated. Please note, once you submit a registration YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO GO. Don t wait the spots are filling fast! I look forward to making the trip with you! MISSION TRIP ADULT LEADERS NEEDED To all adults 21+ years of age. I am counting on you yes you to consider volunteering your time and efforts to be part of our adult leadership team for this year s mission trip. It is truly an amazing experience. If you know of anyone who has gone on ASP, I encourage you to talk to them about their experience as a volunteer. Details again are listed in the previous paragraph, contact Brian for more details via bpellicano@stagathaparish.org or by phone at 617-696- 8978. Thank you and God bless! ASP PARENT INFO NIGHT Correction: Tuesday, December 19 th 7-8pm - Gathering Space If you have a teen interested in participating on this trip, I encourage you to attend our parent info night at the above date and location to learn the basics about the trip. You WILL be able to register your teen at this meeting. If you have questions about this meeting, please call Brian our youth minister at 617-696-8978. Confirmation Upcoming classes: 10 th Grade Session 5 THIS Sunday December 10 th 3:30-4:50pm in the Gathering Space 9 th Grade Session 6 Sunday December 17 th 3:30-4:50pm in the Gathering Space EDGE 7 th /8 th Grade Upcoming sessions: Session 5 Thursday, December 14 th 6:30-8pm in the Gathering Space Session 6 Thursday, December 21 st 6:30-8pm in the Gathering Space In the joy of Christ, Brian Brian Pellicano Youth Minister, Confirmation Coordinator
MASS INTENTIONS Barnes & Noble Book Fairs Supporting Saint Agatha School Sunday, December 10th 11am- 4pm At Barnes & Noble 150 Granite Street, Braintree, MA Join us for story times, arts & crafts projects, and other seasonal activities for the whole family! Can t attend our book fair at Barnes & Noble? Visit BN.COM/bookfairs to support us online from 12/10 to 12/15/17 by entering Bookfair ID 12275178 at checkout. A percentage of your Barnes & Noble purchases will benefit our school. #BNBOOKFAIRS Please join Saint Agatha School at its annual holiday book fair taking place at the Braintree Barnes & Noble this Sunday, December 10 th from 11am 4pm. A portion of your purchases for books, toys, music, video and even cheesecakes! will go directly to the school. Please be sure to mention Saint Agatha School when you checkout! Winter Wonderland at Fontbonne Academy, December 17 Fontbonne Academy is hosting a Winter Wonderland on Sunday, December 17 from 12-2 pm. Join us for some FREE family fun, all are welcome! Activities include: Pictures with Santa, Story Time with Mrs. Claus, Kids Sing- Along, Face Painting, Arts & Crafts, Hot Cocoa and more! Fontbonne's Christmas Concert will follow at 2 pm. Saturday 8:00am 4:30pm Sunday 7:30am 10:30am 12:00pm 5:00pm Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 8:00am 4:30pm Sunday 7:30am 10:30am 12:00pm 5:00pm December 9 Birth Birth December 10 10th Anniversary 1st Anniversary 18th Anniversary For the December 11 1st Anniversary Birth December 12 1st Anniversary December 13 Anniversary December 14 5th Anniversary Birth December 15 Anniversary 44th Anniversary December 16 2nd Anniversary December 17 For the 17th Anniversary 4th Anniversary Anniversary 2nd Anniversary James Albert Martin J. DeMatteo, Jr. Patrick & Hannah McAdams, Bridget & Brian Driscoll Maureen H. Dolan Olavo Macedo Paul Clasby Parishioners of St. Agatha Joan F. Gallagher Mary Cooney John J. O Leary Margaret & Desmond O Halloran Charles W. Duffy Irene Quigley Peter Muse Miriam Sullivan Helen Massa Ralph E. DuMoulin Edward & Nora McDonough Andrew Roche Parishioners of St. Agatha Peggy Higgins Ann Marie Duff Mary & Ray Byron Nancy Spargo SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATIONS Baptism: 2:00pm on the 2nd/4th Sundays of each month. Please call the Rectory to arrange/ask questions regarding other arrangements. Reconciliation: 3:45-4:15pm on Saturdays Any other time by appointment Marriage: Call one of the parish priests or deacon. Arrangements are ordinarily made at least 6 months before the proposed marriage and before a reception is booked. Every Monday Doors Open @ 4:30pm BINGO begins at 6:40pm Come and Play School Parents, your help is needed. Thank You Volunteers!!!