St. Francis of Assisi Parish January 28, 2018

St. Francis of Assisi Parish January 28, 2018 Parish Staff Pastor: Rev. Michael A. Ciryak Maintenance: Tony Roderigues Faith Formation/Office: Christine Patota 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 Parish Address: Church: 530 Gardners Neck Road Office/Rectory: 270 Ocean Grove Avenue Swansea, MA 02777 Office hours: 9:30 a.m. 4 p.m. or by appointment Liturgical Celebrations Saturday Vigil: 4 p.m. Sundays: 8, 9:30 & 11 a.m. Monday Thursday: 9 a.m. Civic Holidays: 9 a.m. only Contact: Parish Office: 508-673-2808 Parish fax: 508-672-6241 Email: stfrancisswansea@comcast.net Website: www.stfrancisswansea.com Religious Education: 508-673-2808/508-674-0024 Email: religiouseducation@stfrancisswansea.com St. Vincent de Paul: 508-673-2808 Youth Ministry: 508-673-2808 50 Week Club: Bill & Kathy Sullivan 508-493-9064/508-674-8511

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. Sat., Jan. 27 - The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:00 p.m. Edwina Moniz by family Sun., Jan. 28 - The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. Arline White by family 11:00 a.m. Mon., Jan. 29 9:00 a.m. Desiree Choquette by family Tues., Jan. 30 9:00 a.m. Raymond J. Martin by friends Wed., Jan. 31 St. John Bosco, Priest 9:00 a.m. Thurs., Feb. 1 9:00 a.m. Mary Santoro by Anthony & Pauline Santoro Sat., Feb. 3 - The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:00 p.m. Maurice Buddy Durette by wife Martha Join our Parish Family Please introduce yourself to our clergy after Mass. Call the Parish Office to register. Saint Francis of Assisi Memorial Fund In making funeral arrangements, you may wish to consider enrolling the deceased in the Saint Francis of Assisi Memorial Fund. Relatives and friends who donate to the fund in memory of the 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. All the monies of this Fund are used to purchase materials needed to make our church more inspiring and beautiful for community prayer and celebrations of the sacraments. Sun., Feb. 4 - The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m. M/M Sam & Elise Ariel by M/M Dov Carreiro GOOD NEWS Capernaum, hometown of Simon and Andrew, became Jesus home base too. On the Sabbath, he went out to the synagogue to teach with authority over physical and spiritual evils. He dramatically cast out devils, curing Simon s mother-in-law and healing many other sick people. Jesus went about the messianic work. That labor came to fruition as he cast out death itself in his passover to resurrection. Bolstered by prayer, Jesus single-mindedly set out to spread the good news. How do we join him? Text, Philip J. Sandstrom, STD 2000, OCP. All rights reserved.

50 Week Club Our yearly banquet will be here before you know it, and we ve got a great idea to make sure this is the biggest, most enjoyable experience ever. We cordially invite anyone who is not a member to consider attending the banquet. Guest tickets will be available soon at the super low price of $35. There will be a GIANT raffle you don t want to miss, as well as dining on delicious prime rib or baked stuffed shrimp and dancing to the Mike Moran Band. At this time we are also looking for donations of gift certificates, wine/spirits, gift cards or other quality items to be used to make raffle baskets. Please drop off the donated items in the marked box in the church hall. Club members: in the coming weeks expect a phone call from a family life committee member asking if you plan on attending the banquet, what your menu choice might be, and if you plan on continuing as a club member. Sunday January 28, 2018 Collected the Weekend of January 13 th and 14 th Budget: $3,657.00 Diocesan Assessment: $992.00 Initial Offering: $203.00 Collected the Weekend of January 20 th and 21 st Budget: $3,432.00 Catholic Communication Campaign: $1,377.00 This weekend our second collection is for the Repairs and Restoration Fund. Next weekend, February 3 rd & 4 th, our second collection is for the Catholic Home Missions Appeal. Right now, over 40 percent of dioceses in the United States are considered home mission territory because they are unable to fund the essential pastoral work needed in their communities. Your support of this appeal helps ease the struggle of these dioceses. Please prayerfully consider how you can support this appeal. More information can be found at www.usccb.org/home-missions. Congratulations to: Claire McMahon Winner for January 28, 2018 2018 Masses & Candles Available 2017 Tax Statements Anyone requesting their 2017 church contribution statement can either call the office and have it mailed to you, or see Christine Patota or Fran Kelley after Mass this weekend to pick it up. Call the rectory during our business hours to schedule dates for the entire 2018 year. The suggested stipend for a Mass is $10.00 and candles are $50.00. January Our candles burn in memory of the following people: Sanctuary Lamp: Noel & Exirina Peloquin by daughter-in-law February Sanctuary Lamp: Katie L. Fleet by grandmother Altar Candle: Altar Candle: Bryan Kelley by parents Henry Guay by family Tabernacle Candle: Tabernacle Candle: Diane Roussel by family Personal Intention by Luisa Carreiro Crucifix Candle: Crucifix Candle: Dave Tuttle by wife

Chamber Chorus Concert: The chamber chorus Sine Nomine under the direction of Glenn Giuttari will present a concert at St. Mary s Cathedral in Fall River on Sunday, February 11 at 3 o clock. The program will feature music of the German Baroque with music of Pachelbel, Schutz, Telemann and Bach with period instruments. This is the 25th Anniversary of the ensemble which was founded by Glenn and first performed at the Cathedral. http://www.sinenominechoir.org/code/calendar_sn.html Worldwide Marriage Encounter : Brothers and sisters, I should like you to be free of anxieties. Let us learn to calm our anxieties about our spouses by attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. The next Weekends are Mar 9-11, 2018 in Duxbury, MA and Apr 21-22, 2018 in Brewster, MA. For more information, call Stephen & Michelle O'Leary at 800-710-9963 or visit them at https:// wwmema.org/. Diocesan Women and Men s Conference will take place at Stonehill College on March 10, 2018. The theme for the conference is: Be on Fire - Set the World on Fire. Conference speakers include Father Dave Dwyer, CSO, ValLimar Jansen, Sr. Marie Paul Curley, FSP and Father Anthony Ciorra. The day also includes the opportunity to shop from many vendors, receive the sacrament of reconciliation and attend Mass with Bishop Edgar da Cunha as the main celebrant. The cost is $50 per person. There will also be a young adult track this year which will run simultaneously at the Martin Institute. The cost is $35 per person (ages 18-30). Register online at www.fallriverdioces.org High School Youth Convention : March 18, 2018 from 10am to 5pm at Bishop Connolly High School. Confirmation II students from our parish are attending as a group. Permission slips and more information will be sent home. Middle School Rally: March 20th 9-11am 6-8pm @ Bishop Stang HS for Parish Programs. Any middle school student from St. Francis who would like to attend is asked to contact Mrs. Patota. If there is enough interest we will rent a bus, as we did last year. Both the convention and the rally feature the witness and entertainment of Vince Nims the Roamin Catholic Banana Guy. Find out more about him here: http://www.vincenims.com/ The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time An Important Notice from Catholic Social Services Regarding the DACA Program On September 5, 2017, the President s administration announced that the DACA program was going to end. However, on January 13, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that due to a federal court order, USCIS has resumed accepting requests to renew a grant of deferred action under DACA until further notice. These are the most important points to know: - People who have EVER had (or currently have) DACA are allowed to file requests for DACA; - People who had their DACA terminated will be able to file requests for DACA; - People who NEVER had DACA will not be able to request DACA. It is unclear how long this policy will continue it could change at any time. Therefore, it is recommended that all eligible individuals who had or have DACA to speak with an immigration attorney immediately to find out what their rights are regarding this change in policy. Catholic Social Services of Fall River (CSS) may be able to help you with your application for free. CSS represents people on their DACA cases at no cost and has helped over 200 people with their applications. This service is only available to those who have ever had or currently have DACA. If you or a person that you know has or ever had DACA, please contact Tim Paicopolos, an immigration attorney at Catholic Social Services at 508-674-4681 as soon as possible. Leave a message if you cannot reach him. St. Francis of Assisi Youth Truth Meeting Schedule All parish youth, most especially those preparing for Confirmation, are invited to attend our youth group Youth Truth meetings. You won t be disappointed: these are fun, uplifting and prayerful gatherings of friends. Come check it out! Next meetings: Sunday, February 11 th & 25 th from 5-6:30 PM. Help is Just a Phone Call Away If you need help this winter, or anytime, with paying rent, utilities or groceries, just call the rectory and we ll arrange for a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society to contact you. Mabel Medeiros, a parishioner whom many might know from the 8:00 a.m. Mass, enjoyed a visit from Fr. Michael and Wanda Peloquin last week. Have you ever visited the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in Fall River? It is located at 1799 Pleasant Street. Hours of operation are CLOSED Sunday-Tuesday, and 9 AM - 2:45 PM Wednesday through Saturday. Your confidentiality is always a priority.

Sunday January 28, 2018 The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time FAITH FORMATION SCHEDULE Sun., Jan. 28 - Grades 6 & 7 class after the 9:30 a.m. Mass until 11:30 a.m. Tues., Jan. 30 - Grades 3, 4 & 5 from 4:30 5:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 1 - Grades 1 & 2 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Sun., Feb. 4 - Grades 6 & 7 class after the 9:30 a.m. Mass until 11:30 a.m. Confirmation I & 11, class at 9:30 a.m. followed by Mass at 11:00 Tues., Feb. 6 - Grades 3, 4 & 5 from 4:30 5:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 8 - Grades 1 & 2 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. God bless our little ones who received the sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time on Saturday, January 20th. Pictured above are the fourteen students and their families as they enjoyed a morning of prayer, crafts, food, and forgiveness!