St. Francis of Assisi Parish 530 Gardners Neck Road Swansea, Massachusetts 02777 January 14, 2018 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 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: 508-673-2808 Parish fax: 508-672-6241 Email: stfrancisswansea@comcast.net Website: www.stfrancisswansea.com Religious Education: 508-673-2808 or 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 Parish Address: Church: Office/Rectory Office hours: 530 Gardners Neck Road 270 Ocean Grove Avenue Swansea, MA 02777 9:30 a.m. 4 p.m. or by appointment
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 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. Sat., Jan. 13 - The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:00 p.m. Robert J. Peloquin by family David Tuttle by wife Alexandre & Juliette Raymond by family Sun., Jan. 14 - The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00 a.m. Rev. Clement Dufour 9:30 a.m. Mr. & Mrs. Maurice Metivier and Rev. Rene Gauthier by Paul & Terry Gagnon 11:00 a.m. Gaston Plante & Gaston Plante, Jr. By Anthony & Pauline Santoro Mon., Jan. 15 9:00 a.m. For the People Tues., Jan. 16 9:00 a.m. Manuel Pacheco and David & Emily DeMedeiros by Rose Pacheco Wed., Jan. 17 - St. Anthony, Abbot 9:00 a.m. David Tuttle by wife Thurs., Jan. 18 9:00 a.m. For the Intentions of the Bishop Sat., Jan. 20 - The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:00 p.m. Diane Roussel (6th Anniv.) by Roussel Family Gerard Tremblay by wife Sun., Jan. 21 The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Francis & Lucy Mello and Aunt Mamie by Mellon family REPENT Repent and believe the good news! Come, follow me! Andrew, first to respond, brought along his brother Simon whom Jesus nicknamed Cephas, which means Peter, which means rock. Then came the fisher brothers, James and John. These four are the great witnesses to Jesus public work. We hear the same call: Come, follow me into new life. God raises us up, too, if we follow Jesus. Time is short. The world we know is passing away. Are we ready to give witness? Text, Philip J. Sandstrom, STD 2000, OCP. All rights reserved.
50 Week Club Get your club up to date and mark your calendar for the upcoming banquet on Saturday, April 28th! Congratulations to: Kevin Cabral Winner for January 14, 2018 Sunday January 14, 2018 Parish Support Collected the Weekend of January 6th and 7th Budget: $2,828.00 Initial Offering: $828.00 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: $163.00 Diocesan Assessment: $337.00 This weekend, January 13 th & 14 th the second collection is for the Diocesan Assessment. 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. Prayer for Martin Luther King Jr. Day Heavenly Father, you made all people in the world. On this day, help us to remember that everyone is precious to you. Inspire us to reflect on this truth: That although we are not all the same, we all have equal value in your sight. On this day, help us to always judge the actions of others based only upon your standards of right and wrong and never on the color of one's skin. And on this day, let us not only remember past wrongs committed, but look ahead with hope to a blessed future. Amen. The parish office is closed on Monday, January 15th in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day Our second next weekend is for the Catholic Communication Campaign. This campaign is connecting people with Christ through the internet, television, radio, and print media. Fifty percent of the funds we collect stay in our diocese to support local communications projects. The other fifty percent fund national communications efforts as well as projects in developing countries. This collection connects people around the world to the gospel message. Please be generous today! Information about this collection can be found on the USCCB website at: http://www.usccb.org/catholic-giving/ opportunities-for-giving/catholic-communicationcampaign/index.cfm Our candles burn in memory of the following people: 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 HELP IS A PHONE CALL AWAY 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 a representative from St. Vincent de Paul Society will contact you.
The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Catholic Social Services is a non-profit, Approved Housing Counseling Agency and is offering financial capability workshops and one-to-one counseling to all, including homeowners and renters facing financial difficulties. Call them if any of the following apply to you: Have you suffered a reduction in income? Are you having difficulties making your mortgage or rental payment on time? Facing foreclosure? Need help budgeting? Are you a first time home buyer? Fall River location: 1600 Bay St. 508-674-4681 New Bedford location: 238 Bonney St. 508-997-7337 Worldwide Marriage Encounter "Samuel answered, 'Speak, for your servant is listening.'" Let us practice listening better to God and our spouse by attending a Worldwide 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. 9 Days for Life Novena: The U.S. bishops annual novena 9 Days for Life takes place Thursday, January 18 Friday, January 26. Pray for the respect and protection of all human life with new intentions, brief reflections, and more each day. Download the novena online, or participate through Facebook, email, text message or an app. Join at www.9daysforlife.com! 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). Registration is available online at www.fallriverdioces.org High School Youth Convention March 18, 2018 10am to 5pm Bishop Connolly High School Confirmation II students from our parish are attending as a group. Permission slips and more information will be sent home in the coming weeks. 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/ Parish Ministry Volunteers Attention to those in ministry at St. Francis of Assisi: many of you are due to renew your CORI and Code of Conduct forms for 2018. If your name is on the list in the sacristy please plan on staying after Mass THIS weekend, January 13th or 14th and filling out the necessary forms. Please bring your valid driver s license with you. Any questions should be directed to Christine Patota at the rectory. Anyone, seventeen years old or older, who would like to volunteer at our parish, but has not participated in the mandatory Child Protection Course, should also contact Christine. A date will be set for this in the near future.
Sunday January 14, 2018 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time To our faith formation families: It is unfortunate that we ve had to cancel classes because of inclement weather and because of the damage to the bathrooms due to a burst pipe. Getting the word out about these things is challenging even in this technological age. Please check our website for current information about faith formation classes, parish events and cancellations. Emails are sent regularly to those families who have provided us with an email address. Please inform us if your mailing address, phone number or email address changes so we can update our records. January Schedule Sunday, January 14 - Grades 6 & 7 class after the 9:30 a.m. Mass until 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, January 16 - Grades 3, 4 & 5 from 4:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Thursday, January 18 - Grades 1 & 2 from 4:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Saturday, January 20 - First Penance and Retreat for grade 2 students from 8:45 a.m. until approximately noon. Letters have been sent home with details about the day. Sunday, January 21 - Grades 6 & 7 class after the 9:30 a.m. Mass until 11:30 a.m. Confirmation I & II at 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Mass, dismissal after Mass. Class Mass for grades 3, 4 & 5 at 9:30 a.m. Coffee and donuts will be served afterwards. Tuesday, January 23 - Grades 3, 4 & 5 from 4:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Thursday, January 25 - Grades 1 & 2 from 4:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Sunday, January 28 - Grades 6 & 7 class after the 9:30 a.m. Mass until 11:30 a.m. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity gives Christians an annual opportunity to continue their quest for the unity they already share in Christ. It is also a time to gather in praise of the Triune God and to deepen the understanding of the ecumenical movement. By joining in this annual celebration Christians raise their voices, hands and hearts to God seeking the fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus, the Son of God, that they all may be one. The Week of Prayer also invites those who participate to use it as an opportunity to examine the effectiveness of the ecumenical movement in seeking to end the divisions among Christians. From the smallest to the largest communities, from all cultures, races and language groups, from all the baptized to all those in ordained ministry, the Week of Prayer is also an opportunity to ask and examine the level of support they have given to this important movement in the life of the Church. An accounting of each Christian s discipleship and faithfulness to the proclamation of the Gospel the good news of reconciliation can be taken every year during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. To find out more: http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and -interreligious/events/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity.cfm