The Parish of St. Agatha Milton ~ Quincy, MA April 7-8, 2018 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: 4:30 pm Sunday: 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. Upcoming Activities April 10 Celia Sirois Adult Faith Formation April 11 Creativity & Spirituality 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. The rosary is recited every morning before the 9am Mass. Please join us. Please call 617-698-2439 and we will arrange for a minister of communion to bring Eucharist to you. 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 FORMATION 617-696-1388 Grades 1-8 FaithFormation@StAgathaparish.org Mrs. Ellen Cronin, Director Mrs. Jenn Caputo, Administrative Assistant Grade 9-11 & Young Church Ministry 617-696-8978 YoungChurchMinistry@StAgathaParish.org Mr. Brian T. Pellicano
Second Sunday of Easter ~ Divine Mercy Sunday April 7-8, 2018 A Note from Our Pastor, Many thanks to all those who made our Holy Week Liturgies and Easter Masses so beautiful and reverent. Our Art and Environment Team had to change the decorations in the Church, both upstairs and down, multiple times from red back to violet to white then back to red, and finally to the white of the Easter Season, not to mention the multiple floral arrangements and all their other efforts to prepare the Church for the various liturgies. Our teens who took part in the living Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, this year in the Church because of multiple snowed-out rehearsals, helped all who joined with them experience a deeper sharing in Christ s journey to Golgotha. Agata, the choir, the soloists, the instrumentalists, and the cantors, both in the Church and in the Parish Center gave us beautiful music to enable us to pray twice! Our two deacons (Dan and Baldemar), lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, servers, collectors, and greeters all made the services flow smoothly and made all who came to worship here Holy Week and Easter Sunday feel very much at home within our worship of God. At the Easter Vigil a week ago we welcomed four new members into our parish family, two of whom received the Sacrament of Baptism, and all four Confirmation and First Holy Communion. Many thanks to the RCIA team who prepared them for that awe-inspiring evening and their life now as Christ s disciples. I m also very grateful to Fr. Makos for serving as Master of Ceremonies for the Vigil and enabling that rather complicated liturgy to proceed so smoothly. As we progress through the Easter Season at St Agatha s we ll celebrate the baptism of infants several times. In addition, later this month and at the beginning of next month, we ll celebrate the First Holy Communion of our boys and girls, most of whom are in Second Grade, in our Faith Formation Program and in St. Agatha s School. And then, on May 15 and 16 our high school students who have completed their second year of Confirmation preparation will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit to strengthen them in their witness to Jesus Christ and His Good News of salvation. These wonderful events should, I hope, elicit two responses from us. First, let us pledge our prayerful support to these young people and their families, that the grace of these sacraments draw them closer to Almighty God who loves them so much, and that they may respond with love and gratitude to the Lord especially by their active participation in the life of our parish and particularly at the celebration of the Eucharist every weekend. Second, may the special celebrations of these sacraments enkindle in our hearts gratitude for the divine life that we who have received these three sacraments already enjoy, and deepen our own love and reverence for Almighty God who desires to draw each of us individually and all of us as a community ever closer to Himself. I call to your attention some of this coming week s events. Today, Divine Mercy Sunday, the members of the Legion of Mary invite others to join them in praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet before the Blessed Sacrament. On Tuesdays for the next several weeks our local and well-known Scripture scholar and teacher Celia Sirois will be continuing her presentations on The Resurrection and the Life from 7 until 8:30pm in the Gathering Space. There was a fine turnout this past Tuesday, and we hope even more adults will join us in subsequent sessions. From 9:30 until 11am on Wednesday the Creativity and Spirituality session will be held in the Gathering Space. Next Sunday the 15 th the NPH Irish Hearts for Orphans will hold its Benefit Dance from 3 til 7pm at the Boston Marriott in Quincy. There will be loads of fun and prizes to be won, including the round-trip airfare to Ireland with $1000 spending money! The Dining Experience to benefit St. Agatha School at the Brick and Beam and the School Auction at the Venezia were wonderful fundraisers for our School and also very enjoyable for all who took part. Many thanks to all those who worked so hard to make these events so successful. In other School news, please spread the word in encouraging folks to consider St. Agatha School for their children. They can come for a visit and receive registration information for the 2018-2019 academic year. Those considering enrolling their children in the Early Childhood and Kindergarten programs are especially invited to come to Walk-In Wednesdays from 9 to 10am on April 11 th and 25 th. Finally, with our Faith Formation Programs coming to a close, I want to thank all those who served as catechists, door monitors, and those who volunteered in other ways this year. But I want especially to thank Mrs. Ellen Cronin, Mrs. Jenn Caputo, and Mr. Brian Pellicano for all they did to make the program from Grades 1 to 8 go so smoothly this year. As you may recall, our previous Faith Formation Director left us early last October. This departure could have proved disastrous for our program, but instead these three individuals made this a truly seamless transition in educating our children in the faith, and drawing them closer to Christ and His Church. I am sure that you join with me in expressing our heartfelt gratitude to them. Fr. Palardy EASTER SUNDAY COLLECTION Clergy Health and Retirement Trust Thank you to all who contributed to the Easter collec on for our priests. If you did not have the opportunity to give but you d like to make a gi, please visit clergytrust.org. You can also donate $25 through your cell phone by tex- ng the word PRIEST25 to 20222 (msg. & data rates may apply). To learn more about the Trust follow us on Facebook @ClergyTrust. Thank you for your prayers and generous support.
St. Agatha Parish THEME: Do not persist in your unbelief, but believe! As you hear this reading, what words or phrases strike you? Gospel : John 20:19-31 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, Peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained. Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, We have seen the Lord. But he said to them, Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe. Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name. Weekly Budget FEATURED WEEKLY READING Mar. 24-25 In-Pew Collection Weekly Offertory Report Electronic Collection Mar. 24-25 Total Offertory Milton Quincy Pastoral Planning ~ April 8th Second Sunday of Easter Sunday of Divine Mercy The scriptures today call us to imitate the disciples in bearing witness to the Resurrection of Christ. In the gospel we hear of Thomas move from doubt to faith. It is a journey many of us have experienced and so with Thomas we can exclaim, My Lord, and my God. On this Divine Mercy Sunday, pray that your words and actions offer faith, mercy and peace to those in your family, neighborhood, school and workplace. By in doing so, you may just help someone move from doubt to faith! THE WEEKLY UPDATE With Easter being as early as it was this year and since it fell on April Fool s Day I was prepared for the worst! Especially since the weather in March had been so wild, snow on Easter would not have been a surprise. But the fears were unfounded as it turned out to be a very nice weekend, although it did actually snow the day after Easter, Again this year the Art & Environment Committee did a fantastic job decorating and re-decorating throughout the Triduum. The Church looked great! And thanks to John Driscoll Landscaping for managing to dodge the few remaining snow piles and do the Spring clean-up and even plant some flowers for Easter. I did a little checking on why Easter some years is very early and others years it is quite late, and found that it all has to do with the full moon. Easter Sunday is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox (the first day of Spring). Church rules set the date of the vernal equinox as March 21 st, so the earliest Easter can be is March 22 nd, and that can only happen when the full moon actually falls on March 21 st and when March 21 st is a Saturday. The last time that happened was 1818 and it will not happen again until 2285 a span of 467 years! The latest possible date for Easter is April 25. The last time this occurred was in 1943 and it will not happen again until 2038. All of this brings us to next year when Easter will be on April 21 st which is nearly as late as possible. Hopefully that means that we will actually have some springtime weather for Easter next year! Below is the Weekly Offertory for the weekend of March 24-25.In addition, $3,511 was contributed to the special collection on Good Friday for the Shrines in the Holy Land. Finally, the single collection on Easter Sunday was $25,128. As you know, this collection is exclusively for the Clergy Fund which provides for the health. & retirement needs of priests of the Archdiocese. Thank you for your generosity. Weekly Difference Total Difference YTD $13,235 $10,763 $2,791 $13,554 $319 -$33,681 Jack Riley
http://www.facebook.com/stagathaparishmiltonquincy April 7-8, 2018 Join us on Tuesday evenings continuing April 10th through May 1st as well-known Scripture scholar Celia Sirois will be speaking on The Resurrection and The Life. Sponsored by CHRISM, this Adult Faith Formation program will take place in the Gathering Space from 7-8:30pm. Divine Mercy Sunday On this Sunday, April 8, immediately following the 12 noon Mass, the Legion of Mary invites you to pray before the Blessed Sacrament the Divine Mercy Chaplet All are welcome! Please join us. Bereavement Support Group Walking through Grief Have you experienced the loss of a loved one in the past year(s)? You aren t alone. Sessions for those experiencing loss through death of a family member or friend begin April 17, for 7 consecutive Tuesdays, ending May 29th from 6pm 7:30pm. LOCATION: Rectory of St. Mary of the Hills Parish, Milton. Sponsored by the Milton Catholic Churches. The facilitators are Pastoral Associate Harry Feldmann and Mental Health Counselor Linda Garvey-Dickey, Social Worker Linda McKay. For further information or to preregister call Harry at 617-696-0120. One of our very important Ministries is visiting and bringing Holy Communion to our homebound parishioners who are unable to get to Mass. While many of them enjoy watching daily Mass on Catholic TV, their opportunities to receive the Eucharist are limited. We are very much in need of volunteer Eucharistic Ministers so that we can meet the increasing number of requests from people in need of the spiritual comfort and strength they receive from receiving the Eucharist. If you can spare even a few hours per month volunteering in this vital outreach ministry please call Del Staunton at 617-696-1032. NPH USA is holding their annual Irish Hearts for Orphans Benefit Dance on Sunday, April 15, at the Boston Marriott Quincy from 3-7pm. This event is fun for the whole family and will feature live Irish music, dancing, raffles, and a silent auction. The grand prize raffle is round-trip airfare for two to Ireland with $1,000 cash! Visit www.irishheartsfororphans.com to learn more about how you can support this year s event or to register to attend! Thank you for your support! FIND YOUR GREATNESS Sunday, May 6, 2018 from 2-6pm at Holy Family Church in Duxbury. Dynamic Catholic's Dr. Alan Hunt and singer-songwriter George Lower will lead this event. Don t miss the opportunity to discover the four powerful habits that will help you reach your full potential and greatness in this engaging and interactive program. Tickets at www.dynamiccatholic.com/events. For more information, Jeanne Cregan at 781-934-5055 x114 or jcregan@holyfamilyduxbury.org. Upcoming Activities MIRAMAR RETREAT CENTER 121 Parks Street Duxbury, MA 02331 April 11: Nutritional Awareness and Mindful Movement mini-retreat day: the art of being...a journey for the mind, body and soul (9:30am to 1pm, includes lunch) Facilitator: Gina Rainwater Thayer April 14-15: Nurturing the Soul with Yoga and Meditation Facilitator: Joyce Malaguti, R.Y.T. April 16: Mini Retreat for Women..."Easter: A Time to Share in Jesus Risen Joy" (9:30am to 1pm, includes lunch) Facilitator: Maureen Casey SND April 21: Knitting into the Mystery Experiencing the spiritual and emotional benefits of sharing our insights, our stories and our craft (10am to 3pm, includes lunch) Facilitator: Joan Enriquez
Rectory@StAgathaParish.org April 7-8, 2018 FAITH FORMATION UPDATES Faith Formation sessions, Grades 1-6, have ended for the year. Despite the continued cold temperatures, we are ready for summer!! But, even though their formal sessions may be finished for the year, the children know that we can never take a break from our faith. Formation in faith within the domestic church (the home) will continue throughout the coming months until we all meet up again in the fall. Registration for the coming year is now available. There are registration forms at the doors of the church and on the parish website. Families are strongly urged to get the forms into the Faith Formation Office prior to the deadline of June 1, in order to ensure a spot for their child. Heartfelt gratitude to our wonderful corps of volunteers who so generously gave of their faith and themselves all year, and especially to those who don t even have a child in the program. A special thank you to Mrs. Jennifer Caputo who has truly been the backbone of the program during some difficult times. Her willingness to go the extra mile in every way is a much appreciated blessing to the parish. CONFIRMATION & YOUNG CHURCH MINISTRY FOLLOW THE YOUTH GROUP ON @ staggieslifeteen or St. Agatha s youth group YouTube channel at StaggiesLT HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP: Youth Group Upcoming Events: Check out the YouTube video on the parish website this week for upcoming events! We re looking for a new Youth Group Adult Team Member: Do you have an inclination to increase your service to others? Do you want to help young people see the importance of the Catholic faith? Currently looking for a male addition to our youth ministry team! If you are reading this I am calling you to prayerfully consider joining us for the spring! After that period we can re-evaluate and see if you d like to continue! (Preferably between ages 22 & 65) LIFE TEEN MASS: Sunday, April 15 th 5pm High School Worship Band: If you are a teen interested in singing or playing with our group contact Brian Pellicano at bpellicano @stagathaparish.org! Currently looking for: A percussionist, a pianist, a guitarist, and a vocalist! HIGH SCHOOL MISSION TRIP July 21st 28th, 2018: Registration is almost full for our high school mission trip to West Virginia! 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! Thank you to the adults who have volunteered to help lead the trip! We re full up! Confirmation Upcoming Dates: 10 th Grade End of Year Meeting 4/12/18 6pm Upper Church Parents and their Confirmation Candidates receiving the sacrament next month, please come to our end of year meeting. In the joy of Christ, Brian Brian Pellicano Youth Minister, Confirmation Coordinator Oblates of the Virgin Mary 2nd Annual Oblate Gala Seaport Hotel in the Plaza Ballroom in Boston Saturday, May 5 th 2018 CREATIVITY & SPIRITUALITY The next session is Wednesday, April 11th. The morning session is from 9:30-11am in the Gathering Space (lower church). There will be NO evening session. Bring an old project or start a new one! All are Welcome! Cocktail hour and silent auction begins at 5:30pm Dinner will be served at 7:00pm. For tickets, sponsorship or more information please visit www.omvusa.org/donate/annual-gala/ or Call 617-536-4141. The Oblates serve at St. Francis Chapel in the Prudential Center Mall, St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine in downtown Boston and St. Joseph Retreat House in Milton. All proceeds go to support the Oblate seminarian vocations and formation.
MASS INTENTIONS Saint Agatha School Milton ~ Quincy Currently accepting applications for the 2018-2019 academic year. Pre-school ages 3 & 4 and Kindergarten Gr 8 For more information or to schedule a visit please call 617-696-3548 Celebrate Christian Values Excel in Education St. Agatha School is hosting a series of Walk-in Wednesdays for families consider ing enr ollment in the Early Childhood (ages 3 & 4), Kindergarten (age 5), and Grade 1 programs. Come and check it out, meet the teachers, see the classes in action, and picture your child stepping into our classroom in September! No need to register in advance, but please check-in at the school office at 8:45am. Walk-In Wednesdays are April 11 & 25 from 9 10am. 440 Adams St., Milton. Registration information will be available. From pre-kindergarten students to eighth-graders, students at Saint Agatha School gathered together on Holy Thursday for a Prayer Service for Peace. The angelic voices filled Saint Agatha Church as students raised their voices in prayer & songs of peace. Saturday 8:00am 4:30pm April 7 4th Anniversary 5th Anniversary Sunday 7:30am April 8 10:30am 12:00pm 5:00pm 40th Anniversary Peter Vu June Warren Lee, Rosemary & Earl Warren Pascarella Family Francis J. Cronin, Jr. James O Leary Monday April 9 Special Intention Davido Digreggario Tuesday April 10 Francis T. Punch John A. Haughn For the Parishioners of St. Agatha Wednesday April 11 Virginia & Carroll Fix Thursday April 12 James Ed O Connor Friday April 13 Saturday 8:00am 4:30pm April 14 9th Anniversary 14th Anniversary Kathleen Melia Kevin Ryan Sunday 7:30am 10:30am 12:00pm 5:00pm April 15 Anniversary Anniversary 12th Anniversary Anniversary For the Michael & Mary C. O Toole Joseph Corso Andrew J. Veneto, Sr. Mary & Martin Heavey Parishioners of St. Agatha Birth. Special Intention 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 to be made at least 6 months before the proposed marriage. Every Monday Doors Open @ 4:30pm BINGO begins at 6:40pm Come and Play School Parents, your help is needed. Thank You Volunteers!