St. Francis Xavier Parish 15 th Sunday In Ordinary Time 15 July 2018
St. Francis Xavier, Acushnet Diocese of Fall River Mass Schedule (July 14 th - July 22 nd ) Sat. Jul 14 15 th Sunday (Vigil) (Gr) 4:00pm Eric Soares Sun. Jul 15 15 th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Gr) 8:00am Pro Populo 10:30am Joe Mello Mon. Jul 16 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Wh) 9:00am Ceasar Fernandes Tues. Jul 17 Feria (Gr) 9:00am Nora Atton Wed. Jul 18 St. Camillus de Lellis; Priest (Wh) 9:00am Mrs. Victor DaSilva Thurs. Jul 19 Feria (Gr) 9:00am Luisa Torres Reis Fri. Jul 20 St. Apollinaris; Bishop (Rd) 9:00am Alice Fahey Sat. Jul 21 St. Lawrence of Brindisi (Wh) 9:00am Dorothy Mello Sat. Jul 21 16 th Sunday (Vigil) (Gr) 4:00pm Raymond Martin Sun. Jul 22 16 th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Gr) 8:00am Yvonne & Joseph Pinette 10:30am Pro Populo Financial Report Income: 14 th Sunday In Ordinary Time......$5,001.10 Prayers Please for all the sick of our parish: those homebound, in the hospital, and nursing facilities; and for all the souls in purgatory. Sanctuary Lamp If you are interested in this weekly memorial, please contact the parish office. During Eucharistic Adoration please pray for the following person/s for whose intention the Sanctuary Candle burns this week: Those in Purgatory CONFESSIONS Monday: 5:30 to 6:30pm Saturday: 9:30 to 10:30am Saturday: 3:00 to 3:45pm From Fr. Williams THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN CAVES In G.K. Chesterton s great book The Everlasting Man he remarks on the importance of caves in human history. Caves served as the first shelters for early humans; their walls display the earliest surviving human art. In Bethlehem one can visit the cave in which Christ was born. In Central Italy there is another cave in which something happened which would change the course of the world. Last Wednesday the Church celebrated the feast day of St. Benedict. Born in 480 as the son of a Roman judge, his youth took place during the last years of the Roman Empire in the West. Rome itself had already been captured and looted, and the countryside was being battled over by different barbarian tribes. The Romans, who had been softened by centuries of easy living and easy pleasures, not only failed to put up resistance to this, but had themselves lost the energy to continue their civilization. And then St. Benedict came onto the scene. As a Roman he could appreciate what was good about his culture, but at the same time knew that it wasn t enough: that a culture not built on foundations of truth, morality, and justice could never survive. St. Benedict was not only Roman, though he was also a Christian, and so he was able to show how the Christian faith could purify and elevate the culture in which he lived. St. Benedict s great contribution to civilization was effected through the system of monasteries that he founded. Established as places of prayer, the life of the monks also involved manual labor and study. During the Dark Ages, monasteries were some of the brightest centers of civilization the only places where peace reigned; the only places where literacy and study was practiced and taught; the places which, before all others, provided a foundation for the civilization that would be built upon it namely, our own. At this point you re wondering what the cave connection is. Before beginning to found monasteries, St. Benedict lived in a cave for three years outside the town of Subiaco (see picture on p. 3), praying and reflecting on what God was calling him to do with his life. This gives rise to the beautiful realization that, of all the great things that St. Benedict & his order have contributed to civilization over fifteen centuries, it all begins with prayer with seeking a relationship with God that would give the energy, guidance, and grace needed to accomplish all that has been accomplished.
PARISH INFORMATION HELPFUL CONTACTS PARISH OFFICE HOURS Mon-Fri: 9:30am 4:00pm Please make an appointment to meet with Father Williams to schedule a Baptism or Wedding. Religious Education: 508-998-7445 School: 508-995-4313 School Fax: 508-995-0456 ACCESSIBILITY Open for Prayer Every Day Wheelchair Lift Cry-room St. Francis Xavier Parish 125 Main Street Acushnet, MA 02743 tel: (508)-995-7600 fax: (508) -995-1794 email: info@sfxparish.com Fr. Riley J. Williams, Administrator [rjw@sfxparish.com] Deacon David Pepin [dbp@sfxparish.com] Mr. Steven Guillotte, Director of Pastoral Services [sng@sfxparish.com] Mrs. Michelle Russo, Principal [mrusso@sfxacushnet.com] Mrs. Anabela Shaughnessy, Asst. Principal [ashaughnessy@sfxacushnet.com] Mrs. Janine Hammarquist, Rel. Ed. Coordinator [jlh@sfxparish.com] HOLY MASS Monday-Sat 9:00am Third Thursday (Latin/Extraordinary Form) 5:30pm First Friday 9:00am & 6:00pm Saturday Vigil 4:00pm Sunday 8:00am & 10:30am CONFESSIONS Monday 5:30-6:30pm Saturday 9:30-10:00am Saturday 3:00-3:45pm First Fridays 6:45-7:15pm Any Time by Appointment ADORATION Mon - Friday 9:30am-9:00pm Saturday 9:30am-2:45pm VESPERS Monday: Vespers with Benediction Tuesday: Vespers Wednesday: Vespers with Benediction (Vespers begins at 6:30 pm) On the Cover Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out... Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them. So they went off and preached repentance. (Mk 6:7;11-12) Christians are ambassadors of Christ and therefore envoys of reconciliation to God (2 Cor 5:20). All reconciliation to God comes about through contrition or man s repentance. This is certainly why Jesus sent out his Apostles to preach repentance (the forgiveness of sins) to all the nations. Further, Jesus does not tolerate those who treat his ambassadors with discourtesy, obstinacy, or apathy. As noted in our quotation above from Sacred Scripture for this 15 th Sunday in Ordinary time, Jesus expects that his messengers will be welcomed and listened too. Of all messages that could ever be sent, be they between friends, enemies, nations etc. there is no greater message than that which comes from the mouth of God. God s is an embassy due the utmost respect such that no living creature should dare take upon himself its prevention or disruption. Yet men and demons often do. When Jesus instructs his Apostles to shake the dust off their feet in testimony to any place which does not welcome or listen to them, Jesus is instructing His Apostles to give proof of that place s impurity and self-condemnation. In ancient Israel the Jews would shake the dust from their feet after leaving a land of the Gentiles, i.e. non-jews. They would thus ritually cast off from their bodies any residue from that land of idolatry before passing over to their own land consecrated to the Lord God. Hence, when Jesus instructs his Apostles to shake the dust off their feet, He is commanding them to testify that such a place (city or town) has heard the Word of God but has freely chosen to reject it and to remain bound in the darkness of ignorance and sin. In refusing the gospel of repentance (Mk 1:15) that place (or just as much, that person) has chosen to remain a gentile - a captive of the fallen world who will not acknowledge his sins and the great mercy of God. However, Jesus sends his Apostles to set the captives free (Lk 4:18). Thus we place on our bulletin cover this Sunday a painting from the Spanish Baroque painter, Jusepe de Ribera, entitled, Portrait of a Jesuit Missionary (1638). This oil-on-canvas in the later Tenebrist style was completed about one generation after the life of Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier and at exactly the time the French Jesuit St. Isaac Jogues made his first mission to North America amongst the Huron. Here we see an aged, yet stalwart, yet humble missionary standing upright in the faith. The lion painted by Ribera allows for many interpretations. He is Jesus the Lion of Judah; he is a symbol of the missionary s courage in the Spirit; he is the natural pagan newly converted and eager for the faith shown by the intensity of his eyes and the baring of his claws (not shown here). Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord (Ps 118:26). Blameworthy are those who mistreat the messengers of God and squander the message (Mk 12:1-9).
15 th Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 15, 2018 Summer Hours: Religious Education Office will be open Mon, Tues, & Fri 9:30-noon during the summer months. If you need to reach Mrs. Hammarquist you can email her at jlh@sfxparish.com. Remember to make Mass part of your summer plans! Even though summer is a time to rest from our usual routines, as Catholics we remember that we are called to always keep holy the Sabbath Day by attending Mass. If you will be out of town, visit www.parishesonline.com to find church listings & Mass times anywhere in the country. Registration for the 2018/2019 year will be scheduled in August. Please watch the bulletin for dates & times. The peace and tranquility did not last long at school, as this week we reopened the doors to welcome our Summer Fun at St. Francis campers! The whirlwind of activity included songs, games, outdoor water play, and of course the ever popular downtime used to complete summer work packets! Camp director and parishioner, Phil Martin has planned many opportunities for faith-filled fun, friendship formation and even a few field trips over the next few weeks and our school family is so grateful! Please continue to keep our school and our students in your prayers this summer! The office will be open and available throughout the summer months to answer any questions you may have on: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10am - 2pm God Bless, Michelle Russo/Principal The Apostles Receive Their Mission Jean Fouquet (1460) Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. (Mk 6:7, 13) SFX Parish Calendar Sunday July 15 Pancake Breakfast 9:00am-12:30pm School For Vocations Monday July 16 Vespers & Benediction 6:30pm Church Tuesday July 17 Vespers 6:30pm Church Wednesday July 18 Vespers & Benediction 6:30pm Church Cave of St. Benedict Our St. Vincent de Paul Society: At this time our pantry needs: pasta sauce, canned ham and spam, canned fruit, juice and rice. It also needs toiletry items such as soap and tooth brushes. Thanks for your support! Upcoming Second & Special Collections July 15 th July 22 nd - Parish Building Fund - Diocesan Assessment
SFX Prayer Line Please call 508-850-6649 between 8am & 8pm Or email your prayer request to: sfxprayerline@gmail.com Women of Grace There are no studies or events over the summer but let us not forget our monthly adoration hour. Pancake Breakfast This Sunday, 9 am to Noon At the Parish School **SAVE THE DATE** Catholic Women s Day of Recollection Saturday, September 15, 2018 9:00am-2:00pm Beginning with Holy Mass at SFX Parish then proceeding to SFX School for talks, confession, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary & Benediction. Guest Speaker is ANNA RAE-KELLY O.C.D.S M.Th., M.Sc., B.Ed., Dip. Ed., Cert. R.E. Professor Rae-Kelly is the founder of ARK Ministries Cost is $20 {lunch will be provided} This Sunday In our Parish Parking Lot 7:30 am To Put a Smile on this Man s Face... Come to the Next Rosary Party! Sunday 22 July 6:00 pm At the Parish School Presented by the Men of St. Joseph A Fond Farewell to Haley: The Pancake Breakfast is being held in honor of parishioner Haley Ketschke who is leaving in August to begin discerning religious life. If you have not already and would like to make a financial gift of support please place this in a card and bring to the breakfast where we will have a table for cards and well-wishes. Adoration Chapel Upgrade: On July 2 nd we installed a free-standing air conditioning system for the Eucharistic Adoration chapel. We ask that all adorers keep the glass doors closed during adoration to keep the system efficient. We thank all of you for your continued generosity to our Parish Building Fund which allows us to improve our facility and make much needed repairs.
15 th Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 15, 2018 IDEAS FOR PRAYER BY DOM HUBERT VAN ZELLER Investigate [as] we will, the only certain findings are those which are manifest before we start investigating. Do we truly want to love, pray, serve, seek God s will, endure with patience? If we do then we are pleasing in his sight, are in grace, enjoy peace, have made at least a start. If we are wanting in these desires then the sooner we acquire them the better. The desire to give oneself to God s will, even though the full implication of this is not clear, is far more important than having ideas about what God s will ought to be like. Each of us has his own image of God, of how he deals with his creatures, of the way in which his infinite mind works, of what it feels like to love every member of the human race. Not only are these ideas nearly always conceived as pictures as pictures, moreover, seen in terms of our own particular personality but they are necessarily conceived in finite terms and therefore always wrong. Our ideas can never accurately present goodness, beauty, truth. We can visualize facets of these qualities as they affect a finite world, but God is all Goodness, Beauty, and Truth. We are asked to know God, not visualize him. Our prayer enables us to know as much as we are meant to know, but this does not mean that we are to break our heads in forming images. By gently yielding to his presence and trying to absorb his love we come to a truer knowledge of his mercy, his wisdom, his providence and of his other attributes than by meditating upon these entities separately. It is difficult to think of divine attributes without thinking of ourselves as possessing them. Upcoming Events PARISH PICNIC - Save the Date! Our 2018 Parish Picnic will be held on Sunday, 5 August at Cathedral Camp in East Freetown. Please mark you calendars for this excellent event of music, food, fun, and fellowship. Pro-Life Boot Camp: Please keep in your prayers our ten parish campers who will be off to Stonehill College for another annual Pro-Life Boot camp which will begin on Thursday, 19 July. This camp is for our diocesan youth to come together to pray and have good fun as they strengthen their commitment to Life! This group will also visit a local abortion clinic to pray for the dignity of women and the lives of children in the womb. We are also sending three young adults as staff for this event. They will all be chaperoned by parishioner Jason Hamel, our High School Youth Group and Young Adult Program leader. May God bless them all for their commitment and effort. Mass Intentions: Our Mass Book opened again on Wednesday, July 11 th. We are now taking intentions for the period of January 1 to June 30, 2019. If you are unable to come to the parish during the day for any reason, please call the parish office with your Mass intentions. Please note that our 2018 Mass intentions are almost completely full, but if you desire a Mass in 2018 we can still have Masses offered in Rome for that intention year. The offering for a Mass Intention remains at $10. Thank you. Thank You All Lectors: who read at our Sunday and weekday Masses. As our bulletin cover piece mentions today, you are all ambassadors of Christ! Each time you take to the ambo to read, you bring the message of Jesus Christ to all who listen. This is why it is so vital that we all invite people back to church and to the Holy Mass to hear the Word of God. Even if there is a present impediment to receiving Holy Communion, the grace of this Holy Word will stimulate a greater desire to grow in the faith and to return, in time, to full sacramental communion. Readings for Week of July 15, 2018 Sunday: Am 7:12-15/Ps 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14 [8]/Eph 1:3-14 or 1:3-10/Mk 6:7-13 Monday: Is 1:10-17/Ps 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23 [23b]/ Mt 10:34--11:1 Tuesday: Is 7:1-9/Ps 48:2-3a, 3b-4, 5-6, 7-8 [cf. 9d]/Mt 11:20-24 Wednesday: Is 10:5-7, 13b-16/Ps 94:5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 14-15 [14a]/Mt 11:25-27 Thursday: Is 26:7-9, 12, 16-19/Ps 102:13-14ab and 15, 16-18, 19-21 [20b]/Mt 11:28-30 Friday: Is 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8/Is 38:10, 11, 12abcd, 16 [cf. 17b]/Mt 12:1-8 Saturday: Mi 2:1-5/Ps 10:1-2, 3-4, 7-8, 14 [12b]/Mt 12:14-21 Parish Surveys: We thank all parishioners that turned in their parish surveys. If you still have not completed your survey but intended to please do so this week and drop off at the parish office or in the collection basket on the weekend. We will soon be reviewing your responses and collating these for our Parish Council. As the Parish Council meets and assesses and prays over the future needs of our parish, this survey offers them a glimpse into what those in the pews see as vital to parish life as we move forward over the next few years. Once again we thank you for contributing your thoughts to this process.