Sacred Heart Parish Bulletin

The first reading today (Sirach 3:17-29) sets the theme for this weekend’s liturgy: “My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.”

Saint Bernard, whose feast we celebrated on August 20^th and was a Cistercian abbot of Clairvaux where he died in 1153. He wrote on the virtue of humility. He sees humility not as something to attract God and others for that would lead to pride. Humility is a constant effort to grow into truth.

Bernard sees knowledge of truth coming in three stages or steps. The first stage to truth is to know ourselves. Humility leads us to hold on to the truth of just who we are—creations of God made in God’s image, impoverished and weak in our brokenness, who has a redeemer and savior. Once we grasp that truth we come to the second stage, which is to know our neighbor, our fellow humans, in compassion. Passio cum means feeling with the other in sorrow and suffering and in joy and celebration—a feeling within every human experience. This solidarity with others comes from a knowledge that we are one in Christ.

The third stage in our knowledge of truth is contemplation. “This is the knowledge that God sought to help us understand in scripture through the image of marriage—that knowing of the other that begins to be ours in the fullness of the marriage embrace. Yes, we come to know in some frightening, almost terrifying way, that we are, all of us, one in and with the living God, the Godhead who embraces us with the fierce intimacy of an intensely passionate lover.

M. Basil Pennington, OCSO, a monk from the Abbey of Our Lady of Saint Joseph in Spencer, Massachusetts, in describing humility as truth seeking writes: “One of the fruits of humility is a profound reverence for every person. Another is that in our presence, others can experience themselves as respected and loved in an embrace of total acceptance…I know this by experience, having been in the presence of such humility. The morning I sat across the breakfast table and looked into the eyes of Mother Teresa in Calcutta is forever etched in my soul. That morning I came to know, love, and respect myself as a Christ-person, the beloved of God.”

This week we ask you to pray for those who are ill, including, Brianna Cimino, Rosemary Harvey, Regina Jones, Andrea Hynes, Joyce Amos, James Reilly, Regina Wingard, Erin McMehon, Maria Aguis, George Beck, Dr. Kenneth Spengler, Josephine Murphy, Peter Bugda, Norma Berstein, Camille Michals, Rob Morway, Patricia Hassett, Paul McCann, William Francis, Lillian Davenport, James Fontaini, Henri Fradette, William Blair, Agatha Pals, Kath Rodriegas, Estelle Szalajeski, Nancy Driscoll, Dante DiManna, Margie Levine, Doug Phillips, Ralph Tatro, Andrew Day, Peggy Sue Grow, Mary Serpa, Deborah Miller, Dorothy Lee, William MacKinnon, Mary Jefferson, Elizabeth Conte, Dave Rissmiller, Violet Caldaroni, Frank Cote, James Bresnahan, Ann Mulray, Rita Mahan, Connie Perrotta, Jackie Sullivan, Jean Babbin, Gerard Sarno, Dorothy Grant, Gretin Cervantes, Marisol O’Brien, Paul Pantano, Fran Ressetar, Cecelia Hines, Margaret Wright, Renee Chapman, Peter Bellini, Christine Gainer, Chris Ann Colletti, Helen McLaughlin, Paul Doherty, Jorge Loayza, Joseph Brault, Lauren Forgette, Chuck Kiernan, Bill Attaya, Margaret Coughlin, John McCarthy, Don Sabatand, Laura Mac Aulay, Mary Hosford, Dorothy Barton and Gerry Dingavin.

We will be collecting for the Roxbury Food Pantry the weekend of September 11^th & 12^th. Because of the Labor Day weekend we will not collect next weekend.

Altar flowers this week are in memory of Samuel Augustine donated by Marie Augustine.

Teachers Needed for Grades 9 & 10

Kate Doherty, Youth Minister and Confirmation Coordinator at St. Brigid’s is asking for volunteers for teachers in the 9^th & 10^th grades. Time for classes to begin is getting close and these needs must be met. Please give her a call—she is working very hard to accommodate our needs and develop a program that will be rewarding for our teens.

There will be a Tai Chi class beginning September 23^rd for 9 weeks at 11:00am in the Parish Center.

Tai Chi is a gentle practice recommended to people of all ages, especially to seniors as it uses every muscle and joint at low intensity. It promotes balance, circulation and coordination. According to a Tufts study, the practice increases bone density and bone mass so osteoporosis and fractures are less likely to occur. The ten-week course is $95. There is a senior discount: $85. To reserve a place, early registration is suggested. Please make the check payable to Sacred Heart Parish and send to Sacred Heart Parish, 21 Follen Road, Lexington, MA 02421.

Beginners are welcome September 23^rd and September 30^th after which the class will be closed. Former students are welcome anytime. For more information please call Trudy at 617-484-6833.

The Dominican Sisters of the Presentation wish to thank the Sacred Heart community for their generous donation to their mission in Honduras. They will be praying for all of you over the coming months.

Sacred Heart Mass Schedule

We will keep the summer Mass schedule at least through September.

Saturday – 4:00pm

Sunday – 7:00am & 10:00 am

Attention Catechists and Parents!

Jaye Russo and Kate Doherty, the Religious Education and Youth Ministry directors at St. Brigid, would like to meet you, hear your concerns, and explain their program. We will meet in the Lower Hall on Wednesday, September 1 at 7:30.

Some of you met them on Sunday at the 10:00 Mass a few weeks ago, but many of you were away. They want to do all they can to build a new program for both parishes, and they need our advice and support. So please come and share your thoughts!

Tuesday 5:15-6:15PM

Grades 7-8

Please return your Registration and Class Placement Forms to St. Brigid’s Parish as soon as possible as enrollment is on a first-come first serve basis – the earlier you register, the more likely you are to receive your first preference.

If you have a child entering First Grade or you are new to the Religious Education Program please call Linda, at 781-862-8724.

Coordinator of YM: Maureen McKeown

As stated last week, the dates for planning activities, etc. for the months ahead have been scheduled. MARK YOUR CALENDAR:

The long days of summer are coming to an end. And the journey to St. Brigid’s for our parish family is just beginning.

Our T.L.C. (Teen Leadership Crew) teens will be meeting with teens from St. Brigid’s within a few weeks. Everyone on the team will be notified personally. All will be welcome to come, meet Kate Dougherty (YM at St. Brigid’s) and plan for the months ahead.

Youth Mass is a #1 priority on the agenda. The date for the opening Youth Mass is Sunday, October 3 @ 5:00 P.M. There will be some brief talks by teens from Sacred Heart explaining the programs they took part in this summer.

Food and fun will be plentiful! This will be an opportunity to come together with other young adults (many of whom you already know) and decide how you can strengthen your personal commitment to your new faith community.

With the unprecedented growth of our youth program this past year, we have the opportunity to grow “bigger and better”!

Take a minute to think about this quote from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. (Maybe paste it on your mirror!)

“Indeed, they form one body, whether by hearing the word of God or by joining in the prayers and the singing, or above all by the common offering of Sacrifice and by a common partaking at the Lord’s table”.

Sacred Heart Parish Bulletin - August 29, 2004

Tuesday 5:15-6:15PM

Grades 7-8

Coordinator of YM: Maureen McKeown

Sacred Heart Parish Bulletin - August 29, 2004