Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). We were baptized into two communities, the Trinity and the Catholic Church. We entered into two relationships one with God and one with all other people. The word ‘relationship’ is the same word for ‘religion’. We are religious when we are living our relationships. No wonder Jesus gave us the two great commandments that are really one (1 John 4:7-12): love God and neighbor (John 13:34).
We bless ourselves with holy water as we enter the church to remind ourselves that we, the baptized, worship our God in the midst of the believing community. We use the words of Jesus when blessing people and objects or administering the sacraments. We believe the inner relationship of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit is such that each of them is fully and equally God, yet there are not three gods but one, incomprehensible to the human mind. It will always be a mystery.
The story is told of Saint Augustine, a great philosopher and theologian who wanted to understand the doctrine of the Trinity and to be able to explain it logically. One day as he was walking along the sea shore and reflecting on this, he suddenly saw a little child all alone on the shore. The child made a hole in the sand, ran to the sea with a little cup, filled the cup, came and poured it into the hole she had made. Augustine went up to her and said, “Little child, what are you doing?” and she replied, “I am trying to empty the sea into this hole.” “How do you think,” Augustine asked her, “that you can empty this immense sea into this tiny hole and with this tiny cup?” To which she replied, “And you, how do you suppose that with this, your small head, you can comprehend the immensity of God?” With that the child disappeared.
Readings for the Week Of Sunday, May 30, 2010
Please pray for all who are in need of our prayers that God’s healing and comforting presence may be with them, especially Father William Smith, Jen Bombaca, Marianne Slack, Elaine Murphy, Ed Burri, Bob Kozlowski, Francis Cote, Deacon Bill Wildes, William McCarthy, Marie Dempsey, Pat White, Mary Whelan, Prudy Bulger, Eleanor Mann, Phyllis Lange, Amy Galehouse Goolkosian, Jane Beauchemin, Mary Ellen Connor, Marybeth Morgan, Billy Wedgwood, Gerald McCue, Kathleen Brown, Brendan Murphy, Frank Stankowski, Theresa Flynn, Ann LaMantia, Christine Griffin, Josephine Siders, Douglas DiVito, Frank Hassett, Mary McGuinnes, Joseph Fremont-Smith, Marjorie Kearns, Shannon Capriulo, Mildred Page, Cathy Larson, Joanna Walsh, Victoria Killgore, Virginia Tavilla, Christine Screeton, Olivia Moran and Brianna Cimino. Please also remember in your prayers all of our deceased family members and parishioners, Joanna Walsh, sister of Molly McNamara, William Roy and Lucy DeSimone.
In Service For Their Country
Lt. John Schiavi, Sgt. Christopher Considine, Timothy Dunbar, Richard Rigley, Chris Cullen, Caitlin R. Battell, Robert McLaughlin, Sean Maddigan, Michelle Leverone, Marissa Leverone, Rev. Paul Passamonti, 1st Lt. Todd Donaldson, Airman Jason Cunha, Pfc. Erik Muskavitch, Mark Zarnecki, Patrick J. Nordahl, Scott and Michael Donahue, CDR Michael P. MacLellan and Captain Brian Geary.
Lord Jesus, watch over our sons and daughters in the service of their country. Give them the courage to serve their country with honor and dignity and grant that when their service is finished they may return to us, sound in mind, body and soul.
Looking For Support During Your Job Search?
Seasoned Human Resources and Marketing pros to lead the Lexington Job Support Group (LJSG) for the Catholic Community of Lexington and our friends. Learn and share job search strategies, resources and networking tips while getting support during your search for that next great opportunity. Meetings are the first and third Wednesday of the month, 7:30 - 9:00 pm at Sacred Heart Parish Center. The next two meetings are June 2nd and June 16th. Informal, no need to sign up, come on the evenings you are free with a cup of coffee or supper, and invite a friend. If you have any questions, contact Bob Ludwig at 781-861-7231 or Donna Heuchling at dheuchling(3).
NOTE: LJSG is hosting a seminar at Carey Memorial Library on June 14th, 7:30 - 9:00 pm - Using Linked In and other Web-Based tools in Your Job Search.
Have You checked Out Online Giving?
Giving on-line is an easy and safe way to support your parish, even when you’re on vacation. Visit our web site, www.lexingtoncatholic.org, and click “Sacred Heart Parish” or “St. Brigid Parish” to learn about this new way to contribute via a charge to your bank account or credit card. Check it out!
Enter into the NEW EVANGELIZATION at Theology on Tap with Séan Cardinal O’Malley. This event is hosted by the Lexington Catholic Young Adult Group on Thursday, June 24th at 7:00pm at Palio’s Restaurant, 94 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington. Bring yourself, a friend and your bible! Come hear the Shepherd of our Archdiocese and successor of the Apostles!
Hospitality
Please join us for hospitality and fellowship at our parishes.
Hospitality at St. Brigid Parish will resume in the fall in the newly renovated Keilty Hall.
At Sacred Heart Parish the hospitality is after the 10:00am Mass in the parish center.
Father Clifton Talk About Priesthood
Fr. Clifton Thuma has been in residence and helping out at the parishes for five months now. He will be taking a new assignment in July. He would like to offer some observations about priesthood and his experience since his ordination in 1996.
He has titled his reflection, Towards the Third Collar. He will be speaking at St. Brigid’s on Wednesday, June 2nd, 7:00 PM and after the hospitality coffee at Sacred Heart on Sunday, June 6th. He will welcome questions after his thirty minute talk. All are welcome.
Northeast Catholic Family Conference
Please mark your calendars and join us for the Northeast Catholic Family Conference on June 27th. The theme of the conference is "Called to Greatness." The Northeast Catholic Family Conference will rekindle the Truth in hearts of all ages - that we are "Called to Greatness." It takes place June 27 from 1pm-8pm at St. Mary's Church in Waltham. The day will feature an event with Cardinal Sean, Mass and Adoration, a Marian Procession, workshops for adults, separate teen and children's programs, a family cookout, and inspiring speakers including Leah Darrow, a former contestant on the Reality Television Show, "America's Next Top Model." You don't want to miss this great event for the Family. For more information and registration please visit www.yHopefamily.org or call Fr. Mike Harrington at 781-956-0548.
Get “Up Close And Personal” With The Lord
Spend some quiet time with the Lord this Friday and every Friday during the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 12:00 – 2:45pm at St. Brigid Church.
The Lexington Garden Club, lead by Ann Webster and Claire Bertucci, graciously offered this year to cleanup and update with new plantings the “Mary Garden” at the rear of St. Brigid Church. Please take a moment in your day to visit the "Garden". These women have done a beautiful job. The care they have given, shows in the work that has been accomplished. They have paid a great tribute to "Mary, Our Mother," through their thoughtful and loving work. The garden looks beautiful. We would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to the "Lexington Garden Club."
Feast Of The Sacred Heart
On Friday evening, June 11th at 7:30 pm, at Sacred Heart, we will be celebrating the Mass of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is our annual 'Patron's Mass' and it is a great opportunity for us to gather as a community. There will be an ice cream social following Mass at the Parish Center. Please come and celebrate with us!
Holy Cross Family Ministries
Holy Cross Family Ministries invites you to join us in a Celebration of the Eucharist and an outdoor Rosary to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the death of our founder, Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC, and the 68th anniversary of Family Rosary on Thursday, June 3. We will pray the Rosary at 4:00 p.m. at our outdoor Rosary Walk, celebrate Mass at 5:00 p.m. at St. Joseph Chapel with a light reception to follow in the Father Peyton Center. For more information contact the Development Office or to RSVP: 508-238-4095 - 518 Washington Street., North Easton, MA 02356
Saint Agnes School of Arlington
Saint Agnes School of Arlington is continuing to accept registrations for the 2010-2011 school year. There are some openings available in grades k-5. There is a waiting list for grades 6-8. St. Agnes School is located at 39 Medford Street (Rt. 60) across the street from Arlington Catholic High School. For information or to arrange for a tour of the school, contact the school office @ 781-643-9031 or visit our website, www.saintagnesschool.com.
Welcome To New Parishioners
No matter what your present status in the Catholic Church, no matter what your current family or marital situation, no matter what your current personal history, age, background, race, etc., no matter what your own self-image; you are invited, welcomed, accepted, loved and respected here with the Catholic Community in Lexington. . If you are new to Sacred Heart or St. Brigid Parishes, please introduce yourself to either Father Colletti or one of the Pastoral Associates, Beverly Good or Mary Peterson, after Mass or at your convenience. Also, please contact the Office 791-862-0335/4646 to register as a member of the parishes.
Sunday, May 30th
HAVE A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!
Monday, May 31st
THE OFFICE OF SACRED HEART AND ST. BRIGID PARISHES WILL BE CLOSED TODAY.
Tuesday, June 1st
7:00 – RETREAT MEETING – SB - L
Wednesday, June 2nd
7:00 FATHER THUMA TALK – SB – PC
REFRESHMENTS FOLLOWING
Thursday, June 3rd
7:00-9:30 BOY SCOUTS –SB – PC
7:00 – YOUNG ADULTS – SB - L
Friday, June 4th
NO MEETINGS SCHEDULED AT THIS TIME
Saturday, June 5th
6:00 – BAPTISMS – SB – CHURCH
HAVE A WONDERFUL AND SAFE
WEEKEND!
PLEASE NOTE THAT BECAUSE THEIR OFFICES WERE CLOSED ON MONDAY, THE BULLETIN COMPANY NEEDS OUR BULLETIN BY TUESDAY, JUNE 1ST.
Holy Humor
A bus carrying only ugly people crashes into an oncoming truck, and everyone inside dies. As they stand at the Pearly Gates waiting to enter Paradise and meet their maker, God decides to grant each person one wish because of the grief they have experienced.
They're all lined up, and God asks the first one what the wish is. 'I want to be gorgeous,' and so God snaps His fingers, and it is done.
The second one in line hears this and says 'I want to be gorgeous too'. Another snap of His fingers and the wish is granted.
This goes on for a while with each one asking to be gorgeous, but when God is halfway down the line, the last guy in the line starts laughing.
When there are only ten people left, this guy is rolling on the floor, laughing his head off.
Finally, God reaches this last guy and asks him what his wish will be.
The guy eventually calms down and says: 'Make them all ugly again.'
NEXT TIME YOU'RE LAST IN LINE, BE HAPPY!
Helping Hands
Helping Hands for June is Mary Lou Knight
781-862-3634
Matignon High School
Matignon High Summer School, June 23rd to July 20, 2010. Most major high school courses as well as 7th and 8th grade Math and Reading enrichment courses are offered. Please call Joe Carabello at 617-876-1212 X15 or visit our web page www.matignon-hs.org for further information. They also offer a “Timely Writing” course that will prepare students for the SAT essay test, as well as assist students with essay writing.
Sacred Heart Parish
Offertory for May 22/23 $ 4064.00
Envelope Offerings $ 3495.00
Loose Cash $ 569.00
St. Katharine Drexel $ 300.00
This week’s On-Line Giving Offertory $ 210.00
Of the 265 envelopes we sent to Sacred Heart parishioners, 87 parishioners have used their envelopes this week. To date 11 parishioners have signed up for on-line giving totaling $700. Thank you to all who so generously contribute to our parishes each week!
Fr. Colletti
2010 Catholic Appeal-Called To Love And Share
Thank you to all supporters of the 2010 Catholic Appeal. Our parish has raised $29,914 from 82 households, reaching 70.4% percent of our parish goal of $42,500. If you have not yet pledged, please consider a gift today and help us meet our goal. Remember, our parish will receive 25 percent of all funds we raise above our goal. Please remember to make your pledge now even if you plan on fulfilling that pledge later in the year. You can pick up information packets with pledge forms in the back of the Church to be mailed in, or for more information please visit www.BostonCatholicAppeal.com or call 617-779-3700. Every gift matters. Thank you!
| St. Brigid Church |
| |
| 9:00am | Tuesday June 1st | Maryanne & Romalo Amicangelo |
| 9:00am | Thursday June 3rd | Mary Dolan |
| 9:00am | Saturday June 5th | John Dolan, Vic Campana, Peter Rommell, Hank Ouelette, Rose, Chiarappa and Martha Kinneen |
| |
| Sacred Heart Church |
| |
| 9:00am | Monday May 31st | Marie Blanchette |
| 9:00am | Wednesday June 2nd | Linnie Holland |
| 9:00am | Friday June 4th | Jonathan Belshaw |
| 10:00am | Saturday June 5th | Memorial Mass - Gerard Fradette |
Congratulations To Our 2010 Scholarship Recipients
From left to right: Megan Chenaille, Director of Youth Ministry; Jessica Fonseca-Moreira; Yvonne Medina; Fr. Arnold Colletti, Pastor; Myles Adley; Emily Lopes; Jessye Strohmeyer; not pictured: S. Michael Dooley, II
Annual Nazareth Academy Golf Classic
Monday June 14, 2010
12:30 Registration 1:30 Shotgun Start Scramble Format
Dinner: Immediately following
Hillview Country Club
149 North St. North Reading, MA
Golfer Registration $125.00 per golfer * Dinner Only Registration $30 per person
Donations for raffle prizes/gift bag contents/sponsorships are welcome.
For more information please contact:
Nazareth Academy 27 Cordis St. Wakefield, MA 01880 www.nazacademy.org
Nazareth Academy is an all-girls high school that offers young women a college prep education in the Catholic tradition.
All sponsor and golfer registration forms with payment must be received by June 7th.
St. Brigid Parish
Offertory for May 22/23 $ 8602.00
Envelope Offerings $ 7545.00
Loose Cash $ 1057.00
This week’s On-Line Giving Offertory 325.00
Out of the 548 envelopes we sent to St. Brigid parishioners, 174 have used their envelopes. To date 21 parishioners have signed up for on-line giving totaling $1430. Thank you to all who so generously contribute to our parishes each week!
Fr. Colletti
2010 Catholic Appeal
Thank you to all supporters of the 2010 Catholic Appeal. Our parish has raised $79,117 from 222 households, reaching 61.6% percent of our parish goal of $128,500. If you have not yet pledged, please consider a gift today and help us meet our goal. Remember, our parish will receive 25 percent of all funds we raise above our goal. (As we did last year) Please remember to make your pledge now even if you plan on fulfilling that pledge later in the year. You can pick up information packets with pledge forms in the back of the Church to be mailed in, or for more information call 617-779-3700 or please visit www.BostonCatholicAppeal.com. Every gift matters, Thank you!
St. Brigid Parish Renovation Project Update
The project to add an elevator to the church building and accessible restrooms in the hall; to expand and improve handicapped seating in the church and handicapped parking; and to remodel the kitchen and Keilty Hall is underway.
With removal of the floor tiles and pipe insulation in Keilty Hall and the kitchen complete, preparations for the installation of the elevator and restrooms have begun. As a result, Keilty Hall will remain inaccessible, with the stairway on the east side of the building being the only access to the existing restrooms and the Music Room.
During construction, the west side entrance of the church will be closed and the Reconciliation Room will be relocated to the small room off the church vestibule.
Updates on this project, including building accessibility and safety issues during construction, will be provided weekly in this section of the bulletin.
Registrations for the 2010-2011 Religious Education Program will be mailed out in June. For advanced planning, please be aware that classes for grades 1 thru 8 will be available on Sunday mornings at St. Brigid from 10:-11:15 (after the 9:00am Mass) and at Sacred Heart from 11:15 – 12:15 (after the 10:00 Mass). Classes will also be held for grades 1 – 6 on Tuesday afternoon’s at St. Brigid from 3:45 – 4:45. Classes will be available for grades 7 and 8 on Monday’s from 5:30 – 6:30pm.
George Begin
Ordinary Time:Summer
A Sense of the Season
What do the words Ordinary Time mean? Dorothy Day said, “The words ‘Ordinary Time’ in our prayer books put me in a state of confusion and irritation. To me, no time is ordinary.” She was right. The Ordinary in “Ordinary Time” refers to ordinal—counted—time, not to a lack of something to celebrate. The Roman document, General Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar, says: “Apart from those seasons having their own distinctive character [Advent, Christmastime, Lent, Triduum and Eastertime], 33 or 34 weeks remain in the yearly cycle that do not celebrate a specific aspect of the mystery of Christ. Rather, especially on the Sundays, they are devoted to the mystery of Christ in all its aspects.”
How do we celebrate “the mystery of Christ in all its aspects”? We gather every Sunday. Sunday is our original feast day. Christians have gathered every Sunday—the day of Christ’s resurrection, the first day of the week—ever since there were Christians.
When we gather on Sundays in Ordinary Time, as always, we hear the scriptures proclaimed. The church reads straight through “the gospel of the year,” either Matthew, Mark or Luke, each week often picking up where we left off last week. (We read John during Lent and Easter, and on feasts.) The first readings, from the first testament of the Bible, have been chosen for their relationship to the gospel passages. Many voices are heard throughout summer Ordinary Time. We also read through some of the letters of the second testament of the Bible. The mystery of Christ “in all its aspects” unfolds.
What is the heart of our Sunday celebration? We do our Eucharist; that is, we do our thanksgiving. We praise and thank God for all creation; we pray for the whole world, as we remember Christ’s life, death and resurrection. We share the bread and wine, the body and blood. We are sent forth to be the body and blood of Christ in our homes, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, our towns, our cities, our country, our world.
“What happens in our churches every Sunday is the fruit of our week. What happens as the fruit of the week past is the beginning of the week to come. Sunday is simultaneously a point of arrival and departure for Christians on their way to the fullness of the kingdom. This is not ordinary at all. This is the fabric of Christian living.” (Saint Andrew Bible Missal [Brooklyn: William J. Hirten Co., 1982.])
Copyright © 1997, Archdiocese of Chicago. Liturgy Training Publications, 1800 North Hermitage Avenue, Chicago IL 60622-1101; 1-800-933-1800. Text by G. Thomas Ryan. Art by Luba Lukova.
Mount St. Alphonsus Retreat Center
Mount St. Alphonsus, located in the Hudson River in New York State, and one of the largest retreat centers in the world, announces its upcoming programs:
Taize Prayer: Thursdays, June 3 and July 1, 2010. 7:30pm. Simple chants made glorious with harmonies, sung by the 30 member Mount choir in candlelight only. Donations accepted.
Day of Prayer: Tuesday, June 15, 2010. 9:30am-3:00pm. Fr. Charlie Brinkman continues his popular series of Days of Prayer. Cost $25, includes lunch. Overnight accommodations are also available.
Jesus Attitudes and Sayings on Creation: Saturday, June 19, 2010. 9:30am-4pm. This program is presented by Fr. Tom Deely, and will compare the teachings of Jesus Christ to our love for the environment. Cost $35, includes lunch.
Mount St. Alphonsus is located on the banks of the Hudson River in the Village of Esopus, NY. Thousands of people from around the northeast make a pilgrimage to the Mount each year. Reservations and deposits are required for all programs. For more information, please call (845) 384-8000 or visit
www.MountSaintAlphonsus.org, or
Olive Branch Olive Oil
Thank you for the great response last week end. The four cases at each parish sold out! More OLIVE BRANCH Olive Oil will be available the weekend of June 5/6. Please come to Sacred Heart Parish Hall between 10. 50 am and 12.30 pm. Note that checks should be made out to Olive Branch Olive Oil. If you have questions or need help with pick up please call Margaret Johnson at 781-641-0831.