Last weekend we celebrated the feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord and the gospel placed us at the Last Supper.  Three years after Christopher Columbus discovered America, Leonardo da Vinci, then 43 years old, began to paint his vision of the Last Supper on the wall of the dining room in the Santa Maria delle Grazie Church in Milan, Italy.  It took him three years to complete the work.  We can see at that Supper Jesus pouring out his heart to his disciples and to all who would come to the faith through their ministry to the gospel.  Not only was he pouring out his heart but Mary, his mother was pouring out her heart.  On the next day his heart was pierced with a lance and her heart was torn open to see her son die a cruel death. Both were united in one heart.  On Friday we celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on Saturday the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  I pray that the love of both hearts may penetrate deep into your heart and mine that we might experience that love and share it with others.

Today is Father’s Day and I pray for our fathers—those who have gone before us and those who love us still. May the love of God, our Father, fill them with His love that they may share that same love with others.

The blessing given to fathers at the baptisms of their children reads:

“God is the giver of all life, human and divine.  May He bless the father of this child.  He and his wife will be the first teachers of their child in the ways of faith.  May they be also the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

ALL SCHEDULED MASSES AND FUNERALS DURING THE WEEK WILL BE HELD AT ST. BRIGID CHURCH

Helping Hands

Helping Hands for the month of June is:
Judy McDonough – 781-863-0653.

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, Helen Jenson, Father Thomas Nestor, Catherine Morley, Elaine Murphy, Deacon Bill Wildes, Joseph O’Brien, John Harper, Tina Durks, Pat White, Anita and William Gorham, Eleanor Mann, Gerald McCue, Kathleen Brown, Theresa A. Myles, Rev. James O’Donohoe, Betty Garrity, Marylou Merry, Josephine Siders, Kathleen Brown, Olivia Moran, Suzy Keating, Matthew Langone, and Brianna Cimino.  Please also remember in your prayers all of our deceased parishioners.

In Service For Their Country

Lt. John Schiavi, Sgt. Christopher Considine, Timothy Dunbar, Richard Rigley, Chris Cullen, Caitlin R. Battell, Robert McLaughlin, Sean Maddigan, Rev. Paul Passamonti, Airman Jason Cunha, Mark Zarnecki, Patrick J. Nordahl, Scott and Michael Donahue, Lt. Brian Casey, Lt. Cmdr. Michael P. MacLellan and 1st Lt. 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, 7:30pm - 9:00pm at Sacred Heart Parish Center. Next meeting is July 1st. 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)

Social Event: We will be doing a hike sometime in June, details coming soon…

Service Event: We will be doing a service event sometime in July, details coming soon…

Soccer: Soccer will be moving outside soon. We are looking at 3pm on Sundays at a local field. We will probably start it up in early June. Stay tuned for more details…

A Head’s Up!  New Trip in 2010

We are in the process of planning a trip to Oberammergau in 2010 to see the PASSION PLAY.  The plan right now is a 12 day trip, to see the play and then to the Dalmatian Coast, Medjugorje, where six young people from the village of Bijakovici in the parish of Medjugorje, claimed to have seen an apparition of the Blessed Mother and child and on to Dubrovnik, Croatia.  We will visit four beautiful countries: Germany, Croatia Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.  We met with the representative on Tuesday afternoon.  She is checking the availability of dates and we should hear back as early as next week  We have set the date for the slide presentation on the trip for Tuesday, June 30th at 6:30pm in the Parish Center Hall at St. Brigid.

Open House At Youville Place Assisted Living

Youville Place Assisted Living, 10 Pelham Road, Lexington, will be holding Open Houses from 1 PM to 4 PM every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday during the month of June.  We currently have studio, one bedroom and respite care available.  We would love to have you stop by to see us or call 781-861-3535 to schedule a tour.

2009 Catholic Appeal

Responding to God's Grace, Renewing Our Church

Thank you to all supporters of the 2009 Catholic Appeal.  St. Brigid Parish has raised $77,237 from 211 households, reaching 59.6% of the parish goal of $129,500.  Sacred Heart Parish has raised $23,886 from 82 households, reaching 52.5% of the parish goal of $45,500.  If you have not yet pledged, please consider a gift today and help us meet our goal.  Remember, our parishes 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 towards the end of 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!

Olive Branch Olive Oil

This great olive oil will be available for your summer needs: at St Brigid Parish in Keilty Hall on Saturday, June 27th after the 5pm Mass, and Sunday, June 28th after the 9.00am and 11.00am Masses.  At Sacred Heart in the Parish Center on Saturday, June 27th after the 4.00pm Mass and Sunday June 28th after the 10.00am Mass.  The price is the same bargain; $145.00 for a case of twelve bottles (to split with friends and family if you wish) and $12.00 per bottle.  All proceeds, after costs, will go directly to Agencies and projects serving urgent needs in both Israel and Palestine.

Parish Census

Census forms are located at the entrances of both churches.  Each family/parishioner is encouraged to take a few minutes to complete the census and either drop-off at the entryways to the churches or drop-off/mail to the offices at 2001 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421.

We need this form even if you have been in one of the parishes for a “million” years.  So, please, please pick up a form at the doors of the churches (or call the office and I will send one out).  Then, complete and return the form to the office.

Your completion and return of the census will provide information that will help us to better communicate, serve and interact with members of each parish and to provide information on parishioners’ special skills, talents and interests.  All of the personal information will be kept confidential and be filed in the parish offices. 

For your convenience in returning the forms, boxes will be at the front doors of St. Brigid Church and at the side door of Sacred Heart Church.

The forms are also on the internet.
Thank you, Claire

Lexington Food Pantry

This weekend, June 20th and 21st, is the collection of non-perishable items for the Lexington Food Pantry. Please remember that during these economic times there is a greater demand put upon food pantries.  With the arrival of the summer, collections usually go down because people are away.  You may leave your non-perishable donations at the bins at St. Brigid or at Sacred Heart on the altar or in the bins at the doors of the church.  Cash, supermarket gift cards, and checks made payable to the Lexington Food Pantry may be placed in an envelope marked Lexington Food Pantry and placed in the Offertory basket or left at the office. We thank you for your past generosity and support of this endeavor.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father’s Day
10:00 – Baptisms – Sacred Heart - Church
11:00 – Mass with send off for students going to
WorkCamp – St. Brigid –Church

Monday, June22, 2009

NO EVENTS

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

NO EVENTS

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

NO EVENTS

Thursday, June 25, 2009

10:45 – Presbyteral Council

Friday, June 26, 2009

STAFF DAY OF PRAYER AND PLANNING
OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED

Saturday, June 27, 2009

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Prayer of the Eyes

An icon — a holy picture — can help you pray.  The Greek word icon means “image,” a sacred image of Jesus, Mary or a saint that is painted in two dimensions on wood panels, usually with egg tempera paints.  Here’s how you can use an icon or other sacred image to focus your prayer.

You want to be in a comfortable position and you want to be able to look into the image’s eyes.  If you don’t hang the image on a wall, you might find an easel (or one of those hinged wooden stands used to display plates) to hold the image on a table.

Praying before an icon or a sacred image is a matter of looking deeply.  Think of how deeply you look at the face of someone you love.  You never tire of that face and you notice every detail: the way light and shadow fall across the nose and cheek, how the brow moves, the subtle changes of expression.  Look at the sacred image this way, too.  Such intense looking will center you in prayer, in the presence of the holy person depicted.  You may want to light candles or incense before the sacred image, too.

Copyright © 2002 Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 1800 North Hermitage Avenue, Chicago IL 60622-1101; 1-800-933-1800; www.ltp.org. Text by Meltem Aktas. Art by Steve Erspamer, sm. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Out of the 548 envelopes we sent to St. Brigid parishioners, 243 have used their envelopes.

Of the 265 envelopes we sent to Sacred Heart parishioners, 99 parishioners have used their envelopes this week.

Thank you to all who so generously contribute to our parishes each week!

—Fr. Colletti

Faith & Environment

Speaker Series At St. Agnes in Reading

On Sunday, June 14th, Professor Peter Kreeft of Boston College will speak at 3:00pm on “How to Win the Culture War” and at 7:00pm on “How to Make Good Choices.”  Both talks will be given in the Lower Church at St. Agnes Parish, 186 Woburn St., Reading, MA 01867.  Admission is free and refreshments will be provided.  More information is available at www.peterkreeft.com.

Father’s Day Holy Humor!

Be all means marry.  If you get a good wife, you will be happy.  If you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.
--Socrates

A coward is a hero with a wife, kids and a mortgage.
--Marvin Kitman

An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have; the older she gets, the more interested he is in her.
--Agatha Christie

If you are afraid of loneliness, do not marry.
--Anton Chekhov

If you never want to see a man again, say, “I love you.  I want to marry you, I want to have children…”  They leave skid marks.
--Rita Rudner

Long engagements give people the opportunity of finding out each other’s character before marriage, which is never advisable.
--Oscar Wilde

We must respect the other fellow’s religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.
--H.L. Mencken

A man does not look behind the door unless he has stood there himself.
--W.E.B. DuBois

Anonymous Wisdom

A husband is living proof that a wife can take a joke.

English law prohibits a man from marrying his mother-in-law.  This is our idea of useless legislation.

He who knows nothing, knows nothing.  But he who knows he knows nothing knows something.  And he who knows someone whose friend’s wife’s brother knows nothing, he knows something.  Or something like that!!!

Husband: a man who buys his football tickets four months in advance and waits until December 24 to do his Christmas shopping.

Marry not a tennis player.  Love means nothing to them.

When a marriage is outlawed, only outlaws will have in-laws.

3 Projects Underway at St. Brigid’s

Work is underway on three projects at St. Brigid’s:

1. Repair and refurbishment of the church’s steeple
2. Replacement of the church’s two rear side doors and the center’s rear side door and repair of the parish center’s front door
3. Replacement of the former rectory’s front porch.  The architectural style and color of the steeple, doors and porch will not be changed. 

Reception Of Communion At St. Brigid Parish

During the summer months we will be distributing Communion from the front of the church; there will not be distribution from the break at the church.  This is due to the lower numbers of parishioners attending Mass during the summer. Many ministers are also on vacation and scheduling is difficult.

** A special note to the parishioners who sit at the break who have a difficult time walking: you might like to come to the front of the Church to sit and receive Eucharist during the summer months.

Reception of Communion

Place your left hand cupped into your right hand; raise your hands cupped level with your chest.  When you step up to the Minister of Communion bow your head slightly in reverence, the minister will place the Eucharist into your hand, do not move your hands until the minister has completely let go of the Host.  Take the right hand and remove the Eucharist from the left hand placing it into your mouth.

Reception of the Eucharist from the Cup

Walk up to the Communion Minister, bow your head slightly, the minister will bring the cup forward for you to take it into your hands.  Once you have taken the cup the minister will let go.  Drink from the cup and hand it back to the minister making sure they have it into their hands before you release the cup.

For each the minister will say either;
“The Body of Christ” or “The Blood of Christ” and the response to both is “Amen.”

After you have received Eucharist from the cup, the minister takes a purificator and wipes the spot and turns the cup for the next person to receive.  No person actually receives from the same spot.  The ministers of the cup are asked to open the purificators fully so they are able to properly wipe the cup after each person receives. 

If you are not receiving the Precious Blood as you pass the minister holding the cup it is a common practice to stop and bow your head in acknowledgment of the Eucharist before you continue to pass by.

Our Eucharistic Ministers are asked to wash their hands before Mass and after giving out Communion

Looking for Summer Reading?

Join parishioners from Sacred Heart and St. Brigid as they read My Life with the Saints by James Martin, SJ.

Our women’s book club officially begins on Thursday, September 17^th, but the group invites you to savor their first selection as the less-chaotic days of summer unfold. 

Here’s the scoop on the book: 

James Martin has led an entirely modern life: from a lukewarm Catholic childhood, to an education at the Wharton School of Business, to the executive fast track at General Electric, to ministry as a Jesuit priest, to a busy media career in Manhattan.  But every step of the way, he has been accompanied by some surprising friends—the saints of the Catholic Church.  Martin's best-selling memoir encompasses saints throughout Christian history—from St. Peter to Dorothy Day, St. Francis of Assisi to Mother Teresa—and chronicles the author's lifelong relationship with them.  His witty, vibrant, and stirring stories enable readers to discover how the saints guide us throughout our earthly journeys and how they help each of us find holiness in our own lives.  Our insiders tell us the book has short chapters, and is easy pick up for a short time.  My Life with the Saints is readily available at your favorite book vendor…for more information about the fledgling book club, contact Maria Griffin at avempg(4)  or Beverly Good at Beverly.Good (1); 781-863-0319, ext. 20. 

Get ‘Up-Close and Personal’ with the Lord

Spend 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.

A Blessing for Fathers

Blessed are You, Lord and Father of All Life, who have given to us our fathers.
Today, we honor them, and we thank You for the numerous good things that are ours because of them.
Their love for us has been a sign of Your divine affection and a sharing in Your holy love.
Their continuous concern for our needs and welfare is a mirror of Your holy providence.
And so, as we honor them, we praise You, Father of All Peoples.  Amen.

from Edward Hays, prayers for the Domestic Church, © 1979, Forest of Peace Books, Inc.

The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fount from which all the Church’s power flows….

The liturgy in its turn moves the faithful, filled with “the paschal sacraments,” to be “one in holiness”; it prays that “they may hold fast in their lives to what they have grasped by the faith”; the renewal in the Eucharist of the covenant between the Lord and his people draws the faithful into the compelling love of Christ and sets them on fire.  From the liturgy, therefore, particularly the Eucharist, grace is poured forth upon us as from a fountain; the liturgy is the source for achieving in the most effective way possible human sanctification and God’s glorification, the end to which all the Church’s other activities are directed.