Today’s first reading is from the letter of James 3:16-4:3. It describes “earthly wisdom” as producing jealousy and strife, inconstancy and all kinds of vile behavior. All this comes from a desire for recognition as the opposite of insignificance (today’s Gospel of Mark 9:30-37) and selfishness over sacrifice (Mark 9:38-10:12) and self-reliance over dependence (Mark 10:13-31).

In contrast, the wisdom of God stems from humility. That person is truly humble who neither claims any personal merit in the sight of God, nor proudly despises brother or sister, nr aims at being thought superior to them, but reasons that it is enough that he is one of the members of Christ, and desires nothing more than that God alone should be exalted. This wisdom is, “peaceable, lenient, docile, rich in sympathy and kindly deeds that are its fruit, impartial and sincere.” The wisdom of God is peaceable in that it produces peace among people, not strife. Worldly wisdom brings disorder, strife and conflict. God’s wisdom is pure for it is free from selfishness and the determination to have one’s own way. This wisdom is gentle for it is considerate in the demands it makes upon others, not insisting on strict rights, and willing to yield. It is reasonable in that it is opposite of obstinate or disobedient. It is full of mercy and this compassion moves a person to act or aid the other person even when the person in trouble has brought it upon himself. This wisdom is ‘impartial and sincere’ meaning it is without hypocrisy, for it produces sincerity and honesty.  There is no attempt to play a role or pretend to be what we are not.

The picture that emerges here is that the wisdom which God gives is characterized by love for others. It involves taking the attention off of ourselves and placing it upon the other person and his needs (1 Cor. 13:4-7).

As children of God, we must be careful that we are not allowing the world to influence our thinking and conduct. Saint Paul wrote (1 Cor. 3:19), “Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a ‘fool’ so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.” The flesh always wants to emphasize self and selfish goals. We must seek wisdom from God and submit ourselves to His word so that we can function with wisdom from above. The result will be righteousness in following the Lord. But, notice, the context of Saint James letter with today’s Gospel (Mark 9:30-37) when the disciples are arguing with each other to determine who is the greatest (earthly wisdom) we hear that Jesus just told them he was heading for the cross (spiritual wisdom).  Wisdom from God will involve the cross.

 

St. Brigid Church
9:00am	Tuesday September 22nd	James McGuinness
9:00am	Thursday September 24th	Anthony Apollonio
9:00am	Saturday September 26th	Anthony Parise; Wilfred Malvey
Sacred Heart Church
9:00am	Monday September 21st	Rosamond Hanlon – Happy Birthday
9:00am	Wednesday September 23rd	Helen Jenson
9:00am	Friday September 25th	Mary Herring

 

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, Father Thomas Nestor, Jen Bombaca,  Marianne Slack, Elaine Murphy, Deacon Bill Wildes, Edward O’Brien, John Harper, William McCarthy, Verner and Marie Dempsey, Pat White, Anita and William Gorham, Mary Whelan, Eleanor Mann, Gerald McCue, Kathleen Brown, Brendan Murphy, Ann Conceision, Rev. James O’Donohoe, Kevin Johnson Marylou Merry, Monica Cotter, Jackie Martinetti, Ann LaMantia, Josephine Siders, Douglas DiVito, Mary McGuinnes, Jewel Douglass, Marjorie Kearns, Shannon Capriulo, Olivia Moran, Matthew Langone, and Brianna Cimino.  Please also remember in your prayers all of our deceased family members and parishioners, especially Patricia McLaughlin, Ruth Keefe and Thomas Sacco.

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, 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.

Helping Hands

Helping Hands for the month of September is:
Libby Borden – 781-862-5832.

 

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. The next two meetings are October 7th and October 21st. 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)

Life Snipits

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.  If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough

The first Children’s Liturgy of the Word of the year is coming on Sunday, October 4! All children are invited to this special weekly presentation and discussion of the day’s scripture readings during St. Brigid’s 9:00am Mass. 

Sacred Heart Parish Presents
What Is Liturgy?

As Catholics, we are obligated to attend weekend Liturgies.  However, do we understand the meaning of the Liturgy & its parts, the importance of the physical space & the contribution of hymns to the Liturgy?  Vatican II allowed the Liturgy to be celebrated in the vernacular & turned the altar around.  Vatican II also asked us to experience the Liturgy in new & different ways.  How?

During the next few months, we will present a series of four lectures on “What is Liturgy?”.  Please join us for our first lecture on Thursday, October 8at 7:30 pm in Sacred Heart Parish Center to hear Fr. Walter Cuenin discuss “Vatican II and the role of laity and lay ministries in Liturgy”.  All are welcome.

Look for future announcements on “Parts of the Liturgy”, “Art & Environment and Its Role in Liturgy” and “Music and Its Role in Liturgy”.

St. Brigid Sodality

St. Brigid Sodality will meet on Wednesday, September 23, at 10:00 AM.  The meeting will begin with Rosary followed by Mass, and then a speaker and hospitality in Keilty Hall.  The meeting is open to all.

Parish Trip

Visit Oberammergau and Croatia in 2010

It is a 12-day trip, flying out of Logan Airport to Bavaria, Germany.  We will leave on July 14, 2010, arriving in Bavaria Germany where our tour will begin.  On Friday, July 16th, we will witness a performance of the Passion Play.  The original performance dates back to 1634.  During the Thirty Year War, the village of Oberammergau was spared the Black Plague, and for this reason the villagers vowed that every ten years they would give a play to honor the life of Christ.  We will spend two days, one night in Overammergau then on to the Dalmation Coast. We will experience the wonder of 16 cascading lakes at Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes National Park.  Walk in the footsteps of Marco Polo as we explore the medieval city of Korcula.  Discover the magnificence of the ancient Roman Palace of Diocletian.  On this trip we will visit 4 of the area’s most beautiful countries: Germany, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.  We still have a few seats available for the trip, so sign up as soon as possible. 

We are going to schedule another slide show giving the highlights of the trip this month.  The show will be held September 29th in the St. Brigid Parish Hall.

He’s Looking Forward to Your Visit

You can spend some quiet time with the Lord every Friday during the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 12:00 – 2:45pm at St. Brigid Church.

Lexington Food Pantry Collection
at St. Brigid and Sacred Heart

This weekend September 19th and 20th is the collection of non-perishable food.  Items may be left in the food bins at St. Brigid and on the altar at Sacred Heart.  Please check the expiration dates.  There has been a special request this month for canned low sodium vegetables such as peas, corn, carrots, spinach, beets, and mixed vegetables.  The food pantry does not need green beans at this time.  These items are also needed: low sugar cereals, canned fruit in light syrup or fruit juice, chicken broth, meals in a can, rice, and tomato sauce. The food pantry also accepts hygiene items (tooth brushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, etc.) and paper products (toilet paper, tissues, paper towels, napkins, etc.).  Cash, supermarket gift cards and checks made out to the Lexington Food Pantry may be placed in an envelope marked Lexington Food Pantry and placed in the offertory basket or dropped off at the parish office.  As always, we thank you for your past generosity and support of this endeavor. 

St. Andrew Dinner

St. Andrew Dinner is a gathering of young men in High School and their Parish Priest, High School Campus Minister or Youth Minister for an informal dinner with Cardinal Seán.  The evening consists of Evening Prayer, dinner, conversation with seminarians and vocation witness stories.  There are several dates assigned for these dinners:

Thursday, October 8th 5:30 to 8:00pm
Central Catholic High School, Lawrence MA

Wednesday, January 27th 5:30-8:00pm
St. Sebastian High School, Needham, MA

Tuesday, April 13th 5:30 – 8:00pm
St. John’s Seminary, Brighton, MA

If you are interested, please call the office and put your name on the list to attend.  
For information please call Fr. Mike Harrington at 17-746-5949 or email Mharrington(9).

Sunday, September 20th

 9:00 – CONFIRMATION ENROLLMENT – SB CHURCH
10:00 – BAPTISMS-SH
12:00 – 6:00PM – DISCERNMENT MEETING FOR PPC CANDIDATES AT K OR C HERITAGE HALL
7:30 – WORKSHOP – SOCIAL MINISTRY-SH-PC

Monday, September 21st  

NO MEETINGS

Tuesday, September 22ND

7:00 – LECTOR MEETING-SB CHURCH

Wednesday, September 23RD

7:00 – CUB SCOUTS - -PACK MTG. SB-PC
7:15 – cONFIRMATION TEACHERS MTG-SB-L
7:00 – GRADE 2 TEACHER MEETING-SB-RM 10
7:30 – SH CHOIR – CHURCH
7:30 – RCIA- SH-PC

Thursday, September 24th

8:00-4:00 – H.P.REM –SB-PC
6:00 – BOY SCOUTS
6:30 – YOUNG ADULTS – SB – L
7:00 - MINUTE MEN-SB-KH
7:00 – AWOL GROUP-CLASSROOM

Friday, September 25TH

9:00 –5:00 - STAFF DAY OF PRAYER - MIRMAR
                    RETREAT HOUSE

Saturday, September 26TH

9:00 – 12:00 – BOY SCOUT MTG. – SB - L
9:30 – MARRIAGE PREP – SB – KH
12:00 – 5:00 MINUTE MEN (RAIN COVERAGE)-SB-PC

MINISTRY DAY AT SH AFTER MASSES

Come celebrate our Pastor, Father Colletti’s 75th Birthday on Sunday, September 27th, 4 – 6 PM in the Parish Center at St. Brigid’s.  All are welcome --- young, not so young and young at heart.  Like the DIAMOND occasion that it is, let’s make the hall SPARKLE with fun and fellowship.  Light appetizers, goodies and cake (of course) will be provided.  We’re even planning to have some music!  To RSVP, (so we have an idea of numbers), or if you would like to contribute goodies, please call or email Sheila Dreyer at 781-863-5492 or dryfish(4) for an assignment.  If you would like to help with setup, serving or other arrangements contact Pat Romeo Gilbert at 781-861-8510, PRomeoGilbert(4).

Spiritual Direction Opportunity

Your relationship with God is one of the most important relationships in your life. Spiritual direction is an opportunity to reflect intentionally on your relationship with God in the presence of another.  Anne Willhite, our former Pastoral Associate, is doing an advanced practicum in Spiritual Direction as part of her Master of Theology Studies at Boston College and is looking for 2-4 individuals to participate in this project.

If you have an active prayer life or are looking to establish a more regular pattern of prayer; if you have ever wondered about spiritual direction or would like to grow in your spiritual life and deepen your relationship with God, this is a wonderful opportunity and gift that you can give yourself. There is no charge for this but you must be willing to share your prayer life and meet every other week from the beginning of October through the end of April. All meetings will take place in the parishes.  For more information, please contact Anne at amwillhite(5).  Our God is gracious and waits for you!

St. Brigid
Offertory for August Sept. 12th & 13th	$   8,609.00
Envelope Offerings	$   7,407.00
Loose Cash	$   1,202.00

Out of the 548 envelopes we sent to St. Brigid parishioners, 215 have used their envelopes.

Sacred Heart
Offertory for Sept. 12th & 13th	$   4,234.00
Envelope Offerings	$   3,881.00
Loose Cash	$      353.00
St. Katharine Drexel	$      209.00

Of the 265 envelopes we sent to Sacred Heart parishioners, 100 parishioners have used their envelopes this week.

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

—Fr. Colletti

ARISE Together in Christ is a three-year, parish-centered process of spiritual renewal and evangelization that enables people to deepen their faith, develop a closer relationship with Christ, grow in community, and reach out in service to others.

Season Three of ARISE Together in Christ will begin this October 2009; the third season is called In the Footsteps of Christ.  There will be six faith-sharing sessions meeting once a week inviting us to explore the Catholic understanding of discipleship, and in particular how this implies active commitment to charity and justice.

We invite all parishioners to participate in the ARISE process and be part of the spiritual renewal and evangelization that is happening in approximately 180 parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston!  For more information, contact Beverly Good at 781-863-0319, ext. 20; or by email.

Sacred Heart Choir

Choir rehearsals resumed last Wednesday, at 7:30PM.  The Sacred Heart choir meets every Wednesday evening in the church from 7:30PM to 9:00PM, and sings every Sunday at the 10AM Mass.  If you think you might be interested in singing with us, we would love to have you. It is a well known fact that people who sing are HAPPIER!!!  Give it a try even if you can only sing for special holidays.  Sight reading is not necessary, only a love of music, and a desire to praise God through music!  See Joanne Messier McCandless after Mass in the Choir area for more information or contact her by email at: joannemessier(4).

Workshop on Visiting the Sick

Starting Tuesday, October 6th and running for six weeks, a workshop on Pastoral Care to the Sick and the Homebound will be offered at Sacred Heart Parish Center in Lexington from 10:00am to 12:00pm.  Kelly Dunn, a Certified Chaplain and former Director of Health Care Ministry for the Archdiocese, presently serving as Coordinator of Nursing Home Ministry at Holy Family Parish in Concord, will teach the workshop.
The workshop will include a review of communication skills, the basics of pastoral visitation, key illness issues, spiritual needs and concerns, grief, loss and dying and caregiving issues.  Eucharistic ministers, pastoral visitors, parish nurses and others are encouraged to attend.  Fee: $40.  Registration information is available in the Parish Office or call 617-746-5843.  Pre-registration

Teachers Needed

We are still in need of Teachers to guide our Confirmation students through their faith journey.  If you are feeling called to teach our Confirmation Candidates, please contact Megan Chenaille at Megan.Chenaille(1)  OR call 781-862-8724 and let her know if you prefer teaching Monday nights (7:15-8:30pm at St. Brigid) or Tuesday nights (7:15-8:30pm at Sacred Heart).  Thank you!!

Music at St. Brigid

After summer hiatus, we welcome back our wonderful Adult Choir at the 11:00am Mass today.  We are in need of NEW voices!  Won’t you consider being a part of the choir?  If by chance you can’t commit yourself every week, consider singing for the more special occasions like Christmas and Holy Week-Easter.  Last Palm Sunday along with other choirs in the area we presented Dubois “Seven Last Words of Christ.  It is in the plan to present it again Palm Sunday of 2010.  Perhaps you might share your voice for that occasion.
We have a wonderful and very large pipe organ here at St. Brigid, I invite you to come up after Mass and see what a wonderful treasure we have in our magnificent Church.  Soon, with the beginning of Religious Education, we will resume our Youth Choir…stay tuned with future editions of the bulletin.

Lector’s Meeting — Help Wanted!

Have you ever wondered?  “How will I give back to God by serving others in His name?” Then become a LECTOR.

1. You can serve during the mass you normally attend.
2. You get a great book to help you say those words you could never pronounce:  Madai -, MAY-day-i* or papyrus, papyri*- puh-PI-ruhs; pl. puh-PI-ree, -ri.
3. and you can serve three or four times during a scheduled period - about a 3 month time period.

Come and join us at our annual meeting and learn more.
Date:  September 22nd 2009
Time: 7:00pm
Place: St Brigid’s Church

Communion Ministers — St. Brigid’s

 

Prayer Crosses

Parishioners in the community are encouraged to be involved with our Confirmation candidates’ journey by signing up and taking a wooden cross with a student’s name on it and praying for that candidate throughout his/her two year endeavor towards Confirmation.  These crosses will be available after the Enrollment Masses on either Sunday, September 20th at St. Brigid or Sunday, September 27th at Sacred Heart.  Please consider joining in this rich endeavor!

Change of Date!

It’s that time of year again!
Volunteer teachers are needed at Sacred Heart & St. Brigid Parishes.  Teachers are needed in the following levels:
GRADES 1, 3, 4, 5, & 6
If you have taught before or have been thinking about the possibility, we would love to hear from you.  Please call the Religious Education Office at 781-862-8724 or contact me at the following email address: george.begin(1).

Respect for Life Walk

On the weekend of September 26th/27th we will be collecting donations from parishioners for Respect For Life Walk. We will participate in this walk on Sunday, October 4th. All proceeds will go to Heart Beat Association, a local group who aids indigent mothers and their babies. To walk with us for this cause, please call Mary Lou Knight, 781-862-3634.

Did You Know?

Because he wanted to share his 2006 trip to Rome with all Catholics in the Archdiocese, Cardinal Sean began blogging about his visits to Rome’s major basilicas, to his titular church in Rome, and to Padre Pio’s shrine.  The Cardinal’s website, CardinalSeanBlog.org, became an immediate sensation and was the first site of its kind by a Cardinal.  Because so many Catholics responded positively to the blog, Cardinal Sean decided to continue on a weekly basis.  More than 25,000 unique readers, throughout all 50 states and many foreign countries, continue to read the blog weekly

Megan Chenaille, Director of Youth Ministry
E-mail: Megan Chenaille
781-862-8724

Confirmation Classes

Registrations for 9th and 10th grade Confirmation Classes were sent out a couple of months ago.  If you did not receive a registration form, please contact the Religious Education Office at (781) 862-8724.  The Confirmation Class & Important Events calendar for the year have been  sent out.  Please look through and mark your calendars!! 

 

Please do not hesitate to call or e-mail with any questions or concerns. 

New Altar Servers Training

Children of the Catholic Community of Lexington, in grades 4 through 12, are invited to become Altar Servers at Saint Brigid's.  This is an important ministry, and a wonderful way for children to become more involved in the liturgy.  Training can be arranged at your convenience.  For questions or to sign up, please contact Jeanne Hobbs at 781-248-9722, or email JeanneHobbs at Verizon dot Net

Holy Humor

A minister and a bus driver reached the Pearly Gates together and were assigned their quarters.  The minister got a dilapidated shack in a farm meadow; the bus driver, a home in an elegant neighborhood.

The minister went to St. Peter and said, “While on earth I preached to thousands of people and tried hard to follow all the commandments.  What an exemplary life the bus driver must have led.”

St. Peter responded, “During your sermons, most everybody slept, but when the bus driver worked, everybody prayed.”