Dear Fellow Parishioners, “Hosanna to the Son of David, the King of Israel!” The praises sung to welcome Jesus as he entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday brought hope to many who welcomed Jesus into their lives as the Messiah. At the same time these words of praise were a threat to the power and authority of the Temple leaders who wanted the crowds to be silenced. These same divisions are a part of our own personal lives. Our hearts can sometimes be divided and broken. Relationships in our own families may be in need of healing.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, We are now officially in Passiontide, which is what we call the last two weeks of Lent. We move from focusing of the death/resurrection of Jesus to the Passion of Jesus. The Second week of Passiontide begins with Palm Sunday, and we call that week Holy Week.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, During this Lenten Season we, along with all the parishes in the Diocese of Worcester participate in the Annual Partners in Charity Appeal. Up front I want to thank you for always assisting us in making our parish goal each and every year. The generosity of members of SH community has been evident for decades. Our goal this year is the same as it has been these past several years, $45,300.00. It takes all of our households to assist in contributing to reach this amount. Several of our large contributors have died and am counting on all our families to assist.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Our communal Lenten journey with the Church Universal is focused on the three traditional pillars of prayer, fasting and almsgiving (acts of charity). We try to provide a variety of ways for us to support each other on this faith journey. Of course, fasting is a personal commitment each individual makes regarding their own situation. Many stive to simply refrain from eating between meals during the Lenten Season, or have simple meals, some refrain from eating meat during Lent as their attempt to connect with Jesus and His desert experience. The ages for fasting are 17-59 years. Abstinence (refraining from meat) is asked of all on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, I want to keep everyone on the same page as far as our Lenten Journey is concerned. This is a communal event. No one is in isolation as we enter into the parish theme entitled “Nailed.” I am asking everyone to carry a nail with them throughout this Lenten season to remind us that the Lenten season is about repairing things that are broken and strengthening things that are weak. Of course, this is in relation to our spiritual selves, and our spiritual lives.
Dear fellow parishioners, Someone at, “Coffee and…” began a conversation with me stating, “I have no clue how to listen to God, and certainly have no idea how the Holy Spirit thing works!” Needless to say, we had a lively exchange. Sometimes we make things more complicated than we need to.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, The Gospel for this 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time ends with a perfect reminder of what the Lenten Season invites us all to be about as a community of faith: “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt. 5:48) Of course we need to realize that being perfect is a lifetime process of growing in our own spirituality. We are prefect when we are growing, we are perfect when we keep maturing, we are perfect when we keep moving forward in God’s direction.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, I have been wondering what parishioners are experiencing when we gather for sacraments and sacramental experiences. My experience as a minister of sacraments and sacramentals is far different from those receiving the same. How important is the sense of touch. The wax of the candles touching our necks and the placing of the hand on each person’s head, and the gaze into the eyes are so important. For me it is a sense of belonging to something bigger than myself. It is more than “I and Thou” and more of a, not sure how to put it a “We and Trinity.”
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Our Pastoral Planning Team (PPT) had our monthly Zoom meeting on Monday evening 23 January. We had a lively exchange regarding revisioning Parish Life Night. Last week I reported to you on what Parish Life Night looked like in the pre-covid days of our gathering. Detailed observations were shared on where we are now as a parish, sort of “post-covid” if there is such a thing; and the needs we have as a parish as we move forward.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, It was great to hear that everyone was toasty at Mass this weekend. The temporary heating system will get us through this winter as we investigate all the options available to us for replacing our radiant heating system. Repairing the current system is not an option. As information unfolds, we will keep you posted. This mild winter has been a blessing as we encounter these heating issues.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, We have been the “Frozen Chosen” these past two weeks and I must say you have all been good sports about the situation with the heat. Some of the memorable comments were, pun intended, “heartwarming!” Among the many, “Listen, we have sat in the cold for hours at Foxboro with no complaints, an hour at church should never hurt anyone!” “The good news is that the cold is keeping me alert and I am able to pay attention to what is going on!” “This is nothing compared to what our brothers and sisters in Ukraine are experiencing!”
Dear Parish Family, Our new homily series is called Amazing Grace. “Amazing Grace” is about the grace of Jesus that we experience in every stage of our lives. As we mentioned during the teaching Mass last weekend, just like the Magi were changed during their encounter with the Christ child, so are we changed during our encounter with Christ in the Sacraments.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, It has been an incredibly mild New England winter here in Massachusetts, and I for one am very happy. Our new boilers are up and running very well and provide the heat necessary to keep us comfortable.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Happy New Year, not to be confused with the liturgical (church) new year that began on the First Sunday of Advent. New Year’s Day always falls right in the middle of Christmas Season, so Christmas carols are still rolling around in my head. The carol that is stuck in my head is, “I wonder as I wander.” I wonder what this New Year of 2023 has in store for us. A whole new year of all sorts of adventure and all sorts of possibilities. Will there finally be peace in Ukraine? Will there be new medical advancements for cancer and Alzheimer’s? Will Haiti finally get back on its feet and defeat the gangs that have taken over their capital city of Port-au-Prince? And of course, we all may be wondering, what is in store for us personally and for our families?
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Merry Christmas Season! As we move from the Season of Advent to the Season of Christmas, we have the opportunity to celebrate the entire 12 Days of Christmas. During this time, I am asking all families to take the time to bring their kids to the manger in front of the church and speak to your children about the circumstances of Jesus’ birth. Why was he born in Bethlehem instead of his hometown of Nazareth? Why was he born in a manger instead of his own home, or an Inn? Who was there? Use this time as a teachable moment and plant the seeds of faith in the hearts of our young folks.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, We are gathering for the Fourth Full Week of Advent, and I am so glad it is a full week so that we can catch our breath and enjoy this season in which I have asked you to: remember, repent, and rehearse. I hope it is going well for you. But I remind you not to give up on yourself. Why?
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Remember, repent, rehearse! The lens through which we look during this year’s Advent readings and our journey of faith. It calls us to learn from the past, live in the present and plan for the future!
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Thank you to all those who assisted in creating a pully system for the Advent wreath. We needed to have it high enough so that it does not block one of the live stream cameras. Of course, in making it higher we needed to make sure we could lower it to light it for Mass. The design was by Todd Miller, and Tony Claro was brave enough to climb the 30-foot ladder to put the system in place. Thank you to Bill Parent and all who helped hold the ladder in place while it was installed and did the behind-the-scenes work, Thank you!!!
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Happy New Year! I am not rushing through 2022, I am helping us all remember that we are beginning a New Year of the Church Calendar. Our church year begins on the First Sunday of Advent and ends on the Feast of Christ the King. This year we will be focused on reading the Gospel of Matthew. So, if you have time try reading Matthew’s Gospel to get a flavor of where we will be making our faith journey in the liturgical year ahead. Matthew addresses his Gospel with a focus on encouraging the Jewish community to follow and accept Christ as the long-awaited Messiah.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Each night, as part of my evening prayer reflection, I look back at the day’s events, happenings, activities, and encounters, and ask two questions. First, what was my moment closest to Christ this past day? Second, for what am I most thankful?