Dear Fellow Parishioners, “There’s a boy here with five loaves and two fish, but what good is that for so many?” (Jn 6:9) Did that young boy know how his small contribution would assist in feeding 5000? Sometimes we don’t realize that our small attempts and contributions can make a difference. I’m thinking of how overwhelming climate change seems these days as we witness drought, fires, flooding, hurricanes, and tornadoes in overwhelming force. Many are waiting for governments throughout the world to step in and act. We often forget that our lifestyle and actions do help as we strive to assist in the efforts to take “care for our common home.”
Dear Fellow Parishioners, How lucky we are to have families that are part of our journey through life, beyond the family we are born into. We have our biological family, and we also have our parish family. For me as a priest, I also journey with my brother priests. I have encouraged us all to make sure we have someone who walks with us on our spiritual journey. How fortunate I am to be part of an Emmaus group with three other priests who have been meeting monthly for almost 40 years! The support we offer each other is incredible. Knowing that they are there and just a phone call away between meetings is a gift.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, How wonderful it is to see so many returning to weekend Mass. It has been a long time coming and we continue to do our best to keep everyone safe and healthy. We are following the Diocesan guidelines for worship, that are directed by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the guidelines set forth by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. At the same time, we are listening to the needs of the community here on the local level.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, What page are we on? Catechism, CCD, Religious Education, Faith Formation, whole Community Catechesis…Lifelong Learning! Those of us who have been involved with our Catholic faith for the past 40 years will recognize the journey we have been making as a Church to impart faith and encourage others to follow Christ.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Throughout the pandemic, our Pastoral Planning Team (PPT) has been meeting on Zoom and working diligently in spite of many unknowns to keep our physical plant and our spiritual reality moving forward. You are welcome to read the minutes of our meetings, located on our website under Our Parish and Parish Planning Team, but at this time I want to bring several items to your attention.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Right from the very beginning of the Hebrew Scriptures in the Book of Genesis, “The LORD said to Abram: “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.” (Gen 12:1) The Exodus story is movement from Egypt to a promised land. Last week we heard Jesus say to the disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.” (Mark 4:35) and of course the raging storm as Jesus is asleep on a cushion. The spiritual call is always to move forward, leave that which is known, comfortable and go to the unknown, trusting that God is with us through the turbulence, the storms, the challenges, the surprises.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, “How good it is for us to be here!” (Peter’s words to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration) Slowly but surely, we are gathering together as The Catholic Community of Sacred Heart. We are continuing to provide space for social distancing, and at the same time following through with the new CDC, state, and diocesan precautions as we move safely into the weeks and months ahead. It is great to see people returning to Mass and to be able to greet people after Mass. How good is that!
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Whenever we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, Holy Trinity, and Corpus Christi I have in the past always wished they were spaced out and not one right after another. I decided to take some time to reflect on what message there was for me personally and for us as a community in the celebration of each of these feasts. I shared that this past weekend and want us to recognize the mission the whole Church is called to as we deepen our relationship with God and the world.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, I appreciate the feedback I have received from answering the questions concerning Legacy of Hope. It was also nice that people felt comfortable at both Masses to ask questions. I did check out the “matching grants that Donna asked about, and YES matching grants apply also to this capital campaign.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, As we gather for worship this Memorial Day weekend new Covid protocols go into effect. I have been listening to the concerns of those who are attending regularly since last May and want to make sure everyone feels comfortable as we gather. SO: We are going to ease into the new guidelines. Here are the guidelines:
Dear Parish Family Surprise….It’s me again! Happy Spring! The sun has been shining and everything seems right with the world. As I write this note, Fr. Bill is on retreat as the rest of the parish staff are busy at work. The past month has flown by with Holy Week, Easter being a distant memory and First Eucharist and Confirmation being recent ones. Congratulations to all our First Communicants, Confirmandi and recent college graduates!
Dear Fellow Parishioners, I wish to thank all those who accepted the invitation to attend a Legacy of Hope Capital Campaign meeting these past few weeks. I also wish to thank the members of our Legacy Team for working so well together to assist in getting everything prepared for the campaign. Many of you may have questions regarding the Campaign as we begin to present to the larger parish. If you have questions feel free to talk to any members of the committee, listed in the bulletin, or of course speak with me or Tina Buckley and Pam Chaplin in the office.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, We were allowed to open our doors one year ago with safety precautions in place: Everyone is required to wear a mask while in the building Social distancing of six feet required between households Everyone enter the front door and exit the side doors to allow for one way traffic into and out of the building Everyone is to sign in upon entering for contact tracing Ushers need to count numbers as people enter so we don’t exceed permitted numbers Hand sanitizer is to be made available upon entry and before receiving communion
Dear Fellow Parishioners, As a priest I have the opportunity to talk with other pastors and listen to the challenges that they face in their assignments. Most of the challenges deal not with ministry but with administration of parish affairs and property. That is not an issue at all here in our parish community. There is a wonderful partnership and ownership of parishioners that allow me to focus on the very things I am ordained for, “Prayer and the ministry of the word.” What that means is that I can focus my energy on preaching the Word of God and providing the sacraments for our community.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Our present homily series, “Unleashing Healing and Hope” was born out of our pandemic experiences. The coronavirus has turned some of us into people we don’t recognize, and we need to figure out how to become OK with that. Pre-Covid, life was busy – maybe too busy - with booked evenings and packed weekends. Now, many are overwhelmed, filled with anxiety even though covid-19 has forced us to slow down.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Several have mentioned that our homily theme for this Easter Season is so pertinent and timely! “Unleashing healing and hope!” As the months of the pandemic increase and we experience so much loss it is tempting to give up and give in. Many of us are experiencing mental and emotional exhaustion, the sense of loss is overwhelming, anger, fear and anxiety are all mixed in a bag of emotions that are so difficult to sort out.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Happy Easter Season to you all! It was wonderful to have us together for the Holy Week Services; what a difference a year makes. We celebrated the “Pandemic Rite” but soon we may be able to celebrate the Roman Rite as we have in years past. Many are yearning to celebrate the Seder, Walk-the-Walk, share a simple meal together and gather around the Easter Fire on Holy Saturday. Someone asked if we would ever be able to share the chalice and the blood of Christ again? I have no idea!
Happy Easter Everyone! “It will be sweet when we can gather again!” That message has gone out to all of our registered families thanks to the men of “That Man is you!” Many good stories from several of the men making deliveries to homes and having a chance to connect with people from our Catholic Community. Most important on this gift is the QR code inviting you to participate in our parish survey. The Pastoral Planning team is inviting all of us to be involved in the planning process as we look to our needs as the Catholic Community of Sacred Heart is what will hopefully be a post-covid 19 era.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, What a difference a year makes! We begin Holy Week with the celebration of Palms and Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Last year all our services were livestreamed with no one allowed in church. This year I am so pleased that we are allowed to gather. Please note that we have limited space in the church so reservations are necessary and can be made by calling the parish office. We will again provide drive through distribution of Palms on Palm Sunday only after the 9:30 Mass.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, I have a subscription to “America” magazine, a Jesuit publication. In the March issue they invited readers to share what they were doing for Lent 2021. Several were relaxing their Lenten practices due to Covid-19 expressing as I have in a past letter, that we have really been in a year-long Lent since the pandemic hit our nation.