In this homily series, we are looking at “What does it mean to be Spiritual?” We hear many people say that they are spiritual but not religious. What does that mean? For some, I’m told that they believe in God and the message of Jesus but don’t like the rules of a formal religious organization. In the letters to St. Paul to the Corinthians that we have been focusing on the last several weeks, we hear that one cannot be spiritual without belonging to a faith community. We hear that being spiritual and religious go hand in hand. During the first week, St. Paul tells us that we all have spiritual gifts and that we need to use them for the common good. Each one of us has different gifts; if we all had the same gifts the world would be a really boring place. Last week, St. Paul tells us that we can do nothing unless we work as a team – just like the Patriots!
With the impending storm last weekend, it was so nice to see so many at the 4:00 P.M. Mass. We had 8 at the 8:30 and 13 at the 10:30 Mass and had nice intimate Masses in the Manella Day Chapel. When ever there is a weekend storm we will have Mass but I want people to be safe, so all those who are scheduled for ministry please just come on the best day and don’t worry about finding a replacement for ministry. When we gather during a stormy weekend we will do the best we can. If there is a state of emergency declared by our Governor, we will receive a cancellation message from the Diocese of Worcester and pass it on through e-mail and Facebook.
Christmas Season has come to an end and we enter several weeks of Ordinary (numbered) Time before the Season of Lent begins. Here at Sacred Heart we will also enter into “FLU MODE” as we gather for worship until Holy Week which begins April 13th. A reminder of Flu Mode precautions— We will not be sharing the communion cups, and if I remember we will only hold hands and shake hands with people from our own household. I would also ask that everyone please receive the Body of Christ in the hand. We want to keep everyone as healthy as possible during this flu season. I thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.
The Catholic Community of Sacred Heart is hosting the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. It will be held this Wednesday January 16th at 7:00 P.M in the church followed by refreshments in the parish center at 8:00 P.M. This is a joint venture of the Hopedale School Community and the local parish communities. At this event we present the “Power of One Award” recognizing an individual, family, committee or group for an extraordinary contribution in the area of community improvement or social justice during the past 5 years.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! I wish to begin this New Year with a heart filled with thanks to all those who are on the faith journey with the Catholic Community of Sacred Heart. With the joyous spirit of that community, all involved in ministry pulled together throughout the year to worship fully as a community of faith. The last days of the Advent Season were a beehive of activity as we witnessed the young children of our parish in the Christmas Pageant. Then everyone moved into action as chairs were put in place to welcome all those who would attend the 4:00 P.M vigil Mass for Christmas. People worked together to decorate the church for Christmas, the children’s choir practiced in the hall, the Sacred Heart Beats in the Conference Room and the Adult Festival Choir in the Church. Behind the scenes readers prepared to proclaim the word, altar servers practices, ministers of Holy Communion came forward, homilies were prepared, many gifts were bought for the needs that hung from the Giving Trees, people feasted at the Mustard Seed, donations made to the Food Pantry. That was just the month of December. This community action and working together takes place all year long here at Sacred Heart and we should all thank God for the gift we are to one another.