ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON Bulletin Announcement
Meeting Christ In Prayer
MEETING CHRIST IN PRAYER can bring people to a new level of discipleship and a renewed sense of Christian mission.
MEETING CHRIST IN PRAYER is an 8 week guided prayer experience based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. It calls for a commitment of eight weeks of daily prayer and eight weekly meetings of faith sharing.
The Office of Spiritual Life is offering this program at The Pastoral Center, 66 Brooks Drive, Braintree on Tuesday morning, February 16 through April 5, 2016
10;30-11:45AM
For further information and to register call: Sister Anne D’Arcy 617-779- 3648
Or e-mail: [email protected]
January Special Collection (1/16, 1/17)
IF THE PARISH DOES NOT HAVE A SCHOOL: Next/This weekend (The weekend of January 16 and 17) there will be a second collection for Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Boston. The proceeds will go toward these schools to assist more families with demonstrated financial need and to help grow enrollment. Thank you for your generosity and belief in the gift of a Catholic education.
IF A PARISH HAS A SCHOOL: Next/This weekend (The weekend of January 16 and 17) there will be a second collection for Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Boston. The proceeds will go toward these schools to assist more families with demonstrated financial need and to help grow enrollment. In addition, 50% of the donations collected at our Masses next/this weekend will go to our school. Thank you for your generosity and belief in the gift of a Catholic education.
For bulletin announcements related to the Special Collection, please see BostonCatholic.org > Search for “Special Collection” ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON Bulletin Announcement
Pastoral Planning: January 2016
January 3 – The Epiphany of the Lord These readings are lovely and familiar – easy to gloss over because we know them so well. Take note of the Gospel’s last line: “they departed for their country by another way.” In poetry, prose, and song, many talented people have written about this line. Home by another way. Our home is with the Lord – in eternal life, we hope, but also here on earth. Do we need to take another path, today, to grow closer to the Lord? On the well-trod paths we travel every day, what temptations or barriers should we be avoiding? A trip is always better with a good travelling companion – a worth-while New Year’s resolution may be to ask a friend to walk with you “another way”, the way of sacraments and prayer.
January 10 – The Baptism of the Lord After an Advent of waiting in hope, Christ was born on Christmas day, and today we mark his baptism in the Jordan. Whether you were baptized as an infant or an adult, today is a good day to reflect on your baptism. Baptism is a once-in-a-lifetime sacrament but the graces of the sacrament are with us for our entire lives. Too often we forget that this is the sacrament that “keeps on giving”. Tap into those graces. Do you believe in God, in Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit, and in the holy, Catholic Church? Prove it! What difference does it make in your life every day?
January 17 – Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Mary’s last words in the Gospel are, “Do whatever he tells you.” (btw, Cardinal O’Malley’s episcopal motto). Mary says these words to us too – to you and me. What is He telling us to do? Read today’s psalm: “Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.” Paul reminds us that each of us has been given special gifts. Do you recognize the special gifts that the Spirit has given to YOU? Pray for the grace to use your gifts to proclaim his marvelous deeds - to family, neighbors, friends, co-workers. Pray for those who will proclaim his marvelous deeds at the March for Life this week in Washington.
January 24 – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Re-read today’s Gospel. Put yourself in the scene: you’re in the synagogue, perhaps your family is beside you. Jesus, the carpenter’s son, gets up to read - He is the lector. The carpenter’s son, reads a passage from the great prophet Isaiah about the promise of the Messiah and then he stuns the assembly: “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” What do you think about this? What do you do when you leave the synagogue? What do you talk about with townspeople or other fishermen the next day at work?
January 31 – Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time One month into 2016. How are the resolutions coming along? Have you lost those 10 pounds, organized your desk, visited your ailing neighbor? It’s never too late to start over. St. Paul provides some direction. He gives us a “still more excellent way”, the way of love: patient and kind. “So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Love of God is the beginning. It’s definitely not too late to resolve to love Him more, talk with Him in prayer more, and meet Him in the sacraments more often.
For bulletin announcements related to the Special Collection, please see BostonCatholic.org > Search for “Special Collection” ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON Bulletin Announcement
Steubenville East Youth Conference
Do you wish there was a place that you could bring your teens to encounter thousands of other young Catholics, hear from national speakers and enter into profound worship with the aid of professional musicians? Yes, such an event exists, AND its right in our backyard! The annual Steubenville East Youth Conference will be held in Lowell, MA again this coming year from July 15th – 17th, 2016. If you are interested in learning more about this event, email Mike Drahos at [email protected]. *Please note: Registration will open on January 15th, 2016 and this event is known to sell out quickly!
National March for Life - Witness to Life
On January 21, 2016, young people from the Archdiocese of Boston will depart to join hundreds of thousands of their peers in Washington, DC, at the 43rd annual March for Life on January 22nd, 2016. This powerful event began as a small demonstration on anniversary of the historic Roe v. Wade decision. Today, the March for Life is the largest pro-life event in the world and is a great opportunity to witness to the dignity of all human life, especially the most vulnerable in our society - the unborn. We are happy to once again invite you to join Cardinal Sean O’Malley and the Archdiocese of Boston on this life changing pilgrimage to rise up and witness to life in 2016! We have four distinct tracks to best serve all those interested, including a middle school, high school, young adult, and family track. Please visit www.bostoncatholic.org/witnesstolife or contact us at [email protected]; 617-746-5766 for more information.
Christmas Collection
January 2/3, 2016 The Christmas collection for the Clergy Health and Retirement Trust helped to care the health and well-being of our priests. Our parish contribution of
For bulletin announcements related to the Special Collection, please see BostonCatholic.org > Search for “Special Collection” ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON Bulletin Announcement
For bulletin announcements related to the Special Collection, please see BostonCatholic.org > Search for “Special Collection”