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THE CHURCH OF BONIFACE

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

SERVING ST. BONIFACE FAMILIES WITH THREE CONVENIENT LOCATIONS ( 978) 342-9716 September 8, 2019

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[email protected]

YWCA-Battered Women’s Resources “May the favor of the Lord our God be ours. Prosper the work Helping area women, to survive, emerge from, A ‘Note of Thanks’ to these fine or heal from abusive relationships *Counseling *Court Advocacy *Emergency Shelter of our hands! Prosper the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90, 17) sponsors; without their support our *Community Education *24-hour hotline (978-537-8601) bulletin would not be possible. Please For more information call 978-537-2306, Ext. 19 thank them with your patronage. ST. BONIFACE For ad information call the parish PRE-SCHOOL & CHILDCARE 817 Massachusetts Ave. office 978-582-4008 Lunenburg, MA 01462 978-582-7110 Children Ages: Open 2.9 through 7 years 7:30AM-5:30 PM

FromFrom the the DeskDesk of thethe PastorPastor Saint Boniface Church

817 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, MA 01462 Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build. (Psalm 127, 1) Parish Office: 978-582-4008 email: [email protected]

A great grandmother recently told me a story about her hosting family members for a holiday get-together. After the meal, as the adults were lazily sitting on the couches, the grandchildren running around; one of her grandchildren, almost seven Discover St. Boniface ~ Visit our website: www.StBoniface-lunenburg.org years old, runs up to her and asks her very seriously, “Nonna , do you have Wi-Fi?” and she insisted, “what is the Wi-Fi password here?” She was shocked at how this almost seven year old would already know all this?? Parish Office Hours Monday / Wednesday / Thursday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (closed 12:00 – 1:00 PM) We are growing up in a very fast world and technology is changing us. Listen to how young it is reaching us! Our children are much smarter and as intelligent as ever. Everyone is connected (we get panic attacks if our cell phone is not with us) The Celebration of the Eucharist and it is going to advance even more — children in cribs monitored by screens, chips in our bodies, our eyes used as IDs, Sunday: 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM self-driven planes. The human capacity to do things is exploding. Look at the medical field, in agriculture, the military… Saturday Vigil: 4:00 PM

If we can do all this, achieve so much, who still needs God? What is the point of Faith or Church? Why do we go to Mass? Summer Sunday Mass schedule: 9:00 AM Almost the same dilemmas existed centuries before in the first reading today. A small Jewish community, most probably (Begins Memorial Day weekend, ending Labor Day weekend) in exile in Egypt, was struggling to preserve their heritage and worship, overwhelmed by a much more attractive Weekday Masses: 8:00 AM, Wednesday/Thursday/Friday Hellenistic culture. There was a clash of cultures. Whereas the Jewish faith and traditions where centered around God’s wisdom and fidelity to the covenant and its promises, the Hellenistic culture esteemed human intellect and knowledge, SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION (Confession) Saturday 3:00 - 3:30 p.m. or by appointment. civility, philosophy and art. To embrace the latter meant one was civilized. Many elders of the Jewish community began SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM Adults are baptized at the Easter Vigil as part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). abandoning their heritage for what seemed more attractive. Infant and child Baptisms are by arrangement. The old sage author of Wisdom writes to his community not to abandon who they are. They have been led and guided by FIRST EUCHARIST Preparation begins in grade one and includes classes, retreats, and home instruction. Children receive First God himself. The human capabilities, however advanced they get will always be finite. “Unless the Lord builds the house, Eucharist in grade two. they labor in vain who build” (Ps 127, 1). God is the ‘first mover.’ CONFIRMATION Our Confirmation program begins in the 9th grade; students are confirmed in the spring of the 10th grade. For Who can know God’s counsel, or who can conceive what the LORD intends? For the deliberations of mortals are young adults who have been baptized but not yet confirmed, contact the parish office. timid, and unsure are our plans. (Wisdom 9, 13-14). We need God. We need the Lord’s Wisdom. “It is God who writes SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY It is the policy of the Diocese of Worcester that a couple should contact the parish at least one straight on crooked lines.” (Saint Teresa of Avila) year prior to the anticipated date of their wedding to allow sufficient time to carry out the various steps of the marriage preparation process. It is important that arrangements be made with the church before plans are made with reception halls, caterers, etc. Jesus emphasizes the above in a much harsher tone (typical of Semitic speech): “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my . Whoever does ANNOINTING OF THE SICK Please call the parish office 978-582-4008 or email Fr. Anthony at [email protected] not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple…” Jesus is upfront with those who want to follow him or Nancy Cieri 978-582-6983 [email protected] to arrange these visits. and does not give them any false pretenses. It is hard. One must be totally committed. Ready to ‘hate’ your own. Ready to PRAYER LINE MINISTRY If you or someone you know needs prayers or if you would like to be a part of this ministry of those deny self. Ready to give up one’s life (carrying the cross in Roman times meant one thing, death). So, sit down and calculate who pray for the needs of neighbors, please contact Sue Cote 978-582-0404 [email protected] the cost first. You must be all in. Renounce all possessions (try this??). One with such single-mindedness can be a disciple. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL #16480 In Service to One. In Service to all. The members meet in the Parish Hall on the What stands in the way of my relationship with God and the Other? What has come to fill the spaces in our lives today far first Wednesday of each month at 7 PM. Any Catholic men over 18 who are interested in joining from our faith? What seems more attractive? What might God offer you that you are taking for granted? Remember God the Knights should contact Grand Knight James Dijak (978) 534-7956 or Deputy Grand Knight Brian Cusick does not force himself on us, you must choose to follow him. (978) 534-2326, or you can email the Council at [email protected].

The readings are meant to create a good tension in us. Never to forget Who God is. When we know who God is, then we know who we truly are and the value that we are to one another. PARISH STAFF: A Blessed week in the Lord! Rev. Anthony Mpagi, Pastor 978-582-4008 [email protected] Fr. Anthony Jo-Anne Poirier, Administrative Assistant 978-582-4008 [email protected] Lucy Marcil, Religious Education Coordinator 978-696-5230 [email protected]

Claire Garrity Neas, Music Ministry 617-823-4237 Louise Nadeau, Sacristan First Communion Enrollment Mass Jacquie Cronin, Ministry Schedule 978-582-7040 Nina Charpentier, Dir. Early Childhood/PreK 978-582-7110 next Sunday, September 15, 2019 Newcomers to St. Boniface are invited and encouraged to formally register as members of the parish so that at the 10:30AM Mass we celebrate the so that we can stay in touch with you via email with faith formation news, notice of special events, volunteer Rite of Enrollment for our opportunities, and more. Registration forms are available at the doors of the church or on our website. First Communion Candidates 2020 Class Please note that you must be registered for at least six months before we can issue any verification Keep them and their families in your prayers. of your status as a parishioner for godparent or sponsor letters.

MASS INTENTIONS Collection Report What’s to Hate?

Sat Sep 7 4:00 pm Our Parish Family Weekend of September 1, 2019 In the Reading, Jesus recommends hatred — of your mother and father, of your wife (or husband), in Sunday Ordinary: $2174 .00 fact, of your very life. Sun Sep 8 8:00 am Our Parish Family Maintenance: 628 .00 What’s to hate about these people? How can Jesus say that unless you hate them, you can’t be his disciple? Religious Ed: 5 .00 Didn’t Jesus command us to love our neighbors as ourselves? How can you hate your life if you love yourself? 10:30 am Our Parish Family Other: 5 .00 More was true to the Lord he loved and to himself.

Total Well, think of St. . Henry VIII of wanted his own marriage to his wife annulled so that he THANK YOU to Christopher Costich for his many years of service $2812 .00 Contributions: could marry another woman, Anne. (Anglicans and Catholics both have troublesome characters in their history!) (early mornings!) to Saint Boniface as an altar server. We wish Chris all the best as he begins his college career. Thank you for your continued When the wouldn’t agree to what Henry wanted, Henry declared himself supreme head of the Church in support! England. Thomas More was Chancellor of England then, and Henry wanted More to support him in all this. WELCOME to Sarah Whitter, Rebecca Whittier and Anthony Enman Henry wanted More to sign the Oath of Supremacy declaring Henry the Supreme Head of the Church in England. who have joined us as Lectors. More saw that Henry’s passion for Anne was moving Henry to betray his wife and bring scandal on the Church. And More wouldn’t support him. He wouldn’t sign the Oath.

So More resigned his chancellorship and went home. But Henry pursued him. First, he stripped More of his income and property, and then he imprisoned him. More’s wife was frantic. More’s children were heartbroken. They thought that More’s life hung in the balance, and they were right. Couldn’t More have just signed that Oath? His wife would have had him home. His children would have rejoiced at his return. He would have kept his property. He would have kept his life. But he would have lost his life in keeping it. He would have betrayed the Lord he loved if he had signed that Oath. So More lost all his possessions. He left his wife and children behind and went to Please join us for our 3rd Annual prison. And finally he went to his death, for love of the Lord. This is the kind of Saint Boniface Oktoberfest Celebration hatred of life and loved ones that the Lord is talking about. More loved his family and his life, but he let go of everything for love of Christ. September 28, 2019 – 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Because he maintained his integrity and did not let Henry push him into evil, More was true to the Lord he loved German and American Food • Kids' Activities and Games (with Prizes) and to himself. He could not have loved himself or his wife or his children or his neighbors better than he did. Micro Brews and Wine • Craft Vendors • White Elephant Sale • Raffle Baskets ~ Eleonore Stump Grand Raffle: Grand Prize $1,000 • 2nd Prize $500 • 3rd Prize $100 (3) (Eleonore Stump is Professor of Philosophy, Saint Louis University)

No entry fee! ALL are welcome! Please come and enjoy the festivities! Bring your family and friends! ______

RAFFLE TICKETS: PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED TICKET STUBS WITH MONEY IN THE WEEKLY COLLECTION BASKET OR DROP OFF AT THE PARISH OFFICE. WE APPRECIATE REMINDER: The Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life EARLY RETURNS AS WE USE THIS INCOME FOR OUR PRE-FESTIVAL OPERATING BUDGET. An Ignatian directed prayer experience beginning October 1, 2019 is in the final period for accepting applications. THANK YOU! This is a wonderful and enriching program. If you are looking for a way to deepen your relationship with God, this may be just what you’ve been searching for. Information and an application form are available on the website:

IgnatianSpiritualExercisesWorcester.com. You can contact the team by e-mail at [email protected] or call Dick Kirk at 508-885-4462. The 90-minute sessions will be held on Tuesday evenings at St. Peter’s Church hall in Oktoberfest update: This weekend there will be notes posted on side and rear doors requesting Worcester adjacent to Clark University. If interested, please send in application ASAP. donations of various items needed for the big event. Please take one if you are able to donate in this way. This greatly helps offset costs and increases our profit. Thank you to all! The Perspective of Justice OF THE DAY 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time C Claver Being Successful September 9. A native of Spain, young Jesuit left his homeland forever in 1610

to be a in the colonies of the New World. He sailed into Cartagena and began a We Christians tend to gloss over the most startling one-liners passed down to us from Jesus such as the one ministry to the slaves brought there from West Africa, as well as becoming a moral force in the that closes today’s Gospel: “None of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his possessions.” city of Cartegena.

The statement shocks, and yet it reflects that basic human wisdom which tells us that “the corruptible body Stained glass window in the Church of St. and St. Andrew in Dormagen, Rhein-Kreis Neuss | photo by GFreihalter burdens the soul and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns.” The issue, then, is true freedom, the ability to follow Onesimus (Second Reading) out of slavery. The other issue involved here is true worship, the question of priority in our lives: who or what is more important. God or our Saint Thomas of Villanova possessions? Today’s liturgy encourages us to put God first, to long for God “like a deer that longs for running streams,” and September 10. Saint Thomas was from Castile in Spain and received his surname from the town where he was raised. After joining the Augustinian friars at Salamanca, he became prior to recognize that “in every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.” It is not evil to want God to prosper the work and then provincial of the friars. He sent the first Augustinian friars to the New World. of our hands. It is evil to make a god of creatures and to replace worship of the true God with worship of worldly possessions. It is not merely a matter of ‘giving from one’s surplus,’ but of helping entire peoples, who Santo Tomás de Villanueva | Francisco Camilo are presently excluded or marginalized, to enter into the sphere of economic and human development.

For this to happen, it is not enough to draw on the surplus goods which in fact our world abundantly produces; it requires above all a change of lifestyles, of models of production and consumption, and of the established structures of power which today govern societies Saint There are some people—the few who possess much—who do not really succeed in ‘being’ because, September 11. Saint Cyprian played an important role in the development of Christian through a reversal of the hierarchy of values, they are hindered by the cult of having. … thought and practice in the early Church. He was a noted speaker who became a Christian as an adult. He was ordained a priest within two years of his conversion and was then chosen The evil does not consist in ‘having’ as such, but in possessing without regard for the quality and the the of Carthage.

ordered hierarchy of the goods one has. Head of Saint Cyprian in the St. Kornelius chapel of the abbey church of Kornelimünster Abbey | photo by ACBahn

Quality and hierarchy arise from the subordination of goods and their availability to man’s ‘being’ and his true vocation. Pope John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 1987: 28 Most Holy Name of the Blessed Mary ~Gerald Darring September 12. This feast is a counterpart to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus; both have the possibility of uniting people easily divided on other matters. Mary encourages us to cooperate with Jesus in building a peace based on justice.

The Virgin and Child (The Madonna of the Rose) | Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio

HOLY FAMILY PARISH & HOLY TRINITY CHAPEL Saint Invite you and your family to their September 13. Saint John Chrysostom, the great preacher of Antioch, was the victim of his International Food own success. Called to be a bishop, this simple monk found himself embroiled in the workings of the empire. He, however, managed to stay focused on the needs of the Church. Festival Chrysostemos | Carl Christian Peters SAT. SEPTEMBER 14, 2019

11 a.m. – 8 p.m. 750 Union St., Leominster Food, entertainment, raffles, yard sale, games, and more!