PARISH COMMUNITIES ST. MARY & ST. PHILIP BENIZI - PASTOR: REV. LEO LEBLANC X24 - CLOUDFRONT.NET
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Parish Communities
St. Mary & St. Philip Benizi
Pastor: Rev. Leo LeBlanc x24 • fathrleb@gmail.com
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time—February 7, 2021
St. Philip & St. Mary Parishes of Grafton
World Day of the Sick
February 11th
The World Day of the Sick is an aware-
St. Philip & St Mary ness day, or observance, in the Catholic
Church intended for "prayer and sharing,
of offering one's suffering for the good of
the Church and of reminding everyone to
Please be assured that all Mass intentions will be of- see in his sick brother or sister the face of Christ". The day was
fered up by Fr. Leo on your loved ones behalf. instituted by Pope John Paul II in 1992 and is celebrated every
We have listed the dates below so please remember February 11, also the
them in your prayers. memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Let us pray for the sick in our parish and in the world and
St Philip (Mass @ 9am on Sunday) their caregivers.
February 7 – Memorial Stasia Wasiuk by the Family St. Mary
February 6, Saturday: 4:00pm – 7th Anniversary
February 14 – 1st Anniversary George Stratton by the
Stasia Wasiuk by the Family
Family
February 7, Sunday: 7:30am – 10th Anniversary
To request a Mass Intention, please call Jill Sullivan (ext. Myrtle Dennis by the Family
10) or Lisa Stewart (ext. 11) at St. Mary’s Parish Office at 10:30am – Memorial Joan Kirejczyk by the Family
508-839-3993. Monday – 8:00am Mass
Tuesday – 12:00pm Mass
Wednesday – 3:00pm Mass – Anniversary Henry
Gibson by Janet LaMarche, 28th Anniversary Phillippe
Welcome to St. Mary & St. Philip Parishes! LaMarche by the Family
Thursday – 8:00am Mass
Please visit our website for all the upcoming events.
February 13, Saturday: 4:00pm – For the Holy
If you would like a bulletin sent home, please call St.
Mary’s parish office. Please visit our website to sign up for Souls in Purgatory
attendance at Mass and latest details on our parishes: February 14, Sunday: 7:30am – 23rd Anniversary
stmarysgrafton.org or stphilipsgrafton.org Patrick Fleming by the Family
10:30am – Memorial Frank and Phyllis Dorr and Pe-
Please sign up for Flocknote on our website for con- ter Dorr by the Family
tinuous updates on your phone or email. You can find us
on Facebook at: stmary.stphilip.of.grafton.ma
St. Mary’s Annual Sunday Offertory
You will find our recorded weekly Mass on your local ca- 2020 Financial Report
ble channels at 6:30 AM and 6:30 PM daily on Channel St. Mary
191 for Charter or Channel 34 for Verizon. January 27 – February 2, 2021
Look for the report on $3,369.00
our website at https://
Our mailing address and phone numbers:
St. Mary Office - 508-839-3993 stmarysgrafton.org/ St. Philip
17 Waterville St., N. Grafton, MA 01536 documents/2021/2/ January 27 – February 2, 2021
St.Mary_FinancialRepor $819.00
St. Philip Office – 508-839-3325 Includes WeShare
12 West St., Grafton, MA 01519
t_2.2021.pdf
or grab a hard copy in
the gathering space. Special Collections :
Sts. Pierre & Paul
THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Parish, Haiti
February 7
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is Offered at the Following Times/Places:
Tuesday afternoons after Mass at 12:45 -1:30pm in the Rectory with Diocesan Priest
proper social distancing and masks. Upon arrival, please ring doorbell at rectory back door. Retirement Fund
Saturday afternoons at 2:45-3:30pm in the upper parking lot. Both the February 17
penitent and Priest will remain in their cars during this sacrament. (Ash Wednesday)
By appointment – Call or text Fr. Leo at (508) 450-0281 to schedule.
The Church in Latin
America
Please go to our website at https://stmarysgrafton.org/news/confession for more details.
February 21
2 970
Lent - February 17th through March 27th
GUIDELINES FOR FASTING AND ABSTINENCE
Lenten fast and abstinence regulations for the Diocese of Worcester are as follows:
Abstinence from meat is to be observed by all Catholics fourteen (14) years of age and older on Ash
Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent.
Fasting is to be observed by all Catholics who are eighteen (18) years of age but not yet fifty nine (59)
years of age on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Those who are bound to fast may take only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permitted if necessary
to maintain strength according to one's needs, but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted.
Catholics should not lightly excuse themselves from these prescribed Lenten penitential practices.
Ash Wednesday Mass Information Stations of the Cross
St. Mary Lenten Daily
Wednesday, February 17th Mass Schedule Come join us as we make
8am Mass @ St. Mary a contemplative, spiritual
Mondays @ 8am pilgrimage of the Passion
Noon Mass @ St. Philip
Tuesdays @ 12pm of Christ.
7pm Mass @ St. Mary
Wednesdays @ 3pm
Ashes will be distributed at all
Thursdays @ 8am We will gather on Fridays
Masses.
in the Church at 7pm be-
There will be NO Tuesday ginning on 2/19 through
PLEASE PRE-REGISTER
7pm Mass this year. 3/26 and on Good Friday,
For those who do not feel comforta- 4/2 @ 3pm @ St. Mary.
ble coming to Mass, we will distrib-
ute communion in the gathering If you are not comfortable
space at St. Mary’s at 8:50am and Adoration coming to the Church,
7:50pm and outside on the ramp at 2/19, 2/26 & 3/19 will be
St. Philip at 12:50pm. Come and spend some live streamed. Plus prere-
quite time with the Lord. corded stations can be
For more details about distribution, found on our website at
please check out our website at Every Wednesday @ St. https://stmarysgrafton.org/
https://stmarysgrafton.org/news/ash- Mary from 1pm to 3pm news/stations
wednesday
Lenten Small Groups St. Philip & St. Mary Lenten Mission
Calvary Amidst Covid – how walking with Christ on his
road to Calvary can help us face COVID and other crises “Journey with Joseph”
in our lives. In St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, he asks:
March 14 - Benediction @ St. Philip
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” Jesus knew that
“Man of Faith - Man of Dreams”
his Father would not abandon him, even at the moment of
his greatest struggle, when his very life was in the bal- March 15 - Mass @ St. Mary
ance. Let us explore how walking with Christ during times “Man Rich in Relationships”
of struggle, isolation and despair, and seeing how Christ
dealt with his own crises, can show us a way to under- March 16 - Reconciliation @ St. Mary
standing that God is always for us, will never abandon us, “Man of Integrity”
and can help us face our burdens in grace.
All services begin at 6pm and will be
offered in person and live stream
February 23rd, March 2nd, March 9th and March 23rd
from 6:30pm to 8:00pm via zoom link from Deacon Tim. PLEASE PRE-REGISTER
Sign up on our website at https://
Sign up on our website at https://stmarysgrafton.org/small- stmarysgrafton.org/news/lenten-mission-
groups. 2021
3 970
February 7, 2021 5th Sunday in Ordinary
IS THERE A HEALING GRACE IN THIS PANDEMIC?
This Sunday’s Gospel is about curing, healing and serving. It’s not hard to understand that the disciples, having witnessed
Jesus’ power to do miracles, right away upon entering Simon and Andrew’s home, they tell him about Simon’s mother-in-
law. It is not difficult to understand either that seeing her health restored, at sunset, with the Sabbath’s regulations about
movement no longer applying, they brought the whole city of the sick to Jesus. We know who these “they” are. “They” are
us.
Jesus cured the sick and drove out demons. These demons give Jesus different titles like “Holy One of God” and
“Messiah.” But they have missed the meaning of these titles. They were only half-truths. Even the disciples were mesmer-
ized by the miracles that Jesus performed. But they also misunderstood Jesus and his mission. That is why he goes off to
a deserted place to pray so that he can remain connected with the ultimate driving force of his words and actions: commun-
ion with His Father. Prayer provided Jesus the clarity and direction that he needed. He is not derailed by the subtle
distraction of his popularity, fame and instant success, as his disciples are. Jesus is clear: he needs followers, not fans.
While cures aim at returning our bodies to what they were in the past, healing uses what is present to move us more deep-
ly to a true spiritual awareness of one’s healing which in some cases may bring physical improvement. In Sacred Scripture,
spiritual healing of mind and heart is always more important than physical cure. Sickness often forces us to go
deeper to find the true meaning of life. Many patients have reported a greater sense of being alive and in communion with
others when they were sick. When they were cured, they returned to “normal life,” characterized by “numbness and rote
obligation.
One person who was diagnosed with terminal cancer said, “I simply stopped doing everything that wasn’t essential, and
that didn’t matter.” His terminally ill life became vital and peaceful. Holding together cure and healing is the challenge.
With the pandemic that we are in, we are challenged to seek true repentance and lasting transformation, and not to return
to “things as they were before.” Pope Francis prayed, “It is not the time of your judgment, Lord, but of our judgment: a time
to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. It is a time
to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others.” Pope Francis also said that God does not abandon
us. His response was to send us His Son, Jesus. Today, he sends us saints who come in Christ’s name. These saints are
often anonymous. They are our first responders, our people who reach out and become creatively at the service of others
during the pandemic. They are also our priests and religious. They are also our elderly who pray and keep praying, never
giving up.
Are we just going to let ourselves be overwhelmed by the numbers of daily infections and deaths, or will we choose, that
despite these harsh realities, we will see the many graces that God offers us, and we will choose to rely on the
Holy Spirit to guide us, as He transforms our hearts to be more and more like Jesus? May we choose to believe that Christ
walks with us, holds our hand and ever beckons us to follow him, by carrying our own cross, with our hearts unit-
ed to His.
Fr. Leo
NEWS FROM YOUR TITHING COMMITTEE
Over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, we received thank-you notes
from the American Heart Society; Heifer International and Clearway Clinic.
Our tithes to non-profit organizations are possible because of
YOUR generosity in the weekly offerings. As you know 5% of the weekly of-
fering is put aside as a budget for the Tithing Committee. Your tithes also
support a monthly stipend of $610.00 for our sister parish in Haiti.
Thank you for your continued generosity.
4 970
February 7, 2021 5th Sunday in Ordinary
RE CLASS SCHEDULE
Sunday February 7 Gr. K 9:00-9:15 remote
Gr. 1-5 9:15-10:15 gathered at St. Mary
Gr. 1-5 9:30-10:00 remote
Gr. 6-8 NO CLASS both gathered and remote
Gr. 9-10 No RE class
Monday February 8 Gr. 1-2 3:45-4:30 remote
Gr. 3-5 4:00-4:30 remote
Wednesday, February 10 Adult Ed “David the King” 6:30-8:00pm remote
Sunday February 14 Gr. K-1 No RE Class
Gr. 2 9:30-10:00 remote—class with Mrs. Romeo
Gr. 3-5 No RE Class
Gr. 6-8 NO CLASS BOTH GATHERED AND REMOTE
Gr. 9-10 7:00-8:00 Diocesan Trivia and Theology (link from Diocese)
Monday February 15 Gr. 1-5 No RE Class
First Penance Sunday, February 28th 1:00pm St. Mary Church
First Penance Sunday, March 7th 1:00pm St. Mary Church
(snow date)
UPCOMING ADULT EDUCATION CLASS
Join us to experience how the whole Bible opens up once it’s viewed
through the person of King David in Bishop Robert Barron’s Bible study.
You can attend one or all of the remaining sessions:
Wednesdays 6:30-8:00pm via Zoom
February 10th, 17th, 24th
Prior to each session, suggested readings will be emailed to participants. During the sessions we will pray, view Bishop Barron’s
video segment, discuss video and readings, and also view a movie on King David. Music and art will be incorporated where ap-
propriate. All are welcome. For more info or to register contact Darleen at: dfarland@stmarysgrafton.org
Here are our first graders spreading the good news
with flying discs that say “Jesus Loves You”
Friday, March 5th from 6:30 to 7:30pm
Prizes Awarded
To register for this FREE online event, email
Darleen Farland at dfarland@stmarysgrafton.org
Holy Communion after Mass
For the month of February, we will be offering Holy Communion outside of Mass only
on Sundays @ 11:15am in the Gathering Space at St. Mary’s.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO REGISTER FOR ALL MASSES
The link to register can be found on our website at: https://stmarysgrafton.org/mass-
resumes.
For those who are unable to go online, you can complete the simple orange form for regular
Masses available at the back of the church and drop it in the collection basket or contact Jill
in the Parish office at 508-839-3993 x10.
TO WATCH LIVE MASS OR VIEW RECORDED MASSES
Watch Mass Live with 2 options: St. Philip's 9:00am Mass at https://www.twitch.tv/stphilipgrafton or St. Mary's
10:30am Mass via Facebook
Watch recorded Mass on local Grafton Cable TV on channel 191 for Charter or Channel 34 for Verizon daily at
6:30am or 6:30pm
Get links to recorded Mass at http://stmarysgrafton.org or http://stphilipsgrafton.org from the Home page slide or
under the 'About' menu 'Homily and Mass Recordings'
(We try to upload recordings of Mass to Facebook and YouTube. We also have the Homily audio only published a week later)
The parish calendars are in! You may find them in the gathering space at both
parishes. Reserved calendars will be in envelopes with names noted.
2020 Donation Tax Statements
If you would a like a tax donation statement for your donations to St. Philip or St. Mary
parishes, please contact Jill Sullivan at jsullivan@stmarysgrafton.org or at
508-839-3993 x10.
Collection for Priest Retirement — Wednesday, February 17th at all Masses
Please help us support our retired priests this Ash Wednesday as a part of our new Collection for Priest
Retirement. A recent review of the benefits and expenses of priest retirement for our diocesan priests
recommended a number of changes in benefits for those priests who have not yet retired. Bishop
McManus accepted those recommendations after receiving the input and agreement of the priests in our
diocese. These changes are projected to save up to $12 million through the year 2050. Even with the
change in benefits, however, annual deficits in funding for priest retirement as high as $374,000 are pro-
jected for another eleven years.
Please consider a donation to this Ash Wednesday Collection as a way to express your appreciation of
the dedicated service of our retired priests to the people of our diocese. Review the Retirement Report
Summary found at worcesterdiocese.org to learn more.
SECOND COLLECTION FOR DIRE NEED IN HAITI
Fr. Serge Denis O.M.I., pastor of Sts. Pierre and Paul Parish that we are twinning with in Haiti, is
asking for us to help him and his parishioners to rebuild one of a number of chapels, that are
small mission churches in the boondocks of the Parish, which was devastated four years ago by
Hurricane Matthew. We are having a Second Collection February 6 & 7 at all Masses to help our
brothers and sisters in Haiti who are in dire need of our help. If you are not attending Mass please
consider sending your donation to St. Mary's Office . May God bless us for our generosity.
Market Sunday
Thank you to all who so generously support us! We need your help to restock for the winter months.
Our next Market Sunday is this weekend. We are in particular need of: Coffee (1 lb cans/bags) & Tea;
Hot cereal, Rice mixes, Ramen noodles, Hamburger Helper, and Mac & Cheese, Mayonnaise, Crackers
& Cookies, Pancake syrup, Cleaning supplies (wipes, sprays and laundry detergent).
6 970
Website for both parishes: If you know of any elderly or
www.stmarysgrafton.org home-bound parishioners who
www.stphilipsgrafton.org would like to have the bulletin
sent to them by mail, please
Parish Staff contact St. Mary Parish
office and one will be sent out
Deacon Tim Cross: ext. 29 weekly.
deacontimcross@gmail.com
Business Manager: Lisa Stewart
X11 lstewart@stmarysgrafton.org We thank our advertisers for
making our bulletin possible.
Director of Religious Ed. St. Mary/ Please patronize our advertis-
St. Philip: ers especially during this time
Darleen Farland x12
of pandemic. Thank you!
dfarland@stmarysgrafton.org
Director of Music/St. Mary: Pamela Cross
X37 p.cross@shoplegacy.com
Music Coordinator/St. Philip: TBD Al’s Oil Service
American Red Cross
Parish Secretary/Safe Environment Coor- Boucher Energy Systems
dinator St. Mary: Jill Sullivan x10
jsullivan@stmarysgrafton.org
Buggy Whip
Cancun’s Restaurant
Parish Secretary/Safe Environment Coor- CatholicMatch
dinator St. Philip: TBD; contact Jill or Lisa Collette Motors, Inc.
CSR Financial Services, LLC
Custodian: Ron Dennis HearJOY Audiology
rdennis@stmarysgrafton.og
Heffernan Painting
St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Mary / Mallory’s Army Foundation
St. Philip at 508-839-3993 x35. All infor- McClure’s Barber Shop
mation is kept strictly confidential. MD MedAlert
Post Office Pub
St. Mary Prayer Line 508-839-3993 X18 Rand Automotive Center
Youth Group Ministry-
RE/MAX Executive Realty
youthgroup@stmarysgrafton.org Roney Funeral Home
Rosaries From Flowers
St. Mary Office – 508-839-3993 Trusted Like Family
St. Philip Office – 508-839-3325 Homecare, Inc.
7 970
You can also read
