Catholic Community in Lexington Parish Bulletin - Sunday, July 25, 2010

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s second reading (Colossians 2:12-14) Paul is writing to two communities he did not establish nor did he visit.  “I wish you could know how much I have struggled in prayer for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for my many other friends who have never known me personally.” He is writing to them because he heard that they were in trouble because of false teachers.  Gnostics were people who thought they had secret revelation and knew the mind of God. Just as there are seven deadly sins and we are not smart enough to invent an eighth, so there are heresies from the first couple of centuries about Christ and the church which have not been added to.  In each case, we simply continue to repeat these patterns time and again.

Some branches of Gnosticism adhered to asceticism as a way to free the eternal spirit in us by living regimented, plain, and insular lives.  Others went to the other extreme—practicing hedonism—believing that what they did with their bodies did not make any difference since only the spirit mattered.  (I told you we only repeat the past heresies!)
Paul says that their philosophies may sound good depending upon one’s inclination, but they endanger church members and steal away all of your spiritual riches.  “Don’t let others spoil your faith and joy with their philosophies, their wrong and shallow answers built on men’s thoughts and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said.  For in Christ there is all of God in a human body; so you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power.”

Paul again emphasizes Christ’s primacy.  “When you came to Christ he set you free from your evil desires, not by a bodily operation of circumcision but by a spiritual operation, the baptism of your souls.  For in baptism you see how your old, evil nature died with him and was buried with him; and then you came up out of death with him into a new life because you trusted the Word of the mighty God who raised Christ from the dead.”

It is true that baptism is a symbol, but not of our own spiritual death, burial and resurrection.  Rather baptism is a symbol, or likeness, of Christ’s literal death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3-5).  Paul talks about the new life we are to live following our baptism,  “Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”  In baptism we are placing our faith not in ourselves but in “the working of God.”  If someone goes through the motions of baptism and is not putting his faith in God’s working, then such activity is vain.  “Thank God that though you once chose to be slaves of sin, now you have obeyed with all your heart the teaching to which God has committed you.  And now you are free from your old master, sin, and you have become slaves to your new master, righteousness” (Romans 6:17).

In Service For Their Country

Caitlin R. Battell, Sgt. Christopher Considine, Chris Cullen, Airman Jason Cunha, Scott and Michael Donahue, 1st Lt. Todd Donaldson, Timothy Dunbar, Captain Brian Geary, Michelle Leverone, Marissa Leverone, Sean Maddigan, Robert McLaughlin, Pfc. Erik Muskavitch, Patrick J. Nordahl, Rev. Paul Passamonti, Richard Rigley, Captain John Schiavi and Mark Zarnecki.

Lord Jesus, watch over our sons and daughters in the service of their country.  Give them the courage to serve their country with honor and dignity and grant that when their service is finished they may return to us, sound in mind, body and soul.

Helping Hands Coordinator

Helping Hands coordinator for July is
Kalley Moore - 781-538-5178

Looking For Support During Your Job Search?

Seasoned Human Resources and Marketing pros to lead the Lexington Job Support Group (LJSG) for the Catholic Community of Lexington and our friends.  Learn and share  job search strategies, resources and networking tips while getting support during your search for that next great opportunity.  Meetings are the first and third Wednesday of the month, 7:30pm - 9:00pm at Sacred Heart Parish Center. There are no meetings in August. The next two meetings will be September 1st and 15th. . Informal, no need to sign up, come on the evenings you are free with a cup of coffee or supper, and invite a friend.  If you have any questions, contact Bob Ludwig at 781-861-7231 or Donna Heuchling at dheuchling (3)

Lexington Job Support Group

CAN YOU HELP –Fellow Parishioners seeking Employment? 

• DO YOU HAVE INFO ON JOB LEADS?
• CAN YOU MAKE AN INTRO TO A HIRING MANAGER?
• CAN YOU PROVIDE INFO ON A SPECIFIC JOB OPPORTUNITY?
• ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR A COMPANY REFERRAL BONUS?

See Job Seeker biographies and contact information here and in flyers at the doors of the churches.  Please keep each job seeker and their families in your prayers.

R.C.I.A.

Are you searching for meaning or trying to make sense out of life?  Have you ever thought about becoming a Catholic?  Are you married to a Catholic and wonder what Catholics believe?  Have you considered sharing the same faith as your spouse or your kids?  Were you baptized Catholic but never learned about God?  MAYBE GOD IS CALLING YOU… The R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is the process by which we “make new Catholics”:  a process of learning, and asking questions, and growing together in a nurturing welcoming community of faith.  Find out more:  contact Beverly Good at 781-863-0319, ext 20 or Beverly.good(1)

Please pray for all who are in need of our prayers that God’s healing and comforting presence may be with them, especially Jen Bombaca, Marianne Slack, Elaine Murphy, Ed Burri, Bob Kozlowski, Francis Cote, Deacon Bill Wildes, William McCarthy, Marie Dempsey, Pat White, Mary Whelan, Prudy Bulger, Eleanor Mann, Phyllis Lange, Amy Galehouse Goolkosian, Jane Beauchemin, Mary Ellen Connor, Helen Milne, Alan Blanchard, Marybeth Morgan, Billy Wedgwood, Gerald McCue, Kathleen Brown, Brendan Murphy, Frank Stankowski, Theresa Flynn, Ann LaMantia, Christine Griffin, Josephine Siders, Paula McKenna, Douglas DiVito, Frank Hassett, Mary McGuinnes, Joseph Fremont-Smith, Marjorie Kearns, Shannon Capriulo, Fr. Waldron, Mildred Page, Victoria Killgore, Virginia Tavilla, Christine Screeton, Olivia Moran and Brianna Cimino.  Also, please remember Fr. William Smith, Fr. James Field, Katharine Sonnenberg and all of our deceased relatives and friends, especially Jane Markey, whose funeral was this past week.

Do Your Vacation Plans Include On-Line Giving?

Giving on-line is an easy and safe way to support your parish, even when you’re on vacation. Click the link for Sacred Heart Parish or St. Brigid Parish to learn about this new way to contribute via a charge to your bank account or credit card. Check it out!

Attention On-Line Contributors!

Now that you are an on-line contributor and no longer receive envelopes (delivery usually stops within three months after commencement of on-line giving), do you miss having something to put in the basket?  On-Line Giving cards – about the size of an envelope – are now available at the churches’ entrances.  Just pick one up as you enter the church and drop it in the basket as it passes by.  

Of the 265 envelopes we sent to Sacred Heart parishioners, 59 parishioners have used their envelopes this week. To date 16 parishioners have signed up for on-line giving. Thank you to all who so generously contribute to our parishes each week! —Fr. Colletti

An Office Request

In the past few weeks, we have received many checks back from our bank because they were made payable to our “collections” rather than either parish. 

If the checks are not made payable to either parish, the bank will not accept them.  The best way to make out the checks would be either to Sacred Heart Parish or to St. Brigid Parish with a notation in the memo section as to what the donation should be assigned to.  For instance in the memo section put St. Vincent de Paul, St. Brigid/Sacred Heart Haiti Fund, or Clergy Benefit Trust, etc.  In this way, the bank will process the check and the parish will send a check payable to the particular ministry.

Thank you for your cooperation and help with this pesky situation!  —Claire

St. Katharine Drexel Food Pantry

The weekend of July 31 and August 1 are the collection dates for the St Katharine Drexel Food Pantry.  Please remember to bring bags of non-perishable food items for the pantry by 11am on August 1st. You can leave food donations at the entrances to both St. Brigid and Sacred Heart or at the altar at Sacred Heart.  Please check the expiration dates. Cash, checks made  payable to St. Katharine Drexel, and Stop and Shop gift cards go a long way to help those in need. These may be placed in an envelope and put into the offertory basket or left at the office.   Thank you for your continued support of this vital ministry in Roxbury.

Baptism Instruction

Will be held at Sacred Heart Church
next Sunday, August 1st at 10:00am.

Thank you to all parishioners who continually support the food pantries of St. Katherine Drexel Parish.  On July 11th parishioners delivered 92 bags of food and toiletries, $30 in Stop & Shop gift cards and $200 in checks for the food pantry at 175 Ruggles St.  The needs continue during the summer and food donations can be placed in the bins at the doors of the churches.  Stop & Shop gift cards and checks can be placed in the offertory collection or sent to the Parish office.  Thank you for your generous support.  
The Christian Service Commission.

Boston Catholic Television

Daily Mass can be seen LIVE on CatholicTV and Boston’s WBPX, Channel 68 weekdays at 9:30 a.m, at 7:30 p.m. or midnight (all times Eastern).  The Daily Mass is also rebroadcast on CatholicTV at 7:30 each evening and midnight.  You can also celebrate it LIVE or "on demand" here at CatholicTV's web site, www.CatholicTV.com.

A too wise guy was given the following piece of advice by a good friend:  “It’s better to remain silent and be thought stupid than to open your mouth and forever remove all doubt.”

St. Brigid
Offertory for July 17th & 18th	$ 10,212.00
Envelope Offerings	$   5,116.00
Loose Cash	$   1,251.00
Online Giving	$   3,845.00

Out of the 548 envelopes we sent to St. Brigid parishioners, 187 have used their envelopes.  To date 27 parishioners have signed up for on-line giving.  Thank you to all who so generously contribute to our parishes each week! —Fr. Colletti

Archdiocese of Boston Mission Cooperative

Please welcome Fr. Jeffries Foale who has been assigned to preach at all the Masses next weekend for the Mission Appeal.

Rosie’s Place

ROSIE'S PLACE NEEDS CATERERS:
Needed - a few good cooks to provide 12 portions of lasagna, salad, OR bread every other month on the third Sunday.  Food is dropped at St. Brigid's. Our next "Rosie's Sunday" is August 15.  If you would like to help on a regular basis, call Fran at 781-861-7231 or e-mail: fludwig12(5).

J.R.R. Tolkien’S Take On The Blessed Sacrament

He writes: I put before you the one great thing to love on earth, the Blessed Sacrament. There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity and the true way of all your loves on earth and more than that. All are invited to experience the Blessed Sacrament every Friday from 12:00 – 2:45pm at St. Brigid Church.

Healing and Reconciliation

We wish to begin a journey of healing within our community and have started to explore a group process of reconciliation.  We have invited external facilitators to assist us in initiating some difficult conversations.  We hope to restore trust and relationships, and look at new possibilities.  We are approaching this process with great sensitivity, humility, and openness.  There will be future communication and details, but in the meantime, please pray for all those involved in the process. 

For further information, please contact Beverly Good at 781-863-0319 ext. 20.

“Truth and mercy will meet, justice and peace will kiss each other.” (Psalm 85)

Helping Hands Ministry

Helping Hands is a group of volunteers who provide assistance to members of the Catholic Community of Lexington who are in need, such as giving rides to doctors appointments, or making meals for the sick.  Volunteer drivers make no minimum time commitment. They only need to be willing to join an e-mail distribution list for ride requests, and accept only those that fit their schedule.  Volunteer meal makers can respond to requests as they are able.  For more information, please contact Jeanne Hobbs at 781-248-9722 or jeannehobbs(2).

Registrations for the 2010-2011 Religious Education Program have been mailed out.  For advanced planning, please be aware that classes for Grades 1 thru 8 will be available on Sunday mornings at St. Brigid from 10:00-11:15 (after the 9:00am Mass) and at Sacred Heart from 11:15 – 12:15 (after the 10:00 Mass).  Classes will also be held for grades 1 – 6 on Tuesday afternoon at St. Brigid from 3:45 – 4:45.  Classes will be available for grades 7 and 8 on Monday from 5:30 – 6:30pm.

To ensure placement, please return registration
by August 1st.
Thanks for your cooperation.

New Parishioners Registration – If you are new to the parish, and/or you have a child entering the first grade, please contact the Religious Education office to register your child for classes in the fall.  Please call 781-862-8724 and we will send you a registration form for your completion.  At this time we will also send out a parish registration form if you are not registered in either parish. 
You will also need a copy of your child’s Baptism record if he/she was baptized at a parish other than Sacred Heart or St. Brigid.

Confirmation Classes
Registration Placement forms for 9th and 10th grade Confirmation Classes have been mailed out.  Please complete the form and send it back with the registration fee and a copy of your child’s baptismal certificate if it is not already on file.  If you have any questions, please contact the Religious Education Office at 781-862-8724.  A detailed schedule for the year will be available in the coming months.

While you’re on vacation and planning the year ahead – why not think about teaching a class in religious education in the Fall.  We welcome all volunteers, returning teachers, teachers who have been on sabbatical from teaching and volunteers looking for a new ministry.  If interested, please call the R/E Office at 781-862-8724.  Thanks for your consideration.

St. Brigid’s ‘old house’ Will Be Moving On

Before a family will be moving into this house, the house itself will do some moving! This relocation is part of the plan for the old house in front of the St. Brigid Parish Center. 

Several months ago, a developer proposed to buy the house with the intention of moving it to a lot on Hancock Street across from the Hancock Clarke House. After St. Brigid and the Archdiocese agreed to a sale price of $1.00, the developer began the process of obtaining approvals from Lexington’s Board of Appeals, Historic Districts Commission, and Building Department, and completing the purchase of the Hancock Street land. 

With approvals in hand and purchase negotiations complete, the developer will begin to ready the Hancock Street lot and prepare the house for the move, including removal of the additions and selection of an appropriate route. Following the move, he will fully restore and loam and seed the vacated space on St. Brigid’s property. 

The purchase of the house, its relocation, and the restoration of the vacated space are expected to be completed by early fall. We will keep you posted on this project including any access or safety considerations. We will also be asking for your help with additional landscaping design and plantings for this vacated space as well as the lawn surrounding the new handicapped parking spaces between the church and parish center.

The sale and relocation of the old house helps the Lexington community preserve a house of architectural significance, helps the St. Brigid parish community accomplish its goal of removal of the house from its property, and helps the Hancock Street property owners add a home appropriate to the lot and their neighborhood. Needless to say, Father Colletti, Facilities Manager Bernie Lannquist, the St. Brigid Parish Pastoral Council and the Finance Council are pleased with this long sought-after solution that meets the needs and wishes of so many.

St. Brigid Parish Renovation Project Update

The project to add an elevator to the church building and accessible restrooms in the hall; to expand and improve handicapped seating in the church and handicapped parking; and to remodel the kitchen and Keilty Hall is underway. 

Construction progress:

1. Walls enclosing the new restrooms have been framed
2. Installation of rough plumbing and ductwork is in process
3. Exterior demolition at the west side entrance will be completed this week

During construction, please note the following:

1. Reconciliation Room is relocated to the room off the church vestibule
2. Keilty Hall is not accessible as a pass-through
3. Only access to the existing restrooms and the Music Room is via the east side stairway
4. West side entrance of the church is closed
5. Driveway between the church and parish center is closed

Also for your safety, please take note of all signs posted in the church and on the parish property and do not cross barriers or fences into the construction worksite.    

Welcome to New Parishioners

No matter what your present status in the Catholic Church, no matter what your current family or marital situation, no matter what your current personal history, age, background, race, etc., no matter what your own self-image; you are invited, welcomed , accepted, loved and respected here at St. Brigid and Sacred Heart Parishes.  If you are new to either parish, please introduce yourself to one of our Pastoral Associates, Beverly Good or Mary Peterson, after Mass or at your convenience.  Also, please contact the Parish Offices at

781-862-0335/4646 or
e-mail - shepherd@lexingtoncatholic.org
to register as a member of the parish.

A Summer Reflection

A Summer Reflection …
Kathleen Norris, in her book Amazing Grace:  A Vocabulary of Faith, writes about Jacob (whom God visited in the night) waking from his dream in awe, exclaiming, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!”  Norris notes that Jacob’s exclamation is one that remains with her, “a reminder that God can choose to dwell everywhere and anywhere we go.”  She goes on to tell this story: 

One morning this past spring I noticed a young couple with an infant at an airport departure gate.  The baby was staring intently at other people, and as soon as he recognized a human face, no matter whose it was, no matter if it was young or old, pretty or ugly, bored or happy or worried-looking, he would respond with absolute delight.  It was beautiful to see.  Our drab departure gate had become the gate of heaven.  And as I watched that baby play with any adult who would allow it, I felt as awe-struck as Jacob, because I realized that this is how God looks at us, staring into our faces in order to be delighted, to see the creature he made and called good, along with all the rest of creation….I suspect that only God, and well-loved infants, can see this way….God loves to look at us, and loves it when we will look back at him. 

Kathleen Norris, Amazing Grace, A Vocabulary of Faith,
© 1998, Riverhead Books, New York, p. 150.

Lord, help us always to remember
that you hold us firmly in your love!

Homebound Parishioners

As always, if you know of anyone who is homebound and unable to get to church, please contact the office at 781-862-0335 so that we can make sure they receive the Eucharist.

Most of us see the same people week after week at “our” Mass.  If you find that you are not seeing a certain person, we will be happy to call and check to see if they are in good health or if they need some help or a visit from our Ministers to the Homebound.

Why do X’s at the end of a letter signify kisses?
In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X.  Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document.  The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.

Housing For Foreign Exchange Student Wanted

Catholic 11th grade high school girl from China would like to live with Catholic family. She needs a host family to live with for this school year. A stipend of $700 per month will be paid by Educatius International for hosting and for meals. Educatius International is an international education company that places foreign exchange high school students in the U.S. with host families, in order for them to get a glimpse into American life, and for the cultural exchange opportunities.
This student is an excellent student. She qualified and was accepted into Lexington Christian Academy. Her English is very good as she has spent last year at St. Bernard Catholic School in Eureka, CA. She describes herself as active, outgoing and independent with a lot of hobbies including a love of art and music. She is in the U.S. to help get into a good university and for cultural exchange.
Besides this young girl, there are other international male and female students who will be going to other area schools such as Arlington High School, Belmont High School, Matignon High School in North Cambridge, Brookline High School and Hopkinton High School. They are all looking to be placed with families.
If you are interested, or know someone who is, please contact Louise Goodman at 339-234-3171 or email me at EducatiusNE(7).  To learn more about this organization, go to: www.educatius.org

AN IMAGE FROM ROBERT FULGHUM
 for Your Consideration:

I like the game called Sardines.  In Sardines the person who is It goes and hides, and everybody goes looking for him.  When you find him, you get in with him and hide there with him.  Pretty soon everybody is hiding together, all stacked in a small space like puppies in a pile.  And pretty soon somebody giggles and somebody laughs and everybody is found.

Medieval theologians even describe God in hide-and-seek terms, calling him Deus Absconditus.  But me, I think old God is a Sardine player.  And will be found the same way everybody gets found in Sardines—by the sound of laughter of those heaped together at the end. 

taken from All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, by Robert Fulghum, © 1998, Villard Books, a subsidiary of Random House, Inc.

Lord, when we think you are not near,
let us hear the laughter from the “heap”!

Women's Book Group

SUMMER READING:  THE WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB’S SEPTEMBER SELECTION is The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, by Jeffry Toobin.

Bestselling author Jeffrey Toobin takes you into the chambers of the most important—and secret—legal body in our country, the Supreme Court, and reveals the complex dynamic among the nine people who decide the law of the land.  Just in time for the 2008 presidential election—where the future of the Court was at stake—Toobin revealed an institution at a moment of transition, when decades of conservative disgust with the Court had finally produced a conservative majority, with major changes in store on such issues as abortion, civil rights, presidential power, and church-state relations.  Based on exclusive interviews with justices themselves, The Nine tells the story of the Court through personalities—from Anthony Kennedy’s overwhelming sense of self-importance to Clarence Thomas’s well-tended grievances against his critics to David Souter’s odd nineteenth-century lifestyle.  As we witness the confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan, we’re getting a glimpse into the Court’s inner workings.

Says New York Times Book Reviewer David Margolick, “The Nine is engaging, erudite, candid and accessible, often hard to put down.  Toobin is a natural storyteller, and the stories he tells—how a coalition of centrist justices saved Roe v. Wade; why Rehnquist, despite having loathed the rights granted to criminal suspects by Miranda v. Arizona, eventually declined to overturn the decision; how right-wing firebrands deep-sixed the Supreme Court candidacies of Alberto Gonzales and Harriet Miers—are gripping.”

The Book Club meets on Thursday, September 9th, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in room #8, lower level of Sacred Heart Parish Center.  For more information, contact Maria Griffin at avempg(4) or Beverly Good at Beverly.good(1), 781-863-0319, ext 20.

Use Your Expertise To Help Children Read!

Start the new year off right by helping children at the Northeast School in Waltham who need extra help with reading! Mystic Valley Elder Services (MVES) is looking for volunteers for its Reading Partners Program. Designed to boost confidence and improve reading skills, the program pairs adults age 55 and over with children in grades K-3.  Please call Lauren Reid, or Ken Neal at 781-324-7705 today! Combine the wisdom of age with the energy of youth and become a Reading Partner!

Know What Counts

 – No matter what you’ve done for yourself or for humanity, if you can’t look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?

—Lee Iacocca

Have a Wonderful Weekend!