Sacred Heart Parish
MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK
Saturday, November 28
4:00 PM Joseph Scichilone
Sunday, November 29
9:00 AM Parishioners of Sacred Heart
10:30 AM For the Intentions of Jerrye McKee Ray, Mr. T. Tan, Rita Mollica
11:45 AM Mary Rita Ross and Edward Ross, Walter McLaughlin, Laurent Caron
Saturday, December 5
4:00 PM Parishioners of Sacred Heart
Sunday, December 6
9:00 AM Pasquale Nuzzi
11:45 AM Owen and Theresa Keefe
CELEBRANTS FOR NEXT WEEKEND’S MASSES
Saturday, December 5
4:00 PM Fr. Connelly
Sunday, December 6
9:00 AM Fr. Connelly
10:30 AM Fr. St. Martin
11:45 AM Fr. Imbelli
CONFESSIONS
Saturday, December 5 – 2 to 3:30 PM – Fr. Connelly
READINGS FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
First Reading: Baruch 5:1-9
Second Reading: Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
Gospel Reading: Luke 3:1-6
CHRISTMAS FLOWERS
It has been our happy custom here at the Parish to accept donations for Christmas flowers in memory of deceased relatives and friends. Please include the names of those you would like listed in the bulletin. All of the people will be remembered during the Masses on Christmas Day and through Epiphany on Sunday, January 3rd. Checks can be made payable to Sacred Heart Parish and forwarded to the rectory.
INTENTIONS OF THE HOLY FATHER FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER
General Intention: That children may be respected, loved and never exploited.
Mission Intention: That during Christmas the peoples of the earth may recognize the Incarnate Word as the light that illuminates every person, and that every nation may open its doors to Christ, the Savior of the world.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS
Please mark your calendars. Here is a calendar of upcoming CCD events:
Sunday, November 29: No CCD classes on the 1st Sunday of Advent due to Thanksgiving Holiday.
Sunday, December 13: CCD classes will be from 10:30-11:15 am in order to allow the students to attend the Parish Advent Celebration at the McKenzie Center.
Tuesday, December 15: CCD classes will meet as usual.
Sunday, December 20 & Tuesday, December 22: CCD classes held as usual.
Sunday, Dec. 29 & Tuesday, Dec 31: No CCD classes: Christmas Vacation.
Sunday, Jan. 3 & Tuesday, Jan. 5: No CCD classes: Christmas Vacation.
Tuesday, Jan. 5: Teachers Workshop held in Convent from 7:00 – 8:30 pm.
Sunday, Jan. 10 & Tuesday, Jan. 12: CCD classes resume!
Please look in next week’s bulletin for the beginning of our CCD Food Bag project for the needy families in Dorchester. Details to come!
Michelle Solomon, Director of Religious Education
CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAM
The Entrance Exam for Eighth Grade boys who wish to enter the freshman class in September 2010 will be held at Xaverian Brothers High School, 800 Clapboardtree St., Westwood, MA 02090, on Saturday, December 12 at 8:30 AM. Test Registration forms and admissions packets may be obtained by calling the Admissions Office at 781-326-6392 or by visiting www.XBHS.com.
ESSAY CONTEST FOR SCHOLARSHIP
The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, NH is offering incoming Freshman 6 scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 for the winners of the 2010 Faith and Reason Essay Contest. Applicants are invited to reflect upon the Introduction to Pope Benedict XVI’s social encyclical Caritas in Veritate, and to submit an essay of 2 to 3 pages in answer to the question: How does the exercise of charity in our day call for the courageous witness to truth? To request more information, go online at www.thomasmorecollege.edu or contact the Director of Admissions, Mark Schwerdt at (800) 880-8308 or at admissions@thomasmorecollege.edu.
OFFERTORY INCOME
Weekend of November 21/22 $5,282
“YOU ARE THE CUSTODIANS OF BEAUTY”
"Dear Artists, You Are the Custodians of Beauty" (The complete text of the pope's speech given on November 21, 2009, in the Sistine Chapel, to representatives of all the arts: painters, sculptors, architects, novelists, poets, musicians, singers, men of the cinema, theater, dance, photography)
by Benedict XVI
Distinguished Artists,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With great joy I welcome you to this solemn place, so rich in art and in history. I cordially greet each and every one of you and I thank you for accepting my invitation. At this gathering I wish to express and renew the Church’s friendship with the world of art, a friendship that has been strengthened over time; indeed Christianity from its earliest days has recognized the value of the arts and has made wise use of their varied language to express her unvarying message of salvation. This friendship must be continually promoted and supported so that it may be authentic and fruitful, adapted to different historical periods and attentive to social and cultural variations. Today’s event is focused on you, dear and illustrious artists, from different countries, cultures and religions, some of you perhaps remote from the practice of religion, but interested nevertheless in maintaining communication with the Catholic Church, in not reducing the horizons of existence to mere material realities, to a reductive and trivializing vision. You represent the varied world of the arts and so, through you, I would like to convey to all artists my invitation to friendship, dialogue and cooperation.
Some significant anniversaries occur around this time. It is ten years since the Letter to Artists by my venerable Predecessor, the Servant of God Pope John Paul II. For the first time, on the eve of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, the Pope, who was an artist himself, wrote a Letter to artists, combining the solemnity of a pontifical document with the friendly tone of a conversation among all who, as we read in the initial salutation, "are passionately dedicated to the search for new ‘epiphanies’ of beauty". Twenty-five years ago the same Pope proclaimed Blessed Fra Angelico the patron of artists, presenting him as a model of perfect harmony between faith and art. I also recall how on 7 May 1964, forty-five years ago, in this very place, an historic event took place, at the express wish of Pope Paul VI, to confirm the friendship between the Church and the arts. The words that he spoke on that occasion resound once more today under the vault of the Sistine Chapel and touch our hearts and our minds. "We need you," he said. "We need your collaboration in order to carry out our ministry, which consists, as you know, in preaching and rendering accessible and comprehensible to the minds and hearts of our people the things of the spirit, the invisible, the ineffable, the things of God himself. And in this activity … you are masters. It is your task, your mission, and your art consists in grasping treasures from the heavenly realm of the spirit and clothing them in words, colors, forms – making them accessible." So great was Paul VI’s esteem for artists that he was moved to use daring expressions. "And if we were deprived of your assistance," he added, "our ministry would become faltering and uncertain, and a special effort would be needed, one might say, to make it artistic, even prophetic. In order to scale the heights of lyrical expression of intuitive beauty, priesthood would have to coincide with art." On that occasion Paul VI made a commitment to "re-establish the friendship between the Church and artists", and he invited artists to make a similar, shared commitment, analyzing seriously and objectively the factors that disturbed this relationship, and assuming individual responsibility, courageously and passionately, for a newer and deeper journey in mutual acquaintance and dialogue in order to arrive at an authentic "renaissance" of art in the context of a new humanism.
(To be continued)
SEASON OF ADVENT –
COME, LORD JESUS!
Advent has a two-fold character: as a season to prepare for Christmas when Christ’s first coming to us is remembered, and as a season when that remembrance directs our mind and heart to await Christ’s second coming at the end of time. Advent thus is a period of devout and joyful expectation (General Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar [henceforth, General Norms], 39).
The official color for the season of advent is violet. In order to distinguish between this season and the specifically penitential season of Lent, the bluer hues of violet may be used during Advent. Light blue vestments, however, are not authorized for use in the United States.
PN (Pastoral Note): Advent is a time to recall the cry of the early Christians: Maranatha! “Come, Lord Jesus!” A penitential celebration is one way of assisting the people of God in preparing for the solemnity of the Nativity. Such a liturgy might best be celebrated during the latter part of the Advent season, and on a weekday rather than a Sunday.
The Advent Wreath, a popular symbol in many churches, may be placed in the narthex or gathering area, or near the ambo. Each Sunday the candle(s) of the wreath might be borne in procession, following the thurible and cross, or just ahead of the Gospel Book. Other creative uses are encouraged. For the Blessing of the Advent Wreath, see BB, nos. 1509-1540 or HB, 73-75.
SIGNINGS
What is it like to look at Christ? How does it feel? Recently Fr. Shawn and I traveled to NCYC with four young men who are deaf - Jose, Maximo, Wagner, and Dominick. It was an honor to be with such good young men and to work alongside Fr. Shawn. It was also inspiring to know that the trip represented the generosity of the Friendship cup that so many help out with. It was inspiring to join with 21 thousand other High Schoolers to draw closer to Christ, our King and God.
Today as I sign the words of Jesus from the Gospel I have to ask myself about the tone of Jesus' voice and what He must have looked like as He spoke. I wonder what it must have been like to look at Christ as he spoke that day.
One young man once asked me this very question. He has always thought of Jesus as a kind and gentle shepherd. Is this true? Yes. The young man was right. Jesus is a kind and gentle shepherd. The young man was confused, however, because one time he read a story in the Bible that portrayed Jesus in a different way. The theme at the conference taught the youth to look at Jesus as a mighty King with glory and power. This is true? Yes. Jesus is a King in the most full sense of the word. The Gospel today portrays Jesus in yet another way. Jesus in His warnings seems, for lack of a better word, scary.
So what does Jesus look like? The answer: He looks dynamic. We take in the whole Gospel. We see Jesus' face like the human face that it is. It is a face that can make us feel peace, or get us moving and out of a lazy slothful boring mode; it is a face that proclaims such glory that it is indeed a face which is not only like God, it is the very face of God.
Christ looks all these ways. The Last day will, by God's grace and mercy, fulfill our destiny to stand and look up and gaze upon that face and how we will feel is so great we can't begin to put words to it.
In Christ,
Fr. St. Martin
RETREAT AT ESPOUSAL CENTER
On December 6 from 10-5, the Espousal Center 554 Lexington St., Waltham will offer a retreat: Daybreak:: Finding Peace, Healing, Resilience, and Hope in a Turbulent World. The day will include talks, small groups, private reflection time, inner healing prayer, and Mass.
For further information go to www.espousal.org. or contact 781-209-3120, or espousaladmin@gmail.com.
WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER
Just as we celebrate Thanksgiving by gathering together with family, why not celebrate your marriage by attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend? It is a positive, simple, common sense, private experience between husband and wife that revitalizes your marriage. Make your reservation now! The next Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekends in New England are December 4-6 and January 8-10. For more information call Ralph & Jane Becker at 1-800-710-WWME or visit www.wwmeMA.org.
GOD OF THIS CITY TOUR
Join Lift Ministries and the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth & Young Adults for the God of this City Tour coming to the Archdiocese of Boston November 30-December 4th. Each night will feature praise and worship music, dynamic speakers, confessions and Eucharistic Adoration. Please join a parish near you each night from 7-9pm.
Monday: St. Joseph’s, Wakefield – Fr. Matt Williams
Tuesday: St. Paul’s, Wellesley – Bob Gill
Wednesday: St. Thomas Aquinas, Bridgewater – Sr. Olga
Thursday: St. Augustine, Andover – Fr. John Capuci
Friday: Cathedral of the Holy Cross – Cardinal Sean
All details can be found at www.godofthiscitytour.com.
A FESTIVAL OF LESSONS AND CAROLS
Come to St. Paul Church, 502 Washington St., Wellesley, to experience the story of the Nativity told through readings, Choral Settings and Audience Carols on the Feast of St. Nicholas, Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 4:00 PM. Features include The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Charpentier and In Dulci Jubilio by Buxtehude performed by The St. Paul Choir, Mary Lee Cirella Conductor and Music Director.
CALENDAR NOTES
EXTENDED COFFEE HOUR:
Sunday, November 29 – 10 AM to 1 PM – Parish Center
BOY SCOUTS:
Monday, November 30 – 7:30 PM – Parish Center
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION – Tuesday, December 1
GRADES 1-5: – 4:00 to 5:15 PM – Lower Church
GRADES 6-10: – 7:00 to 8:30 PM – Lower Church
GUILD OF ST. FRANCIS BOARD MEETING:
Tuesday, December 1 – 7:00 PM – Guild Room (School)
PRAYER GROUP:
Wednesday, December 2 – 7:30 PM – Convent (Chapel)
PANCAKE BREAKFAST:
Friday, December 4 – Follows 9 AM Mass – Parish Center
LITURGY, ADORATION AND THE ROSARY:
Saturday, December 5 – 9 AM to 12:30 PM – Lower Church
WOMEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP:
Sunday, December 6 – 10:30 AM – Convent (DR)