Sacred Heart Parish

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK

Sunday, March 7

9:00 AM Intentions of Isabel Mazzarella

11:45 AM Parishioners of Sacred Heart

Monday, March 8

12:05 PM Brigitte Paul

Thursday, March 11

7:00 AM Robert W. Murphy

Friday, March 12

12:05 PM Reynaldo Opeña

Saturday, March 13

4:00 PM Ursula Patricia Lyons

Sunday, March 14

9:00 PM Parishioners of Sacred Heart

11:45 AM Filomena and Rocco Calvi and Maria Belcastro

CELEBRANTS FOR NEXT WEEKEND’S MASSES

Saturday, March 13

4:00 PM Fr. Imbelli

Sunday, March 14

9:00 AM Fr. Connelly

10:30 AM Fr. St. Martin

11:45 AM Fr. Connelly

CONFESSIONS

Wednesday, March 10 – 6:30 to 8:00 PM – Fr. Connelly

Saturday, March 13 – 2:00 to 3:30 PM – Fr. Connelly

READINGS FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

First Reading: Joshua 5:9a, 10-12

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Gospel Reading: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

2010 CATHOLIC APPEAL

This is CATHOLIC APPEAL WEEKEND. Through the Appeal, we have the opportunity to help our brothers and sisters throughout the Archdiocese. Giving is a way of answering God’s call to love and share. By doing so, we are not only helping to renew the strength and vitality of our Church, but recognizing a need within ourselves for sacrifice for the Lord. A gift is important, not so much for how much it is, but because of what we become through the act of giving. In this spirit, please prayerfully consider a 2010 Catholic Appeal gift.

LENTEN PENANCE SERVICE

A Newton Lenten Penance Service will be held at Our Lady Help of Christians Church, 573 Washington St., on Sunday, March 21 at 2 PM. If transportation is needed, kindly call the rectory (617-969-2248) to make arrangements.

LENTEN ALMSGIVING

The season of Lent calls us to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. This year our almsgiving projects are:

  • St. Francis House – men’s white tube socks, tee shirts size XL, and underwear sizes 32-38

  • St. Francis House – fruit juices for March

  • Rice Bowls – for worldwide needs, sponsored by Catholic Relief Services

  • Haitian Relief – second collection on Passion/Palm Sunday (March 28/29)

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS

Our Confirmation Speaker series continues this week with Sister Saula Firer, a sister of Our Lady of Mercy Congregation in Dorchester, the same order as founder St. Faustina Kowalska. She will speak on “Prayer” during this season of Lent and also on Religious Life. All parents and parishioners of Sacred Heart are welcome to join us and learn about our Catholic faith together! CCD begins with a decade of the Rosary in the Chapel and class at 7:15-8:30 pm.

We encourage all our CCD families to attend Mass, pray together, recite the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary and pray at the Stations of the Cross. All our students have been given a Lenten Rice Bowl to fill with their own allowance as their gift to the poor. Also, there will be baskets in the hallway to receive clothing for St. Francis House. All Rice bowls and underwear donations will be brought to the altar with other gifts on Holy Thursday evening.

Michelle Solomon, RE Director

SOUP AND STATIONS

Many thanks to all who participated in the Soup and Stations on February 26 at Corpus Christi Church. Our soup makers certainly outdid themselves and the church was nicely filled for the moving Stations of the Cross. Sacred Heart is very grateful for the outpouring of cooperation that we experience in this Newton cooperative effort. Soup and Stations continue this week at Corpus Christi with Mary Immaculate hosting. Soup is served at 6; and Stations begin at 7 PM.

Bernadette and Peter Castellanos

GUILD OF ST. FRANCIS FAMILY NIGHT

Last chance to make your reservations for the Family Night dinner on March 13. Adults $15, children $7.50. Call Sally Daly at 617-527-4468 or Mary English at 617-332-8656.

OFFERTORY INCOME

Weekend of February 27/28 $5,652

WHAT MAKES PLANNING PASTORAL?

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to celebrate all the Sunday Masses for our hearing parishioners, and I talked about the important task which faces us with regard to Pastoral Planning for the five or ten years to come. We reflected on three questions:

  • What is Pastoral Planning?

  • Why is it a present concern?

  • Who’s going to do it?

The pastoral planning that is going on throughout the Diocese is not some “top-down” procedure. The Bishop is asking every parish to think through its hopes and vision for the future, and to do so in a collaborative manner. Of course the Church Catholic all over the world, the Archdiocese of Boston, Sacred Heart Parish in Newton and St. Peter’s Parish in Dorchester have a common mission – the mission first given to the Apostles by the risen Christ, who teaches us all to bring the gospel good news to all the world; and all the while the risen Christ promises to be with us, to support us, to be our way, our truth and our life. Why do I mention St. Peter’s in Dorchester, the parish of my young life in faith? Some people ask – Why do we need a mission statement for each parish when we know from the Scriptures what the Lord Jesus expects from his Church in its universal mission? St. Peter’s Parish and Sacred Heart Parish obviously have a common mission; however, Dorchester has issues and problems which we do not have in Newton, and we have problems and issues which the folks do not have in Dorchester. Pastoral planning involves the universal Church (under the Holy Father), the particular church under our Bishop, and those many instances of the particular church of Boston as is seen in its many parishes. Each week for the season of Lent, I will try to comment on pastoral planning, for indeed it is not only something essential but also something formidable.

First, let me touch on a point that needs some clarity: What is the role of the lay person in the Church? In other words – Who does what, and why does who do what in the work and mission of the Church? God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is at work in his divine plan for the salvation of the world. The risen Christ, true God and true Man, is present with us in the Church in so many different ways, as is the Holy Spirit who is the very soul of the Church, animating the Church and its members with the new life God gives us in Christ. All who belong to Christ in the Church through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation are responsible for the work of the Church. Bishops, priests and deacons under the Bishop of Rome who is Pope of the universal Church exercise the ministerial priesthood which comes through the sacrament of Holy Orders. The main task of the ministerial priesthood is to bring the Gospel to, and minister to the needs of all who belong to Christ in the Church. It’s the primary task of lay Catholics, then, to bring the Gospel to the world and to the public square. On the Feast of Christ the King, we often say that lay persons, when they celebrate Sunday Eucharist, when they pray, when they live the sacrificial demands of the Gospel, they share in the work of Christ the King. When they teach their children the Catechism, when they inform themselves about the adult consequences of the faith, when they speak up about the faith in the public square, they advance the work of Christ the Teacher. They continue the work of Christ the King when they bring the truths of the Gospel to society and culture through family life, through the arts and technology, through education and economics, through labor and management, through medicine and politics. This is the primary work of lay members of the Church, which is to order the temporal things of the world according to the Gospel. All the while lay persons have important roles to play in the interior life of the Church. Think, for example, of those who make up our staff here at the parish. It is so important that lay people become ministers of the Eucharist at Mass and bring Holy Communion to the sick and the elderly and the dying in the parish, and to hold Eucharistic services when there can be no Mass, and to help prepare for Baptism and Marriage, and run courses and seminars on the faith and, by praying together in faith, insure that the parish stays together in faith – significantly more than would be possible without their ministry. All the while, all this would be impossible without devoted priests to celebrate the Eucharist, administer the sacraments and oversee the spiritual works of the parish.

As I mentioned last Sunday, the Bishop and his Cabinet have drafted some strategic priorities which can help us in the parish work of pastoral planning. In light of this column, we can all profitably reflect on one of those priorities. Next week we will ask and answer some questions in this regard. One of them reads as follows:

Developing Excellence in Faith Formation for Catholics of all ages. Developing excellence in our Catholic schools, religious education programs, adult faith formation programs and lay leadership programs so that all generations of Catholics are knowledgeable and passionate about expressing their Catholic faith in today’s world. Encouraging and equipping parents and grandparents to be excellent teachers of our faith to their children and grandchildren.

Father Connelly

ROME TRIP RAFFLE

FOR THE BENEFIT OF ST. JOHN’S SEMINARY

Six-day, five-night stay for four people in Rome, the Eternal City, known for its beauty, history, cuisine, etc. Approximate value of the package is $10,000. Raffle tickets are $100 each, and only 300 tickets will be sold. For more information, please visit www.sjs.edu. Package does not include air fare, lunches or dinners, except as noted.

SIGNINGS

How do we know if God loves us?  Some people in the Gospel thought that if bad things happened to you, then that meant God didn't like you.  It would be like us saying that if you suffered an earthquake, it meant God didn't like you.  We know that is not true.  So how do we know?  What is the evidence of God's love?

Jesus tells us.  The sign of God’s love is our love.  If we have love coming out of us, that is how we know that God is with us.

This is what God calls us to and sets us up for.  Moses in the first reading has an experience of talking with God.  God reveals Himself to Moses.  Moses finds that God really wills for us to be given the good we need so that we can grow in love.  God's people at the time were crying out to God in their need.  They were like plants that needed water and good soil so they could bear good fruit.  That happened.  They made it.  They were saved and brought to the promise land where they could love God and neighbor.

God will give us what we need to become good plants in His garden.  He is giving us a good watering now in this time of Lent.  We are turning to Him again by His good grace, and being fed so that we can love Him and each other for another year.

In Christ,

Fr. St. Martin

LENTEN DAY OF PRAYER AND REFLECTION

The Pro-life Office of the Archdiocese of Boston and Women Affirming Life will be hosting a Lenten Day of Prayer and Reflection on Saturday, March 20th from 9 am to 2 pm at the Daughters of St. Paul Convent in Jamaica Plain. The guest speaker will be Sister Margaret Edward Moran, FSP. Her topic is: “At the Foot of the Cross: A Marian Lenten Reflection”. For more information, please call 508-651-1900 or email ProLifeOffice@rcab.org.

LENTEN DAY AT SPIRITUAL LIFE CENTER

On Saturday, March 13th, spend a powerful day with Patrick Madrid at the Spiritual Life Center, 154 Summer Street, Medway, MA. Doors open 8:30 am; evening Mass 7 pm. No charge except for meals. Go to www.betania2.org for reservation form or call 508-533-5377 ext. 106.

LIFT – CATHOLIC WORSHIP FOR A NEW GENERATION

Be with us on Tuesday, March 16th as we welcome guest speaker Susan Conroy. The evening runs from 7-9 PM at Fontbonne Academy, 930 Brook Road, Milton. More information can be found at www.liftedhigher.com.

BC COLLEGE ENRICHMENT AND LEARNING

The Church in the 21st Century at Boston College continuing with the theme of Growing in Faith: The Journey of a Lifetime is offering several events during March. On Wednesday, March 17. Kate Dugan and Jennifer Owens will present From the Pews in the Back: Young Women and Catholicism at 4 PM. On Thursday, March 18, Fr. William Barry, SJ will present Friendship with God at 7 PM. Both events will take place in the Heights Room, Corcoran Commons, Main Campus. For more information, call 617-552-0470 or go to www.bc.edu/church21.

MASTER OF ARTS IN MINISTRY OPEN HOUSE

Come listen to our students and alumni panel discuss their academic and ministerial experiences at an Open House for future students of MAM for Laity on March 25, 7-8:30 PM at St. John’s Seminary, 149 Washington St., Brighton. Ask questions, learn about scholarships, apply for September admission. RSVP by calling 617-779-4104. For additional information, visit www.sjs.edu.

WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER

“Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.” Marriage erodes when we take each other for granted. Hear more about the choices to love that keep marriage strong. The next Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekends in New England are March 19-21, April 23-25 and May 21-23. Call Ralph & Jane Becker at 1-800-710WWME or visit www.wwmeMA.org.

CALENDAR NOTES

EXTENDED COFFEE HOUR:

Sunday, March 7 – 10 AM to 1 PM – Parish Center

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION – Grades 1-5:

Sunday, March 7 – 10:30 to 11:45 AM – Lower Church

BOY SCOUTS:

Monday, March 8 – 7:30 PM – Parish Center

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Tuesday, March 9

Grades 1-5 – 4:00 to 5:15 PM – Lower Church

Grades 6-10 – 7:00 to 8:30 PM – Lower Church

CONFESSIONS:

Wednesday, March 10 – 6:30 to 8:00 PM – Lower Church

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS:

Wednesday, March 10 – 8 PM – Convent (Dining Room)

PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL MEETING:

Thursday, March 11 – 7:30 PM – Convent (Library)

COFFEE HOUR:

Friday, March 12 – Following 9 AM Mass – Parish Center

LITURGY, ADORATION AND THE ROSARY:

Saturday, March 13 – 9 AM to 12:30 PM – Lower Church

GUILD OF ST. FRANCIS FAMILY NIGHT:

Saturday, March 13 – 5-8 PM – Parish Center

EXTENDED COFFEE HOUR:

Sunday, March 14 – 10 AM to 1 PM – Parish Center