WEEKLY PARISH BULLETIN

HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS MARY AND JOSEPH
 

Dec 30th to Jan 6th, 2008

"With the Lord there is PLENTIFUL REDEMPTION!"
Psalm 130: 7

  INDEX

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Weekly Mass Intentions and Schedule

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Announcements

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Prayer Lists

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Pastor's Corner

MASS INTENTIONS THIS WEEK

 

SATURDAY    DECEMBER               29, 2007

 4:00  PM     +Wil Brown

SUNDAY       DECEMBER               30

 9:00  AM     +Belin Rodriguez

11:00 AM     +Cruz Marinez

                     +Juana Maria Rente

12:30 PM     +Esparza and Martinez families

 6:30  PM       Purgatorian Society

                       Christmas Novena Names

MONDAY       DECEMBER               31

                    NEW YEAR’S EVE

  7:00 AM     +Eugene & Irene Galvin

12:10 PM       Br. Steve, CSSR

                NEW YEAR’S DAY 2008

TUESDAY         JANUARY                1

9:00   AM       Christmas Novena Names

WEDNESDAY  JANUARY                 2

7:00   AM     +Kenneth P. Galvin

12:10 PM       Anna Esenwah

THURSDAY     JANUARY                 3

 7:00 AM        The Gaston Family

12:10 PM       The Theodore Family

FRIDAY           JANUARY                  4

 7:00 AM         All the Saints

12:10PM       +Thomyra Gaston

SATURDAY    JANUARY                  5

 8:00 AM         Patricia Eng

12:10 PM     +Joseph Grady 10th anniversary

                     +Wil Brown and Ben

4:00 PM       +Imene Bazelais

SUNDAY         JANUARY                  6

 9:00 AM      + Manuel DelValle, Jr.

11:00 AM     +Rosin Alagrin

                     +Angel Feliciano 7th anniversary

 +12:30 PM  +Timothy & Josephine Hallissey

                     +Hallissey Family

 6:30 PM        Purgatorian Society

 

 

The Rosary is prayed after the 9 AM Mass every Wednesday

**REMEMBER YOUR CHURCH IN YOUR WILL**

ANNOUNCEMENTS...

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008

Fr. Richard Bennett, along with the Redemptorists Fathers and the staff of Mission Church wish you and your families a very Happy and Blessed New Year!

 

  BAPTISMAL INSTRUCTIONS

Please call the Rectory Office for dates and information about Baptism.

 

                TAIZÈ PRAYER

Taizè prayer, a form of contemplative prayer which includes simple sung prayer and shared silence, will be offered on Thursday, January 17th at 7 PM in the Rectory Chapel. The prayer service is offered every third Thursday of each month.  For more details contact Fr. Matt Allman,CSSR at (617) 445-2600 or  email him at mattcssr@yahoo.com

 

                  RCIA

Are you an adult who has never been       Confirmed?  Are you a Christian from another community who is now interested in becoming a Roman Catholic?  Are you un- baptized and seeking to join the Church?  Please join us for a meeting of our parish RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.  We meet on Sunday’s following the 9 AM Mass in the  Rectory.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call Fr. Bennett or Fr. Allman. 

 

           HEALING SERVICE

At our Healing Services we pray the Holy Spirit will come down with healing and strengthening graces. The next healing service here in the Basilica will be next

Sunday, December 30th at 2PM.

 

2nd collection : Current Expenses

Next week-end is for:  New Year’s collection

 

 

MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP

 

NOVENA  SERVICES (Masses)

Wednesday:7:00 AM and 12:10 PM

NOVENA  BENEDICTIONS

Wednesday:  5:30 PM

TV  NOVENA  (Channel 45)

Sunday: 11:00 PM

Wednesday 12 Noon and 10:00PM 

Thursday 11:30 PM         

 

NEW YEAR’S DAY MASS SCHEDULE

HAPPY NEW YEAR from the

Redemptorists Fathers and Staff of Mission Church.  Please join us for Mass on Monday,  New Year’s Day at  9 AM.  The Church will close for the day following the Mass.  The Rectory Office will be closed for the day.  

 

             CHRISTMAS FLOWERS

Thank you to all the folks that helped with donations to defray the costs of the flowers for the altar.  Your generous donations help to beautify the altars for many weeks.  Also thanks to all who donated to our Christmas Novena Cards.

 

              THANK YOU

 

Thank you to all the volunteers who decorated the Church for this holiday

season.  The Church and altars looked spectacular.  

 

REMEMBER THOSE IN THE MILITARY

Pvt. Christopher Butler, SPC. Brian Carey, Stephen Casey, Pvt. Steve  Cotter, Pvt. 1st Class Gilbert De La Rosa, USMC, CPO. Matt Fanara, Cpr. Michael Hines, Lt. Col. Daniel Knight, Spc. Michael Lovett, Pvt. Daniel Molina, Pvt. Sean Rivera, CPL. Peter Smyth-Hammond, USMC and Juan Carlos Trejos

 

 

           BILLS THIS WEEK

 Payroll  $ 12, 650.84

 

          SUNDAY COLLECTIONS 

The total collection taken up Sunday,

December 23rd at the week-end Masses was: $ 4, 591.00

1st collection (Loose)   $  1, 449.00

1st collection (Env.)      $   2, 232.00 

2nd collection                $   910.00

 

 

PRAYER LISTS   Fr .Vincent Kelly, CSSR, Fr. Leo Dunn, CSSR, Fr Lawrence Buckley, CSSR, Maureen Adams, Matthew Agard, David Bell, Charlie Capodanno, Kay Carrigan, James Carroll, Egerton Chang, Diane Chute, Robert Clanton, John Cooper, Cleo Crayton, Marion Coutts, Amanda Daly, Bernadette  DeGrandis, Marguerite DeJoie, Katie Dimanto, Kara Dingell, Clare Doherty, Joseph Doughtery, Mary Dowd, Mary Doyle, Patricia Eng, Jennifer Ferentzy, Tom & Kathy Finn, Theresa Flaherty, John Galvin, Jack Gibbons, Steve Gleason, Gisela Gonzales, Susan Gury, Helen Hallissey, Nowell Hanibalsz, Thomas Hardiman, Edward Hegarty, Sr. Eleanor Hegarty, SSND, John  Hegarty, Mary Horgan, Joan Hurlburt, Philip Laing, Jessica Laing, Cindy Luberto, Mary Jewell, Daniel Kelly, Esmi Littleton, James & Catherine Lynch, John& Margaret Lynch, Patsy MacDougall, Jackie McLaughlin, Mary McMahon, Susan (Jewell) Merner, Mickey Monahan, Michael Nardone, M. Louise O’Brien, Sr. Evangelus O’Brien, SSND, Daniel O’Donnell, Mary O’Donnell, Dolores O’Halloran, Billy O’Hara, Margaret O’Hara, Caitlin Marie O’Sullivan, Theresa Poirer, Fran  Powers, Kay Reilly, James and Mary Scannell, Mary M. Sheehan, Helen St.Cyr, Emily Sullivan, Rita Sullivan, Mary & Don Tice, Lee Trevisone, Michael Very, Joseph & Brenda Waible and Nana Walsh PASTOR'S CORNER Fr. Richard Bennett, C.SS.R.   Dear Parishioners, I think we all need people in our lives that we can look up to, people we admire and want to imitate somehow in how we live out our own lives.  For Christians, the lives of the Saints have served as inspiration to those who follow Christ and his gospel.  I am proud to share with you one of my personal heroes of the faith, St. John Neumann, C. S. s. R. as we anticipate his feast day this January the 5th.                         The Little Bishop Saint John Neumann was not an impressive figure at first glance. He was short and soft spoken and often criticized for not being stern enough. Father Neumann made up for his shortcomings by being one of the hardest working priests of his day. While never desiring a position of authority, the Redemptorists assigned him to posts of great importance in difficult times - and he accomplished great things through hard work and a faithful spiritual life.                              Leap of  faith John Neumann was born in 1811 in the village of Prachatitz in Bohemia to devout Catholic parents. He entered the seminary and quickly realized he wanted to be a missionary in America. After months of waiting for an assignment, Neumann made the voyage to New York with no promise of employment nor resources-a true leap of faith. Upon his arrival, the Archdiocese of New York quickly offered him a position because of his knowledge of languages and ordained him in 1836. He worked four years as a missionary priest in rural, western New York. His work was physically and emotionally demanding because those he served were spread out over a large, rural area with poor roads. While Father Neumann welcomed the hard work, he felt the solitude of being a lone missionary priest was not good for his spiritual health and so joined the Redemptorist Order.                               Labor of love In 1840, Father Neumann began his novitiate with the Redemptorists and took his religious vows in 1842. As a Redemptorist father, he first served at St. James Church in Baltimore. In 1844, he was sent to St. Philomena's Church in Pittsburgh as Superior of the Redemptorist Foundation. While there, Father Neumann built a new church despite financial hardship, gaining the love of his parishioners by visiting the sick, hearing confessions, preaching regularly, and providing a sustaining presence to the 6,000 Catholics in the area. He worked tirelessly and was removed from his ministry there for fear that he would literally work himself to death. Having been a Redemptorist for only five years, Father Neumann was made temporary Superior of the Order throughout America. This position came with its share of administrative challenges and controversy-including financial problems, disagreements over expanding the Order, and criticisms of Father Neumann's soft manner. Through it all, he had many notable  accomplishments but took greatest pride in serving parishioners directly. Reluctantly, Father Neumann accepted the assignment as Bishop of Philadelphia in 1852, a position against which he heartily campaigned. Once again, he was faced with serious financial problems but always remained faithful to his spiritual practices and diligent devotion to the people of his diocese.     Advocate for children and religious orders While he was frequently burdened with administrative and financial tasks mired in controversy, Father Neumann made great strides in areas that were near and dear to his heart, particularly parochial education and the care of religious orders. lineHe is credited with strengthening and organizing the parochial school system taking shape in America, inviting the School Sisters of Notre Dame to Baltimore to run the Redemptorist schools. In 1847, Father Neumann prevented the dissolution of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, a religious order of black women. He also brought seven religious orders to Philadelphia and founded the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis.                    Priesthood to sainthood After a lifetime of service, Father John Neumann collapsed on a street in Philadelphia and died in 1860. He had asked to be buried at St. Peter's Church in Philadelphia-the place where he felt most at home and often made confession. After his death, several people reported experiencing healing after visiting his tomb. Father Neumann was beatified in 1963 and in 1977 became the first American bishop to be canonized. He is remembered for his dedication to his Church, his humble spirituality despite holding positions of great authority, and the simplicity of his works. Pilgrims come from all over the world to visit his tomb in Philadelphia where "The Little Bishop" continues to bring inspiration and comfort to believers.                                Fr. Richard Bennett, CSSR   PRAY THE ROSARY THE CRANES AND THE ABBESS FROM ORFORDAcross the river from Orford, I saw a flock of cranes arise. With straightened necks and legs like stilts rising before my eyes. The cranes came in the Springtime but did not long bide. They would make their nests on some distant stretch along the riverside. The town of Orford like other towns is a restless place at best. Young folks leave as the cranes left for a final place of rest. One day, a young girl from Orford set out at break of day And drove to a hill near St. Botolph's town. A score of miles away, She joined nuns working in a field, praising God night and day, She left all things behind her, even the clothes she wore, And clothed herself with rough Trappist robes to wear forevermore.  The cranes came in their season as long as they could fly, But the years roll on and it may be their coming has long gone by. The young girl is now abbess like abbesses of old, Chosen to rule with mother love and not with power or gold. The Orford folk love the abbess though she left for the cloistered hill, They know that she prays for them night and day and so is with them still.  The abbess prays for the young folk seeking a place of rest, That they find their own road to the heart of God and that will be the best. - John E. Doherty, C.Ss.R.