Sacred Heart and Saint Thomas More—October 31, 2021—31st Sunday in Ordinary Time The communion of saints is a timely topic in November when we, as members of the communion of saints, celebrate All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2), times when we center our earthly prayers for the saints who have gone before us. The communion of saints connects living and the dead Christians as the One Body of Christ. We, the living, pray for the dead, “the souls in purgatory,” who need prayers on their journey to heaven. In the same way, the multitude of saints in heaven pray for us, the living. Saint Therese of Liseux embraced her death, her gateway to heaven, because, she said: “I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth.” Whenever we gather to celebrate the Eucharist, we pray for those who have gone before us, even as the angels and saints in heaven are praying for us. At Mass, we have communion with God, with the saints in heaven, and with one another. The Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, declares that: "all the faithful, scattered though they be throughout the world, are in commun- ion with each other in the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit is not bound by human borders, so the communion that we share in the Spirit transcends space, time, and even earthly life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) professes that there are “three states of the Church:” "When the Lord comes in glo- ry, and all his angels with him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory, contemplating 'in full light, God himself triune and one, exactly as he is."' The living are “saints” because they are baptized, members of the Body of Christ, united in faith and belief, praying and receiving the sacraments, and advancing in holiness. Our saint- hood is unfinished. We are “saints in training.” In the New Testament, “saints” means not canonized saints (a much later development), but rather all the people of God. Paul began one of his letters, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi” (Phil. 1:1).The saints in heaven are those who have completed the race, kept the faith, and have been given the crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:7,8). The souls in purgatory are those who die in God's friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven. "For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." (1 Thess 4:14) Or, as the Catechism explains it: "So it is that the union of the wayfarers with the brethren who sleep in the peace of Christ is in no way interrupted, but on the contrary, according to the constant faith of the Church, this union is reinforced by an exchange of spiritual goods.” (No. 955). Our prayers and the good deeds we do for the souls in purgatory are “spiritual goods.” The souls in purgatory are able to pray for us, too. This is the connectedness of charity and exchange of spiritual goods to which the Catechism refers: "In full consciousness of this com- munion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; and 'because it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins' she offers her suffrages for them." Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective. (No. 958) The communion of saints includes not just the living and the dead, but also those who, by the holiness of their lives on earth are now with Jesus in heaven. "It is not merely by the title or example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion (to the saints) to the exercise of fraternal charity (so that) the union of the whole Church in the Spirit may be strengthened. Exactly as Christian commun- ion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself.” (No. 956) In heaven, the saints carry out the same mission they did on earth: making saints. They intercede for us so that we may be holy as they are holy. "Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness. . .They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus . So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped." (No. 956.) On his deathbed, Saint Dominic urged his brothers: “Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death, and I shall help you then more effectively than dur- ing my life.” Saint Dominic, like Saint Therese Lisieux, was already anticipating the continuation of his mission to make saints. When asked to explain the communion of saints, Sister Eliz- abeth Johnson, CSJ responded: “What biblical scholars say is that the image…is of a stadium with a race is being run and those who ran the race earlier are up in the stands and those now running the race are down on the tarmac. Those who are up in the stands are cheering for those down on the tarmac and those up in the stands are the cloud of witnesses. They’ve run the race. Now we’re down here still running but they’re cheer- ing for us—that’s how I like to think of it. Anyway, surround- ed by the cloud of witnesses, yeah, that is the companionship model of the communion of saints.” As we celebrate this month’s holyday, let us remember that all of the saints in heaven had one essential common bond: their devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In this Year of the Eucharist, we celebrate the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Through the Eucharist we have real commun- ion with Jesus Himself. So it is that, at every Mass, all the saints, living, dead and glorified in heaven, are present to give glory and praise to the Lord. The same Christ who reigns on the throne in heaven with His saints above is made present in the Eucharist with his saints below, and when the faithful receive the Eucharist, there is holy Communion between all of God’s saints.The Eucharist and the Communion of Saints give us the strength to keep running our race to receive the crown that awaits us. No matter where our journey takes us we can—through the reception of the Eucharist and the prayers of our fellow pilgrims and the intercession of those who have gone before us will keep us on course. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us” (Heb 12:1- 2).
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Sacred Heart and Saint Thomas More—October 31, 2021—31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
The communion of saints is a timely topic in November when we, as members of the communion of saints, celebrate All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2), times when we center our earthly prayers for the saints who have gone before us. The communion of saints connects living and the dead Christians as the One Body of Christ. We, the living, pray for the dead, “the souls in purgatory,” who need prayers on their journey to heaven. In the same way, the multitude of saints in heaven pray for us, the living. Saint Therese of Liseux embraced her death, her gateway to heaven, because, she said: “I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth.” Whenever we gather to celebrate the Eucharist, we pray for those who have gone before us, even as the angels and saints in heaven are praying for us. At Mass, we have communion with God, with the saints in heaven, and with one another. The Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, declares that: "all the faithful, scattered though they be throughout the world, are in commun-ion with each other in the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit is not bound by human borders, so the communion that we share in the Spirit transcends space, time, and even earthly life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) professes that there are “three states of the Church:” "When the Lord comes in glo-ry, and all his angels with him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory, contemplating 'in full light, God himself triune and one, exactly as he is."' The living are “saints” because they are baptized, members of the Body of Christ, united in faith and belief, praying and receiving the sacraments, and advancing in holiness. Our saint-hood is unfinished. We are “saints in training.” In the New Testament, “saints” means not canonized saints (a much later development), but rather all the people of God. Paul began one of his letters, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi” (Phil. 1:1).The saints in heaven are those who have completed the race, kept the faith, and have been given the crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:7,8). The souls in purgatory are those who die in God's friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven. "For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." (1 Thess 4:14) Or, as the Catechism explains it: "So it is that the union of the wayfarers with the brethren who sleep in the peace of Christ is in no way interrupted, but on the contrary, according to the constant faith of the Church, this union is reinforced by an exchange of spiritual goods.” (No. 955). Our prayers and the good deeds we do for the souls in purgatory are “spiritual goods.” The souls in purgatory are able to pray for us, too. This is the connectedness of charity and exchange of spiritual goods to which the Catechism refers: "In full consciousness of this com-munion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of
the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; and 'because it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins' she offers her suffrages for them." Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective. (No. 958) The communion of saints includes not just the living and the dead, but also those who, by the holiness of their lives on earth are now with Jesus in heaven. "It is not merely by the title or example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion (to the saints) to the exercise of fraternal charity (so that) the union of the whole Church in the Spirit may be strengthened. Exactly as Christian commun-ion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself.” (No. 956) In heaven, the saints carry out the same mission they did on earth: making saints. They intercede for us so that we may be holy as they are holy. "Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness. . .They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus . So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped." (No. 956.) On his deathbed, Saint Dominic urged his brothers: “Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death, and I shall help you then more effectively than dur-ing my life.” Saint Dominic, like Saint Therese Lisieux, was already anticipating the continuation of his mission to make saints. When asked to explain the communion of saints, Sister Eliz-abeth Johnson, CSJ responded: “What biblical scholars say is that the image…is of a stadium with a race is being run and those who ran the race earlier are up in the stands and those now running the race are down on the tarmac. Those who are up in the stands are cheering for those down on the tarmac and those up in the stands are the cloud of witnesses. They’ve run the race. Now we’re down here still running but they’re cheer-ing for us—that’s how I like to think of it. Anyway, surround-ed by the cloud of witnesses, yeah, that is the companionship model of the communion of saints.” As we celebrate this month’s holyday, let us remember that all of the saints in heaven had one essential common bond: their devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In this Year of the Eucharist, we celebrate the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Through the Eucharist we have real commun-ion with Jesus Himself. So it is that, at every Mass, all the saints, living, dead and glorified in heaven, are present to give glory and praise to the Lord. The same Christ who reigns on the throne in heaven with His saints above is made present in the Eucharist with his saints below, and when the faithful receive the Eucharist, there is holy Communion between all of God’s saints.The Eucharist and the Communion of Saints give us the strength to keep running our race to receive the crown that awaits us. No matter where our journey takes us we can—through the reception of the Eucharist and the prayers of our fellow pilgrims and the intercession of those who have gone before us will keep us on course. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us” (Heb 12:1-2).
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Sacred Heart and Saint Thomas More—October 31, 2021—31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Litany for the Faithful DepartedR. Lord, have mercy on us.V. Christ, have mercy on us.R. Christ, have mercy on us.V. Lord, have mercy on us.R. Lord, have mercy on us.V. Christ, hear us.R. Christ, graciously hear us.God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on the souls of the faithful departedGod the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on the souls of the faithful departedGod the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on the souls of the faithful departedHoly Trinity, one God, Have mercy on the souls of the faithful departed. Holy Mary, Pray for the souls of the faithful de-parted. Holy Mother of God, Pray for the souls of the faithful departed. Holy Virgin of virgins, Pray for the souls of the faithful departedSt. Michael, Pray for the souls of the faithful departed. All ye angels and archangels, etc.All ye orders of blessed spirits,St. John the Baptist, ,St. Joseph, All ye holy patriarchs and prophets, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John, All ye holy apostles and evangelists,St. Stephen, St. Lawrence, All ye holy mar-tyrs, St. Gregory, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Jerome,All ye holy bishops and confessors,All ye holy doctors, All ye holy priests and Levites, All ye holy monks and hermits,St, Mary Magdalen, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Barbara, All ye holy virgins and widows,All ye saints of God, Be merciful, Spare them, O Lord Be merciful, Graciously hear us, O Lord From all evil, O Lord deliver them. From Thy wrath, O Lord deliver them. From the rigor of Thy justice, O Lord deliver them. From the power of the devil, O Lord deliver them. From the gnawing worm of conscience, O Lord deliver them.From long-enduring sorrow, etc.From eternal flames, From intolerable cold,
From horrible darkness,From dreadful weeping and wailing,Through Thine admirable conception,Through Thy holy nativity,Through Thy most sweet name, Through Thy baptism and holy fasting,Through Thy most profound humiliations, Through Thy prompt obedience,Through Thy infinite love,Through Thy sorrow and anguish,Through Thy bloody sweat,Through Thy bonds,Through Thy scourging,Through Thy crowning with thorns,Through Thy carrying of the cross,Through Thy most cruel death,Through Thy five most holy wounds,Through Thy most bitter cross and passion, Through Thy holy Resurrection, Through Thine admirable Ascension, Through the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete,In the day of judgment, We sinners, We beseech Thee, hear usThou Who forgavest Magdalen, and didst hearken to the prayer of the thief, We beseech Thee, hear usThou Who gavest freely Thine elect, We be-seech Thee, hear usThou Who hast the keys of death and hell, We beseech Thee, hear usThat Thou wouldst be pleased to deliver the souls of our parents, relations, friends, and benefactors, from the pains of hell, We be-seech Thee, hear usThat Thou wouldst be pleased to have mercy on those of whom no special remembrance is made on earth, We beseech Thee, hear usThat Thou wouldst be pleased to grant them all the pardon and remission of their sins, We beseech Thee, hear usThat Thou wouldst be pleased to fulfill all their desires, We beseech Thee, hear usThat Thou wouldst be pleased to receive them into the company of the blessed, We beseech Thee, hear us
King of awful majesty, We beseech Thee, hear usSon of God, We beseech Thee, hear usV. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,R. grant unto them eternal rest.V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,R. grant unto them eternal rest.V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,R. grant unto them rest everlasting.V. Christ, hear us.R. Christ, graciously hear us.V. Lord, have mercy.R. Christ, have mercy.V. From the gate of hell,R. Deliver their souls, O Lord.V. O Lord, hear my prayer.R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us Pray:O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant unto the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins; that, by pious supplications, they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired. Grant this, O God, Who livest and reignest for ever and ever, Amen.O Eternal God, Who, besides the general pre-cept of charity, hast commanded a particular respect for parents, kindred, and benefactors; grant, we beseech Thee, that, as they were the instruments by which Thy providence be-stowed on us our birth, education and innu-merable other blessings, so our prayers may be the means to obtain for them a speedy re-lease from their excessive sufferings, and free admittance to Thine infinite joys. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. AmenV. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord.R. And let the perpetual light shine upon them.V. May they rest in peace.R. Amen.
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Sacred Heart and Saint Thomas More—October 31, 2021—31st Sunday in Ordinary Time The repetition of a Truth—word for word—in both the Old and New Testaments implies that this is a Truth of great significance. In today’s First Reading, Moses proclaims the blessings of loving God “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” More than a thousand of years later, Jesus responds to the question, “What is the greatest Commandment?” almost the same words, but with a notable difference. Jesus would know these words of Moses by heart. They had been “enjoined” upon them since they first heard the Law, the Ten Commandments. Even more, the Israelites believed that if they put God (and their religion) first, then they would be blessed by Him. This is the Law they strove to live by each day. For them, their success in life depended on it. Because every Jew knew this cardinal rule of right living, one wonders why Jesus, a practicing Jew would be asked such a question in the last week of His earthly life. Let alone—though they do not yet know it—Jesus is the Author of the Great Commandment. To discover a reason for this, we must first understand the context within which the question is asked. This passage in Mark’s Gospel begins with Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. In the last week of His life, Jesus provokes the anger of the chief priests and scribes with His words and actions. When He cleansed the Temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders ask Him: “By what authority do you do these things?” (Or, “Who gave you this authority to do these things?”) (11:28). The Pharisees also tried to trap Him with questions about taxes to Caesar (12:14-15). In this same week, some Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, asked Him about the widow who had seven husbands: “Moses wrote, ‘If a man’s brother dies, and leaves a wife behind him, and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.’ There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying, left no offspring. The second took her, and died, leaving no children behind him. The third likewise; and the seven took her and left no children. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be of them? For the seven had her as a wife.” (12:19-23). In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, these questions from the religious leaders had no “good” answers. They were only meant to find evidence that Jesus was not a “good” Jew. They hoped the people would then see Him as a revolutionary trying to change the Law of God in some way. They were traps meant to lead Jesus to His arrest and death. (See Matthew 22:34-40 and Luke 10:25-28), But in Mark’s Gospel, the interrogator is presented as a leader truly interested in finding the Truth. Mark writes: One of the scribes came and heard them (the other Pharisees and scribes) questioning together. Knowing that he (Jesus) had answered them well, (this scribe) asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?” (v. 28) Mark presents the scribe more favorably when he wrote that Jesus told the scribe he was “not far from the kingdom of God.” By the time that Jesus is asked this question, the scribes had devised rules for how to obey the Ten Commandments in any situation. There were now—not Ten Commandments of Mosaic Law—but 613 commandments (365 prohibitions and 248 positive commandments) that comprised the whole of the Law. The scribe in today’s Gospel is not asking which commandment is first among these 613 commandments, but rather which commandment is the key to obeying all the others.
Jesus responds to the question of which is the greatest of these commandments with the words: “‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one” (v. 29; Dt 6:4). These words are called the “Shema” (“Listen, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being,
and all your might.”). The Shema is regularly recited in synagogue worship and daily prayers, and is one of the scriptures kept in phylacteries (a small container worn on one’s person containing scriptures) and mezuzahs (a similar container for the doorpost of one’s house). This daily prayer is an ancient Israelite tradition, prayed in the morning and the evening. It is the Jewish pledge of allegiance and a hymn of praise. In reciting the Shema, Jesus is referring His listeners to the Torah, the core of Jewish faith and practice. The Shema is not a commandment. It is the foundation for the commandment to love God. The Shema from Deuteronomy 6:5 speaks of loving God with one’s heart, soul and might. But, Jesus added loving God with one’s mind. The scribes and rabbis loved God with their minds. They studied the Scriptures in great detail to discern the deeper meaning of God’s Words and Laws. When we love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength, we love God with everything that we are and everything we possess. That is, we love God with agape love. Agape love requires action. Agape love is more than a feeling. It requires that we demonstrate our love for God in a real and practical way. Agape love is not sentimental, humanistic, or altruistic. Our love for God finds its expression in our self-sacrificing love for our neighbor. The scribe asked for one commandment, but Jesus gives him two: to love God AND neighbor. Jesus binds the two together as one
commandment when He says: “There is no other commandment greater than these” (v. 31). Jesus’ ability to synthesize these two commandments into one demonstrates His thorough command of the Torah. These two commandments (love God and love your neighbor) neatly summarize the first and second tablets of the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments). The first three commandments emphasize our relationship to God by requiring that He be first in our lives, that we abstain from idolatry
(“You will have no other gods but Me.” (Ex 20:3-6), respect His name (v. 7), and keep the sabbath holy (Ex 20:8-11). The remaining seven commandments emphasize our relationship to other people, commanding that we honor father and mother (v. 12), and abstain from murder (v.13), adultery (v.14), theft (v.15), false witness (v.16), and covetousness (v.17). We cannot love and obey God if we do not express our love for Him by treating others the way we wish to be treated, by treating all persons the way Jesus loves them-unconditionally. Love of neighbor, agape love, is how we are called to express our love for God. Or, as Saint Paul has written: “He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For the commandments…are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Rom 13:8-10). Even more, Saint John reminds us: “If a man says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother” (1 John 4:20-21). Perhaps “no one dared ask Jesus any more questions” because there is no other answer to God’s commands than the call to love. God is LOVE, and LOVE is always the answer to any of life’s questions, challenges, and difficulties. LOVE is always where we find our greatest peace and joy. In today’s Gospel, Jesus was on His Way to the Cross where Love would find its truest, finest expression. Once again, God is calling us-through His Holy Word in today’s Gospel-to this same self-sacrificing love. God is calling us to be love for all of His People, especially the “least” of them. Once again, He is calling us—His People—to live agape love.
Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
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Sacred Heart and Saint Thomas More—October 31, 2021—31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Family Faith Formation News & Notes: Because of a large increase in this year's enroll-ment, more catechists are still needed. Could you please consider leading a group of God's children closer to Jesus and His Church? We are hoping that you will respond to God's call to preach and teach in any one of the grades 1-6. Sessions are held for one hour, on the first Sunday of each month. Please seek God's guidance in prayer to discern whether you are being called to serve as a catechist in our Family Faith Formation program this year. And, "if today you hear His voice, harden not your heart against it." Thank you for your consideration of this need. Please call Maureen at the office to volun-teer. Discipleship I & II was postponed due to the storm. More information on making up the class will be communicated this week.4 F F F C — G 1—6C S H S —P L C H
Resumed Opportunity for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Deacon Bash has begun Adoration on Sundays at 10:30am. Consider enjoying a quiet Holy Hour in the presence of our Eucharistic Lord after the 9:30am or before the 11:30am Mass. “Come Let us Adore Him.” We will continue to find additional opportunities for Adoration, more to come in the weekly email.Annual Wedding Anniversary Mass, Sunday, November 7, 2021, 2PM, Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston, MA For couples celebrating their 10th, 25th or 50th Anniversaries. To register http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ei1gvr3gd2e06bf4&llr=k5v4kyfab
Sponsor Letters for the 150th—Commemorative Book— Consider supporting our Anniversary Book as a sponsor, forms and letter are available from our ambassadors.The baby bottle drive to benefit Your Options Medical, an association that offers free pregnancy testing, ultrasound, and counseling to help moms choose life for their unborn babies. You may return your filled bottles to the bin at the back of the Church or to the collaborative office. Thank you. https://youroptionsma.org/
Signature Petition Drive Before and After Weekend Masses: This weekend volunteer parishioners will again provide the opportunity for parishioners to sign an Initiative Petition for the 2022 ballot. The proposal would require that all reasonable steps of good medical practice be observed to preserve the life of a child born alive from a failed abortion or any other means.Currently, a child born alive has no legal right to life-sustaining care, nor pain medicine, following a recently passed law by the Massachusetts Legislature. This proposal law would close that loophole. This petition simply aims to prevent infanticide. Any eligible registered voter in Massachusetts can sign. Signatures should be placed only on forms noting your city/town’s name. Please ask one of the volunteers for the form with your town’s name.If you would like to sign, but aren’t able to do so at this weekend’s Masses, please contact Jean Healey at 781-843-1189 or Kathleen Fernandez 781-356-2925
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Sacred Heart and Saint Thomas More—October 31, 2021—31st Sunday in Ordinary Time 31 S O T
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The gifts of hosts, bread and wine this week are offered for:
Fr. John V. Sutton
A psalm of David. Ps 141
LORD, I call to you;
hasten to me;listen to my plea
when I call.Let my
prayer be incense
before you;my uplifted hands an evening Offering.
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Sacred Heart and Saint Thomas More—October 31, 2021—31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 25 MinistriesPlease read the section below on our
Food Pantry and Matthew 25 Ministries.We are gravely low on all stock items, especially need
Grocery Gift Cards (kindly tape receipt to the back of the card), boxed milk, yellow rice, canned fruit, and toma-
to sauce, condiments, juice, vegetable oil-cooking oil, brown & white sugar, flour, tuna fish, pancake syrup, jelly & jam, spaghetti sauce, breakfast bars, instant oatmeal, ground cof-
fee, tea, flour, mashed potatoes, spam, Vienna sausages, paper goods (paper towels and toilet tissue), cleaning
supplies (all kinds), laundry detergent, & toothbrushes etc.Thank you to the kind Senior Shut in, who sent a donation of
$ 1,000 to the food pantry and another humble, generous parishioner who sent $ 500. Thank you to the kind dentist
who sent 10 cases of toothpaste for the pantry, just this month alone.
Stop N Shop—Blooming for Good: The Stop & Shop Bloomin' 4 Good Pro-gram, is an easy way for shoppers to give back as part of the regular shopping routine. Every $10.99 Bloomin' 4 Good Bouquet with the red circle sticker sold supports a hunger organization local to the Stop & Shop in which it was pur-chased. As part of this ongoing pro-gram, every month at every Stop &
Shop location a different local hunger organization is selected to benefit from the sale of the Bloomin’ 4 Good Bouquet. (our Matthew 25 Ministries) was selected as the (October & Novem-ber) beneficiary by local store leadership at the Stop & Shop located at (316 Grove Street, Braintree MA & 700 Middle Street, Weymouth MA.). (SHSTM) will receive a $1 donation for every $10.99 Bloomin' 4 Good Bouquet purchased at this Stop & Shop location in (October & November). Since September, this program from Stop & Shop has sent $405.00 to support the good works of our Food Pantry.
Mass attendance 4pm (154) 9:30am (135) 11:30 (122) total 411
562 YouTube family subscribers
For the Week Ending October 24th 2021
St. Thomas Weekend Collection $ 2, 150.00 On-line $ 849.50Total $ 2, 999.50Second Collection $ 320.00
Other income/fees ($ 110.00)
*Other= #42000 Group-Sacraments, Funerals, Mass Cards, Mass Intentions, Shrines, Flowers, Gifts, Grand Annual, Family
Faith Tuition, Organ Fund and Food Pantry, etc.
We are happy to announce that with your support, we were able to begin the first phase of repair for the organ at Sacred Heart church. The Digital voice module which contains all of the software for the organ has been ordered and will be installed before Christmas. The costs is $ 4,296.47, we have received $ 6,320.00 for the three phase restoration—that leaves us with $ 2,023.54 to start phase 2. We will need an additional $ 18,000.00, to complete the total restoration.
For Advertising call 617-779-3771 Pilot Bulletins Sacred Heart, Weymouth & Saint Thomas More, Braintree, MA 4840
“God is Love” 1 John 4:8
That’s Italian TooSpecializing in
Italian Cold CutsAll Occasion Platters, Subs
& Sandwiches957 Washington St., Weymouth
337-5414
Breakfast – Lunch916 Washington St., Braintree, MA 02184
(781) 848-8895AshleysBreakfast.com
B
Aymsley Mahoney, LCSW, NHAExecutive Director
Work: (781) 848-2050Fax: (781) 794-0141
175 Grove St.Braintree, MA 02184www.alliancehms.org
Congratulations to Msgr. Frank Kelley, co-founder of Pine Street Inn, on 40 years of service. We are grateful that he continues to serve in the Archdiocese as a senior priest.
donate at clergytrust.org
SCAN HERE for Venmo, Google/Apple Pay, PayPal via Givebutter.
OR
Pictured: Msgr. Frank Kelley and Lyndia Downey, President, Pine Street Inn
