Bulletin for March 8, 2009

Karen's mother to recover from an illness, good test results for Mike, real transition for two people, Jimmy and his family as he enters hospice care, safe travel for a family, a woman with addiction, Peggy to accept and handle a serious illness, Alison as she prepares for the next step in her life, all those seeking employment to find jobs, a couple to improve their relationship, E. to gain complete health, Trish, Sean, Brendan and Bridget who's parent is dying, Michael, for Lent to be a time of turning for all our parishioners and for peace around the world and in our midst. Continued prayers for: good health for Joe and his family, Avis's recovery from surgery, Richie, a mother and child, Ann, Katie, B., a young boy, Helen, the sale of two homes, Lynn, Matthew, ES, Fr. Leo, Christine, D., Becky, Millie, Marilyn, J. in crisis, Karen, Kevin, Lawrence, Maggie; and Paul Jr. Thanksgiving for: Jeff's greatly improved health, a new employee, safe travel for M., and multiple answered prayers Thanksgiving for: DK's help, safe delivery of baby Sandra, a successful surgical procedure, safe travel for a group, and multiple answered prayers.

Prayer Line: Tracy at 508.842.2279 or Susan at 508.934.0133 or susanbk@townisp.com

DAILY MASS will be celebrated at 6:45 am (Monday – Friday) and 8:30 am (Monday – Saturday).

OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRAYER include the ROSARY at 7:30 pm on Monday evenings in the pastoral center chapel and ADORATION OF THE EUCHARIST on Fridays from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm. Join us.

INSPIRATION CATHOLIC CD’s & BROCHURES
From Lighthouse Catholic Media

New CD’s for Lent are now available in the display in the front vestibule of the church.

• The Holy Eucharist - Fr. Bill Casey
• Seven Pillars of catholic Spirituality - Matthew Kelly
• The True Meaning of Easter - Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
• The Truth - Fr. Larry Richard

We ask for a donation of $3 per CD and 50 cents per brochure. Checks can be made payable to St. Mary’s Parish. Donations will be used towards the purchase of additional materials.

LENTEN ALMSGIVING

WANTED: CHILDREN WHO COLOR

Children of all ages – JOIN US after the 9:00 am Mass this Sunday in the parish hall. We need your help to color and cut out 600 paper Easter eggs for St. Anne’s Human Services as they prepare food baskets and vouchers for the families they service.

St. Mary’s will join many other parishes across the Diocese of Worcester in conducting the annual Partners in Charity Appeal during the Lenten season. The Annual Partners in Charity Appeal supports 29 vital programs which comprise the charitable, educational and ministerial mission of our diocese. Your gift to the appeal this year will provide assistance for the poor, the sick, the young, the disabled, families in crisis, and many thousands more. Our appeal is an opportunity to provide for the needs of others who look to us for hope. Please reflect on the blessings you have received from God as you contemplate a gift to the Partners in Charity Appeal this year. Please take a moment today to read the bulletin insert which describes some of the special works of ministry that are supported each year by your gift.

ST. MARY’S BUILDING PROJECT UNDERWAY

St. Mary’s recently received good news from Bishop McManus that the Diocese of Worcester has granted our loan request for additional funds so that construction can begin this year. The project will begin after Easter with the removal of the rectory and the “little brown house”. This will make way for the necessary expanded parking lot which the Town of Shrewsbury has required. Before the demolition work begins, Matthew 25, which rehabs homes in Worcester, will remove some materials from the existing houses that they will then be able to use in their projects. For the next number of years St. Mary’s will be renting a home or apartment in Shrewsbury until the parish is able to purchase a house in the neighborhood as a permanent priests’ residence. Later in April Fr. Mike, Fr. Adam and Fr. Leo will be moving to the home of Pat & Tom Marmen on Red Coat Rd.

When school is out in June we will break ground for a two-story 5,000 square foot addition on the back of the church and hall. This new building will have dual lobby arrangement that will allow both church and school entry ways while providing the required security. The first floor will provide a gathering place for parish functions. Depending on the occasion, this space will accommodate 80 – 160 people. New offices for the school principal, secretary and nurse will also be located on the first floor. The re-designed plans will move the existing library and computer room from the parish hall to the new addition where they will be housed in a new Media Center on the second floor. This state of the art Center will be available for use by both members of the parish and the school. The second floor will also provide a meeting/function room that will allow 60-125 people to gather for events and programs.

The construction project, which is expected to take 12 months to complete, will also include replacement of the original boilers, air-conditioning for the church, elevator for improved handicap accessibility, and new rest rooms on the main and lower levels. This new construction and renovation of existing facilities will provide us with the space and updated buildings that we so sorely need to do the Church’s work and to continue to grow as a faith community.

Over the past two years St. Mary’s Parish has been conducting a Capital Campaign to raise money for the expansion and renovation of our parish buildings. Thus far Our Enduring Covenant has raised more than $3.3 million in gifts and pledges from 441 parishioners. Another 50 parishioners have been making contributions through the monthly envelope without a pledge. Now with the announcement that construction will begin this spring, we are hopeful and confident that those who have been waiting for this news will now be ready to make their commitment.

The time has come to make your pledge, and with your support and prayers, we will continue to sustain our enduring covenant, building on the earlier efforts of those who have helped to build up the faith in our Catholic community. Pledge envelopes can be found in the sacristy after Mass today or at the pastoral center during the week. For more information, please contact the Pastoral Center at 508.845.6341 or click here.

PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

THANK-YOU to all the parishioners who took part in last week’s Parable of the Talents Fair and the many more who came to the parish hall after Mass and supported those who were seeking to multiply their talents. From young artists and bakers, to photographers and winemakers, to woodmakers and jewelry makers, we witnessed the many creative talents that were being put to use. Thus far more than $5,000 has been donated for our parish-supported charities.

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED PARISH PAY?

HOME OF HOPE INDIA

As a follow up to his trip to India over Thanksgiving, Parishioner Bob Davis will be giving a talk about his trip to the Prathyasha Bhavan (Home of Hope) orphanage in Kochi, India, an orphanage for 60 - 80 abandoned, neglected, abused girls in Kochi, India. Bob will be sharing his truly positive experiences with a slide show and talk about the orphanage's successful work at helping these girls become happy and healthy again. His talk will focus on the daily life of the girls, the growth of the orphanage, the work of the organization here in the U.S. and the future of the Home of Hope in India. His talk will be on Sunday, March 22 at 4:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Refreshments will be served. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP with Bob at bdavis@process-info.com or at 508.842.2050

Following his talk will be a trip in mid-April by Sister Sophy, one of the Salesian sisters who run the orphanage and associated school, and a young woman from the orphanage. They will be in Shrewsbury to visit St. Mary's to talk about their mission to house, nurture and educate these girls to become self reliant women who will live up to their God-given dignity and become agents of social change in the New India. They will also be visiting the school here at St. Mary's to see what strategies they can take back to the Auxilium School which they run on the grounds of the orphanage. More of their work at both the orphanage and school may be seen at www.homeofhopeindia.org.

We extend a warm welcome to the following people who joined St. Mary’s parish during the month of February:

If you are new to St. Mary’s please introduce yourselves to Fr. Mike and Fr. Adam after Mass and call the Pastoral Center during the week so that you can register in the parish.

CONGRATULATIONS to the families and the children who were baptized during the month of February:

Paige O’Connell, Jack Schofield and Lillian Thomann

May they grow in the faith that we profess in Christ Jesus.

Baptisms are celebrated on the first and third Sundays of the month at 12:30 pm. Please call the pastoral center to make arrangements for your child’s baptism. Parents who would like to have their first child baptized will be asked to participate in a Baptism Preparation session which is held on the second Monday of the month at 7:00 pm in the pastoral center.

BECOME A HOSPICE VOLUNTEER

UMass Memorial Hospice invites you to become a part of our Hospice Team! Volunteers share their gifts of compassion, love and support with terminally ill patients and their families. They visit patients to help them maintain their dignity and enhance the quality of their remaining days. The next Volunteer Training Session includes two Saturdays, April 25th and May 2nd and Wednesday evening, May 13th at 650 Lincoln St, Worcester. For more information or an application please call: Kathy Drew at 508.754.0052 X3057 or drewk@ummhc.org.

St. Mary Health Ministry

Walking this journey with you will be Viola Jefferson and Corinne Hetzler, each experienced in bereavement support and personal loss. We will establish an atmosphere in which participants can share according to their own comfort level. Each person’s confidentiality will always be respected. Please call the Health Ministry Office at 508.925.7647 to confirm your participation or get more information. Space is limited, so please reserve your place now.

Copyright © 2009, St. Mary's Parish, Shrewsbury MA.
This page last updated on 3/14/2009.