St. Mary's - 6Dec09 Bulletin

Repose of the soul of Fitzhugh Brewer; Mary Lynn in hospice care and for her family; Bobby Dixon's recovery from an accident; full recovery for Elizabeth Whelan who's been in hospital; an ease of medical troubles for Laurence White; BA struggling with an addiction and for the family to intervene in a positive and conclusive way and for all those trying to live with the pain of addiction; a woman diagnosed with macular degeneration to have courage and acceptance; safety for a woman at risk with an illness; peace and safety for M.; full recovery for a woman after a fall; Jared undergoing chemotherapy for full healing and peace for his wife and four young children; Angela for a quick recovery from gall bladder surgery; God’s guidance and understanding for two troubled marriages and for all marriages that may be in turmoil; special intention for a young man on a special project; Lisa’s successful hip replacement on 12/7; all those affected by the flu and /or secondary infections and for all caregivers and for all those seeking employment. Continued prayers for: peace and for all service men and women; Rachel; Don; Jim; Christine; Sue; Emma; Daniel; Charlie; Nancy; Janey; Lyd; Richie; Moe; Jackie; Joanne; Gary; Paul; Elaina; and Amy. Thanksgiving for: safe travel for a group; Frank and multiple prayers answered.

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

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Next weekend, December 12th and 13th, at all the Lord’s Day Masses, our parishes will take the annual offering to support The Retirement Fund for the Religious. I encourage your generosity in this special collection which assists our retired religious priests, brothers and sisters who have offered their lives to the Lord in service to the Church.

Religious women and men cared for others and did so with little concern for themselves. Today, tens of thousands of them are now elderly, frail and in need of assistance. Their communities struggle to provide adequate care.

The Retirement Fund for the Religious, with its theme, Share in the Care, supports these men and women who continue to shape the lives and the faith of millions of Americans. It is important that we offer our thanks to these religious who have influenced us so deeply. Please be generous in this appeal.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Robert J. McManus
Bishop of Worcester

On Sunday, December 6th at the 11:00 am Mass our parish will celebrate the RITE OF BECOMING A CATECHUMEN/CANDIDATE for the members of this year’s RCIA.

Please pray for these adults in our parish as they continue their journey in preparation for the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation:

The Christmas Mass schedule will remain the same as it has been for the past years with one exception – because of the construction and more limited parking, the additional 4:30 pm Vigil Mass will take place at St. John’s High School where there is more handicapped parking and easier accessibility

MARY’S FLOWERS

The flowers adorning the statue of our
Blessed Mother are in memory of

Doris and Leo Dumas

Donated lovingly by the family

You will also be treated to some surprise guests as well as the delightfully angelic voices of the School and Parish Children’s Choirs. Tickets will be sold at all masses next weekend. Ticket prices are $8 general admission; $5 for Seniors and Children under 12

On Sunday, December 20 we invite children to bring a figure of the Christ Child to the 9:00 am Mass for a special blessing before placing it in their family nativity.

The St. Mary’s Christmas Choir, which includes St. Mary’s Adult Choir will be singing at midnight this year, and anyone who would like to be part of the festivities is cordially invited to add their voices to the mix. Rehearsals are:

Sunday mornings: December 13 and 20, 9am to 10:30am in the school - 8th grade classroom AND December 22, 7:00 - 9:00PM in the church choir loft. It is extremely important that you are fully engaged by attending all three rehearsals. If you're available on all of these dates, we look forward to having you with us.

From now until the Sunday before Christmas, you may purchase an animal or a share of an animal to be given to an impoverished family. You can donate the animal as a gift from your family to the Christ Child, in honor of someone on your Christmas list, or in memory of a loved one. Peace begins when hunger ends.

NEW: A WOMEN'S MINISTRY for ALL WOMEN of our parish: ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women). A new ministry for all women of our parish is a Catholic organization which helps all women, discover their God-given dignity through the richness and authenticity of Catholic teachings. Small ENDOW study groups will meet weekly for an 8 week course beginning in January. Each course is available at a cost of $60 which includes the study guide. Scholarships are available. To learn more, contact: www. endowonline.com and or Jennifer Zerwas at 508.845.3883 or ZerwasJ@msn.com. Please come to the last 2009 ENDOW social Tuesday morning, December 8th after the school Mass from 9:30 to 10:30am in the Parish Hall to watch a 15 minute DVD and hear more.

KNITTING MINISTRY - MEETING PLACE CHANGED - The knitting ministry will come together for their Christmas gathering this Saturday (Dec. 12, 10:30 to noon) at the home of Babs Donahue (100 Oak St., Shrewsbury) rather than the Pastoral Center. This will also be an occasion for sharing holiday cheer (and cookies!) and for celebrating the completion of Babs' 400th prayer shawl...yes, she's created 400 shawls! Bravo and thank you, Babs! And, a hearty thank you to all the women who continue to knit so that those in need might be wrapped in God's love.

Just a reminder that the item of the month is boxes of tissues. Thank you for your continued support!

Mass	Servers:
4:30	K. Gordon, S. Gordon, A. Morgera, R. Morgera, A. Russo, M. Wackell
7:30	A. Amatucci, A. Amatucci, D. Clemson, J. Goljan, R. Kiely, P. Magnuson
9:00	C. Cabrera, M. Cabrera, M. Henry, A. Ruggieri, M. Travers, S. Travers
11:00	S. Commito, A. O’Connor, K. Pitney, M. Snow, J. Troio, J. Yarzebski
5:30	B. Campos, A. Card, S. Kuruvilla, E. Lemoine, M. Lemoine, J. Walent

Mass	Lectors:	Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion:	Sacristan:
4:30	R. Foley	J. Bellerose, K. Contreras, R. Ferrante, S. Goodwin, S. Gallerani, M. Gordon, M.L. Lordan, M/M Piecz, H. Reynolds, M. Rogers	L. Bellerose
7:30	F. Nugent	F. Collins, W. Gooley, G. NIklewski, A. Noone, D. Tivnan	F. Mannella
9:00	M. Egan	P. Ahearn, M. Benbenek, M/M Coghlin, M. David, K. Jefferson, S. Landry, L. Rybacki, V. Sheehan, J. Zerwas	P. Ahearn
11:00	L. Shuba	E. Baroni, M/M Cote, M. Cote, J. Fernandez, S. Howard, J. McDonald, E. Page, M/M Pratt, M/M Sousa, D. Troio, S. Zybert	<none>
5:30	C. Hardwick	J. Armbruster, M/M Casey, A. Figueiredo, G. Kuruvilla, E. Lemoine	J. Walent

Catechumen:	Tami Tau
Candidates:	Tyler Yeager
	Lynn Taglieri
	Tiffany Brownell