SEVENTH SUNDAY IN EASTER

We continue our reading from the Last Supper and the readings from the Gospel of John: “My prayer for all of them is that they will be of one heart and mind, just as you and I are, Father—that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me” (John 17:20).

Jesus speaks of the mutual in-penetration of the Father and Son so that they are one—Jesus desires the same union with the believer. Paul, in his letters, states over 90 times that the Christian is “in Christ”. We are not only in Christ but Christ is in us.

What does it mean that Christ is in us? Isaac Halderman in How to Study the Bible writes, “After the resurrection and ascension of Christ in his glorified body to the throne of God, the Holy Spirit came down to take up his abode in the believer’s body, to act in it in the name of Christ, and as his proxy, manifest him personally to the believer; so that while upon the throne yonder in his actual body, he might be manifest in his personality down here, and dwell in and live in, the believer’s body through the Spirit.”

Jesus explained that he would give another Helper, the Spirit of truth, and his disciples would know that they were in him, and he was in them (John 14:20). The Apostle Paul clearly noted the mystery of the gospel is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). He writes to the Corinthians, “Do you not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?” (2 Cor. 13:5), unless you are not a Christian. The essential reality that constitutes being a Christian is the indwelling presence of the Spirit of Christ. “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (Rom.8:9). Paul also wrote,
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead

will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who indwells in you” (Rom. 8:16).

The purpose of this indwelling is sanctification, but more than that it means that Christ is alive and continues his work the Father gave him—“that all may have life and have it abundantly”. The way this life is given is always by love. God is love and now that love joins our love to move us outside of ourselves for the good of others. The character of Christ is expressed by “the fruits of the Spirit” (Gal, 5:22) and the ministry of Christ is performed through us by the “gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12, Eph. 4:8-16). The ministry of Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry was accomplished as “the Father abiding in me does his works” (John 14:10). God performed miracles and wonders and signs through Christ. The Christian will perform “greater works than I” by allowing the indwelling presence of Christ to work through the Christian. As Jesus ministered by being receptive to God’s activity through him, the Christians will produce fruit—continue the ministry of Christ—by allowing him to work through them.

The resurrection of Jesus now allows him to send the Spirit into the world to live in believers so they might continue the work given him by the Father to bring Love into the world. This is the work of the Lord and it is wonderful to behold.

 

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God. - Lk 24:50-53

Farewell and Godspeed,
Father Le!

Stop by the Sacred Heart Parish Center after the 10:00am Mass next Sunday (May 19) or by the St. Brigid’s Keilty Hall after the 9:00am Mass on June 2 to offer your best wishes and bid farewell to Father Le, and to thank him for his dedication and many contributions to our parishes over the past three years.
FAREWELL
and THANK YOU, FATHER LE!

Holy Families of Faith:

In Celebration of Mary
May 18

Families with children 5 and under are invited to join Holy Families of Faith for our season-end event, In Celebration of Mary, on Saturday, May 18, 9:30-11:30am, at Sacred Heart Parish Center. Join us to learn about the Blessed Mother through fun activities and crafts, and participate in the procession and crowning of Mary in McCabe Garden. Older siblings and grandparents are welcome! A suggested donation of $5 per child ($15 family cap) is appreciated to help cover the cost of materials and snacks. For questions or to RSVP, please e-mail holyfamilies@gmail.com or call Rebekah at 512-293-3728.

Please pray for all who are in need of our prayers that God’s healing and comforting presence may be with them, especially: Pam Bradford, Matt Beauchemin, Mark Brockett, Nate Cavallo, Donna Cimino, Gerson Cohen, Russell Corkum, Mary Fahey, Gene Foley, Thomas Fritch, Yvonne Gaudet, Mary Henderson, Edward Kelly, Don Kilgallen, Theresa Klosterman, Valerie Johnson, Andy MacLeod, William McCarthy, Patricia McFarland, Jack Meehan, Helen Ash Mogill, Marybeth Morgan, Virginia Morrella, David Mulchinock, Patricia Nole, Susan O’Keefe, Jeanne Perry, Misha Peterson, Elizabeth Gaudet Rickard, Thomas Sacco, Elizabeth Schickel, Agnes Sennell, Gilda Shanley, Barbara Smith, Margaret Steele, Kiley Tierney, John Tucker, Elizabeth Tze, Patricia Walsh, and Lucille Rogers Wooding.  Also, remember Mary Faiola and all of our deceased friends and relatives especially, Samuel Church, whose funeral was this past week.

Children's Worship

All children are invited to join in the Children’s Liturgy of the Word, a special weekly presentation and discussion of the day’s scripture readings during St. Brigid’s 9:00am Mass. We will not have Children’s Liturgy today because the 9:00am Mass is a First Communion Mass. When CLW returns next Sunday (May 19), the children and their families will remain upstairs in the church for this presentation and to witness the baptism of Katherine Grace Pechinsky. 

Helping Hands

Helping Hands provides rides, meals and other types of assistance to parishioners in need.  (When calling for a ride, please give 48 hours notice for non-urgent requests.)  The Helping Hands coordinator for the month of May is Jeanne McKenna Hobbs at 781-248-9722

Sacred Heart Parish

Offertory for May 4/5                                                $ 6,966.00
Envelope Offerings                                         $ 4,647.00
Loose Cash                                                     $ 1,542.00
On Line Giving                                               $    777.00
St. Katharine Drexel                                      $    100.00

St. Brigid Parish

Offertory for May 4/5                                               $10,565.00
Envelope Offerings                                         $ 6,937.00
Loose Cash                                                     $ 1,698.00
On Line Giving                                               $ 1,930.00

St. Brigid Church
9:00am	Tuesday May 14th	Gertrude Flynn
9:00am	Saturday May 18th	William James Hopkins
Sacred Heart Church
9:00am	Monday May 13th	Robert Provost
9:00am	Friday May 17th	Louis Pannozzo

 

Catholic Appeal

Sacred Heart’s Catholic Appeal, as of May 2nd, has raised $21,043 from 61 parishioners which represents 68% of our parish goal.  Thank you to all who have participated.

Give On-Line Giving a try!

No special computer skills are needed to register for our parishes’ On-Line Giving program. It's easy – just go to our web site, www.lexingtoncatholic.org, and click “Sacred Heart Parish” or “St. Brigid Parish” to start to take advantage of this safe and confidential way to support your parish and its ministries.

Lexington Food Pantry

The collection of non-perishable food for the Lexington Food Pantry is the weekend of May 18th and 19th.  Requests for this month include cereal and oatmeal, cans of fruit, and  meals in a can. The items may be left in the food bins at St. Brigid or on the altar at Sacred Heart.  Supermarket gift cards and checks made payable to St. Brigid or Sacred Heart with Lexington Food Pantry on the memo line are also accepted. These may be placed in the offertory basket or left at the office. There are envelopes available at the entrances of  both churches. We thank you for the support of this endeavor.

 

Catholic Appeal

St. Brigid’s Catholic Appeal, as of May 2nd, has raised $58,019 from 148 parishioners which represents 39% of our parish goal.  Thank you to all who have participated.

Attention, On-Line Contributors!

Now that you are an on-line contributor, do you miss having something to put in the basket? On-Line Giving cards are available at the churches’ entrances. Just pick one up as you enter the church and drop it in the basket as it passes by.

You’re over the hill when in the morning
you stand and hear the usual snap, crackle and pop,
but it isn’t breakfast cereal.

First Communion

Congratulations to all the children (class of 2013) who received First Holy Communion.  God bless you and your parents for your wonderful cooperation .

 

Isabella Alvarez-Martinez                  Ainsley Lonczak
John Applegate                                                Isabella Looney
Shangyin Au                                         Ella Lucente
Joseph Baldassare                               Jonathan Mack
Marc Battista                                      Lauren Martin
Mayha Benet                                       William Massa
Juliet Bijesse                                       Alexander Matijas
Tynan Boggs                                        Lucas Matijas
John Butera                                         JohnMazerall
William Cacciatore                               Maeve McCurdy
Serena Caira                                        Allison McMullen
Donovan Callahan                                Aidan McPhee
Jahn Connor                                         Matthew Meade
Jackson Connors                                   Ian Miller
Lorenzo Costello                                   Claudia Moehring
Ava Criniti                                            Matthew Morin
Michelle D’Ambrosio                           Carina Murphy
Erika Falco                                          Clara Noyes
Collin Fiske                                          Sophie Ortyl
Ana Fitzgerald                                     Ella Palys
Conor Flaherty                                     Lily Penzone
Jack Foley                                           Cullen Pitts
Rose Foley                                           Alyssa Pusatere
Clara Gallagher-Gibbons                      Alara Rago
John Gallagher-Gibbons                                   Tucker Reynolds
Lucas Gay                                           Miranda Ripley
Felipe Genta                                         Thomas Ripley
Katrina Hachkowski                            Anna Robertson
Sofia Houh                                          Stephen Sacco
Abigail House                                      Sam Scopa
Clarissa Hurley                                   William Smith
Anna Iacobucci                                                Joseph Sorel
Katryna Julien                                                Mary Strano
Zachary Khozozian                              Edward Suber
Liam Kinneen                                      Ava Tamaro
Sophie Kormos                                     Nicholas Tatarczuk
Thomas Lagarde                                  Lucia The
Brayden Lane                                      Josephine Toomey
Sophia Legutko                                                Matthew Troy
Jaime Lehoux                                      Matthew Ursino
Nathan Lim                                         Zara Vlachos
                                                            Olivia Vlacich

 

Youth News

Friendly’s Fundraiser
Please consider supporting our youth who will be attending Catholic HEART Workcamp in Hardeeville, SC June 23-28, 2013 by going to Friendly’s!!  Certificates can be found at the entrances of both Sacred Heart and St. Brigid Churches as well as in the parish centers. Bring the certificate any Tuesday and/or Thursday in May to Friendly's on Lexington Street in Waltham and 20% of your bill will come back to our parishes of Sacred Heart and St. Brigid to support our teens!!  Thank you in advance for your support.

Red Sox Ticket Winners!
Thank you to everyone who supported our youth who will be attending Catholic HEART Workcamp in Hardeeville, SC June 23-28, 2013 by purchasing raffle tickets for our Red Sox Raffle. 

Congratulations to our winners!!
For the June 25th game, both sets of tickets were won by the Schweizer family

For the June 30th game, the set of tickets was won by Deb Ryan

All children are invited to worship with their families at Sacred Heart.  Our family faith formation is centered on Sunday Liturgy, and our families are welcome to worship together.  After the 10:00am Liturgy, families are invited to the Parish Center for fellowship and hospitality, followed by Religious Education for the children and frequent adult faith speakers for adults.  Watch the bulletin and parish center bulletin boards for upcoming speakers.

Coming Events

Sunday, May 12th
  9:00am – First Communion - SB
11:00am – First Communion - SB
12:00pm – Sandwich Generation – SB - L
  2:00pm – Holy Families of Faith – SB – Rm 18

Monday, May 13th
7:30pm – Liturgy Committee – SH – Blue Rm.

Tuesday,  May 14th
5:00pm – Drummer Boy – SB- PH
7:00pm – Emerson Garden – SB - KH

Wednesday, May 15th
10:00am – Why Catholic – SB - Rm 10
  7:30 pm – Why Catholic – SH – Rm 8

Thursday, May 16th
5:00pm – Scouts – SB – Rm 10
7:00pm – Review Board – SB - L
7:00pm – YAG - SB
7:00pm – Book Club – SH – Rm 8
7:00pm – Communications – SH – Blue Rm

Friday, May 17th
Set up for weekend programs – SB - SH

Saturday, May 18th
9:00am – LexFUN Consignment Program - SB
8:30am – Holy Families of Faith – SH – PC
9:00am – Hungarian School – SH – Classes
5:00pm – Pentecost Mass – SB
6:00pm – Asian Symphony – SH/PC

Sunday, May 19th  - Pentacost Sunday
  9:00am – Scholarship Mass -  SB
10:00am – Baptism - SH
11:00am - 12:00pm – Sandwich Generation – SB – PC/L
  1:00pm – PPC Meeting - SB L
  5:oopm – Confirmation Class - SH

Catholic Relief Services

Meals Project News

Thanks to everyone's robust generosity, as of this writing we have $7324 in hand.   Anticipating another $176 will fall into a basket at the Event on Saturday, we have ordered 15,000 meals to be processed that morning by the 81 volunteers already signed up, plus those who will sign up during the rest of this week, plus, no doubt, a lot of eager walk-ons.  We'll report on the actual Event next week.  

Meanwhile, bushels of thanks to all who have already made this so exciting!
Please advise Ted Heuchling at
theuchling1@verizon.net or 781-729-4962
of your willingness to volunteer
in either of these capacities.
Thanks so much! Ted

6th Annual LexFUN! Consignment Sale

Looking for high-quality, low-cost Baby and Children's Clothing, Toys and Gear?  The 6th Annual LexFUN! Consignment Sale is next weekend on Saturday, May 18th, from 8:00 - 2:00 at St. Brigid's Parish. 

Have items you would like to sell or donate?  Contact lexfunconsignmentsale@gmail.com for more information.

Walk for Adoption of Kids/Teens in Massachusetts Foster Care Sunday May, 19th

Join other Sacred Heart parishioners in helping to raise awareness for the need of adoption of local older children/teens, sibling groups, and special needs children in foster care.  Meet us at Sacred Heart Parish at 8:00am. We will be driving to East Taunton to Jordan Furniture’s warehouse where the walk will be held.  Contact Bernadette Zagarella (781-879-2626) ) or Pat Kush (781-223-5909, pjkush@gmail.com) if you need a ride.  If you are not able to attend, please consider sponsoring our team called, We Care, at  www.firstgiving.org/mare  Search for last names, too, as individual fundraisers: Zagarella, Quartararo, or Kush

 

Adoration

Spend some quiet one-on-one time with the Lord this Friday and every Friday during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 12:00-2:45pm at St. Brigid Church.

 

Distribution of Communion at St. Brigid to Parishioners and Visitors with Physical Limitations

At all weekend Masses, our Eucharist Ministers will bring Communion to parishioners and visitors with physical limitations and their caregivers following reception by those coming forward.

May we be of assistance?

Both Sacred Heart and St. Brigid Churches are accessible – Sacred Heart through the rear door and St. Brigid through the west side entrance – with adjacent parking. Gluten-free hosts and hearing assistance devices are also available.  Please inform a Pastoral Associate or an usher before any weekend Mass of these needs.

 

Welcome

No matter what your present status in the Catholic Church, no matter what your current family or marital situation, no matter what your current personal history, age, background, etc., no matter what your own self-image; you are invited, welcomed, accepted, loved and respected here with the Catholic Community in Lexington.  If you are new to Sacred Heart or St. Brigid Parishes, please introduce yourself to either Father Colletti or Beverly Good after Mass or at your convenience.  Also, please contact the Office to register as a member of the parishes.

 

Faith and Environment May 11/12 2013

St. Francis Pledge
to Care for Creation and the Poor:
http://catholicclimatecovenant.org

Pray: 
Creator, this is such a beautiful world, both fragile and resilient.
Forgive us when we act as if this world belongs to us rather than to You.
May our desire to love all of life grow; may our ability to act lovingly increase so that all people and all creation can enjoy and share in Earth’s bounty.

Learn:
Great Meadow Nature Walk.  Sunday May, 19, 12 noon-1:30.  Meet inside Sacred Heart Parish Hall.  Praise brothers Sun, Wind and Air and Sister Earth with readings from St. Francis as we explore Great Meadows on an easy hike led by Fran Ludwig, teacher/naturalist.  Find out about the creatures great and small who inhabit this historic area.  Kids welcome.  Wear sturdy shoes, sox and long pants and bring water.  For more information contact:  fludwig12@yahoo.com or call Fran at:  781-861-7231.

Homebound Parishioners

As always, if you know of anyone who is homebound and unable to get to church, please contact the office so that we can make sure they receive the Eucharist. 

Most of us see the same people week after week at “our” Mass.  If you find that you are not seeing a certain person or people who are always at “your” Mass, please call the office and we will be happy to call and check to see if they are in good health, or if they need some help or a visit from our Ministers to the Homebound.
*****
Begin reprogramming your mind today.  Start believing that things are going to change for the better, not because you deserve it, but simply because God loves you that much.

The most rewarding things you do in life are the ones that look like they cannot be done.      Arnold Palmer

 

Women's Book Club

THE WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB meets on Thursday, May 16th, to discuss Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand..  The group will meet in Sacred Heart Parish Center from 7 to 9 p.m. 

Here are a few details about this true account:  On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Force bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood.  Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared.  It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard.  So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater.  Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion.  His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.
In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story
of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit. 

For more information about the book, or the book club, contact Maria Griffin at avempg@aol.com or Beverly Good at Beverly.Good@lexingtoncatholic.org; 781-863-0319, ext. 20. 

 

You know you’re getting older …
when you’ve discovered
that lately the newspaper
is using smaller print.

 

Mother Mary

O Mary Immaculate, take me and all my loved ones under your blue mantle this day and forever, and when you see us about to wound the loving heart of your Divine Son, ah then dearest Mother, draw your mantle close around us. Press us to your loving heart and keep us all for Jesus, all for Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Cradles to Crayons Donation Box here through May 19!

Many parishioners know of Cradles to Crayons because this organization has been part of our parishes’ Fall Clothing Drive for the past several years. Their mission is to provide children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive at home, at school and at play. Cradles to Crayons provides these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities that have with communities that need. We are pleased to announce that Cradles to Crayons has placed a box in the parking area behind St. Brigid Parish Center for your donations of gently used clothing and new pajamas, socks and underwear for children ages 0-12. Please place your donations inside the box that will be there only through Sunday, May 19. Thank you in advance for your continued support of this worthy organization and the children whom it serves.      

Happy Mother's Day!

Just as God gives to each rose a gentle touch of dew, and gives unto each evening sky the lovely sunset’s hue, so may He give you from His enduring love, great happiness and hearts’ content and blessings from above.