In today’s gospel (Mark 12:38-44) Jesus praises the widow who contributes to the temple treasury out of her want and not her surplus.  “I want you to observe that this poor widow contributed more than all the others who donated to the treasure.  They gave from their surplus wealth, but she gave from her want, all that she had to live on.”

The church does not ask you to give all you have, but to give a portion for the support of your favorite charities and the local parish.  Some parishioners do make a concerted effort to financially support the work of the parish.  Others put little thought into what they might or could contribute.

Be a steward of your finances.  Jesus has given us instructions on how to handle our finances.  Here are some words of advice as we determine our level of giving:

Don’t hoard your resources.  Your resources are valuable tools for change, but only if you use them.  Read “The Parable of the Rich Fool”…Luke 12:13-21.

Use your resources wisely.  We’re asked to serve and glorify God with whatever gifts we have received.  Read about the three stewards in “The Parable of the Talents”…Matthew 25:14-30.

Be content with enough.  Learn to distinguish your needs from your wants.  Enough of anything is all you need: enough food, enough clothes and enough money.  Read
1 Timothy 6:6-10.

Be a cheerful giver.  Give honestly…if you think you might not be giving enough, reconsider the amount you give.  Give regularly…and proportionally, a set percentage of your income.  Give generously…with an open heart, and an open hand.  God takes care of those who share their first fruits with others.

Daniel Taylor has written in Your Giving Muscles: “We should give for the same reason that we should exercise our bodies.  Our muscles are made so that they are best off when forced to work.  If you ‘save’ your muscles by never making them do anything, you actually are hurting them and yourself.  If you haven’t ‘spent’ any energy, but, strangely, the result is you have less strength and energy than if you had.  Eventually you become like a jellyfish plopped helplessly on the beach.

“Something like this is true of your giving muscles as well. God has made us to be givers. It isn’t something we have to do in order to please him so much as it’s something we need to do to keep ourselves working properly. We are healthy and whole when we are both giving and receiving. Giving is really more an attitude toward life that it is a specific act at one time or another.  Givers have a certain openness about them.

“As it happens, giving is to your benefit.  It doesn’t make you a saint or martyr to give.  In giving you are simply reflecting God’s image—he who gave us everything.”

 

St. Brigid Church
9:00am	Tuesday November 10th	Nellie Colletti
9:00am	Thursday November 12th	James Flynn
9:00am	Saturday November 14th	Maurice Fremont-Smith Mary & Thomas Dawson For a Special Intention
Sacred Heart Church
9:00am	Monday November 9th	Laura Beaton
9:00am	Wednesday November 11th	Margaret & Paul Wright
9:00am	Friday November 13th	Lois Ryan & John Seivers

 

In Service For Their Country

Lt. John Schiavi, Sgt. Christopher Considine, Timothy Dunbar, Richard Rigley, Chris Cullen, Caitlin R. Battell, Robert McLaughlin, Sean Maddigan, Rev. Paul Passamonti, Airman Jason Cunha, Mark Zarnecki, Elizabeth Leyne, Patrick J. Nordahl, Scott and Michael Donahue, CDR Michael P. MacLellan and Captain Brian Geary.

Lord Jesus, watch over our sons and daughters in the service of their country.  Give them the courage to serve their country with honor and dignity and grant that when their service is finished they may return to us, sound in mind, body and soul.

Helping Hands

Helping Hands for the month of October is:
Sandy Podgorski
781-862-0386

Please pray for all who are in need of our prayers that God’s healing and comforting presence may be with them, especially Father William Smith, Father Thomas Nestor, Jen Bombaca, Marianne Slack, Elaine Murphy, Deacon Bill Wildes, Edward O’Brien, John Harper, Dorothea Russo, Edward Ronayne, William McCarthy, Verner and Marie Dempsey, Pat White, Anita and William Gorham, Mary Whelan, Eleanor Mann, Amy Galehouse Goolkosian, Henry Downes, Gerald McCue, Kathleen Brown, Brendan Murphy, Bill Kennedy, Kevin Johnson, Monica Cotter, Jackie Martinetti, Ann LaMantia, Christine Griffin, Josephine Siders, Douglas DiVito, Mary McGuinnes, Jewel Douglass, Marjorie Kearns, Shannon Capriulo, Olivia Moran and Brianna Cimino.  Please also remember in your prayers all of our deceased family members and parishioners especially, Marian Behnke and Helen Sears.

Could Your Life Be Abundant?

Sister Bridget Hasse, O.S.U., our guest speaker at WINGS (Women IN God’s Spirit) this week, is the Coordinator of the Wellness/Spirituality Program at The Boston Home, a long-term care facility for people with multiple sclerosis and other degenerative neurological diseases in Dorchester, and a member of the board of My Sister’s Keeper, a justice/peace organization working for the education of women and girls in southern Sudan. Sister is also a frequent guest of local radio stations and was recently interviewed on NBC Nightly News “Making a Difference” series.

From her recent book, Generous Faith: Stories to Inspire Abundant Living, Sister will share stories of ordinary people, from Massachusetts to Africa, who have opened her eyes to the presence of God in daily life. Join us Thursday, November 12, at 9:30-11:15am, in the hall in St. Brigid Parish Center for Sister’s presentation, Keys to the Abundant Life. Sister’s book will be available for purchase ($15.00) and signing following the session.   

For transportation, contact Carol Flynn at 781-862-1637. For child care during the session, contact Jane Goubeaux at 781-862-4146. Membership in WINGS is not required to attend this or any WINGS program.

Thanksgiving Celebration

This Thanksgiving we will have an opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving with members of all the religious communities of Lexington.  Vatican II has encouraged Catholics to foster and take part in ecumenical activity that brings all believers together to worship and thank God and to strengthen our common beliefs.

This year we will have no service on Wednesday at St. Brigid Church.  Over the past couple of years we have been alternating between St. Brigid and Sacred Heart for our Thanksgiving Service.  St. Brigid will have a Mass at 9:00 AM on Thanksgiving morning. 

The Lexington Catholic Community will join the Lexington Interfaith celebration of our only American “Holyday” on Tuesday, November 24, at Temple Emunah at 7:30pm. Please join us.

Looking For Support During Your Job Search?

Seasoned Human Resources and Marketing pros to lead the Lexington Job Support Group (LJSG) for the Catholic Community of Lexington and our friends.  Learn and share  job search strategies, resources and networking tips while getting support during your search for that next great opportunity.  Meetings are the first and third Wednesday of the month, 7:30pm - 9:00pm at Sacred Heart Parish Center. The next two meetings are November 18th and December 2nd. Informal, no need to sign up, come on the evenings you are free with a cup of coffee or supper, and invite a friend.  If you have any questions, contact Bob Ludwig at 781-861-7231 or Donna Heuchling at dheuchling (3)

New Altar Servers Training

Children of the Catholic Community of Lexington, in grades 4 through 12, are invited to become Altar Servers at Saint Brigid's.  This is an important ministry, and a wonderful way for children to become more involved in the liturgy.  Training can be arranged at your convenience.  For questions or to sign up, please contact Jeanne Hobbs at 781-248-9722, or email JeanneHobbs at Verizon dot Net

Archdiocese Of Boston Flu Season Directives

“Given the extraordinary precautions being taken across the nation to prevent the spread of the H1N1 influenza, the Archdiocese has instituted a series of steps to be followed for the time being during the celebration of the Mass.”  In addition to practicing good hygiene, the Cardinal directs the following for the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy and for flu prevention:

•  The Holy Water fonts are to be drained and cleaned with a disinfecting soap, and re-filled each week
•  The distribution of the Precious Blood for the faithful is suspended, with the exception of those who must receive from the cup due to medical reasons.
• The exchange of the Sign of Peace is to be offered without any physical contact.
• All ministers of Holy Communion are advised to distribute the consecrated hosts with care, being cautious not to touch the tongue or the hand of the communicant.
•  Parishioners should be reminded that if they are ill they are not bound by the Sunday Mass obligation.
• At Sacred Heart Parish – if you can not receive the Host, please take a place on the step of the sanctuary with the Eucharistic Ministers after the Our Father and the presider will give you Eucharist from the Cup.
• At St. Brigid – there will be two cups at the front of the church ¼ full for those who can not receive the Host.

These directives are effective Saturday, October 31, 2009 and remain in effect until the cold and flu season has come to an end.

Lectio Divina Group

This Thursday and next Thursday, a Lectio Divina group will meet at 11:15am for about a half-hour in Room #9 in St. Brigid Parish Center. The group will use this classic form of contemplative prayer to reflect on the gospel reading for the upcoming Sunday. Please join us each week or as your schedule permits.

Lexington Food Pantry

The weekend of November 14th and 15th is the collection of non-perishable food.  Items may be left in the food bins at St. Brigid and on the altar at Sacred Heart. Please check the expiration dates.
Special Requests for this month: baked beans (16oz), angel hair pasta, canned corn(15oz), low sodium chicken broth,  and oatmeal.  These items are also needed: low sugar cereals, canned fruit in light syrup or fruit juice, low sodium vegetables, meals in a can, rice, tomato sauce and peanut butter.  The food pantry also accepts hygiene items and paper products since food stamps cannot be used for non food items.  Cash, supermarket gift cards and checks made out to the Lexington Food Pantry may be placed in an envelope marked Lexington Food Pantry and placed in the offertory basket or left at the office. We thank you for your past generosity and support of this endeavor.

St. Agnes Parish Bazaar

The St. Agnes Parish Bazaar will be on Friday, November 13 from 6 PM to 9 PM & on Saturday, November 14 from 10 AM to 6 PM & on Sunday, November 15 from 10 AM to 1 PM in the Arlington Catholic High School Gymnasium, 16 Medford Street, Arlington MA. There will be homemade baked goods, handmade crafts & crocheted afghans, a Wheel of Fortune, as well as many other items and activities for children.  Also featured is “Dan’s Soft Rock Café” with its famous lobster rolls, chili, chowder, pizza, and hotdogs.  The café will be open 5:50 PM to 8:30 PM on Friday, from 10 AM to 4 PM on Saturday, and 10 AM to noon on Sunday. Children can have their photos taken with Santa on Saturday from 4 PM to 6 PM.

Fair Trade Fair

gifts with a difference

An array of handcrafted and fair trade items from various countries will be for sale at our annual Fair Trade Fair.  Linens, greeting cards, knitted caps and mittens, colorful fabric bags, fair trade coffee, olive oil from the Holy Land, and more, including small items suitable as stocking stuffers will be available. The sale will take place after all the masses.  Dates of the sales are: Sacred Heart Parish Center, November 14 and 15; St. Brigid Keilty Hall, November 21 and 22.

Sunday, November 8th

9:00 – CHIDREN’S LITURGY OF THE WORD - SB
10:00 4:00PM – CLOTHING DRIVE-SB
11:00 – BAPTISM INSTRUCTION -SB
11:15 – RELIGIOUS ED CLASSES – SH – PC
6:00 – YOUTH MASS - SH
6:00 – AA MEETING – SB - KH

Monday, November 9TH

5:30 – 6:30 REL. ED. GRADES 7 & 8
7:15 – 8:30 CONFIRMATION CLASSES-SB
7:30 – EUCHARISTIC MINISTER TRAINING – SH

Tuesday, November 10TH   

8:00 – 3:00 –CARE ALTERNATIVE SERV.-KH
10:00 - HOMEBOUND MINISTRY WKSHP-SH-PC
3:45 – 4:45 – REL. ED. – GRADES 1, 2, 3
7:15 – 8:30 CONFIRMATION CLASSES – SH PC

Wednesday, November 11TH

OFFICES CLOSED-VETERAN’S DAY
3:45 – 4:45 RE GRADES 4, 5, 6
7:30 – RCIA- RM.21-SB-PC
7:30 – SH CHOIR – SH - CHURCH

Thursday, November 12th

9:30 – 12:00 – WINGS – SB – PC
911:15 - LECTIO DIVINA – SB CLASSROOM 19
7:00 – YOUNG ADULTS – SB – L
7:00 – BOY SCOUTS – SB
7:30 – SB CHOIR – SB - CHURCH

Friday, November 13th

9:30 – 11:30 DROP IN CENTER – SB – PC

Saturday, November 14th

10:00 – 4:00 COUPLES FOR CHRIST
8:30 – 11:30 VIRTUS – SB – L
3:30-10:00 AMNESTY INT’L H.S. GROUP - KH

HAITI FAIR AFTER ALL THE MASSES 11/14 & 11/15 AT SACRED HEART

Thanksgiving Food Drive

For many years St. Brigid families have given thanks by sharing their bounty with their sister parish, St. Patrick’s of Roxbury.  This annual Thanksgiving Food Drive will be held this year on Sunday, November 22, 10:00am-4:00pm, and on Monday, November 23, 4:00-6:00pm, in the lower level of the parish center.  Items gratefully accepted: frozen turkeys and all the trimmings, including fresh and canned vegetables and fruits (no frozen vegetables or frozen pies, please); checks payable to St. Patrick’s Parish; and Stop & Shop gift cards.  Please contact Mary Harvell at 781-862-0794 or mharvell at ix dot netcom dot com if you have any questions.

Catholic Campaign for Human Development

These days it is not hard to imagine having to choose between rent or health care, food or transportation, household bills or clothing for your children. For many Americans these choices are forced by a recent layoff, pay freeze, or retirement fund decrease. For 37 million Americans who live below the poverty line, the options are only diminishing. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) makes a difference in low-income communities by funding programs that address the root causes of poverty. More than ever, CCHD needs your support in today’s collection. Thank you for your generosity.

Advent Wreath Making Event

Sunday, November 22nd, 11:15am-12:15pm, Sacred Heart Parish Hall

Join the family fun and prepare for the coming season by making an advent wreath for your home.  All materials & instructions will be provided.  The cost is $15.  (Kits to assemble your wreath at home will also be available.)

St. Brigid
Offertory for November 1st	$ 9,898.50
Envelope Offerings	$ 8,737.00
Loose Cash	$ 1,161.50

Out of the 548 envelopes we sent to St. Brigid parishioners, 239 have used their envelopes.

Sacred Heart
Offertory for November 1st	$   6,390.66
Envelope Offerings	$   5,816.66
Loose Cash	$      574.00
St. Katharine Drexel	$      245.00

Of the 265 envelopes we sent to Sacred Heart parishioners, 125 parishioners have used their envelopes this week.

Thank you to all who so generously contribute to our parishes each week!

—Fr. Colletti

It’s Time to Talk Turkey Again!

For many years at Thanksgiving, Sacred Heart parishioners have donated frozen turkeys to the families of our sister parish, Saint Katharine Drexel in Roxbury (formerly Saint John/Saint Hugh).  Sacred Heart has had a relationship with this parish for decades, collecting food for its food pantry, sharing Masses and choirs and picnics, staffing its kitchen in the years when Saint John/Saint Hugh served a hot lunch to the needy in the Roxbury community.
Now, more than ever before, we need to be generous.  The Boston Food Bank has had to cut its contribution to Saint Katharine Drexel by a third, while, at the same time, the number of needy families has multiplied.
Please leave your donation of a frozen turkey, or, if you prefer, a Stop and Shop gift certificate, or a check made payable to Saint Katharine Drexel, at the side entrance of Sacred Heart Church or in the hall, after the Masses on the weekend of November 21/22 or at the 9:00 Mass on Monday morning, November 23.  Distributions will be made to the Roxbury families on Monday afternoon.  Thank you!

Faith & Environment

 

Megan Chenaille, Director of Youth Ministry
E-mail: Megan Chenaille
781-862-8724

Youth Mass

All are welcome to join us for our next Youth Mass!!
Date: Sunday, November 8, 2009
Time: 6pm
Place: Sacred Heart Church

Middle School Fridays are back!

6th, 7th and 8th graders of the Catholic community of Lexington are invited to join us for the Nov 6th Middle School Friday event. We will meet in the St Brigid Hall at 6 PM for pizza, then board a bus to Laser Quest in Danvers MA.  Flyers will be available at the rear of the church in the parish office and on-line at the parish website.  Sign ups are due at the parish office by November 4th.  Cost is $23 and scholarships are available. For more information contact Mary Ellen Goodwin at tgoodwin99(10). 
Future events all begin at 6pm with Pizza and include:

Dec 11 - Nativity Movie - Sacred Heart
Jan 8 - Snow Tubing - Nashoba
Feb 5 - Movie - Sacred Heart
March 19 - Jump On In - Woburn
April 9 - Game night - Sacred Heart
May 14 - Mini Golf

 

Please do not hesitate to call or e-mail with any questions or concerns. 

Get ‘Up-Close and Personal’ with the Lord

Spend quiet 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.

An Invitation From Our Fourth Graders!

Our parishes’ Fourth Graders cordially invite you to join them at their grade-level Mass next Sunday, November 15, at St. Brigid Church at 9:00am and at the Hospitality in Keilty Hall following the Mass.

Clothing Drive On November 7th -8th

You can make your used clothes new again by donating them to the men and women of St. Francis House and The Women’s Lunch Place! Start now to gather your gently used men’s clothing and new underwear for our annual clothing drive for St. Francis House, a center in Boston offering shelter and rehabilitative programs for poor and homeless men. New this year, we will also collect new and used women’s clothing for The Women’s Lunch Place in Boston, a center offering a daytime community and programs for poor and homeless women and their children.
Collection times (lower level of St. Brigid Parish Center):

Saturday, November 7: 10:00am – 6:00pm
Sunday, November 8: 10:00am – 4:00pm

If you would like to help receive donations, please contact Mary Harvell at 781-862-0794 or mharvell at ix dot netcom dot com.

Haley House Requests Men’s Coats

Haley House, a men’s shelter located in South Boston, has requested 10 new or gently used winter coats for their clients.  Please bring your donation for this cause to the lower level of St. Brigid Parish Center on November 7 or 8 during the collection times for the clothing drives for St. Francis House and The Women’s Lunch Place.

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. After a blessing and dismissal by the priest before the first reading during St. Brigid’s 9:00am Mass, the children proceed downstairs to Keilty Hall to participate in this program. They rejoin the Mass after the homily. We will not have CLW next Sunday, November 15, because our Fourth Graders will be participating in the 9:00am Mass. CLW will resume on November 22.

Welcome to New Parishioners

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, race, 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 one of the Pastoral Associates, Beverly Good or Mary Peterson, after Mass or at your convenience.  Also, please contact the Office to register as a member of the parishes.

Project Rachel

Do you know someone who is carrying grief and sorrow over past abortions? Project Rachel is the post-abortion ministry of the Catholic Church to help those dealing with the pain of abortion. The Archdiocese of Boston Project Rachel will offer a “Come to the Waters” post abortion healing retreat on Saturday, November 21, 2009 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. For more information and registration, contact Project Rachel at 508.651.3100 or email: help at projectrachelboston dot com. All calls are confidential. More information about post- abortion healing can be found at www.projectrachelboston.com

Holy Humor

A minister carefully prepared his sermons, word-for-word, and placed them in a loose-leaf binder, which he took with him to the pulpit Sunday mornings.  One Saturday night, his son, just for fun, removed a sheet from the scripted sermon.
As the preacher read his sermon the next morning—“and Adam said to Eve”—he turned the page and discovered it was missing.  Perplexed, he looked at the congregation and exclaimed, “There must be a leaf missing here.”

Attention All New Volunteers!

All new volunteers in Sacred Heart and St. Brigid ministries are required to attend the VIRTUS training session, Protecting God’s Children. This program, presented by the parishes’ Child Abuse Prevention or CAP Team, educates and trains adults – clergy, staff, lay ministers, teachers, volunteers and other interested adults in the faith community – about the dangers of child abuse, the warning signs of abuse, ways to prevent abuse, and the methods for properly reporting suspicions of abuse. Four training sessions are scheduled in the upcoming weeks:

Saturday, November 14, 9:00-11:30am
Wednesday, November 18, 7:00-9:30pm
Saturday, November 21, 9:00-11:30am
Monday, November 23, 7:00-9:30pm

All sessions will be held in the Library in St. Brigid Parish Center. Please call the Sacred Heart/St. Brigid Parish Office 781-862-4646 or 0335 or the Religious Education Office 781-862-8724 to register.

Women’s Book Club

WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB meets on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2009, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Sacred Heart Parish Center.  This month’s selection is The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity by William Paul Young.  A short summary of the book: Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, had been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness.  Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.  Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare.  What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. 
For more information, contact Maria Griffin at avempg(4) or Beverly Good 781-863-0319, x 20, Beverly.Good(1).