From the Pastor

Growing up in Newton in December was very interesting. So many of our classmates and friends weren’t Christian, and I often wondered what folks of other faiths thought at this time as our world is filled with music, laughter, lights, and food, leading up to the unabashed joy of Christmas Day.

December brings so much to all of us- so many memories- many very happy, some difficult, too. Some reach back and yearn for a time that has passed. Others look ahead.

As much as Advent calls us to look ahead with joy, it calls us to focus, to prepare our hearts, minds, and souls for the coming Savior. How beautiful that in the midst of the chaos this season brings that we should pause and rejoice in the Blessed Mother on the feast of her Immaculate Conception. She, in her humility, her openness, and her love calls us to slow down, to find comfort and courage and look ahead to her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

During this season when we seem to rush around at a dizzying pace, let’s take time to pause and learn from our Blessed Mother to look beyond the displays and find the presence of Christ. She is pointing Him out, encouraging us to look to Him, to follow Him.

I grew up a stone’s throw away from an historic place: Echo Bridge. It spanned two towns- Newton and Needham, and it’s a great place to take a quiet walk and admire nature as it changes through the seasons. When I think of parishes working together as we are beginning to do, I always think about bridges, starting with Echo.

St Mary- St. Catherine and St. Francis de Sales parishes are beginning the process of building a bridge- becoming a collaborative. Our parishes, rich in history and with so much to share, will embark on a mission to work closer together. How? That remains to be seen. This will be my third collaborative, and each came into their own in different ways. We will share not only a pastor, but we’ll also share supplies, facilities, liturgies, communications, schedules, councils and more.

There will be changes as time goes by, and I’m going to lean on the strength and ask for the counsel and support of our staff, and parish pastoral and finance councils as we walk through the decisions. The Archdiocese will help us, giving us assistance, recognizing that we will cross our bridge as God calls us here, in our own way.

I want to make it clear that as we begin this new period that what makes each parish extraordinary remains as it is. As you heard me say last weekend, I’m here to build. It’s going to take a while, I ask your patience, as well as your prayers.

Fr. John

With Christmas coming we’ll need help with the additional worshipers that will be coming into the Parish for Christmas Eve Family Mass at 4pm, Christmas Day Mass at 8am and 10:30am. We need Ushers to help with quickly assisting with collection and helping greeters finding seats during mass. If you can help please email dludy@stmarystcatherine.org

or call 617-242-4664. Please note which mass you will be able to help with and be willing to be available 15-30 mins prior to mass.

There are Christmas Flower envelopes in the back of the Church for those who would like to make a donation in memory of a loved one. The flowers are placed on the Altar for Christmas. Be sure to include the name of your loved one on the envelope. Names submitted by Friday, December 16 will be included in the bulletin for Christmas. All names received after that date will be added to a future bulletin. You may drop the envelope in the collection basket or mail to the Parish Center at 46 Winthrop Street.
Thank you.

GIVING TREES!

As is our tradition, your generosity provides Christmas aid to St. Mary Center for Women and Children, Charlestown Recovery House, Veterans Shelter, our Parish’s Conference of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, and Sisters of Saint Joseph Prison Ministry.

Due to COVID restrictions, some of our giving tree tags request gift cards or monetary donations. Please see specifics below:
 St. Mary Center for Woman & Children—specific request for a gift.
 Charlestown Recovery House – please give a gift card, T-Pass, or Dunkin Donuts gift card.
 Veterans Shelter — please give a gift card, T-Pass, or Dunkin Donuts gift card.
 St. Vincent de Paul Society— a monetary donation is requested for clients in our Parish who have many different needs, ie. rental assistance, beds, and a myriad of other requests.

Checks should be made payable to St. Vincent de Paul Society.

 Sisters of St. Joseph Prison Ministry – Due to Dept. of Corrections security regulations, monetary donations are requested. The Chaplain will buy needed items such as combs, shampoo, soap, deodorant, calendars, lotion, tooth paste, stationary, and pens which will then be inspected by DOC.

Once the items are approved by security, the items will be assembled in gift bags within the prison by Chaplaincy Volunteers. Checks should be made payable to Sisters of St. Joseph Prison Ministry”

Donations may be placed under the tree. Please place the tree tag on the outside of the gift/envelope. Please submit your donations by December 20th for delivery.

Advent is my favorite time of year- the world is transforming, and hopes are high- we’re all looking forward to things to come. Plans are being made, dreams are shared, and the Scriptures sing of prophets with messages of hope. It’s a time of beginnings- and we begin together here in this great town of rich history and cutting-edge hopes for the future. Both parishes have great histories and traditions (thank you, Frs. Mahoney, Ronan, and Frs. Vin & Ron) and I’m privileged to help write the next chapter of what’s ahead.

An introduction, I believe, is in order: My father, Denis, came from Louisburg, Co. Mayo, my mom, Elizabeth, was baptized right round the corner from here at St. Joseph’s in Somerville and grew up in Waltham and Newtonville (they met while she was working at Filene’s in town).

I grew up the eighth of nine siblings (who I am very close to) in Newton Upper Falls, went to Mary Immaculate of Lourdes parish and through the Newton Public Schools, and entered the seminary in 1982. I was ordained on June 16, 1990, and have served in a variety of places, in city, suburban and even rural parishes.

I am a part of the Vatican II/Pope John Paul II generation, inspired by his call on that rainy day in 1979 in the Boston Common, challenged and encouraged to minister to all peoples, especially the poor. I am a devoted Bruins fan (I can recite the entire ‘71-72 roster) and Red Sox fan, and enjoy movies, music, and technology.

I come here as pastor of two parishes with the goal of building a collaborative- something I’ve done twice before and look forward to being about again- working with staff, councils, and the people of the parishes of Charlestown. I’m already impressed with what I’ve already seen, and I can’t wait to get to it.

The first weekend of Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year, and the perfect opportunity to start. May our Blessed Mother bless us as we begin together. St. Mary, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

Fr. Sheridan

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

We are celebrating the feast on Wednesday, December 7 with a vigil Mass at 6:30 pm in the Church and an 8:00 Mass on December 8 in the Church. It is a Holy Day of Obligation.

Advent Prayer and Reconciliation Service Thursday, December 15 at 6:30 p.m. in Saint Mary’s Church.

The Advent Season is an appropriate time of year to reflect on our lives in a Sacramental way,
and to engage in special moments of prayer to prepare for a new birth of Christ in our hearts this Christmas season.
It’s a time to set our course for the New Year!
Let’s come together as a community of faith and give ourselves the gift of time to slow down and ponder the many ways in which God blesses and sustains each of us in our daily lives, and longs to grow closer to us with unconditional love.
At the conclusion of the Service, if you choose, you may receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation privately with a priest. We hope you will join us for this extraordinary time of prayer.

2022 Finance Reports

On Friday, September 2nd, we received the good news that Cardinal Seán O’Malley has appointed Fr. John Sheridan as Pastor of St. Francis de Sales and St. Mary-St. Catherine of Siena Parishes.

A native of Newton, he was ordained in 1990 and has served in a variety of assignments in the Archdiocese including Pastor of St. James Parish, Salem; the Cranberry Catholic Collaborative in Middleboro, Lakeville, and Rochester; and currently of Blessed Mother of the Morning Star Collaborative in Revere, Chelsea, and Everett.

Because of commitments Fr. Sheridan has in his current Parish, he will begin his work among our Parish and St. Francis de Sales Parish on the first weekend of Advent, November 26/27. Fr. Sheridan is from a big family and loves sports, music, technology, and movies.

Fr. Sheridan has done a number of Masses on Catholic TV. If you would like to hear one of his homilies, you can see him on youtube.com or catholictv.org or tune in this September 24th for the 9:30 am Mass.

Let us offer prayers of thanksgiving to God and let us pray for Fr. John Sheridan, that he may be granted all of the graces he needs as he begins the process of completing his work at his current Parish and transitions to our Parishes in Charlestown.

TO STRUGGLE By Fr. Ronan (reprint with updates)

Once I heard it said that if it were possible for one to bundle into a package all of one’s problems and struggles and place it in a bucket and everyone else did the same, and then each could select the bundle one preferred to carry, one would choose one’s own. Of course, I question how valid such a theory might be. Rather it seems that, objectively speaking at least, some struggles are more difficult to carry than others.

The privilege of being a parish priest invites me into numerous realities of people’s lives. For example, I just hung up the phone with a man who explained he has been diagnosed with ALS. Earlier in the day, I spoke with a family whose precious son lives with autism. Walking across town on my way to Mass, a parishioner stopped and asked if I would bless the three little children he had with him who had been in an abusive home and now live with him and his wife.

Not all struggles appear huge and often one’s problems and suffering are not obvious. At other times, our challenges are very public and the pain is, too. We work at convincing ourselves that we should be able to manage things on our own. Perhaps we feel too ashamed and fear being judged negatively so much so that we cannot imagine the benefits that can come from sharing our situations with others. And so we deny ourselves the opportunity to receive support from those who are ready and willing to listen and walk with us.

Suffering is a part of life and no life seems to escape it. Depending on one’s support systems, which often times include reliance on God’s grace and a faith community to support them, there are individuals and families who are gifted with the courage and perseverance to forge ahead in the midst of life’s struggles, pains and losses. As a priest, I have witnessed that faith, prayer, and community are always invaluable resources for us, but especially when we are in pain. The recognition that “I am not alone in my struggle” is crucial.

Our Charlestown community is equipped with professionals who are eager and competent to help, but also there are persons in our community ready to be a source of friendship and support. Truth is, no one is truly independent and no one can make it on his or her own – we all need one another. And even more so, we need God, Who is waiting for us and Who knows us so well and loves us so deeply and unconditionally. Perhaps this realization is one of the gifts that come from suffering.

The month of September is designated as National Recovery month. Every year the Charlestown Coalition collaborates with other groups in our town to offer various events which increase awareness of substance use, prevention, and recovery, and to remember those who, sadly, have lost their lives as a result of substance use. Our Parish often remembers these intentions in our Prayers of the Faithful at our Masses.

On Sunday evening, September 18th, we will gather at the 6PM Mass, as we have done in Septembers past, to especially pray for those in recovery, those who struggle with substance use, and for their families. The Paschal Candle will be lit in remembrance of those who have lost their lives to this dreadful disease. After Mass, you may inscribe the names of those you want included in our Parish Book of Intentions and they will be lifted up in prayer at every Mass. All are warmly welcomed to join us in this time of prayer and always.

We thought you might enjoy a
reprint of an article by Fr. Ronan

I was twenty years old and finishing my second year of college when my parents decided it was time to sell the family home in Dorchester. Some of my older siblings had already moved on and I was the youngest. The neighborhood had changed a lot and my Dad planned to semi-retire and make a move to a smaller home in the suburbs. I spent a lot of that summer cleaning, moving and packing, and remembering. What a great old house that was and how hard it was to say goodbye – to change and to move on.

My story and memories are no different then those of so many of you as well, I imagine. We have all gone through changes in life – it is simply part of the journey. And if there has not been too much changing in your life – just wait a minute – something will come along real soon! Changes in the Church are sort of like changes in our homes and families – they are so close and personal to us. Of course we all come to realize that change is inevitable in all but the most fundamental things.

For example, our faith that sustains us daily; the love we share in families and friendships and the hope that is ours for tomorrow and into the future. These are all constants and we depend upon them each day. Our faith, hope and love may grow, be challenged and be taken for granted – but they are cornerstones of our life. It seems so much else changes. People, relationships, experiences, work, institutions, products, places and on and on – all come and go, leaving us to cope with an ever changing landscape.

And how do we cope as men and women of Faith with the changes in our lives and world? Some see changes as conspiracy and are threatened by change. Others see changes as exciting and inevitable and positive. Some are indifferent, others passionate about holding on to whatever.

For me, 6 Percival Street is gone – forever. All that was important in my life that happened at 6 Percival Street is a part of me and my brothers and sisters and our lives. Saying goodbye was hard as it often is. But, saying goodbye usually means we are saying hello as well. And if my history is any indication of my journey, and maybe yours, God has always been active in both the goodbyes and hellos – sustaining, helping guiding. In fact, it is in exactly the act of letting go of what is comfortable and familiar that we are invited to trust in the God who knows us so well and loves us so much. Sustained by this trust, we can go forward with hope.

Fr. Ronan

Prayer for Labor Day

On this weekend, when we rest from our usual labors, loving God, we pray for all
those who shoulder the tasks of human labor—
in the marketplace, in factories and offices, in the professions, and
in family living.

We thank you, Lord, for the gift and opportunity of work;
may our efforts always be pure of heart, for the good of others and
the glory of your name.

We lift up to you all who long for just employment and
those who work to defend the rights and needs of workers everywhere.
May those of us who are now retired always remember
that we still make a valuable contribution to our Church and our
world by our prayers and deeds of charity.

May our working and our resting all give praise to you
until the day we share together in eternal rest with all our departed
in your Kingdom as you live and reign Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

September 8 – The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Church has celebrated Mary’s birth since at least the sixth century. A September birth was chosen because the Eastern
Church begins its Church year with September. The September 8 date helped determine the date for the feast of the Immaculate
Conception on December 8. Scripture does not give an account of Mary’s birth. However, the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James fills in the gap.
According to this account, Anna and Joachim are infertile but pray for a child. They receive the promise of a child who will advance God’s plan of salvation for the world. Such a story, like many biblical counterparts, stresses the special presence of God in Mary’s life from the beginning.
Saint Augustine connects Mary’s birth with Jesus’ saving work. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.” The opening prayer at Mass speaks of the birth of Mary’s Son as the dawn of our salvation, and asks for an increase of peace.