Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace (July 23)
Mary, Mother of God, we salute you. Precious vessel,
worthy of the whole world’s reverence, you are an ever shining light, the crown of virginity, the symbol of orthodoxy, an indestructible temple, the place that held him whom no place can contain, mother and virgin. Because of you the holy Gospels could say: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
We salute you, for in your holy womb was confined him who is beyond all limitation.
From the Homily preached at the Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.) by St.
Cyril of Alexandria
Thank you, Fr. Victor!
We thank Fr. Victor Ibhawa, who spoke at the Masses at
St. Mary- St. Catherine this weekend for Cross Catholic Outreach.
Cross Catholic Outreach which was founded to create a meaningful link between parishes in America and the priests and religious working in the Church overseas in the Caribbean, Africa, Asia,
Central and South America. Brochures are available if you wish to support this worthy Catholic ministry.
Thank you!
Please note that this weekend, Fr. Henry Ogbji will celebrate the 4 pm Mass at St. Francis, and Fr. Alexander Okele will celebrate the 8 am Mass at St. Mary’s.
Do you hear your heart call?
Maybe you weren’t baptized, or you missed Confirmation- perhaps you just want to learn more about the Catholic Church, what we believe and more importantly, why we believe it.
Starting this fall, we will have relaxed discussions about our faith- it’s a great opportunity to ask questions, maybe to become a member of the family!
Please see Fr. John and join us!
Catholic Appeal update
St. Francis and St. Mary- St. Catherine have both hit
over 100% of our Catholic Appeal assessments!
The Appeal helps our parishes, Collaborative
and our Archdiocese! Please give and help us build
the ministries so many around us need.
Go to catholicappeal.com and answer the call!
Summertime
Summer is here but the needs remain- please consider online giving to help us pay our bills and plan
for the future. Give us a call or drop us a note and
we’ll walk you through the process. Thank you!
When my heart finds Christmas…
On Friday, Nov. 22, we’re going to New York City to see
incredible Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular,
starring the Rockettes! We’ll leave by motorcoach at 7 am,
attend the 2 pm show, and have a few hours to take in the
Big Apple- we’ll be back by midnight!
Tickets are $225 per person, reservations with a $100 deposit.
16 available for each parish- maximum of 4 tickets per
family. Call Dianne at 617-242-4664
– any questions? See Fr. John!
Stewardship
Let’s look ahead to how we all can get involved in our Collaborative, at St. Francis de Sales and St. Mary- St. Catherine. Take a look at some of the ministries that will benefit from your involvement in these committees: Worship, Baptism Prep, Wedding, St. Francis Hall, Stewardship, Social, Spiritual, Family, Social Justice, and Adult Confirmation/RCIA. Please share your talents with us!
Social Committee
It’s important to have social gatherings at both parishes that build up the body of Christ, that bring us together, have fun and deepen the bonds of our parishes, the Collaborative and our Town- a committee that supports and hosts these events is crucial.
Cereal Drive
Please consider dropping off a box or two of cereal at the back of the church at the weekend Masses all summer long. Thank you for all you do.
Pictures of the altar that was moved from
Newly Built
St. Catherine Siena Charlestown to
St. Catherine of Siena in Wichita Kansas
Saint Catherine of Siena Church in Wichita
Kansas which opened in 2020
Fr. Dan Spexarth, pastor, from St Catherine of Siena Parish
in Wichita KS came by our office and shared some pics of the high altar
from our very own St. Catherine of Siena Church.
They had purchased the altar in 2017.
The Parish started with 111 people and is now home to 2,000
with some 500 students in their school. Parishioners of Charlestown’s
St. Catherine of Siena are so joyful that the altar they loved is now being loved by the parishioners in Wichita.
Fun Fact: St. Catherine of Siena’s family nicknamed her
“Euphrosyne” which is Greek for “joy.” Nice to think, she is still spreading that joy around!
Fr. Sheridan with Fr. Victor Ibhawa who was here last week for Cross Catholic Outreach.
Have you ever heard of NFP? It stands for Natural Family Planning and is one of the best kept secrets in the Catholic Church. If you are a newly engaged couple, newlywed couple or a married couple who have not learned about NFP, we are excited to share with you a new video-based program that introduces couples to Natural Family Planning. It is called “Natural Plan.” It’s a little over an hour and it will change how you think about faith and fertility. Natural Plan is a video series featuring doctors, scientists, clergy, fertility coaches, NFP teachers, couples who practice NFP and newlyweds, who came together to share their experiences and insights about fertility awareness, from a Catholic perspective. The videos are lively and interesting. You can sign up for an in-person session or watch it together as a couple in your own home. To find out more visit www.naturalplan.org