FROM FATHER
RICK
Dear Friends,
CONSECRATED
LIFE DAY
This Sunday,
January 31, we will celebrate
"Consecrated Life Day" at the 11:00 am Mass,
followed by a reception in the Gathering
Space. Other places which celebrate this day
may be celebrating it next weekend, but
because of the very busy January and
February months here at St. Robert’s, I
didn’t want this important day eclipsed.
Gratefully, we will have a number of
religious women and men with us for this
Mass, which will celebrate this gift to the
church and honors of religious present with
us.
Over the years
many women and men have chosen to live out
their Baptismal vocation by professing the
evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity
and obedience. Although there are a number
of ways to accomplish this, the best known
and most popular way is by joining a
religious congregation, community or order.
We pray for these religious today and we ask
God to bless our church with other
courageous and generous men and women who
will dedicate their lives to God’s service.
TITHING FOR
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH SCHOOL
At the
Generations of Faith Festivals at the
beginning of this month, we inaugurated a
program to raise funds for the school at our
sister parish in Dar es Salaam, which is in
need of some major renovations. We have
decided to try and raise a 10% tithe ($650.)
to assist in these repairs. There will be a
donation jug in the Gathering Space for the
next TWO weeks for your contributions.
Thanks.
ARISE
TOGETHER IN CHRIST - SEASON FOUR
Season Four for
the ARISE Program will begin
the week of February 14—school vacation week
and the week of Ash Wednesday. Last weekend
was "Sign-Up Weekend", but it is not too
late to sign up. Currently we have 16
groups, including one youth group. Please
consider joining in this great program. Even
if you have never participated before it is
a great way to focus your Lenten Journey for
this year.
WORLD
MARRIAGE DAY
We will
celebrate World Marriage Day on Saturday,
February 13. I invite those who are
celebrating milestone anniversaries in 2010
to join us at the 4:00 pm Mass to be
acknowledged and receive a blessing. This
Mass is followed by a reception in the
Gathering Space honoring the sacrament of
Marriage and those couples who will
celebrate with us at Mass (milestone or
not!). Couples who plan to attend please
let Irene know before Friday, February 5.
If you are interested in having your wedding
picture (and one from today) included in the
video presentation at this event, please
drop your picture(s) off at the parish
office before the end of business on
February 5. The picture will be scanned for
inclusion in the video presentation and
returned to you.
WORLD DAY OF
PRAYER FOR THE SICK
We will
celebrate "World Day of Prayer for the Sick"
on Sunday, February 14, with the
communal celebration of the Anointing of the
Sick at the 11:00 am Mass. (Please note the
change in date from the original
announcement of February 7.) If you know of
someone in the parish that is homebound who
we may not be aware of and would benefit
from this sacrament, please get their name
to Irene in the Parish Office by January 27
so that we can contact them and try to
arrange transportation as needed. Also, if
you would be willing to provide
transportation please let Irene know. If you
would like to be anointed please call Irene
as well. A light lunch will be served in the
Gathering Space immediately following Mass.
I wish you
God's Peace,
Fr. Rick
Imagine being part
of an organization that fills your heart and
your mind with the joy of giving to others
and the feeling that comes with making a
difference. Knights are Catholic men, 18
years of age and older, who are committed to
making their community a better place, while
supporting their Church. For more
information, contact Jim McKain at
978-475-7931 or
Jim_McKain@NLTek.com,
or go to the K
of C page on the parish website:
www.saintroberts.net/kofc.htm.
Next Meeting:
Wednesday, February 3, 7:30 pm, Driscoll
Hall.
Parish Family
Breakfast
Next Sunday,
Feb. 7!!
9:00-10:45
AM, Driscoll Hall
Stewardship
Reflection
“Love is
patient, love is kind. It is not jealous,
it is not
pompous.” –1 Corinthians 13:4
Are you jealous?
Do you focus more on the things that other
people have than on the gifts that God has
given to you? Are you pompous? Do you seek
to acquire more possessions to impress
others? At times we are all guilty of these
human weaknesses. Yet as stewards we are
called to love God above all other
things–striving always to be less jealous,
less pompous and more giving.
Money Matters
On the
weekend of January 23/24
Weekly
donations: $3,246.00
Special
Collection Next Weekend
Next week,
February 6/7, our parish will take up
the Peter’s Pence Collection. This
Collection allows the Holy Father to cast
the light of Christ upon the world by
providing emergency assistance to those who
need it most around the globe. Please be
generous in next week’s Peter’s Pence
Collection.
And if you
missed the special collection over the past
two weekends to support the emergency relief
efforts of Catholic Relief Services in Haiti
you can still contribute through the parish
this weekend. For more information on the
status of CRS efforts in Haiti, go to
www.crs.org.
Please join
us for ARISE Season IV: “New Heart, New
Spirit”
“I will give
you a new heart and place a new
spirit within you.” (Ezekiel 36:26)
There is
still time to sign-up for ARISE.
Season IV will begin the week of February 14
and end the week of March 21. In this
season, guided by the liturgies of Lent and
Holy Week, we will explore the themes of
forgiveness and reconciliation. Last year
many participants commented that the
ARISE meetings greatly enhanced
their Lenten experience.
Next Weekend,
February 6 and 7, is prayer commitment
weekend. Your prayerful support is essential
to the success of ARISE in
enriching the faith of participants and
fostering community within our parish.
For more
information, please contact Maggie Butler at
978-640-1879 or
butler.fam@verizon.net or go online to
www.saintroberts.net/Arise.htm.
The Health
Ministry is offering a
Blood
Pressure Clinic
in the
Gathering Space after all Masses next
weekend, February 6/7.
Project
Rachel
Do you know
someone who is carrying grief or sorrow over
past abortions? Project Rachel is the
post-abortion ministry of the Catholic
Church to help those dealing with the pain
of abortion. Project Rachel will offer three
“Come to the Waters of Healing”
post-abortion healing retreats this spring:
Sunday, February 28; Saturday, March 13;
and Saturday, June 5. For more
information and registration for the date of
your choice, please contact Project Rachel
at 508-651-3100 or email
help@projectrachelboston.com. All calls
are confidential. More information about the
Project Rachel ministry and post-abortion
healing can be found at
www.projectrachelboston.com.
Saturday,
January 30
Vigil, Fourth
Sunday in Ordinary Time
4:00 pm: Pam
Galvin;
Baptism of
Audrey Ellen Lucas
Sunday,
January 31
Fourth Sunday
in Ordinary Time
9:00 am:
Confirmation Candidates Rite of Enrollment
11:00 am: Mass
in Celebration of Consecrated Life
Wednesday,
February 3
St. Blaise
and St. Ansgar
5:30 pm: Mass
with Blessing of Throats
Saturday,
February 6
Vigil, Fifth
Sunday in Ordinary Time
4:00 pm: People
of the Parish
Sunday,
February 7
Fifth Sunday
in Ordinary Time
9:00 am: Joan
McCandless
11:00 am:
Heather Geldart
Readings for the Week of January 31, 2010
Sunday: Jer 1:4-5, 17-19/1 Cor
12:31-13:13/Lk 4:21-30
Monday: 2 Sm 15:13-14, 30;
16:5-13/Mk 5:1-20
Tuesday: Mal 3:1-4/Heb 2:14-18/Lk
2:22-40 or 2:22-32
Wednesday: 2 Sm 24:2, 9-17/Mk 6:1-6
Thursday: 1 Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12/Mk
6:7-13
Friday: Sir 47:2-11/Mk 6:14-29
Saturday: 1 Kgs 3:4-13/Mk 6:30-34
Next Sunday: Is 6:1-2a, 3-8/1 Cor
15:1-11/Lk 5:1-11
Question of
the Week
Fourth
Ordinary Sunday
Reading 1:
Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19 (I Am with You)
Reading II:
1 Corinthians 12:31—13:13 (A More
Excellent Way)
Gospel:
Luke 4:21-30 (Speaking in the Synagogue)
Adults:
What is a way you show members of your
family your love for them?
Youth:
Who are the people in your life who mean the
most to you? How do you show them how
important they are to you?
Children:
What ways do you show God's love to someone
who is lonely or hurting?
Do you like to
sing? Do you want to be part of a friendly
group with young people of all ages?
The Youth Choir
invites all boys and girls in grades 1
through 12 to join the choir. We rehearse on
Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:45 and sing at the
9:00 am Mass each Sunday. You may come to
any rehearsal to sign up. There is no
audition. If you have questions, please call
or email Kathy Schardin at 978 475 0228 or
KJSchard@aol.com, or Yvonne Gobis at 978
452 0831 or
YGobis@comcast.net. We hope you'll try
it out as we begin our preparations for Lent
and the Easter season.
Please bring
your palm branches from last year to church
next weekend so that they can be burned for
our celebration of Ash Wednesday this year.
There will be a basket in the Gathering
Space.
In Service
1st Lt. Stephen
Draheim, USA, Maj. Brian Brzezinski, USA,
Lt. Col. James Coffey, USAF, Kevin Grace,
USA, Lyle Shackelford, Pvt. Alexander Sabu,
USA, Gen’l. R. Steve Whitcomb, USA, Col.
Brian P. Bedell, USA, Capt. Lauren Whitcomb,
USA, BG Patrick J. Donahue, USA, BG Brian P.
Donahue, USA, Cpt. Michael McGaffigan, USA,
Steve Comstock, Pilot, USN, Lt. Jesse
Salisbury, USAF, Sgt. Maureen Galvin, USA,
SpOps, Lt.J.G. Kevin B. O’Brien, USN, Miko
Belonia, Maj. Tony Hoffman, USA, Maj. Ross
Coffman, USA, Maj. Garth Howe, USA, Chief
Warrant Officer II Michael Morris, USA,
Captain Matthew Mancini, USA, Sgt. Ellen
Barnes O’Connor, USA, Pvt. Adam James Mazza,
USA, Pvt. Joseph D. Gagnon, USM, LTCD Chris
Stopyra, USN
This Week in
Our Parish
Saturday,
January 30
5:00 PM K of C
Spaghetti Supper Following 4:00 PM Mass,
Driscoll Hall
Sunday,
January 31
10:00-11:00 AM
First Communion Session I, Driscoll Hall
11:00 AM Mass
in Celebration of Consecrated Life, followed
by a reception in the Gathering Space
Monday,
February 1
7:00 PM Scout
Leaders Meeting, Bellarmine Room
7:00 PM Scout
Committee Meeting, Sacristy
7:00-8:30 PM
GOF Activity Leaders Meeting, Seton Room
Tuesday,
February 2
1:00-2:30 PM
Bereavement Group, Bellarmine Room
7:00 PM
Confirmation Preparation Session II,
Driscoll Hall
Wednesday,
February 3
5:30 PM Weekday
Mass with Blessing of Throats, Church
7:30 PM Knights
of Columbus, Driscoll Hall
Thursday,
February 4
5:00 PM Youth
Cantor Practice, Church
5:30 PM Youth
Choir Practice, Church
6:30 PM Scouts,
Driscoll Hall
7:00 PM Weekday
Mass, Church
7:30 PM Adult
Choir Practice, Church
Friday,
February 5
6:15 AM Weekday
Mass, Church
5:30-8:30 PM
Generations of Faith Festival, Driscoll Hall
Saturday,
February 6
Fair Trade
Coffee Available for Purchase in the
Gathering Space after Mass
Blood Pressure
Clinic in the Gathering Space after Mass
ARISE Prayer
Commitment Weekend
Sunday,
February 7
Fair Trade
Coffee Available for Purchase in the
Gathering Space after Mass
Blood Pressure
Clinic in the Gathering Space after Mass
ARISE Prayer
Commitment Weekend
9:00-10:45 AM K
of C Family Breakfast, Driscoll Hall
12:30-3:30 PM
Generations of Faith Festival, Driscoll Hall
5:00-8:00 PM
Generations of Faith Festival, Driscoll Hall
Fair trade coffee
will be available for purchase after all
Masses next weekend, February 6 and 7.
Buying fair trade coffee is a tangible way
we can put the values of our faith into
action. It reminds us that there are people
behind all the things we consume. Bring your
values to the marketplace—bring Dean’s Beans
Fair Trade Coffee into your homes!
Free Concert
“The Seven Last
Words of Christ,” Cantata by Theodore Dubois
Sunday,
February 7, 4:00 pm
Holy Rosary
Church, 35 Essex Street, Lawrence, MA
Featuring
soprano Barbara Kilduff, tenor Jason
McStoots; baritone Thomas Jones,
organist Robert
Cruz, with the New England Classical Singers
and the LHS Girls’ Ensemble.
Please
remember that you can help support the work
of Neighbors in Need anytime during the year
by dropping your non-perishable food
donation into the bin in the vestibule of
the church.
Right now
they are especially in need of: soup,
shelf-stable milk, cereal, formula, rice,
beans. Thank you!
Saint Michael
School
OPEN HOUSE:
Nursery-Grade 8
Tuesday,
February 2, 10:00 am–1:00 pm
Smart
Students…Great Kids!
Take a tour
during school hours, meet the teachers and
administrators and witness firsthand why
Saint Michael School is an excellent choice
in Catholic education. For more information,
contact the school office at 978-686-1862 or
visit their website at
www.saintmichael.com.
March 5-7:
A Retreat for
All Young Adults
Join with other
young adults in their 20's and 30's for a
weekend to open up, rekindle or deepen your
relationship with Christ. The retreat will
combine Mass and Adoration, inspiring Talks
and Witnesses, Personal Prayer and many
opportunities to meet other young adults
throughout the Greater Boston area. It
begins on Friday evening and ends Sunday
afternoon. For more information or to
register for the retreat email Bernadette
Michaud at
Bmich777@hotmail.com or Fr. Michael
Harrington at
Mharrington527@gmail.com.
SCRIPTURE
READINGS FOR NEXT WEEK–FIFTH SUNDAY IN
ORDINARY TIME
A reading
from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 6:1-2a,
3-8
In the year King
Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high
and lofty throne, with the train of his
garment filling the temple. Seraphim were
stationed above.
They cried one
to the other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD
of hosts! All the earth is filled with his
glory!”
At the sound of
that cry, the frame of the door shook and
the house was filled with smoke.
Then I said,
“Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of
unclean lips, living among a people of
unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the
King, the LORD of hosts!” Then one of the
seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that
he had taken with tongs from the altar.
He touched my
mouth with it, and said, “See, now that this
has touched your lips, your wickedness is
removed, your sin purged.”
Then I heard the
voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I
send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I
said; “send me!”
A reading
from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the
Corinthians 15:1-11
I am reminding
you, brothers and sisters, of the gospel I
preached to you, which you indeed received
and in which you also stand. Through it you
are also being saved, if you hold fast to
the word I preached to you, unless you
believed in vain. For I handed on to you as
of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance
with the Scriptures; that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day in
accordance with the Scriptures; that he
appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, Christ appeared to more than
five hundred brothers at once, most of whom
are still living, though some have fallen
asleep. After that he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to
one born abnormally, he appeared to me. For
I am the least of the apostles, not fit to
be called an apostle, because I persecuted
the church of God. But by the grace of God I
am what I am, and his grace to me has not
been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled
harder than all of them; not I, however, but
the grace of God that is with me. Therefore,
whether it be I or they, so we preach and so
you believed.
+ A reading
from the holy Gospel according to Luke
5:1-11
While the crowd
was pressing in on Jesus and listening to
the word of God, he was standing by the Lake
of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there
alongside the lake; the fishermen had
disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one
belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out
a short distance from the shore. Then he sat
down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to
Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower
your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and
have caught nothing, but at your command I
will lower the nets.” When they had done
this, they caught a great number of fish and
their nets were tearing. They signaled to
their partners in the other boat to come to
help them. They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the
knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me,
Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For
astonishment at the catch of fish they had
made seized him and all those with him, and
likewise James and John, the sons of
Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus
said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now
on you will be catching men.” When they
brought their boats to the shore, they left
everything and followed him.
Copyright
1970, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2001 Confraternity
of Christian Doctrine, Inc. Washington D.C.
All rights reserved. No part of this work
may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by an
information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the
copyright owner.
