Pastor’s Weekly Letters (May 27 & June 3)
May 27, 2012 Letter
Dear Friends,
A few things on this Memorial Day Weekend: perhaps you may not remember but we have a lovely folder at the foot of the statue of Mary to the right of the main altar where are kept the names of parishioners’ loved ones serving in the military. You are welcome to add your own page at any time, and please pray for these good folks. Also, I draw your attention to a beautiful video about the priests of Boston who serve in the military. It is posted on our Parish website at www.stmarysdedham.com. Please take a look at both the video and the website!! We pray for all the men and women of our country, living and deceased, who honor our country by their service
This past week we hosted several meetings. Two pertained to the sad initiative proposing Physician Assisted Suicide that will come before Bay State voters in the fall. These were informative and an important call to all of us to make our voices for all human dignity to be heard. We also welcomed a number of priests from the surrounding area (called a vicariate) for our monthly conversation addressing issues that impact the diocese and our local parishes. The results of our conversation are relayed to the wider archdiocesan level also on a monthly basis.
Thanks for your continued support of the Catholic Appeal…we’re at about 58% of our goal…and for the honest and hopeful sharing regarding our parish Capital Campaign.
I want to take this opportunity to thank our 11:00 Mass choir as it begins its summer break. We are so grateful to all the members, and especially Music Director Anthony Brown, for the time and effort (ever see those choir loft stairs!!) that each person gives to provide such beautiful music. I do hope that many other parishioners, or friends you know from outside the parish, will join the choir next year to keep up the great musical traditional here at St. Mary’s.
This weekend we celebrate the great Solemnity of Pentecost. Blessed John Paul II rightly called it the third part of the great triptych: Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is the Lord, the Giver of Life. Call on the Great Breath of God! We were fortunate to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation for one of our parishioners over the weekend…a fitting sending down of the Holy Spirit in a powerful and very real way. A sacrament is the continued presence and power of Christ made available through the Holy Spirit through signs entrusted to the Church.
Come, Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
God bless,
Fr. Kelly
June 3, 2012 Letter
SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/jasonderamo/Documents/St.%20Mary’s%20Dedham/Parish%20Website/June%203.doc
Dear Friends,
June is busting out all over!! It’s hard to believe we’ve passed into another month already, but we continue to carry on! I want to thank our two parish gardeners, Mary and Dan, who volunteer so much time and talent to keep the gardens looking so beautiful. We are all very grateful.
Religious Liberty is very much in the news today. As Cardinal Dolan said recently: “We are going hoarse trying to get the message across that this is not about birth control…it’s about religious freedom.” (The popular media, however, continues effectively to subvert this.) For a fine, eight minute talk on this topic, I would recommend the Youtube clip by Fr. Bob Barron called “Religious Liberty.” Fr. Barron is a master at distilling complex issues into a clear overview. I recommend everything he does, but this is especially important in these days.
The Parish BBQ is next weekend, June 9 after the 4:00 Mass in Mary Hall. There will be outdoor activities for the kids as well. If you’ve not signed up yet, please do so as soon as possible. And bring along some friends! This is a great tradition here at St. Mary’s.
On June 15, we’ll have our second annual “Guys’ Nite” in Mary Hall and in the Life House. This is a chance for Catholic men of all ages to come together for some food, conversation, fun, prayer and a viewing of the movie Courageous, for those who want to stay for that. Starting around 6:30. Final details in next week’s bulletin.
We’re happy to be hosting Fr. Bob Vujs next weekend. He’s here on behalf of the Propagation of the Faith Mission Society and will speak at our Masses. Good to have him with us.
The life of the Catholic Church has been of great interest in the popular press these past months, and so often what is presented is a caricature if not an outright distortion. All the more reason for us to keep informed, educated and up to speed on pressing issues. There are fine resources in book form and certainly on the Internet. I’m thinking of having an open house conversation with a few guests on hand to talk about the issues of the day. The Catholic genius of penetrating the truth of all the topics at hand is essential for truly good living. Would people be interested in such a forum?
The month of June honors many martyrs and is dedicated to the Sacred Blood of Christ.
We are saved by the Blood of the Lamb. Amen!
God bless,
Fr. Kelly