Pastor's Corner

What or who do you take for granted? I know, it’s hard to think about something you don’t think much about! But try… especially at this time of Thanksgiving. There are certainly people and things you and I depend upon that we just expect to be there for us. Maybe it’s the person who delivers the newspaper or provides emergency services. I have a friend who will occasionally pray for the person who invented air conditioning because she is so grateful for that cool refreshment in the summer heat!

I’m very grateful for the many prayers and get-well wishes I have received while I addressed issues related to coronary artery disease, a condition I’ve inherited. As symptoms increased, I had to be admitted to the hospital where I underwent a catheterization and implantation of a stent to increase blood flow to my heart. Fortunately, I was able to be discharged in time to welcome our new Archbishop Richard Henning to Holy Family this past Wednesday at a gathering of approximately 50 priests from the South Region of our Archdiocese.

A Note from Fr. Bill….

Dear Friends,

For three weekends I’ve been away getting a new knee and I suspect I’ll be away a week or two more so that I can walk with dignity and grace. It has been quite an experience. My first major visit to a hospital since my tonsils came out when I was seven. All the stories about what to look for – pain, more pain, and still more pain.

This week, November 3-9, is National Vocation Awareness Week (NVAW). This annual week-long celebration of the Catholic Church in the United States is dedicated to promoting vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life through prayer and education, and to renew our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations.

This Thursday, October 31, Most Reverend Richard G. Henning, STD will be installed as our new Archbishop of Boston. The Mass of Installation will take place at 2:00pm at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

You are invited to view the installation on CatholicTV (via cable) or at www.CatholicTV.org. For those who wish to be together with others while viewing the installation, there will be a watch party for those living in the South Region of our Archdiocese at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Braintree.

This weekend, we celebrate World Mission Sunday, a special day that unites Catholics worldwide in prayer, solidarity, and support for the Church’s mission efforts, which is crucial for sustaining the Church’s outreach in over 1,150 mission territories. World Mission Sunday reminds us that we belong to a worldwide Church, which is not often in the forefront of our minds.

Every session of the Second Vatican Council began with the prayer Adsumus Sancte Spiritus, the first word of the Latin original meaning, “We stand before You, Holy Spirit,” which has been historically used at Councils, Synods and other Church gatherings for hundreds of years, being attributed to Saint Isidore of Seville (c. 560 - 4 April 636).

This weekend we celebrate Respect Life Sunday, which begins Respect Life Month. The U.S. bishops have affirmed that, while it is important to address all the ways in which human life is threatened, “abortion remains our pre-eminent priority as it directly attacks our most vulnerable brothers and sisters, destroying more than a million lives each year in our country alone.”

Do you pray for your parish, the wider Church and yourself with the intention that there will be healing in the Body of Christ, and a renewed zeal to work together to help unfold God’s plan for our world? Here is a prayer from Matthew Kelly that you can use or you can make one of your own.

The Dynamic Catholic Prayer

Loving Father, I invite You into my life today and make myself available to you.

Have you ever heard of the Humanality Movement?

In 2018, after finding himself constantly on social media, Andrew Laubacher decided to give up social media and go back to using a flip phone. Six years later, he helps lead a movement dedicated to encouraging others to break their own tech addictions. He was not happy with how all the platforms were just becoming so all-consuming, and he felt that God was calling him to change.

What does your personal prayer life look like? Does prayer happen daily or only as needed? Has it changed at all over time? Matthew Kelly offers some points to consider for those who would like to improve their prayer life.

Six Seismic Spiritual Shifts Regarding Prayer presented by Matthew Kelly

1. Just be open to beginning a conversation with God.

It’s the most commonly repeated phrase in the Bible – found in one form or another – 365 times! “Do not be afraid!” It’s what Jesus told his disciples several times when they were frightened or troubled.

I think fear and anxiety are much more common feelings than people admit. Throughout salvation history, God reassured and comforted his troubled people.

On this Labor Day weekend, we’re invited to reflect upon the meaning and importance of work for ourselves as individuals, for our families and community, and for the wider society.

Work has far more significance than merely the practical means to “earn a living” so that we can feed, clothe and house ourselves and our families. Our Catholic Church has a rich set of teachings which explore a “spirituality of work.”