As Lent begins this Wednesday, February 26 – Ash Wednesday, I invite you to start the season by participating in our Day of Open Doors. Our church will be open from 5:00 am to 9:00 pm throughout the day for everyone to: receive ashes, go to Confession, go to Mass (8:15 am, 4:15 pm & 7:00 pm) at which ashes will be offered, spend some quiet time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel, and pray/talk with a Stephen Minister for special one-on-one support. In addition, Lenten reflection booklets and resources will be available for you to take home.

BEST LENT EVER is another special opportunity to be enriched and inspired during this season. By signing up at BestLentEver.com, you'll receive short daily video messages via email from Matthew Kelly and his team. These inspirational videos will help you to see some amazing possibilities as you strive to become the best version of yourself. In Lent, it's not what you give up, it's who you become! Do you remember receiving the book, Rediscover the Saints, at Christmas? BEST LENT EVER will be based on the reflections in that book. If you haven't read it yet, this is your opportunity to read it in parts as you listen to the daily reflections.

We will be celebrating the season of Lent in just a week and a half, beginning with Ash Wednesday, February 26. Have you thought much about what you plan to do for Lent? Traditionally, we reflect on what Jesus came to do for us. By suffering and dying on the Cross, Jesus has taken upon himself our sins and the sins of the world, which expresses God's great mercy and forgiveness. In Lent, we prepare to renew our Baptismal promises at Easter by coming to terms with the ways we have not always renounced evil and sin, and have not put God at the center of our lives. We haven't always nurtured the gift of our Baptism. Consequently, in Lent, we take on some spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting and almsgiving, in order to root out sinful habits and renew God's divine life (grace) within us, which was first given at Baptism. We make more of an effort to participate at Mass each week – or even, every day. We plan a regimen to pray daily. We look for ways to reach out to those in need whom God has placed on our path.

This Sunday is World Marriage Day (WMD). It honors husband and wife as the foundation of the family, the basic unit of society. It salutes the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice and joy in daily married life. The idea of celebrating marriage began in Baton Rouge, La., in 1981, when couples encouraged the Mayor, the Governor and the Bishop to proclaim St. Valentines Day as "We Believe in Marriage Day." The event was so successful, the idea was presented to and was adopted by Worldwide Marriage Encounter's National Leadership. By 1982, 43 Governors officially proclaimed the day and celebrations spread to U.S. military bases in several foreign countries. In 1983, the name was changed to "World Marriage Day," designated to be celebrated each year on the second Sunday in February.

There are many folks around us looking for hope. Maybe you're one of them. Some have lost loved ones or are dealing with a terminal illness, others are alienated from family members, or have seriously messed up their lives having made bad choices, or have faced daunting challenges they have had no control over such as a loss of a job. They long for some comfort and help to get them through their despair. Having neighbors, friends and loved ones who reach out in a critical time such as these is so very important. That is what community is all about, and there's a lot of goodness evident here in Duxbury and beyond, which offers hope.

With the promulgation of his Apostolic Letter (Motu Proprio), Aperuit Illis, on September 30, 2019, Pope Francis has announced that, going forward, the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (this Sunday) is to be celebrated as The Sunday of the Word of God as a way to reflect on the importance of the Word of God for everyday living. The Holy Father cites how various local Churches have sought to "make Sacred Scripture (Bible) more accessible to believers, to increase their gratitude for so great a gift, and to help them strive daily to embody and bear witness to its teachings." He encourages people to read the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum of the Second Vatican Council, which expounds the nature of Sacred Scripture, its transmission from generation to generation, its divine inspiration embracing the Old and New Testaments, and the importance of Scripture for the life of the Church. We believe that even though the Bible speaks about times gone by, we believe it is the Living Word of God, which contains truths, which we are to live by.

There have been over 56 million abortions in our country since the January 22, 1973 Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion. One of the core beliefs of the Catholic Church is that human life is sacred and must be preserved from the moment of conception to natural death. In the anniversary month of the Roe v. Wade decision, the Catholic Church in the U.S. prays in a special way for the protection of unborn children. This coming Wednesday, January 22 is a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion. As individuals, we are called to observe this day through the penitential practices of prayer, fasting and/or giving alms. Trusting that our prayers are powerful and are heard by God, Holy Family parish will offer a special period of Eucharistic Adoration in Our Lady's Chapel this Wednesday, January 22 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. I encourage you to join with other parishioners in the chapel that day to pray before the Blessed Sacrament for these intentions. Our Blessed Mother, Mary, who bore the child Jesus in her womb is a powerful advocate for the preservation of life in the womb. And so, I share with you the following prayer to invoke Mary's intercession for this important intention.

We had a wonderful opening celebration for our 75th Anniversary as a parish last Saturday. The two photos on the cover of this bulletin gives you a glimpse of the evening's activities. The Episcopal Vicar of the South Region of the Archdiocese of Boston, Father Bob Connors presided at our Opening Mass. He provided a thoughtful homily linking the feast of the Epiphany and the great heritage of our parish, which is a product of the many gifts, talents and sacrifices offered over the years by clergy and laity alike. Some people seemed to be confused by the use of the word - Episcopal in Father Connor's title, thinking he came from another denomination! However, that's not the case. The word refers to the position he holds in place of the ordinary regional vicar who is usually a bishop (Episkopos in Greek), most recently held by now-retired Bishop John Dooher.

There are three brief and very thought provoking articles that will be discussed at our Faith Feeds adult faith formation evening taking place in our parish center this Wednesday, January 8 at 7:00 pm, which includes dinner (chili, cornbread and salad) and great conversation about these articles. They are taken from the Summer 2019 issue of Boston College's C21 Resources magazine focusing on the topic, Revitalizing Our Church. To obtain the articles, download them here or you can pick up a packet at one of the entrances to the church.

The first article entitled, Home: Where Jesus Lives by Katie Prejean McGrady, offers a reflection on the importance of what her parents did to pass along to her valued faith practices and traditions, which she in turn hopes to pass along to her children. She argues that thinking of the Church as one's home can help believers recognize Jesus there, even in the midst of human imperfection.

On this Feast of the Holy Family, I share with you a reflection by Fr. Bob Sherry, Spiritual Advisor to Dynamic Catholic. (FrBob.Sherry@dynamiccatholic.com) How do you and your family handle disagreements? Do you look for how God might be leading your family to a "greater good"? Maybe these three words will help:

Prayer: Always pray. Use the Prayer Process (below) and talk to Jesus. Talk to God the Father and ask the Father how he sees the situation or the other person. And pray for the other person, too!

Empathy: See if you can satisfactorily articulate the argument of the other person. Ask the person to give you at least three tries. Sometimes we argue on different wavelengths. No wonder we get heated!

Cardinal Seán O'Malley has declaring a Year of the Eucharist for the Archdiocese of Boston. The year will officially begin on Holy Thursday (April 9, 2020) and end on the Feast of Corpus Christi (June 6, 2021). He explains what prompted his decision in a letter dated December 10. Excerpts are included below.

"A recent Pew Study entitled "What Americans Know About Religion" reported that only 31% of Catholics believe that the bread and the wine consecrated during the Mass actually become the body and blood of Jesus, and that only half of Catholics know of the Church's teaching concerning the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. In order to help people gain a better understanding of the Eucharist, on Holy Thursday 2020, the Archdiocese of Boston will begin a Year of the Eucharist. It is my hope and prayer that through this spiritual initiative we can invite and encourage our brothers and sisters to find the consolation of the Lord through participation in the celebration of the Eucharist and in times of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament."…

Mary Anne fell ill with pneumonia at the age of eighty-seven. She survived but the recovery has left her bedridden. She is weak, no longer able to carry out the daily demands of feeding, washing, and dressing herself. She has gone from being an incredibly active and self-sufficient woman to depending completely on those around her. Mary Anne has struggled with this transition in her life. Her self-worth was wrapped up in her ability to give. "What's the purpose of living life stuck in a bed?" she would ask God. For the first time in her life, she has grappled with despair. Nearly every day, despite an hour-long commute each way, Mary Anne's daughter bursts in the door with a huge smile and a story to tell. Danielle has her mother's energy and joy for life. Mary Anne's despair has met its match in Danielle. Together they laugh and talk through the hard reality of Mary Anne's new life. Danielle helps keep some semblance of normalcy for her mother by dyeing her hair to cover the gray and painting her nails so she has something pretty to look at when the nights get lonely. When asked by her husband why she feels the need to visit her mother so often Danielle responds by saying, simply, "As a kid I went to bed every night knowing I was loved because of my mother. She deserves to feel the same way now." That's beautiful mercy.

If you haven't already, I ask that you sign-up and come to our parish Dream Event which will take place this Monday, December 9 from 7 – 8:30 pm here at Holy Family Church. As the inaugural event of Matthew Kelly's Dynamic Parish initiative, we'll have guest, Tony Ferraro, lead us in a unique exercise intended to engage our imaginations to dream about a bigger future for ourselves, our parish and our Church. Collaborating with God on a bold vision for the future and then doing what we can to make that dream a reality has the ability to animate the human spirit in a way nothing else can! Share this engaging evening with family members, friends and fellow parishioners and sign up at Duxbury.Eventbrite.com or register in the narthex this weekend. To get an idea of what the Dream Event will be like, visit vimeo.com/dynamiccatholic/review/365287546/58303abba4. Bring your smart phone to the Dream Event and see what you have in common with other dreamers! I look forward to joining you at this special evening kicking off Dynamic Parish – the five-year partnership our parish has begun with Dynamic Catholic to help us bring about a bigger and better future for Holy Family.

The Church is waiting to be reinvigorated. It's time for Catholics to step it up a notch—work together and take our parishes to the next level. It's time to boldly envision an incredible future for the Catholic Church in America and get to work, invoking the inspiration and grace of the Holy Spirit. I believe our future can be bigger than our past. I have great hope that Holy Family Parish can become everything God intends it to be. That's the reason I have accepted the wonderful offer we've been privileged to receive to be part of Matthew Kelly's new initiative, Dynamic Parish, to help us accomplish this goal. It begins with dreaming together and becoming excited about the possibilities for ourselves, our parish and the wider Church.