Saint Mary 

June 8, 2021

Brothers and Sisters,
     “Without the Lord’s day, we cannot live!” His Holiness, Pope Benedict, in his homily at the Cathedral of Saint Stephen in Vienna on September 9, 2007, quoted the Abitinian Martyrs, who during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian were arrested for celebrating Sunday Mass. The martyrs responded to the magistrate: “Sine dominico non possumus!” – without the Lord’s day, we cannot live! The Pope went on to say: “For these Christians, the Sunday Eucharist was not a commandment, but an inner necessity. Without him who sustains our lives, life itself is empty. To do without or to betray this focus would deprive life of its very foundation, would take away its inner dignity and beauty.”
     Aware that the opportunity to participate in Sunday Mass is increasingly available and increasingly safe for our Catholic people, we are joining dioceses in the Boston Province (Boston, Fall River, Springfield, Manchester, and Portland) in lifting the dispensation of the Sunday and Holy Day Mass obligation, effective the weekend of June 19 and 20, 2021.
     We are mindful of the Lord’s statement: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Mt 18:20). While we certainly can pray alone, there is both strength and blessedness in communal prayer.
     We do also note that attendance at Mass is our way of following the Third Commandment of the Decalogue: “Remember the sabbath day – keep it holy. For six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.” (Ex. 20:8,11) 
     We call to mind the many times we see Jesus observing the sabbath by going to the synagogue and teaching there (Mt 13:54, Mk 1:21-28, Lk 4:16-30, Jn 6:22-59). It is a desire of every Christian to conform his or her life to the life of Jesus, and Jesus went to the synagogue on the sabbath.
     Most significantly, receiving the Eucharist is the center of every Catholic life. The Lord commands us to take and eat, and to do it in memory of Him. (Mt 26:26-30, Mk 14:22-26, Lk 22:14-20, 1 Cor 11:23-26, CCC 1324). The Eucharist is food for our difficult journey through life, filling us with joy and strengthening us to embrace our suffering. It transforms us from the inside out and creates a unity among us that is a strong witness to the whole world.
     Therefore, it is with great confidence and trust in the Lord that we reinstate this Sunday Mass obligation. It has been a long, difficult year. People have experienced great pain and suffering throughout this pandemic. Loss of life has been immense. People continue to recover from the long-term effects of the coronavirus.
     The heroes among us — our nurses, doctors, first responders and all medical professionals — were a source of enormous comfort. Priests brought the Sacrament of the Sick to COVID patients. Now we are able to join together, remembering the lives changed and the sacrifices made. Let us gather together again in joy, as one people united around the Eucharist.
      In this year of Saint Joseph, who was always a faithful observer of the sabbath, we chose Father’s Day as an appropriate day to encourage all of our people, and especially our families, to return to the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist.
      This obligation does not apply to those who are ill; those who have been recently exposed to COVID or any other communicable illness; those who are confined to their homes or to hospitals or other facilities due to illness, infirmity, frailty, or age; and those who are not yet able to be vaccinated, due to age or any health consideration. Parishioners should consult their local pastor if they have questions about the obligation.
      To all of those who have not been able to be with us during this last year, we look forward to welcoming you back to the celebration of the Mass.
 
Thank you, and God bless you.
Cardinal Seán

As of May 29th, vaccinated people are no longer required to wear masks or socially distance in church.  Non-vaccinated people are advised by the State to continue to wear masks as well as those who feel more comfortable doing so.  We will not be asking parishioners whether or not they have been vaccinated.  Hand sanitizer will be available.  Singing is now allowed at Mass.  We will continue to publish the weekend readings in the bulletin and provide copies of the music.  We ask that you take the bulletin and music home with you rather than leaving it in the pew.  

Donations will continue to be placed in the baskets at the church entrances.  We will not resume the passing of the baskets during Mass but will soon have appropriately marked receptacles as you enter the church for your donations .  Online giving is a safe and convenient way of donating and benefits both you and the parish.   We encourage you to consider this option.  You may also set up a recurring donation directly through your bank.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation over these past 15 months!

Good news!  Installation of the new lift is now complete!  The top-of-the-line Garaventa lift is now available for those who have difficulty navigating the stairs.  Please spread the word to family members, neighbors and friends who have been unable to attend Mass over the past two months due to the lack of an operating lift.  

While we did not have a fundraiser to cover the $34,000 cost of the lift, I want to thank those parishioners who generously donated toward the cost of this project.  

Father Shawn

We are excited to offer another option to donate to Saint Mary’s.  After receiving input from you, our parishioners, we have added the option to donate to Saint Mary’s with a simple text.
Due to the pandemic, we have not passed the collection baskets since March of last year.  The financial stability over these past twelve months has depended on all of you who donate online, in the baskets at each Mass, by mail or drop off your contributions at the rectory.  Despite the wonderful support you have shown, our Offertory is down about 35%.  As we look to the future and an end to this pandemic, we are counting on those who have been unable to attend Mass to help the parish return to a stable financial base.
Donating online by setting up scheduled recurring monthly gifts to the parish is a critical source of income.  Without this, our financial situation would be a serious concern.  Online giving also provides stability for our parish as we know we can count on this income each month.  We currently have about 150 online givers, but with a parish of over 1200 families, we are hoping to double that base. 

We are now adding the option to “text to give” in 3 easy steps.

• Text the word “Donate” to:   7816536654 OR Scan th QR code from our Weekly bulletin pr Facebook post
• Enter Info:     The “giving” screen will come up where you will enter your donation amount (OFFERTORY is the fund most commonly used for our regular day-to-day expenses, but you can donate to any of the funds listed.)  You will need to enter your personal information, name, address, etc. as well as your payment method.  You can make your donation a one-time gift or set up a recurring monthly donation.  Payment made by made through your bank or credit card.  Donating through your bank allows your gift to go a little further because the fees are lower than credit card but choose whichever works best for you. 
• Hit SUBMIT.  That’s it!  You will receive an email acknowledging your donation.

Be sure to save the number…7816536654 in your contacts for future use.  

You also can use the online giving link below to make a one-time or recurring donation.  We are grateful for your support.

We have now met our assessed target due to all our parishioners who participated, especially during this difficult year.  Your generosity will benefit hundreds of pastoral, charitable, and educational programs at work within the Archdiocese of Boston, and at our own parish.
 
This is our Church and when you support the Appeal, you support us!