UPCOMING SCHEDULE

January 5, 2025

Grades 1-5 8:15 AM St Peter

Grades 1-5 8:45 AM OLOL

Edge Grades 6-8 4:30 PM St Peter

Youth Mass 5:30 PM St Peter

Confirmation 6:30 PM St Peter

January 6, 2025

Grades 1-5 4:45 PM St Peter

January 11, 2025

Reconciliation Retreat with Parent

1:00 PM OLOL

YOUTH MASS

All are welcome to join us for the January Youth Mass on January 5, 2025 at 5:30pm. Middle School will meet for class before Mass and High School Confirmation will meet after Mass and have pasta and meatballs for dinner.

RECONCILIATION RETREAT

All children preparing for First Reconciliation have an afternoon retreat on January 11, 2025 from 1:00 pm-4:00 pm at Our Lady of Lourdes with a parent. We will be reviewing how to go to Confession, play games, spend time in prayer, and have several activities on the parable of the lost sheep and the prodigal son.

FIRST COMMUNION PREP I

PARENT MEETING

At least one parent should plan on attending one of the upcoming meetings as we go over the God Loves Me Retreat, registration for next year, VBS, and so much more.

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Sunday, January 12, 2025 at 11:30 am

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at 5:30 pm 

STEUBENVILLE YOUTH CONFERENCE

All youth in grades 8-12 are invited to join us July 10-13, 2025 for the Steubenville Youth Conference in Ohio. We are planning on taking a bus out to Ohio on Thursday, July 10th and having a college tour on Friday morning before the conference begins on Friday evening. We are hoping to do some fundraising to help defray the cost of transportation. Food, lodging, and transportation to and from Ohio is included in the cost. Deposits are due by December 30, 2024 in order to meet the conference deposit requirements. Go to https://www.maryqueenofmartyrs.org/faith-payments-2024 to make a deposit. 

Please reach out with any questions!

Patsy Gillespie

Director of Faith Formation

Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish

(508) 746 - 0663 ext. 206

faithform@maryqueenofmartyrs.org

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me" (Jeremiah 29:11-14).

Spotlight on Activities

Using a Person’s Name as an Act of Reverence

December 16, 2024

Patricia Breen

Reflect

A powerful lesson my dad taught me as a little girl was how using a person’s name is an act of reverence. Once at the grocery store, my Dad thanked the person who bagged our groceries by using their first name. “Patty, always thank the person who bags your groceries, because they often do not get seen, or thanked, or noticed.” To say another human being’s name is a simple, yet powerful way to honor their God-given dignity and humanity.

Pray

Spirit of Love,

Help me to remember that

I am always known and loved by God.

My name is always on your lips.

May I remember to always speak the names of those I encounter with kindness and love.

Amen.

Act

Be on the lookout today to use people’s names as you encounter them. And when you do so, be aware of saying it as an act of reverence. How does this change your interactions with people around you?

DeCOLORES ALL!

Our next Ultreya is at:

Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish

Saint Kateri Church

126 South Meadow Road

Plymouth, MA

on

Sunday, January 19, 2025 at

5:00 PM

All are welcome! Please bring a snack to share & spread the word. Come join together with us to celebrate this wonderful Community of faith & to thank God for all of our Blessings! 

(Any questions call Patti & John at 617-678-4306. Also, please rsvp any help with food to be offered if possible. God bless & thanks to all!)

Holy Cross Retreat House Cursillos

January 30-February 2, 2025 Men's

February 20-23, 2025 Women's

March 20-23, 2025 Men's

April 24-27, 2025 Women's

MQM Ultreya's

January 19, 2025-Saint Kateri

February 16, 2025-Saint Kateri

March 9, 2025-Saint Kateri

April 6, 2025-Saint Kateri

May 18, 2025 - OLOL

Expecting a Miracle: Advent by the Nativity Scene

Susan M. Erschen

Friday 13th of December 2024

Advent is perhaps the most challenging liturgical season for Christians. The secular world has kidnapped this time intended for quiet reflection and turned it into a time of premature celebration. During Advent, we spend four weeks trying to balance ourselves. Like standing in the middle of a seesaw, we often have one foot in the materialistic world of gifts, decorating and parties, while the other foot is in the spiritual world of prayerfully expecting the miracle of Christ's birth.

A Christmas tradition started by St. Francis may help us keep our focus more on the coming miracle than the latest sales. The beloved saint from Assisi taught us to live simply and care for the poor, including through the Nativity scene.

We may think the Nativity scene is as ancient as the celebration of Christmas itself. Yet, Nativity scenes were unheard of until St. Francis set up the first one in a cave outside of Greccio, Italy, in 1223. His goal was to remind people of the poverty into which Christ chose to be born.

St. Francis felt the faithful were missing the message of the Gospel because they were too enmeshed in materialism. Sound familiar? We may be able to keep our balance a little better this Advent by focusing on the rich symbolism of the Nativity scene.



-- The empty manger: We are often reminded to prepare our hearts to receive Jesus. But it is difficult to imagine what a heart ready to receive Jesus should look like. So let's begin by looking at the simple manger that received Jesus so many years ago. This year, consider making the Nativity scene the first and most important Christmas decoration to grace your home.

If possible, find a new place of honor for your Nativity set. Try not to hide it under the tree, where it will eventually be buried by presents. Instead, place it on a mantle, a hutch or a small table set up for this special purpose. You might want to put up just the stable and its animals this first week. The live animals were most important to St. Francis in his first Nativity scene. He wanted the townspeople to truly experience the stench and roughness that surrounded the Christ Child's birth.

-- The shepherds and their sheep: The shepherds who slept in the fields are an example of the people Pope Francis is referring to when he says we must reach out to all who live on the peripheries. Who are the shepherds in our lives whom we push to the periphery? Who have we chosen to alienate or ignore? Who is the outcast in our neighborhood, place of work, family, parish or circle of friends? Who is the one we feel is too angry, boastful, boring, whiny, backward or difficult to like? Advent calls us to pay attention to them.

Not only have we pushed some people to the peripheries in our own lives, but the world has pushed entire cultures, nationalities and countries to the peripheries, forcing millions of people to live in unnecessary poverty. The first reading for this week reminds us Advent is a time to show mercy to all those in need. "Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God ... Make straight in the wasteland a highway ... Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low" (Is 40:1, 3-4).

Isaiah is not suggesting we power up bulldozers to rearrange the landscape. But he may be talking about leveling the economic playing field for those who live in the valley of poverty while others dwell on a mountain of riches. Are we prepared to be more merciful this Advent?

-- Angels on high: We, as members of the Church, should be people of joy. The angels who hover over the manger came to bring joy. As Luke writes, "Do not be afraid: for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy." Are our lives too noisy to hear the joyful song of the angels? Are we too busy to look up and see them singing in the night?

Even if we are not yet feeling all the joy of Christmas, we can still give the gift of joy to others. The beauty of the angels was not so much in that they were joyful themselves, but that they brought joyful tidings to the world. For a Christian, this should be a time to bring as much joy as possible to as many people as possible.

-- The star of Bethlehem: "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage" (Mt 2:2). It was a common belief in the first century that a ruler's birth was marked by the appearance of a new star in the sky. The star of Bethlehem pointed the magi's way toward Jesus in the manger. When we see the star in Nativity scenes this Advent, we, too, should allow it to point our way to Christ.

-- The three Wise Men: "And on entering the house they saw the child with Mary, his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage" (Mt 2:11). In ancient times, it was customary for foreign dignitaries to visit a newborn king. Let us be more like the magi, who, after making a long journey, knelt immediately when seeing Christ, acknowledging his divine kingship. We, too, are on a journey and must pay Jesus homage.

-- The stable: "She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Lk 2:7). As the innkeepers turned away the Holy Family, so we turn Jesus away every time we sin. As we look at Mary and Joseph huddling over their son in the stable, let us open our hearts to Christ and allow his parents, the first Christians, to lead us to holiness.

-- Mary and Joseph: Living in expectation of the Lord, like Mary and Joseph, is different than living with our own expectations. As we enter the last week of Advent, we may still be holding onto our own expectations. We may have expected more twinkling lights on our house, more expensive presents under the tree or a home remodeling project done to impress guests. These material expectations can leave us disappointed or over-stressed.

Now is the time to gaze upon Mary and Joseph in the Nativity stable. They had unmet expectations, too. They expected to stay at an inn and have a warm meal. Yet, they end up seeking shelter with animals.

Mary and Joseph show us we never know what to expect from God. He can surprise us with joy and contentment beyond our own expectations if we simply place our trust in him. The Lord is coming to do great things for us.

SUSAN M. ERSCHEN WRITES FROM MISSOURI.

The Song of Bernadette

Every Catholic should be truly devoted to our patron saints, not just knowing facts about them, but learning to love them in their spiritual care for us, and the example of their lives. I went to Lourdes last April in order to learn about new patrons of mine, the Lady of the Grotto and St. Bernadette Soubirous, and want to bring what I’ve come to love about these women to our parish. I will lead a group reading the historical novel, The Song of Bernadette, after the Tues. 9am daily Mass in Carver from Tues. 11/12/24 until the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on Tues. 2/11/25. Franz Werfel wrote the novel as fulfillment of a vow made to God to sing Bernadette’s story to the world after he learned about the apparitions in the remote Pyrenean village while hiding from the Nazis there as a Jew during WWII. Immediately it became a bestseller and award winning movie. Please leave me a message by voicemail or email if you would like a book. If you may come to the group, or read along on your own. If there is interest I could also meet after my Sunday OLOL Masses every 3 weeks for those who cannot come on Tuesdays.– Fr. Paul 

St Vincent de Paul Poor Boxes are located near the doors of all three churches. Through your generosity we will be able to continue to help the residents of Plymouth and Carver with their heat, electric and rent. Thank you for your support!

St. Vincent de Paul at St. Peter’s

The SVdP Food Pantry is held every Friday from 2:30-4:00 PM at the St. Peter Parish Center, 10 Memorial Drive. Thank you to our friends and parishioners who have so kindly remembered the Society, and those we serve, through your generous private gifts, and donations left in the church donation boxes, located at each door of the church. Your kindness helps many.

We are currently in need of: Pancake Mix, Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Chicken Soup, Pop Tarts, Instant Potatoes, Pasta Sauce. Donations may be dropped off at the Parish Center or at the church.

If you are in need, please call the office at 508-746-0663 Ext. 307 and leave a message. We can help with resources and aid. You may also call us at this number if you are interested in volunteering for SVdP.

Thank you to all who helped make our annual giving tree so successful. A special thank you to Blue Hills Wealth Management, Toys for Tots, Mamma Mia’s, West School Pajama Drive, The Knights of Columbus for the winter coats and all the generous parishioners of Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish who provided so many gifts to our families in need. We were overwhelmed with everyone's generosity and were able to help 85 families with a total of 250 children this year!

The Saint Kateri Food Pantry

Tuesdays from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM

The Food Pantry is always in need of any non perishable food items such as canned soups, pasta and sauce products, baking goods, cereals, canned tuna or chicken, boxed meals such as Hamburger & Tuna Helpers, canned vegetables and canned fruit and fruit juice. Liquid dish detergent, Kleenex, paper towels, toilet paper and cleaning products are very much needed. Personal hygiene products, such as deodorant, body wash/soap and shampoos are staples in every household and always appreciated!!

Thank you for your continued support of the food pantry!

Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parishioners, we need your help! On the 3rd Tuesday of each month, we receive a large order of food delivered from the Boston Food Bank. This delivery is generally about 3,000 lbs. Our staff is older and unloading this amount of products is difficult for the small group of people who usually help.

PLEASE consider taking an hour of your time to come by the church around 8:30 AM that day to help unload. We meet every third Tuesday of the month!

Thank you to all who helped our families this Christmas. With your generous support we helped 125 people and gave them a Christmas they will treasure in their hearts always. God Bless!

EVERYONE IS INVITED!!!

Sunday, January 12, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.

To the Celebration of the Eucharist and Luncheon

Mary, Queen of Martyrs

All are Welcome Ministry

Come join Fr. Joe for Mass at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, January 12, 2025, at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, as we celebrate God’s great love for each and every one of us. Our All are Welcome ministry includes members, family, and friends of the LGBTQ+ community and is committed to making all feel valued, respected, and loved.  We’ll also enjoy a potluck luncheon reception after Mass, so please join us for prayer, food, fellowship, and fun - we hope to see you there!

This Mass will also be livestreamed on Mary, Queen of Martyrs Facebook page

Mission: Save lives on Dec 31st! 

Knights of Columbus will proudly partner with the American Red Cross for a blood drive on New Year's Eve from 10:00am to 3:00pm at St. Peter's Parish Hall.

What a great way to wind out the year! Pay it forward and make an impact on people in our community and across the country. We are very excited about the drive and hope you are too. 

An estimated 38 percent of Americans are eligible to give blood, but less than 10 percent actually donate each year. If you are healthy and eligible, please come out to donate. Most donations take about an hour, so book your appointment, roll up your sleeve and become a part of this life saving mission!

Drive Date:  Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Drive Times:  10:00 AM - 3:00 PM 

Drive Place:  St. Peter's Parish Center,

10 Memorial Dr, Plymouth

Sign up  at RedCrossBlood.org by searching zip code 02360 and date 12/31/2024

Start the new year off right by reducing your fall risk! Come join us for a FREE workshop with Dr. Sam Rosenbach, DPT, who will be teaching and demonstrating ways to improve your environment (including your household) and stability.

The workshop will take place on

Sunday, January 5, 2025

11:00 am

Saint Kateri Function Hall.

Bonus fall risk test to be performed after to asses your risk. Please sign up at the back of the church or call Patti DeAngelo at 617-678-4306.

For several years, we have been fortunate to have such wonderful Deacons in our parish such as Deacon Jim Greer and Deacon Dick Cussen. In the last 6 years we have been blessed with adding Deacon Jonathan Jones and Deacon Dan O’Toole to our family. But sadly, the time has come that Deacon Jonathan will be leaving our parish. He and his wife Peg will be moving to the Cape area in Orleans so they can be closer to Peg’s family. Peg has been ill for several months and they feel it will be best for them both to live closer to family. We are so grateful to Deacon Jonathan for giving his time and his spiritual direction to our parish. We wish him well in this next chapter and will keep him and his wife Peg in our prayers. 

Thank you to all the parishioners at Saint Kateri who welcomed me and my son, Peter, into the parish back in 2006 when we were still “Blessed” Kateri Tekakwitha Parish. The recent cards and well wishes mean so much to both of us. 

I still cannot seem to find the words to express how much this parish has meant to me. Right from my first Mass at Saint Kateri, everyone has been welcoming and supportive. It truly has been my privilege to lead you in song these last 18 years. Please know that you will always have a special place in my heart, and that the parish will always be in my prayers.

In Christ’s Peace,

James DeFrancesco

May the miracle of Christ's birth bring you joy and fill your home with blessings.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Fr Joe, Fr Paul, Deacon Jim, Deacon Dick, Deacon Dan and the Parish Staff.