Mary, Queen of
Martyrs Parish News
Biweekly Date: September 15, 2023 / Issue 111
"Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive?"
NEW EMAIL ADDRESS!
There is a new faith formation email address:




This business address should solve some of the problems we had with spam and blocking filters due to emails sent to so many people at one time. Thank you for your patience this past year as we worked to combine the emails of three churches to one address and now the switch to the business email address. There are no future changes to email planned moving forward.
 
Classes Begin the Week of
September 24, 2023
All classes begin the week of September 24, 2023 but we are working on a meet and greet for children and catechists during the parish picnic on September 17, 2023 at Saint Kateri.

Confirmation I and II will be meeting at St. Peter Parish Hall for a special speaker.
 
Edge, our middle school program will begin September 25, 2023 at 6 PM at Our Lady of Lourdes.
 
Middle School Bible Study meets weekly at Saint Peter Parish Hall at 10:30 AM starting on September 24, 2023.
 
Grades K-5 will begin classes on September 24, 2023 and meet weekly at your chosen time and location.
 
CATECHIST TRAININGS

Edge Team Training - Monday, September 18, 2023 at 6:00 PM at Our Lady of Lourdes Function Hall
 
Patsy Gillespie
Director of Faith Formation
Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish
(508) 746 - 0663 ext. 206
 
"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).
SAFE ENVIRONMENT
 
PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
We are looking for several adults to be trained to lead the Protecting God’s Children program for all adults who volunteer in the parish. The training is a full day and then you would offer a couple of sessions throughout the year as needed. For more information, please contact Patsy at [email protected] or to register for the course go to virtusonline.org/virtus/.

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!
If you currently volunteer or would like to volunteer with the parish, you need to complete following:

If you would like to volunteer to work with children, please complete the volunteer application at www.maryqueenofmartyrs.org/faith-formation-calendars-forms

CORI Form
This is renewed every year in the spring; copies are available at PGC training and in the parish office

Protecting God’s Children
This is a 3 hour training and is required for ALL volunteers and employees, whether you are in contact with children or not. Sign-Up at virtusonline.org/virtus/.
Spotlight on Activities
Parishioners and Friends of Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish can now make a one-time or recurring gifts directly on our parish website. Stop worrying about weekly envelopes or mailing in special donations or ministry program fees. Instead, give a gift at any time (from any device that connects to the internet) using a current email and checking account/credit card. It’s simple and secure. You can even turn your tithe into an automatic gift that gives when and how often you’d like with your own online donor account.

Visit maryqueenofmartyrs.org/give
to see how easy it is!
Trust in the Journey


Reflect
Sometimes on the path we’re walking upon it is easy to become haunted by regret, comparisons, or dreams yet to be attained. The contemplative must rise above lingering either-or judgments of oneself and trust in the non-dualistic path that has uniquely chosen them to walk upon it.

Pray
I dare to experience my life as it is—not as I hoped it would be, plagued by fear of regret;
not as theirs has unfolded, taunted by crafted facades; not as the dreams I drink, spun out into drunken oblivion.

Today I will trust the path ahead—the one that calls me forth, whether winter or spring, whether day or night, a consistency I must honor, pulling me mysteriously forward even when I feel I’m starting over.

In a world that is not my own,
I will make our path my home.

Act
Whenever you begin to judge yourself through the lens of regret, comparisons, or unattained dreams, allow a phrase from this prayer to gently ruminate in you until the judgment passes.
Fr. Joe’s Teaching Mass. 
Please click below if you would like to watch Fr. Joe’s Homily on Jesus inviting us to live as part of His Church
Children’s Liturgy of the Word will begin again on September 24th at the 9:30 am Mass at St. Peter’s Parish. We look forward to seeing the children again this year!
Save the Date:
Pilgrimage to Ireland and Medjugorje

Join Fr. Joe Raeke and Deacon Jim Greer on an 11 day journey of faith on June 3-14, 2024. It is an escorted pilgrimage with flight, meals and lodging included. We have Mass every day on the pilgrimage.
The cost is $3595.00 per person based on double occupancy.

There will be an informational meeting at Saint Kateri Tekakwitha on October 22, 2023 at 3:00pm

For more information, please call Deacon Jim & Terri Greer at 774-283-1061 or email at [email protected].
DeColores!

MQM Ultreya Season begins on Sunday September 24, 2023 at 5:00pm! We hope you will join us & bring a friend, especially new Cursillistas or those hoping to learn about the wonderful Cursillo Retreat experience  & faith community- all are welcome! Come and enjoy Mass with Fr Joe Raeke, listen to amazing music, hear an inspiring witness by Kevin Holland,  and share faith, fellowship & great refreshments!

Please note that we will be hosting our Ultreya at OUR LADY OF LOURDES in Carver due to renovation delays at Saint Kateri. We will resume our monthly Ultreya's at Saint Kateri in October.

Please bring a snack to share if the Spirit moves you. For any questions, please call Patti & John DeAngelo at 617-678-4306.


Our Schedule is:

September 24th, October 22nd, November 12th, January 14th, February 18th, March 10th, April 14th & May 19th.


Cursillos at Holy Cross Retreat House will be:

October 26-29, 2023 (men)
November 16-19, 2023 (women)
February 1-4, 2024 (men)
February 22-25, 2024 (women)
March 21-24, 2024 (men)
April 25-28, 2024 (women)

Please feel welcome to come and bring a friend to share this blessed Cursillo Community/Faith Family!
Do you enjoy the music at Mass? Do you like to sing? The choir at St. Peter Church is always happy to welcome new members. No special training is necessary, just a love of music. The choir is returning from their winter break so we will all start together. If you have ever considered joining the choir now would be the perfect time. Rehearsals are held at 7:00 Thursday evenings at St. Peter Church and the choir sings at the 9:30 Mass on Sunday.  For more information please contact Crystal or Linda through the St. Peter office or come up and speak to us after Mass.
NEW Ministry
Singers Needed for a HYMN SING!
The Gentle Blessings Singers are looking to add some folks to the roster to sing once a month at a local nursing home. The singers are presently singing on the first Wednesday of each month for a HYMN SING from 10:30 to 11AM. There are lots of well-known hymns to sing!
Please consider joining us for this wonderful ministry. The residents love it and many join in the singing too! SMILES all around! Please call Ann Cussen at 781-291-1318 if you can join us once per month.
Paying forward the sacrifice of Easter
If you are looking for a way to use your time and talents to serve those of our Parish, please consider becoming a Mary Queen of Martyrs Prayer Angel. Prayer Angels receive a weekly list of requests submitted by members of our Parish and commit to including them as intentions in their daily prayers. If you are willing to join this important ministry, please contact Dave Noyes [[email protected] or
(508) 742-5249] to sign up.
Please join us after the weekend Masses during the month of October for our Ministry Fair.
This kicks off our pastoral efforts to embrace and celebrate stewardship as a way of life at Mary Queen of Martyrs. On these weekends, we will reflect on all of God’s blessings and make a decision as to what our gift will be in return. .."For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” The fair will showcase most of our Parish Ministries and you will be able to see how your own particular talents can be used to serve others. Take a few minutes after Mass to join us in refreshments and a small treat and see the various ministry opportunities that are available.
Are you or someone you love in recovery, struggling with addictions,
 or just have questions on the disease of addictions?
Contact Deacon Jim for more information:
617-645-7915
Journey from Grief to Healing 
 
You are invited to come for sharing and healing in a prayerful small group setting.
                            
Mary, Queen of Martyr’s Parish Grief and Loss Support group begins on Tuesday evenings, October 17th through December 12th from 6:30PM to 8PM at St. Kateri Church. The group will meet once per week for 9 sessions. The facilitators of the group are Meredith Scott and Betty Whittaker. Please call Kathy Benton, parish administrator, to register at 508-746-0663 ext 401.
Expert Reveals the Challenge Behind Mother Teresa's 'Gospel on Five Fingers'
Kimberley Heatherington, OSV
TUESDAY 12TH OF SEPTEMBER 2023

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- For those who have never heard Mother Teresa's famous "Gospel on five fingers," simply imagine the petite and wizened founder of the Missionaries of Charity counting out these words on the digits of a hand -- your hand: "You. Did. It. To. Me."

Intoning Jesus Christ's words in English from Matthew 25:40 -- "Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me" -- she was not only offering a vivid visual demonstration of Christ's pronouncement. Mother Teresa, St. Teresa of Kolkata, also was issuing both an invitation and a challenge.

That invitation and challenge have deep Scriptural roots, explained Bradley Gregory, associate professor of biblical studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, in a Sept. 7 lecture presented by the Mother Teresa Institute at Catholic University.

Gregory's lecture opened a three-day series of events culminating in a Sept. 9 celebration honoring the saint in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception's Crypt Church.

"In nearly every public talk she gave, Mother Teresa mentioned Matthew 25:40," Gregory told his audience. "It would not be going too far to say that her life was modeled on this verse."

But what if that verse has more layers of meaning than imagined?
Spotlight on Food Pantries
St. Vincent de Paul @ St. Peter’s
 
The SVdP Food Pantry is held every Friday from 3:00-4:30 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: Cranberry Juice, Baked Beans, Hearty Soups, Rice A Roni, Cream of Chicken/Mushroom Soups and Black Tea. 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. 
The Saint Kateri Food Pantry
 

The Food Pantry will be temporarily closed due to the construction at the church. If you or someone you know are in need of food, please call St. Peter’s Food Pantry at 508-746-0663 ext 307.

If you would like to make a donation of food items, please bring them to St. Peter’s Food Pantry at 10 Memorial Drive, Plymouth.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time. See you again soon. God Bless!
  
Thank you for your continued support of the food pantry!
 
Saint Kateri Parishioners, when we re-open, we will 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!
Gardner's Needed!
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Church is looking for volunteers to do some gardening outside of the church building and mowing of the property. If you like to work with plants and flowers or enjoy mowing, Saint Kateri could use your talent in helping make the front of the church look beautiful. Please call the parish office if you can help! Thank you.
Dear Parishioners, 
  Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) means “Our Little Brothers and Sisters” in Spanish. NPH USA transforms the lives of 8,000 vulnerable children in nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Together, we help children overcome poverty and become productive, caring leaders in their own communities. NPH ensures children and young adults, both inside and outside our homes, have a safe and nurturing place to live, an education, clothing, health care, and a strong family support system.
In August of 2015, and November of 2017, Father Joe Raeke had the opportunity to travel to our home in Guatemala. In addition, I hope you remember NPH pequeños came to visit Mary Queen of Martyrs parish in both 2018 and 2019, where they had the opportunity to dance and showcase their talents and culture.
  In Guatemala, 49% of its residents live below the poverty line, and 56% of the population suffers from moderate to severe food insecurity. It is the fourth highest country for malnutrition in the world, causing stunting that affects 47% of children under five.
  “My two trips to Guatemala was such a privileged time for me. I not only fell in love with the children, but I fell in love with the home there and became more deeply committed to NPH than ever before. I love the organization; and the fact that children’s lives are being transformed all for the better. The language they speak is Spanish, but the real language they speak is the language of love. If you chose to help these beautiful children, it will be the best investment you would have ever made. God Bless You,” Father Joe Raeke.
  This is how you can help! NPH Guatemala provides three meals, and snacks to over 200 children in the NPH home in Guatemala each day. The weekend of September 23rd and 24th, a second collection will be held during all Masses with a goal to raise $10,596, which will provide dairy at the home for an entire year. 
  The most amazing news is we have a generous anonymous donor who will be matching the first $5,000 in donations!
  Please consider supporting our children next weekend to guarantee nutritious meals for the children in NPH Guatemala. 
 
Thank you for being a part of the NPH family!
 
In faith and with gratitude, 
Andrea Nahigian & East Coast Team,  
Donor Relations Director- East Coast

We will have a second collection for this wonderful program on the weekend of September 23rd and 24th.
“THE THRIFTY LILY” News
 
We welcome your donations of new or gently used goods to sell, but can only take them during the hours we are open!

Please, do not leave any items at the door outside of our business hours.
 
Every Monday 2PM to 5PM
Every Wednesday 10AM to 2PM
Every Thursday 10AM to 2PM
First Saturday of every month
from 10 AM to 2PM
 
If you like to bake, please consider baking some of your delicious recipes for our bake sale. 
Do you know anyone interested in becoming a Catholic? Do you know any Catholic adults who have not received the sacrament of Confirmation?
 
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a process designed for adults who, after hearing the mystery of Christ proclaimed, consciously and freely seek the living God and enter the way of faith and conversion as the Holy Spirit opens their hearts. By God’s help, they will be strengthened spiritually during the preparation and at the proper time, will receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist or complete their initiation into the Catholic Church.
 
Our Parish, together with our cluster of Plymouth and Kingston Parishes, is offering programs of instruction and faith formation designed to welcome adults and teenagers into the Catholic Church and to complete the sacraments of initiation for baptized Catholics. Classes start Tuesday, October 10th at Saint Bonaventure in Manomet and will be held every Tuesday (excluding holiday weeks) from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm through April 2, 2024.
 
If you would like more information about these programs or to register for upcoming sessions please contact Fr. Paul Born at 508-746-0663 ext 311 or [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
Epilogue - "Sr. Clare Crockett: Alone with Christ Alone"
 
Click below to watch the Epilogue of the wonderful story of St. Clare who aspired to nothing less than walking down the red carpet in Hollywood, left all of her dreams aside on one Good Friday after an encounter with Christ Crucified. 
Save the dates:
October 19th, 26th, November 2nd, 9th and the 16th.
The Chosen– Season Three
Come and enjoy dinner and watch Season 3 at Our Lady of Lourdes with Fr. Joe. There will be a discussion about the movie after. More information to follow.
The Weekly Gospel

Matthew 18:21-35
"Forgive Your Brother From Your Heart" Mt 18:35

Unforgiveness is toxic, its a poison that we inflict upon ourselves. It affects our relationships with others.

Listen to Matthew Kelly speak on forgiveness:
Spotlight on Mass
Mass Streaming


Mary, Queen of Martyrs Facebook Page

streaming St Peter Sunday 11:30AM

streaming St Kateri Saturday 4PM

streaming Our Lady of Lourdes Sunday 10AM
During the renovations at Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the
9:00 am Weekday Mass Schedule is as Follows:
 
In order to give the workers space, as well as for the safety of the daily
Mass Community, the daily Mass Schedule during the planned renovation at
Saint Kateri
will be the following:
 
Mondays & Tuesdays at
Our Lady of Lourdes

Wednesdays & Thursdays
at St. Peter’s

Fridays at
Our Lady of Lourdes

Saturdays at
St. Peter’s
 
Daily Mass will resume at Saint Kateri as soon as the construction is complete. Thank you for your understanding and patience during this time.

Mary, Queen of Martyrs Bulletin


Our bulletin is now available on the new website at



Weekly Holy Hour and Confessions
 
Beginning on Tuesday September 19, 2023 Fr Paul will open St. Peter’s Church, on Tuesdays from 6:00pm-7:00pm for Eucharistic Adoration and Confessions in response to the large demand for Confessions at St. Peter’s, as well as to fill a gap in the area for evening availability of the Sacraments.

Email [email protected] to receive occasional updates about this Holy Hour, in event of cancellation, etc.
As a Parish We Pray for:
Prayer Line
Please call Mary Harmon 508-746-4989 with your need and it will be passed on from
friend to friend.
SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY CORNER
We are people of faith, called to live the Gospel!
DIAPER PANTRY

News from the Diaper Pantry...



GRANDPARENTS WHO PARENT- Our clients include an increasing number of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. Nationwide, there are an estimated 3 million older adults taking on this responsibility. Blessings to all who help with this very important role.
 
Our schedule will remain the same at St. Peter’s, being open the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month from 9:30am – 11:00am. Thank you again for your generous support.
 
Diaper size needed this week:
Sizes 4 and 5
  
For questions contact Jeanne at 508 – 591- 3510 or [email protected]

Diaper donations can be dropped off at the entrances of our three churches before or after Mass, or at the church offices during open hours (Our Lady of Lourdes: Tuesday and Friday 8:30 – 12:30 p.m.; St. Peter: Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.)

Note: Our latest Diaper Pantry Update and Report to Parishioners is now available! To view the report, please click below, visit our parish website, see the parish newsletter, or pick up a hard copy at our church entrances.
                                                                                              Diaper Pantry Hours
                                                                               
 The 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the Month
                                                                      
9:30–11:00 am at
Saint Peter Parish Hall
The International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations in 1982.



From the National Catholic Reporter:
 
“This is the pledge people are asked to sign:

I will unite with people all over the world in observing the United Nations International Day of Peace. On September 21st, I will pause at noon and, in my own way, pray for peace for one minute. May my one minute, magnified a million times, create a culture of peace that will change the future of humanity.

Here are five suggestions offered to make peace a larger part of your life:
 
1) Extend yourself to someone who's been on your "enemies" list. Apologize.
2) Create your own personal commitment statement to be a stand for peace.
3) Breathe in and say "Peace". Breathe out- "Peace". BE a peace mantra.
4) Give a "love/peace offering" to a stranger.
5) Make peace with yourself.

I will give you one more. Become politically engaged on behalf of peace.”  (National Catholic Reporter)
HOLY HOUR
Sunday
October 15, 2023

Please join us at a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration on
Sunday
October 15, 2023
from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
at St. Peter’s Church, and experience the warmth and love of the Real Presence of Our Lord.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament takes place every Tuesday, from Noon to Evening Prayer & Benediction at 5:30 p.m. at St. Bonaventure Parish, Manomet, and every Thursday evening at 6 p.m. at St. Joseph Church, Kingston.
“The world does not need empty words but convinced witnesses, peacemakers who are open to a dialogue that rejects exclusion or manipulation…we cannot truly achieve peace without a convinced dialogue between men and women who seek the truth beyond ideologies and differing opinions.” ~Pope Francis 
 
“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, … you did it to me.” ~Matthew 25:40

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and given the Medal of Freedom by President Reagan in 1985. She was canonized a saint in 2016. She spent her life loving the poorest of the poor. She never criticized people, governments, or individuals for faults that might have contributed to sickness or poverty. She once said: “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” If I feel like criticizing someone, that person probably needs my help, my love, and maybe my prayer. Love helps; judging negatively doesn’t. Prayer helps—and prayer works! Instead of judging someone, take the time to love that person. That attitude of love will help that person— and help you as well.
Lord, open my eyes to see you in the very least of those I encounter. Give me the wisdom to love others instead of judging them. Amen.

by Monsignor Frank Bognanno
Small Groups Meeting in the Fall
 
“FAITH IS A FLAME THAT GROWS STRONGER THE MORE IT IS SHARED AND PASSED ON”. ~POPE FRANCIS
 
Once a week for 6 weeks - very do-able!  
Small faith sharing groups are a wonderful way to meet fellow parishioners, grow in wisdom and knowledge, share faith experiences, and pray together.
 
Over the years there have been many small groups meeting in the parish!
Small communities, meeting regularly to share faith, help create a vibrant parish life!
 
NOW introducing…. Be My Witnesses! It is a great book.... a RENEW Resource. It is well formatted to enable a facilitator to easily lead. 
 
If you would be willing to lead a small group, contact Ann Cussen at 781-291-1318.
 
Small groups will begin the week of September 25th for 6 weeks, if there is enough interest!
Live Your Life without Fear

“Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”—John 14: 27

Etty Hillesum was a vibrant young Jewish woman who lived in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam and died in Auschwitz in 1943. In the months before she was arrested, she underwent a profound transformation through psychotherapy. She discovered God and refused to give in to hatred, even when facing the evil of the Holocaust. She refused to worry about what might be her fate.
She journaled: “If one burdens the future with one’s worries, the future cannot grow organically. I am filled with confidence, not that I shall succeed in worldly things, but that even when things go badly for me, I shall still find life good and worth living.” She realized that the fear of suffering causes more pain than the suffering itself does.
About these fears she wrote: “We have to fight fears daily, like fleas, those many small worries about tomorrow. for they sap our energy….We must not allow ourselves to become infested with thousands of petty fears, and worries, so many motions of no confidence in God. Everything will turn out all right.”

Be confident! Trust in God to handle the future.

Lord, like Etty, help me to discover you anew so my life can unfold organically. The future is yours. The present is mine. Help me to live it well. Amen.

by Monsignor Frank Bognanno
  Prayer Requests
 
There is NOW a link on our Mary, Queen of Martyrs website available for prayer requests. Please click on the link and you may write out your request.
 
There is also a Book of Intentions available at each of our churches. You may write your prayer intention directly in the book.
 
There are prayer angels in our parish community praying for all the intentions and ALL intentions are remembered at all the Masses in our parish community!

The Prayer Life Team
Spotlight

 Struggling to find daily time to pray?
Mary, Queen of Martyrs is on Instagram!!

Please follow us! Scan the QR Code below or click to follow the link to find us!!
Spotlight on Vocations
Centered on Christ | What is Seminary Orientation Like? 
This week we welcomed 14 new seminarians representing four dioceses (Archdiocese of Boston, Diocese of Worcester, Diocese of Providence, and the Archdiocese of Hanoi) and two religious communities (Benedictines and the Capuchin Franciscans).
Orientation week was filled with campus tours, Mass and Adoration, info sessions on seminary programming, opportunities to meet the faculty and staff, and social activities to build fraternity with their new brothers. Fr. Rodrigo and Fr. Paul were organizers for Orientation Week in 2021 and in this video they talk about what a seminary orientation hopes to accomplish.
Tomorrow our seminary community will be joined by Cardinal Sean O'Malley who will celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit. Please keep our seminary community in your prayers as we begin the 2023-24 academic year.
Click Below to see the Prayer for the Discernment of a Vocation. Please pray daily! God Bless+
Wanted: A few new members for our
Parish Pastoral Council.
We meet once a month from September thru May from 7:00—8:30 p.m. During the winter (December—February) we meet by way of Zoom. If you’ve never served on a council, but feel that you can help our parish to grow, please call the office (508-746-0663 ext. 401). We’re hoping to add 4-5 new members and we’re especially interested in parents of school age children or a few young adults. The council is such a great blessing to me. If you feel that you’ve got some gifts to contribute, please consider serving the parish in this way.
God Bless,
Fr. Joe
Saint Bonaventure Book Club:
Like to read? If you would like to join us for our November meeting, our next book is “In This House of Brede” by Rumor Godden. The parish book club is informal and always welcomes new members. For more information please visit stbonaventureparish.org, click on the ‘Parish Life’ tab & the book club page to see the list of future reads. If you see something interesting, feel free to join us at any time.
The Trailer for "With This Light"
Nun. Activist. Entrepreneur. Force of nature.

Meet this transformative force of nature, Sister Maria Rosa Leggol—a Franciscan nun and humanitarian with a 70+ year legacy of improving the lives of Honduras’ most vulnerable. After passing away at the age of 93 in 2020 due to complications from
Covid-19, our feature length documentary film With This Light (Con Esta Luz) will bring her story to life through the eyes of young people whose lives she forever changed.
Dear Friends,
 “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” As she speaks these words to Romeo, Juliet is undergoing an internal struggle. The one she loves bears the name of her family’s mortal enemy. This famous line that emerges from the young maiden’s inner self reveals the profound tension she is experiencing: her head and her heart are not aligning. 
William Shakespeare was indeed a master of character development. While the young lovers of the play named for them end in tragedy, Juliet’s question still remains haunting and valid: What is in a name? While a rose would still smell sweet if it were called a cornflower, the name given to each and every human person bears far more gravity. This is especially true with the name above all names: Jesus.
 Friends, this Eucharistic Revival is taking root throughout our land. Parishes, schools, and other Catholic institutions are making critical choices right now so that the Son of God and Son of Mary may re-establish his throne in the center of our communities—and indeed in our hearts. This Person whom we adore, who died for us, has a name. And his name bears great meaning. Jesus means “God saves.”
You are already a part of the Revival our Savior is bringing about in our country! He is inviting you to go deeper. All we have to do is say yes. I wrote our feature story for this week, and I hope it helps you say yes! May we allow the sweet name of Jesus to be branded upon our hearts as we draw closer and closer to him in the Holy Eucharist. 
In Jesus,
Sister Alicia Torres, F.E. Managing Editor
Bible Study Anyone?
Fr. Joe’s Monthly Bible Study will be starting on
Thursday, September 28, 2023
from 12:00pm to 1:30 pm (lunch included) at St. Peter’s Parish Center. It is a 9 week session.
Please contact Kathy at 508-746-0663 ext. 401 if you would like to register for the sessions.
All Are Welcome!
Do you know you are loved by God?
 
You belong to Jesus Christ and
you belong with us.
 
Regardless of:
Your present status in the Catholic Church,
Your current family or marital situation, or personal history, Your age, ability, income, or background,
Your gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity or spirituality, Your own self-image of holiness or virtue.
You are invited, accepted, and respected here at Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish. We want to share our Roman Catholic way of faith and life in Christ with you.