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THE WEEKLY MISSIVE
January 23, 2026
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WORSHIP AT THE HEART OF OUR LIFE
Dear Friends,
At the Paulist Center, we believe our liturgies are most vibrant and authentic when the community not only knows what we do in worship but also understands how and why we do it. Rooted in the vision of the Second Vatican Council, prayerful and participatory liturgy lies at the very heart of our mission.
To foster deeper understanding and engagement, members of the Worship Committee and I began offering a weekly catechetical series in early Fall 2025 titled Worship Matters. These reflections are meant to open windows into the deeper meaning of our worship—shining light on the beauty, wisdom, and intention woven throughout our prayer.
When we grasp the “why” behind our signs and symbols, our gestures and prayers, our traditions and rituals, we can enter more fully into the mystery we celebrate. Liturgy then becomes not simply something we attend, but something that shapes us, sustains us, and sends us forth to live the Gospel with greater joy and purpose.
Beginning this weekend, the series returns with a reflection on the season of Ordinary Time. In the weeks ahead, we will turn our attention to themes of Liturgy and Justice, the season of Lent, and the sacred rhythms of Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum.
Please be sure to read this week’s installment below and visit www.paulistcenter.org/WorshipMatters to explore previous columns. Together, we will continue to explore how these elements find unique and living expression in our own Chapel of the Holy Spirit.
As always, we encourage you to explore the many programs and happenings at the Center, including the annual FREP service project, a new faith-sharing group for Young Adults, and a Trivia Night sponsored by our Pastoral Council.
A Winter Storm Watch is in effect from Sunday morning, January 25, through Monday evening, January 26, in southern New England. Heavy snow is possible, with accumulations of 6–12 inches expected, and higher amounts possible in some areas. Please monitor the forecast for any sudden changes. If possible, delay travel, as conditions from Sunday afternoon through Monday morning are likely to become very difficult.
Norm, on behalf of the Paulist Center Staff
Alvaro, Barbara, Deb, Dorothy, Gus, Liz, Norm, Fr. Rick, Rob, Sal, Susan, and Timmy
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- FREP
- Auction Kick-off Meeting
- Worship Matters
- Young Adults Faith Sharing
- Brains & Blessings Trivia Night
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- FREP Community Service Project
- Prayer and Auction in Troubled Times
- CORI forms
- Stewardship/Community Gift
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WINTER STORM WATCH -
Note from Fr. Rick regarding
Jan 24 and Jan 25 Masses
We expect to celebrate our weekend Masses at
Saturday 5pm and Sunday 10am as usual.
But given the forecast at this time, please know that
the Sunday 6pm Mass will not have music and other ministers as the staff and I do not want to have anyone's safety compromised.
Because my commute is a relatively easy one, I'll be present and ready to celebrate the Mass on Sunday at 6pm.
There is NO EXPECTATION for anyone to join me and I ask you to be judicious in your afternoon plans. If you are able to join us at one of the earlier Masses, we encourage you to do so.
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Family Religious Education Program (FREP)
SUNDAY - JANUARY 25
** Due to the Winter Storm Watch, ALL FREP CLASSES ON SUNDAY MORNING HAVE BEEN CANCELED.
THE FIRST COMMUNION MEETING HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1 AT 11:15 AM.
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The Paulist Center’s
43rd Annual Auction
Kick-off Meeting
Monday, January 26 at 7pm via Zoom
Please join us for the Auction Kick-off Meeting!
Believe it or not, it’s time to begin planning for the Center's biggest fundraiser and community building event of the year. The Auction is a time to come together as we share a meal, enjoy each other’s company, and participate in silent and live auctions.
At this kickoff meeting, we will select the theme for this year’s special evening.
All are welcome to join and provide input to the theme.
We will meet from 7:00 - 8:30pm via Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/PCCAuctionKickoff2026
The auction will be held on Saturday, May 2; more information will be coming in February about how to get involved - you don’t want to miss it!
The Auction also provides many opportunities for volunteering- a great way to become more connected to each other.
Two very important roles that we need your help with right now are:
- Graphic designer
- Lead decorator
If you are interested, please contact us at auction@paulistcenter.org or speak to one of the co-chairs.
Thank you!
Maggie Keefe and Jordan Johnson, Auction Co-Chairs 2026
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Young Adult Ministry Faith Sharing Group -
Due to the pending winter storm, the first Young Adult Faith Sharing Group has been postponed to next Sunday, February 1.
Young Adults (21-39) are invited to join our weekly faith sharing group after the 6pm Mass in the 3rd floor library.
The Young Adult group will meet for light snacks, conversation, and communal reflection.
We hope to see you on February 1!
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Brains & Blessings Trivia Night
at the Paulist Center!
The Pastoral Council is hosting
Brains & Blessings Trivia Night on
Friday, February 6.
It will be held in the auditorium from 7 - 9pm.
$20 per person at the door includes pizza, salad, and non-alcoholic beverages.
RSVP: email Mares at supperclubfood@gmail.com
Teams will be decided on February 6.
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FREP Third Annual
Community Service Project
FREP students will once again be collecting items for hygiene kits to be donated to Catholic Charities. These kits are even more important this year as federal funding cuts are hitting people who use Catholic Charities services hard.
Our goal is to assemble 400 hygiene kits.
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Prayer and Action in Troubled Times:
Lessons from Catholic Social Teachings
Join us for our next session on key documents from our Catholic Social Teachings that have challenged and inspired our faith tradition over time.
We will learn about them and consider what insights and actions they inspire as we face myriad assaults on social justice today.
Raúl E. Zegarra, a community member and Asst. Prof. of Roman Catholic Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School, will lead the sessions.
Sunday, February 8 at 7pm in the 3rd Fl Library
Pizza will be served.
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CORI
The Paulist Center appreciates everyone in our community who donates their time and volunteers with us in our ministries, projects, events, and more.
All volunteers and staff must fill out a CORI (Criminal Offender Record of Information) form with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts every year in order to comply with our safety guidelines.
This background check helps us ensure the safety of our community and those we serve.
Liz will be available before and after Mass on Saturdays and Sundays through January and February to assist everyone.
Part of this process includes ID verification, so please bring a government-issued identification with you if you intend on filling out a CORI form. An email will be sent out to previous volunteers explaining this process in more detail.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Liz Framski via email at liz@paulistcenter.org.
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WORSHIP MATTERS
January 25, 2026, Issue #14
THE LITURGICAL YEAR:
Ordinary Time: Contemplation and Connection
As the last vestiges of the Christmas season are carefully packed away—trees and lights, ornaments and nativity scenes—we find ourselves entering one of two extended periods in the liturgical year that, though labeled “Ordinary,” are anything but. Rather than being plain or uneventful, these weeks invite us into deeper contemplation and renewed connection.
Ordinary Time, the longest season of the Church year, encompasses those weeks that do not focus on a single, particular aspect of the mystery of Christ (Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the General Roman Calendar, 43). Christmas Time celebrates the Incarnation, the birth of Christ. Easter Time proclaims the joy of the Resurrection. Ordinary Time is devoted to the mystery of Christ in all its fullness—his life, teachings, ministry, and abiding presence among us.
Over the centuries, the Church has revised the liturgical calendar several times, carefully pruning feasts and holy days that lacked historical grounding or universal significance. These reforms were intended to sharpen our focus on the two great poles of Jesus’ life: his birth and his resurrection, the foundational mysteries of our faith.1
Within Ordinary Time, we are invited to pause—to linger. As Joan Chittister so beautifully suggests, this is a season to “rest in the contemplation of those centers of the faith that are the lodestones of our soul.” It is a time not for spectacle, but for depth; not for franticness, but for attentiveness.
Chittister further reflects that the stretches between Christmas and Lent, and between Pentecost and Advent, are inherently contemplative. “It is in the contemplation of the mysteries of the faith,” she writes—“the birth, life, passion, death, and resurrection”—that we find the motivating power to become what we behold in Jesus.
In this in-between time, the Gospels open before us the depth and breadth of Jesus’ message—of life, of love, and of what it truly means to be a disciple. This extended annual retreat invites us, again and again, to resist fear and despair and the world’s false promises and persistent pull toward money, power, security, and success. Instead, to enter real life, Jesus tells us, is to stand with the poor; to offer refuge and welcome to migrants and refugees; to uplift the dignity and voices of women and all who live on the margins; to reject war and injustice in every form; and to lay down our lives in love for one another.²
By quieting the noise of endless distractions, Ordinary Time continually draws our attention back to Jesus—who was, who is, and who is to come.
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1 Joan Chittister, OSB, The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009), 96.
2 Ibid., 98.
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Come Celebrate
with Us!
We hope to see you at Mass in person, but if you can't make it through the big red doors,
we welcome you to join us online:
| | Remember: all of our live streams are available in real time on our YouTube channel & available there afterwards as recordings. | |
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Ongoing Opportunities/Needs & Notes
The most comprehensive listing of what's going on at the
Paulist Center is in the bulletin. Check it out!
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Encouragement to sustain our vibrant liturgies and our mission of healing, reconciliation, & justice through your financial investment in the Paulist Center. We prefer that you donate electronically through our website, but you can also use Apple Pay or Google Pay to donate via DonorBox if you do not require an annual tax donation statement. More info in the bulletin.
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The Community Gift the weekend of January 24 - 25 is Bethany House Ministries, an organization that provides support to prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families.
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How can the Paulist Center Community accompany you on your faith journey?
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Mass Cards - Please stop by the Front Office during the week, email Sal Whooley at sal@paulistcenter.org, or call 617-742-4460, if you would like to arrange for a Mass and/or purchase a Mass card:
- in memory of someone who has died,
- in honor of a special occasion,
- or for the special intentions of yourself or a loved one.
| | | | Attentive to the Holy Spirit and nourished by vibrant liturgy, we are a Catholic community that welcomes all, fosters healing and reconciliation, and acts for justice. | | Follow us on social media, and please share our posts with others! | | | | |
