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THE WEEKLY MISSIVE
November 21, 2023
(sent early in anticipation of Thanksgiving Day)
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We Give Thanks to Our God For You!
Dear Friends,
We wish you a most blessed Thanksgiving! As St. Paul wrote to his beloved Philippian community,
"Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God."
(Philippians 1:3)
All of us in the Paulist Center Community have so much for which to give thanks. And for those of us who serve on the staff, we thank God for the privilege of serving you. There are challenges to working for a religious institution, of course, but decade after decade, survey after survey, people who work for religious institutions have the highest job satisfaction of any career/industry in the United States. Serving the Paulist Center Community gives each of us a sense of mission and purpose. We give thanks to our God for you!
Since so many people are traveling over the next few days, this week's Missive is being sent 3 days early. We'll return to the regular Friday schedule next week.
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1. Thanksgiving Eve Mass (livestreamed)
2. NEW: Holy Land Discussion Opportunity
3. Community Impact Statement & Financial Report
4. Free-Will Offerings for Advent-Christmas Concert
5. Wow! What a Weekend!
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- Preparing for Advent
- Eucharist means "Thanksgiving"
- Upcoming Events
- Time, Treasure, & Talent
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We'll celebrate our nation's annual holy day with the Paulist Center's annual Thanksgiving Eve Mass at 7 pm Weds, Nov 22. Bring along the bread you plan to serve the next day, and we'll bless it.
If you can't make it in for Mass, please join us on the livestream instead.
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2. BREAKING NEWS: Zoom Opportunity from the Holy Land | | |
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We continue to pray for deep, lasting peace to break out in the Holy Land, where all people will have the opportunity to flourish.
At 7 pm on Weds, Nov 29, in an event we're calling "Understanding Narrative & Nuance in Israel/Palestine," we'll have the opportunity to speak with someone in Israel who has dedicated his life to interfaith relations. Here's the Zoom link (password 092582). Note that this will be hosted from a Harvard Zoom account, not a Paulist Center account.
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Jared Goldfarb, originally from NH but living in Jerusalem since 1996, is a teacher, historian, and activist. He reached out to his dear friend, PCC member Liz Duclos-Orsello, to offer his services to the Paulist Center. He is highly regarded by former PCC Director Mike McGarry, CSP, who himself has extensive interreligious dialogue credentials from his 11 years directing the Tantur Institute in the Holy Land. We are grateful that Jared is willing to stay up past 2 am to have this conversation with us! | |
3. Community Impact Statement & Annual Financial Report | |
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Last weekend, we released our first-ever Community Impact Statement. Read about all that our community did together in FY 2023 (Sept 2022 - Aug 2023) to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through our mission statement:
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.
At each Mass this past weekend, a member of the Finance Committee presented the Annual Financial Report. Thanks to your generosity, we reduced the projected FY 2023 deficit by half. Unfortunately, we're predicting a ($160,000) deficit for FY 2024. Check out Deb Heimel's presentation (starting at 1:18:05), Fadi Kanaan's presentation (starting at 1:01:35), or the last few pages of the Community Impact Statement to learn more. The presentations & the CIS also suggest ways to prayerfully consider how you may be able to invest more of your time, treasure, and/or talent into the Paulist Center Community to help get us on more stable financial footing.
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4. Free-Will Offerings for the Advent-Christmas Concert | | |
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We hope that you — and many of your friends & family! — will join us for our Advent-Christmas Concert on Sat or Sun, Dec 9 or 10. It promises to be a spiritual, community-building experience!
It's also a major fundraiser. We suggest a free-will donation of $20-25 per individual or $40-50 per household. Anyone who donates at least $100 by Thurs, Nov 30 will be listed as a program sponsor. To donate online, select "Advent/ Christmas Concert." In the additional instructions, tell us which date you're coming, how many people you're bringing, and how to list you in the program. Thanks!
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So much happened here Nov 18-19! We honored Cherylann & Len Gengel with the Hecker Award for Social Justice. Twelve students celebrated their First Reconciliation. We celebrated the OCIA Rites of Welcome & Acceptance. The Young Adult Ministry hosted a "Friendsgiving" Potluck Dinner. This was all in addition to the usual slate of Masses, Family Religious Education, Community Coffee... | |
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Preparing for the Season of Preparation! | |
The new liturgical year begins with the season of Advent at sunset on Sat, Dec. 2. We have a lot planned for Advent, and we don't want you to miss it! It's all listed in the bulletin insert and on the Advent 2023 webpage, but here are the things happening in the first 4 days: | |
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Starting Nov 25: Jesse Tree
Our Jesse Tree will be in the Mary Alcove, covered in tags that list requests for someone in need, be they families in a homeless shelter, our Afghan families we helped resettle, the Agape Community, or the Catholic Worker House in Worcester. Take a tag (or 2 or 3!) and bring the requested gift to us by Sun, Dec 17. Many tags request gift cards, which empower family members to purchase gifts themselves.
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ASAP: Pageant Sign-Ups!
Mandatory rehearsals for the Christmas Pageant are at 12:30 pm on Sun, Dec 3 & Sun, Dec 10. (Performance is at 2 pm on Dec 10.) Email Susan ASAP to sign your child up to play Mary, Joseph, a wiseperson, a shepherd, an angel, or a barnyard animal, or to sing in the choir.
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Sat, Dec 2: Advent Spirituality
Paulist Fr. Tom Ryan, author of 19 books, leads us in a 40-minute discussion about the spirituality of the season of Advent at 4 pm Sat, Dec 2. What better way to get in the mood before the 1st Mass of Advent at 5 pm?
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Sun, Dec 3: Family Advent Social
The theme of the 1st Sunday of Advent is "Wake Up!" Everyone is invited to a Community Coffee after the 10 am Mass on Sun, Dec 3. Families and anyone else who wishes to stay will then transition into a program on the season of Advent.
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Tues, Dec 5: Zoom Prayer
Our LGBTQIA Ministry will once again host online prayer on Tuesdays, Dec 5, 12, & 19 at 7 pm. This is an opportunity to come together in community for shared prayer, reflection, & song. All are welcome to this event, whether you identity as LGBTQIA or not. Here's the Zoom link. ID: 857 1651 2645; passcode: 258032.
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Eucharist Means "Thanksgiving" | | |
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We love to see you in-person for our Masses! But if you can't make it through the big red doors at 5 Park Street this week, please join us online for our next two livestreams:
Thanksgiving Eve:
7 pm Weds, Nov 22
Christ, King of the Universe:
10 am Sun, Nov 26
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All livestreams are recorded & available for later viewing on our YouTube channel, including 2 Masses from this past weekend, the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time:
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The most comprehensive listing of what's going on at the Paulist Center is in the bulletin. (This is a 2-week bulletin covering both Nov 18-19 and Nov 25-26.) But for updates, ongoing events, local events, and longer-range planning, here's another list:
- The Paulist Center will be closed Thurs & Fri, Nov 23 & 24, for Thanksgiving. There will be no confessions or Mass either day. We will have the usual schedule of Masses on Sat & Sun, Nov 25 & 26, but there will be no Family Religious Education or Sacramental Preparation Programs.
- Congratulations to Mary Sullivan, our 2023 honoree for the Archdiocese of Boston Cheverus Awards! We recognize all of her behind-the-scenes work at the Paulist Center, including filing music, organizing receptions, coordinating a lector team, and assisting the Paulist Associates. Thanks, Mary!
- We're looking for more volunteers to assist with Marriage Preparation. If we had 10 couples each helping with three 3-hour sessions each year, plus a few other people to help Fr. Rick with clerical work, we could assist >600 couples in FY 2024 and bring in $114,000 of much-needed outside revenue. If you can help, check out p. 2 of last weekend's bulletin.
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The arrival of thousands of immigrants in Greater Boston has reached a crisis stage. There are not enough shelter beds or resources to support them. Our Immigrant Advocacy Group (IAG) needs volunteers to assist refugees & other migrants from Haiti, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Latin America, & elsewhere. There are many ways to help, ranging from occasionally to weekly. To learn more, email IAG.
- Our Creation Care ministry will next meet online at 5 pm on Mon, Dec 4. All are welcome. Email the team to learn more and/or to get the Zoom link.
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Looking further into the future:
- The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is Fri, Dec 8. We'll have Masses at 7:55 am, 12:05 pm, & 7 pm.
- Our Racial Justice Advocacy Group (RJAG) will next meet online at 7 pm Tues, Dec 12. All are welcome. Email Tom to learn more and/or to get the Zoom link.
- We'll have a lay-led Advent Reconciliation Service at 7 pm Weds, Dec 13. Several priests will be available to celebrate individual confessions.
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Around the community:
- At 5:30-6:45 pm on Thurs, Nov 30, Boston College School of Theology hosts a panel titled "Why Are We At Each Other's Throats? A Conversation about Faith, the Church, and Polarization." RSVP here to attend or to receive a recording afterwards.
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Time, Treasure, & Talent (Matthew 25: 14-30) | |
Being stewards of all God has given us... | | |
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Great things are happening at the Paulist Center, but we're predicting a revenue deficit in the 2023-24 fiscal year. If you can increase your financial support to this intentional Catholic community attentive to the Holy Spirit, nourished by vibrant liturgies, and operating ministries of healing & justice, please click here. Thank you for your generosity! | |
... to care for those in need... | |
Each year, we distribute 5% of our annual offertory evenly among 52 non-profit organizations who have missions aligned with our own. The recipient we raise up this weekend is Retired Religious Sisters, in recognition of the ministry they have provided to us in the Archdiocese of Boston, and for us to help provide for their healthcare needs. | |
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100% of donations placed in specially-marked envelopes this weekend will be given directly to Retired Religious Sisters. Make checks out to the Paulist Center; write "Retired Religious Sisters" in the memo line. | | |
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... as members of the Body of Christ. | |
We said it before, and we'll say it again:
We give thanks to our God for the privilege of serving you. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Alvaro, Barbara, Dorothy, Gus, Norm, Patty, Rich, Rick, Rob, Sal, Susan, & Timmy | |
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