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THE WEEKLY MISSIVE
APRIL 12, 2024
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Forgiveness, Preached In Christ's Name, Alleluia!
Dear Friends,
Alleluia! Christ is risen, indeed!
Although Paul refers to hundreds of people interacting with the resurrected Jesus (1 Cor 15:5-8), the gospels only record a handful of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances. This weekend at Mass, we feature a resurrection story that's among the least familiar to us: Luke's account of Jesus appearing in the Upper Room (Luke 24:35-48) just as two disciples return from Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). Nevertheless, Luke makes fascinating connections here with what has happened previously in his gospel and with what is yet to come in the "sequel" to his gospel, the Acts of the Apostles.
Many of us make an effort to celebrate Lent in unique ways each year. We now ask ourselves: how should our celebration of the Easter season in 2024 be different from all previous years? How should it be the same?
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15 Months Behind: Catching Up on Good News
15 Days Ahead: Get Ready for the Auction
We Really Need Your Help with Marriage Prep!
Vatican Document & Pastoral ReflectionBe Like Jesus! (Come to a Potluck!)
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Walk With Us to End Hunger
Welcoming Many Guests This Weekend - Overcome with Paschal Joy
- Upcoming Events
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Catching Up on 15 Months of Good News! | | |
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Congratulations to the 13 children who made their First Communion this past weekend! Their names are listed in the bulletin...
... and then we realized that we haven't provided a full list of all the people who became members, received sacraments of initiation, or got married here since January 2023. They're listed in the bulletin, too. Oops! Please let us know if we missed anyone!
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Passing the Torch: 15 Days Until the 41st Annual Auction! | |
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Olympics in Paris: An Evening Soiree is the theme of our 41st Annual Auction, to be held here on Sat, Apr 27. It's our biggest fundraiser of the year and a very fun time! We need your help in a variety of ways to make this a big success.
Questions? Three ways to get them answered:
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Here are our most pressing needs this week:
1. Buy tickets online or after Mass this weekend! Buying your tickets now will make preparations easier for our entire Paulist Center family. (Remember: The Auction is more like a family wedding than a corporate fundraiser. We don't pay 15% of the proceeds to buy special software and hire professionals who drink Red Bull to stay up until 3 am to rearrange the seating chart, inform the kitchen of dietary preferences, and assign credit card numbers to bidding paddles!)
2. Become a financial sponsor by Fri, Apr 19 (deadline extended from Apr 15) at one of the following levels:
Gold — $300 or more
Silver — $200-299
Bronze — $100-199
To donate online, put your dollar amount on the "Auction" line. In the Additional Instructions on the next page, include the word SPONSOR, and tell us exactly how you would like your name to appear in the program. We'll gladly accept donations at any time and of any size! Only donations received ≥$100 received by Apr 19 can be listed in the program, however.
3. Can't make it to the Auction? Advanced bidding on live & silent auction items begins at noon on Fri, Apr 19. We'll publish the full list of live & silent auction items in the Missive at noon on that day. Start pooling your money with your friends and plan to put in competitive bids. Here's a partial list of items & services that will be available for bidding in advance through noon on Fri, Apr 26 & in-person starting at 6:15 pm on Sat, Apr 27.
4. Buy raffle tickets, and encourage family members & friends to do so, too! (You do not have to be present at the Auction to win.) The grand prize is a $1,000 AMEX gift card. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. Let the Games begin!
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We Really Need Your Help with Marriage Preparation! | | |
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Our Marriage Preparation program is a great spiritual gift to 400-600 couples throughout the Archdiocese of Boston each year. Paulist Center couples who volunteer for this ministry find it very rewarding. It's also a major source of new members and outside income for our community. | |
However, as the Paulist Center transitions to having only one priest on staff, we can only sustain this important ministry if 10-15 couples can each help for 3 hours on 3 weekends per year. Are you and your partner interested in learning more about what would be involved? If so, contact Fr. Rick and plan to come to a meeting / demonstration at 7 pm on Thurs, Apr 18. Thanks! | |
Infinite Dignity: A Pastoral Reflection & a Vatican Document | |
This past week, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a document called Dignitas Infinita. It's a forceful statement on the infinite dignity of every human being. It speaks out against forces that marginalize people, including those who are poor, living in war zones, immigrating, trafficked, abused, or disabled. However, a few paragraphs near the end of the document speak about gender and sexuality have upset many members of the Paulist Center Community. | |
By coincidence, Fr. Rick wrote a lengthy pastoral reflection this week regarding the Church and its ministry to people who consider themselves transgender or non-binary. Although the two documents were written separately, we recommend that members consider them together. | |
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Be Like Jesus! Gather With Friends for Meals! | | |
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Please join us for a community-wide potluck dinner after the 6 pm Mass on Sun, Apr 21. If at all possible, RSVP here by Fri, Apr 19, so Gus knows how much of an entree to cook. Walk-ins are welcome, as long as you bring a dish to share and/or you can help with cleanup! | |
A Paulist Center Legacy: the 56th Annual Walk for Hunger | |
If you're not up for a marathon on Mon, Apr 15, how about a leisurely 3-mile walk on Sun, May 5? Support the Annual Walk for Hunger either by walking with our team or by making a pledge. | |
Back in 1969, members of the Paulist Center founded the nation's first-ever pledge walk to raise money for our Wednesday Night Supper Club, which continues to provide a weekly, dignified sit-down meal to our hungry neighbors. The walk has since evolved into Project Bread's Walk For Hunger, the largest single-day fundraiser in New England. The Paulist Center often raises the most money of any organization in the state, and 60% of what we raise goes directly to the Supper Club. | |
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Welcoming Our Yearly Guests This Weekend | | |
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At Masses this weekend, we'll welcome guests from around the world joining us because of the Boston Marathon. We'll have a brief blessing for all Marathon runners —including some of our own members — at the conclusion of Mass. | |
Overcome with Paschal Joy | |
Today is just the 13th day of our 50-day Easter season! We hope to see you in-person this weekend and every weekend, 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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The most comprehensive listing of what's going on at the Paulist Center is in the bulletin. Check it out! Here's some of what's in it:
- Our Racial Justice Advocacy Group (RJAG) provides interesting facts about people of color in conjunction with the 128th Boston Marathon.
- Details about young adults (ages 18-39) serving at the Supper Club on Weds, Apr 17 and studying the Bible on Thurs, Apr 25. We encourage every young adult, whether you're Catholic or not, to sign up for a one-on-one conversation with our young adult minister, Gus Kellerman.
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The support group for Family & Friends of LGBTQIA Persons meets on Zoom at 2 pm Sun, Apr 21. Email Jay for the link.
- The Pastoral Council's reminder to mark your calendar now for our Community Meeting on the afternoon of Sat, May 11.
- Information on the Baptism Preparation Classes we're holding at 10 am on May 11 & June 8.
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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. Before using DonorBox, be sure to read the info in the bulletin.
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Also:
- In observance of Patriot's Day, there will be no Family Religious Education on Sun, Apr 14, and the Paulist Center office will be closed on Mon, Apr 15. There will be no confessions or Mass on Monday.
- At 8:30 pm EDT on Sat, Apr 27, the Paulist Fathers will broadcast the 4th "Spirit of Hecker" Awards. One of the awardees will be our the Paulist Center's Mary Skinner, for her lifetime of service to civil rights, ecumenism, and education. Mary won't be watching the broadcast, however: she and her family will be with us at the Auction, where we'll present her award. Thank you for inspiring us, Mary!
- Please refer to p. 2 of last week's bulletin for directions on making a donation to our Easter season flowers in the chapel in honor of a loved one. We plan to keep decorating through Pentecost on Sun, May 19.
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Around the community:
- St. Leonard's (North End) is hosting a 40 Hours Adoration from 6 pm tonight, Apr 12 through 10 am on Sun, Apr 14.
- Women interested in learning more about religious life are welcome to an online gathering at 7 pm Weds, Apr 24. Contact Sr. Marian Batho, CSJ for more information & the Zoom link.
- The Archdiocese's Project Rachel Ministry will offer post-abortion healing retreats 9 am - 5 pm on Sat, May 11 and Sat, June 8. Call 508-651-3100 or email them.
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"Your harvest, Lord, is gathered in;
we stand before you
to be your bread, to be your Body to the world.
For many are we, and broken we've come,
but we shall become one."
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- Laurence Rosania's "As Grains of Wheat"
Alvaro, Barbara, Dorothy, Gus, Norm, Patty, Rich, Rick, Rob, Sal, Susan, & Timmy
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