Dear Parishioners:
This week our OLM Second Graders enter First Communion Boot Camp! Each afternoon they gather to rehearse and practice for the big celebration of First Holy Communion next Saturday. We have 64 students making their First Communion this year. Our Religious Education Second Graders celebrate First Communion at 10:00am on Saturday and the OLM School Second Graders celebrate Frist Communion at Noon. It is a great celebration of faith and family as these children receive Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist for the very first time in their young lives.
These students have been extremely well prepared by our excellent teachers. We are grateful to Mrs. Mickey St. Jean, our Directress of the OLM First Communion Program and the teachers in our OLM RE Program, Mrs. Jane Burley and Mrs. Margaret McGrath. In particular, I thank our OLM School Second Grade Teacher, Mrs. Mary Ryan. After twenty-five years of teaching at our parish school she is to retire this June. We are truly grateful for her dedication over the years. Mrs. Ryan is an outstanding Catholic teacher and we give thanks for the excellent preparation she has provided for First Communion.
Next Sunday is Mother’s Day and we offer all masses for all mothers. We also mark the special day of motherhood at the 10:30am Mass with the May Crowning of the Blessed Mother. It is truly a beautiful ceremony and a moving tribute to our parish patroness and the Mother of the Church, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Our First Communion Class continues to prepare this coming week, please pray for them and their families. We pray that they may continue to grow in dedication and love of the Eucharistic Lord. We pray they and their families continue to celebrate Holy Communion with great joy and a lively faith next Saturday and then every Sunday of their lives!
OLM School celebrates its annual Grandparents Day this coming Thursday, May 10th. With 295 students, we expect a couple of hundred grandparents to join us from near and far. They begin the day in church and then spend time with their grandchildren in the classroom. This special day is truly a great occasion of fun, faith and family.
This Thursday we also celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus. The Ascension refers to “the entry of Jesus’ humanity into Divine Glory in God’s heavenly domain, forty days after Easter.” It occurred 40 days after the Lord’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday and took place in broad daylight on the Mount of Olives, in the presence of His Apostles and disciples. At His Ascension, the Lord Jesus ascended Body and Soul into heaven.
The Ascension is a Holy Day of Obligation for all Catholics. Therefore, as it is for every Sunday, Catholics are obligated to attend Holy Mass. Join us in celebrating the Ascension on Wednesday at the 5:00PM Vigil Mass on Ascension Thursday at the 7:30am, 9:00am or 7:00PM Holy Day Masses. Please bear in mind that the 9:00am Holy Day Mass is the OLM School Mass and our students are to be joined by many grandparents. So please be sure to arrive early!
This Sunday we end our Religious Education Classes at OLM for the year. The program resumes again in the fall. We thank the many families who participate in our program and also the many dedicated volunteers who teach the children the Catholic Faith. Please pray for our RE families that they may stay close the Lord Jesus and remain faithful to attending Sunday Mass.
May is a month dedicated to Motherhood. In particular we honor our Blessed Mother with Devotions in the Month of May each Monday night at 7:00pm. It is a great devotion as we gather as a parish family before the Eucharistic Lord and pray the mysteries of the Holy Rosary accompanied by beautiful music. May Devotions are a great opportunity for us to spend some time away from the noisy distractions of the busy world and reflect and pray through Mary to Jesus. Pick up your beads and join us!
Pope Leo XIII tells us: “The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying.”
See you on the Ascension! Do good. Be well. God Bless. Go Sox! Go Bruins! Go Celtics!