pastor

The Second Collection is for the BUILDING & RENOVATION FUND, your generosity is greatly appreciated. Specifically, the funds raised through the next seven weeks will cover the cost of masonry work that is underway on the southern exterior church wall. The mason is digging out the old rigid caulking and replacing it with a new flexible caulk, as well as sanding, and painting the lentils (which is the steel support bar located above the windows). The first stage of this work will be completed in the next two weeks. The entire wall will be coated with a sealant in late April, and by the end of June we will know if this approach is successful in addressing the wet interior plaster walls. The first stage will cost $5550. I am awaiting an estimate on the sealant.

This past weekend and week, I and the pastoral staff have been inundated with your concerns centering around the PROPOSED PARISH RECONFIGUREMENT PLAN. The common concern centers around the replacement of our three Marshfield Pastors with a new pastor and associate pastor. This is a reasonable concern. The Archdiocese has presented this model to the Priests of the Archdiocese and their staff. In March the PLANNING COMMITTEE will meet with members of all the PARISH PASTORAL & FINANCE COUNCILS. Monsignor William Fay, Chairman of this committee, continues to solicit feedback.

If you want to offer your concerns to the planning group I would you suggest write to either Monsignor Fay or Monsignor Robert Deeley (who is the Moderator of the Curia). A parishioner from Holy Family has asked me to hold a meeting to make a presentation of the proposed plan to the parish, and that’s a great idea. Out of respect for the Pastoral and Finance Councils, which do not meet until late March, such a parish wide meeting will be held after Easter. Monsignors’ Deely and Fay addresses are located on page two of this bulletin.

In a previous bulletin column I mentioned the problems we are having with folks making the one dollar offering for lighting a candle in front of either the Blessed Mother, Sacred Heart of Jesus Statue, or the St. Ann Statue. It costs the parish fifty cents for each of the CANDLES, which means we provide the candles at a lower offering then asked in most parishes. However, the week of January 13th eighty-seven candles were used, but we only collected fifty-eight dollars, that means we were short twenty-nine dollars! The most recent week there were ninety-three candles used, but we received only fifty-one dollars; again this means we were short forty-two dollars. This might not seem like much, but over a year this is a shortfall of $1846.00. Out a sense of justice for those who make the offering, I am suspending supplying candles for the next two weeks. Folks, honestly, when I was working downtown Boston, I often went to Arch Street Shine, a couple of times a week, and I would light a few candles�.it never occurred to me to not make the suggested offering. I hate to do this as it also penalizes those who are faithful in making this offering, but how else can I bring this attention to the larger parish community?

This Thursday is WORLD DAY FOR THE SICK, and locally we will be observing this day with a MASS OF HEALING at 7:00pm in the Chapel. Following the Mass lay evangelist FRANK KELLY has graciously agreed to individually pray over everyone.

Three weeks till I depart for SPRING TRAINING in Florida! Wish you could join me! God Bless All of You!
Fr. Carmichael