Pastor's Corner

You may have heard recently the sad news that Miramar Retreat Center here in Duxbury will close at the end of June. It has been a tremendous spiritual oasis for thousands of people from near and far for nearly 75 years. The Divine Word Missionaries (SVDs), a Catholic religious order of missionary priests and brothers, have staffed the Center from the beginning, and have generously welcomed people of all faiths for times of prayer, reflection, renewal and spiritual direction, as well as to enjoy the Center’s beautiful grounds.

This Sunday, Palm/Passion Sunday, begins Holy Week, the time in our liturgical calendar when we celebrate the central mysteries of our faith, what the Church calls the Paschal Mystery – Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. We reflect upon what God has done for us in the unique expression of His love and mercy through Jesus’ offering of Himself in sacrifice to the Father for the forgiveness of our sins and those of all humanity.

This weekend begins National Child Abuse Prevention month. And, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Catholic Church’s National Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. Cardinal Sean has set aside this weekend, April 2/3, as a time for parishes to pray for continued healing of those who have been abused, to pray for all impacted by abuse, to offer a prayer of thanks for the work of all those who focus on child safety, and to recommit to ongoing practices designed to keep all children free from abuse. Please keep these intentions in your prayers. On this occasion, I share with you a message from an abuse survivor.

On Friday, March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, Pope Francis, consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary during a prayer service at St. Peter’s Basilica. The Holy Father asked that all Bishops and Priests join in the Prayer of Consecration in their dioceses, parishes, and churches at Masses and Prayer services that day.

Hi everyone, it’s Matt from the Youth Faith Formation Office doing a youth ministry takeover of the Pastor’s Corner this week. Our high school and middle school teens have been up to some amazing things over the last month that I wanted to share with you.

As you might remember, after all of the Masses on Superbowl weekend, teens were at the doors of the Church collecting money for our Souper Bowl of Caring campaign.

Back in February, our Parish Pastoral Plan Writing Team asked for parishioner feedback about what we can do as a parish to achieve this Vision: Holy Family strives to be a joyful, welcoming community of faith that encounters Jesus, and thinks with His mind and loves with His heart. We are pleased to have received 189 responses. Some people addressed issues related to Church teaching, which is beyond the purview of our parish to change. Yet, these matters are certainly worthy of our concern by both helping to dispel any misinformation there might be as well as by reaching out to those we encounter who feel unwelcome.

What are you doing for Lent? One thing I’m thinking about doing is more spiritual reading. But, that won’t be easy as it’ll require reorganizing my routine. And, if you’re into a routine like I am, it takes great discipline to shift things around. I know I’ll benefit from it, but I need to work out the steps NOW before I begin to carry out my plan. How about you? What are you going to do for Lent... not just what are you going to give up for Lent – like eating sweets.

The time is going by quickly! Can you believe that Lent begins this Wednesday, March 2? If you haven’t thought much about what you’ll do for Lent this year, here are some things to think about. Lent is a season in the Church year when Catholics prepare for the celebration of Easter. We’re invited to renew our baptismal promises, reject Satan and all his empty promises and pledge anew our commitment to follow Christ more closely. We work at transforming our lives so that we can be more authentically Christ-like, and as a result, experience a true joy, peace and spiritual integrity.

With all the tensions and injustices going on in the world, the prevalence of contentiousness in our society and the call by Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel to “love your enemies and do good to those who hate you,” (Luke 6: 27) I offer this prayer for our enemies that comes from the Our Sunday Visitor “What the Church Teaches” pamphlet (P4) entitled, Praying for Peace and Protection.

The recent headlines describing difficult negotiations over the standoff between Russia and the West over Ukraine, prompt me to encourage you to pray now in a special way for peace. At the conclusion of his weekly General Audience at the end of January, Pope Francis asked the faithful "to pray for peace in Ukraine, now and throughout this day." It was January 26, when he called for an international day of prayer for peace as Russia had amassed troops along its border with Ukraine.

As part of the Archdiocese of Boston’s Pastoral Planning Process, parish lay leaders and staff members are undertaking a self-examination of how Holy Family Parish should carry on its mission in the years ahead with a renewed emphasis on evangelization. A parish pastoral plan writing team has begun looking at areas of strength and need for growth within our parish. Presently, the team has proposed a Vision Statement that will help us all - parishioners and staff members - focus our mission, and guide us to identify areas that will help us better fulfill it.