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Heather Hannaway, MADirector of Faith Formationhhannaway@chelmsfordcatholic.orgCourtney Callanan, MAAsst. Director of Faith Formationccallanan@chelmsfordcatholic.orgElaine KindlerFaith Formation Coordinatorekindler@chelmsfordcatholic.orgLynn Anne LaDukeFaith Formation Coordinatorlynnanne@chelmsfordcatholic.orgFamily Faith Forma on Program Uniting the Heart of the Churchwith the Heart of the HomeREGISTRATION CONTINUES.Visit www. theholyrood.org/faith-formation-registration then choose the parish in which your are registering.There you will find all the directions needed for an easy online registration. No computer access? Contact:x St John or St. Margaret registration: Lynn Anne LaDuke at ext 240x St. Mary registration: Elaine Kindler at ext 216When registering, please remember that Sacramental years—First Eucharist and Confirmation—are 2-year programs, regardless of your child’s grade in either public or Catholic school.MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORKWe are still looking for Mentors andFacilitators to come forward and assistus with the running of our program, which is successful in LARGE PART to our volunteers. To learn more andto sign up, visit us at www.chelmsfordcatholic.org/intent.Not getting Flocknotes?Sign up TODAY to stay informed!x Email christine@theholyrood.org.x Type FLOCKNOTE in the subject line.x Include First and Last Name and your Registered Parish withinthe body of the email.x Once you are subscribed, be sure to add mail@flocknote.comto your safe senders list to avoid them not reaching you. Thenkeep an eye on your junk/spam folder for the next coupleweeks to be sure they aren’t getting caught up there. AllFLOCKNOTES will come from HOLY ROOD COLLABORATIVE.We also have a FUNERAL FLOCKNOTE subscriber list. Theseparticular FLOCKNOTES include information on upcoming funeralsin any of our churches, including a link to the obituary (ifavailable). If you want to receive these, please sign up as above,but state FUNERAL FLOCKNOTE in the subject line. These willcome from UPCOMING FUNERAL(s). Weall know someone who has fallen awayfrom the Church, and no matter what thereason, we pray for their return. Invitesomeone into His light today. If prayer is themethod that works best for you, here’s one!Dear God,I pray for a world that doesn’t know you. Ipray for those who are lost. God showyourself to those who don’t believe. Allowme to be a source of your light to those whoneed you. Help me to lead people to you.Help me tell others about you and have thewords they need to hear. I pray for the lossthat if not by me, something or someoneelse will intervene in their life and directthem to you. I pray for divine appointmentsall across the world today. God, I pray forthe world to know you. In Jesus' name,Amen.-read: 1 Timothy 2:1–7

The The FinancialPage When sending in checks, please make it payable tothe specific parish—St. John the Evangelist,St. Margaret of Scotland or St. Mary—to whom you are making your donation. As each parish maintains their ownfinancial entity, checks made out to The Holy Rood Collaborative cannot be cashed as The Holy Rood Collaborative isNOT a financial entity. If you have any questions, please contact Paul Firicano.IMPORTANT DONATION REMINDERWeekend ofJuly 24th/25thFiscal Year-To-DateJuly 25thFiscal YTDAverage/WeekOffertory Required to cover Budgeted Expenses 15,000 60,000 15,000Actual Received 12,734 62,407 15,602Shortfall/ Overage- 2,266 2,407 602Weekend ofJuly 24th/25thFiscal Year-To-DateJuly 25thFiscal YTDAverage/WeekOffertory Required to cover Budgeted Expenses 9,500 38,000 9,500Actual Received 8,501 33,705 8,426Shortfall/ Overage- 999- 4,295- 1,074St. margaret Weekly OffertoryWeekend ofJuly 24th/25thFiscal Year-To-DateJuly 25thFiscal YTDAverage/WeekOffertory Required to cover Budgeted Expenses 5,550 22,200 5,550Actual Received 3,392 15,842 3,961Shortfall/ Overage- 2,158- 6,358- 1,590St. Mary Weekly OffertorySt. John Weekly Offertory Visit our website andclick on the WeShare logo located atthe bottom of the homepage, orsimply scan this QR code with yourAndroid or iPhone.Visit our website andclick on the Online Giving logolocated at the bottom of thehomepage, or simply scan this QRcode with your Android or iPhone.Visit our website andclick on the VANCO logo located atthe bottom of the homepage, orsimply scan this QR code with yourAndroid or iPhone.You will be taken to the St. JohnWeShare site. Click on ‘Set up NewAccount’ and set up your paymentoptions. If you prefer, there is a“Quick Give” option to make aone-time donation.You will be taken to the St. MaryOnline Living site. Choose yourGiving Opportunity and set up yourpayments options. If you prefer,there is an option to make aone-time donation.You will be taken to theSt. Margaret online giving site.If you are a new donor, click onthe 'create profile' button to createyour donor account.“The Lord’s call is not an intrusion of God in our freedom; it is not a “cage” or a burden to be borne. On the contrary, it is the loving ini a ve whereby God encounters us invites usto be part of a great undertaking. He opens before our eyes the horizon of a greater sea and an abundant catch.” ͲHis Holiness, Pope Francis

About twelve years ago myfriend, Fr. Mark Coiro, and Idecided to backpack throughYellowstone National Park.As neither one of us had everdone so before, we decided itwould make sense to hire aguide. Our guide, Tim, helpedus immensely. First of all, helooked at what we were going to place in ourbackpacks and then helped us realize that we wereplanning to take far more than we would need, orwould be comfortable carrying. He reminded us thatwhatever we took with us would be on our backs forfive days. The more we took, the heavier the backpackwould become. Tim helped us understand what wastruly essential for the journey. We left behind thethings we really did not need, and it made the hikingfar more manageable and enjoyable. As we made ourway through the park Tim, of course, took the lead; heknew the trails to take and where we would need tostop for the night. Finally, Tim helped us establish agood pace for hiking. When I took the lead we wenttoo fast, but when Mark took the lead we went at a farmore sustainable pace. Tim talked to us about theterrain we would be facing and how to traverse itsafely. He was an excellent guide.As we journey through life, Christ realizes that we tooneed a guide to traverse through the world. We wouldneed help in understanding what is expected of us. Wewould also need help in discerning what things aretrue and real, and the falsehoods that the world wouldplace before us. The world is ready to send us downpaths and trails that will ultimately bring us harm anddespair. The way of the world is always in oppositionto the way of Christ. But the way of the world is verysubtle in its deceptions and, therefore, much of what itwill teach sounds good and reasonable. And, as such,when we accept the teaching of the world it can makethe ways of Christ seem unfair, harmful, andantiquated. The way of the world is modern andaccepts people and creates toleration. The way ofChrist, in contrast to the world, seems to stymiepeople from achieving their true sense of self. But thatis the power of the world—its ability to feed into aperson’s ego and sense of self-determination. Theworld desires to show us a trail that looks broad andeasy, but it is always the way of destruction anddamnation.Christ again realized that we need a guide to help usstay on the true path. The path of Christ, of course, isnarrow, rocky and difficult. But it is the way ofsalvation—the way that leads us to heaven. It is theway that leads us to our deepest desire which is to bein union with God. And there is only one way toachieve this union with God: that is through Christ.The guide that Christ created to help us find the rightpath and to stay on the path is, of course, the Church.As Catholics, we must believe that the Church Christintended to create is the Roman Catholic Church, andthe Roman Catholic Church only. We see this mostclearly in the story of Pentecost. As the apostles hid inthe upper room out of fear, the Holy Spirit came uponthem like a strong rushing wind. In that moment theyrealized what they were being called to do, and theywent forth to proclaim the Good News of Christ. TheChurch came about through Saint Peter and the otherapostles, by doing the work Christ intended for themto do. But they could not do it alone. It was throughtheir ministry and preaching that the Church wouldexpand and grow. But, more importantly, the workthey did was sustained by the Holy Spirit. The HolySpirit made possible all that would follow as theChurch would grow and expand.The Church exists again for one purpose and that is tocontinue the mission of Christ in the world. The workof the Apostles ensured that Christ’s message wouldnot be lost and, more importantly, would not changethroughout all time. The message of Christ is the sametoday as it was 2,000 years ago. The reason for this isthat there is only one path towards salvation. Each ofus will walk the path differently, but that one paththrough Christ must be the path we all must take.The Church exists to guide us on this path. We oftenwill think we need to take more than we need, but theChurch will call us back to a life of simplicity. We mustrecognize the good things God has given us, but alsorealize that all we receive is not necessarily for us.Rather, we are called to share our good bounty withothers who have less. Many times we will try to walktoo quickly down the path but the Church is there toteach us patience. We need to learn to live in themoment. We need to take time and see what God hasgiven us and how God is present to us. When we rushthrough life, we can miss what is really mostimportant. At times we might want to take a path thatlooks more interesting, or stop at a place that is moreappealing to us. The Church is there to teach us truediscernment—to know which path is best for us.The Church, therefore, speaks to us in a way that wecan always trust, to show us the direction of the pathwe need to take.We will continue this discussion next week.If you have any questions about anything, please donot hesitate to ask mefr.brian@theholyrood.org.Please keep me in your prayers.

Fromour Faith Formation CoordinatorElaine KindlerLiving the Gospel of LifeFather, Forgive we do not know what we doArchbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, of SanFrancisco, CA, wrote a reasoned response (‘FirstThings’ 6/23/2021) to a ‘Statement of Principles’published by 60 Catholic Democratic members ofCongress.I strongly encourage you to read it. ArchbishopCordileone addresses 15 of the items in thestatement and their adherence to Catholic teachingand social justice.What struck me deeply is that if we are unable toacknowledge the sanctity of human life, and in allcases, stand to promote respect for this sanctity—to defend human life at all stages, ages andconditions—then we are missing the boat no matterhow high and mighty our social justice programsseem to be.The right to life is the foundational human right.“Abortion is the axe laid to the roots of the tree ofhuman life” (Archbishop Cardileone).My heart is so heavy, I can only pray. I offer thislitany, prayed every Friday at 12 noon in CoventryCathedral and around the world.The Litany of Reconciliation (Coventry, England)All have sinned and fallen short of the glory ofGod. -Romans 3:23The hatred which divides nation from nation,race from race, class from class, -Father forgive.The covetous desires of people and nations topossess what is not their own,-Father forgive.The greed which exploits the work of humanhands and lays waste the earth, -Father forgive.Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,-Father forgive.Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned,the homeless, the refugee,-Father forgive.The lust which dishonors the bodies of men,women and children,-Father forgive.The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves,and not in God,-Father forgive.Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgivingone another as God in Christ forgave you.-Ephesians 4:32 From our Senior Priest in ResidenceFr. CollettiAll of us create our own world because we needto control ourselves and our world. We try toestablish a fixed, sensible, settled ‘given’ that isbeyond criticism or reexamination. This ‘given’ isintellectual, sociological, economic, political andbelievingcomponents of pre-conceived ideas and visions. Once this is established, it is ourworld and our truth and we judge all otherthings by this template. Things either fit or don’t;makes sense or doesn’t.When Jesus said, “I am the living bread of lifecome down from heaven” and called God HisFather, he drew the contempt of the crowdbecause none of this fit in with their ‘given;’ theirway of seeing things. They could not understand,even from their own history with God, that theyneeded to expect the unexpected. God wasalways full of surprises, shaking people out oftheir comfortable little world.Jesus was perceived as a threat to theirtraditional ‘given,’ so rather than listening andlearning, they killed Him. We need to thinkoutside our safe world with we have created;outside the expected and accepted way to listento and learn from God.There are people in our time who listened andlearned:Oscar Romero – Against Military GovernmentMother Teresa – Against Poverty with CompassionDorothy Day – Supported the NeglectedMohandas Gandhi – Peaceful ResistanceMartin Luther King, Jr. – Dream of EqualityIn today’s second reading from Saint Paul whowrites: “Brothers and sisters you must no longerlive as the Gentiles do you should put away theold self of your former way of life and berenewed created in God’s way in righteousnessand holiness of truth.”In another place, Saint Paul wrote: “Be imitatorsof me as I am of Christ.”We need to get out of our comfort zone, our“given” and enter more deeply into therelationship to which we are called. Look up theword “mindset” and think again what Saint Paulwrote: “Have this mind in you which is in ChristJesus.”

Mass IntentionsIf you would like to request that a Mass becelebrated for a specific intention or person, pleasecall the parish office. A donation of 10 per MassIntention is requested to be made at the time youschedule your intention.St. John the Evangelist For details on all avenues available toremember a loved one, please visith ps://theholyrood.org/rememberͲaͲlovedͲone Rose for LifeIs there someone special you’d like tohonor? You can do that by having a rosesignifying your intention placed in eitherchurch, as well as having your intentionpublished in the bulletin. To book a Rose forLife, contact the parish office. The suggestedoffering is 5.This week’s St. Mary Rose for Life:For the Protection of the UnbornSt. Mary Rose provided by JuJu BudsSt. Margaret of ScotlandSt. Mary Parish St. MaryAltar FlowersParishioners are invited to donatea floral arrangement, to bedisplayed on the altar in memoryof, or in honor of, a loved one. The requesteddonation for an arrangement is 40. If youwould like to donate altar flowers, call the parishoffice. Please note that we require a 2-weeknotice for your order.This week’s St. Mary Altar Flowers:In Loving Memory ofEdward, Katherine and Frank McCabeSt. Margaret BellsFunerals Recently CelebratedMay the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercyof God, rest in peace. -Amen Matthew Gintner Friday, July 23rd St. JohnDavid Quinn Saturday, July 24th St. MargaretMarilyn Ryan Saturday, July 24th St. JohnDolores Cunningham Monday, July 26th St. JohnJames Comeau Wednesday, July 28th St. MaryBernadette Flanders Thursday, July 29th St. JohnHelen Krebs Saturday, July 31st St. JohnThe steeple bells at St. Margaret tolldaily at 12 noon and 6 pm, followedby the ringing of the Angelus bell and2 hymns. At 3 pm, they play 2 hymns,and 15 minutes prior to eachweekend Mass, the bells toll a 'call toworship.' If you would like to dedicate theRinging of the Bells In Memory/In Honor ofsomeone, please contact the parish offices. Thestipend is 25, and your dedication will bepublished in the weekly bulletin.St. Margaret LampsSt. Margaret offers the opportunity tohave one of three lamps in the churchburn In Memory of a loved one.The stipend is 25, and the dedicationwill be published in the weekly bulletin.

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Aug 1, 2021