The Epiphany of the Lord Mass Intentions - Week of January 7th

Saturday 4:30 pm @ SM

Jan. 6 Vigil of the Epiphany of the Lord Carole Bussiere Pichierri (deceased, birthday), by the Bussiere family

Sunday 8:00 am @ SH 10:30 am @ SH

Jan. 7 The Epiphany of the Lord Sophie Devanski, by Jim & Donna Boyko Edmond Cassavant, by his family

Monday 8 am @ SH

Jan. 8 The Baptism of the Lord All OLSH parishioners living & deceased

Tuesday 8 am @ SH

Jan. 9 Weekday Holy Souls from the Nov. 2

nd offering

Wednesday 8:00 am @ SH

Jan. 10 Weekday

Thursday 8 am @ SH

Jan. 11 Weekday

Friday Jan. 12 No Mass Today

Saturday 4:30 pm @ SM

Jan 13 Vigil of 2nd

Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sunday 8:00 am @ SH 10:30 am @ SH

Jan. 14 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Wallace Connor, Sr., by Michele & Wally Connor Jeanne Giguere, by M/M Robert Conlon

Please pray for our brothers & sisters who have asked for our prayers:

Lisa Marie Berthel, Dee Barrett, William Boland, Dora &

Ray Brunelle, Micah Burt, Michael Carpenter, Fr. Dave,

Ginger Duhamel, Scott Falls, Doris Fenton, Callie

Fitzgerald, Herbert Frew, Rev. Charles Gonet, Brian

Hanrahan, Deborah Kaplavka, Bernie & Priscilla Kulas,

Theresa Lupacchino, Juanita Morse, Julie Nydam,

Isabella Paolucci, Rita Pare, Janyce Parker, Karen Trainor Resseguie,

Janice Smith, Kathleen Thompson, Brian Trudeau, Richard Trudeau,

Patricia Tuttle

This week we remember Peter Jennette, nephew of parishioners Linda &

Gary Lincoln. May he rest in the peace of Christ.

We pray for all the deceased members & benefactors of our parish; all

those in Military Service; and those suffering from the effects of natural

disaster, epidemics, and political strife.

9 DAYS FOR LIFE: JANUARY 18-26, 2018 9 Days for Life is a “digital pilgrimage” of prayer and action focused on cherishing the gift of every person's life. A multi-faceted novena highlighting a different intention each day provides reflections, bonus information, and suggested actions. Sign up to receive the novena through a free app, daily emails, or daily text messages. Visit www.9daysforlife.com to sign up and for information on how else you can get involved!

General $2,362

Christmas $430

Solemnity of Mary $145

Fuel Donation $80

The bank accepts checks written in BLUE or BLACK ink only.

Additional Christmas Flower donations Bill & Priscilla Vasil Larchian, by M/M John Vasil Loved ones, by M/M Richard Murphy

Special Collections

1/6 & 7 Catholic University of America

1/13 & 14 Monthly Renovation Fund

1/27 & 28 Catholic Home Missions

~Stewardship~ “..they fell down and worshipped him. Then they

opened their treasures and offered him gifts of

gold, frankincense, and myrrh...” - Matthew 2:11

Notice the order of events in the Magi’s visit. First,

they knelt before Jesus and prayed to Him. Then

they presented Him with their gifts. We, too, must

take time to pray before we present our gifts to the

Lord. We never know what God may be asking us

to share!

~Word of Life~ “Heavenly Father, thank you for the

precious gift of life. Help us to

cherish and protect this gift, even in

the midst of fear, pain, and suffering. … Grant us

the humility to accept help when we are in need,

and teach us to be merciful to all.” USCCB

Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities “Every Life is

Worth Living” Prayer Card

We’re in need of volunteers to help Jeanette put away Christmas decorations on Tuesday, January 9th, who would also be willing to put them up next Christmas Season. If you can help, please call the rectory @ 508 867-6469. Thank you!

The Tuesday night (7:15 pm) Rosary at SH will be suspended for the winter. It will resume in the spring, at a date to be announced.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of parishioner Louise Jankins

who died December 28th

at the age of 80. Her Mass of Christian

Burial was celebrated at Sacred Heart Church this past week..

Next Officers’ Meeting Monday Jan. 8th

@ 7 pm

Thank you to the 39 donors who provided 42 pints of life-saving blood at our Red Cross

Blood Drive on Dec. 28th Our next Blood Drive will be on March 29th.

January Calendar Raffle Drawing #1 Winners’ names will appear here next

weekend!

Dugan Hall Closed for floor refinishing 1/6 & 7

Religious Education News…

Sunday 1/14 – No Classes – Martin Luther King Day

Enjoy your 2018 religious art calendar, compliments of David F. Kelley Insurance

Agency & Pillsbury Funeral Home. They are still some available in both churches.

HISTORY OF THE FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY

The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the oldest Christian feasts, though, throughout the centuries, it has celebrated a variety of things. Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning "to reveal," and all of the various events celebrated by the Feast of the Epiphany are revelations of Christ to man. Like many of the most ancient Christian feasts, Epiphany was first celebrated in the East, where it has been held from the beginning almost universally on January 6. Today, among both Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, the feast is known as Theophany—the revelation of God to man.

EPIPHANY: A FOURFOLD FEAST Epiphany originally celebrated four different events, in the following order of importance: the Baptism of the Lord; Christ's first miracle, the changing of water into wine at the wedding in Cana; the Nativity of Christ; and the visitation of the Wise Men or Magi.

Each of these is a revelation of God to man. At Christ's Baptism, the Holy Spirit descends and the voice of God the Father is heard, declaring that Jesus is His Son; at the Wedding in Cana, the miracle reveals Christ's divinity; at the Nativity, the angels bear witness to Christ, and the shepherds, representing the people of Israel, bow down before Him; and at the Visitation of the Magi, Christ's divinity is revealed to the Gentiles—the other nations of the earth.

THE END OF CHRISTMASTIDE Eventually, the celebration of the Nativity was separated out, in the West, into Christmas; and shortly thereafter, Western Christians adopted the Eastern feast of the Epiphany, still celebrating the Baptism, the first miracle, and the visit from the Wise Men.

Thus, Epiphany came to mark the end of Christmastide—the Twelve Days of Christmas (celebrated in the song), which began with the revelation of Christ to Israel in His Birth and ended with the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles at Epiphany.

Over the centuries, the various celebrations were further separated in the West, and now the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the Sunday after January 6, and the wedding at Cana is commemorated on the Sunday after the Baptism of the Lord.

~Richert, Scott P. "The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ." ThoughtCo, Dec. 29, 2017, thoughtco.com/epiphany-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-542471.

2018 Knights of Columbus Free Throw

Competition

Council 11080 Opening Round

WHEN: To be announced next weekend

WHERE: West Brookfield Elementary

School Gym

WHO: Open to Girls & Boys 9-14 years old

Prizes! Winners move on to District

Competition!

Admission is FREE! To register and for more information call Wally

Connor 413-813-8100 or email connor122@charter.net