Noon Sunday Mass beginning in Advent
11-06-2020Letters From Fr. BrianRev. Brian F. ManningDear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary’s,
Most of us are still reeling from the snow storm and the bitter cold from this past week or so. It is supposed to get warm again, if 60 is really warm. We now have felt the first snap of winter. We can get lulled into complacency very easily by the mildness of the Fall weather. This is also true regarding the necessary precautions of the COVID Pandemic. Do not be fooled by deniers, naysayers or lulled into letting down your health standards because of the length of this emergency. With the winter upon us, we New Englanders who are made of sterner stuff will do fine. We need to use our sterner stuff during this Pandemic Emergency.
I am happy to announce that starting with the First Sunday in Advent, November 29 aka the Sunday after Thanksgiving (technically the Church’s New Year), we will begin celebrating a NOON Mass each Sunday. Our attendance at weekend Masses continues to increase slowly. The trending numbers of attendance suggest that we should begin the Noon Mass at that point in time.
We will also begin that weekend “announced Mass Intentions” (beginning with. 4 PM Mass, Nov. 27th). All the Intentions since the start of COVID have been honored by Missionaries of the Propagation of the Faith Society. It is better to email the office (secretary@stmarysfranklin.org) to arrange this. You are welcome, also to call (508 528 0020 ext. 11), but the COVID Office Hours are: only open 9:00am-12:00pm Monday through Thursday. You are now welcome again to request an announced Mass Intention at these masses: 4:00pm Saturday, 7:30am & 10:30am and 12:00pm Masses on Sundays. This should work well because on average of the six Masses we used to have, usually only 4 had public intentions.
On the weekend of the new Mass Schedule (Nov. 27-28, the First Sunday in Advent) we will be returning to the custom of praying for our beloved dead at Sunday Mass in the Prayers of the Faithful. This List will include those who have died in the past week and any request that you make for that weekend. This request must be made by email by 12:00pm, Wednesday preceding that weekend. If you wish for your beloved deceased to be prayed for more than that one weekend, you should place that name on the St. Mary Prayer Wall in church or on our website. If someone is ill, you should place that name on our Prayer Wall in Church or on our website Prayer Wall. We will not be able to list that name in our weekend Masses’ Prayers of the Faithful.
We have been consulting with many, many people to be able to offer to as many Parishioners as possible a special Spiritual Christmas. The Parish Pastoral Council will help me make final plans at its meeting on November 17 and then we will start the long and necessary public communication of our plans. We are hoping to invite everyone to visit the Infant Jesus in the Christmas Crib and receive Christmas Communion, whether at Mass or outside at the Crib. Our church will be decorated and our choir will fill the church will its Christmas sounds (via its famous CD). Our plaza will be brightly lighted and the Crib and music will fill the day and night air. Live Steaming will be a great help.
Our Saint Vincent’s de Paul will be inviting you to assist them via an on-line Christmas Giving Tree. Please consider assisting them with the great need that exists. Our Sacred Heart Knights of Columbus will also be offering a “Stop and Shop” Card to purchase to allow them to assist the St. Vincent’s in their work of feeding the hungry and needy. This will be mostly on-line. Please be watching our website for details. Please remember that the Franklin Interfaith Council will be sponsoring a Thanksgiving Service via ZOOM/Webinar on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 7:00pm. The electronic link will be available the week before this Service. Please plan to attend electronically. Thank you for your constant financial support of our Parish. Your faithfulness and generosity is truly appreciated by me.
We are truly blessed in so many ways. Our blessings flow from our God who loves us. Mary, His Mother, is our Patroness: how blessed are we! With Saint Rocco the Healer, we offer prayers for those who are ill in mind, body or soul. We must not lose sight in these days that our God has blessed us in so many ways.
God bless,
Fr. Brian