Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

This brief letter is to offer my personal Greetings and Blessings for these Christmas Holidays. Please treasure the memories you make and the ones that you share from the past. The Pandemic Life has been taking its toll on all of us in obvious and subtle ways, so please think and speak words of Christmas joy. Please also remember in prayer those who feel sorrow and loss of loved ones at this Season.  We especially hold up in prayer in particular the Owen Family, their relatives, friends and neighbors. In our outside Christmas Crib and also in the Crib in the main church there will be a candle which is lit in memory of Shirley and for victims of Domestic Violence. May the peace of the Holy Stable fill the hearts of all who suffer from the effects of Domestic Violence.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

This Sunday at 3 PM in our main church our Choir will offer a most wonderful “Lessons and Carols” Service. Our extraordinary choir will be offering various Christmas Carols interspersed with sacred scripture about the Birth of Jesus Christ. This is during daylight hours and it is a great opportunity to prepare spiritually for Christmas. This is also a wonderful service of less than one hour to take your children to. Afterwards visit our beautiful outdoor Christmas Crib outside on the St. Rocco Plaza.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

I hope everyone has recovered from the wonderful activities of Thanksgiving Day and Weekend. For many of us we saw family and friends for the first time in a long, long time and it was wonderful. Now all of us press on towards the Christmas Season. Advent is the four weeks of church time that helps us to prepare spiritually for Christmas. We are holding a Holy Hour and Benediction each Sunday evening from 7 to 8 PM in our chapel on the lower level of the church building. This would be an excellent way to spend some quiet time reflecting on the Birth of Jesus and your own daily life. Come and spend some time one of more of these Sundays.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

This letter will be a bit short because the parish work schedule is a very short week with the staff only in for two and a half days along with my heading to the family home at the Cape to help with food and guest preparation (and of course my specialty: dropping the turkey (!) and also (lots and lots of) dish and pot-washing). On behalf of our Pastoral and Support Staff along with Deacons Guy and Ron and also Fathers Jack and Frank, I wish you a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving. May this holiday weekend bring some joy and light to your life.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary’s,

This coming Thursday is Thanksgiving Day which is a very beautiful and wonderful time for us. For the most part we all gather with family and friends to celebrate with a special meal. I know that the Pandemic will influence how we celebrate this year, but our celebration will be closer to what we normally do. Not everyone is blessed to have family and friends that they can gather with on this day, so please recognize how blessed you are in your gathering with loved ones. All of us, of course, will hold in our hearts the special people of our lives who have gone before us to the other side of life. May they rest in peace. Amen. Also remember that some are missing from our tables because of bitter fights, long held grudges or remembered or forgotten resentments. Perhaps the Pandemic will help some of us to realize that a lot of our “issues” really do not matter and we should extend a hand of welcome to our missing family and friends. In the long run most negative issues we carry really do not merit the darkness we have kept in our hearts and the work to keep the alienation going. Some of my family will be gathering at our home down the Cape. There will be the traditional turkey dinner, (with the 3 minute rule if I drop the turkey! And the code of silence about it!)

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

The march of time happens every day. Thanksgiving is shortly in the distance and then comes the wonderful Season of Advent for weeks and then our great Celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord, Christmas. I suggest we just put one foot forward at a time and step along each day and we will end up having a wonderful and beautiful Winter Religious Season along with the gatherings of our families and friends.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary’s,

The Fall is always a very busy time for everyone with lots of important events taking place and long term plans being made. It is easy to get lost in all of this activity and end up feeling overwhelmed. Critical events also take place that add to the pressure and stress of trying to know and understand and also to act and do everything that is expected. All we can do is take one step at a time and hopefully be moving in a forward direction. This letter has many things for you. So my advice to you is to do the best you can with the items that you believe yoREAD MORE

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary’s,

November begins this week and we tend to begin preparing for the great Feast of Thanksgiving these coming days. For many of us it is the issuing of invitations, the planning of menu’s and the decorating of our homes. We also usually have some thoughts and feelings inside of us of remembering those who are no longer with us and have gone to the other side of life.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

I have been away for the last few days and will be away one week more. I was participating in a family wedding in Raleigh NC and  then will be away for a few more days. So, this week there is no letter. I did write a Pastoral Reflection for you. Hopefully the letter resumes next week end!

My Best,

Father Brian

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary’s,

Unfortunately, this past weekend our Live-Stream software was not working correctly, and Masses were not Live-Streamed. All of this is above the heads of 99% per cent or more of us and we must wait for the ‘tech’ to come and fix it. I am disappointed that we were unable to share the Holy Mass with some of you this past weekend. Sometimes there is nothing I can do, especially when it has to do with tech equipment. All of us are now well experienced in waiting for assistance from people whether it is on-line, on the phone or even in-person. Hopefully it will all be working this weekend.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

We all have stepped along to mid-October and the Autumn Season. It does not take too long for the days of summer to fade from our memories as we push closer to the cold winter time. The great holiday of Thanksgiving is not really that far away. Our family starting its plans for that weekend in late August and we have stepped it up a notch or two since October 1st.  Just a reminder: the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day our parish will host the Franklin Interfaith Council’s Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. It will also be Livestreamed via our website. More details to follow in a few more weeks. Just “save the date” for that Sunday evening at this point! I enjoyed the Town’s Harvest festival last weekend. The weather certainly allowed it to flourish and be a wonderful opportunity for everyone to wander and see all that was to be offered. The Harvest Festival Leadership and Committee are to be commended for their extraordinary service to all of us.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

During these past few weeks our Parishioners have been engaged in the re-start of our community life. Our most dedicated Saint Vincent de Paul held its Annual Walk for the Poor and it was most successful. Over 100 young people from our Town joined in the Walk. I was very impressed to see that your young people understand the issue of food scarcity and neediness and that they responded in person to walk. Our Catholic Women’s Club which is celebrating its 100th Year held its Annual Opening Mass and Social. Father Jack, this Mass’s customary priest celebrated this special Opening Mass.