Our Grand Annual Appeal letters have been mailed out and you may have already received yours by now.  Please be generous knowing that our operating costs will only increase with the approach of winter.  If you can donate more than last year, all the better, because as I’ve already relayed: while it is the case that fiscal year 2024’s deficit is lower than fiscal year 2023’s, it was still substantial at over $90,000.  On the other hand, you may have noticed that we are not plowing headlong into an increased giving campaign to boost our offertory.  We may need to in the spring, but it’s not the first priority.  Why is that?

   Because we first need to cut our spending outright and, additionally, be more efficient in how we operate.  Our parish attendance has dropped and so fewer people are supporting the parish at a greater individual rate.  That’s, obviously, very burdensome on many of you and very appreciated by me.  Secondly, we need to expand our revenue sources, like through fundraising events (November Fest, for example) and by remembering the parish in your will.  These one-time infusions of revenue lighten the weekly burden of donations.  The reinstitution of a fall community event is a third kind of operational focus.

   Hopefully, you have heard the refrain, “Thank you for your time, talent, and treasure” more than once.  The time and talent aspect of the parish is something we need to reinvigorate now that we are well past the lockdowns.  I want to say thank you, as a result, to those who have been providing their time and labor for the parish, such as the Ladies Sodality and Women’s Club for organizing the November Fest, proceeds from which will go directly into the parish account.  Others have been a direct help, too.  I don’t want to leave anyone out, but as an example, the Charities Committee, (Rose Jackson) St. Joseph Men’s Prayer Group, and Darren Boehm and his son Alex, have spent many hours clearing out and cleaning Villanova Hall in order to host the event.

   Other items that have been a great relief to the parish budget is when knowledgeable people provide their skill to save us the cost of hiring and outside contractor, such as swapping over the climate control in a church or fixing  the drainage of a parking lot.  Though specific mention would be impossible, the donation of time by so many in our ministries is constant and makes the Parish of the Transfiguration a vibrant community of Faith.  Ultimately, that’s what we need be about and that’s the goal.  If we all remember to contribute our time to the parish, even if it just means attending an event like November Fest, then the money will take care of itself.

MASS OF REMEMBRANCE

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, AT 10AM IN ST. THOMAS CHURCH

The Parish of the Transfiguration will celebrate A Mass of Remembrance for those faithful departed parishioners who have died in the past year, October 2023 through October 2024.  The Mass will be held on Saturday, November 23rd at 10am in St. Thomas Church.  

Following the Mass there will be coffee and light refreshments downstairs. 

Our Parish will be offering a six-week Faith Sharing program that will begin in the Fall.  Small groups will meet once a week for six weeks, focusing on what it means to seek an encounter with Christ through faith sharing. 

Join Deacon Fred and others as we walk together with our Lord.  Jesus is inviting you to share yourself as a gift within his body and to receive his blessings that will be poured out through his body, the People of God.

The schedule for the start of the program and the specific days the groups will meet have not yet been set and will be dependent on the feedback from participants.  

If interested please contact the parish secretary with your name, phone number and email.

A CORI FORM must be completed EVERY YEAR BY ALL VOLUNTEERS,  The new year began July 1, 2024 and will continue through June 30, 2025  

NEW (FY) 24/25 CORI FORMS are available in the sacristy of both churches and at the Parish Office.   

A Code of Conduct will be given to All New volunteers when the Cori is returned to be verified. 

Again all volunteers must complete a CORI background screening prior to beginning ministry and annually after that. 

All  Staff and Volunteers including all those in worship ministry, must complete a Protecting God’s Children VIRTUS TRAINING CLASS . 

The Training class is only needed to be taken once.. 

A Training class will be held: 

Sunday, July 28th after the 8am (9:15am)Mass in the downstairs of St. Thomas Church and

Thursday, Aug 22nd in the downstairs of St. Dorothy Church at 6pm 

Please sign up by going to:
www.VIRTUSonline.org 

Do you like to carve wood?  We create handcrafted ornaments that we sell to provide money to vets and other people in need.  We meet on the first Saturday of every month in the basement of St. Thomas Church from 10AM to 4 PM. For More information, contact:   darren_boehm@yahoo.com

Please click here to watch a short video on the Catholic Appeal

Forward in Faith

Once a year, Catholics throughout the Archdiocese are asked to partner with one another to support their parish and the many outreach ministries by contributing to the Catholic Appeal.  Many of you have received a letter from Cardinal Seán requesting your participation and early support of the 2024 Appeal.  We hope that you will respond to his invitation with a generous gift, knowing that each contribution has a significant impact on the lives of thousands across the Archdiocese. 

2024 Catholic Appeal  Totals as of 6.25.2024

         Our Parish Goal:       $65,300.00

Total amount pledged: $56,580.00

                    # donors:              221

           Total needed:                 $8,720.00

When our parish reaches its goal a portion of the additional funds received will be returned to us for use in our parish. To make a gift online, visit www.bostoncatholicappeal.org . Please include The Parish of the transfiguration to be sure the Parish gets credit for the donation.  

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Faith Formation Registration is now open for 2024-2025. Click here for the registration form. We also offer an adaptive faith formation class for students that need more assistance in the classroom. We also offer a heritage faith formation session class for students that have missed 1 or more years of faith formation and would like to return. If you have any question please email jeaniep@parishofthetransfiguration.org or call 978-658-6040.

Click here for more details

Looking for spiritual help and support from addiction? Click here to learn more.

SATURDAY MORNING MEN'S PRAYER GROUP MEETING. Click here to learn more.

CATHOLIC TV DAILY AND SUNDAY MASS

Cardinal Seán encourages Catholics to participate in the daily and Sunday Masses broadcast from the CatholicTV chapel.

• Daily Mass airs live at 9:30am and is rebroadcast at 7pm and 11:30pm.
• Sunday Masses air throughout the day at 10am, 4pm, 7pm, and 11:30pm.
• The Sunday Spanish Mass airs live at 8am and is rebroadcast at 5:30pm and 10pm.

Viewers can watch these Masses on demand at any time at www.WatchtheMass.com. For more information about CatholicTV and where you can watch it, visit http://www.catholictv.org/.

WCTV also publishes Mass from the Parish of theTransfiguration at 9:15am and 2:45pm on channels Comcast 6 and Verizon 39 and at 10:30am on channels Comcast 9 and Verizon 37.  These times are all on Sunday, and the Mass continues to be one week behind

Forgive us for the war, Lord. Lord Jesus, son of God, have mercy on us sinners. Lord Jesus, born under the bombs of Kyiv, have mercy on us. Lord Jesus, dead in the arms of a mother in Kharkiv, have mercy on us. Lord Jesus, in the 20-year-olds sent to the frontline, have mercy on us. Lord Jesus, who continues to see hands armed with weapons under the shadow of the cross, forgive us, Lord. Forgive us if, not content with the nails with which we pierced your hand, we continue to drink from the blood of the dead torn apart by weapons. Forgive us if these hands that you had created to protect have been turned into instruments of death. Forgive us, Lord, if we continue to kill our brother. Forgive us, Lord, if we continue to kill our brother, if we continue like Cain to take the stones from our field to kill Abel. Forgive us if we go out of our way to justify cruelty, if, in our pain, we legitimize the cruelty of our actions. Forgive us the war, Lord. Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, we implore you to stop the hand of Cain, enlighten our conscience, let not our will be done, do not abandon us to our own doing. Stop us, Lord, stop us, and when you have stopped the hand of Cain, take care of him also. He is our brother. O Lord, stop the violence. Stop us, Lord. Amen.          Pope Francis