Watch: Sunday Mass with Father Jim (1-25-26)
Listen: Pray As You Go Daily Meditations
Read: Scripture for Life by Mary McGlone (1-25-26)
Our Pastor’s Message
Grand Annual Collections
By Father Jim
Being a priest and pastor has its moments. Both joys and challenges. Joys like hearing the cry of an infant when holy water is poured on their forehead at Baptism. Joys like teaching our young disciples to sing This Little Light of Mine as they prepare for First Holy Communion. Joys like inspiring our Confirmation Candidates to open their hearts to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Joys like hearing a young couple exchange vows at their wedding. Joys like consoling a homebound neighbor as we celebrate the Sacrament of the Sick. So many joys with so many people over so many years.
With these joys come challenges, especially about finances. While the seminary faculty focused on theology and pastoral ministry in preparing me for priesthood, balancing budgets continues to be a learning experience. No one at the seminary taught me and my brother seminarians about payroll, insurance, peeling paint, roof repairs, cracked furnace pipes, skyrocketing utility bills, and all that comes with care for our sacred spaces and parish buildings.
In addition to rising costs for basic necessities, we are always watching the weather with worries about high winds, heavy snows, and torrential rains. These conditions cause havoc with our parish budgets. Meanwhile, our pastoral team and senior priests must be paid and offered benefits. Although our staff is small compared with other collaboratives, we work tirelessly with our volunteers and limited resources to provide inspiring music and creative programs for parishioners of all ages.
Needless to say, we do all we can to control costs. But the short and long-term financial security of our parishes is in our hands. We are solely responsible for our own fundraising and for paying our own bills. Our beloved parishes were built by generations of faithful and hardworking men and women. The future now depends entirely on parishioners like you and me. It’s all up to us!
Each year, the Grand Annual Collections bridge the gap between our weekly gifts and the overall costs of parish operations. In Holy Family Parish, our overall goal is to raise $80,000 by the end of the fiscal year. Our short term goal, however, is to raise $35,000 by the First Day of Spring on March 20th. In Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish, our overall goal is to raise $35,000 by the end of the fiscal year. But our more immediate goal is to raise $15,000 by March 20th.
Needless to say, we need your help! By the end of the coming week, all registered parish families will receive a gift envelope that can be returned by mail, brought to the parish office, or placed in the collection basket at any Weekend Mass. As our Grand Annual Collections begin, we pray together that each of us, according to our means, will give what we can to help ensure the ongoing financial stability of our parishes.
Our as journey continues, please accept my heartfelt thanks for your prayers, support, and encouragement. May God bless us with courage and perseverance to fulfill our shared mission to live the Gospel, share God’s love and mercy, and to rebuild the Church in our beautiful corner of the world! Peace and blessings to all!
Reverend James M. Achadinha, Pastor
Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport
Contact: frjim@ccgronline.com
CCGR Weekly Newsletter (1-25-26)
Bringing Home the Word (1-25-26)
The Kids Bulletin (1-25-26)
New!
The Pope Video
Pray with Pope Leo XIV
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Call to Prayer
On the Day of Midian
A Meditation on the Sunday Scriptures
By Brother Patrick
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed,
as on the day of Midian (Isaiah 9:3).
On the Day of Midian,
we will fall to our knees and pray
for the strength and courage
to trust in God’s power,
to believe in God’s mercy.
On the Day of Midian,
we will rise and stand firm
for peace among all peoples,
for truth from our leaders,
and for the justice that is dignity
for every child under heaven.
On the Day of Midian,
we will come together as one people,
as brothers and sisters
united by faith and fraternity
to confront the darkness,
to dispel its cursed shadows.
On the Day of Midian,
we will walk together with courage:
certain of God’s closeness,
confident in God’s compassion,
trusting in God’s tenderness for all.
On the Day of Midian,
we will finally find our fulfillment
not in anger, not in hatred, not in division,
but in the Love and Light of Christ,
who is our God and our all.
On the Day of Midian,
our Lord will rescue us,
our Savior will deliver us,
our Redeemer will lead us beyond time
in faith, hope, and love
forever and always. Amen.
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Youth Faith Formation
Sacrament of Confirmation
Saturday, January 24th
Along with Baptism and Eucharist, Confirmation is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation in the Roman Catholic Church. The Sacrament of Confirmation completes the grace of Baptism through the outpouring of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Courage, Knowledge, Wisdom, Reverence, Right Judgment, Understanding, and Wonder & Awe of the Lord.
These powerful gifts seal or confirm the mystical union between Jesus and the candidates. These precious gifts also prepare the candidates to actively participate in the prayer, fellowship, and service of God’s family in their home parish and beyond.
This year, sixty-four students from Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish have completed the requirements of our Confirmation Preparation Program. During the past two years, they prayed together, attended Mass together, and completed a rigorous journey of formation as a community of young disciples. They are now well-prepared to publicly renew their baptismal vows, profess their faith, and live as faithful and faith-filled Catholic Christians.
The Very Reverend Brian Flynn, Episcopal Vicar for the North Region of the Archdiocese of Boston, will join us as special guest celebrant and homilist for our annual celebrations of the Sacrament of Confirmation on Saturday, January 24th at 4:00pm in Saint Ann Church and on Saturday, February 14th at 10:00am in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church. Welcome to the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport, Father Brian!
As we make ready for these celebrations, please pray for all of our candidates, sponsors, parents, and catechists. In a special way, we pray in thanksgiving for Betsy Works, Associate Minister of Youth Faith Formation, for her good work, dedication, and creative spirit. Peace, blessings, and congratulations to all! Come, Holy Spirit! Enkindle in us the fire of your love!
Watch: Confirmation (1 Minute)
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Words of Wisdom from Pope Leo XIV
God has a special place in his heart for those
who are discriminated against and oppressed,
and he asks us, his Church,
to make a decisive and radical choice
in favor of the weakest (16).
Read: Dilexi Te by Pope Leo XIV
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Saints for All Seasons
Blessed Jacoba of Settesoli
Wednesday, February 4th
Jubilee of Saint Francis of Assisi
Celebrating 800 Years (1226-2026)
All Christians are called to holiness. All Christians are called to be saints. A saint is a person who has lived a courageous and virtuous life; a life lived for God; a life lived for others; a life worthy to be imitated by God’s people.
Pope Leo XIV proclaims: “The lives of the saints teach us that it is possible to live passionately amidst the complexities of the present time without neglecting [Saint Paul’s] mandate to ‘shine like stars in the world.’”
This year, the Catholic Church celebrates the 800th Anniversary of the Life & Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi (1226-2026). As part of our commemoration of this Jubilee Year, we look not just to Francis, but to the friends who knew him best: the holy men and women who sought to follow in his footsteps; the shining stars who sought to live the Gospel of Christ in thought, word, and deed.
In this spirit, all are invited to join Father Jim and Brother Patrick for our next Saints for All Seasons Mini-Retreat beginning with Holy Mass on Wednesday, February 4th at 5:30pm in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church. After Mass and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Brother Patrick will offer a reflection on Blessed Jacoba of Settesoli (1190-1273), one of the dearest friends and first followers of the Poor Man of Assisi.
Following our reflection, we will pray the Franciscan Rosary and Father Jim will celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation (for those who feel called to confession). This special evening of prayer and devotion will conclude with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and veneration of a relic of Saint Francis of Assisi.
For more information about this special series of mini-retreats, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@ccgronline.com. Please join us! Bring a friend! All are invited! All are welcome! Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us! Saint Clare of Assisi, pray for us! Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us! May God bless you! May the Lord give you peace!
Listen: Saints for All Seasons Podcasts
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The Assisi Project
Franciscan Virtues – Empathy
Saturday, February 7th
Jubilee of Saint Francis of Assisi
Celebrating 800 Years (1226-2026)
This year marks the 800th Anniversary of the Life & Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi. In commemoration of this important milestone, Pope Leo XIV has declared a Special Jubilee Year which has inspired us to focus many of our adult faith formation programs on the Poor Man of Assisi. In this spirit, the Assisi Project is going back to the basics, back to the life and good example of our patron saint and his first followers who live the Gospel in thought, word, and deed.
All friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners of the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport are invited to join us on Saturday, February 7th at 8:00am in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church for a two hour mini-retreat that includes Holy Mass, a reflection by Father Jim and Brother Patrick, and a period of prayer and faith sharing. We will continue our reading and discussion of an amazing book called Franciscan Virtues: Fifty-Two Steps to Conversion.
This beautiful but spiritually challenging little book contains a brief weekly meditation on the virtues practiced by Saint Francis of Assisi and the saints and sinners who have tried to follow in his footsteps during the past eight centuries. In recent weeks, we have been reading about the virtues of detachment, discernment, eagerness, and empathy. But our focus will be primarily on empathy.
Founded in 2007 by Father Jim and Brother Patrick, the Assisi Project is a Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit with friends and followers around the world. We are dedicated to helping believers of all ages and backgrounds more faithfully live the Good News of the Poor Christ in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. We are also dedicated to promoting a devotion to Pope Francis (1936-2025) as a patron of peace, mercy, and fraternity in our suffering world.
For more information about the Assisi Project and its good work in our parishes, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com. Please join us! Bring a friend! All are welcome! May God bless you! May the Lord give you peace! Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us! Saint Clare of Assisi, pray for us! Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us! Pope Francis, pray for us!
Learn More: The Assisi Project
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Words of Wisdom from Saint Francis
When you see a poor person,
you are looking at a mirror of the Lord and his poor mother.
So, too, in the sick,
you are contemplating the infirmities
the Lord took upon himself for us.
Learn More: Jubilee of Saint Francis of Assisi
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Trivia Night with Father Jim
A Brain Teasing Special Event
Saturday, February 12th
All friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners of the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport are invited to join us for a brain-teasing, mind-blowing, fast-paced Trivia Night with Father Jim on Saturday, February 21st from 6:30pm until 9:30pm in Our Lady’s Hall.
Throughout the evening, Father Jim (who secretly longs to be a game show host) will ask a series of questions on a wide variety of topics that will include music and sports, books and history, movies and television, politics and religion!
Participants will be organized into teams of eight players each. All are encouraged to organize a team or take your chance on joining the winning team at the door. Tickets are $25 per person and are available at our parish office, at the door, or by contacting Father Jim, Beth Fosberry, or Lydia Bertolino. All are welcome to bring food and snacks. Coffee, tea, bottled water, and soft drinks will be offered for sale, along with a cash bar. In addition, Father Jim promises several raffles with great prizes!
Don’t miss this opportunity to impress your friends and fellow parishioners with your knowledge of facts, figures and trivia! Don’t miss this opportunity to share some laughs with friends and family! Don’t miss the chance to win a prize! All proceeds will support both Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish!
For more information about Trivia Night, please contact Father Jim at frjim@ccgronline.com; Beth Fosberry at jcbf33@yahoo.com; or Lydia Bertolino at lbbglosta1929@outlook.com. Save the date! Bring a friend! All are welcome!
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Pastor’s Note
Winter Weather Advisory
The Season of Winter is upon us! For the latest information about weather related cancelations during the coming months, please check our homepage: ccgronline.com. All friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners are reminded that if public schools are closed due to inclement weather, then all parish programs (including weekday Masses) are canceled too. Stay safe! Stay warm! Peace and blessings to all! — Father Jim
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We Share
Safe & Easy Electronic Giving
Charity wins souls and draws them to virtue. — Saint Angela Merici
Electronic giving has become an essential part of parish support in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport; and it is available in both Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish. It is safe and easy to make online donations to your home parish using a credit card, debit card, or electronic check.
Donations can be made on a weekly, monthly, or one-time only basis; and it takes just a few minutes to set up a secure personal account. In addition to the weekly offering, you can also give electronically to our church restoration funds which help us plan for the repair and maintenance of our four beloved and historic churches.
Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish always need your generous support! Please prayerfully considering enrolling in our electronic giving program! For more information about creating a new account or assistance with an existing account, please contact Father Jim at frjim@ccgronline.com. Peace, blessings, and sincere thanks to all!
Support Holy Family Parish
Support Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish
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About Us
Established in 2014, the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport is a collaborative of two historic parishes: Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish. Working together as a family united in prayer, fellowship, and service, we are committed to living the Gospel of Christ, sharing God’s love and mercy with all people, and rebuilding the Church in Gloucester & Rockport. All are invited! All are welcome! Always!
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In Memory of Serawit Dejene