Our Pastor’s Message
Veni Sancte Spiritus! Come, Holy Spirit!
This weekend throughout the world, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates Pentecost Sunday, a joyful commemoration of the moment when God’s Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and blessed them with the courage, grace, and strength to preach the Gospel throughout the world. More specifically, the Holy Spirit blessed them with seven gifts: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Awe. These Gifts of the Holy Spirit helped the Apostles accomplish what seems then and now like an impossible task: the conversion of the world to faith in Jesus Christ as humankind’s merciful redeemer and savior. For more than two thousand years, these same Gifts of the Holy Spirit have inflamed the hearts of countless souls who worked tirelessly to live the Gospel, to share God’s love, and to build up the Church.
These people were men and women, saints and sinners, young and old. They lived in every country in the world. They were confronted with disbelief, skepticism, and persecution. They were tempted by pride, anger, lust, envy, gluttony, greed, and laziness. Sometimes they fell and fell hard into the depths of despair and sin. But sometimes, so many times, they rose up, embraced their cross and their faith, and continued the hard work of preaching the Good News of Christ by both word and deed. Here and now, the beautiful burden of preaching the Gospel falls to us, each one of us, in our families, neighborhoods, workplaces, and parishes. It falls to us, each and every one of us, to pry open our hearts and minds, to accept and embrace the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and to carry the Cross of the Risen Lord to the four corners of the world — even if our world barely extends beyond the borders of Gloucester and Rockport.
Indeed, it is easy to preach the Gospel but it is infinitely harder to live it. It is easy to fulfill our Sunday obligation but it is infinitely harder to live as a true disciple. It is easy to toss some cash into the collection basket but it is infinitely harder to volunteer our time and talent; to reach out to the lonely or the poor; or to reconcile with a friend or family member. It is easy to exchange the Sign of Peace but it is infinitely harder to refrain from gossip, to resist the temptation to tear down, or to reject the ugly pride of our “reality show” world. It is easy for me to write these words but it is infinitely harder for me to live them. This weekend, as we pray the Sequence of the Holy Spirit (see below), let us rededicate ourselves to lives of true discipleship! Let us pray for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit! And let us cry out with one voice: “Come, Holy Spirit!” Amen!
Peace and blessings to all,
Father Jim
Reverend James M. Achadinha, Pastor
Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport
Contact: frjim@ccgronline.com
CCGR Weekly Newsletter (5-15-16)
Bringing Home the Word (5-15-16)
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Pentecost Sunday
Sequence of the Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away;
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end.
Amen! Alleluia!
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Our Lady of Good Voyage Church
Crowning Feast of the Holy Spirit
Concludes This Weekend!
All are invited to join Father Jim, Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish, and the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in celebrating our Annual Crowning Feast of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday, May 15th. This year, the Crown has been entrusted to Bart and Mary Piscitello. The festivities will conclude this weekend according to the following schedule:
Saturday, May 14th
Rosary in Our Lady’s Church at 5:30pm
Mass in Our Lady’s Church at 6:00pm
Penny Sale in Our Lady’s Hall at 7:00pm
Refreshments Served
Pentecost Sunday, May 15th
Mass & Crowning Ceremony in Our Lady’s Church at 11:45am
Luncheon in Our Lady’s Hall at 1:00pm
Tickets for Sunday’s Luncheon will be available before, during, and after the Penny Sale; and at the door on Sunday after Mass. A donation of $12 per person is requested. For more information, please see Father Jim or contact him at frjim@ccgronline.com. All parishioners, friends, and guests of the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport are invited to join us for this beautiful annual celebration of the coming of God’s Holy Spirit! All are welcome! Come Holy Spirit!
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Holy Family Women’s Guild
Jalapeno’s Restaurant Fundraiser
On Wednesday, May 18th, all are invited to join the Holy Family Women’s Guild for a fundraising night at Jalapeno’s Restaurant, which is located at 86 Main Street in Gloucester. Beginning at 4:00pm (until closing), Jalapeno’s will donate 10% of all dinner checks to Holy Family Parish! For more information about the Holy Family Women’s Guild or the Jalapeno’s Fundraiser, please contact Lydia Bertolino at 978-281-4279. Please invite your family, friends, and neighbors for this special evening of delicious food, fellowship, and fundraising for our parish! All are invited! All are welcome!
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Pastor’s Note
Youth Faith Formation News
A few weeks ago, Susan Abbott, Cardinal Sean’s Coordinator of Parish Outreach & who writes the weekly “Disciples in Mission” column in the Pilot, contacted me after reading online about our efforts to reimagine, rebuild, & restructure our youth faith formation programs. In last weekend’s edition of the Pilot, Susan wrote enthusiastically about our plans and about similar endeavors in an article entitled: “Faith Formation in Collaboratives: Two New Models.” All are welcome to read this article by visiting our website: ccgronline.com/formation. As our work continues, please continue to pray for all of our young disciples & their families! Peace & blessings to all!
Learn More: Faith Formation in Collaboratives: Two New Models
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Pastor’s Note
Thanks, Young Disciples!
During our Lent Masses for Families on February 13th and February 14th, I gave each of our young disciples a plain white “campaign can” to use for collecting donations for the Saint Vincent de Paul Society. Throughout the Season of Lent, children of all ages asked their friends, families, and neighbors for a dollar or some pocket change to benefit needy families on Cape Ann. At our Palm Sunday Mass for Families on March 19th, those campaigns cans (now decorated in bright colors) were presented to Cardinal Seán O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston. Our goal was to raise $1,000. Since Palm Sunday, approximately 125 campaign cans have been returned to me with donations totaling approximately $1,600 for the Saint Vincent de Paul Society!
On behalf of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society and the families that they serve, our sincere thanks goes out to all of our young disciples, their families, and all who donated to this campaign. The success of this campaign proves that our youngest fellow parishioners are able and willing to answer the call to discipleship, to live the Gospel, to share God’s love, and to build up the Church! As we continue to reimagine, rebuild, and restructure our youth faith formation programs, let each and every one of us spread the Good News that Mass is our class and that Christ is our teacher! And let us pray that more and more of our young disciples (boys and girls) will answer the Lord’s call to serve the Church as altar servers, greeters, or as members of our Youth Choir and Music Ministry! Once again, on behalf of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society and the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport, many thanks to our young fellow parishioners for all of their hard work! For more information about youth faith formation, please see me or Betsy Works at bworks@ccgronline.com. Peace and blessings to all!
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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. Our worship sites include Saint Ann Church in Gloucester, Saint Anthony Chapel in Gloucester, Saint Joachim Church in Rockport, and Our Lady of Good Voyage Church in Gloucester. We are a Roman Catholic faith community united in prayer, fellowship, and service. For more information about becoming a member of one of our parishes, please contact Father Jim at frjim@ccgronline.com. Please join us! All are welcome!
Follow us on Twitter: @CCGRonline