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BODY & BLOOD OF CHRIST

Watch: Sunday Mass with Father Jim (6-7-26)
Listen: Pray As You Go Daily Meditations
Read: Scripture for Life by Mary McGlone (6-7-26)

Our 12th Anniversary
One Mission

By Father Jim

Pope Francis (1936-2025) once said: “Every man and woman is a mission. That is the reason for our life on this earth (5-20-18).” With these words, the Holy Father reminded us that each person has a part to play in God’s plan for the salvation of the world. Our race does not matter. Our wealth does not matter. Our gender does not matter. Our sexuality does not matter. Our immigration status does not matter. What matters is the realization that each one of us can make a difference in this life — in our homes, in our workplaces, in our neighborhoods, and in our home parishes.

As we mark the 12th anniversary of the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport, I am praying about who we are, where we have been, and where we are going. I am struck by our shared faith, commitment, and dedication to mission. Check that! I am struck by your faith, commitment, and dedication. I am deeply impressed and forever grateful for your willingness to take a chance on me, our pastoral team, and our pastoral plan to bring together two historic parishes under one mission.

I am not, however, surprised. Even during our darkest moments, we come together as brothers and sisters, as friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners. We pray together. We worship together. We celebrate together. Indeed, no community can party quite like Gloucester and Rockport! At the same time, each of us seems to know instinctively when the party is over. We know in our hearts when it is time to reach out, lend a hand, offer a kind word, or say a simple prayer for someone in need, someone in mourning, or someone in the last chapter of this one life that we are blessed to live.

During the past year, this awesome sense of community brought us together again and again to mourn the deaths of Christopher Dailey, Ann-Margaret Ferrante, Father Ron Gariboldi, the Crew of the Lily Jean, and the countless other passings of those who lived, loved, and worked among us on Cape Ann. In the midst of these tragedies, our closeness, compassion, and tenderness for each other reminds me of Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), who said: “This is our vocation: To heal wounds, to bind what is broken, and to bring home those who are lost.”

Needles to say, we are not perfect. We can do better. We can give more. We can pray more. We can work harder. We can try harder to be artisans of communion and agents of peace, truth, and justice in a broken world. We can learn new ways to turn from darkness, tune out angry voices, and transcend the madness of our times. We can beg the Lord for courage to pursue what is good, true, and beautiful. And we find new ways to fulfill the Great Commandment to love God and to love each other. But one thing is clear, we have come a long way together.

Each of us is unique. Each of us is a beloved child of God. Each of us has a place in our faith community. What we share is a holy longing, a common thirst for God’s love and mercy. What we share is our love for Jesus, our love for our families, our love for our parishes, and our love for each other. What we share is one timeless mission: to live the Gospel, to share God’s love, and to rebuild the Church. And so, our journey continues. One mission. Always together. Peace, blessings, and thanks to all!

Reverend James M. Achadinha, Pastor
Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport
Contact: frjim@ccgronline.com

CCGR Weekly Newsletter (6-7-26)
Bringing Home the Word (6-7-26)
The Kids Bulletin (6-7-26)

New!
Pope Leo XIV’s June Prayer Intention
For the Value of Sports
Vatican News

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Pastor’s Note
Our Grand Annual Collections
Every Dollar Makes a Difference!

Along with our weekly offerings, the Grand Annual Collections are a crucial component of our efforts to balance our budgets and ensure the financial stability of our beloved and historic home parishes. As the end of the fiscal year approaches, all friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners of the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport are encouraged to prayerfully consider making a generous gift to the Grand Annual Collection at either Holy Family Parish or Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish.

By June 30th, Holy Family Parish must raise $50,000; and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish must raise $20,000. So far, Holy Family Parish has raised $27,347 or 55% of our goal. Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish has raised $16,320 or 82% of our goal. Please join me in praying that each one of us will give what we can to these vitally important fundraising campaigns. For more information, 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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Call to Prayer
Let’s Pray Together

A PRAYER FOR OUR PARISHES

Dear Heavenly Father,
my parish is composed of people like me.
I help make it what it is.
It will be friendly, if I am friendly.
Its pews will be filled, if I help fill them.
It will do great work, if I do my part.
It will make generous gifts to many causes, if I am a generous giver.
It will bring other people into its prayer, fellowship, and service,
if I invite them and bring them.
It will be a parish of love and loyalty,
of faith and fearlessness,
and a parish dedicated to peace, truth, and justice,
if I am filled with these values
because I help make it what it is.
Therefore, O God, I dedicate myself to the task
of being all of the things that I want my parish to be. Amen.

A PRAYER BY SAINT JOHN HENRY NEWMAN

Dear Jesus,
help me to spread your fragrance wherever I go.
Flood my soul with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly
that my life may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through me, and be so in me
that every soul I come in contact with
may feel your presence in my soul
Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus!
Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine,
so to shine as to be a light to others;
the light, O Jesus, will be all from you, none of it will be mine.
It will be you, shining on others through me.
Let me praise you the way you love best,
by shining on those around me.
Let me preach you without preaching,
not by words but by my example,
by the catching force of the sympathetic influence of what I do,
the evident fullness of the love
my heart bears to you. Amen.

Learn More: Saint John Henry Newman

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Call to Worship
Sacred Heart of Jesus
Friday, June 12th

In 1856, Pope Pius IX declared that devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus would be celebrated as a feast day throughout the Roman Catholic Church. And in 1969, as part of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the feast was elevated to the highest liturgical level of a solemnity.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is among the most beautiful and widely observed devotions in history. It honors the Heart of Christ as a profound expression of God’s boundless love, mercy, and compassion for all people. And it calls us to deepen our relationship with Jesus through our prayer, fellowship, and service.

In this spirit, all friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners of the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport are invited to join us for Holy Mass at 8:00am on Friday, June 12th, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church. If you are unable to join us, please pray with us in spiritual communion:

A PRAYER FOR HEALING TO THE SACRED HEART

Sacred Heart of Jesus,
source of love, mercy, and healing,
I come before you with trust and humility.
Place your gentle hand
upon the wounds of my body, mind, and spirit.
Pour your healing grace
into every part of my poor life,
and restore me with your divine peace.
Sacred Heart of Jesus,
fill me with faith,
strengthen me with hope,
and give me rest in your loving care.
May your mercy renew me.
May your love make me whole. Amen.

For more information, please visit contact Father Jim at frjim@ccgronline.com. Save the date! Spread the word! Bring a friend! Please join us! All are invited! All are welcome! Always! Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

Learn More: Sacred Heart of Jesus
Pray More: Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Sharing God’s Love
Sacrament of Baptism
Gateway to Life in the Spirit

The Sacrament of Baptism is the first of the three Sacraments of Initiation in the Roman Catholic Church. The two others are Holy Eucharist and Confirmation. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism, we are freed from sin and reborn as children of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission (CCC 1213).” During April and May, Father Jim baptized these young disciples:

The Sacrament of Baptism is celebrated during any Sunday Mass at 10:00am in Saint Joachim Church; on the second Saturday of the month at 11:30am in Saint Ann Church; and on the third Saturday of the month at 11:30am in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church. For more information about having your child or grandchild baptized in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport, please contact Sheila McCarthy-Durkin at smccarthy@ccgronline.com. As we celebrate our 12th anniversary as a community united in prayer, fellowship, and service, we pray for our newly baptized young disciples, and their parents, godparents, and grandparents! Peace and blessings to all!

Learn More: Sacrament of Baptism

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Our Online Community
Something New Every Week!

By Father Jim

Twelve years ago, I asked Brother Patrick to create new websites for the Assisi Project and the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport. Our websites initially attracted a few hundred visitors each week. During the pandemic, traffic more than doubled to approximately one thousand visitors each week. Six years later, visits to our online community have doubled again to approximately two thousand visitors every single week.

Needless to say, one small fellowship and one large collaborative cannot compare with WCVB or the Boston Globe. But we recently reached a combined milestone of more than 1.1 million visitors to our websites! The success of our online community is a testament to your ongoing interest, the rich content offered, and the user-friendly and welcoming atmosphere of our websites.

No ads. No sign-ins. All of our online resources are free, always available and we add something new and interesting every week! Here is a small sampling of the resources recently added or linked to our websites:

Thank you, Brother Patrick, for your ongoing stewardship of our online community. Thank you, one and all, for your ongoing support! Peace and blessings!

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Words of Wisdom from Pope Leo XIV

Our desire for power and our violent words
must give way to a thirst for peace, truth, and justice.
Everyone can and must do their part (5-30-26).

Learn More: Vatican News

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We Share
Safe & Easy Electronic Giving

The righteous give generously. — Psalm 37:21

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 Betty Ciulla