Watch: Sunday Mass with Father Jim
Listen: Pray As You Go Daily Meditations
Read: Scripture for Life by Sister Mary McGlone
This Week’s Message
Die When I May
By Brother Patrick
On my thirteenth birthday, my paternal grandfather gave me a big biography of Abraham Lincoln, a childhood hero. Although I have read the book many times, the significance of the gift was not its heft or subject matter. It was my pop’s hand written inscription inside:
Die when I may, I want it said of me
by those who knew me best,
that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower
where I thought a flower would grow.
Barely a month before he died, President Lincoln shared this moving sentiment with his best friend, Joshua Speed. They are simple words. They are words of faith, friendship, and confidence in the power of goodness and kindness. They are words shared by a grandfather with his grandson about how to live, how to love, and how to share what we have.
My grandfather, John Joseph Garvey, Jr., lived a small and simple life. He was the son of poor immigrants from Ireland. His mother died when he was just ten years old. His father placed him and his younger brother in an orphanage because he could not afford to care for them. My grandfather never talked about his difficult and impoverished childhood, but he wiped away a tear whenever asked about his beloved mother.
My pop did not drive. He walked to and from work in all kinds of weather. He worked as a school custodian, then as a watchman at the local waterworks. He worked a rotating schedule of eight hour shifts, often overnights, often on holidays. He never complained. He never made much money. But he was always rich in love for his family, his little house, and his menagerie of pets. He also loved a good meal and a fresh cup of coffee.
My grandfather never finished elementary school, but he was a voracious reader. He read four newspapers every day from cover to cover. He subscribed to magazines about travel, wildlife, and conservation. Whenever I visited, he eagerly expected the latest copies of small town newspapers from Maine. He devoured them with a keen interest in the local news. He delighted in stories about ice fishing, moose hunting, town meetings, and the lives of people whom he described as “old salts.”
My pop encouraged me to love books and have heroes. One of my earliest memories is a visit to an antiquarian bookstore that was owned by a man who once met Abraham Lincoln. In hindsight, this does not seem possible, but I cling to the claim as gospel truth. Meeting that old man made a young boy feel like he had touched the face of his hero. But the real hero here was my grandfather. Nearly three decades after he left us, my pop still lives in my heart. So much of what is just and decent in me comes from him.
The scriptures are filled with references about sowing seeds that someday grow into something good, true, and beautiful in the world. Especially during this Month of All Souls, may we remember and pray for the friends, coaches, mentors, neighbors, teachers, family members, and everyday saints who loved us, nurtured us, plucked a thistle, and planted a flower where they thought a flower would grow. May their memories be a blessing upon us: now and always, now more than ever. Amen.
Brother Patrick Garvey
Associate Minister & Diocesan Hermit
Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport
brpatrick@ccgronline.com
CCGR Weekly Newsletter (11-8-26)
Bringing Home the Word (11-8-26)
The Kids Bulletin (11-8-26)
New!
Pope Leo XIV
Apostolic Journey to South America
Vatican News
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Call to Prayer
For the Proper Use of Wealth
By Pope Leo XIV
ollowing in the footsteps of his beloved predecessor, Pope Leo XIV offers a prayer intention each month and invites all people of faith and goodwill around the world to pray with him. During the month of November, the Holy Father calls us to pray for the proper use of wealth. In spiritual communion with the pope, we pray:
Lord of life,
all we have comes from you:
the fertile land, talents we have received,
the effort of those who came before us.
Nothing is ours alone.
Everything is a shared gift.
But so often, Lord,
we let the wealth we seek or attain
harden our hearts, lock us in selfishness,
and make us forget the most vulnerable.
Forgive us for storing up instead of sharing,
for using goods as power
rather than as service.
You remind us that true wealth is not found
in what we keep, but in what we give with love.
A heart detached from possessions transforms the world:
it opens paths of justice,
tears down walls of indifference,
and sows hope among the poor.
We ask you, Lord, that your Spirit teach us
to use what we have,
money, time, talents, and opportunities,
as instruments of fraternity.
May each economic, family, or community decision
spring from a free heart, able to recognize
that every good is meant for all,
and that only by sharing do we build the future.
Make us witnesses of a wealth
transformed into service and mercy,
so that our lives, united to the lives of others,
may be a sign of your kingdom
of justice and peace. Amen.
Watch: The Pope Video – November 2026 (5 Minutes)
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Christmas Fair
Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish
Saturday, November 14th
All friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners of the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport are invited to join Our Lady’s Guild for the Annual Christmas Fair on Saturday, November 14th from 9:00am until 1:00pm in Our Lady’s Hall. This year’s fair will feature homemade fried dough, sweet bread, and a pizza lunch. In addition, all are encouraged to browse our yard sale tables for unique treasures that include books, jewelry, religious goods, holiday decorations, and delicious cookies.
We will also have numerous raffles, including two roundtrip domestic tickets on Delta Airlines, lottery tickets, and the mega raffle with a chance to win more than 60 gift cards from local businesses. Last but not least, Santa Claus will join us for breakfast and photos with our children from 9:30am until 10:00am. For more information about Our Lady’s Guild and the Christmas Fair at Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish, please contact Beth Fosberry at jcbf33@yahoo.com. Spread the word! Bring a friend! Bring your family! All are welcome! Peace and blessings to all for a very happy holiday season!
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Brother Leo of Assisi
Saints for All Seasons
Wednesday, November 18th
All Christians are called to holiness. All Christians are called to be saints. A saint is a person who lived a courageous and virtuous life: a life for God, a life lived for others, a life worthy of imitation and veneration. 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 (Philippians 2:15).’”
This year, the Catholic Church marks the 800th anniversary of the life and death of Saint Francis of Assisi (1226-2026). As part of our commemoration of this Jubilee Year, we look both to Saint Francis and to the holy men and women who followed in his footsteps, the shining stars who lived the Gospel 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 on Wednesday, November 18th beginning with Mass at 5:30pm in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church. After Mass and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Brother Patrick will offer a brief reflection on Blessed Leo of Assisi (1195-1271), who was the close friend of Saint Francis.
After our reflection, Father Jim will celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation (for those who feel called to confession) during a period of silent Eucharistic Adoration. 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, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@ccgronline.com; or join us. Please join us! Bring a friend! All are invited! All are welcome!
Learn More: Saints for All Seasons Podcasts
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Words of Wisdom from Saint Francis
We must not think that the worth of money
is greater than that of stones.
The devil seeks to blind those who desire
and value it more.
Watch: Jubilee of Saint Francis with Archbishop Hartmayer (5 Minutes)
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Christmas Fair
Holy Family Parish
Saturday, November 21st
All friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners of the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport are invited to join the Holy Family Women’s Guild for the Annual Christmas Fair on Saturday, November 21st from 9:00am until 2:00pm in Saint Ann Church Hall. This year’s fair will feature various sale tables that will included kissing balls, cemetery baskets, holiday decorations, homemade baked goods, Bea’s Raffle, and our world famous basket wheel. Refreshments will be available for sale, too.
In addition, raffle tickets are now available for cash prizes, a homemade quilt, lottery tickets, and an Amazon Fire Tablet. Please help us make this year’s Christmas Fair our most successful fair ever! For more information, please contact Lydia Bertolino at lbbglosta1929@outlook.com. Spread the word! Bring a friend! Bring your family! All are welcome! Peace and blessings to all for a very happy holiday season!
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Christmas Fair Basket Wheel
Holy Family Parish
Now Accepting Donations
Our world famous basket wheel is the biggest moneymaker at our biggest fundraising event of the year! But our success depends on donations from friends and fellow parishioners! So, all are invited to create and donate a $25 theme basket for crafts, movie nights, school snow days, holiday gift wrap, or summer barbecues. Please help us make this year’s Christmas Fair Basket Wheel our most successful ever! For more information, please contacgt Lydia Bertolino at lbbglosta1929@outlook.com or Stephanie Tashjy at 978-281-4820. Spread the word! Thank you in advance for your kind and generous support for Holy Family Parish!
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Living the Gospel
Sacrament of Baptism
Basis for the Christian Life
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).” In October, Father Jim baptized the following young disciples:
Eli August Beyer
Milan Christopher Brooks
Peter James Coughlin
Emiliano Moises Gomez
Dorothy Lane Kecyk
Maeve Elizabeth Kendal
Gabriela Elizabeth Lopez
Logan Anthony Martin
Rocco Alfred Roberto
Anderw Simon Sanfilippo
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 a child or grandchild baptized in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport, please contact Sheila McCarthy-Durkin smccarthy@ccgronline.com.
United in prayer, fellowship, and service, we pray for our newly baptized young disciples, their parents, godparents, and grandparents! May God bless all families! May God bless all of our friends and fellow parishioners with faith, hope, and love in an uncertain world! Peace, blessings, and congratulations to all!
Watch: Sacrament of Baptism (1 Minute)
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Words of Wisdom from Mother Cabrini
Let us keep close to Jesus
because if we lose him, then we lose everything.
Listen: Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1.5 Minutes)
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We Share
Safe & Easy Electronic Giving
It is in giving that we receive. — Prayer of Saint Francis
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 John & Mary Garvey