Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

News and Notes:  Join us for a St. Valentine’s Wine Tasting Party on Saturday, February 7 from 7-11PM at the Lynnfield Meeting House on the Lynnfield Common.  This wonderful social event is sponsored by St. Maria Goretti Parish and all adults are welcome.  The cost is $25 per person (which includes beverages and food).  OLA will host a Ham and Bean Supper on Saturday, February 14 following the 4PM Mass.  Everyone is welcome to this meal, a diner’s favorite!  This has been a season of leaks in our buildings.  The aging, rusted heating pipes in SMG Church Hall have sprung several leaks: in the Religious Education storage closet, in the boiler room and in three classrooms.  The repair and replacement cost of these pipes was over $5,000.  There was also a minor leak in the SMG working sacristy sink that dripped down to the men’s restroom in the Church Hall below and a row of shingles that blew off the SMG Church roof recently.  Needless to say, all this has put a dent into an already tight budget at SMG.  At OLA there has been a leak in the Church roof, one in the flat School roof that flowed into a classroom on the second floor, and a septic overflow in the Church Hall, also putting a crimp of several thousand dollars in the OLA assets.  The Collaborative Facilities Committee is recommending that we replace the roofs on both parish churches in the near future.  Obviously, we must be good stewards of our buildings and property, and take care of problems such as leaks in a timely manner.  This repair work costs money above and beyond what our current Offertory donations can afford.  We appreciate whatever assistance you can give in helping us be responsible “homeowners.”  This is the final call for SMG parishioners to contribute to the 2014 Catholic Appeal.  At last check, we were still about $3,000 shy of our fair-share assessment.  If you have not yet made a pledge, please do so by January 31 by mailing in the pledge form or going online at www.bostoncatholicappeal.org and making a donation.  If we fall short of our 2014 assessment, we will have to pay the remainder out of our dwindling savings.  Blessings to all of you in the week ahead!