Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

News and Notes: 

Catholic Schools Week... This coming week is Catholic Schools Week, our annual celebration of the gift of the Catholic educational system in our country, one that has formed so many students over the decades, including me and my five siblings.  Here in the Lynnfield Catholic Collaborative, we are particularly grateful for Our Lady of the Assumption School, our own parochial school which has a current enrolment of 342 students from pre-Kindergarten through 8^th grade.  I am especially thankful for the wonderful leadership we have at OLA School: our Principal, Cindy Donovan and our Vice-Principal, Will Bachner.  We are also very blessed with a dedicated faculty, an outstanding Administrative Assistant in Amy Rogovich, and a committed School Board as well as a devoted community of parents that support the mission of our School in so many ways.   This week, I ask you to consider making a generous financial donation to OLA School, to help us provide a well-rounded Catholic education for children in our area for years to come.

Your support.... As we strive to fully implement the Archdiocesan Mission Statement (Disciples in Mission), here is a sobering Pastoral Planning note from Matthew Kelly, the popular Catholic writer and evangelist who has done some research on lay participation in Catholic parishes.  According to Kelly’s research, 6.4% of registered parishioners contribute 80% of the volunteer hours of service in any given Catholic parish in the United States.  In addition, 6.8% of registered parishioners donate 80% of the financial contributions in their particular parish.  As a result, about 7% of Catholic parishioners are doing almost all the volunteer work in their faith community, and paying the vast majority of the financial cost to maintain and grow their parish.  This is not a formula for vitality in any parish, including our two.  If you are reading this column and are not part of that 7%, maybe now is the time to offer some of your time, talent and treasure to support your home parish. 

Blessings to all of you in the week ahead!