The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

News and Notes:  Let’s continue to pray for Deacon Rick Lesser, our seminarian for the past year.  He will be ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, New York on Saturday, June 20 at 11AM.  After many months of discussion, writing and editing, our Pastoral Writing Team submitted our Collaborative Pastoral Plan for the next three years to Cardinal Sean O’Malley in mid-May.   It is a bold, ambitious plan to say the least.  We chose three values to guide our community of faith as we move forward:  authenticity; love; and unity.  Our three goals for the next few years are as follows:  1) to build the weekend experience; 2) to develop a communications strategy; and 3) to establish lifelong formation.  At a recent Parish Pastoral Council meeting, two members of each Parish Council were appointed to bring this plan to their fellow parishioners and begin to implement it in their respective parishes. Jim Fagan and Donna Hegan were chosen from St.  Maria’s; and Lisa Whelan and Len Morrison were selected from Our Lady’s.  Though the Collaborative Pastoral Team and the Parish Pastoral Council have leadership roles in making this plan happen, we need everyone to help our Catholic community grow in numbers and discipleship.  We don’t need mere commentators and critics to move confidently into the future; we need committed disciples, those who are willing to give of their time, talent and treasure to ensure the vibrancy of our parishes for generations to come.  Let’s pray that through the full, conscious and active participation of our members, the Lynnfield Catholic Collaborative will be a model of discipleship for years to come.  Blessings to all of you in the week ahead!