The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

News and Notes: Please note the change in our weekday Mass schedule beginning this Monday, June 1.  Our Lady’s will host the Mass on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9AM; St. Maria’s on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9AM.  There will be no morning Mass on Saturdays apart from funerals.  To reiterate the reasons for this change:  the attendance pattern for the first two years of the Collaborative suggests that 9AM is a better time for most of the folks who attend daily Mass; there is relatively low attendance at the Saturday morning Mass at OLA; OLA has far more Mass intentions during the week and needs three weekday Masses to accommodate these requests; the shortage of priests has become more acute, so that Fr. Tony and I can now count only on Fr. Farrell for sacramental assistance on a regular basis (and not even that during several months of the year);  both of us priests need time away for our annual retreat and vacation.  We greatly appreciate and admire those who are faithful Mass attendees and hope that they will understand the need for this change, which the Mass Times Committee (comprised of representatives from both parishes) supported in our March meeting.  Also, thanks to the three members of the St. Maria Goretti Finance Council (Marlene Hoyt, Richard O’Connor, and Mike Tetrault) who will be speaking at the SMG Masses this weekend, explaining the need for increased stewardship of their parish in terms of time, talent and treasure. I ask SMG parishioners to give careful consideration to their message.  Here is the latest 2015 Catholic Appeal update:  As of May 19, 97 St. Maria Goretti families had pledged $20,470, which is 73% of the SMG goal of $28,078; and 187 Our Lady of the Assumption families had donated $41,558 which is 75% of the OLA goal of $55,512.  If you have not done so already, please make a pledge by using a Catholic Appeal card at the entrance of our churches, or by going online to our website and finding the link to the Catholic Appeal, which supports over 50 vital ministries of the Catholic Church in eastern Massachusetts.  Thank you for your faithful stewardship of our parishes and blessings to all of you in the week ahead!