Third Sunday of Easter

News and Notes:  Congratulations to Melanie Sofia Hernandez, Estrella Alejandra Espinoza, Caroline Willa Evans Sprince and Savannah Cummings, who were baptized at this year’s Easter Vigil at St. Maria’s on April 20.    Congrats also to Stephen Frank McNichol, who was received into full communion with the Catholic Church that night; and Melissa Marie Poverchuk and Johanthan Omer Ozek who were confirmed along with Stephen and three of the newly baptized girls at our Easter Vigil.  Then all of the above were welcomed to the table of the Lord to receive Holy Communion for the first time.  Many thanks to Donna Delahanty, our Director of Parish Ministries in the Collaborative, for her fine work preparing these candidates for the Easter sacraments.   After discussing the current weekend Mass schedule with the Pastoral Team and the Mass Times Committee (made up of five representatives of each parish), we have decided to maintain the present Mass schedule through the summer and into the next year.  When we began our Collaborative Mass schedule last Fall we planned to suspend the 11AM Mass at OLA and the 5PM Mass at SMG for the summer months, but said that we would review the schedule in the Spring.  The consensus view of the Team and Committee was that we need to keep the status quo through the summer and beyond, and then review the Mass times again a year from now.  Congratulations to all our second graders from the parishes and OLA school who are receiving the Holy Communion for the first time this weekend.  May their frequent reception of the Eucharist nourish and strengthen them for the rest of their lives!  If you have not yet made a pledge to the 2014 Catholic Appeal to support the 50+ ministries offered by our local Church in Eastern Massachusetts, please do so as soon as possible.  Blessings to all of you in the Easter week ahead!