SAINT MICHAEL PARISH

Our Mission

Rooted in our sacramental celebrations of the Eucharist, we seek to shape our future in a positive way through our parish school, religious education, youth ministry programs and numerous Christian services. While maintaining a strong sense of Catholic tradition, we look for ways to revitalize our Christian values through more openness to God's word and our gospel call to love God and neighbor. Trusting in the Holy Spirit, we seek new ways of being church for members, active or not, as well as reaching out to the wider community.

October 29th, 2017

The 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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SAINT MICHAEL PARISH 543 Bridge St., Lowell, Ma. 01850 978-459-0713 Fax: 978-453-1123

Serving Lowell and Dracut since 1883

Administrator Rev. Guy F. Sciacca Parochial Vicar Rev. Robert J. Carr Parochial Vicar-Kenyan Community Rev. Samuel K. Mathenge Parish Office Manager Matthew McKenna Parish Secretary Mary Brooks Parish Bookkeeper Colleen Botto Director of Development Pauline Minch School Principal Scott Bolton Vice Principal Mary E. Elias Director of Religious Education Nicole Walsh Director of Music Jackie Thurrott Organist Ernie Houle

MASS SCHEDULE Weekend: Saturday at 4:00pm, Sunday at 7:00, 9:00 and 11:15am Daily: 7:00am Holy Day: Holy Day at 7:00 and 9:00am and 7:00pm Confession: The sacrament of Penance is available each Saturday from 3:00pm - 3:30pm or call the Rectory for an appointment. Baptism: Celebrated monthly, please call the Rectory one month in advance. Marriage: Contact Rectory at least one year prior to wedding. Anointing of the Sick: When a family member is seriously ill or will be undergoing surgery, please call the Rectory. St. Michael Parish School: Established in 1889, our parish school offers an excellent education for students in grades Pre-K thru 8. Communion Calls: Communion to the homebound happily arranged; contact the Rectory. Becoming Catholic: Interested? Inquiries concerning Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) can be made by contacting the Rectory. New Parishioners: We are a vibrant, Christ-centered community. If you would like to share in our faith and spirit, please contact the Rectory. You may also register at our website: www.saint-michael.com

Phone Numbers: Religious Education: 978-459-0713 School: 978-453-9511 St. Vincent de Paul Society: 978-459-1770

Deadline for Bulletin information - Monday noon at the Rectory Website: www.saint-michael.com Email: saintmichaels@comcast.net

Prayer of Saint Michael: Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

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Saturday, October 28th 7:00 am—Mass 4:00 pm—Eugene & Doris Hubert Sunday, October 29th 7:00 am—Buddy King & Irene Lepine 9:00 am—For the Parishioners of Saint Michael Parish 11:15 am—Joseph “Drew” Travierso/ English & Kenyan Combined Mass Monday, October 30th 7:00 am—Mass Tuesday, October 31st 7:00 am—Mass Wednesday, November 1st-All Saint's Day 7:00 am—Mass 9:00am—School Mass (7A) 7:00pm—Mass Thursday, November 2nd 7:00 am—Anna Ferroli Friday, November 3rd 7:00 am—Mass Saturday, November 4th 7:00 am—Mass 4:00 pm—William & Gladys McGrail/Mass of Remembrance Sunday, November 5th 7:00 am—For the Parishioners of Saint Michael Parish 9:00 am—James A. Tavares Jr. /School Mass 11:15 am—Robert Dumont 12:30 pm—Kenyan Community & Friends Mass

GIFT OF BREAD AND WINE

We invite parishioners to donate, as a memorial, the bread and wine for consecration at all the Sunday Masses on a given weekend. The person or family remembered will be listed in the bulletin on the scheduled weekend .....i.e., The gift of bread and wine at all the Masses this weekend is given in memory of …” The suggested offering for this memorial is $75.00 which helps defray parish expense for the hosts and the wine.

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Giving Generously and Joyously

This week Jesus tells us which is the greatest commandment – Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself…” It sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it; but sometimes it is so hard for us to follow this commandment. Why? Well, there could be a few reasons which make this seem difficult. But, before I address them, let’s look at one very important fact. God has created us for love out of His unending Love. He created us out of love, for love, to be in close friendship with Him. He created us to have hearts that are open not only to Him but to each other. To put it in other words, God created us to be in relationship. We must learn to care for one another with compassionate, loving hearts – with the heart of Jesus! Why is this sometimes so difficult? Well, we are human. We have all been affected by the sin of Adam and Eve. Pride can be good when it seeks the good of another. This is true relationship – a relationship which is a gift from God, given to us by Him, shared with others, and returned to God as a gift and a blessing. God bless you all,

Fr. Guy

Weekly Offertory Summary

October 21st-October 22nd of 2017

Description Amount

Weekly Offertory $5,175.12

Second Collection-

Mission Sunday

$1,018.00

Grand Annual 2017 $32,557.00

as of 10/22/17

Online Giving $568.00

Candle Money $66.00

Religious

Education

$205.00

Sacramental

Offerings

$650.00

Total (Minus Grand

Annual)

$7,682.12

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FREE HAM & BEAN SUPPER NEXT SATURDAY

DON’T FORGET TO RSVP

Join your parish family for a FREE

meal this coming Saturday, November

4th, at the Ham & Bean Supper! Meal

includes ham, beans, cornbread, drinks

and dessert. You may also BYOB if

you’d like. The supper starts at 6pm in

the Church Hall, where we’ll be simultaneously holding the

drawing for our $10,000/$3,000/$1,000 Fundraiser, so don’t

forget to bring your ticket. See you there!

TICKETS FOR VITAL FUNDRAISER STILL

AVAILABLE

DRAWING TO BE HELD NEXT SATURDAY*

YOU COULD WIN $10,000 or $3,000 or $1,000

Time is running out to buy a ticket to this fundraiser and be part of an opportunity to win grand prizes of $10,000 or $3,000 or $1,000!! Over 100 tickets have already been sold, so buy your ticket today after

each weekend Mass or at the rectory, Monday – Friday from 9am – 4pm. Tickets are $100 each and can be paid for by cash or check. Or, team up with family, friends or co-workers to buy one! *ALL 300 tickets must be sold for the drawing to occur;

partial tickets will not be honored until they are paid in full.

The drawing is scheduled to be held at the Parish’s Ham &

Bean Supper on Saturday, November 4th beginning at 6pm in

the Church Hall. For more information, call the rectory at

978-459-0713 or email at saintmichaels@comcast.net

2017 Grand Annual Collection at 32% of Goal

Our Grand

Annual Collection

goal this year is

$100,000, and as

indicated by the

“Grand Annual

Thermometer”

we’ve attained

32% of our goal!

Our goal can

easily be reached

if each family in

the Parish

contributes $85.

Not every family

can contribute that amount, so if you’re able, please dig a little

deeper to help make up the difference. This is a vital

fundraiser for the financial well-being of Saint Michael Parish,

because it sustains us in summer when so many of us are

away on vacation, during the winter when stormy weather

conditions force some of us to stay at home, and during other

slow periods or emergency situations. Donations can be made

by cash, check, online giving or by pledging $10 a month for

nine months. Thank you for your incredible generosity to the

2017 Grand Annual Collection!

Evening of Remembrance

Saint Michael Parish requests the honor of your presence at the Evening of Remembrance at which we will celebrate Holy Mass and pray for all the faithful departed, especially our Parishioners who died during this past year As November is the Month of All Souls we pray that the angels will take them into paradise that the martyrs will come to welcome them and take them to the Holy City of the new and eternal Jerusalem

Please invite your entire family to join us on

Saturday, the Fourth of November

Two thousand Seventeen

at four o’clock

Saint Michael Church

Lowell, Massachusetts

$100,000.00

MASS OF SHARING - November 20th

Please join us at our Annual Mass of Sharing at 7:00pm on Monday evening, November 20th, as we give thanks to God for all He has given to us by donating food and offering our assistance to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society in their work with those in need.

Saint Vincent De Paul Mums Project Thank You from The Saint Vincent De Paul Society

Thank you to everyone who helped make our mums project a huge success. A big THANK YOU to Jim Ogonowski from Ogonowski Farm who facilitated the fundraiser. As always we thank our parishioners and friends for supporting us, not only on this project, but in everything throughout the year.

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Altar Server Schedule November 4th & November 5th of 2017

November 4th 4:00 pm Nathan Harris Chloe Scott Abigail Scott November 5th 7:00 am Katherine Aste James Aste Joseph Aste 9:00 am Jason Berard Lauren Porter Michael Selstad Miguel Vasconcelos 11:15 am Sydney Cheboryot Joy Destiney-Wangu Kaitlyn Doughty Owen Gorman

Lector Schedule November 4th & November 5th of 2017

November 4th 4:00 pm Patty Casey

November 5th 7:00 am Anne Ziaja

9:00 am School Mass

11:15 am Marlyse Sime

************************************** CELL PHONES IN CHURCH Please turn off all cell phones as you enter the Church. Let us be conscious of the sacredness of the Mass as we gather for prayer.

Offertory Counter Schedule

October 30th, 2017 November 6th, 2017

Brenda Richardson Dorothy Dwinell

Gary Blouin Marcia McGrail

Colleen Dubuc Jeannine Yianopoulos Joyce Cloutier Dorothy Flanagan Arthur Notini Dorothy Aste Mary Kay Gorman

Extraordinary Minister Schedule

November 4th & November 5th of 2017 November 4th 4:00 pm Doris Hubert

Jolynn VanDinter

Carole Sargent

Kimberly Scott

November 5th 7:00 am Tammy Streck

James Brennan Margaret Janas

9:00 am Raymond Stowell

Marcia McGrail

Joyce Cloutier

Pauline Minch

11:15 am Joanne Shea

Mary Regan

Anne Travierso

Laurie McNamara

Ashley Melanchook

Patty Casey

Important Parish News and Updates -Fr. Guy will be holding Altar Server training in the Church on Sunday, October 29th at 10:00am. -Saint Michael Parish will celebrate the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick at all our Masses during the weekend of November 18th-19th. This Sacrament acknowledges our need for physical healing and is a source of spiritual comfort for the very ill and the aged. The anointing is not a magical cure, although the Sacrament does include prayers for the restoration of health. Instead, it is a way for those who experience advanced age, physical suffering, emotional distress, spiritual brokenness and the closeness of death to identify with the suffering of Christ and the glory of the resurrection. After the homily, those who are in need will be invited to come forward to receive the Sacrament. Please invite and bring those who are sick, infirmed, and disabled to Church so that they may receive this wonderful Sacrament.

Religious Education Dates

For all students starting Religious Education and/or are undertaking confirmation this year, please be advised of the following dates Classes begin as follows: PreK--6th Grade: Every Saturday from 9:00am--10:30am Starting September 9th. 7th & 8th Grade: Every Saturday from 9:00am--10:30am Starting September 9th and ending December 23rd 9th & 10th Grades: Every Sunday from 6:00pm to 8:00pm Beginning on January 7th

Adult Faith Formation with Deacon Maurice Culver

Catholicism: The New Evangelization, An Encounter with

Jesus Christ is coming to St. Michael Parish beginning on

Sunday October 29, 2017 from 3:00 PM until 4:30 PM in the St.

Michael School Hall which will be held by Deacon Maurice

Culver. Sessions will consist of videos from Bishop Robert

Barron’s Faith on Fire series with group discussions after each

lesson. All are welcome to attend.

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BOOK OF PRAYERS

Please notice the Book of Prayers located on the side altar

in front of the statue of the Blessed Mother. We invite you to write your prayers, hopes and needs in this book of our com-mon prayers. As a parish community, let us remember the intentions inscribed in the book in our daily prayers and at Mass.

BEREAVEMENT MINISTRY

We would like to increase the number of members for our Bereavement Committee to reach out to families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. All necessary training will be provided. Anyone interested in this important and valuable ministry should contact Fr. Guy at 978-459-0713. This is a much needed ministry and a wonderful way to practice cor-poral works of mercy.

CHOIR INFORMATION

Youth Choir and Adult Choir rehearsals have begun. Youth choir will be from 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. in the main church. Adult Choir rehearsals will be from 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. in the main church.

All are welcome. We do have a good time and we learn a lot about music. It's a win-win. Just remember that when you sing, you pray twice.

SEARCHING?

St. Michael Parish is always looking for people to add to our liturgi-cal ministries. We are so fortunate to have three choirs here: Adult choir, Youth choir (grades 3-8) and Hand-bells. We invite you to come and join us in the fun. Adult rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings from 7:30-9:00 p.m. and we sing at the 11:15 a.m. Mass on Sundays. Youth choir rehearsals are also on Wednesday, from 3:30-4:30p.m. We sing on Sundays at the 9:00 a.m. Mass. Hand-bell rehearsals are on Tuesdays from 7:30-8:30 p.m. from October thru December and February thru April. We participate at the Christmas Eve Mass as well as Easter week. Please consider joining us. You would be surprised just how you will connect to liturgy. If you have any questions, please feel fee to contact Jackie Thurrott @ 978-454-9566.

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH We invite you to attend on the First Saturday of each month a Mari-an Devotion which will consist of 15 decades of the Rosary and other prayers to honor Our Lady. It will be held at Holy Trinity Church, 340 High Street, Lowell, MA at 6:00PM. We hope you will consider joining us. For further information please call (Anna or Ted) at 978-454-4395.

DIVORCED AND SEPARATED GROUP The Divorced and Separated Group meets every Sunday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 at Saint Michael School. For more information, simply attend Sunday’s meeting or call Carlos at 978-957-2063. Those who attend the meeting for the first time are asked to come a little earlier. Thank you.

Catechists for Baptism Preparations

We would like to train lay people to be catechists to prepare individ-uals who will receive Baptism while under the guidance of a mem-ber of the clergy. All necessary training will be provided. If interest-ed, please contact Fr. Guy at 978-459-0713 or e-mail at saintmichaels@comcast.net.

2017/2018 Saint Michael School Year Applications

Saint Michael School is accepting applications for enrollment of

PreK 3 years old through grade 8 for the 2017/2018 school year.

Many of our grade level classes are beginning to fill up, so act fast!

Visit our website at school.saint-michael.com to register or call the

School Office at 978-453-9511 to schedule a tour.

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A CATHOLIC?

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and RCIA Adapted for Children is the process through which adults and chil-dren join the Catholic Church. RCIA is open to all those who want to join the Catholic Church and RCIA meetings are held in the Church on Wednesdays at 1:00pm. For more information, please call Fr. Carr at the rectory at 978-459-0713 or e-mail at saintmichaels@comcast.net.

HIGH SCHOOL CONFIRMATION PROGRAM

Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation is a two-year program, usually Grades 9 and 10, for both public and Catholic high school students. Classes are held on Sunday eve-nings for approximately 10 weeks from 6:00pm to 8:00pm each night. Registration forms are available at the Rectory, at the entrance of the Church, or by calling the Religious Ed Office at 978-459-0713. If a student is new to our program and was not baptized here at St. Michael, please include a copy of his/her Baptismal Certificate along with a check for the Registration fee of $75.00. The next Religious Ed classes for 9th and 10th Grades are set to begin on Sunday, January 7th, 2018.

Pilgrimage Interest We are currently gathering information on Parishioners who would be interested in being a part of a pilgrimage to Fatima & Lourdes for a tentative date range of June 21st to June 30th of 2018. For additional information, please contact Rev. Guy F. Sciacca at 978-459-0713 or via e-mail at saintmichaels@comcast.net. You can also contact Touring International for information by calling

800-975-1761 or via e-mail at mziegler@touringintl.com.

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Children’s Corner

Sharing the Gospel When you have a choice to make, think about what God wants. Make sure your choices are good and that they help other people. When you follow God's example, you will be ready to love other people. With God's help you can be gentle, forgiving and kind. Prayer God, help me to love you and other people more and more every day. Mission for the Week As a family, help an elderly person in your neighborhood. Help them clean up their home or their yard.

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