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November November 18, 18, 2012 2012 Our Our Lady Lady of of Good Good Counsel Counsel Parish, Parish, Methuen~Lawrence Methuen~Lawrence 33rd 33rd Sunday Sunday in in Ordinary Ordinary Time
Time
Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish
22 Plymouth Street
Methuen, MA 01844
Luncheon
Speaker Series
Monday, November 19, 2012
Noon in Duperry Hall,
St. Theresa Church
Most Reverend William
J. McNaughton, MM
Will speak on The Second
Vatican Council
and The Year of Faith
Bishop McNaughton grew up in St. Augustine Parish, was
the founding Bishop of the Diocese of Inchon, Korea, and
attended Vatican II as a young bishop. He was recently
invited to Rome, by His Holiness Benedict XVI, for the
opening celebrations of the Year of Faith. We are honored
and privileged to have him join us.
Lunch will be served at Noon, and the speaker will follow
at 12:45
All are welcome. There is no charge for lunch. Donations
will be gratefully accepted to cover the cost of the meal.
Please RSVP to the
Parish Office (978 686-3984) or to
Kathy Callagy (978 685-6908
callagyk@aol.com)
by Friday, November 16, so that we
can plan for the meal.
3
Dear Parishioners,
Let us each think about the witness value of our own lives as
Christians we ponder the last line of the first reading this weekend
from Daniel 12:3: “…those who lead the many to justice
shall be like the stars forever.” These are words of promise for
us to hold on to as the readings as the Liturgical Year draws to
a close take on a more apocalyptic tone. We are not to worry
about the end times, but rather prepare for them. Psalm 16 reminds
us “…my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body,
too, abides in confidence; because you will not abandon my
soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your faithful one to
undergo corruption. You are my inheritance, O Lord!”
When we fix our gaze on the Lord we are empowered by God’s
Grace to desire to move closer, to be more closely in union with
Him. It is a great challenge, sometimes coming at a cost to ourselves
as we may find we need to do a bit of “pruning” to be
fully alive in the Lord. But it is work worth doing as it brings us
happiness and peace, the same things we lose right away when
we choose the path of sin.
In the midst of the ominous tone of the readings this week there
is great hope. Tune in to that message, and let yourself be empowered
by it!
What a wonderful weekend we had last weekend. We celebrated
Veteran’s Day with a ceremony after the 8:00 Mass followed
by a great Breakfast in Fr. Duperry Hall. The day was
put together by the Confirmation Candidates and the Boy Scout
Troop from our parish, who did an excellent job. Also a big
thank you to the committee that worked so hard behind the
scenes including Mark Friedrich, Hoppy Curran, Mike Lopez,
Denise Donlan and Frank Audy. We are grateful too to Denise’s
brother Dennis Donlan who was our guest speaker. And
finally thanks to you Veterans and those who currently serve…
the day was meant honor, pray for, and thank all of you for your
service.
Thank you too for the generous response to the Hurricane
Sandy emergency collection. I am humbled to see your response
in charity to our neighbors who are dealing with so
much difficulty from the storm still.
Finally, although we are still sorting through all the responses
to the Increased Offertory Campaign as this bulletin goes to
press, I can say that the program had a tremendously positive
response from many. I think we will all be happy with the results,
and I thank you for your patient cooperation as we ran the
campaign. I will update you further on the program soon.
When we put our lives under the Lordship of Jesus Christ we
connect ourselves to the very source of Grace in this world. In
that connection we share something of the power and the presence
of God by our very actions with and toward one another.
In my prayer I offer thanksgiving to God for the goodness of
the people of Our Lady of Good Counsel parish who, because
of their goodness, will “shine like the stars forever.”
May God bless you!