Saint Margaret Mary Parish 845 High Street, P.O. Box 386 Westwood, MA 02090-0386

Office 781-326-1071 Fax 781-329-1879

                        

M S : Saturday : 4:30 PM Sunday : 8:30 AM & 11:00 AM Weekdays: 9:00 AM - Mon., Thurs., Fri.  MORNING PRAYER WITH HOLY COMMUNION: Tue. & Sat. 9:00 AM H D S : As announced  C : 3:45 - 4:15 PM - Saturday P P N : 781-326-1071 P W : www.saintmmparish.org E : Info@saintmmparish.org B : Second Sunday of the month at 1:00 P.M. Bap sm instruc on required. Contact the office. S and/or a pastoral visit to a homebound/sick person: Contact the office. M : Please contact us at least six months in advance.

“We strive to be a faith filled community living the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Roman Catholic tradi on. We are commi ed to loving God through par cipa on in the sacramental life of the Church.

We pray and grow together suppor ng and caring for all.”

P : Rev. Stephen J. Linehan - Ext. 103 S.Linehan@saintmmparish.org

D : Rev. Mr. Joseph E. Holderried

D R E Y M : Karlene Duffy, Director - Ext. 101 K.Duffy@saintmmparish.org

R E A A : Denise Ra ery - Ext. 102 D.Ra ery@saintmmparish.org

D : Mark Nemeskal - Ext. 111 nemeskal@verizon.net

P A A : Jacqueline Kerr - Ext. 100 J.Kerr@saintmmparish.org

P A : Helen Rombalski - Ext. 107 H.Rombalski@saintmmparish.org

PARISH STAFF

Dear Parishioners, A study of the earliest texts of our faith, certain archeological research and the liturgy itself tell us of a woman named Egeria who travelled from – perhaps somewhere in western Europe to the Holy Land around the year 381... We know little of her personally but she was a truly remarkable woman. She must have had the means and resources to travel, the strength and the stamina, the interest and the faith to undertake such a long journey. Her story and the ac-counts she left behind tell us about how the Christians of her day – in and around Jerusalem -

celebrated with palm fronds... days before Easter... They gathered on the Mount of Olives, just outside the city of Jerusalem to listen to and reflect upon the Gospel story of the Passion of Our Lord and then processed into Je-rusalem to celebrate the Eucharist... They carried palms on their journey... That, my dear parishioners, is in many ways the origins of what we do this day... Palm Sunday. The celebration of Palm Sunday is a particular way the followers of Christ have learned to grasp and penetrate the great mystery of our faith... of how Jesus of Nazareth suffered, died and rose from the dead. That mystery has effected us deeply through “...the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting...” Egeria may well have traveled from Galicia in northwestern Iberia now called Spain or from Aquitaine in south-western Gaul now called France... That was a long time ago and a long way to go... We travel a mile or two... more likely less... to relive, to reenact, to remember that same mystery. The journey from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem was at the most a few hundred yards; we travel from the front door of the church to the steps of the altar... at the most a hundred feet or so. Through the centuries, people did not always wave palm... Not all live in the tropics where palm can be found... Other branches used have included olive, box, yew, spruce, willows, and pussy willows! It is a very ancient cus-tom to wave things in the air... that act of conveys... feeling... expression... sentiment... It shows how people can be moved... Think of how people wave handkerchiefs, little flags... and big foam-like fingers... “We’re number 1.” The act of walking in procession... is also very ancient. It was long part of the Roman Empire. Once Chris-tianity became acceptable within the empire under Constantine, processions in the life of the liturgy easily fol-lowed. We use processions at Mass. Although it’s sometimes hard now a days for people to participate. In our own day and age of television, remote controls, the Internet, the cell phone and all sorts of gadgetry, we have lost an appreciation for moving about. A good example of moving about smartly is a parade... especially a military a parade. A Pass and Review by a Marine Battalion is an extraordinary event to witness let alone to par-ticipate in! As we celebrate Holy Week, we have lots of moving about... with palm today, with the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday, with the Cross on Good Friday and with lighted candles at the Easter Vigil – the holiest night of the year! All that moving about is like dance. Dance has a way of transporting oneself to another realm. Liturgy transports us... Where? It sends us into the mystery... the mystery of our faith... “Lift up your hearts!” I welcome and encourage all who can to celebrate this Holy Week with us. Please extend an invitation to your families, friends and neighbors to join us. I want to acknowledge this week the Girl’s CYO Basketball teams of the 5th and 6th and the 7th and 8th grades who went to the finals for the CYO league last Sunday. While they did not win, they played exceptionally well and demonstrated great support to each other and commitment to hard work! Thank you for a wonderful year! We are all grateful to the coaches, players and those who support our young people! I was just musing... is there a future Egeria among these young women... or among others in our midst? I hope all have a Holy Week! God bless you. Fr. Linehan

THE PASTORS PAGE

DATES TO REMEMBER

First Communion Retreat Sunday, May 1st | 12:30pm First Communion Saturday, May 7th | 10am & 1pm Confirmation Retreats (candidates must attend one) Friday, April 8th OR Friday, April 15th 5pm -10pm Confirmation Rehearsal Friday, May 13th @ 6pm Confirmation Sunday, May 15th @ 2pm May Procession/Second Communion and Reception Sunday, May 8th @ 11am

EASTER FLOWERS AND MUSIC DONATIONS

As we prepare for Easter, we will be accepting donations to make the Easter celebrations even more special with lovely flowers and special music. There are envelopes in the entranceways of the Church or you may use this form. All memorial names will be included in a list on Easter Sunday.

Please have all donations in by Monday, March 21st.

Easter Flowers & Music Donation

Amount: $___________ In Memory of: (please print) ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________

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SPRING 2016

PASTORAL CARE TO THE SICK & HOMEBOUND WORKSHOP

Our Lady Help of Christians, Newton

Saturday, April 2nd & 9th, 2016 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Please note all workshops consist of 12 hours

of instruction. Deadline to register is March 29th.

For information/registration please contact: Karen Farrell at kfarrell@rcab.org or 617-746-5843

Please Come Sacrament of Reconciliation this Lent

The Church encourages all Catholics to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation each Lent. In addition to our normal Saturday after-noon confession time, St. Margaret Mary Parish and all the Catho-lic parishes and chapels of the Archdiocese will be open on Lenten Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00pm. Please take advantage of this opportunity to make a good Lenten confession. Please also reach out to Catholics you know who have been away from the regular practice of our faith and invite them to seize this chance to begin again. The Archdiocese’s website for this initiative, www.TheLightIsOnForYou.org, has great materials to help every-one prepare to make a good confession.

Monday Night Rosary Join us as we pray for families and for peace in our hearts and our homes Monday evenings at 8:10 p.m. in the church. We provide You need not know how to pray the Rosary. Rosary beads and Rosary prayer guides. Bring your prayer intentions...and invite a friend. All are welcome. According to St. Louis de Montfort: 'When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer.'

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From the Pastoral Associate...

Thank you for your welcome to Saint Margaret Mary Parish. Even though I’ve only been with you for one week, I am impressed with and moved by the generosity and warmth of the community.

One of the gifts I received from Ignatian Spirituality is the invitation for each of us to be a Contemplative in Action. A contemplative in action is someone who strives to stop, pray and reflect on their life and then to apply these reflections to the actions of their life. The hope is that God will inspire you through quiet and attentiveness, and enlighten you on how to act in the world and interact with each other. It informs us and, with God’s grace, transforms us to be more Christ-like in all aspects of our lives. The need for stillness in our often way-too-busy world is summed up well by R.W. Emerson, Let us be silent … that we may hear the whisper of God.

In my roll as Pastoral Associate, I pray that I may have the opportunity and blessing to walk with you in deepen-ing your relationship with God. I welcome meeting with you individually to see how you are doing and how I may best accompany you on your path, whether that be as a sounding board, a shoulder to cry on, a confidant to share a challenging situation, or a friend to share joyful news with. Additionally, I will assist with coordinating adult faith sharing groups, perhaps starting up a Bible Study group again, and other means of communal prayer life that you, the parishioners, would like to see offered and would participate in. Please let me know.

In just this past week, I have met an extraordinary amount of folks doing incredible work for our church, from Eucharistic ministers, to ushers, to lectors, to those who bring Communion to the home-bound, to teachers in the Religious Education Program, and on and on and on. Thank You All for your service to St. Margaret Mary’s. We will continue to solicit and welcome new volunteers, as we are - you are the Church. Because of your kind and faithful ministry and volunteer efforts, our parish is able to provide services and be a beacon of light to those in need. Thank you!

Christ has no body but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours, yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion is to look out to the earth, yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good, and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now. - Saint Teresa of Avila

God, grant us the desire and peace to slow down this Holy Week, to listen to God’s whisper and, in turn, to strengthen us in our calling to love as Christ loved us. Amen. In Christ’s Peace, Helen

Holy Week Schedule

Wednesday, March 23 Light is on for You Confessions from 6:30 to 8:00 PM Thursday, March 24: Holy Thursday Mass 7:30 PM Friday, March 25 Good Friday Service 3:00 PM Stations of the Cross 7:00 PM Saturday, March 26 Easter Vigil 8:05 PM Sunday, March 27: Easter Sunday Masses 7:00AM, 8:30AM & 11:00 AM

CATHOLIC APPEAL 2016

THANK YOU for your filling out a Catholic Appeal pledge card and for your pledge and/or donation to the Catholic Appeal. We kindly encourge anyone that has not submitted a pledge, to please take a pledge form from the back of the church; additional envelopes and information are available in the foyer. Or if you are tech savvy, please feel free to pledge online at bostoncatholicappeal.org. Thank you again for your generous Participation in and continued prayers for a successful Catholic Appeal.

Save the Date… Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3rd, 2016

Come and join us in this Solemn Divine Mercy Celebration at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 547 Washington Street, Norwood, MA. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available beginning at 2:00 pm followed by the celebration of Holy Mass in honor of the Solemnity at 3pm. Veneration of the Image of Divine Mercy will follow the homily. The presider will be Rev. Dermot Roache, SMA with Rev. Ste-phen Donohoe, Rev. Jean Pierre Aubin and Msgr. Paul Ryan as concelebrants. A plenary indulgence can be obtained by means of this celebration and conditions (sacramental con-fession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the inten-tions of the Supreme Pontiff, the Pope).

Sharing the Gospel Many years earlier, God's prophets had written about the Savior. He would heal the blind, he would raise the dead, and he would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey as a gentle king. The people knew Jesus was the Savior they had been waiting for. They treated him like a king. Prayer: Jesus, help me to treat you like my king. Mission for the Week Make your own palm branch to wave for Jesus at home. Cut an oval out of green construction paper. Then make cuts toward the middle (but not all the way through) for leaves. ©2007 - PO Box 510817, New Berlin, WI 53151-0817 - 1-800-950-9952 x2469 - LPiResourceCenter.com

A few notes from the Director of Music and Liturgy

The Full and Active Participation of the Assembly, Part IV

“O vos omnes qui transitis per viam, at-tendite et videte, si est dolor sicut dolor

meus.” (O my people who pass by the way, behold and see, if there be any sorrow like my sorrow)

O vos omnes is a responsory, originally sung as part of Roman Catholic liturgies for Holy Week, and now often sung as a motet. The text is adapted from the Lat-in Vulgate translation of Lamentations 1:12. It was often set, especially in the sixteenth century, as part of the Tenebrae Responsories for Holy Saturday. Some of the most famous settings of the text are by Tomás Luis de Vic-toria (two settings for four voices: 1572 and 1585), Carlo Gesualdo (five voices: 1603; six voices: 1611), and Pablo Casals (mixed choir: 1932).

I point out the text of “O Vos Omnes” as just one example of the rich passages that we will encounter over the next several days, beginning with the Liturgy of Palm Sunday, which begins in triumph and gradually “fades to black” one might say.

“Hosanna to the son of David” is quickly replaced by the crowds’ cries of “Crucify Him!” What a sudden turn of events. And we as the assembly witness first-hand, this cat-aclysmic episode as it unfolds in the scriptures. We do so by once again, fully and actively taking part in the sung pas-sion at the 11:00 Mass on Palm Sunday and on Good Friday at the 3:00 Liturgy. We do so by being wholly attentive to the spoken words and actions that occur during the Sacred Triduum.

The Gathered Liturgical Assembly (From Sing To The Lord)

“In the celebration of Mass the faithful form a holy people, a people whom God has made his own, a royal priesthood, so that they may give thanks to God and offer the spotless Victim not only through the hands of the priest but also together with him, and so that they may learn to offer themselves.” This is the basis for the “full, conscious and active participation” of the faithful demanded by the very nature of the Liturgy. Because the gathered liturgical as-sembly forms one body, each of its members must shun “any appearance of individualism or division, keeping be-fore their eyes that they have only one Father in heaven and accordingly are all brothers and sisters to each other.” Singing is one of the primary ways that the assembly of the faithful participates actively in the Liturgy. The people are encouraged “to take part by means of acclamations, re-sponses, psalms, antiphons [and] hymns. The musical for-mation of the assembly must be a continuing concern in order to foster full, conscious, and active participation.

Let us raise our voices, especia lly over the next week, as we celebrate the Sacred Triduum- and truly be that “one body” spoken of above.

In Christ, Mark Nemeskal Director of Music and Liturgy

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Everyday Stewardship

My mother always had me wash my hands before din-ner. Even if we hadn't been outside of the house, she still made me march to the sink to wash my hands. She was a bit of a germophobe, but it was a good practice nevertheless. I had to take responsibility for myself and make sure I was acting in a healthy man-ner. No one was going to wash my hands for me, she often reminded me in commanding me to the faucet. In our faith lives, however, we cannot wash ourselves clean. No commands from mom or repeated attempts at washing can make us clean and subsequently ready for the banquet God has prepared for us. Jesus not only knelt down to the ground to wash the feet of his apostles because he was leading by example, he washed their feet because they could not do so for themselves. They had prepared themselves for meals many times in the past, but this was no ordinary meal. Preparation for this meal would take more than the power bestowed to humans. It would take a divine power.

After he was done, he said to his apostles, "If I, there-fore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do." We cannot live this faith in isolation. We must prepare one another. We must wash the feet of one another. My mom said no one was going to wash my hands for me, but I pray someone will be will-ing to wash my feet.

Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS© Liturgical Publications

Ministers’ Schedule for Holy Week

Lector Marney Barrett Eucharistic Minister Nancy Meager, Carole Winslow & Deacon Holderried

Principals Trish MacDonald & Mil Reissfelder Altar Servers Ann Joyce, Conor & Rowan Curtin Kathryn & Sean Lendrum

Lector Kathleen McGill & Margaret Rustrian

Eucharistic Minister Deacon Holderried & Michael Stallings

Principals Paula McCoy

Altar Servers Rowan & Conor Curtin, Ann Joyce

Stations of the Cross Ashlyn Driscoll & Julia Preskinis

Lector Maura Curran, Jim Maguire, Jan Lent & Meghan Raftery

Eucharistic Minister Deacon Holderried, Chip Sterling & Mil Reissfelder

Principals Marney & John Barrett

Altar Servers Ashlyn Driscoll, Julia Preskinis & Chas Sterling

Lector Bob Reissfelder

Eucharistic Ministers Gail Ronan & Bill Reissfelder

Principal ** Principal Needed **

Altar Servers ** 4 Altar Servers Needed **

Lector Kathleen McGill

Eucharistic Minister Tom Daly, Craig Foscaldo & Paul McCoy

Principals Lois & Ken Foscaldo

Altar Servers Conor & Rowan Curtin Jack & Matthew Foscaldo

Lector Chuck Spiegel

Eucharistic Minister Deacon Holderried, Pat Payne & Ann Delaney Lendrum

Principals Rory Laughna & Carole Winslow

Altar Servers Ann Joyce, Michael Stallings, Kathryn & Sean Lendrum

Liturgies for the Week

Mar. 19 Saturday 9:00 am Morning Prayer 4:30 pm Palm Sunday Mass Mar. 20 Sunday 8:30 am Palm Sunday Mass 11:00 am Ann Lindren 1st Anniversary Mar. 21 Monday 9:00 am Christina Butler Mar. 22 Tuesday 9:00 am Morning Prayer Mar. 23 Wednesday 6:30 - 8 pm Confession Mar. 24 Thursday 7:30 pm Holy Thursday Mass Mar. 25 Friday 3:00 pm Good Friday Services 7:00 pm Stations of the Cross Mar 26 Saturday 8:05 pm Easter Vigil Mar. 27 Sunday 7:00 am Easter Sunday 8:30 am Easter Sunday 11:00 am Easter Sunday