Today in the Church Christmas comes to its final close, Ordinary Time begins on Monday, and we are well into the New Year.  I hope all are weathering the cold and wind as best as can be expected!  On behalf of Fr. Akilo and myself, I would like to express our gratitude for the innumerable best wishes, cards, and gifts of all sorts that you generously gave us at Christmas.  All were very appreciated.  Thank you!

   I am also grateful for how well our Advent and Christmas Seasons unfolded.  We added a lot of new things and tried to make things as beautiful and reverent as possible.  From what I’ve heard new items were well-received, our attendance was hopeful for the future, and we had a variety of events that set a pattern for community gatherings entering 2025.  For example, we estimate that over 400 people came to our first annual Lessons and Carols.  It flowed very smoothly and expertly for a first effort, so another thank you to everyone who pitched in to make the Christmas Season vibrant!

   It’s also important to state that going into the new year our finances have stabilized.  We have built up from our summer low due to the good response of our Grand Annual.  As a reminder, the Catholic Appeal will kickoff during Lent and “close” the Grand Annual season, so to speak, so please send in your donation if you have yet to do so.  We still rely on those gifts, or any addition you can make to the Offertory, because obviously winter costs are high and will deplete the boost to the operating account from the Grand Annual revenue.  As we continue through the winter, I am hopeful that we can continue to optimize our spending wherever possible.

   Finally, as winter becomes spring, we will continue to plan opportunities for community events and service in ministry.  Sometimes this may be unseen.  For example, we have a number of people finishing their sacraments or coming into full Communion with the Catholic Church and, on top of that, we are in the initial stages of developing more opportunities for our youth to grow in their Faith.  Please pray that our work will continue to bear fruit for the Lord and for we the people of the Parish of the Transfiguration.

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HOLY HOUR FOR LIFE

We will be hosting a Holy Hour for Life on

Friday January 24th at St. Dorothy's church

from 5pm-7pm. Please join your fellow parishioners

as we pray for all life from conception to

natural death. We will have Adoration and

Benediction of the blessed Eucharist, along

with other prayers and reflections.

FIRST SATURDAY MASS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

FEBRUARY 1ST, 9:00AM IN ST. THOMAS CHURCH

Rosary begins at 8:30am. Guided meditation and Confession follows Mass.

To keep the First Saturday Devotion in reparation for the sins and blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart and to receive

the graces promised from it, one must attend Mass and receive Holy Communion, pray the rosary, and meditate on a mystery

on the Rosary for 15 minutes. All are welcome to join us in this devotion to honor the Blessed Mother.

Father in heaven, may the faith you have gifted us in your son Jesus Christ, our brother,

and the flame of charity kindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom. 

May your grace transform us into diligent cultivators of the evangelical seeds that make humanity and the cosmos rise unto the confident expectation of the new heavens and the new earth when,  with the powers of Evil overcome, your glory shall be manifested eternally. 

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, the yearning for heavenly treasures  and pour over all the earth the joy and peace of our Redeemer.

To you God blessed in eternity, be praise and glory for ever and ever.  

Amen.

SAVE THE DATE

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15th

The Ladies Sodality will host be hosting a

St. Valentine's Evening Childcare for

children in our parish ages 5 - 12. The

evening will include games, crafts, stories,

popcorn, water, and a movie. The cost is

only $10 per child up to three children

and $25 for three or more children per

family. It's a fun and low cost option to a

babysitter that allows couples to enjoy a

romantic evening out. Please use the QR

code below or email Diane Garrity at

ladiessodality@gmail.com to register. This

event is limited to 50 children and registration

ends on Sunday, February 9th,

so sign up today. All proceeds will benefit

the Parish of the Transfiguration. We

hope to see your children or grandchildren

there! More details with time and

location to follow.

Please click here to watch a short video on the Catholic Appeal

Forward in Faith

Once a year, Catholics throughout the Archdiocese are asked to partner with one another to support their parish and the many outreach ministries by contributing to the Catholic Appeal.  Many of you have received a letter from Cardinal Seán requesting your participation and early support of the 2024 Appeal.  We hope that you will respond to his invitation with a generous gift, knowing that each contribution has a significant impact on the lives of thousands across the Archdiocese. 

2024 Catholic Appeal  Totals as of 6.25.2024

         Our Parish Goal:       $65,300.00

Total amount pledged: $56,580.00

                    # donors:              221

           Total needed:                 $8,720.00

When our parish reaches its goal a portion of the additional funds received will be returned to us for use in our parish. To make a gift online, visit www.bostoncatholicappeal.org . Please include The Parish of the transfiguration to be sure the Parish gets credit for the donation.  

A CORI FORM must be completed EVERY YEAR BY ALL VOLUNTEERS,  The new year began July 1, 2024 and will continue through June 30, 2025  

NEW (FY) 24/25 CORI FORMS are available in the sacristy of both churches and at the Parish Office.   

A Code of Conduct will be given to All New volunteers when the Cori is returned to be verified. 

Again all volunteers must complete a CORI background screening prior to beginning ministry and annually after that. 

All  Staff and Volunteers including all those in worship ministry, must complete a Protecting God’s Children VIRTUS TRAINING CLASS . 

The Training class is only needed to be taken once.. 

A Training class will be held: 

Sunday, July 28th after the 8am (9:15am)Mass in the downstairs of St. Thomas Church and

Thursday, Aug 22nd in the downstairs of St. Dorothy Church at 6pm 

Please sign up by going to:
www.VIRTUSonline.org 

Do you like to carve wood?  We create handcrafted ornaments that we sell to provide money to vets and other people in need.  We meet on the first Saturday of every month in the basement of St. Thomas Church from 10AM to 4 PM. For More information, contact:   darren_boehm@yahoo.com

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Faith Formation Registration is now open for 2024-2025. Click here for the registration form. We also offer an adaptive faith formation class for students that need more assistance in the classroom. We also offer a heritage faith formation session class for students that have missed 1 or more years of faith formation and would like to return. If you have any question please email jeaniep@parishofthetransfiguration.org or call 978-658-6040.

Click here for more details

Looking for spiritual help and support from addiction? Click here to learn more.

SATURDAY MORNING MEN'S PRAYER GROUP MEETING. Click here to learn more.

CATHOLIC TV DAILY AND SUNDAY MASS

Cardinal Seán encourages Catholics to participate in the daily and Sunday Masses broadcast from the CatholicTV chapel.

• Daily Mass airs live at 9:30am and is rebroadcast at 7pm and 11:30pm.
• Sunday Masses air throughout the day at 10am, 4pm, 7pm, and 11:30pm.
• The Sunday Spanish Mass airs live at 8am and is rebroadcast at 5:30pm and 10pm.

Viewers can watch these Masses on demand at any time at www.WatchtheMass.com. For more information about CatholicTV and where you can watch it, visit http://www.catholictv.org/.

Forgive us for the war, Lord. Lord Jesus, son of God, have mercy on us sinners. Lord Jesus, born under the bombs of Kyiv, have mercy on us. Lord Jesus, dead in the arms of a mother in Kharkiv, have mercy on us. Lord Jesus, in the 20-year-olds sent to the frontline, have mercy on us. Lord Jesus, who continues to see hands armed with weapons under the shadow of the cross, forgive us, Lord. Forgive us if, not content with the nails with which we pierced your hand, we continue to drink from the blood of the dead torn apart by weapons. Forgive us if these hands that you had created to protect have been turned into instruments of death. Forgive us, Lord, if we continue to kill our brother. Forgive us, Lord, if we continue to kill our brother, if we continue like Cain to take the stones from our field to kill Abel. Forgive us if we go out of our way to justify cruelty, if, in our pain, we legitimize the cruelty of our actions. Forgive us the war, Lord. Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, we implore you to stop the hand of Cain, enlighten our conscience, let not our will be done, do not abandon us to our own doing. Stop us, Lord, stop us, and when you have stopped the hand of Cain, take care of him also. He is our brother. O Lord, stop the violence. Stop us, Lord. Amen.          Pope Francis