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6/5/2021

A Blessing to Each Other

June 4, 2021

Special Notice: We are “publishing” our bulletin online every other week, but available each week through my Missive. Here is our second, which covers last AND this week.

“A Blessing to Each Other…”

So much hate, prejudice, and hurtful stereotypes. In this space we have talking about anti-racism with especial attention to our African American brothers and sisters. And then we were reminded of the violence against our Asian-American neigh-bors. And our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. And now we remind ourselves of one of the longest lasting Christian prejudices: against our Jewish brothers and sisters — namely, antisemitism. With regard to the last, I quote from a recent statement from Catholic school teachers, and this written in response to criticism of Israeli state policies vis-à-vis the Palestinians, which are no excuse for hatred of Jews:

As [Catholic school] teachers, we also advocate for nonviolent approaches to all problems and certainly condemn vigilante violence, including the collective blaming of groups and the extension of that blame to any individual perceived to be in that group.

We further recognize the diversity of responses to Israeli state policy that exists within Israel and among Jews around the world. Many of us work together, with a sense of urgency, with those many human right s and peace groups dedicated to equal justice for Palestinians.

We join together particularly as Christians who confess a history of complicity in both random and systematic violence against. Jews. Recognizing that even our silence during the Shoah [Holocaust] was part of that lethal heritage and has radically changed our understanding of conscience. Those Christian who did speak out and act, often risking everything, are our role models.

Today, we express this solidarity with the Jewish community in alliance with a national and international climate of heightened awareness of and determined action to work effectively against violence targeting many vulnerable groups, including those of Black, Asian, female, LGTBQ, and Muslim identities.

Echoing the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago and following his pioneering work in Christian/Jewish dialogue, let us move from enabling hate to being ‘a blessing to each other,’ widening the circle to include all those facing persecution in our world.

What do you think?

Fr. Bryan Massingale has been chosen as the 2020 recipient of the Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice! He will be here at the Paulist Center to accept the award on November 13th @ the 5 pm liturgy. His reputation as a theologian and advocate for a truly inclusive Church is undisputed and has prompted some to call him a modern prophet. This year’s intense focus on justice in America has made Fr. Bryan into a recognized voice and face of the call for racial and LGBTQ+ justice and inclusion in the whole of society. Please mark the date and join us in extending a warm Paulist Center welcome to Fr. Bryan in November!

Openings…

This week, we open the 6pm Sunday Liturgy on Sunday…

The Paulist Center will open its weekday Mass schedule on Monday, June 7th. We will have five masses, total, for the weekdays:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 7:55am;
Tuesday and Thursday, 12:05pm.

At the same time, Staff and Pastoral Council are planning for celebrating our return, as a community, to our beautiful chapel for safe, in-person worship. This will probably take place after Labor Day. We hope to acknowledge many dimen-sions of what these last fourteen pandemic months have meant: the grieving, the loss, the mourning, what we have learned, how our faith has grown stronger, and how, commit-ted, we intend to gather. Soon we will be sending out a survey to take a pulse of our community.

Attentive to the Holy Spirit and nourished by vibrant liturgy, we [of the Paulist Center] are a Catholic community that welcomes all, fosters healing and reconciliation, and acts for justice.
…our mission statement

For those following the William Allen case, described a few weeks ago, this is the next event: “Invoking Mercy: A Vigil for William Allen,” located at Brockton City Hall Plaza on Sunday June 13th at 4pm (about 45 min. with a few reflections on mercy a faith leader from the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities).

Worshiping In-Person at the Paulist Center Chapel…

For the next two weeks – at least – we will continue to wear masks for in-person worship. We do this out of an abundance of caution. This caution stems from the fact that there is a major difference between the Paulist Center Chapel and most other Churches: no windows.  We depend entirely on our air conditioning system to circulate the air. So we hope that by extending the mask wearing for a few more weeks, we will be exercising restraint proper to our unique situation. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Note Carefully: If you are experiencing ANY symptom that would indicate that you are ill (not just for Covid), please stay home. Also, please carefully read the Procedures and watch the video (both links below). Of special note:

  • The doors open 10 minutes before the service;
Procedures Around Receiving Communion:

1) For the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood the Lord Sunday, June 6th, Live-Streamed Liturgy/Mass from the Chapel, at 10am (available as recording at same link after 11:15am):

Here’s the YouTube Link:https://youtu.be/T6R08v0yMmM
Here’s the Order of Worship

To use the Order of Worship, you may wish to

1.   Print it out to have in hand as you tune in; or
2.   Use a second “tab” in your browser for the Order, to alternate with viewing the Mass; or
3.   Bring it up on a second device (e.g., smart phone, iPad) while following the Liturgy on the Desktop.

2) Paulist Center Families’ Liturgy of the Word, 10am, Sunday:
See Fr. Mike’s Email Missive for the link details.

3) Special Event: Confirmation for Our Young People, Saturday, June 12th, 4pm:

4) Paulist Center Rosary Circle. 7:30pm every Monday.
Here’s the Zoom Link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/487503158?pwd=aVFZb3BWNFBiQzZMSXdhbmo3NUozUT09
Meeting ID: 487 503 158; Passcode: 021078  All are Welcome!

5) All are welcome to a prayer gathering with/from the Paulist Center’s LGBTQ+ led prayer next Wednesday, June 9th, 7pm. (this will now be held once a month; next date: July 14th   See Fr. Michael’s email Missive for the link.

Ways of Giving:

Our “Community Gift” is the Paulist Center’s tradition of giving away 5% of our weekend offerings, averaged out over the whole year, to a group outside of ourselves. This week we lift up the Catholic Near East Welfare Association which works in places where poverty, war and displacement have shattered innocent lives. Across the Middle East, NE Africa, India and Eastern Europe, CNEWA helps alleviate poverty, affirm human dignity, build up the church — and inspire hope. Thank you so much for your generosity!

We are so very grateful for your support during this time of uncertainly and financial peril. Here are two ways to give:

  1. To make a one-time or recurring donation using your bank account or credit card, click on the following link: https://tinyurl.com/DonatePaulistCenter
  2. Giving by text: Text a whole dollar donation amount to 844-899-7511; this will be designated as your “Weekend Offering.”

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I conclude now with the Prophet Micah 6:8:

Our Faithful God has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

And let us pray for/with one another.
Michael
Michael McGarry, C.S.P.
Director, the Paulist Center

Along with Patty, Chuck, Susan, Peter, Dorothy, John, Barbara, Rob, Alvaro, and Sal. Please feel free to call upon your Pastoral Ministers if you wish.

I will be sending out something every Thursday or Friday as the COVID-19 restrictions continue.