Weekly Bulletin November 15/16
(A PDF version of the bulletin as printed is available here)
Family Religious Education Program – This Sun, Nov 16
- FREP classes K – 6 meet in their regular classrooms, 11:15am-12:15pm
- 1st Reconciliation Workshop meets in Room 22 on the 6th Fl, 12:30-1:30.
The sacrament will be celebrated next Sun, Nov 23 at 12:30 in the Chapel.
The Teen Youth Group meets with Mosaic Interfaith, 2 – 4 pm at Boston Bowl, 820 Morrissey Blvd in Dorchester. The bowling alley requires advance registration, so please complete this short form: https://forms.gle/9gEF2L9975d34aH78
Sign Up For Our Christmas Pageant!
Our Christmas pageant will be presented on Sun, Dec 14 before the Christmas/Advent concert. Email Susan at susan@paulistcenter.org to register your child(ren) for the following parts: Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, shepherds, wise people, angels and a variety of barnyard animals! There are two rehearsals:
1) Sun, Dec 7 @ 11:15am as part of our FREP hour.
2) Sun, Dec 14 @ 12:30pm (before the Pageant).
Responding to Assaults on the Dignity Of Life – Next Event, This Sun, Nov 16
This year we hold up the theme – the life and dignity of the human person – front and center in all of the Paulist Center’s programming. The next event to help us on this journey is this Sun, Nov 16 – Adult Education Faith Formation: Lecture and book signing with community member Bob Bordone, on his book Conflict Resilience, 11:30am – 1:00pm in the auditorium.
Bob’s work speaks to the urgency of this time, in the United States and in the Catholic Church, in which many find themselves challenged to live and work next to those they are in disagreement with. Bob will offer insights and faith filled ways we can all move forward with curiosity and self-reflection.
Register at: https://tinyurl.com/BordoneNov16registration. A limited number of books will be available for purchase at the event.
The Place of Women In the Church – This Thurs, Nov 20
Join Dr. Phyllis Zagano in a discussion and synodal conversation in the spirit of Paragraph 60 of the Final Document of the Synod on Synodality, about the place of women in the Church. Dr. Zagano is the world expert on the question of women in the diaconate. She is a past Hecker Award recipient and holds a research appointment at Hofstra University.
Join us for a spirited discussion this Thur, Nov 20, at 7 pm in the 3rd Floor Library.
Book Of Remembrance
November is traditionally a time when Christians remember those who have passed away. We invite community members to inscribe the names of deceased loved ones who have passed in the past year (from Nov 2, 2024 to the present) in our Book of Remembrance. The Book will be displayed in the Mary Alcove throughout November.
Live-Streaming
Find all the livestreams and recordings on youtube.com/ThePaulistCenter
- Saturday, November 15, 5pm, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, YouTube Link
At the time of each livestream, the appropriate Order of Worship will be available at paulistcenter.org/order-of-worship.
Thanksgiving Eve Mass
Join us for our annual Thanksgiving Eve Mass at 7pm on Wed, Nov 26. The Mass will be livestreamed, but we warmly invite you to attend in person and bring the bread you plan to use at your Thanksgiving meal for a special blessing.
WORSHIP MATTERS
Weekend of November 15 – 16, 2025 – Issue #10
LITURGICAL YEAR: The Three-Year Cycle: A rhythm of sacred time and story
Our lives are shaped by many calendars—social, civil, personal, and familial. The ebb and flow of our daily experiences form and transform us, helping us find meaning in our relationships with one another and with God—in the rhythm of life’s joys and sorrows, its living and its dying.
The Church, too, has given us a calendar—a sacred rhythm that draws our attention to what God has done throughout history and continues to do among us today. We are part of a rich heritage that remembers and celebrates not only the story of our ancestors and all of salvation history, but also our own place within that story: to encounter, to ponder, to proclaim, and to reveal Christ in our midst.
The liturgical year, with its unfolding seasons and commemorations, was the Church’s first curriculum. The familiar pattern of Advent–Christmas–Epiphany and Lent–Holy Week–Easter emerged from the early Church’s desire to guide catechumens through the great narratives and teachings of faith—those that would shape their understanding of God in Christ for a lifetime. This Christian calendar drew deeply from the ancient rhythms of temple and synagogue worship in Jesus’ time. The roots of faith formation grounded in lectionary and liturgy, therefore, reach far back into our shared spiritual heritage.1
During the Second Vatican Council, an international commission of scholars was convened to renew and enrich the Church’s biblical life through a new Lectionary for Mass. On Palm Sunday in 1970, the result of their work was introduced—a three-year cycle of readings that opened the treasury of Scripture more fully to the faithful.
This Lectionary follows a three-year cycle—A, B, and C—for Sundays, each anchored by one of the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew (A), Mark (B), and Luke (C). These Gospels serve as the primary thread of each liturgical year, while passages from John appear during the Easter season, on select Sundays in Cycle B, and at other moments throughout the year. Weekday readings follow a two-year cycle, allowing the Word of God to speak to the Church with ever-deepening richness and breadth.
Unlike the civil calendar, which begins in January, the Church’s year and each new cycle begins with the First Sunday of Advent and culminates with the Solemnity of Christ the King—celebrated near the end of November. It is a fitting conclusion to the sacred rhythm of time, as the Church gathers her praise to the Word Made Flesh, the Lord of history and the heart of every season, Christ “the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8).
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For other reflections in our Worship Matters series please visit www.paulistcenter.org/worshipmatters.
Come to Set Us Free: A Festival of Readings and Carols
Advent and Christmas at the Paulist Center
- Sat, Dec 13 at 8 pm
- Sun, Dec 14 at 2 pm
Join us for one of the major spiritual and community-building events of the year. This year’s program will feature readings and carols highlighting the themes of Advent and Christmas, as we wait in hope and joyful expectation.
On Sun, Dec 14, the program begins with a Christmas Pageant presented by the youth of the Paulist Center.
Donations and Sponsorships
- To donate online, please click here and select the “Festival of Readings and Carols” category and specify the number of attendees, and preferred concert date.
- For mail-in donations, please make checks payable to “The PaulistCenter” with “Come To Set Us Free” in the memo.
Sponsorship Levels
- Angelic: $100 – $149
- Celestial: $150 – $199
- Archangel: $200 and above
Please consider inviting family and friends to sponsor this year’s celebration!
Sponsorship Acknowledgements
Sponsorships received by December 3 will be acknowledged in the program. Please indicate how you would like your name to appear.
Please Remember In Your Prayers …
Please pray for the repose of the souls of community members Rosanne Procopio and Nathan Bourque who passed away recently. The funeral for Nathan will be at the Paulist Center on Fri, Nov 21 at 10am. The funeral for Rosanne will be at the Paulist Center on Sat, Nov 22: 9am – Viewing; 10am – Funeral Mass May they rest in peace.
Feedback Session – CAC Revisioning Conference: “What to do with Christianity?”
If you are interested in participating in a discussion group and sharing insights from last weekend’s webcast to inform our pastoral planning session, please email susan@paulistcenter.org. We’ll find a time either after Mass or on Zoom.
And, as a reminder, you can still watch the replay using this link and sign-in information:
Access ReVision Online
Username: susan@paulistcenter.org
Password: Contemplate2025 (Please note, password is case-sensitive.)
Prayer and Action in Troubled Times: Lessons from Catholic Social Teachings
The first sessions in September were a smash hit! Please join us for our next session – Sun, Nov 23 at 11am in the auditorium, as we reflect on key documents that have challenged and inspired our faith tradition over time. We will learn about them and consider what insights and actions they inspire as we face myriad assaults on social justice today. Raúl E. Zegarra, a community member and Asst. Prof. of Roman Catholic Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School, will lead the session.
Nominate Your Favorite Catholic for the Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice!
Since 1974, the Paulist Center Community has presented the Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice to an outstanding North American Catholic.
We are now accepting nominations for next year’s Isaac Hecker Award!
Please consider nominating a North American Catholic committed to peace and justice. Deadline is Dec 1.
All guidelines can be found on our website at: https://www.paulistcenter.org/hecker-award/ Send nominations to Susan Rutkowski, Pastoral Minister of Family Religious Education and Social Justice: susan@paulistcenter.org
Recipients have included locally and nationally recognized women and men – lay people, sisters, priests, and bishops. Isaac Hecker, the founder of the Paulist Fathers, was particularly concerned with the growth and development of American Catholicism. Hecker and the early Paulists devoted themselves to mission preaching and communication of the Word of God.
Prayer and Action in Troubled Times: Lessons from Catholic Social Teachings
The first sessions at the beginning of September were a smash hit! Please join us for future sessions this fall (see below) as we reflect on key documents that have challenged and inspired our faith tradition over time. We will learn about them and consider what insights and actions they inspire as we face myriad assaults on social justice today. Raúl E. Zegarra, a community member and Asst. Prof. of Roman Catholic Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School, will lead the sessions.
Future Meeting Dates:
- Nov 23 @ 11am (Auditorium)
- Feb 8 @ 7pm (Library)
- April 12 @ 7pm (Library)
- May 31 @ 11am (Auditorium)June 7 – Time & Location TBA
Christmas Flowers To Honor Your Loved Ones
Honor your loved ones, living or deceased, by making a donation towards the Christmas decorations with which we’ll adorn the Chapel. The suggested donation is $10.
Contributions can be made:
- at the front desk Mon – Fri from 10:30am – 4:30pm
- by going to Donate Online, and choose “Flower Donation” and note who it is “in honor of, or in memory of”
- by using the envelopes in the pews which will be available starting Nov 29/30.
Please write legibly when notating your loved ones’ names.
The Wednesday Night Supper Club Holiday Gift Drive
We are collecting new hats, gloves, scarves, and socks of all sizes to prepare small gifts for our guests this holiday season. Items can be dropped off by Sun, Dec 21 at the Paulist Center. Contact supperclubfood@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering. Thank you!
Food Crisis
Our Food Pantry is mobilizing to fill our shelves as those in need come to our doors. Please consider bringing in, or sending, extra non-perishable food such as: ramen noodles, hearty soup and chili, protein bars, nuts, pasta, beans, canned veggies and fruits, shelf-stable milk, coffee, tea, and snacks.
Gift cards to grocery stores are also valuable, as they allow our guests to purchase perishable items as well.
The 4 most requested: Whole Foods ~ Trader Joe’s ~ Star Market ~ Stop & Shop Gift cards can be mailed to Susan Rutkowski here at the Center, or dropped off.
Thank you in advance as we continue to fight for human dignity during this challenging time in our nation.
Seeking Help with our Marriage Preparation Program
Once again, I am asking you for help with our Marriage Preparation program, which we offer to 400-600 couples through the Archdiocese of Boston each year. In addition to seeking Paulist Center couples who can present during the marriage preparation sessions, we need individuals who can assist by greeting/checking in folks (Friday evening), setting up materials and food (Saturday morning), and cleaning up materials and food (Saturday late afternoon). Each of these tasks needs 1-2 people for less than 2 hours. Interested in learning more? If so, please contact Fr. Rick at rick@paulistcenter.org. Thank you for your consideration.
Stewardship
The Paulist Center receives no funding from outside sources. All costs to operate our ministries for both members and the wider Boston community, maintain the building, and pay our staff are supported solely by your financial donations. We are so grateful for your financial support! See paulistcenter.org/give/ways-to-give for a variety of ways to give to the Paulist Center.
Two options include:
Give a one-time or recurring donation using your bank account or credit card by visiting tinyurl.com/DonatePaulistCenter or scanning the QR code on this page outlined in blue. You can use this method for donations for specific programs, too, and, if you are a registered member with us, these donations will be included in a year-end tax statement sent to you for any donations that are tax deductible per IRS regulations. Giving by this method helps us with our budgeting and stewardship efforts.
Use Apple Pay or Google Pay by visiting donorbox.org/paulistcenter, scanning the QR code on the red cards in the pews, or scanning the QR code on this page outlined in red. Please note that these donations will not be included in any year-end giving tax records, and they solely support our general operations.
Community Gift
The Paulist Center gives 5% of our annual offertory to 52 other charitable organizations with missions consonant with our own. These organizations receive an equal amount from our annual offertory.
The weekend of Nov 15 and 16 we raise up the Retired Religious Sisters, in recognition of the ministry they have provided to us in the Archdiocese of Boston, and for us to help provide for their healthcare needs. Should you wish to make an additional donation, there will be envelopes in the pews. Make checks out to the “Paulist Center” and write “Retired Religious Sisters” in the check memo line.
Mass Intentions
Please stop by the reception area during the week, email Sal Whooley at sal@paulistcenter.org, or call 617-742-4460, if you would like to arrange for a Mass and/or purchase a Mass card:
- in memory of someone who has died,
- in honor of a special occasion,
- or for the special intentions of yourself or a loved one
Paulist Center Rosary Circle
All are welcome to the Paulist Center Rosary Circle which meets every Monday at 7:30pm via Zoom. ID: 487 503 158; passcode: 021078.
Do you have a special intention that you would like the Paulist Center Community to pray for? Our weekly Rosary Circle is happy to include your intentions (may be anonymous). Go here for the form.
Low-Gluten Hosts
Low-gluten hosts are available upon request. Please see the presider in the Chapel or Sacristy fifteen minutes before Mass and indicate where you will be seated in the Chapel so the communion minister in that section will have the low-gluten host for you at communion.
Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Direction is an opportunity for one to reflect and share one’s life and prayer experience and be guided in one’s search for God. Spiritual Direction is available at the Center from Sister Kathleen Hagerty, CSJ, or Christopher O’Rourke.
Sister Kathleen can be reached at 617-755-9729.
Christopher can be reached at 617-817-3977.