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10/1/2021

Prayer at the Time of a Pandemic

October 1, 2021

Dear Companions on the Journey,

Many months ago — May 2020, I think — we prayed this “Prayer at the Time of a Pandemic”:

Lord Jesus, who promised to remain with us always,
When information overwhelms us
and fear overtakes us,
speak to us again those comforting words,
“Peace be with you.”
Though we cannot be physically close to others
give us the ability and courage
to love as well as we can,
since “perfect love casts out all fear.”
Direct your caring gaze on doctors and nurses,
researchers and safety personnel;
Come to strengthen the sick, the vulnerable,
and comfort those who are grief stricken.
And when the pandemic has passed,
and this frightening crisis is resolved,
teach us to know You more certainly
as our dearest Friend and our only Hope.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
One God, forever and ever. Amen.

And please set aside 1pm, Sunday, October 17th. NB: It’s very important to register (see link below) so that 1) We have an idea as to how many might come, and 2) you may submit the names of persons our community can pray for:

For All We’ve Lost: 
A Prayer Service of Remembrance and Reconnection 
Sunday, October 17 @ 1:00 pm in the Boston Common,  
directly across the street from the Paulist Center.

Join us for a time of prayer, song, and reflection, as we come together to grieve our individual and communal losses during the pandemic: a time to remember those who have died, for those who have experienced a loss of employment, and for all who have faced illnesses; for the loss of the ability to come together in our Chapel for worship, companionship, and communal support, for our shared grief and anxiety around the uncertainties with regard to our work life and school life – for the loss of safety, social connections, and personal freedoms. And, finally, to remember that through all the tumult and strife, we are a people of hope.
If you plan on attending and/or if you have lost a loved one during the pandemic and would like the person’s name read at the prayer service, please let us know here.
Bring your own chairs if you are able. We will have some available.
Please remain after the service to socialize and reconnect with friends. Individually-wrapped snacks and drinks will be offered.
No rain date. Check the Center website and Facebook page by 11 am the day of if weather is questionable.
This prayer service is being offered by the Center staff to our Paulist Center Community in response to the poignant losses shared in our community survey and to offer us an outdoor gathering opportunity before the colder weather arrives.
For the safety of all, we are requesting everyone to mask.
We wish to say “farewell” and “Godspeed” to our Young Adult Minister from this last year. Coming on board in the midst of the pandemic was certainly a challenge. John Morton, while finishing his degree at Boston College, gathered our young adults both virtually and, later, in person. We are so grateful for his leadership in these precarious times. He now joins the staff at the Blue Hills Collaborative for a fulltime position. Thank you, John! May God bless you in your new ministry.
October is ProLife Month
Here are some ways of supporting life in our area: Helping new Afghan families in the Boston Area; supporting our Haitian brothers and sisters (Cardinal Sean’s letter on our Haitian brothers and sisters); Saying “No” to Physician Aided Suicide; Supporting women who have had abortions through Project Rachel Retreats; helping free William Allen by demonstrating. (The Immigration Advocacy Group is developing, on concert with Catholic Charities, ways that we can support our new Afghan neighbors.)

UPDATES

Masks & Covid variants
Out of an abundance of caution, we are requiring that all persons in the Paulist Center wear a mask.
Due to the increase of COVID-19 cases, especially from the Delta variant, we are asking that everyone wear a mask as a way of caring for, and protecting one another.
The Sunday bulletin is online at the Paulist Center website. We hope that you will open it with these links to see more about what is happening now at the Paulist Center Community.
* * * * * * * *
This Sunday, we celebrate the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The 10am Mass will be Live-Streamed from the Chapel, (available as recording at same link after 11:15am):
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.
Paulist Center Families’ 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 10am, Sunday, October 3 
  • Here is the Zoom link:
  • Meeting ID: 954 8912 2269; Passcode: 324485
Paulist Center Rosary Circle @ 7:30pm every Monday
  • Here’s the Zoom Link
  • Meeting ID: 487 503 158; Passcode: 021078
  All are welcome!

Mass times

Should you feel comfortable, you are invited to join your fellow Paulist Center Community members for in-person Liturgies:
  • Saturday @ 5pm
  • Sunday @ 10am
  • Sunday @ 6pm
  • Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 7:55am 
  • Tuesday and Thursday, 12:05pm  
Worshiping In-Person at the Paulist Center Chapel…
As mentioned above, we are returning to the requirement that everyone wear a mask while in the Paulist Center.   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.
*    *    *    *    *
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
*    *    *    *    *
Ways of Giving:
We are so very grateful for your support during this time of uncertainty and financial peril. Here are two ways to give:
  • 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!
We continue our “Community Gift” – the Paulist Center’s tradition of giving away 5% of our weekend offerings, averaged out over the year — to a group outside of ourselves. This week we lift up Project Hope which works in partnership with women and families in the Dorchester and Roxbury neigh-borhoods on their journeys up and out of poverty. They do this by being a catalyst for change in the lives of families, devel-oping and providing programs and family support solutions to alleviate poverty and homelessness.
We thank you for your generosity.
 *    *    *    *    *
We conclude 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, Norm, John, Dorothy, Barbara, Rob, Alvaro, and Sal. Please feel free to call upon your Pastoral Ministers if you wish.