st. john neumann church - sjnfreetown.org · 7/15/2018 · 9:30am –melissa duarte by family...
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St. John Neumann Church 157 Middleboro Road / P.O. Box 718 East Freetown, MA
www.sjnfreetown.org
508-763-2240 (phone) 508-763-3040 (Fax)
Rev. Gregory A. Mathias, Pastor
Regular Assistance rendered by
Rev. Richard Furlong
Deacon Bruce Bonneau, Permanent Deacon
WEEKEND MASS SCHEDULE
8:00, 9:30, 11:00A.M.
Saturday Vigil: 4:00 P.M.
DAILY MASS SCHEDULE
Monday – Thursday: 7:30 A.M.
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
Saturday: 3:00 – 3:45 P.M.
Welcome to St. John Neumann Parish.
Thank You for joining us in worship today.
We hope you will join us on the spiritual journey,
in ministry to all God’s people. Please contact
the parish office for information on how to
register as a member of our parish.
PARISH OFFICE / RECTORY 508-763-2240
Monday – Friday: 8:30 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.
(Closed holidays)
Diane Whelan Parish Secretary
OFFICE OF FAITH FORMATION 508-763-8122
Michelle D’Ordine Director
YOUTH MINISTRY OFFICE 508-763-4735
Lisa Johnson Confirmation/Youth Ministry
MUSIC MINISTRY
Charles Dillingham Director
MAINTENANCE AND FACILITIES
Raymond Bedard /Raymond Galuska
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time July 15, 2018 Saturday, July 14:Vigil:15th Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:00 PM – People of the Parish
Sunday, July 15: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00AM – Rod & Gertrude Lussier by Glenn & Pat Demanche 9:30AM –Melissa Duarte by family 11:00AM – Antone Valero by family
Monday, July 16: Weekday 7:30AM – Frank Busnengo by Salome Cordeiro
Tuesday, July 17: Weekday 7:30AM – Claire Michaud by Bob & Diane Larkin
Wednesday, July 18: Weekday 7:30 AM – Doris Boivin—2nd Ann. by husband Butch
Thursday, July 19: Weekday 7:30AM – Ed Dube by Romeo & Lucille Messier
Saturday, July 21:Vigil:16th Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:00 PM – Daniel Cardoza by family
Sunday, July 22: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00AM – Bill & Yvonne Howard by family 9:30AM –Tracy Renoir by Bob & Inez Roy 11:00AM – John O’Toole by family
Stop in Neumann Hall after the 8:00AM and 9:30AM Mass and enjoy Coffee & Donuts!!
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
Mary, Mother of All Nations Chapel is open on
Weekdays from 8:00 am to 8:00pm
(excluding holidays).
Eucharistic Adoration is available on Mondays & Thursdays from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. WeShare (Online Giving)
If you would like to enroll in Online Giving, please
visit www.sjnfreetown.org and click on “Donate
Online”. With WeShare, you can set up a recurring
weekly or monthly transactions using your checking,
savings or credit card. Any questions about WeShare,
please contact the parish office at 508-763-2240.
Contributions made in the month of June:
Weekly Collection- $ 8515.00
Maintenance - $ 456.00
Energy - $ 445.00
Your Offertory Trust Thank you for your Parish Support
through your Offertory Trust.
BUDGET: $ 5589.10 Energy: $ 1899.00
You are invited to our next one-day Silent Retreat:
Summer Day of Silence with the Masters
Saturday, July 21st – 9:30 am. to 3:30 p.m.
at the Camphouse and on Church property
Come, spend a day of summer quiet taking in the
teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, with Brother Sun
and Sister moon and the stars. Give praise through
Brothers Wind and Air, Sister Water and Brother
Fire and all of Mother Earth.
Bring a bag lunch; beverages will be provided.
For more information, contact Karen Howard
[email protected] or 508-947-0193.
LISTENING SESSIONS
We still have availability for our July 18th and August
22nd Listening Sessions. The Youth Ministry will
have members available in the Hall to watch and play
games with the younger children while the parents
attend these important informational sessions. To
register, please go to our website www.sjnfreetown.org
and click on the link or there are registration forms
available in the Narthex.
Space is limited, so register today !!
Worldwide Marriage Encounter
Jesus is asking us to go out two by two and proclaim His good news. Strengthen your relationship, rekindle
your romance and renew your sacrament by attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. The next Weekends are Sep 15-16, 2018 in Medway, MA and
Dec 7-9, 2018 in Duxbury, MA. For more information, call Stephen & Michelle O'Leary at 800-710-9963 or visit them at https://wwmema.org
From the Pastor’s Desk…..
Toxic Truth Deficiency
Have you ever wanted to throw a brick through your television? I have in mind the peddling of retail products which make such outrageous and sensational claims that they can only be regarded as outright lies and shameless deceit. I have written on the topic before, and I do so again because it is so deeply concerning to me.
I have in mind quasi medical products which “guarantee” to grow back lost hair or restore virility or improve brain function. It is obvious to any reasonable person that if it were as easy as popping a pill, our medical doctors ---scientists in their own right--- would be prescribing these things and making our woes go away. These are lies generated by professional liars!
They are also an easy target for me to write more broadly on the “structuralizing” of deceit and lying in our world today. The world of advertising and marketing is rife with this sort of thing. But most of it is manifest in subtle ways which grate on me, (and, perhaps on you too.).
When I go to the bank and stand in line waiting for the next available teller, I scan the environment with my eyes and what do I see? I see random posters of people conducting themselves in some idyllic version of life: They are always stock photos of models, male and female, with perfect teeth, flying kites or sailing boats or grilling in the back yard in perfect, serene, prosperity. I suppose I am to infer that this is the life that the bank will provide for me as long as I maintain my minimum balance. Ugh! Give me another brick.
A decade ago some news pundit coined the term “spin doctor.” It was a moniker designating some political operative who created a cleverly crafted narrative to suit his or her own agenda and then proceeded to plant it in the news stream. The new term, championed by the current President, is “fake news,” (though I would want to apply it much more broadly than he does.) It’s not just misinformation or alternative-truth we are talking about here; it is lies and the active corruption of society through the normalization of lying. Give me a truckload of bricks!
I am in danger of becoming an old curmudgeon if I don’t temper this reflection with faith and hope. But, I do see the normalization of lying as extremely toxic.
WYSIWYG
What you see is what you get. The acronym formed from the first letters of that phrase was adopted in the early days of personal computing to describe something we take for granted today; that what you saw on the screen of the computer is what would actually print out on the piece of paper.
I strive to be a WYSIWYG person in my every day living. I don’t want to live a lie or put forth misleading information about myself. Within the limits of prudence, I want to be transparent to others so that they need not worry about agendas or ulterior motives and such. This means an active check on my ego, (my false self or, as one spiritual writer puts it, “my pride form.”).
I love the Gospel passage wherein Jesus encounters Nathaniel under a tree and declares, “Ah! Here is a true Israelite. In him there is no guile!” (John 1:45, In some translations it reads “In him there is no duplicity!”) Even though this is a relatively minor scene within the whole of the Gospel, Jesus exclamation is striking: He seems refreshed or soothed by the character of Nathaniel. He is WYSIWYG in the best possible sense: He is not crafty or devious or cunning or wily. He will not stab you in the back or use you. Wouldn’t you want the Lord to say that about you?
Obviously, WYSISYG can be a bad thing and refer to a genuinely evil person who does not bother to hide or cloak his evil. I am assuming goodness and a dedication to rigorous honesty as I adopt that awkward acronym. Throwing bricks is, clearly, not the solution to the toxic obfuscation and denial of truth which permeates our world today. But, I want to believe that our rigorous dedication to truth in our personal and communal lives can make a difference. I requires critical thinking, prayer and reflection to hack through the jungle of lies and deceit. But, recall the Lord who says “Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’ Anything else is from the evil one.”