the parish family of our lady of perpetual help · birthright offers help and alternatives to...
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as the Mother Church of Polonia in the
Greater New Bedford Area
235 North Front Street, New Bedford,
Massachusetts 02746
Phone: 508-992-9378
Fax: 508-993-4881
www.olphchurchnb.org
PARISH MISSION STATEMENT: As a Parish Family, we strive to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ and emulate Him through
His teachings. We honor Mary our Mother and promote a strong community through service and ministry. We extend our
hands and open our hearts to embrace all people in unity, young and old, wishing to join us in worshipping together as a Parish
Family in the spirit of Franciscan Joy, Peace and Love.
Conventual Franciscan Friars: Father Conrad Salach, O.F.M. Conv., Pastor
Masses: Saturday (Lord's Day Vigil) ...........................4:00 PM
Sunday Bi-Lingual English-Polish.............. 10:00 AM
Monday-Saturday ..........................................7:30 AM Holy Day ........................................Please consult the bulletin
Devotions: Rosary: Lord's Day before Mass
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament:
First Fridays after Mass Divine Mercy Novena:
Good Friday to Easter Saturday
OLPH Triduum: June 24, 25, 26
Parish Registration: If you are new to the area, we welcome you to join
our Parish Family. Please introduce yourself after Mass or at the rectory.
Baptism: Kindly consult with the Pastor at least a month in advance.
Baptism Preparation Class is required.
Reconciliation: Confessions are heard before Saturday morning and
Saturday evening Masses and at other times upon request.
Marriage: Kindly consult with the Pastor one year before your planned
wedding date.
Anointing of the Sick: Kindly advise Father Conrad of your impending
operation or current hospital stay, so that you can receive this sacrament of healing.
Ministry to Parishioners Confined to Home: Housebound parishioners are urged to notify Father Conrad of your desire to receive
the sacraments.
The Parish Family of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP NEW BEDFORD, MA.
THIS WEEK THE CHURCH CEELBRATES two
saints of the Franciscan Order.
St. Leonard of Port Maurice (November 26th),
proponent of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament and devotion to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, the Stations of the Cross, and the Immaculate
Conception.
Destined for a career in medicine, he decided,
instead, to become a Franciscan. After his ordination,
Leonard expected to be sent to the Chinese
missions, but a bleeding ulcer redirected him to a
forty-year preaching ministry throughout his native
Italy, where he drew such large crowds that the
churches could not accommodate them all, so he
preached in the plazas and in the open fields. St.
Alphonsus Liguori called Leonard “the great
missionary of the 18th century.”
St. Francis Anthony Fasani (November 27), in
his various ministries as teacher to the younger
friars, pastor, sought-after confessor and preacher,
was loving, devout, and penitential.
One witness at the canonical hearings regarding his
holiness testified, “In his preaching he spoke in a
familiar way, filled as he was with love for God and
neighbor; fired by the Spirit, he used the word
and deed of Holy Scripture to stir his listeners and
move them to do penance.” Francis showed himself
to be a loyal friend of the poor, never hesitating to
seek from benefactors what he needed to help them.
The holiness of St. Francis Anthony resulted from
many small decisions to cooperate with God’s grace.
PURGATORY is the final step of purification, because
even the greatest saint had many flaws. God, in
essence, says to the souls in purgatory, “Let me
help you finally overcome them.”
Purgatory is a place of joy-filled hope. Exactly how
the process works is known only by God. But we do
know that, just as we pray for one another here on
earth, we pray for each other after we die. So, we
pray for those who have died who were close to
us, and they pray for us, too.
OUR PARISH “THANKSGIVING” MASS will be
celebrated this Tuesday evening, November 26th,
at 5:30. This will be the only Mass on Tuesday.
Our Thanksgiving Day Mass will be celebrated at
the usual weekday time, 7:30 a.m.
CHOOSE LIFE!...The Birthright Baby Bottle Project
is still underway here. This is an opportunity for our
parish families to have hands-on involvement with
a ministry that saves the lives of unborn children
and makes a forever difference in their mothers’ lives.
Birthright offers help and alternatives to abortion to
any girl or woman distressed by an unplanned or
untimely pregnancy. They offer free pregnancy
testing, non-judgmental advice, emotional support,
legal & medical & educational referrals, prenatal
information, baby clothes, housing and social
agency referrals, and adoption information. The
staff is all volunteer; nobody is paid. And everything
is handled with utmost confidentiality.
We are all invited to take a baby bottle from the
table at each of the church entrances, fill it with
loose change, currency, or a check and return it to
church. Birthright will pick up the bottles.
THE 2020 PARISH CALENDARS have arrived. We
thank Richard for so kindly providing us, again, as
he does every year, with beautiful Franciscan-themed
wall calendars.
OPLATKI are available at the church entrances
and in the parish office. The suggested offering is
$3 for an envelope containing five wafers.
A GREAT CHRISTMAS begins with a Great Advent.
The awesome 2019 program from Dynamic Catholic
is yours—FREE—for the taking. Short daily videos
will be delivered to your e-mailbox each day of
Advent, beginning next Sunday, December 1st.
For all the information you will want or need, simply
go to dynamiccatholic.com/best-advent-ever Once
you decide to sign up, invite your family and friends
to join you for BEST ADVENT EVER to brighten
their Advent and Christmas, too!
34TH SUNDAYS ORDINARY TIME Nov. 24, 2019
Sat.- Nov. 23 - 34th Sunday Ordinary Time
4:00 PM +Annamarie St. Pierre Req. Ann Bodzioch Robinson
Sun.-Nov. 24 - 34th Sunday Ordinary Time 10:00 AM ++Polish Women’s Business
& Professional Club
Mon.- Nov.25– Weekday No Mass today
Tues.- Nov.26- St. Leonard of Port Maurice
5:30 PM OLPH Parishioners, Living & Deceased
Wed.- Nov. 27 - St. Francis Anthony Fasani
7:30 AM Health Req. Ed N. & Steve G.
Thurs. –Nov. 28 - Thanksgiving Day 7:30 AM ++Souls of Purgatory
Friday - Nov. 29 - Weekday
7:30 AM God’s Blessings for Safe Travel
Sat.- Nov. 30 - St. Andrew
7:30 AM In Thanksgiving Req.Cynthia & Armindo Linhares
Sat.- Nov. 30 - First Sunday in Advent
4:00 PM +Phyllis LeBlanc Req. Charles LeBlanc
Sun.- Dec. 1 - First Sunday in Advent
10:00 AM +Leo Ewaszko Req. Roger & Pat Leclerc
Sisters and Brothers of Our Parish Family,
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat
by his feet. He held up a sign that read, “I am blind, please help.”
There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man passing by dropped in some loose change.
Then taking the sign and turning it around, he wrote something on it that everyone who passed by would
see.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon,
the man who had changed the sign returned to see how things were.
The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were
you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write.?”
The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what
you said, but in a different way. I wrote, ’Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it.’ ”
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But
that’s all the first sign said. The second sign reminded people how lucky they were that they
were not blind. Is it any surprise that the second sign was more effective?
The moral of the story: We need to be thankful for
what we have; we must be creative and think positively. When life gives us 10 reasons to cry, we
ought to show life 100 reasons to smile.
Gratitude is a habit—a way of looking at the world and all the good things in it with appreciation, even
if some things could be better.
It is simply being at peace with oneself and with what we have. Practicing gratitude attracts even
more into our lives for which we can be thankful.
Happy Thanksgiving!
With Peace and Blessings,
Father Conrad