THE FEAST OF THE ASCENSION, A HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION IS ON THURSDAY, MAY 26. MASS TIMES ARE 9:00 AM AND 7:00 PM
LET US CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR PEACE IN THE UKRAINE AND ALL WAR-TORN AREAS OF THE WORLD
Welcome to St. Anne's Parish
We are a Catholic Christian community rich in a tradition of giving and caring for its Church and its people.
Through the course of each year, hundreds of parishioners volunteer their time and talents for the many special events and celebrations within our Parish.
In addition, many of our parishioners are active on an ongoing basis in the ministries we see and experience every week as well as in those ministries that are not so outwardly visible.
2 Corinthians 9:6 "Whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
From Deacon Bill's Desk
It was a sunny winter afternoon on February 20. The Cathedral of St. Paul was well attended, with the main pews about 75% full, in my estimation. Bishop McManus celebrated Mass and confirmed 35 adults across the diocese. St. Anne's Parish was blessed to have three of our own parishioners receive the sacrament on this day. As the ceremony proceeded along, you could feel the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit in the Cathedral as the gifts of the Holy Spirit poured down upon the candidates. How awesome it was to be there and bear witness to this encounter with God. It reminds me of how the Apostles and the large crowd must have felt when the Holy Spirit descended upon them at Pentecost.
Every day that passes by gives us opportunities to encounter God in new and different ways. God is present in the simple activities of the day, like He was when He whispered to Elijah on Mount Horeb and guided and comforted him. God is present in those moments when we help someone in need. God is present in those times when we are feeling vulnerable and troubled. God is present and offers His graces whenever we celebrate any of the sacraments: Reconciliation, Baptism, Marriage, Holy Eucharist, and so on.
During this year's Lenten season, let’s all be mindful of God's presence in our lives through our interaction with others, through the Church, and through prayer. Let’s take the opportunity to deepen our relationship with God and receive His graces through the sacraments, especially Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist. When we allow ourselves to be open to God's graces, we move closer to Him and to one another.
May we receive God's blessings in abundance this Lenten season as we prepare ourselves to observe the most beautiful and holy celebration of Christ's resurrection at Easter. Have a peaceful and spiritually rich Lent.
P.S. Speaking of encounters with God, I would like to thank everyone for the words of encouragement, prayers, and overwhelming support you have given me as I assumed the administrative needs of the parish. Your prayerful presence gave me the strength I needed to work through some difficult challenges. Jesus said that "where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Thank you for allowing Jesus to be present in our midst. Praise God!
That God in his infinite love and mercy bring healing to Sheila Rousseau
For Laurie, that God's loving hands may rest upon her and bring her healing
For the repose of the soul of Jimmy who has passed from this life to God's eternal kingdom
For Lorraine as she grieves the passing of her son
That God in his infinite love and mercy bring healing to Tara Slavin Bowden and Joy Chartier
For Joe Zecco, that Jesus' healing and loving hands rest on him and return him to good health
For the safety and well-being of my granddaughter Kira
For the peaceful repose of the souls of Hien Nguyen, Debra Frost, Dennis Foley , Mary Barbara Smith, Michelle Savageau McKinstry, Dee Freeburn, Doris Maffioli and Irene Bleau. May they live in God's everlasting light.
For God's healing hand to rest upon Ron Whittle as he recovers
For help in my prayer life and that love, truth and above all the good of God always triumph
That Jesus to grant me the grace to forgive, for contrition of my sins, and for the grace to be reunited with Him in Holy Communion and to come back to God
For a special request
For healing and reconciliation in my broken family and that the Lord will heal Peter from the depression that has a strong grip on him, touch his heart and guide him back home to me
That God lift the injustice that I am enduring and protect our family in our suffering.
For improved health and God's peace and joy in my brother's heart
For the healing of Diane Nault and God's peace and comfort for her and her family
For a complete recovery from pancreatic cancer for Carol Larsen
Comfort for Christine Thomas and her family as she battles ALS
Pray that the hand of Jesus will reach out to Jessica Martin and wipe away the cancer that she is fighting
For B. McGinley
For the healing of Pat H.
For the healing of Tim Mahoney
For an end to the coronavirus pandemic and continued successful vaccine distribution
For the front-line workers who are risking their lives during the coronavirus pandemic
For all who suffer from COVID-19, especially St. Anne's parishioners, their families, and friends
For all who died from COVID-19, that their souls rest in peace, and for all who mourn the loss of their loved ones
Are caterpillars told of their impending resurrection? How in dying they will be transformed from poor earth-crawlers to creatures of the air, with exquisitely painted wings? If told, do they believe? Is it conceivable to them that so constricted an existence as theirs should burgeon into so gay and lightsome a one as a butterfly's? I imagine the wise old caterpillars shaking their heads-no, it can't be; it's a fantasy, self-deception, a dream. Similarly our wise ones. Yet in the limbo between living and dying, as the night clocks tick remorselessly on, and the black sky implacably shows not one single streak or scratch of gray, I hear those words: I am the resurrection and the life, and feel myself to be carried along on a great tide of joy and peace.
Author: Malcolm Muggeridge
St. Anne's Church
130 Boston Turnpike
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
It was a sunny winter afternoon on February 20. The Cathedral of St. Paul was well attended, with the main pews about 75% full, in my estimation. Bishop McManus celebrated Mass and confirmed 35 adults across the diocese. St. Anne's Parish was blessed to have three of our own parishioners receive the sacrament on this day. As the ceremony proceeded along, you could feel the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit in the Cathedral as the gifts of the Holy Spirit poured down upon the candidates. How awesome it was to be there and bear witness to this encounter with God. It reminds me of how the Apostles and the large crowd must have felt when the Holy Spirit descended upon them at Pentecost.
