St. Nicholas ASL 2007

Christmas People,

I hope you are still enjoying the Christmas Season.  It started with the great Mass of Christ's Birth on the 25th and now continues all the way to the Epiphany.  I hope we keep celebrating for the entire time!  What a pity to miss out on all the joy the Church directs us to have for these weeks.

There are many things developing in these last few days.  We are going to try to finallize things for the trip to World Youth Day this Monday.  Four of us from Boston will represent you all before the Pope and the young Catholics of the World.  We can't wait to meet the young deaf catholic communities of the world!  We are also working with BC TV to have their popular rosary program captioned.  Say a prayer that we get this to work.  Ghislain has been welcomed well by you all and will fly back on the 4th.  It has been great to have him here.  Not only have I enjoyed his preaching but I have been happy to have his advice as I work to serve you.

This Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, this Sunday that is, it is my hope to try to pray more of the prayers from the middle.  I got some good feedback that it would make sense to pray from there.  I agree.  I wasn't leading the prayers from the chair at the beginning for any particular reason.  It is so good to get feedback.  Please keep it coming.

It has been great to have Shawn our seminarian with us.  I hope that you see his interview on the website as well as Deacon Ghislains.

Confirmation Class continues to go well.  We invite you to come and visit sometime if you are interested.  You can sit with the parents to see what class is like. We welcome Tyler our newest student

We also have good news about our help of Fr. Joseph Kadavil from India.  I am going to visit him today to get the details of how we can send him money to support his school for the deaf in India.  The confirmation students has the chance to interview him last Sunday.  They were very interested.  One comment was interesting.  One of the students said that his school sounded just like the one in India.  One difference was daily prayer.  In India they have Mass every morning and Rosary every night.

If you would like to contribute directly you can do so through the address:

Our Lady's Peace Home for the Blind and Deaf
Enathu P.O.
Adoor (via), Kerala-691526
India

Make Checks payable:

Fr. Joseph Kadavil


Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. St. Martin

Interview with Seminarian Shawn Carey

Candy Cane - Why is it designed?

My friend Colby likes this video. I like it myself. Hope it brings you closer to our Lord, born for us in a kind of farm house, why? to save us.

Deacon Ghislain Hello

Advent People,

 

We are looking forward with hopeful hearts to the great celebration of Christmas.  It is wonderful to see you all so excited.  I must say again how great it has been to see you all working so hard to care for the poor at this time of year!  Jesus is with us especially in the poor.  We are truly worshiping him at Mass.  How do we know this?  He is giving us his spiritual gifts to bring about His kingdom on earth.  You are showing the results of the Spirit by the generosity and kindness that overflows from the gifts God continues to poor out upon you through the sacraments.

 

There are two things among a million that I will have time to share at this time.  First:  Deacon Ghislain is a great blessing.  He has helped us by helping encourage and teach our Catechumen Mr. James Jones.  He has helped us by encouraging Mr. Jones's sponsor Mr. Bruce Bucci and his family.  What a great family and what a great experience to be able to see Deacon Ghislain meet and encourage them.

 

The second thing has to do with an upcoming event after Christmas.  Here are the details:

 

New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, Cardinal Sean O'Malley O.F.M. will celebrate Mass on New Year's Eve for the Feast of Mary, Mother of God, 10:30 p.m.(Adoration) and 11:30 p.m. (celebration of the Eucharist). A reception will follow.
For more information call 781-891-1730 or 617-997-8025 for ASL questions.

 

All the diocese is invited to this so I there will be access for people who are deaf.  There will be an interpreter.  I think this will be a good thing for all of you to enjoy.

 

Check the website for all the different Masses available that will be interpreted on the Celebration of Christmas.

 

Deacon Ghislain says, "I am happy to visit you in your homes.  I am looking forward to visiting Concord.  I am happy to meet people who would like to meet me.  Please come visit the seminary in California if you are ever around.  Christmas is close.  I hope you all have a good experience of yourselves and God through Jesus this Christmas. Thank you all."

 

I have the best news by the way.  The seminary in California has formally approved our stay in the seminary before we fly to Australia for World Youth Day!  Things are coming together.

 

What a great Christmas present!

 

In Christ who is coming soon and very soon,

 

Fr. St. Martin
 

Christmas Mass in American Sign Language
Mass Celebrated in ASL

December 24, 2007 -7:00PM

Sacred Heart Church, Newton Centre

Interpreted Christmas Mass

December 24, 2007

St. Bonaventure, Manomet-4:00PM

St.Partick Church, Stoneham-4:00PM

Holy Ghost Church,Whitman-6:00PM

Sacred Heart Church, Middleborough-6:00PM

Closed Captioned

CTV-December 25, 2007-9:00AM

Mass with Sean Cardinal O'Malley

Please join us !

Telephone or Text-617-746-5645

Senior Deaf Wellness Program January 08 - Google Docs

Senior Deaf Wellness Program January 08 - Google Docs

Cardinal Seán’s Blog » Beginning our Bicentennial Year

Albert prays a prayer of the faithfull at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross to help mark the celebration of the Archdiocese's 200th Anniversary!

The green link above will get you to the full story if you scrool down a bit.

Christian People,

 

I have been so happy to see the charity you all have shown through your generous and quiet giving of things to the poor.  This shows that you trully believe!   It shows so many things.  Jesus is the long awaited Messiah and it shows that you believe that he is just that.  How are you showing it?  It might be that you are showing it and you don't even know how exactly. 

 

First you must think about who the long awaited Messiah was supposed to be like.  The Old Testement Phrophets spoke of the Divine King who would be universal and eternal.  He would be the cosmic King who would establish God's Kingdom forever; overcome all evil for ever, bring the peace, justice, love that we all long for.  He would be God with us.

 

Sencond think of how this Messiah came.  He came as baby.  He was of a powerless family.  He was poor.  And yet we believe that this poor baby born in a kind of barn was the eternal King of King; that He is indeed God with us.  This is a strange think to believe from a certian point of view.  What kind of Savior King is poor and week?

 

But by grace we know and rejoice in it.  And it does change the world.  Now in an instant we know that the poor of this world are not being punnished by God, they are not cursed, they are not, despised by God.  We know now in an instant that weekness, vunlnerability, poverty are in some mysterious way a fitting, somehow, the most fitting trappings of the Messiah.

 

If we really worhip the Christ Child we will be attentive to  the words He will speak later in through the Gospels.  They tell us that he really does come for the poor.  He comes for the sinner.  He comes for the week and the lowely.  He come to with them.  This really is powerful and it has begun the kingdom of God here on Earth more then we know.  Now we see the poor and the week and the sinner and we see an opportunity to love.  Did you know that outside of Christ this is not what we have done or do as regards to the poor and the week and the sinner?

 

Outside of Christianity the plight of the poor has been and is neglect, abandonment, isolation, and exploitation.  The same happens now more and more in the places of the world that fail to recongnize Christ.  In our own city the poor are seen more as a problem to be solved rather than as persons to be loved and cherished.  Think of the poor public school girl who becoming pregnant is ushered through a system of guidence councellors and social workers that tell her they will help her become free and independent by killing her child.  This is the twisted logic of a world that cannot love.  It is the same world that rejects Christ and his Church.

 

But you have not.  You prepare now to bend your knee and, full of faith, worship God born for us as a baby.  You have been saved by Jesus born for us.  And you have, with excitement, played a part in bringing His Kingdom about by lovingly serving Him as you tried to lovingly be part of helping the poor this Christmas Season.

 

God Bless,

 

Fr. St. Martin

Santa is Coming!

ASL Santa Is Comming.  Snow is NOT a problem for him!  He might be a little late but that is O.K.  We can wait.

See you Soon

Holy Deacon Ghislain Has Arrived!

Christmas-Epiphany liturgical Schedule

SACRED HEART PARISH

NEWTON CENTRE

ADVENT/CHRISTMAS/EPIPHANY SEASON

DECEMBER 2, 2007 – JANUARY 13, 2008

ADVENT: " Be Watchful, Be Alert"

December 16 Sunday Parish Advent Party, P.C., 10-1pm

CHRISTMAS: "Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord"

December 22/ 23 Saturday/ Fourth Sunday of Advent; regular Mass schedule

Sunday

December 24 Monday Christmas Eve: Masses: 4PM (E),U.C., L.C.

7PM (ASL), U.C.

December 25 Tuesday Christmas: Masses: 12:01 AM, 10:00 AM (E),

(U.C. = upper church)

December 29/30 Saturday/ Feast of the Holy Family; regular Mass schedule

Sunday

2008

January 1 Tuesday Mary, Mother of God; Mass at 10:00 AM (E), U.C.

EPIPHANY: "The glory of the Lord shines upon you"

January 5/6 Saturday/ Feast of the Epiphany; regular Mass schedule

Sunday

January 12/13 Saturday/ Baptism of the Lord; regular Mass schedule

Sunday

CHANNEL 7 will CC the televised Mass at 9:00 am on Christmas Day.

Catecetical Congress

Part One of Catechetical Talk in 2007.mov

34 min 1 sec - Dec 12, 2007

Description: About Religious Education. This was from a conference given in the Archdiocese of Boston annually called "The Catechetical Congress" The speaker was a professor from Harvard University. He talked about the need for a personal relationship with Jesus. We need to know Him and Love Him so that we can know Him in a way to teach Him. This might be my personal spin on the ideas contained in this video however.

Senior Deaf Wellness Program

Click on the following link to view the video. I posted it so that you could see a prayer that is done in ASL halfway through. A member of our Deaf Community here in Boston did it and we are thankful for his good work:

Click here.

If the link does not work, please copy and paste this into your browser:
http://www.catholictv.org/Default.aspx?videoID=464

Hopeful People,

We are full of hope, especially as this time of Christ's Birthday Celebration approaches. The Children will be here at the parish Advent Party over at the Hall in great numbers. As little reminders of the Christ Child they serve us by being the joy filled receivers of gifts! Today we are so thankful to be able to give them our very own St. Nicholas! He is great at ASL! What a feat to be able to arrange his visit at such a busy time of year! I told him that if he needs any help getting presents to the children we might be able to help as long as he can keep track of what it they might be hoping to get.

In today's Gospel Jesus tells us that he is the fulfillment of the prophecy made by Isaiah over 400 years before his coming. He is the one that John the Baptist was preparing everyone for. How did it show at first? People started to understand God more fully. Jesus began to reveal the loving, and fantastic plan of God's loving salvation for us. People's minds began to open. They began to be set free from the broken spirits that left them crippled. They began to share in the joy of God's Kingdom.

We too are caught up in the continual unfolding of the Kingdom. The Trinity is working now to continue to enlighten our minds, to open the ears of our understanding, and set us free from the tyranny of sin.

I am looking forward to celebrating the mystery of Christmas with you even more because of our special guest. Ghislain! He is our Christmas Deacon, generously shared with us from the Diocese of San Francisco. I hope that you all take turns showing him a good welcome. We wouldn't want him returning to the West Coast with anything but praise for God in his heart.

Lastly, I have decided what I want for Christmas: A Helicopter. It would be so much fun to have one and would really make my commute to Braintree a breeze. Please let St. Nicholas know.

Yours,

Fr. St. Martin

On November 4, I was away for about 10 days. I went to Chile! The Franciscan Friars had a conference about issues of social justice and making peace. They call these issues "JPIC issues." There were Franciscan Friars from all over North America and South America. There were people who spoke Spanish, Portuguese and English. Some of the friars have worked for many years in the rainforests of Brasil and South America. As a group, we wanted to find a way to work together.

There is much pain in the world, and God calls Christians to help heal that pain. When we visited Villa Grimaldi we remembered this. At Villa Grimaldi the former dictator of Chile held and tortured people who opposed his government. Our guide, himself, was held there in the 1970's. It was a powerful, moving experience. My visit there inspired me to reflect on how I can challenge injustice in the world.

People's current relationship to the environment is a source of injustice. The conference heard God's call to consider global warming. It affects the whole world. What we do here in the United States also affects the North Pole, India, South America and other places. It is easy to let economic or political systems run the world. Economics and politics are not evil, but we have to use them with love. Sometimes we make decisions based only on how much money we can make. At those times we can forget that other people are involved. Many companies here in the United States and even the government make decisions about resources in South America. Sometimes we think that the world is good because people can use it and its resources. At those times we can forget that it is also good in its own right. We forget that God plans to save all creation and to bring it to fulfillment.

While we were at the conference, we were able to share in our work. But we also shared a lot of fun. We visited Santiago, the capital of Chile. We saw many sites and some of the Franciscan churches. We visited a vineyard and got to try some Chilean wine... VERY GOOD! As good Franciscans we spent some fun time in the evenings singing and chatting.

Kathy Carey has sorted all the candles you all ordered and they are ready to be picked up. I will have them for you all over in the convent this Sunday. Thank you Cheryl Johnston, Anne Folkard, Jason Botelho, Norma Tourangeau, Marge Tucker, Andrew DeFrancesco, Ronald St. Martin, Kathy Carey, Catherine Hanna, and Ms. Desimme. You did a great job. We raised about $600 for the community!

In Christ,

Fr. St. Martin

Wreaths!

Repentant People,

Today the Gospel tells us to repent.  I think of our 200th anniversary in the Archdiocese of Boston.  Sometimes our recient history in the Archdiocese can be leave us discouraged.  Sometimes we might see that in ourselves and we definitely have seen that discouragement in others around us.  This discouragement has contributed to some people's not coming to Church.

One thing that the two hundred year anniversary can help us to do is become more familiar with the bigger picture of our own history.  Did you know that there was a time in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts when it was illegal for a Catholic priest to even be here at all.  If one was discovered he was forced to leave and if he turned up again he could be killed!  Did you know that at first we only had about three priests.  The culture in the beginning of the Archdiocese was against us for sure.  Their used to be annual public protests against the Pope in Boston Common.  If my memory serves, I think it was the first convent, or at least one of the first, that was burned to the ground by anti catholic people and the sisters inside died.

The history of our young 200 year old diocese seems to be one with internal and external problems.  The internal problems are before us all the time now.  What does all this mean?  I find it helpful to look into the longer world history of the Church.  When you look at that you see that from the begging we were plauged by the same kinds of problems. 

We should remember that the Church's struggle with problems both external and internal is nothing new.  In our own lives the same is true.  We are a pilgrim people.  We are in a battle in this life.  This is the ordinary state of things in this world.

Today in the Gospel we need to repent.  We are not called to give up.  We need to set a good example for those who may have fallen by the way side.  We need to strengthen ourselves by standing again without fear before our merciful God and believe in his goodness.  He can help us back from anything.  He is God.  He made us.  He has shown us through his son that he can even bring us back even if we die.

Let us look again at our own sins.  Let us look at our own faults and try again as members of His Church to turn away from all that is bad and learn anew to do good.  Make this Advent a time of renewal for yourselves and you will help others to see the light of God's goodness once again.

Pray for our Catechumen, James Jones, and our confirmation students as they prepare to receive the full outpouring of the Spirit.  With them we will help to make history in such a way that many will be converted and know the love God has shown us in his beloved Son.

In Christ,

Fr. St. Martin

Food for our neighbors in need

Sacred Heart Parish in Newton Center is collecting food items. Please bring in food items for people in need. Sunday, December 9 Sacred Heart Parish will collect food. What do we need?

- Bottle of Cooking Oil

- Bag of Rice

- Box of Spaghetti

- Jar of Spaghetti Sauce

- Box of Cereal

- Jar of Peanut Butter

- Jar of Jam or Jelly

Could you bring one of these things in? If you want, you can bring more than one. Please bring them this coming Sunday, December 9 at Sacred Heart in Newton Center. This Sunday is the last day because the food will need to be delivered soon.

Advent People,

 

We are an advent people.  This means we are watching and waiting looking for the comming glory of the kingdom comming.  We are "staying up."  We are not falling asleep.  One of the things that has help me keep my candles lit was the great experience of support around the Mass on TV which was recorded live last Sunday.  Another thing is the enthusiasm and learning that is happening in the confirmation students I teach and in the Catechumen I am teaching.  The other things that is so enriching is the desision some have made to take the plung and join in the pilgrimage to Austraila.  This "World Youth Day 2008" will be a time to remember for years to come. 

 

There are a few things that will helps us remain watching and waiting for the fullness of the Kingdom.  We have some extra times of prayer comming up:  First, we have the Novena for Vocations.  This will be on Thursday, December 6th right here at Sacred Heart.  It will be a time for us to pray for our Seminarian Shawn Karey and for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.  It will be a time for us to pray for all who have not yet descerned their God given vocation, what ever that may be.  Second, we have the oppening Mass of the Bicentenial for the Archdioces of Boston at the Cathedral.  Fr. Mike Medas will be interpreting!  This will be on December 2nd at 2:00 p.m.  I am going to be arriving early and would love to give you a tour of the Cathedral in ASL if you would like.

 

 

Lastly, I have a question:

 

Christmas Mass in ASL ( as in the past) will be celebrated on Dec. 24, Mon., at 7 PM as the Vigil Mass at Sacred Heart Parish, Newton Centre, in the upper church; followed by a social in the parish center.

Question: Is there enough interest among people to attend an ASL Mass on Christmas morning, Dec. 25, Tues., at 11:30 AM at Sacred Heart Parish, Newton Centre, in the upper church.   Please reply to me by Dec. 2, 2007.    You can reply via the website.

  

 

There are more things of interest and ways to report your interest on the website.

 

Please take a look www.deafcatholic.org

 

Pray for the Church's Catecumens.

 

In Christ who is to come,

 

Fr. St. Martin

Advent People,

 

Christmas Mass in ASL ( as in the past) will be celebrated on Dec. 24, Mon., at 7 PM as the Vigil Mass at Sacred Heart Parish, Newton Centre, in the upper church; followed by a social in the parish center.

Question: Is there enough interest among people to attend an ASL Mass on Christmas morning, Dec. 25, Tues., at 11:30 AM at Sacred Heart Parish, Newton Centre, in the upper church.   Please reply to me by Dec. 2, 2007.   

 

Please Add Comments Below

 

Fr. St. Martin 

Novena for Vocations and Seminarian Sean

Novena for Vocations and Seminarian Sean

Re: Bulletin

Royal People,

 

Today is The Solemnity of Christ the King.  We think of power today.  Christ has it!  He is the great powerful lover.  His love from the throne of the cross crushes our enemies:  sin and death.  The great loving human heart of our mighty King undoes the Devil and his minions.  How?  Christ the King has stretched out is mighty arms on the cross and through a Majesty so great undoes all the raging and complicated work of the underworld by simply willing it; simply by loving; loving with a perfect human heart.

 

We who have come to believe in him are given a share in his kingdom.  We are anointed like Christ and, once confirmed, fully initiated into his very life.  This means that we too become kings.  If we are kings then we are powerful.  We have the power to have our own hearts become fully what they are, human.  We have the power to not be enslaved to sin but to be free to love.  We have the power to choose in union with the great Father in Heaven.

 

We thank the Father today for giving us Christ the King and for making us kings.  Please pray for the young men and women in this parish who are preparing to come into the fullness of their share in Christ's Power through confirmation.  Pray especially for our Catechumen, James, who will indeed be for us the newest member of our Royal family.

 

 

 

Through Christ,

 

Fr. St. Martin

 

 

On 11/18/07, parish <parish@sacredheart.ws> wrote:

Dear Fr. St. Martin and Michelle,

Just a reminder that anything you want in the November 25th bulletin needs to be submitted by Monday morning.  The bulletin has to be sent to the printer by Monday evening.

Thanks for your help.

Carol

A Letter from Fr. Paul Zirimenya to Boston,

Dear People of Boston,

Greetings from the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Fr. St. Martin has asked me to share with you a little on my work for the people of God. Here is a short summary: I began my formal assignment as Chaplain to the Deaf Community at St. Benedict's Parish/ St. Francis Xavier Church in San Francisco on July 1st. Fr. Xavier Lavagetto, O.P, the pastor of nearby St. Dominic Church and Fr. Bill Justice, the Vicar for Clergy are my mentors. I live at St. Gabriel's Church in the Sunset District of San Francisco, which is about 20 minutes drive from St. Benedict's.

St. Benedict's Parish is home to Deaf, Hearing and Japanese parishioners. Our masses are at 10:30AM every Sunday with Japanese Mass every third Sunday of the month at 11:00AM. We have weekday Mass on Tuesdays that includes majority of ASL class members. Masses on Holy Days of obligation during weeks are also celebrated at 12:00 Noon. As of October 1st, I already took on Administrative and Sacramental responsibilities.

Before taking on full responsibilities I had Masses of Thanksgiving in other dioceses where I had worked as a seminarian [which was also time for vacation]:
Mass of Thanksgiving was at St. Joseph's Center for the Deaf/ Holy Catholic Ethnic Mission in Union City on June 10th.
Mass of Thanksgiving with the Catholic Deaf Community of the Diocese of Orange County at St. Juliana's Catholic Church in Fullerton on June 24th.
Mass of Thanksgiving with Deaf Ministries, Archdiocese of Boston on August 5th at Sacred Heart Parish in Newton Center, MA and New England Home for the Deaf in Danvers, MA on August 8th.
Mass for Deaf Community at the Center for Deaf Ministries [which also houses NCOD offices], Archdiocese of Washington in Landover Hills, Maryland, on August 12th.

When I came back to St. Benedict's in mid August, I spent a great deal of time doing a need assessment. In addition to Administrative duties like fundraising, responding to mail, documents that need my signature or approval, responding to emails from Pastoral Staff and parishioners, crafting out homilies, preparation for masses, building inspections and fixings [lights, locks and leaks!, clocks, landmarks, flower garden and signposts], being around for birthday parties and Japanese socials and other parish events like Mega Sunday workshops etc etc..the most challenging part of my ministry during the week [sometimes on Sundays] has been sick calls and visits that fall beyond the boundaries of the Archdiocese - spreading into other dioceses like Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose and Santa Rosa. Sometimes I could spend a whole day driving because many of my parishioners regularly drive for hours to come for the morning Mass at 10:30AM and thus my visit to them during difficult times means a lot.

Technology has come in handy. I use a Video Phone and am able to communicate in Sign Language with people who are so far and need my urgent advise without necessarily having to drive to their homes. We are also in the process of developing a website for our parish so that parishioners who are far away have access to the parish events and also updating our parish Email Directory and a newsletter issued four times a year.
Apart from responsibilities here at St. Benedict's, I also assist with Deaf Ministry in Sacramento, twice a month with workshops and Mass twice a month.

So far I have had only one wedding -- Deaf and Mexican culture, one baptism and one Memorial service but we have lots of ill health. The Pastoral Staff mainly handle Religious Education for Children preparing for First Communion, R.C.I.A and they also prepare for our Liturgies. I personally handle baptism classes, Preparation and Grief Counseling. One of the good things has been my spirit of delegation and trusting the Pastoral Staff as well collaborating with them as co-workers in Ministry. We are also blessed with three parish interpreters. We shall have masses in Marin County starting next January every fourth Saturday of the month and then later on in San Mateo, every second Saturday of the month.

So far as a parish we have been planning [even if parking is still a problem] to have devotions like Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and reconciliation services. We also plan to have more retreats next year and develop program for Support Service Providers for our Deafblind parishioners for fuller participation. Our parish has many visitors, especially tourists to San Francisco and so we have placed a visitor's book at the parish entrance in addition to welcoming them as part of our Sunday announcements. I understand, many of them when they are back in town, usually come back.
Improving on parish bulletin with contact form for new parishioners that would be inserted in the parish bulletin and
initiation of parish suggestion box. We hope to have St. Patrick's Day Brunch, multicultural celebrations (my parish is quite diverse) and other special events; annual mystery bus ride and DINGO (Deaf version of BINGO), developing a vibrant Youth Ministry program [most them have been helping us with ASL music] and. In addition, we also plan to reach out with Television Mass and also Prison Ministry. With Thankgiving and Christmas coming up, it just gets busier!

Next year, some of our deaf friends may make it to Rome with other Deaf Catholics for Audience with the Pope and would encourage everyone in Boston to save for this trip.


God bless,


Fr. Paul.

Christ Signs in the City!

Interested in learning about the Faith? Click on this flier to find out more or read on and let us know if you would like an interpreter for any and all of these events.


FALL SERIES
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2007
ANGELA FRANKS, PH.D.
· Coordinator of the Massachusetts
Catholic Conference Marriage Initiative
· Catholic Author
· Doctorate in Theology from Boston College
· Happy Wife and Mother of Three Children
A Journey to Peace:

What the Church Offers Women (and Men)



THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2007
DEACON KENNETH N. RYAN
· Deacon at Sacred Heart Parish in Weymouth
· Supreme Treasurer emeritus
Knights of Columbus Worldwide
· Former Trustee of Catholic Charities Boston
· Husband and Father of Two Daughters

The Journey of a Deacon:
Serving Christ at the Altar
and the Marketplace



THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2007
UMASS FOCUS MISSIONARY TEAM

Crash Course in Catholicism 101:
The Joys of Witnessing Christ to College
and University Students


THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2007
HIS EMINENCE SEAN PATRICK CARDINAL
O’MALLEY, O.F.M. CAP.
· Archbishop of Boston

Prayer and Discipleship


PLACE
Old State House
206 Washington St.
Boston, Ma. 02108

TIME
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

light lunch provided
The Christ Speaks in the City
Lecture Series is an event hosted
by the Vocation Office of the
Archdiocese of Boston in the
heart of Downtown Boston’s
Financial Center. Our main
goal is to invite people to ask the
major questions for which we
know Christ and His Church are
the answer. The Lectures feature
speakers who are recognized
for their extraordinary witness
to the faith. Lectures are free to
the public and a light lunch will
be provided.
Formore information
Contact the Vocation Office
617-746-5949
www.vocationsboston.org

In Christ,

Fr. St. Martin

The Senior Deaf Wellness Program

Invites You to Attend The Fourth Meeting of Fall 2007


When: December 4, 2007
Where: MacKenzie Center, 1337 Centre Street,
Newton, MA 02459

9:30AM: Arrival: Coffee, Bagels, Fruit
Blood pressure screening
10:30AM: Speaker
12:00PM: Lunch will be provided
12:30pm: Advent Wreaths for NEHD
2:00PM : Closing


If you can bring a dessert, that would be wonderful!

If you plan on attending, please email Kathy Carey at
Kathryn_Carey@rcab.org.

It is very important that you respond, as we need a count for the caterer.

Good People,

We have a few things to look forward to. There is the upcoming Mass at the TV station. We have a good group ready to go. We have a Novena coming up which I have not had the chance to tell you much about yet. What is the Novena? This is a time of prayer over a nine day period that the Vocations Office has put together to help us pray for vocations specifically to the priesthood and for this Diocese. This Novena has another special aspect to it. Each night a different ethnic group will be hosting the time of prayer. We have been asked to host the time of prayer on December 6th in the evening. Please mark you calendars. The entire Sacred Heart Parish is asked to participate. At this event we will be able to pray for our parish's very own vocation, Seminarian Shawn Carey. There will be more about this event in the future.

We are still accepting requests for participating in the two separate pilgrimages that are being offered; the Rome trip and the World Youth Day Trip. Some of you have told me of your decision not to go to the World Youth Day Trip. If you have made up your mind one way or the other about either trip please let me know ASAP.

We have a Catechumen! This means that we are greatly blessed. James from Ashland, who had his baby Baptized here at Sacred Heart by Fr. Michael Medas a few months ago, is preparing to receive the sacraments of initiation as an adult this Easter with us. We must pray for him! We will need to prepare for his rite of acceptance at the Cathedral at the beginning of Lent. Maybe someone can help me organize this meeting with the cardinal?

We are also looking forward to our newest lector Shawn Patrick. Stay tuned as he is still getting ready.

The Senior Deaf Wellness Program was great last time and Dec. 4th is our next time. Shawn Carey is going to receive the ministry of Candidacy as he comes closer to Holy Orders on January 30th 2008 so mark you calendars for that. I am going.

The Ben Bahan Talk has come and gone as has the wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner that Fr. Fitz and Jett have put together. What blessings. Enjoy today's Holly Harvest Fair!

In Christ,

Fr. St. Martin

Lord's Prayer in ASL

This is an example of translating "The Lord's Prayer" into ASL.

Good People,

Confirmation comes from Jesus. He gave it to the first Apostles. He gives it to us today through the Bishop. It is the way we are given the full outporing of the Holy Spirit. The Spirits gifts help us to really know what is good, to want it, and to embrace the good. Then we are happy. God made us for happiness. This is why he gives us such a sacrament.

Through the oil used in this sacrament the reality that we have God's love permiating our being is made fully real. We can see that our loving Father has given us the status of being Priest, Prophet, and King!

God is our loving Father.

Please pray for those preparing for confirmation.

Pray especially for a James who is an adult preparing for all the sacraments of initiation. He is our good catechumen!

Sincerely,

Fr. St. Martin

View Pumkin Turkey photo album: Senior Deaf Wellness Program November 2007 Senior Deaf Wellness Program November 2007 Nov 6, 2007 by Fr. Jeremy St. Martin View Album Play slideshow

Glorified Coffee Hour: Holly Harvest Fair

Deaf Peole,

I have the following reminder from Winnie:

"REMINDER that the Guild of St. Francis Holly Harvest Fair takes place on Sat. and Sun., Nov. 17 and 18. This means that there is NO regular coffee hour. The Guild will be serving refreshments; donation requested. Thanks for your continued work in this regard"

Looking forward to the Fair! See you there.

Fr. St. Martin

Dear People,

This is the content of a newsletter Fr. Joe Bruce puts together. I thought you might like to see it.





SIGNS OF OUR TIMES

INFORMATION

FOR

THE DEAF & HARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY

Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island

One Cathedral Square

Providence, RI 02903

November 2007

Dear Friends:

Greetings and blessings from Providence, RI!

Sr. Ann Albrecht, a Sister of St. Joseph who used to work with Deaf Catholics in Kansas City gave me a book in May 1990. The title of this book is A PILGRIM’S ALMANAC and it was written by Edward Hays. I read this book often. There is a story in the book that I like very much. It is about Thanksgiving and I will summarize it.

On the day before Thanksgiving a woman called the local newspaper food editor to ask how long it would take to cook a 19 ½ pound turkey. The food editor said, “Just a minute” as she turned to look at the chart on the wall in her office. “Thanks a lot!” said the caller as she hung up.

The cook must have served a Thanksgiving dinner fit for wild animals. To believe that 19 ½ pound turkey can be cooked in one minute is a sign of our times. In the old days many tasks took hours and nowadays they take only minutes. Look at what we have: minute rice, instant potatoes, etc. But a 19 ½ pound turkey still takes time to cook.

Making friends takes time, education takes time, cooking a good meal still takes time and prayer also takes time. On Thanksgiving Day the Church encourages us to take some time in prayer to thank God for all the good things he has given us. Read the biblical story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers and only one returned to Jesus to say thank you. The story is in Luke’s gospel (17:11-19). Ask yourselves why only one person returned to Jesus to say thank you for healing him.

Enjoy the month of November. God bless you and I also wish you all good things.

Sincerely,


Rev. Joseph J. Bruce, SJ

COHASSET RETREAT for the weekend of November 16 has been postponed. Look in future issues of the SIGNS OF OUR TIMES for the new dates of the retreat.

THE BAKED APPLE EVENING at St. Charles Borromeo Church was a success. The profit, $206.00 was given to St. Charles Borromeo Church for the parish Deaf ministry program. Thanks to Marion Devine, Ann Flood, Eddie Riel, Mary Lomastro, Deacon Paul Tanguay, Ron and Jeannette Huntley for their help in making the evening possible and enjoyable.

THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BAZAAR at St. Charles Borromeo Church; 190 North Main St.; Woonsocket, RI 02895 will take place on Saturday, November 10 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The diocesan Apostolate for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing will have a table at the bazaar. All are welcome.

CONGRATUALTIONS TO MARY BUCCI! She will celebrate her 90th birthday Sunday, November 11 at the West Valley Inn in West Warwick. Say a prayer for her.

OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY CHURCH; 463 Benefit St.; Providence, RI 02903 is looking for teachers for its religious education program. The church needs volunteers to teach the deaf children in sign language. There are four deaf children in the program. If you can volunteer, contact Fr. Joe Bruce or Elisa Thibeault, the coordinator of the religious education program at Our Lady of the Rosary Church. Her voice office phone number is: 401 273-1685 and her e-mail address is olrccd463@aol.com


NOVEMBER 2007

MASS & CONFESSION SCHEDULE

Tuesday, October 30

1. 7:00 PM SIGNED Mass by Fr. Joe Bruce in The Mary Chapel, Holy Cross College, 1 College Street, Worcester, MA 01610



Thursday, November 1 Feast of All Saints

1. 7:00PM SIGNED Mass by Fr. Joe Bruce at St. Charles Borromeo Church; 190 North Main St.; Woonsocket, RI 02895





Sunday, November 4

1. 9:00AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Jean’s Church; 324 Main St. (route 114); Warren, RI 02885
2. 9:30AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Church; 329 Oxford St.; Providence, RI 02904
3. 9:15 – 9:45AM CONFESSION with Fr. Joe Bruce at St. Charles Borromeo Church; 190 North Main St.; Woonsocket, RI 02895.
4. 10:00AM SIGNED Mass by Fr. Joe Bruce at St. Charles Borromeo Church; 190 North Main St.; Woonsocket, RI 02895. Coffee & donut social in the parish hall after Mass.
5. 10:00AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Ann’s Church; 280 Hawkins St.;

Providence, RI 02904

6. 11:00AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Rita’s Church; 722 Oakland Beach Ave.; Warwick, RI 02889



Sunday, November 11

1. 8:15 – 8:45AM CONFESSION with Fr. Joe Bruce at St. Jean’s Church; 324 Main St.; (route 114); Warren, RI 02885
2. 9:00AM SIGNED Mass by Fr. Joe Bruce at St. Jean’s Church; 324 Main St.; (route 114); Warren, RI 02885. Coffee & donut social in the parish hall after Mass.
3. 9:30AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Church; 329 Oxford St.; Providence, RI 02905
4. 10:00 AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Ann’s Church; 280 Hawkins St.;

Providence, RI 02904

Sunday, November 18

1. 9:00AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Jean’s Church; 324 Main St. (route 114); Warren, RI 02885
2. 9:30AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Church; 329 Oxford St.; Providence, RI 02905
3. 11:00AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Rita’s Church; 722 Oakland Beach Ave.; Warwick, RI 02889
4. 10:00 AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Ann’s Church; 280 Hawkins St.;

Providence, RI 02904

5. 11:30 AM SIGNED Mass by Fr. Joe Bruce at St. Paul’s Church, One St. Paul Place, Cranston, RI 02905-3521



Sunday, November 25

1. 9:00AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Jean’s Church; 324 Main St. (route 114); Warren, RI 02885
2. 9:30AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Church; 329 Oxford St.; Providence, RI 02905




Sunday, November 25 (continued from previous page)

3. 10:00AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Ann’s Church; 280 Hawkins St.; Providence, RI 02904
4. 10:00 AM SIGNED Mass by Fr. Joe Bruce at Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Mission, 84 Exeter Road, Exeter RI 02822. Coffee & donut social in the parish hall after Mass.



Tuesday, November 27

1. 7:00 PM SIGNED Mass by Fr. Joe Bruce in The Mary Chapel, Holy Cross College, 1 College Street, Worcester, MA 01610




Sunday, December 2, 2007

1. 9:00AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Jean’s Church; 324 Main St. (route 114); Warren, RI 02885
2. 9:30AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Church; 329 Oxford St.; Providence, RI 02904
3. 9:15 – 9:45AM CONFESSION with Fr. Joe Bruce at St. Charles Borromeo Church; 190 North Main St.; Woonsocket, RI 02895.
4. 10:00AM SIGNED Mass by Fr. Joe Bruce at St. Charles Borromeo Church; 190 North Main St.; Woonsocket, RI 02895. Coffee & donut social in the parish hall after Mass.
5. 10:00AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Ann’s Church; 280 Hawkins St.;

Providence, RI 02904

6. 11:00AM INTERPRETED Mass at St. Rita’s Church; 722 Oakland Beach Ave.; Warwick, RI 02889



Friday December 7 Eve Feast of the Immaculate Conception

1. 7:00PM SIGNED Mass by Fr. Joe Bruce at St. Charles Borromeo Church; 190 North Main St.; Woonsocket, RI 02895

World Youth Day 2008

Good People,

Our Seminarian, Shawn Carey, has been in contact with me recently. We were talking about plans for World Youth Day. We will have to travel to California first. He tells me that there are direct flights from San Fransico to Australia and that since he lives near San Fransico we could fly to meet him there, spend a few days with him, and that he could probably put us up in the Seminary for those days. World Youth Day begins on July 15th. This is a Tuesday. We could leave on the 9th, which is the Wednesday before World Youth Day. That would give us a few days in California, with Shawn.

If you are interested please let me know. You can email me or Kathy Carey. You can also add a comment to this blog so that others can see it as well.

Sincerely,

Fr. St. Martin

Newletter

The newsletter will be uploaded shortly

Cook Out

Love of God, Neighbor and Self

Luke 10:25-27 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

Last Saturday, about 20 people came together at Sacred Heart Parish. Around 9:00 in the old convent, we began to gather. Father Jeremy, John Mazz and Sister Rita were making some last minute preparations. I, like a good Franciscan, was eating—just one more bagel and a cup of coffee. Joe and Olga Munafo arrived first. Soon more people were showing up.

Sr. Rita Marie Pickhinke is a Sister of Mercy from Omaha, Nebraska. She led us in retreat. For one day we saw and shared about love of God, neighbor and self. Sr. Rita has much experience giving retreats for the Deaf. She has worked with the Deaf in the Philippines. She has traveled to many countries.

Lk 10:29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

Who is our neighbor? Sr. Rita showed us in sign, image and action. The entire day she signed to us her message of love. She reminded us of people like Mother Theresa of Calcutta. We shared with each other our reflections:
· Who is a holy person for me? My mother? My grandfather?
· What were our experiences?
We shared in large groups and small groups.

Sr. Rita also showed us pictures of her experience. She showed us pictures of Deaf people in the Philippines. She informed us that we need to share with others.

Many people in the world live in poverty. We have “time, talent and treasure.” We can share these with each other. God calls us to share all of this with each other, especially the poor.

Also Sr. Rita informed us about the need for forgiveness. This was a beautiful part of the retreat because at the end, we celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Fr. Jeremy St. Martin and Fr. Joe Bruce offered the Sacrament of Reconciliation to all who were there.

_

Luke22:19-20 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."

_

Afterwards both Fr. Jeremy and Fr. Joe presided at the vigil Mass for Sunday. When Mass ended we all went into the dining room. To end the retreat we all shared a delicious meal of chicken picatta, rice Florentine and butternut squash. We are grateful to Richards & Company Catering of Belmont, MA. Richards & Company prepared all the wonderful meals for the retreat and even set the tables beautifully with table clothes, candles and sparkling water. We thanked God at the Eucharist. Then we nourished ourselves and each other physically with this scrumptious dinner.

It was a beautiful end to a beautiful day!

Sr. Rita Retreat

I just wanted to make a quick post today thanking everyone who made it to the retreat on Saturday with Sr. Rita, and wanted to thank you all for making me feel welcome. Between Fr. St. Martin, Br. Hugh and myself, there should be a longer blog post about the event coming soon, but until then, Check out some photos that we took all day long in a new large screen slide show format.

Click here for the photo Slide Show!

More Pictures of the Retreat with Sr. Rita

Bicentennial Prayer

Bicentennial Prayer
All loving and gracious God
We thank you for the Gift of your Son, Jesus Christ.
For two hundred years
We have journeyed together
As members of his Church
In the Archdiocese of Boston.
We have tried to live the Gospel message in service to one another.
Continue to walk with us as we seek to be receptive to your grace in Word and Sacrament.
Send us your Spirit to enlighten our minds, strengthen our wills
And open our hearts. By our witness may others know you.
Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, may the Church in Boston
Journey together in Christ with courage, joy and peace.
Amen.

Trip

Good People,

The International Pilgrimage to Rome for the Deaf in June will be a
once in a life time opportunity. Fliers have been passed out
regarding this. If you would like the details they are published on
the website at www.deafcatholic.org or you can ask me for a flier.
Many are excited about the possibility but the price tag is prohibitive.

We have the possibility of bringing down the price tag in a few ways
however. Our good Pastor, Fr. Connelly and others in the parish
have an eagerness to support this Pilgrimage for those people who are
deaf who might not be able to afford it. How this might be worked
out is something I still have no specific plans for but am hopeful
can be arranged. Please share any ideas you might have if you are
have ideas about how this process could be set up.

We also have the Yankee Candle Fundraiser underway. After Mass
please see the brochures set up at the coffee hour. This good
fundraiser helps the people who are deaf hear at Sacred Heart with
the special events that happen here specifically for people who are
deaf. We are, for example preparing for a retreat with a religious
woman named Sr. Rita who has lead many retreats for the deaf
throughout the world. We are also having a Religious Education Open
House to set up classes for deaf people preparing to complete the
Sacraments of Initiation. All these things are a great sign of the
love and support of the Christian Faithful. The Yankee Candle
Fundraiser is a way that you can be part of all this. Please help us
to have a good go at this years Fundraiser by participating.

Lastly, I would like to say a word about the Sunday Eucharist. It is
the case that we all need to redouble our efforts in this regard.
The central place of this weekly rhythm is not a simply a human
convention. It is not a laudable practice or an interesting little
custom. It is obvious that many of you have come to discover that
this rhythm is indeed something that is central to the plan God has
for us in our lives and I encourage and commend you. However, there
it is the case that not all seem equally successful in making the
Sunday Eucharist rhythm central. To that end I would like to explain
a little about how we know it is so important to keep. The Bible,
written by God has come to us over so many centuries and though the
human authorship of so many diverse people. And yet one of the most
constant and central revelations of God to us from the very first
story in Gennesis, with it's seven day rhythm, to the end is the
need we have to be serious about gathering as a people to give God
thanks and praise. The scripture shows us that this plan for our
good is foundational to our life with God and neighbor. Think of the
ten commandments. They are general in general. The command about
loving one's parents is general for example. There is nothing
specific in the command about how to love them by this or that action
with this or that frequency. The love of God is different. This
command comes with a clear specific direction: keep holy the Lord's
day. We must all by our presence and preparation be serious about
this plan for our salvation.

In Christ,

Fr. St. Martin

Fr. Joe Bruce Inspires!

The following was published in Fr. Joe Bruce's newsletter:

Comments from Fr. Peter Andrews, pastor of St. Theresa’s Church in Tiverton about a signed Mass on August 19

Last Sunday, as Fr. Joe Bruce, SJ, joined us for the 11am Mass at Saint Theresa Church, I and many with us were truly moved. Fr. Joe is a deaf priest who works with the deaf and hard of hearing community in our diocese. His celebration of the Mass was nothing short of inspiring. He was truly animated, confident and gifted in using both voice and sign language to bring the Mass to us all.What really moved me, however, was not only what Fr. Joe was doing, nor even what Dan Cleary, the gentleman who signed the readings, songs and common prayers was involved with, but rather how their presence focused the attention of us all. I found myself being much deliberate in my phrasing of common prayers, and making the effort to truly enunciate each syllable. The readings and announcements were done with just a touch more deliberation too, slowing things down a bit to allow for the signers to move along with the readings. Words that are so common to us all were not rushed or rattled through, but spoken clearly and much more slowly than I have heard in a long time.I was struck half-way through Mass with the overwhelming sense that so much of what we do is taken for granted. What a privilege it is to fully participate in the Mass each time we gather, and how devastating it would be for me, and I daresay many of you, if for some reason we could not continue. For those deaf brothers and sisters who joined in this celebration, it was perhaps the first time that they could celebrate with us fully at Saint Theresa Church. What would it be like if I could not be as much a part of the Mass as I can today? What would I do if I could not hear the richness of the music or the depth of our voiced prayer? How would my life be changed if I was not able to understand the Word of God as it was being proclaimed?There was a rich lesson in the celebration of this Mass last weekend, that I hope to take with me, as I hope every lector, cantor, musician, deacon, priest, or respondent to the spoken word will take. The ministry entrusted to us is that we bring the Word of God alive for each other, and we are not doing this well if some among us are not able to understand what we do. I believe we have work to do to make our efforts more deliberate and meaningful. I believe we all need to take the time necessary to slow down and proclaim clearly the pure gifts of words entrusted to us, in speech and in song. I believe that we all, minister and congregation, need to work more diligently on giving real meaning to all we do at Mass.Too much can become too familiar, and in this familiarity the full impact of our praise and worship of God is not felt. Too much is at stake for us to fall into complacency and to convey our faith without real meaning. Last Sunday I was privileged to both hear and see Mass come alive at the hands of us who truly love what we do. Surely not for the first time, and prayerfully not for the last.

Short Summary of Events

Good People,

This past 1st Tuesday of the month we had about 20 Senior Citizens who are deaf participate in our Parish Senior Wellness Program. We had a great time making some angelic artwork (as it was the feast of the guardian angels) to give to our brother and sisters at the NewEngland Home for the Deaf, as a message of our love. This program will continue on the 1st Tuesdays of every month. Wednesday Masses will continue at the NewEngland Home for the Deaf in Danvers as they have been for some time now. The Retreat for Deaf Catholic Community with Sr. Rita is fast approaching. Checks are payable to Sacred Heart Parish with a note about Sr. Rita. Price? $35 if you can afford it. If you can afford more, give more. Those who have more need to make themselves responsible for those who have less.

We have the Open-House and Dinner for Religious Education for Deaf Youth on Oct. 18th in the MacKenzie Center at 6:00 p.m. Children may come. Food will be kid friendly. We will set up times and places for classes at this time.

There has been a lot of interest in the trip to Rome. This could be a once in a life time experience. It is expensive. We could do some fundraising to offset the price. To gather with other Catholics who are deaf from all over the world, engage in a conference, be pilgrims together in Rome, and visit our Pope will be a great witness to the Spirit living in the Church. We should do it. Fr. Joe Bruce has told the people in his R.I. about this great opportunity. Please talk to me if you are interested.

World Youth Day is fast approaching. I would still like to lead a group of youth to join in the deaf centered activities available at this historic occasion. Let's talk if you have questions about this possibility.

Pray for a man named James. He is now beginnings his formal study to become a Catholic. I am trying to teach him in ASL. If you would like to help me teach him please let me know. We are meeting on Mondays at St. John's in Hopkinton. at 6:00 p.m.

Finally some of you hve asked to have the address of the Seminary in California where we boast of having a seminarian, Shawn Carey. He is the fruit of our parish in a formal way. We must remind each other of this extraordinary love from above unfolding right in our mists. Send him care packages and letters of encouragement. If we don't live by faith we will die an eternal death of meaninglessness. I dare say there would be more spontaneous excitement if we had a deaf young man from our parish become a sports star. As it is, we run the risk of having his ordination go unsung by many. Lord, don't let it be because I failed to point it out.

The address is: Shawn Carey

St. Patrick's Seminary

320 Middlefield Road

Menlo Park, CA 94025

Pilgrimage to Rome

ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON
DEAF CATHOLIC MINISTRIES
Pilgrimage to Italy

MILAN PADUA VENICE PISA FLORENCE ASSISI ROME
June 16 – 27, 2008

American Catholic Delegation to the
International Deaf Community
Papal Audience
June 25, 2008

DAY 1 ~ U.S.A. – Monday, Jun. 16, 2008
Depart on Trans Atlantic flight to Milan, Italy. Complimentary meals and beverages served on board.

DAY 2 ~ MILAN / PADUA – June 17
Benvenuto a Italia! Arrive in Milan where our professional tour escort will be waiting outside the restricted customs area to meet you and assist you to your private deluxe motor coach. We begin our sightseeing tour visiting the Duomo (Cathedral), La Scala Opera House and Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper. Depart for the scenic drive to Padua ~ home of St. Anthony. Upon arrival, check into hotel. Remainder of the afternoon at your leisure. Tonight we will enjoy a welcome dinner with wine at a local restaurant. Overnight Padua. (D)

DAY 3 ~ PADUA – June 18
Today we visit the School for the Deaf; we celebrate Mass at the “Basilica di Sant'Antonio” (Santo), one of Italy’s most renowned sanctuaries, which houses the tomb of Saint Anthony. Activities for the remainder of the day are T.B.A. Dinner and overnight Padua. (B/D)

DAY 4 ~ VENICE – June 19
After breakfast we depart for a full day excursion to Venice for a guided tour of the “floating city”. Venice is a collection of 117 islets and islands, crisscrossed by 177 canals. This afternoon we will visit the “Basilica di San Marco” & “Piazza San Marco” (St. Mark’s Cathedral and Square), the “Ponte dei Suspiri” (Bridge of Sighs) and “Palazzo Ducale” (Doges’ Palace), which is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in Europe. Free time this afternoon. Return to Padua for dinner and overnight. (B/D)

DAY 5 ~ PISA / MONTECATINI – June 20
After enjoying breakfast, we depart for Pisa to experience the Leaning Tower. This evening we transfer to Montecatini Terme for dinner and overnight. (B/D)

DAY 6 ~ FLORENCE – June 21
After breakfast, we depart for Florence to visit the highlights of this beautiful city! We will visit the Academy of Fine Arts, which houses Michelangelo’s ‘David’ ~ the Cathedral with Brunelleschi’s magnificent Dome ~ Giotto’s soaring Bell Tower of pink, white and green marble ~ the Baptistery with Ghilberti’s masterpiece (bronze doors) known as “The Gates of Paradise” and the “Basilica di Santa Croce”, where Michelangelo and Galileo are buried. There will be free time to browse the wonderful shops or to visit more of the wonders of Florence. Evening return to Montecatini for dinner at the “Corsaro Verde” restaurant; and overnight. (B/D)



DAY 7 ~ ASSISI / ROME – June 22
This morning we depart for the mystical hill town of Assisi ~ home of St. Francis and St. Clare. Celebrate Sunday mass in Assisi and visit the Church of St. Clare, which houses her incorrupt body. We will tour the Basilica of St. Francis with the Tomb of St. Francis and the famous paintings of his life by Giotto. There will be time for lunch, followed by a visit to the Church of Saint Mary of the Angels, containing the famous Porziuncola, the chapel where St. Francis consecrated St. Clare and where in 1226 St. Francis passed from this life into eternal life. Continue onto Rome for dinner and overnight. (B/L/D)

DAY 8 ~ ROME – June 23
Today we visit the magnificent Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel where you will raise your eyes to Michelangelo’s “Creation” and “Last Judgment.” Take a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica and visit the tomb of John Paul II. After lunch (on your own), we take a tour of the catacombs and visit the Piazza Navona which is home to Bernini’s wonderful Fountain of the Four Rivers, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and the famous Spanish Steps located in the Piazza di Spagna. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight Rome. (B/D)

DAY 9 ~ ROME – June 24
This morning we will tour Ancient Rome, which includes the magnificent Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. There will be time for lunch (on your own) before our afternoon tour of Christian Rome. Our tour includes: the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Holy Staircase, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and the Circus Maximus. Dinner on your own tonight. Overnight Rome. (B)

DAY 10 ~ ROME – Wednesday, June 25
Today we will attend the Papal Audience, with the International Catholic Deaf Community, at St. Peter’s Basilica! Schedule for the day T.B.A. Tonight enjoy dinner at the “Rinaldo All’Acquedotto” restaurant. Overnight Rome. (B/D)

DAY 11 ~ ROME – June 26
After breakfast, we celebrate Mass with the International Catholic Deaf Community. Day’s schedule T.B.A. Overnight Rome. (B)

DAY 12 ~ ROME /U.S.A – Friday, Jun. 27, 2008
After breakfast, we transfer to the Rome airport for our return flight home. Complimentary meals and beverages served on board. (B)



INCLUDES:
Round-Trip Air from Boston
4 Star Hotel Accommodations
Buffet Breakfast Daily (B)
1 Lunch (L) and 8 Dinners (D)
Sightseeing and Entrance Fees per Itinerary
Private Deluxe Motor Coach
Professional Tour Escort / Licensed Guides
Luggage Handling / Transfers
Passport Case and Luggage Tags
Hotel Taxes and Service Charges
Sign-Language Interpreters

~ $250 DUE NOW TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE~

θ CHECK ENCLOSED:
Payable to: Best Catholic Pilgrimages & Tours

θ CREDIT CARD PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION:
I hereby authorize Best Catholic Pilgrimages & Tours to charge the initial deposit
and base price with my credit card as my form of payment: $250 deposit due now
(Balance of payment will be charged to your card per invoice due date or
no later than 60 days prior to departure)

Credit Card Type: θ Master Card θ Visa θ Discover Expiration Date:
Card Number: 5555-5555-5555-5555 _______/________
Name as it appears on Credit Card______________________________
Signature_________________________
Date____________

Catholic Deaf Community Pilgrimage to Italy

Enclosed is my (our) reservation and deposit to secure my (our) place in the amount of $250 (per person). A non-refundable travel insurance premium of $165 (per person) will be invoiced. I understand the price is based on a group of 25 paying people per motor coach. I have read, understood, and agree to the tour conditions.

Pilgrimage Date: June 16 ~ 27, 2008

Pilgrimage Cost: $3510.00 + Air Tax

Departure: θ Boston [BOS]

Prices are based on Euro-Dollar Exchange rate of $1.30 per €1.
Round trip air cost quoted at $1115 and airline tax is subject to change until ticketed.


Signature: ________________________________________


Passport Name(s): ____________________________

__________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________


City: _____________State: Zip: __________


Phone: ( ) ________________________________


Work / Cell: ( ) ___________________________


E-mail: _____________________________________

Roommate: __________________________________
θ I prefer single accommodation for an additional cost of $395.


June 16 ~ 27, 2008
$3510.00 + Air Tax
(per person/double occupancy)
Does not include air taxes and travel insurance





For information or brochures, contact:

Fr. Jeremy St. Martin at (617) 746-5645
Email: ReverendJeremy_St.Martin@rcab.org
Email: Kathryn_Carey@rcab.org

– OR –
Best Catholic Pilgrimages, 1 (800) 908-2378
Email: info@bestcatholic.com







FAX THIS FORM TO:
1-888-647-2378

OR DETACH AND MAIL TO:
Best Catholic Pilgrimages
640 N. LaSalle Street, Ste. 636
Chicago, IL 60610

St. Francis Celebration in Bean Town

Br. Hugh would like to invite you to two celebration of St. Francis, his life. They are:

Blessing of the Animals: Sep 23rd at 1:00 p.m.

Friars' Street Fair on Arch Street: Tuesday, October 2, 11:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Sincerely,

Fr. St. Martin

Deaf Priest, Fr. Paul Zirimenya at SJCD

Glory be to God

Rich Man Be Warned

Fr. Paul Sends Photos of Mass