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