From Father Steven - June 18, 2023

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
 
Today there are a few very important items to talk about. I will try to cover them as best as I can with the limited space that we have.
 
Father’s Day
This weekend we remember Father’s Day. Whether they are near or far, if we talk to them or not, if they are alive or have gone home to the Lord, it is important that we pray for them. As a priest, having a fatherly call, I struggle at times to offer what is best for the people under my care. Other times, I can’t give what is best for the other, and it’s painful and frustrating. I say this especially for those whose relationship with their fathers is not the best. Some of our fathers either did not have their own father while growing up, or their fathers also struggled with life. Therefore, we can’t ask them to be a father for us if they don’t have a father figure of their own. Only by the fact that through their agency, regardless of their state of life, we have life, we are called to be grateful to them. We as children are also called to pray for our fathers. As fellow Christians, we also need to support the fathers. As any other vocation nowadays, fatherhood is also under attack. Since the 70’s, when every authority was put to question, it has been hard for fathers to exercise the authority given by God for them to govern their families. It is not a matter of who is better, but who does what. Looking at the Holy Family of Nazareth, we see how God put Joseph in charge of the household where Jesus will grow up. Each person in their families will have their own role, and the role of the father is to be the head of the family in communion (working together) with the mothers. I often joke that the husband is the head of the family, but the wife is the neck that supports and assists the head in where it should be looking. On this Father’s Day, let us pray for our own fathers, for their sacrifices and weakness, as well as every man with the call to fatherhood. Guided by St. Joseph, may all men be protectors of their households, providers for their families, and strong, but gentle and kind examples for their children.
 
We have a small gift for all the Father’s.  Please see the volunteers in the lobby of the church after the masses.
 
5:00pm Mass during July and August
I was not expecting to be this painful to announce that during the months of July and August, we will not have the 5:00pm mass here at IC. We always try to be a welcoming parish inviting people to join us, but unfortunately, we will not be able to hold an afternoon mass during the summer. The reason for that is that it has become extremely difficult to find priests to help us when one of us is away. With the decrease of vocations, we have more and more priests who are alone in their parishes and even those willing to help us will also be going away. Both Fr. Kevin and I will be taking some time off during the summer and we will not be able to cover all the masses of the parish. After consulting with the Parish Council, we have decided to suspend the 5:00pm mass only during July and August. On September 3rd, we will resume the 5:00pm mass. Around us we have St. Elizabeth in Acton who has a 5:00pm Mass and St. Matthews in Southborough with a 6:00pm Mass.
 
Altar Server Training
We will be hosting a two-day altar server training on Tuesday, June 20th and Friday, June 30th from 6:00pm - 7:00pm in the main church. We encourage all the children going into Grade 3 and up to come serve the Lord. We will help them to learn how to serve at mass and there will be older altar servers to assist them as well. It is a great opportunity for the children to learn more about mass and to grow closer to the Lord. We have seen how those who serve at mass will always remember it in their lives and encourage their own children to also become altar servers.
 
God Bless,
Fr. Steven