Parish News

Dear Beloved,

There is a phrase used in monastic life to refer to the period of time between the last hour of prayer at night after which the monks retire to their cells, and the first hour of prayer, with which the monks greet the new day, called “the great silence”. On a practical level, the great silence seems to refer simply to the time when all the work of the day is done, and the monks settle down for sleep. But deeper than this, the great silence is not just a time of rest, but the time where, even though the day’s work is over, God remains active and working, though unseen and most often unheard, speaking in the stillness.             The monks rest, knowing that God in the great silence abides.

For me and for many, Holy Saturday, has always been a day of great silence. From the grand procession of Palm Sunday, to the beauty of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, and finally the brutality of the Lord’s passion and death on Good Friday, our Holy Week is filled with a lot of action and then all of a sudden, the world stops and waits. Most of our days are, in fact, times of waiting, as the first followers of Jesus waited during Holy Saturday. This year more than ever, we are waiting. Waiting for this health crisis to abate. Waiting for things to get back to normal. Waiting to be able to pray and celebrate Mass together and receive the sacraments. Waiting for life just to get...better.

We celebrate Easter this year amid our waiting. As we do this it is important for us to remember we are called to wait as Christians – as Easter People – as people of hope. As Father James Martin, S.J. wrote, “Hope is an active waiting; it knows that, even in the worst of situations, even in the darkest times, God is powerfully at work, even if we cannot see it clearly right now. The disciples’ fear after Good Friday was understandable. But we, who know how the story turned out, who know that Jesus will rise from the dead, who know that God is with us, who know that nothing is impossible for God, are called to wait in faithful hope. And to look carefully for signs of the new life that are always right around the corner -- to look, just like a few of the disciples were doing on Holy Saturday. Because change is always possible, renewal is always waiting, and hope is never dead.”

Beloved, may you and your loved ones be filled with hope as we celebrate Easter so uniquely this year. Know that the priests of The Avon-Holbrook Collaborative as well as, members of our School and Staff will be praying for you and your families at the Masses of Easter.  Be assured as well, you are all remembered at our daily Masses in our community as we pray for the needs, cares, concerns and health of our parishioners and their families.  Hopefully we will all be back together before the Easter Season ends. In the meantime, as we wait often silently, while we may need to be physically distant, let us not be spiritually distant.  As Easter People let us live the hope that is Easter and maintain – to the safest possible extent - the social relationships that allow us all to thrive.  Please remember us in your prayers, as we remember you in ours!

In His Love & Peace, I am,

Fr. Thomas C. Boudreau

Pastor

  *** FOR IMMEDIATE NOTICE *** 

Covid -19: Archdiocese of Boston Guidance and Directives:

• All Masses are suspended until further notice.
• The Cardinal has issued a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass during this time .
• There will be no Baptism, Confirmations, weddings or funerals.
• Archdiocese of Boston parish schools and Archdiocesan elementary and high schools will be closed.
• We will continue to offer the Anointing of the Sick by clergy.
• Across all of these operations, comply with CDC guidelines. For questions please contact corona@rcab.org.

Parish Office:

• Please conduct business via phone (781-767-0605) or email.  The general parish email is:  sjpholbrookoffice@comcast.net or by emailing staff directly. Email addresses are on cover of this bulletin link.  
• Make an appointment to meet with a priest or staff member in person.
• Sick calls will only be made to the dying.
• Mass cards, any necessary correspondence, etc. will be mailed or left in exterior unlocked drop box at the rectory door for pick-up.
• Please mail in Mass intention offerings, regular weekly offering or use the online option of Online Giving.