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The
Question of the Week
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Mass Intentions:Saturday, August 11
Weekly Offertory
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Saint Vincent de PaulIn this Gospel, Jesus says, “Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.” Please help the Society of St. Vincent de Paul bring respite and hope to the elderly who are not able to find relief from the summer heat, and you will indeed find “an inexhaustible treasure in heaven”!
St. Francis “Fishers of Men”
Join the men of St. Francis for a half-day deep sea fishing trip on Saturday, August 25th. The cost is $45 per person, and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. To sign up, please call the Parish Office at 978-452-6611. Join us! HELP WANTED
Looking for
someone with whom to share your faith? We are in need of teachers for the
following grades for our Religious Education Program: Important Religious Education NoticeThe final day to register your child for Religious Education for the 2007-2008 school year will be Wednesday, August 15, 2007. Please come to the Parish Office as soon as possible to fill out a form if you wish to place your child in a class. NO REGISTRATIONS WILL BE TAKEN AFTER THIS DATE. Thank you for your cooperation! Liturgical Publications Liturgical Publications, Inc., our bulletin publisher, will have a sales representative available within the next few weeks for those interested in placing a new ad. This is your opportunity to secure a space for the new publication year. To place your ad, please contact the sales person listed on the ad page or our office. We would like to thank our present advertisers for renewing their ad. Keep in mind—our advertising sponsors make this publication possible. Please Note…The sacrament of Baptism will no longer be celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of the month. Baptisms will now be held on the 4th Sunday of each month. As always, please call the office at least one month in advance to book a baptism. Thank you! St. Mary’s Pews For Sale On Saturday, August 18 from 10am-12pm, we will be selling the pews from St. Mary’s Church. They are in the basement at St. Louis Rectory and the terms will be straightforward: $150 per pew and cash and carry! The pews are solid oak and have been broken down so they are more easily moved. They are in excellent condition and can be cut to any size necessary. Spread the word! Liturgical Ministers Needed We are in need of Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Servers and Sacristans. Please call or e-mail Nancy in the Parish Office if you are interested in serving in one of these very important ministries at (978) 452-6611 or nmandarini@saintfrancis.net. Attention All Parish Volunteers! In keeping with the Archdiocesan policy for annual background checks for staff and volunteers, all volunteers must fill out and submit a July 2007 to June 2008 C.O.R.I. (Criminal Offender Record Information) form. Please come to the Parish Office to complete a new form. If you have any questions, please call Nancy Monday-Friday from 8am-4pm. You will need to bring your driver’s license with you. Thank you!
Explore the Shrines of Italy with Deacon John Hunt!
Join Deacon John and your fellow parishioners on a 10-day tour of Rome, the Vatican, Assisi, Lanciano, San Giovanni Rotondo (Padre Pio), Mt. St. Angelo, Pietrelcina and Loreto. The trip will be held from October 30-November 8, 2007, and the cost is $1,835 per person. For more information, an itinerary and an application, pick up a brochure in the parish office! SMART Program For kids and the caregivers who love them! Our summer program has begun! Each summer, we meet at a different location out and about in our community every Wednesday. We’ll continue our summer of fun on Wednesday, August 15th at Boarding House Park in Lowell at 11am to watch the Toe Jam Puppet Band! Event will be held rain or shine. Caregivers of children any age are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Jessica Smith in the Parish Office in the evenings at 978-452-6611 or stop by the office to pick up a summer schedule! Advertise your business… And support our St. Francis Parish Show! Ads are now being accepted for the program book for “Gone With the Breeze.com”, our annual show. Ad rates are ¼ page for $30, ½ page for $55, or full page for $100. Proceeds from the book and the show are being directed toward the Dracut Food Pantry, which will be opened later this year, and Cor Unum Meal Center at St. Patrick Church in Lawrence, which feeds a nutritious meal each night to 400 guests—most of them children—in one of the poorest communities in our country. Your support would be greatly appreciated. Pick up ad forms in the parish office or call Debbie qt 978-453-9882 or e-mail debhovan@comcast.net. VIRTUS Training For All New Volunteers There will be two classes offered at St. Francis for the VIRTUS Training Program. They will be held on Saturday, August 18th at 10am and Saturday, September 15 at 10am. You need only attend one of those sessions. This three-hour program educates adults in ways to prevent child abuse and how to provide safe environments for children. All staff and all volunteers are mandated to attend a training session. Please call the Parish Office to register. If you have attended a previous session, you do not have to attend again. What Do You Know About Peer Leaders?
Who:
Confirmed 11th and 12th
Graders Teens: Do you have questions about life? Have you ever wanted to be part of something special? Our upcoming events are on the website listed below. Come join us! Adults: We are looking for 8 to 12 adults who would be interested in helping with specific events this year. Please check out our calendar on the St. Francis website. If you are interested in helping with any of these events, please call the Parish Office. http://www.saintfrancis.net/images/Peer%20Leaders/index.htm 1st Friday Novena for Priests
Beginning Friday, September 7th at 7pm, there will be a 1st Friday Novena each month for vocations to the priesthood and for all who serve in the priestly ministry. The evening will include adoration and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, as well as veneration of the relic of St. John Vianney. Refreshments will follow in the Parish Hall. Please join us!
Community News
Franciscan Center of Andover, MA Weekend Retreats The Franciscan Center on River Road in Andover is offering three different upcoming retreats. On August 10-12, Marcy Venskus will offer a retreat on Clare of Assisi. On the weekend of August 24-26, Marge Milanese will offer a retreat entitled “The Mysteries of the Rosary…a Journey through the Life of Christ”. And on September 28-30, Maureen Casey, SND will conduct a weekend called “Contemplating God in a New England Fall”. The cost for all retreats is $150. For more information or to register for any of these retreats, call the Center at 978-851-3391 Flicks N’ Faith Coming Soon…
Join us for Flicks N’ Faith, a time to explore the movie “Babette’s Feast” and the ability of a meal to transform lives. Through this movie, we will discuss the transformative power of the Eucharist and its ability to change situations, people and hearts while also healing our own personal wounds. The dates for this event are: Tuesday, August 14th from 7-9pm, Tuesday, August 21 from 7-9pm, and Tuesday, August 28 from 7-8pm. Come for one night or for all three! Please call the office to sign up at 978-452-6611. Join us for this unique experience!
Let us pray for, support and encourage those preparing for marriage …
Andrea Girolamo & Jason Trovato
Theresa Sawosik,
Parish Ministries and Information Sacraments Baptism: Please call the parish office to make arrangements. Marriage: Contact one of the parish priests at least six months in advance. Eucharistic AdorationMondays 9:30 AM-6:30PM RosaryThe Rosary is prayed Monday – Friday at 8:30 AM. Pastoral Care of the Sick & HomeboundPlease notify the parish office when parishioners are homebound, in extended care facilities, or are admitted to the hospital. Parish NursesCall Sharon at 978-454-6369 or Louise at 978-454-7970. Prayer LineCall Barbara at 978-937-0239 or Pat at 978-685-1137, also online at www.saintfrancis.net/prayerline. Alcoholics AnonymousMeeting in the Parish Hall every Saturday at 8:00 PM. Bulletin DeadlineTuesday at 5:00 PM.Bereavement SupportMeets second & fourth Wednesdays of each month at 7:00 PM. Please call Louise Daigle at 978-454-7970. Saint Vincent de Paul Society Call Paulette in the Parish Office at 978-452-6611. Offertory EnvelopesWe encourage parishioners to use the weekly offertory envelopes. Contact the parish office if you’d like to receive them. Spiritual DirectionIf you are interested in spiritual direction, call Paulette in the parish office at 978-452-6611 or Marcy at 978-458-9715. Parish Pastoral CouncilJackie Carr 978-453-0882
Jcarr74@verizon.net Contact the parish office at 978-452-6611 for more information about Religious Education, Youth Ministry, RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), Men’s Spirituality, Women’s Spirituality, Music Ministry, and other Volunteer Opportunities.
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