• Lent     
• 1st Sunday  
• 2nd Sunday  
• 3rd Sunday 
• 4th Sunday
• 5th Sunday 
• Racial Justice Ministry Lenten Reflection

 
Fasting and Abstinence Guide Lines
Fasting and Abstinence Quote

 
CRS  Rice Bowl  
Scholarships for Honduran Children 
Help a Neighbor in Need  

Catholic Charities Boston

Easter Flower Donations

Religious Ed Toiletry & Sock Drive

Egg Tree Outreach

 
Lent began on 

Ash Wednesday

March 5, 2025 

Watch the Ash Wednesday 7 PM Mass at Sacred Heart (above).

  Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

 For members of our Roman Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59, with exceptions for reasons of illness, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal.
 The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of our Roman Catholic Church from age 14 onwards, with exceptions as stated above (illness, pregnancy, and breastfeeding).

Soup & Stations

Friday, March 7 
at Sacred Heart
 6 PM Simple Supper 
7 PM Stations of the Cross 

Thank you to all who attended and made this such a wonderful event.

 

Fish Fry

   Friday, March 21 
 5:30 - 8:00 PM  
 at Sacred Heart's 
 MacKenzie Center  

 Cost: $15 (adults); $5 (kids 12 and under)
 Menu: Homemade Fish & Chips, Mac & Cheese, Salad. 

Please feel free to bring a finger-food dessert to share

Cash Bar! Bingo! 

All proceeds to benefit Workcamp.

 Lenten Retreat

There is power in the Word of God. Christ is the WORD made flesh; through him, the Father offers peace. In a word, He is our hope. This Day of Prayer will focus on the growth in faith that happens as we, pilgrims of hope, follow Jesus and witness the healing power of his presence. Our relationship with him deepens through everyday events.

 Young Adult Ministry

Saturday, April 26 
from 10 am to 4:00 pm

What does Easter mean to you?

Join us on a moderate trek on the beautiful Blue Hills Reservation. Bring your packed lunch and your adventurous spirit. It's totally free!

Scan the QR code to join or email Leslee for further details

If you are a young adult seeking a welcoming Christian community and desiring to nourish your relationship with God, come and join us!
 Please contact Leslee Ambrosio

Back to PRAY

 
The collection taken up on Ash Wednesday supports the work of Catholic Charities Boston. Click HERE to donate online. Thank you.

Back to GIVE

Soup & Stations

Friday, April 11
at Our Lady's
 6 PM Simple Supper 
7 PM Stations of the Cross

Back to PRAY

Reflection for March 9: 

First Sunday of Lent

It is significant that, on this First Sunday of Lent, we hear of the temptations of Jesus. They are often interpreted as representing the broader human struggles we have with desires of the flesh, the desire for signs and proofs, and the lure of worldly power and success. Those desires have a way of creeping into our lives and damaging our relationship both with God and those we love. Lent gives us the opportunity to reorder our lives, to step away from those things that alienate us from God, and to focus our attention on the essentials of our faith. 

St. Paul challenges us today: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This Lent, take time at the end of each day to consider where temptations might have arisen but where, instead, you relied on the power of God’s grace to guide you. 

Reflection for March 16: 
Second Sunday of Lent

In Luke’s account of the Transfiguration, Peter and the disciples were overcome with sleep, but “becoming fully awake, they saw his glory” and recognized this as a special moment with Jesus and exclaimed: “Master, it is good that we are here.” Our minds are often asleep or distracted, and so we don’t see the various ways that Jesus reveals himself to us. 

Where is Jesus inviting us to notice his presence? Is it in the scripture we have heard or in the Communion we received? Do we see him in those preparing to be baptized at Easter? Do we recognize him in the face of the homeless person we see each day? 

Look at those around you and hear what God said, not just to the Apostles, but also to each of us: “This is my chosen Son, listen to Him” – notice him and respond! 

Back to PRAY

Reflection for March 23: Third Sunday of Lent
In today’s gospel, Jesus is urging the people to repent of their political ambitions and their rebelliousness, warning the Jewish nation that if they kept on seeking the ways of an earthly kingdom and rejecting the ways of the kingdom of God, destruction would come. 

What about us – are we seeking God’s Kingdom? Jesus then tells the parable of the fig tree. God, our gardener, is full of mercy and patience and infinitely kind to anyone who falls and rises again. 

Actively nurturing and strengthening our discipleship takes effort. If we fall, do we get up and try again of do we just give up? 

Scriptures give us two witnesses in St. Peter and St. Paul - who had struggles and failures at being disciples, but never gave up. They sought out God’s mercy and kept on building God’s kingdom. So go ahead, take advantage of the many “second chances” we’re being given to grow in our discipleship! 

Back to PRAY
 

Reflection for March 30: The Fourth Sunday of Lent
“A man had two sons…” So begins today’s Gospel parable. Who might you be in this story?Are you the younger son or daughter, who was eager to break loose and get away from home but later realized that home is where you are loved unconditionally? Are you the unhappy resentful older sibling, who does things out of obligation and never acknowledges or notices how well you have been provided for? Are you the parent, who looked out every day, hoping for the return of your child, willing to forgive their shortcomings? 

This parable highlights the importance of forgiveness of self and of others, and most importantly reveals who God is and wants to be for us --a merciful, forgiving and loving God.

The question for us is how will we respond to the prodigal/ extravagant love God has for us?  

Easter Flower Donations   

If you would like to make a donation toward the cost of the flowers that will decorate the altar for Easter, in memory of a deceased relative or friend, please print the names clearly and bring them to the parish office with your donation or place them in the collection basket. All names will be remembered and printed in a booklet to be distributed on Easter Sunday. 

Donations will be accepted through 12:00 pm on Tuesday, April 15. Donations received after April 15 will be acknowledged at a later date.

 Back to GIVE

Religious Education: 

Toiletry & Sock Drive 

Our Collaborative Religious Ed program is sponsoring a Lenten toiletry and sock drive, benefiting St. Ambrose Family Shelter. St. Ambrose serves families who are experiencing homelessness and is sponsored by Catholic Charities. 

We are collecting NEW shampoo, lotion, body wash, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, etc. and NEW socks for men, women, and children of all ages and sizes. 

—At Sacred Heart: drop off in the upper church entrance or to the rectory/office front porch (N.B. location change!)

—At Our Lady’s: drop in the bin outside the McPherson Room of the church (in-person students can also bring items directly to class) 

Thank you  for your support of this drive! 

   Back to GIVE
  

 
Egg Tree Outreach 

Return Items April 5-6
This weekend, you’ll find the Egg Tree at Our Lay's church, along with baskets at the side entrances. Please take an egg or two and return with the requested donation of candy, a basket, tea, soap, hand cream, or other item, so that Easter baskets can be assembled and delivered to those parishioners who are no longer able to join us in church. Cash donations will go to Catholic Charities in support of their good work around the Archdiocese. Many of you have added this to your Lenten practices in past years; thank you for remembering! 

Back to GIVE
 

Reflection for April 6: The Fifth Sunday of Lent 

In our first reading from Isaiah we hear, “See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” 

As the last days of Lent draw closer, what fruit or good do you see “springing forth” because of your Lenten practices? Reflect on the ways your Lenten practices may have made a difference in your prayer. Are you aware of any positive changes in yourself, or toward others? 

There are still two weeks left to consider the difference this Lent is making on your discipleship. Take to heart the words of St. Paul who reminds the Philippians and us of our goal: “I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus”. 

Pray for the grace to remain attentive to living a life rooted in Christ. 

Bake and Bloom 

Sunday, April 13 at 10:30 AM

On Palm Sunday, following the 9:30 am Mass at Sacred Heart, the Guild of St. Francis hosts their annual Bake and Bloom Sale. This is a festive sale of Easter baked goods and spring blooming flowers, as well as a myriad of wonderful Easter trinkets! Stop by and shop! 

In the MacKenzie Center.