UPCOMING COLLABORATIVE PARISHES RETREAT
The Catholic Churches of Walpole, The Church of the Blessed Sacrament and St. Mary Catholic Church, and Our Lady of Sorrows, Sharon are collaborating on a 3-day/evening Lenten Mission to be celebrated in each of their churches with a different theme for each day. Fr. Robert Rivers, C.S.P. of the Paulist Center, Boston will lead the Mission.
Fr. Rivers is currently assigned to the Paulist Center as an adjunct staff member working in the ministry of evangelization in the five states of New England. Previously he was vice president for mission advancement at the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association in Washington, DC. He has also served as pastor and religious superior at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Los Angeles, CA where he focused on providing leadership in the parish’s work of renewal in the spirit of Second Vatican Council. Fr. Rivers has had extensive teaching and lecturing experience at high school and college levels and beyond - from Texas to Minnesota and New Jersey to California. Fr. Rivers has also written many articles that were published between 1969 and 2005 as well as the book “From Maintenance to Mission: Evangelization and the Revitalization of the Parish” in 2008.
On March 13 Fr. Rivers will address the congregation at St. Mary Catholic Church, East Walpole during their 4:30 p.m. Mass, introducing himself and the Mission program. Fr. Rivers will also speak at the 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. Masses at Our Lady of Sorrows, Sharon on Sunday, March 14 and at the 11:00 a.m. Mass at The Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Walpole.
The Mission opens on Monday, March 15, with a 9:00 a.m. Mass at The Church of the Blessed Sacrament, 10 Diamond Street, Route 27, Walpole, followed by a one-hour lecture on the psalms. This morning service will end about 10:45 a.m. Fr. Rivers will be available for confessions between 4 and 6 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament, as well as by appointment. For an appointment, please call Fr. Rivers’ cell phone (617-470-1304). At 7:00 p.m. Fr. Rivers will lead Mission attendees in a prayer service focusing on “Revitalizing our Faith” with time for socializing and an opportunity to meet him. Each of the three days of this Mission will follow similar agendas but with different themes.
Tuesday, March 16, members of the three parishes will gather at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 59 Cottage Street, Sharon for 9:00 a.m. Mass and lecture, confessions from 4-6 p.m. as well as by appointment. For an appointment, please call Fr. Rivers’ cell phone (617-470-1304). The evening service from 7-8:45 p.m. centers on “Making a Difference in our Faith”.
Wednesday, March 17, the Mission moves to St. Mary Catholic Church, 176 Washington Street, East Walpole. The day will follow the same timing as the first two days with an evening focus on “Moving from Maintenance to Mission in our Parish”. Again, the day begins with Mass at 9:00 a.m. and ending with a lecture on the psalms by 10:45 a.m. Fr. Rivers will be available for confessions from 4-6 p.m. or by appointment. The evening prayer service will begin at 7:00 p.m. and conclude with the closing the Mission at 8:45 p.m.
This Mission is open to everyone, not just members of the three parishes. It offers you an unusual opportunity to pray, listen and learn together with members of neighboring Catholic congregations and members of their communities. You are certain to come away from the three days with a new vision of what your relationship with God could be. The collaborative efforts of these three parishes offer you a special sacrificial Lenten opportunity; more beneficial than any “giving up” sacrifice you could make!
If you have any questions about the Mission, please contact Mary Sheedy at The Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Louise Fahey at St. Mary Catholic Church or Kate Mason at Our Lady of Sorrows Church.