FROM FATHER RICK

MASS SCHEDULE

Beginning THIS WEEKEND, June 23/24, we start our Summer Mass Schedule:

NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, who is the Patron Saint of our Sister Parish in Dar es Salaam. We join in celebrating their patron with them. John and Mary Sudol, who have just returned from a trip to the parish, will be speaking at all of the Masses this weekend.

If you did not get a chance last weekend, please stop in the Gathering Space and look at the beautiful carving sent to us as a gift from our sister parish.

AIR CONDITIONING FUND & FUNDRAISING

As of this writing (Monday, June 18) the Air Conditioning Fund has risen to $26,039. We have also been given four Red Sox tickets for auction or raffle to raise more funds for the A/C Fund. Details about the tickets and the way of dispensing them will be announced next weekend at all Masses.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE

I am including here an announcement from a newly formed group of parishioners that speaks of their vitally important work for the future life of our parish. Please support them in this work in any way possible.

CATHOLIC APPEAL

The current total for the Catholic Appeal is $44,897. You are doing great! If you have not yet participated, please consider doing so this weekend. Remember that if we go over our goal we receive 25% back to the parish. You may send your contribution directly to the Appeal Office or drop it at the Parish Office. There are Appeal envelopes in the vestibule.

Parish Goal $39,500

Raised to Date $44,897

% Goal 113.7%

Donor Target 186

Donors to Date 150

SUMMER DATES

As in the past couple of years, we will gather for two casual cookouts just to connect with one another during the summer months when many are away on the weekends. Here are this year’s dates for your calendar:

Please RSVP to Irene by 4:00 PM on Friday, July 6, if you plan to attend.

Cookout #2 – Wednesday, August 15 @ 6:30 PM

For the second year we will hold our second cookout on Wednesday, August 15, the Feast of the Assumption and a holy day of obligation. The evening Mass on this day will be at 5:30 PM, followed by the cookout.

WEEKDAY MASS

There will be no 12:10 weekday Mass on Tuesday, June 26.

Have a great week,

Pray for Peace,

Fr. Rick

Imagine being part of an organization that fills your heart and your mind with the joy of giving to others and the feeling that comes with making a difference. Knights are Catholic men, 18 years of age and older, who are committed to making their community a better place, while supporting their Church. Being a Knight is more than camaraderie; it is being involved with your community; it is supporting your local Catholic Church, while enhancing your own faith and setting a good faith example; it is about protecting and enhancing your family life.  You can volunteer as much as you like or as little and on your own schedule. If you want to find out more, contact John Perigaut (978-975-8015) or Mike Carman (617-240-0005) or visit the website at www.kofc.org .

July Meeting: there will be one meeting only in July, which will be held on Wednesday, July 18th, at 7:30 PM in Driscoll Hall.

Money Matters

Stewardship Reflection

The best way to achieve true peace, joy, and contentment in life is to realize that God has, indeed, had a plan for you since before you were born. He has given you the time, talent, and treasure to fulfill that plan. Now it is up to you to use your life gifts as God intended.

Fair Trade Coffee

Buying fair trade coffee is a tangible way we can put the values of our faith into action. It provides hope for small-scale farmers who have been trapped in poverty by international market forces over which they have no control. It guarantees prices that enable producers to cover their costs of production and provide a decent standard of living for their families. It reminds us there are people behind all the things we consume.

St. Roberts participates in the CRS Fair Trade Coffee Program by committing to the use of fair trade coffee for parish functions and by making it available for purchase to the parish community. Our coffee comes from Dean’s Beans, a company that supports the welfare of small-scale farmers and the CRS Fair Trade Coffee Program by donating a percentage of your purchase to the CRS Fair Trade Fund to support CRS’s work with disadvantaged coffee farmers overseas.

Bring your values to the marketplace – bring Dean’s Beans Fair Trade Coffee into your homes! Coffee will be available for purchase in the Seton Room after all Masses on July 7 and 8.

Readings for the Week of June 24, 2007

Sunday: Vigil: Jer 1:4-10/1 Pt 1:8-12/Lk 1:5-17

Day: Is 49:1-6/Acts 13:22-26/Lk 1:57-66, 80

Monday: Gn 12:1-9/Mt 7:1-5

Tuesday: Gn 13:2, 5-18/Mt 7:6, 12-14

Wednesday: Gn 15:1-12, 17-18/Mt 7:15-20

Thursday: Gn 16:1-12, 15-16 or 16:6b-12, 15-16/Mt 7:21-29

Friday: Vigil: Acts 3:1-10/Gal 1:11-20/Jn 21:15-19

Day: Acts 12:1-11/2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18/Mt 16:13-19

Saturday: Gn 18:1-15/Mt 8:5-17

Next Sunday: 1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21/Gal 5:1, 13-18/Lk 9:51-62

In Service

Maj. Kurt O’Rourke Mark DuPont, USCC, Kevin Grace, USA, Lyle Shackelford, Jaime Ray Seluk, USN, Pvt. Alexander Sabu, USA, Lt. Col. Paul Severance, USAF, Gen’l. R. Steve Whitcomb, USA, Lt. Col. Brian P. Bedell, USA, Capt. Lauren Whitcomb, USA, Col. Patrick J. Donahue, USA, Col. Brian P. Donahue, USA, Michael McGaffigan, USA, Beth Carriere, Nurse, USA, Steve Comstock, Pilot, USN, Lt. Jesse Salisbury, USAF, Sgt. Maureen Galvin, USA,SpOps, Lt.J.G. Kevin B. O’Brien, USN, Miko Belonia, Maj. Tony Hoffman, USA, Maj. Ross Coffman, USA, Maj. Garth Howe, USA, USA, Chief Warrant Officer II, Michael Morris, Captain Matthew Mancini, USA, Sgt. Ellen Barnes O’Connor, USA, Pvt. Adam James Mazza, USA, Pvt. Joseph D. Gagnon, USM, Col. Joseph Albanese, USA, Cpt. Eric Eckberg, USA

Question of the Week

Nativity of John the Baptist

What can you do this week to spread the good news about Jesus?

Question for Youth:

John the Baptist was sent ahead to prepare people for Jesus’ message. How does your life, including your words and actions, help others to know what it means to be a follower of Jesus?

Question for Children:

How can you follow the example of John the Baptist and tell others about Jesus this week?

Bread and Roses

July Prep and Summer Help

Many thanks for your generous donations for the month of June.

On Sunday, July 15th, we will prepare the meal for the Bread and Roses hospitality house in Lawrence to be served on Monday, July 16th, the third Monday of the month. PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE FIVE WEEKENDS IN JULY. Our parish provides the meal on the THIRD Monday of each month throughout the year. The third weekend is July 15th, not the 22nd.

We plan to prepare BEEF TACOS with a tossed salad and dessert. Food items needed are: cooked ground beef, soft tacos (large size please), packages of shredded cheese, packages of taco seasoning, jars of salsa, lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, large cans of fruit salad, cookies or brownies. Please use the sign up sheet on the clipboard in the church lobby.

Many of our parishioners who regularly donate to this effort will be on vacation during July and August. Please consider contributing some needed food item if you will be here during these months. Any donation would be very much appreciated.

Kitchen helpers meet on Sunday at 9:30 AM. All food donations should be received by 10:30 AM. Call Betty Bufano at 978-851-5682 or Lisa Lattari at 978-749-3736 for further information.

Summer Mass Schedule begins this week!

Weekend Liturgies will be celebrated:

Saturday – 4:00 PM

Sunday – 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM

Going on Vacation?

Summer vacation has arrived! Have fun and be safe! Here’s a helpful list of things to remember as you get ready to pack and go:

1. Stop the newspaper

2. Stop the mail

3. Take pets to the kennel

4. Lock all the windows and doors

5. SEND YOUR WEEKLY CONTRIBUTION TO ST. ROBERTS

Please remember our expenses do not stop during the summer months. Please consider sending your summer contribution before you leave for vacation. Or consider signing up for the ParishPay automated giving program (see below for more information).

Stay in touch through our parish website:

www.saintroberts.net

While traveling find local mass times at:

www.masstimes.org

What is ParishPay and How can I sign up?

Now you can have your donations automatically transferred from either your checking or savings account each month or, if you prefer, you may use your credit card. The program is easy and convenient. Simply enroll once and your donations will safely arrive at our parish each month. No more checks to write or envelopes to fuss with and, best of all, it’s free to enroll. There are three easy ways to enroll:

If you have questions or need more information, contact Irene Bonner at 978-683-8922 or ibonner@comcast.net.

Academy of Notre Dame Accepting Applications

The Academy of Notre Dame is a private, Catholic co-educational elementary school and an all-girls preparatory high school sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, located in Tyngsboro, MA. The school is currently accepting applications for the following grades:

(High School Preparatory Middle School)

(College Preparatory High School)

For more information, please contact Barbara Aldrich-Clougherty, Director of Admissions, at 978-649-7611 x327 or visit their website at www.ndatyngsboro.org.

St. Augustine School Openings

A few openings remain in the 2007-2008 Nursery, Pre-K, and Kindergarten classes at St. Augustine School in Andover. To apply, contact Ann Daly at 978-475-2414 or go online for an application at www.staugustineandover.org.

At St. Augustine’s we work to enable all our students to reach their full potential spiritually, emotionally, socially, and academically. Our strong and diverse Catholic community is rich with opportunity – from foreign language studies and arts to extracurricular activities and faith outreach programs.

SCRIPTURE READINGS – THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

A reading from the first Book of Kings 19:16b, 19-21

The Lord said to Elijah: "You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah, as prophet to succeed you."

Elijah set out and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat, as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and I will follow you." Elijah answered, "Go back! Have I done anything to you?" Elisha left him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them; he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and gave it to his people to eat. Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians 5:1, 13-18

Brothers and sisters: For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.

I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

+ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 9:51-62

When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."

And to another he said, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." And another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home." To him Jesus said, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God."