FROM FATHER RICK
DEAR FRIENDS,
MASS SCHEDULE VS
INTENTIONS
Just a reminder that
what you find in the bulletin is a listing of those
Masses for which Intentions have been requested. It
is NOT a schedule of Masses for the week. The mass
schedule for weekday Mass is announced at the
weekend Masses as well as posted on a sign on the
front door of the church.
SUMMER COOKOUTS
The first of our two
summer cookouts will be held on Wednesday, July 16,
at 5:30 pm. The second cookout will be held
following the 5:30 pm Mass on Friday, August 15, the
Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary.
If you plan to join us
for the July 16 cookout, please contact the parish
office before Thursday, July 10, at the end of
business.
I wish you 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. For more information, contact Jim McKain
at 978-475-7931 or
Jim_McKain@NLTek.com, or go online to
www.saintroberts.net/kofc.htm.
Next Meeting:
Wednesday, July 16, 7:30 pm, Driscoll Hall
Stewardship
Reflection
“For my yoke is easy,
and my burden light.” Matthew 11:30
When we think of being
good stewards, we may think that God asks too much
of us by asking us to generously share our time,
talent and treasure. But the yoke of stewardship is
not heavy. Good stewards learn that by passing up
the materialism of the world, we can experience
great joy in spending more time with God and sharing
more of our gifts with others.
Cycle for Shelter,
Emmaus Inc.
Sunday, July 27 (rain
or shine)
Founded in 1985, Emmaus
is a non-profit organization “Where Everybody
Matters”. Emmaus is devoted to helping families and
individuals rebuild their lives. It is the largest
provider of emergency shelter in Essex County and
offers transitional and permanent affordable
housing, job training, meals, and support services.
For more information and registration please call
978-241-3444 or visit
www.emmausinc.org. Volunteers are also needed
for this event. Please call 978-241-3423 to find out
more on how you can help out!
Celebrate Our Faith
On July 4th,
Independence Day, we celebrated the birth of our
nation. Please join us this Fall in ARISE:
Together in Christ to share and celebrate
our Faith. For more information, please visit us
online at
www.saintroberts.net/Arise.htm.
Special Collection
Next Weekend
Black and Indian
Missions
“Working Together
Leads to Success”
The annual collection
for United States Black, Indian, Eskimo, and Aleute
Missions takes place next weekend, July 12/13.
The funds are needed to continue present
evangelization programs; even more, to assist those
parishes devastated by hurricanes to totally rebuild
their programs. Many places lost everything and how
soon we forget that the rebuilding that needs to be
done cannot be done overnight. The evangelization
programs torn apart by the devastation need to be
woven back together, an effort that will take years.
And many new evangelization efforts are being made
in these areas as well as other communities assisted
by the Church’s National Black and Indian
Collection. Working together leads to success. The
support of your generosity goes to some of the
neediest people in the United States, from the inner
cities of the rural South to the deserts of the
Southwest to Alaska’s cold wilderness. Please give
what you are able. If we all give a little, a lot
will be accomplished.
Caregiver Support
Group
Wednesday, July 9,
10:00-11:00 am
Pastoral Center, St.
Michael Parish, N. Andover
A monthly support group
for those who care for a loved one going through
illness, memory loss or disability. The group offers
the opportunity to take time out for yourself, to
meet others going through similar experiences, as
well as learning about community resources. Please
call Jean at St. Michaels for more information and
registration at 978-686-4050.
Saturday, July 5,
Vigil, 14th Ordinary Sunday
4:00 pm: Corinne Johnson
Sunday, July 6, 14th
Ordinary Sunday
8:00 am: Annie
Guillemette & Anne L. Guillemette
10:30 am: John J. Hanley
Thursday, July 10,
Weekday Mass
12:10 pm: Cynthia
Roberts
Friday, July 11,
Benedict, abbot
12:10 pm: Deceased
members of the Marcoux Family
Saturday, July 12,
Vigil, 15th Ordinary Sunday
4:00 pm: Bartolomeo &
Ursula DeLuca
Sunday, July 13, 15th
Ordinary Sunday
8:00 am: Albina Matushak
10:30 am: Richard Dlesk
Only Masses with
intentions are listed here. The full weekday Mass
schedule
is posted on the
church door and announced at the weekend Masses each
week.
Readings for the Week of July 6, 2008
Sunday: Zec
9:9-10/Rom 8:9, 11-13/Mt 11:25-30
Monday: Hos
2:16, 17b-18, 21-22/Mt 9:18-26
Tuesday: Hos
8:4-7, 11-13/Mt 9:32-38
Wednesday: Hos
10:1-3, 7-8, 12/Mt 10:1-7
Thursday: Hos
11:1-4, 8c-9/Mt 10:7-15
Friday: Hos
14:2-10/Mt 10:16-23
Saturday: Is
6:1-8/Mt 10:24-33
Next Sunday: Is
55:10-11/Rom 8:18-23/Mt 13:1-23 or 13:1-9
In Service
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, Cpt. Michael
McGaffigan, 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, Chief Warrant Officer II Michael
Morris, USA, Captain Matthew Mancini, USA, Sgt.
Ellen Barnes O’Connor, USA, Pvt. Adam James Mazza,
USA, Pvt. Joseph D. Gagnon, USM, Cpt. Eric Eckberg,
USA, LTCD Chris Stopyra, USN
Question of the
Week—Fourteenth Ordinary Sunday
Reading I:
Zechariah 9:9-10 (Your King Shall Come)
Reading II:
Romans 8:9, 11-13 (You Are In the Spirit)
Gospel:
Matthew 11:25-30 (Come to Me)
Question for Adults:
As you go about your daily life, dying in
love for others, how do you experience Christ giving
you consolation and peace?
Question for Youth:
Jesus invites us to bring him our burdens and
promises us that he will give us rest. How do you
rely on Jesus during times of trouble? When has
Jesus helped you?
Question for Children:
When you are generous, honest, and loving,
how do you know it is Jesus who helps you do that?
St. Joseph the Worker
Shrine Gift Shop
The St. Joseph the
Worker Shrine Gift Shop in Lowell will be undergoing
extensive renovations this summer which will result
in the temporary closing of the store for two
months. The Gift Shop closed on Friday, June 27, and
will remain closed throughout the months of July and
August. The store will re-open in early September.
Summer Cookout!!
Wednesday, July 16,
5:30 PM
RSVP by Thursday,
July 10, to Irene at
978-683-8922 or
ibonner@comcast.net.
And save the date for
our second summer cookout,
which will be held
after the 5:30 pm Holy Day Mass on Friday, August
15.
Fair trade coffee will be
available for purchase
after all Masses next
weekend, July 12 and 13.
Buying fair trade coffee
is a tangible way we can put the values of our faith
into action.
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!
Worldwide Marriage
Encounter
Looking for renewal in
your relationship? Consider a Marriage Encounter
weekend. The next Worldwide Marriage Encounter
Weekends in New England are July 18-20, September
19-21, and October 17-19. For more information call
Ray & Beth Ginepro at 1-800-710-WWME or visit them
on the web at
www.wwmeMA.org.
Saint of the Week
Elizabeth of
Portugal, 1271–1336
Wife, Mother, and
Religious
The daughter of Peter
III, King of Aragon, Elizabeth was named for her
great-aunt, St. Elizabeth of Hungary. She was
destined for a throne from birth, but her early
upbringing taught her humility and a strong sense of
charity. At the age of twelve, Elizabeth was married
to Denis, King of Portugal. Denis was a good ruler,
but a less-than-ideal husband. While he allowed
Elizabeth complete freedom to carry out her
charitable work and her devotion, he didn’t feel
obliged to emulate her.
Elizabeth rose early
each morning to pray and had other regular devotions
in the afternoon and evening. Like her namesake,
Elizabeth felt called upon to take care of those
less fortunate than herself. She built hospitals and
founded orphanages, and also ordered that pilgrims
and poor strangers be provided with lodging and
other necessities. In all of this, Elizabeth never
neglected her official duties or the care of her
family.
When Denis became
seriously ill in 1324, Elizabeth devoted all of her
attention to caring for him. During his long
illness, Denis repented the wanton life which he had
led and died in 1325 in a state of grace.
After the death of her
husband, Elizabeth wished to retire to a convent for
the Poor Clares which she had built. She was
dissuaded from this, however, and instead undertook
a simple life in a house near the convent as a
member of the third order of St. Francis.
Elizabeth earned the
title of "Peacemaker" because she frequently
intervened between quarreling members of her family.
In the royal milieu of the time, family quarrels
often turned into wars. On two occasions, Elizabeth
came between the forces of her husband and of her
son. Two other times, she either averted war or
intervened in disputes between rulers of Spanish
kingdoms.
In 1336, Elizabeth went
to reconcile a quarrel between her son, Aphonsus IV,
now the king of Portugal, and her grandson, Alfonso
XI, King of Castile. Upon reaching Estremoz on the
border of Castile where her son and his forces were
deployed, Elizabeth fell ill and died on July 4,
1336. An optional memorial honors her on that date.
Elizabeth’s Message
Today: In our times, maintaining peace in one’s
family does not usually involve averting a war. But
peace among family members is no less important, and
no less difficult to achieve, than it was in
Elizabeth’s time.
Where do you stand in
your family? Are you a peacemaker? The contentious
one? What can you do to bring peace where there is
dissension?
SCRIPTURE READINGS
FOR NEXT WEEK–FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
A reading from the
Book of the Prophet Isaiah 55:10-11
Thus says the LORD: Just
as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and
do not return there till they have watered the
earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed
to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats,
so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my
will, achieving the end for which I sent it.
A reading from the
Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans 8:18-23
Brothers and sisters: I
consider that the sufferings of this present time
are as nothing compared with the glory to be
revealed for us. For creation awaits with eager
expectation the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility, not of
its own accord but because of the one who subjected
it, in hope that creation itself would be set free
from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious
freedom of the children of God. We know that all
creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within
ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of
our bodies.
+ A reading from the
holy Gospel according to Matthew 13:1-23
On that day, Jesus went
out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large
crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat
and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the
shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables,
saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed,
some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate
it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had
little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil
was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell
among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears
ought to hear.”
The disciples approached
him and said, “Why do you speak to them in
parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because
knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been
granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and
he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even
what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak
to them in parables, because they look but do not
see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand, you
shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart
of this people, they will hardly hear with their
ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see
with their eyes and hear with their ears and
understand with their hearts and be converted, and I
heal them.
“But blessed are your
eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they
hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and
righteous people longed to see what you see but did
not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not
hear it.
“Hear then the parable
of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without
understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals
away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on
rocky ground is the one who hears the word and
receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and
lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or
persecution comes because of the word, he
immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns
is the one who hears the word, but then worldly
anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it
bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is
the one who hears the word and understands it, who
indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or
thirtyfold.”
Copyright 1970, 1986,
1992, 1998, 2001 Confraternity of Christian
Doctrine, Inc. Washington D.C. All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced or
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