Weekly Digest

Welcome everyone!  We wish you a peaceful and happy Christmas season!
This week at the parish:

• Tuesday - Fatima Apostolate (7 pm)
• Wednesday - NEW YEAR'S EVE, Vigil of the Solemnity of Mary (see schedule below)
• Thursday - SOLEMNITY OF MARY (see schedule below), NO First Friday Confessions
• Friday - First Friday Adoration (all day, Benediction at 5:00, Mass at 5:30)
• Saturday  - Confessions (3 pm)
• Sunday - Coffee and Donuts (after 9:00 am Mass), Adult Choir (10:30 am Mass), Infant Baptisms (2 pm)

Saint Agnes Family Playgroup - CANCELLED THIS TUESDAY

Please note that due to a death in the family, playgroup will be cancelled for THIS TUESDAY only.  Please check back again next week if the weather is good enough for playgroup.  We hope to meet you and see you there!

The Solemnity schedule of Masses is below:

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

This Friday, January 2nd, is the first Friday of the month.  Due to the Holy Day, there will be NO First Friday confessions on Thursday, January 1st.  On Friday, Saint Agnes will be offering all-day Adoration, concluding with Benediction and Mass at 5:00/5:30pm, in the lower church. Also at noon there will be a Holy Hour to pray for priests and victims of clergy sexual abuse. Adoration is a wonderful opportunity to spend some quiet time with the Lord and gain some focus in our lives - especially with all the busy distractions of daily life. For more background on the long tradition of keeping a First Friday devotion, look here or here.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

FALL 2015 REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR OUR WONDERFUL PARISH SCHOOLS!

FIDELITY HOUSE - Preschool and Pre-K

SAINT AGNES GRAMMAR SCHOOL - Pre-K through Grade 8

ARLINGTON CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

Links to these websites are located at the top right-hand of the blog page.

When you invest and involve your family here, you can participate

in the evangelical mission and service of these community resources,

which are offered by - and in the long tradition of - our very own Catholic Church.

Financial Aid is available.  WOW!

Want a memorable date on New Years?

Are you wondering what to do for New Years?  Are you tired of the late night TV and bar scene?

How can we bring in the New Year in a truly meaningful way?

Join Cardinal Seán O'Malley, the Archdiocese of Boston, and the Oblates of the Virgin Mary

for our New Year's Eve Prayer Vigil!

Where: Saint Clement Eucharistic Shrine, 1105 Boylston St., Boston (Hynes Convention Center T-stop)

When:  December 31, 2014 at 10:00 pm - January 1, 2015

Our three specific intentions for this vigil are for life, for peace, and for families. The night will include Eucharistic Adoration, praying the rosary with meditations lead by Fr. Peter Grover, Mass with Cardinal Seán, and a New Year's party with music and refreshments.  All are welcome! 

10:00 pm - Holy Hour 

11:15 pm - Mass 

12:30 am - Social

Playgroup CANCELLED Today

Due to the very poor and rainy weather today, playgroup will be CANCELLED for Tuesday, December 23rd.  We hope to see you next Tuesday!

Blessed Christmas!! Weekly Digest

Welcome everyone!  We wish you a peaceful and happy Christmas!
This week at the parish:

• Tuesday - Family Playgroup (10:30 am), Fatima Apostolate (7 pm)
• Wednesday - CHRISTMAS EVE (see schedule below)
• Thursday - BLESSED CHRISTMAS! (see schedule below)
• Saturday  - Confessions (3 pm)
• FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Coffee and Donuts (after 9:00 am Mass), Adult Choir (10:30 am Mass)

Saint Agnes Family Playgroup - CHECK BEFORE YOU LEAVE!

Once a week, we hold Tuesday playgroups outdoors at nearby parks. To print a written schedule of our winter playgroup locations, please click here.  To see a map of our winter park schedule, please click here.

Despite the schedule, we will try to meet this Tuesday, December 23rd, at Lincoln Park (141 Lincoln St., Lexington).  This park has fenced play structures, and a bike path and nature trail outside of the fencing.  HOWEVER, the weather looks poor for tomorrow, so make sure you check back on Tuesday morning!  Weather permitting, we will play together and enjoy each other's company.  Bring your own picnic lunch.  Come join us; we hope to see you there!

**NOTE THAT our outdoor schedule is highly dependent on good weather. IN THE WINTER MONTHS, WE WILL MEET IF THE WEATHER IS ABOVE 32 DEGREES.  If the weather seems questionable, please check your email or the blog page before you leave for playgroup. In case of freezing weather or rain, playgroup will be cancelled for the day. Thanks!**

The Christmas schedule of Masses and Music for Saint Agnes Parish is below:

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

FALL 2015 REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR OUR WONDERFUL PARISH SCHOOLS!

FIDELITY HOUSE - Preschool and Pre-K

SAINT AGNES GRAMMAR SCHOOL - Pre-K through Grade 8

ARLINGTON CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

Links to these websites are located at the top right-hand of the blog page.

When you invest and involve your family here, you can participate

in the evangelical mission and service of these community resources,

which are offered by - and in the long tradition of - our very own Catholic Church.

Financial Aid is available.  WOW!

Saint Dymphna Society CANCELLED

Dear Saint Agnes Community -

Please note that due to extenuating circumstances, the Saint Dymphna Society will be cancelled for tonight.  If you would like to learn more about the group in the future, please email Karen Celano (KCelano [at] gmail.com).

The Men's Bible Study will still meet in the Saint Agnes Parish Center tonight at 8:00 pm.  Hope you can join us!

Weekly Digest

Welcome everyone!
This week at the parish:

• Tuesday - Family Playgroup (10:30 am), Choir Practice and Fatima Apostolate (7 pm), Women's Bible Study (7:30 pm)
• Wednesday - Bereavement Meeting and Adult Education Evening (7 pm)
• Thursday - Saint Dymphna Society (6:30 pm), Men's Bible Study (8:00 pm)
• Saturday  - Confirmation Students: Christmas in the City (9 am), Confessions (3 pm)
• FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Coffee and Donuts (after 9:00 am Mass), Adult Choir (10:30 am Mass)

Saint Agnes Family Playgroup - CHECK BEFORE YOU LEAVE!

Once a week, we hold Tuesday playgroups outdoors at nearby parks. To print a written schedule of our winter playgroup locations, please click here.  To see a map of our winter park schedule, please click here.

This Tuesday, December 16th, we will meet at Lussiano Field Playground (143 Everett St., Arlington).  This park has a play structures, a sandbox, and a basketball court good for bikes or scooters! We will play together and enjoy each other's company.  Bring your own picnic lunch.  Come join us; we hope to see you there!

**NOTE THAT our outdoor schedule is highly dependent on good weather. IN THE WINTER MONTHS, WE WILL MEET IF THE WEATHER IS ABOVE 32 DEGREES.  If the weather seems questionable, please check your email or the blog page before you leave for playgroup. In case of freezing weather or rain, playgroup will be cancelled for the day. Thanks!**

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Family Liturgy Advent Collection
Please consider participating in the Advent collections at the 9:00 am Family Liturgy.  This is a project of Christian love and generosity for those less fortunate, of caring for our neighbor and helping to alleviate the stressors that some experience at this time of year. Let us celebrate the birth of our Savior with thankfulness for our blessings and an outpouring of love for others!  If you can’t afford a gift, make an offering of prayers for those in need, and for our Parish community.

For the Family Liturgy Advent Collection, please bring the following items for children in need each week:
December 7: Winter mittens/gloves
December 14: Winter hats
December 21: Winter scarves

Giving Tree Gifts due Sunday & March for Life trip in JANUARY!

Please remember to bring any gifts for the Giving Tree to Mass this weekend!

All gifts need to be wrapped, with tag attached, and returned to church by NOON on December 14th.  Thank you!

We invite you to join us and hundreds of thousands from across America as we travel from Arlington to Washington DC for the 42nd Annual March for Life!

Affiliated with Saint Agnes and Saint Camillus parishes in Arlington, this bus trip involved 3 days/2 nights (January 21-23) with comfortable accommodations at the Hampton Inn in Silver Spring, MD.  We have planned an active "March Day" itinerary for January 22nd in our nation's capital, mixed with relaxation, fellowship, and prayer.  Ask anyone who has gone before: it's a spiritual experience you will never forget!

The cost is $239 per person (double occupancy) or $319 (single occupancy).  The bus leaves from and returns to the Saint Camillus Church parking lot (Rt. 2 Westbound Exit 57, "Dow Ave. Arlington").

For more information, contact Tom Harvey (THarveyEsq [at] aol.com) or Joe Kolb (JosKol5 [at] yahoo.com).

Boston Sock Exchange THIS WEEKEND!

"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread." Mother Teresa

Come serve the homeless in Boston.
Put your faith in action!

This Saturday, December 13th is the Boston Sock Exchange at 11:00 am! This ministry helps the homeless men and women of Boston, by distributing gifts of sandwiches and clothes near the Park Street T-Stop on the second Saturday of the month.

Prep and packaging for the day will be held tomorrow -- Friday night, December 12th at 7:00 pm in the parish center. Help and/or donations is a wonderful way to put our faith in action!  For more information, see the calendar to the right, or email Natasha Buckley (NQBuck [at] aol.com).  Participants need to be at least 7 years old, and those under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

The Boston Sock Exchange is currently in need of small 8 oz. bottled water, SOCKS, sweatshirts, long sleeved-shirts, fleece jackets, coats, gloves, hats, and scarves.  We also need rain gear: ponchos and umbrellas.  Thank you!

Advent Week 2: Obedience and Humility

Would you like some virtues to introduce to your family during our journey towards the birth of Christ our King?  We will have a focus topic for each week of Advent!

As we prepare for Christmas, we also hear of Mary with her cousin, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist. What can we learn from John?

John was obedient to his call to prepare the way for Christ. It required great humility to speak so boldly, gaining fame among his followers, yet remaining simple and insisting that there was still another "coming after me who is mightier than I." (Matthew 3:11) John himself must have wondered at times what he was doing wandering around in the wilderness! He even sent a message to Jesus, asking "are you really the One?" (Matthew 11:3)

But John was faithful to his task, and those who repented and listened to John found something even sweeter than honey - Jesus Christ, the One who came after John. Those who did not listen were disappointed, and did not prepare their hearts to receive the Savior of the World. In the end, John's obedience to God's call for his life cost him the price of his head, when he was martyred by Herod (Matthew 14:1-12).

So often in our lives, our faith calls for obedience. Our leaders in the consecrated life take very serious vows of obedience! As lay people, we may not take this vow, but we can practice the wisdom of this virtue. It is easy to become proud and think that we know better than God or those whom He has placed in authority over us. But submitting ourselves willingly to service, obedience, and the practice of humility can be very rewarding: we may learn a lot and serve God in wonderful ways that we never could if we had thought ourselves the "better authority." We are asked to respect our priests, pastors, and bishops... if not always agreeing, then with a listening ear of humility. We also must respect one another's views this way, if our Christian example is to be real for those around us.

"The New Evangelization calls for humility. The Gospel cannot thrive in pride. Humility is truth.

Humility is seeing ourselves the way God sees us. Humility is solidarity with the rest of wounded humanity.

The Church is holy because of Christ. The Church is a community of sinners because of us.

Simplicity of lives and humility of heart are indispensable tools for evangelization."

-Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas, Philippines-

Here is a wonderfully reflective article, which calls to mind our own limited understanding as individuals, and challenges us to open our hearts to Catholics (or non-Catholics) around us, regardless of differences. God has welcomed us each of us into His universal Church, and the Holy Spirit guides us all as the "branches" attached to One Vine. We do not have a monopoly on holiness.  We each must strive to faithfully answer "Yes Lord. Here I am. Send me. Your will be done." Additionally, when we disagree with others, we must strive for an approach of both humility and truth, rooted in the good will of charity.

This Advent, can we, like John the Baptist and many of the saints and martyrs, practice humility and obedience? How can we encourage obedience in our children? And as our children practice obedience to us, how can we learn from their example? How can we become children of God? Obedience can also help us to grow in holiness and become a "voice the desert" to those around us who need to hear God's word.

Click and print the picture below to work on with your children, and discuss what we can learn from the relationship between John and his cousin, our Savior, Jesus!

Playgroup CANCELLED Today

Due to the very poor and rainy weather today, playgroup will be CANCELLED for Tuesday, December 9th.  We hope to see you next Tuesday!

Weekly Digest

Welcome everyone!
This week at the parish:

• Monday - FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION - Holy Day of Obligation, Respect Life Meeting (7 pm)
• Tuesday - Family Playgroup (10:30 am), Choir Practice, Fatima Apostolate, and ACHS Centerpiece Making (7 pm)
• Wednesday - Bereavement Meeting (7 pm), Arlington Catholic Women's Club (7:15 pm)
• Friday - Prep for Boston Sock Exchange (7 pm)
• Saturday  - Boston Sock Exchange (11 am at Park Street T-stop), Confessions (3 pm)
• THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Bring Giving Tree Gifts! Coffee and Donuts (after 9:00 am Mass), Adult Choir (10:30 am Mass)

TODAY, December 8, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, 
a Holy Day of Obligation and the patronal feast day of the United States of America.

Masses at Saint Agnes will be held in the Lower Chapel as follows:
Monday, December 8 - 7:00 am, 12:00 noon, 5:30 pm
Saint Agnes School Mass will be held at 8:30 am in the Upper Church

The next Saint Agnes Parishioners for Life Meeting will be on
Monday, December 8th at 7:00 pm in the Parish Center.
Come learn about our January trip to Washington DC, and share your talents!

Saint Agnes Family Playgroup - CHECK BEFORE YOU LEAVE!

Once a week, we hold Tuesday playgroups outdoors at nearby parks. To print a written schedule of our winter playgroup locations, please click here.  To see a map of our winter park schedule, please click here.

This Tuesday, December 9th, we will meet at Buzzell Field Playground (46 Summer St., Arlington).  This park has a play structures, a sandbox, a basketball court good for bikes or scooters, and is located right off the bike path! We will play together and enjoy each other's company.  Bring your own picnic lunch.  Come join us; we hope to see you there!

**NOTE THAT our outdoor schedule is highly dependent on good weather. IN THE WINTER MONTHS, WE WILL MEET IF THE WEATHER IS ABOVE 32 DEGREES.  If the weather seems questionable, please check your email or the blog page before you leave for playgroup. In case of freezing weather or rain, playgroup will be cancelled for the day. Thanks!**

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Boston Sock Exchange

This Saturday, December 13th is the Boston Sock Exchange at 11:00 am at the Park Street T-Stop.  This ministry helps the homeless men and women of Boston, by distributing gifts of sandwiches and clothes near the Park Street T-Stop on the second Saturday of the month. Prep and packaging for the day is held in the parish center on Friday night, December 12th at 7:00 pm. Help and/or donations is a wonderful way to put your faith in action!  For more information, see the calendar to the right, or email Natasha Buckley (NQBuck [at] aol.com).  The Boston Sock Exchange is currently in need of small 8 oz. bottled water, SOCKS, sweatshirts, long sleeved-shirts, fleece jackets, coats, winter hats, scarves and gloves.  We also need rain gear: ponchos and umbrellas.  Thank you!

"Here is what we seek: a compassion that can stand in awe of what the poor have

to carry, rather than stand in judgement of how they carry it." Fr. Gregory Boyle, SJ

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Giving Tree and Family Liturgy Advent Collection
Please consider participating in either our parish Giving Tree or the Advent collections at the 9:00 am Family Liturgy.  These are projects of Christian love and generosity for those less fortunate, of caring for our neighbor and helping to alleviate the stressors that some experience at this time of year. Let us celebrate the birth of our Savior with thankfulness for our blessings and an outpouring of love for others!  If you can’t afford a gift, make an offering of prayers for families represented on the tree, and for our Parish community.

Gifts for the Giving Tree must be wrapped and returned to the Church before the 12:00 Noon Mass on December 14.

For the Family Liturgy Advent Collection, please bring the following items for children in need each week:
December 7: Winter mittens/gloves
December 14: Winter hats
December 21: Winter scarves 

Respect Life Meeting at 7:00 pm, MONDAY

The next Saint Agnes Parishioners for Life Meeting will be on
Monday, December 8th at 7:00 pm in the Parish Center.
Come learn about our January trip to Washington DC, and share your talents!

How can we be PRO-life every day?

By maintaining a positive attitude towards others,

appreciating the unique person that God has created in each individual,

reaching out in kindness and compassion,

praying for the unborn, disabled and elderly,

and giving alms to the poor, marginalized, and vulnerable in our society.

“Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for Me.”Matthew 25:40

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Do you like to Run (or walk?)

Calling all runners and walkers… have you heard of the national organization LIFE Runners? It is the world’s largest Pro-Life Running/Walking Team with chapters in all 50 states and 17 countries! LIFE Runners pray and run (or walk) to defend Life from conception to natural death… All in Christ for Pro-Life! There are two chapters in Massachusetts (Springfield and Still River), but no Boston area chapter yet. Would you be interested in starting a Boston area chapter of LIFE Runners? E-mail Eileen Cahill at SAParishforLife [at] gmail.com. This would be a great way for all ages in our parish and our community to work and pray together to support God’s gift of life.

“All life has inestimable value even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live forever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect.”

-Pope Francis

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

LOCAL Natural Family Planning

Attention Married Couples!

Would you like…

• a natural, hormone-free way to postpone pregnancy?
• to start a family or have another child?
• to improve communication with your spouse?
• to learn more about church teaching on "the Theology of the Body?"
• to understand why the Bishops were so unsettled by the HHS mandate?

Natural Family Planning (NFP) is an organic, chemical-free method that is just as effective as the Pill at postponing pregnancy and nearly twice as effective as IVF for achieving pregnancy. The divorce rate among couples that practice NFP is less than 2%.

Want to learn more? Josh and Meredith Phelps are teaching a 3-class NFP series starting in January.  For sign-ups, details, or questions in the interim, please email Meredith.Phelps [at] gmail.com.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Project Rachel
Project Rachel is a confidential Catholic outreach ministry offering healing, compassion and hope to women and men hurting from an abortion experience. People are available to listen, to answer questions, to pray for you, and to help in any way. Project Rachel can help begin the experience of forgiveness, freedom and peace waiting for you in the tender embrace of God’s love and mercy. The phone number for Project Rachel is 508-651-3100, email is help [at] ProjectRachelBoston.com, and the website is www.ProjectRachelBoston.com.  All inquiries are confidential.

Men's Bible Study & Feast of Saint Nicholas

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Don't forget that this Saturday (December 6) is the Feast of Saint Nick!  Taking time to learn about Saint Nicholas can be a wonderful way to help your children make the connection between Jesus' birthday, opening our hearts to Christ, giving gifts, and sharing sacrificially with those around us.  You can read Saint Nick's bio here.

You can also TAKE your kids to a Saint Nicholas day party at the Lexington parishes of Sacred Heart / Saint Brigid on Saturday morning.  See details below, and be sure to RSVP by December 4th!

Holy Families of Faith of the Lexington Catholic Community invites all families with children ages 6 and under to a celebration in honor of St. Nicholas!

The celebration is Saturday, December 6th, from 9:30-11:30 am at Sacred Heart Parish Center (21 Follen Rd., Lexington). We will have games, activities, stories and songs, treats, and perhaps a visit from the good bishop himself!

RSVP to StNickLexington@gmail.com by December 4th.  Siblings and grandparents welcome! A suggested donation of $5/child ($15 family cap) is appreciated.  Let’s be glad and full of cheer, good St. Nicholas will soon be here!

Advent Week 1: Thankfulness

Would you like some virtues to introduce to your family during our journey towards the birth of Christ our King?  We will have a focus topic for each week of Advent!

This week, let's make an extra effort to be thankful to God for all that is.  God has made everything, even each of us, and the many good gifts that fill our lives.  Our proper regard for the Lord is one of praise and thanksgiving, and especially for His Son, who literally gave His whole Self and Life to humanity out of love.  Our Eucharistic gathering, in which we receive Jesus, comes from the Greek word for "thanksgiving."  How fitting.

Sometimes in our lives, even those things which we initially perceive as negative may turn out to be blessings in the end.  Even Saint Paul regarded trials as blessings in disguise!

To stop me from getting too proud, I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to torment me and stop me from becoming too proud! Three times I begged the Lord to make this suffering go away. But He replied, "My grace is sufficient for you. And My power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather glory in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell within me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

And so, in happy times and in sad, times of security or insecurity, health or illness, we should always offer our thanks to God, the Creator of all things.  We entrust our very lives to Him, as well as the various experiences, trials, and blessings that we encounter in our lives -- as opportunities He has given us on the walk to Heaven with Him.

We can also show our gratefulness to God -- and acknowledge our utter dependence on Him -- by offering a faithful tithe of the material blessings He gives us to share with others.  This is certainly a sacrifice, but this choice to give generously is one that: (1) recognizes our many blessings with gratitude -- not focusing on what we lack, (2) acknowledges God as the giver and the taker of gifts, (3) places ourselves in His constant care -- we give even though we ourselves may not have "everything," and (4) much like prayer, changes and conforms us to the will of Christ.  Sacrificial giving, almsgiving --which unites us spiritually to those who suffer -- is different from "excess" philanthropy, in that it has the power to truly reach lives and build faith.  When we give faithfully to Him Who does not come to check every month, we learn the value of honesty and sincerity in our dealings with others, and we can develop empathy and concern for those around us.

"Man ought to possess external things, not as his own, but as common, so that, to wit, he is ready to communicate them to others in their need." -Saint Thomas Aquinas-

Practicing continual and purposeful gratefulness is also an important spiritual practice.  Following the order of Natural Law, it's no wonder that cultivating a sense of gratitude is one of the best ways to avoid AND treat depression!  Here is a secular, but useful post about how gratefulness and giving serve as strong antidotes to greed, blessings to your community, and an impetus for a healthy view of finance and wealth... from an author who learned the "hard way."  How can you be more grateful for the blessings in your life?  Perhaps start with a list on your refrigerator this Advent.  Or, put a "Poor Box" by your door, and drop your change into it whenever you go in or out.  Encourage your children to also be grateful by filling in the "thankfulness tree" below.  Click and print for the handout!

"Indifference towards those in need is not acceptable for a Christian." -Pope Francis-

Baptism Catechesis and Women's Bible Study TONIGHT

Have you had a new baby? We wish you many heartfelt congratulations!

Don't forget that baptisms for babies at Saint Agnes are held on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month at 2:00 pm. You must attend Baptismal Catechesis prior to having your child baptized.

Baptism Catechesis happens once a month, and you can go to one tonight! The briefing session begins at 7:00 pm in the Saint Agnes Parish Center at 51 Medford St., Arlington. The meeting usually lasts under an hour.

If you would like to learn a little more about Christian baptism and why the Catholic Church encourages infants to be baptized, you can read about it here.

Baptism is the sacrament of faith. But faith needs the community of believers. It is only within the faith of the Church that each of the faithful can believe. The faith required for Baptism is not a perfect and mature faith, but a beginning that is called to develop. The catechumen or the Godparent is asked: “What do you ask of God’s Church?” The response is: “Faith!” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1253)

Parenting is certainly not an easy task: it is filled with difficult decisions, personal setbacks and growth, expanding relationships, disagreements, love, AND forgiveness. We offer you our support and encouragement along this journey, and we invite you warmly into our parish and Christian life!

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Weekly Digest

Welcome everyone!
This week at the parish:

• Tuesday - Family Playgroup (10:30 am), Baptism Catechesis, Choir Practice and Fatima Apostolate (7 pm), Women's Bible Study (7:30 pm)
• Wednesday - Bereavement Meeting (7 pm)
• Thursday - First Friday Confessions (4 pm), Men's Bible Study (8 pm)
• Friday - First Friday Adoration (all day, Benediction at 5:00, Mass at 5:30), First Friday Playgroup (10:30 am)
• Saturday  - FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS, Confessions (3 pm)
• SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Children's Choir at 9:00 am Mass (rehearsal at 8:15 am), Coffee and Donuts (after 9:00 am Mass), Adult Choir (10:30 am Mass), Infant Baptisms (2 pm), Christmas Festival of Lights with Saint Camillus (2:30 pm)
• Monday - FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION - Holy Day of Obligation, Respect Life Meeting (7 pm)

Saint Agnes Family Playgroup - CHECK BEFORE YOU LEAVE!

Once a week, we hold Tuesday playgroups outdoors at nearby parks. To print a written schedule of our winter playgroup locations, please click here.  To see a map of our winter park schedule, please click here.

This Tuesday, December 2nd, we will meet at Hill's Hill Playground (422 Summer St., Arlington).  This park has a fun maze-like structure, a field for playing, swings, and is located right off the bike path! We will play together and enjoy each other's company.  Bring your own picnic lunch.  Come join us; we hope to see you there!

**NOTE THAT our outdoor schedule is highly dependent on good weather. IN THE WINTER MONTHS, WE WILL MEET IF THE WEATHER IS ABOVE 32 DEGREES.  If the weather seems questionable, please check your email or the blog page before you leave for playgroup. In case of freezing weather or rain, playgroup will be cancelled for the day. Thanks!**

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

This Friday, December 5th, is the first Friday of the month.  On Thursday, December 4th, from 4:00-5:00 pm, there will be the opportunity for confession in the lower church.  On Friday, Saint Agnes will be offering all-day Adoration, concluding with Benediction and Mass at 5:00/5:30pm, in the lower church. Also at noon there will be a Holy Hour to pray for priests and victims of clergy sexual abuse. Adoration is a wonderful opportunity to spend some quiet time with the Lord and gain some focus in our lives - especially with all the busy distractions of daily life. For more background on the long tradition of keeping a First Friday devotion, look here or here.

Also, anyone who wishes to walk across the street to spend time alone with our Lord in Adoration may do so, while the other mothers watch your children in the playroom.  First Friday playgroup is from 10:30 am-12:30 pm at Fidelity House (25 Medford St., Arlington). Fidelity House is being very generous by letting us use this space. Please consider a donation to help with their costs. Suggested donation is $1 per each person attending. Please remember some behavior guidelines: No running out of the playroom, no kids in the toy closet, respect physical limits, use a time-out chair, please discipline your own children promptly Please no food.... drinks in spill proof containers are OK.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Giving Tree and Family Liturgy Advent Collection
Please consider participating in either our parish Giving Tree or the Advent collections at the 9:00 am Family Liturgy.  These are projects of Christian love and generosity for those less fortunate, of caring for our neighbor and helping to alleviate the stressors that some experience at this time of year. Let us celebrate the birth of our Savior with thankfulness for our blessings and an outpouring of love for others!  If you can’t afford a gift, make an offering of prayers for families represented on the tree, and for our Parish community.

Gifts for the Giving Tree must be wrapped and returned to the Church before the 12:00 Noon Mass on December 14.

For the Family Liturgy Advent Collection, please bring the following items for children in need each week:
December 7: Winter mittens/gloves
December 14: Winter hats
December 21: Winter scarves