Saturday for Teens: Music!

Speaking personally, modern Christian music changed my life of faith forever. While the Holy Spirit did all the hard work on my heart, for me, music was the vehicle of conversion that helped me to fall in love with Christ, and launched me into an adult life in which I wanted to live boldly as a Catholic Christian! My husband chuckles, but music continues to be a way into my heart today.

So, I humbly share with you a piece of my heart!  For the teens at Saint Agnes, maybe you will find a new artist who inspires you, a song that is relevant, or a hymn that reminds you to pray during a difficult moment.  Only the Holy Spirit can know what difference it might make to you!

In this season of Lent, we are all called to repent of our sins and return to the Lord.  This is such an important season of renewal because Christianity can sometimes become difficult - or even trite - in the hands of perfectionists (like me).  Lent reminds us what is at the heart of Christianity, which is not a race of perfect people. Rather, it is a family unified by their recognition of sinfulness and their salvation in the forgiveness and love of God; the person Christ Jesus. Christians (as we too often forget) should steer themselves away from the image of being a self-perfected person! Lent reminds us that only through repentance and the merits of Christ are we sanctified and drawn closer to the Lord (Hebrews 10). Countless biblical stories teach us that sometimes these failures can have triumphant endings! Christian music, often impassioned with stories of failure, difficulty, and triumph in Christ, carries this compelling message in its lyrics. Accepting failure in obedience to God's will is the realization of many great saints!

Saint Josephine Bakhita, who was enslaved and abused before becoming a religious sister said if she could meet her captives again:

"I would kneel and kiss their hands. For if those things had not happened, I would not have been a Christian and a religious today.”

Pope Francis during a Mass in his Americas 2016 trip:

"We are often the slaves of appearances and allow ourselves to pursue appearances: ‘But God knows the truth’.... We have all been chosen by the Lord to be baptized, to be part of His people, to be saints; we have been consecrated by the Lord on the path towards sainthood. Reading about this life [King David], the life of a child – no… not a child, he was a boy – from boyhood to old age, during which he did many good things and others that were not so good. It makes me think that during the Christian journey, the journey the Lord has invited us to undertake, there is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future."

“To your Mercy, O Lord, I entrust my past. My present, to your Love, and my future, to your Providence.”

-Saint Padre Pio-

Here's an article discussing the obedience of Christ to the messiness of the Father's will; a sanctifying act for us all.

"Here the will of God is done, as God wills, and as long as God wills."

-Saint Gerard Majella-

40 Days for Life & Respect Life at Saint Agnes

40 Days for Life

Saint Agnes will be participating in the 40 Days for Life campaign in Boston, February 10th - March 20th! 40 Days for Life is a community-based campaign that draws attention to the evils of abortion through the use of prayer and fasting, prayer vigil, and community outreach. 40 Days for Life takes a determined, peaceful approach to showing local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighborhoods, for their own friends and families.

Please join Saint Agnes Parishioners for Life as we participate in 40 Days for Life this Lent! Saint Agnes will be leading a rosary hour each Saturday morning from 7-8 am, and also Sunday afternoons from 2-3 pm at Planned Parenthood in Boston during the campaign. For carpooling, please meet in the public parking lot adjacent to Saint Agnes Church at 6:30 am on Saturdays, and 1:20 pm on Sundays. If you have any questions, e-mail Eileen Cahill (SAParishforLife [at] gmail.com).

Saint Agnes Parishioners for Life Meeting
The next Parishioners for Life Meeting will be Monday, March 14th at 7pm in the Saint Agnes Parish Center. All in the community are welcome to join. If you are interested in helping with our work, but can’t make the meeting, please e-mail SAParishforLife@gmail.com so we can keep you informed of local prolife activity.

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

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

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 certified teachers of a 3-class NFP series, offered in our locale! For sign-ups, details, or questions about dates, 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.

“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-

Let's Pray with the Pope in March!

Every month, the Pope publishes specific intentions and
invites the faithful to pray with him.
We have also been praying for them together at Mom's Nights.
Would you like to join in this worldwide offering?

In March, the intentions of Pope Francis are:

• Universal: That families in need may receive the necessary support and that children may grow up in healthy and peaceful environments.
• Evangelization: That those Christians who, on account of their faith, are discriminated against or are being persecuted, may remain strong and faithful to the Gospel, thanks to the incessant prayer of the Church.

Click Here:

Pope Francis is also using the "New Media"

to encourge people to pray in solidarity.

The Light is on for YOU!

Do you need a new start?  The Light is On for You!

Go to confession TONIGHT, or any Wednesday this Lent
from 6:30-8:00 pm in our own church,

or any parish or chapel in the Boston Diocese.

All people are welcome to come to the Heavenly Feast, so start with a good confession to our Lord.

An introduction on how to make a good confession can be found here.  

What to do in Lent? How can we make this a holy season, growing spiritually and in our relationship with our Lord? Here's are five quick thoughts:

1. Sacrifice something - give it up. Not for yourself (aka. dieting), but as an offering to the Lord. Put this thing out of your life for a time, and allow God to fill that void with His grace.
   
2. Give alms - give from your need, not just your excess. Give money saved by making sacrifices to the poor, lonely, forgotten, and mistreated.  Unite yourself to those who suffer, and give with a sincere and generous heart.
   
3. Give time - start a habit of caring for someone that God has put in your life. This may mean beginning a commitment to volunteer, visiting a neighbor in need, or giving more dedicated time to your family.
   
4. Go to Confession - recognize your sins, faults, failings, and struggles. Confess them to the Lord sincerely, and ask for His help. God is faithful! Then go out and make amends with those whom you have hurt. Generously forgive those who have hurt you. Offer others the same new beginning which Christ has offered to each of us.
   
5. Make a habit of Prayer - start spending time with God, habitually. For some this means going to Daily Mass. For others, it means praying the Rosary, the Daily Readings, or other set devotions. For others this means cracking open the Scriptures. For others it means sitting quietly and listening to God. Whatever way you pray, just do it.

Weekly Digest

Welcome, EVERYONE!

Here's the lineup for the week at the Parish:

• Tuesday - Family Playgroup (10:30 am), Baptism Catechesis (7 pm), Fatima Apostolate (7 pm), Choir Practice (7 pm)
• Wednesday - The Light is on for You: Confessions (6:30-8:00 pm)
• Thursday - First Friday Confessions (4 pm)
• Friday - First Friday Adoration (all day, Benediction at 5:00, Mass at 5:30 pm)
• Saturday - 40 Days for Life Prayer (7 am, meet in parking lot at 6:30 am), Confessions (3 pm)
• Sunday - Coffee and Donuts (after 9 am Mass), Adult Choir (10:30 am Mass), Infant Baptisms (2 pm), 40 Days for Life Prayer Hour (2 pm, meet in parking lot at 1:20 pm), Vespers (4 pm @ Saint Camillus)

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

Saint Agnes Family Playgroup
The Saint Agnes Family group holds weekly Tuesday playgroups outdoors at nearby parks. We start at 10:30 am (but sometimes moms run late). You are welcome to join us! You can find the winter playgroup schedule here, or by clicking the link at the upper left of the blog home page.

This Tuesday, March 1, we will meet at Parallel Park (174  Medford St.) in Arlington. Let's get out in the beautiful weather together! There is also a basketball court perfect for scooters or bikes.  Put on your jacket, bring your own lunch or snack and join us!

**NOTE THAT our outdoor winter schedule is highly dependent on good weather. If the weather seems questionable, please check your email or the blog page before you leave for playgroup. In case of rain or weather below 30 degrees, playgroup will be cancelled for the day. Thanks!**

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

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 occurs on the first Tuesday of the month (March 1). 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!

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

First Friday Adoration

This Friday, March 4th, is the first Friday of the month. On Thursday, February 3rd, 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.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
40 Days for Life
Saint Agnes will be participating in the 40 Days for Life campaign in Boston, February 10 - March 20th! 40 Days for Life is a community-based campaign that draws attention to the evils of abortion through the use of prayer and fasting, prayer vigil, and community outreach. 40 Days for Life takes a determined, peaceful approach to showing local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighborhoods, for their own friends and families.

Please join Saint Agnes Parishioners for Life as we participate in 40 Days for Life this fall! Saint Agnes will be leading a rosary hour each  Saturday morning from 7-8 am, and Sunday afternoon from 2:00-3:00 pm at Planned Parenthood in Boston during the campaign. For carpooling, we will meet at 6:30 am or 1:30 pm (respectively) in the public parking lot adjacent to Saint Agnes Church. If you have any questions, please e-mail Eileen Cahill (SAParishforLife [at] gmail.com).

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

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

FALL 2016 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!