Catholic Reading Wednesday

With many thanks to our awesome curator, Karen Celano, you can delve into a faith-related news article each Wednesday! Karen writes:

At a World Youth Day Mass in Rio de Janeiro's San Sebastian Cathedral, Pope Francis reflects on the Christian vocation and reminds us that we are called to evangelize no matter where we are in life: "we are called first to evangelize in our own homes and our places of study and work, to evangelize our family and friends."  This evangelization, he says, takes shape when we meet Christ in prayer, then go forth to promote a culture of encounter and inclusion, reaching out to the marginalized and neglected in our communities and sharing with them the "joyful certainty of those who have been found, touched and transformed by the Truth who is Christ."  

You can find the Pope's wonderful homily in video and text here.

Weekly Digest

Welcome everyone!
This week at the parish:

• Tuesday - Saint Agnes Playgroup (am), Fatima Apostolate (pm)
• Thursday - First Friday Confessions (4:00 pm)
• Friday - First Friday Adoration (all day, Benediction at 5:00, Mass at 5:30)

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Now that the weather seems to have turned a bit warmer, we will be holding Tuesday playgroups outdoors at nearby parks. To print a written schedule of our summer playgroup locations, please click here. To see a map of our summer park schedule, please click here.

This Tuesday, July 30th, we will meet at Winn Brook Playground (173 Cross St., Belmont). This park has a large, “maze like” playground, including swings and picnic tables. Bring a picnic lunch and join us - we start at 10:30 am. We hope to see you there!
**NOTE THAT our outdoor summer 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, our usual rain location will be at Fidelity House, 25 Medford St., Arlington. Thanks!**

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This Friday, August 2nd, is the first Friday of the month.  On Thursday, June 6th from 4:00-5:00 pm, there will be the opportunity for confession in the lower church.  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 family life. For more background on the long tradition of keeping a First Friday devotion, look here or here.

There will not be First Friday playgroup this month, due to scheduling conflicts. Hopefully you can meet us at First Friday in September!

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FIDELITY HOUSE can save you from the summer blues!!

Did you know that Saint Agnes Parish supports operations at Fidelity House? We have this great resource at our own church! When you feel you are counting down the days until school starts, remember that there are many great programs for kids at Fidelity House this summer. For more information, visit www.FidelityHouse.org

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Making Music Praying Twice
Many thanks to Dot Bowe for giving our group shelter from the heat this past week at the Making Music, Praying Twice classes at St. Joe's in Belmont.  We hope everyone had a lot of fun singing together!  If you are interested in taking these classes weekly in the fall, please visit www.stjoseph.belmont.ma.us/faithformation/mmpt.htm, or email dbowe [at] stjoseph.belmont.ma.us

Mom's-Night-In on Thursday

Here's a friendly reminder that Mom's-Night-In is tonight: THURSDAY, July 25th

We will get together for a stress-free evening, and play some get-to-know-you games (think: Apples to Apples) . I would rather not publish the hostesses address, so please email me at saintagnesfamilies [at] gmail.com if you plan to come. Please bring a snack or drink to share!  We will kick it off at 7:00 pm.

Catholic Reading Wednesday

With many thanks to our awesome curator, Karen Celano, you can delve into a faith-related news article each Wednesday! Karen writes:

I feel that the very question on which Solomon premises his new book is itself a reflection of our warped cultural presumptions. Having a child is always a leap of faith, even if that child doesn't have special needs. Our children are never going to be exactly what we expected them to be, and at times we might find it difficult to 'love' everything that they are and everything that they do. I might have no right to speak about such things as my son has no challenging disabilities, but I feel that a Catholic understanding of how and why we have and love our children must flow from our understanding of how and why God created us. We have children not to create narcissistic extensions of ourselves that conform to our every expectation, but because we wish to share life with others and to find joy in relationship. We love our children the way God loves us: respectful of their individuality and freedom, delighting in the newness and surprise of each unique person, and forgiving of them even when they disappoint. I find Nehring's article most touching in her examination of how being with Eurydice has expanded her soul, showing her new ways to experience love and joy that she could not have predicted. But in order to have such fullness of love and joy, we have to let go of our fear of the unexpected and plunge into the unknown.

Now onto the article: Click here

In this article, Cristina Nehring critiques Andrew Solomon's new book Far From the Tree, which examines the lives of parents with special-needs children and asks: "Why do parents devote themselves to raising children who are nothing at all like the ones they thought they could love?" Nehring speaks of her experiences as a single mother raising a child with Down Syndrome, and describes the expanded capacity for love she has found in raising her daughter Eurydice. In her life-affirming testimony that challenges our cultural presumptions about how to measure the "worth" of human life, Nehring concludes: "Each of us has the ability to give only a little bit of joy to those around us. I would wager Eurydice gives as much as any person alive."

RAIN LOCATION: Playgroup at Fidelity House

PLEASE NOTE that due to the rain, Tuesday playgroup (July 23rd) will be held at Fidelity House, right near church: 25 Medford Street, from 10:30 am-12:30 pm.

• 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.
• Fidelity House is being very generous by letting us use this space. Please consider a donation to help with their costs. The suggested donation is $1 per person, or $3 per family.
• Please no food.... drinks in spill proof containers are OK. 

Parking is on the street around Fidelity House. Check the street signs for the rules. Once you walk in the front door, go up the stairs, past the front desk, and to the back of the building. There is a door from the room to an outdoor courtyard, so bring your kids' coats and boots.  Hope to see you there!