Weekly Digest

Welcome, EVERYONE!
This week at the parish:

• Tuesday - Family Playgroup (10:30 am), Fatima Apostolate (7 pm), Women's Bible Study (7:30 pm)
• Thursday - First Friday Confessions (4 pm)
• Friday - First Friday Adoration (all day, Benediction at 5:00, Mass at 5:30)
• Saturday - INDEPENDENCE DAY!  Confessions (3 pm)
• Sunday - Coffee and Donuts (after 9:00 am Mass), Infant Baptisms (2 pm)

Saint Agnes Family Playgroup - CHECK BEFORE YOU LEAVE!

Now that we are in summer mode, 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, June 30th, we will enjoy some summer freedom to go on a field trip with the kids!  We will be heading down to Ward's Berry Farm (614 South Main St., Sharon MA). This farm has a great PYO Strawberry field, in addition to some small play equipment for the kids and some 4-H animals. For up-to-date info on picking conditions and prices, see: http://www.wardsberryfarm.com/PYO_today.html.  We will meet at 10:30 am AT THE PLAYGROUND, TO THE SIDE OF THE STOREFRONT (we are sometimes about 15 minutes late). Please bring CASH for the berries, SUNSCREEN, HATS, a picnic lunch, and join us. 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, playgroup will be cancelled for the day. Thanks!**

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This Friday, July 3rd, is the first Friday of the month.  On Thursday, July 2nd, 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.

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!

More than politics: Laudato Si

The much-heralded ecological encyclical from Pope Francis, Laudato Si, was released last week.  Have you read anything about it that is not within the typical American framework of politicking, polarizing language?

While a lot of well-thought out things have been written (not to mention the encyclical itself, if you can muster through it this summer!).... there are also a lot of things that have been written which are not oriented from a Catholic viewpoint, or which are more concerned with world politics than they are with the Christian heart of the matter.

So instead, here are a few links from Father Robert Barron and his suggestions on how to read, think, and pray about the implications of Laudato Si and the Pope's challenges to Catholics around the world.  May your summer be a fruitful one!

Click here for video commentary by Father Barron

Click here for Boston Pilot OpEd by Father Barron

Weekly Digest

Welcome, EVERYONE!
This week at the parish:

• Tuesday - Family Playgroup (10:30 am), Fatima Apostolate (7 pm), Activity & Ice Cream Social Day Planning - Volunteers Welcome (7:30 pm)
• Wednesday - Adult Education Seminar Series (7 pm)
• Thursday - Saint Dymphna Society (6:30 pm)
• Saturday - PARISH ACTIVITY DAY!  Children's Activities (3:30-6:00 pm), Parish Ice Cream Social (6:00 pm)
• Sunday - Coffee and Donuts (after 9:00 am Mass), Respect Life Walk (2:30 pm, Boston Common)

Parish Social Day! - THIS Saturday, June 27th
Saint Agnes Outreach will host a day of children’s Bible activities and crafts from 3:30-6:00 pm on Saturday, June 27th, culminating in an Ice Cream Social for the Parish at 6:00 pm, following the Saturday evening Masses. All events will be held in Saint Agnes School Hall and on the lawn outside Saint Agnes School. We would especially like to thank and extend this invitation in a special way to all of the dedicated parishioners who have volunteered in the past year in order to make education and social outreach ministries work. Thank you!

**A planning meeting for any volunteers will be held TUESDAY NIGHT, JUNE 23rd at 7:30 pm in the Parish Center.  If you are interested in helping, please attend!*

The sign up form for children's activities is printable here. If you are interested in helping with the Parish Social Day, please email Marianne Hudelson SaintAgnesFamilies@gmail.com

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Saint Agnes Family Playgroup - CHECK THE BLOG BEFORE YOU LEAVE!

Now that we are in summer mode, 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, June 23rd, we will meet at Victory Park (458 Winthrop St., Medford).  This park has a playground, tennis courts and soccer field. Please bring your own lunch or snack and join us!

**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, playgroup will be cancelled for the day. Thanks!**

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MCFL March for Life

Sunday, June 28, 2015, Boston Common

Rally 1:00 pm, March 2:30 pm

Massachusetts Citizens for Life has sponsored the Walk to Aid Mothers and Children for almost 30 years.  This year we will still raise funds for beneficiary groups but we have expanded the focus to a March for Life. More than 1.2 million babies in Massachusetts alone have died through abortion since 1973.  We must give witness! Rally speakers include legislators. post-abortive women, clergy, youth, and many others, all led by the music of Lift Ministries.

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!

Join in - Summer Family Camping!

Are your relatives calling you?  They want to know what the summer plans are. 

Well before you give away all your dates to in-laws, make sure you mark your calendars!

THIRD ANNUAL SAINT AGNES CAMPOUT

July 10-12, 2015

Greenfield State Park, NH
"Day Campers" invited to join us on Saturday, July 11th*

Details:

1. If you know you are coming (or when you decide you are coming), please use this form, so we can keep track of how many people and WHO we are expecting to meet at the park! Ultimately, I will need everyone to fill out this form, so I have names and numbers in case of any emergency. So go ahead and fill it out ASAP.


2. The dates for this camping trip are July 10-12. We will plan to camp at Greenfield State Park in Greenfield, NH - about an hour-and-a-half drive from Arlington. This park has come highly recommended as a fun and easy park for family camping. The park features camping (with toilets/showers), hiking, swimming, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and a camp store.

3. Make your reservations now! To get more information on the park, see: http://www.nhstateparks.org/explore/state-parks/greenfield-state-park.aspx

Reservations are through Reserve America, and can be found here.  We will try to cluster our group around campsite #44 on the small loop near Beaver Pond.  A map is here.

• There are no cabins. You can bring a tent, rent a tent from REI, borrow a tent from a friend, or make a tent (boyscouts anyone?). Cost for a campsite per night is $25 + a small processing fee. This is for two adults and their dependent children. If you plan on bringing a pet, please read the park's pet policy VERY CAREFULLY and be sure to reserve a site which allows pets... since most sites prohibit pets.
• Greenfield State Park Ranger "Harry" was extremely generous to answer my many questions over the phone. He is friendly and helpful, and I can't wait to stay at his park!  Ranger Harry recommends the "Small Loop," sites 26-64 for families with small children, because it is a loop with little traffic and close walking distances.  For the most fun together, try to cluster our reservations around campsite #44.
• This is our third ever Saint Agnes Family Group camping trip. It is meant to build community and friendships that will serve as an organic support network for people in our parish, as well as encourage you to give back to the community in the way you feel called.
  Together, we will take on the great adventure of family camping! While we are really excited about this, we are using the good old KISS rule - Keep it Simple, Stupid. Therefore, we will distribute information about the campground, and a rough schedule of breakfast / activities / dinner / Sunday Masses, etc. However, each family will be primarily responsible for their own specific plans and accommodations. If you don't want to stay both nights - that's fine - come when you can. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE for your own camping trip, camping gear, CAMPING FOOD, and camping survival! We will not be caravanning or providing transportation. We will meet you there!

I will be happy to answer questions, post camping tips, attempt to anticipate concerns, etc. Feel free to contact me with questions at saintagnesfamilies [at] gmail.com. See you there!

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Can't join us on the Parish Campout? Here is another Catholic Family Weekend opportunity in August, linked below (click on it).

We hope you can enjoy a blessed and happy summertime, wherever you are!

VitaNova Catholic Family Weekend

August 14-16, 2015

Greenfield, NH

Summer Reading Quest!

Summer is nearly here!  Would you like to seize the moment to start a new devotion, or learn something new in your faith?  Take advantage of our Parish Lending Library by borrowing a book to read!

Father Roger Landry writes in this Boston Pilot article about the important of spiritual reading, or some sort of continued learning on the topics of one's faith.

The Parish Lending Library has been made possible by the generous donations of parishioners with wonderful religious books to share.  If you would like to make a donation of books, please email Marianne.Hudelson [at] gmail.com.

May the Lord touch your life this summer, and may your faith grow in knowledge of Him!

LINK TO LENDING LIBRARY CATALOG IS HERE