Giving Tree Party: November 9th, 4-7 pm

Please come join the volunteers for the Giving Tree at a "Crafting Party" in the Saint Agnes Parish Center on Monday night, November 9th from 4-7 pm.  We will be working together to make the nearly 1,400 tags which must go on the tree, starting November 28th!

You will also get to meet your fellow volunteers, learn about how the Giving Tree with run, enjoy hot drinks and Christmas music!  Come join us and lend a hand!

You do NOT need to reply if you plan to come, but it will help with planning for drinks and volunteer communication.  If you are able to reply in time, please indicate your planned attendance by answering Question #2 on this quick form.

If you would like to bring an easy snack to share, please do!  Otherwise, food will not be provided.  Other things to bring:

• Brightly colored yarn that you may have and can donate to the project.
• Scissors
• Hole punches or decorative punches

Many thanks for your selflessness!  Children working with their parents, teens, and adults are welcome.

For more information, or to become involved, email Marianne Hudelson (SaintAgnesFamilies [at] gmail.com)

Wednesday: Explore Laudato Si!

Pope Francis certainly has the world's attention!  Continuing with our weekly excerpts of the pope's most recent encyclical, "Laudato Si" is posted here - so that we can all learn, digest, pray and discern one snippet at a time.  Come Holy Spirit, teach us and guide us, and may Your Will be done!

CHAPTER ONE

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR COMMON HOME

17. Theological and philosophical reflections on the situation of humanity and the world can sound tiresome and abstract, unless they are grounded in a fresh analysis of our present situation, which is in many ways unprecedented in the history of humanity. So, before considering how faith brings new incentives and requirements with regard to the world of which we are a part, I will briefly turn to what is happening to our common home.

18. The continued acceleration of changes affecting humanity and the planet is coupled today with a more intensified pace of life and work which might be called “rapidification”. Although change is part of the working of complex systems, the speed with which human activity has developed contrasts with the naturally slow pace of biological evolution. Moreover, the goals of this rapid and constant change are not necessarily geared to the common good or to integral and sustainable human development. Change is something desirable, yet it becomes a source of anxiety when it causes harm to the world and to the quality of life of much of humanity.

19. Following a period of irrational confidence in progress and human abilities, some sectors of society are now adopting a more critical approach. We see increasing sensitivity to the environment and the need to protect nature, along with a growing concern, both genuine and distressing, for what is happening to our planet. Let us review, however cursorily, those questions which are troubling us today and which we can no longer sweep under the carpet. Our goal is not to amass information or to satisfy curiosity, but rather to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering and thus to discover what each of us can do about it.

I. POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Pollution, waste and the throwaway culture
20. Some forms of pollution are part of people’s daily experience. Exposure to atmospheric pollutants produces a broad spectrum of health hazards, especially for the poor, and causes millions of premature deaths. People take sick, for example, from breathing high levels of smoke from fuels used in cooking or heating. There is also pollution that affects everyone, caused by transport, industrial fumes, substances which contribute to the acidification of soil and water, fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and agrotoxins in general. Technology, which, linked to business interests, is presented as the only way of solving these problems, in fact proves incapable of seeing the mysterious network of relations between things and so sometimes solves one problem only to create others.

21. Account must also be taken of the pollution produced by residue, including dangerous waste present in different areas. Each year hundreds of millions of tons of waste are generated, much of it non-biodegradable, highly toxic and radioactive, from homes and businesses, from construction and demolition sites, from clinical, electronic and industrial sources. The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish. Industrial waste and chemical products utilized in cities and agricultural areas can lead to bioaccumulation in the organisms of the local population, even when levels of toxins in those places are low. Frequently no measures are taken until after people’s health has been irreversibly affected.

22. These problems are closely linked to a throwaway culture which affects the excluded just as it quickly reduces things to rubbish. To cite one example, most of the paper we produce is thrown away and not recycled. It is hard for us to accept that the way natural ecosystems work is exemplary: plants synthesize nutrients which feed herbivores; these in turn become food for carnivores, which produce significant quantities of organic waste which give rise to new generations of plants. But our industrial system, at the end of its cycle of production and consumption, has not developed the capacity to absorb and reuse waste and by-products. We have not yet managed to adopt a circular model of production capable of preserving resources for present and future generations, while limiting as much as possible the use of non-renewable resources, moderating their consumption, maximizing their efficient use, reusing and recycling them. A serious consideration of this issue would be one way of counteracting the throwaway culture which affects the entire planet, but it must be said that only limited progress has been made in this regard.

Weekly Digest

Welcome back, EVERYONE!
Here's the lineup for the week at the Parish:

• Tuesday - Family Playgroup (10:30 am), Choir Practice (7 pm), Fatima Apostolate (7 pm)
• Thursday - Saint Dymphna Society (6:30 pm), Arlington Catholic Women's Club Fundraiser (7:30 pm), Dad's Night Out (8:00 pm)
• Saturday - Confessions (3 pm)
• Sunday - ALL SAINTS DAY!! Children's Choir Practice and Mass (arrive 8:15 am), Coffee and Donuts (after 9 am Mass), Mass of Remembrance (12:00 noon Mass), Depart for 40 Days for Life Prayer (1:30 pm), Infant Baptisms (2 pm)

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

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, October 27th, we will meet at Dugger Park (2 Mystic River Rd.) in Medford. This shady, fenced park has play structures and a nice bike path, right next to the Mystic River.  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!**

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Dad's Night Out
Once a month from 8:00 - 9:30 pm, Saint Agnes welcomes parish dads to gather at Fusion Taste Restaurant, around the corner from the church (303 Broadway, Arlington). This month, the Dad's Group will meet on Thursday, October 29th. We will discuss relevant topics of careers, family, or just to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. For the first half hour we'll formally discuss short readings of interest, then catch up over beverages and dinner for the remaining time. The topic for October's discussion will be: "Men and Church."  The link for the brief reading material is here.  Please come and join us, whether or not you have been able to read ahead. We look forward to meeting you!   If you have questions, please email Justin Quattrini (justin.quattrini [at] gmail.com).

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Saint Agnes Children's Choir

Are you children interested in singing in the Children's Choir at Saint Agnes?  The children sing about once per month, and the printable schedule is posted here.  Encouraging your kids to be involved in the Mass is a wonderful way to foster their joy!  It also (helps) them to pay attention and to make new friends at church.  Join us!

More information and schedules can be found at the Music Ministry Website, www.AgnesMusic.net, or by emailing Michael Vaughan (mrv2022 [at] gmail.com).

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Massachusetts Alliance to Stop Public Funding of Abortion
Did you know that your tax dollars are being used to pay for abortions in Massachusetts? Abortion kills an innocent human life, but we know we are called by God to protect His precious gift of life. Fortunately, there is something each of us can do to stop this. Volunteers throughout the state are collecting signatures on a petition to amend the state constitution so that taxpayer subsidized abortions are no longer a constitutional entitlement in Massachusetts. Stop and sign the petition, to amend the state constitution so that tax dollars no longer subsidize abortions in Massachusetts. You can also call 781-312-8755 or email StopPublicFundingofAbortion [at] gmail.com so we can get your signature.

40 Days for Life
Saint Agnes will be participating in the 40 Days for Life campaign in Boston, September 23rd-November 4th! 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 Sunday afternoon from 2:00-3:00 pm at Planned Parenthood in Boston during the campaign starting Sunday, Septebmer 27th. For carpooling, we will meet at 1:30 pm in the public parking lot adjacent to Saint Agnes church. If you have any questions, please e-mail Eileen Cahill (SAParishforLife [at] gmail.com).

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Small Groups

In the coming year, the Outreach committee will endeavor to create, organize, and structure small faith-sharing groups at Saint Agnes. The concept is for each group of 7-10 people to be self-contained and self-directing, while maintaining connectivity to leadership of the parish. Those who are interested will be able to join a group at periodic intervals during the year.

If you are interested in leading such a group, please create a concept for your group: you can pick your own topic, meeting time and location, and whether your group will be men, women, or co-ed. Let's start the discussion! Please email Marianne Hudelson (SaintAgnesFamilies [at] gmail.com) with your ideas if you are able to lead. Many thanks!

SVDeP & Parish Ministry Fair this weekend

Don't forget there is a lot happening at church this weekend!  There is clothing collection for Society of Saint Vincent DePaul, the Lectors' Meet-and-Greet, Coffee and Donuts at 10:00 am, and the Parish Ministry Far.  Come join us and discover where God might be calling you to use your gifts!

Wednesday: Explore Laudato Si!

Pope Francis certainly has the world's attention!  Continuing with our weekly excerpts of the pope's most recent encyclical, "Laudato Si" is posted here - so that we can all learn, digest, pray and discern one snippet at a time.  Come Holy Spirit, teach us and guide us, and may Your Will be done!

My appeal
13. The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. The Creator does not abandon us; he never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us. Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home. Here I want to recognize, encourage and thank all those striving in countless ways to guarantee the protection of the home which we share. Particular appreciation is owed to those who tirelessly seek to resolve the tragic effects of environmental degradation on the lives of the world’s poorest. Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded.

14. I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all. The worldwide ecological movement has already made considerable progress and led to the establishment of numerous organizations committed to raising awareness of these challenges. Regrettably, many efforts to seek concrete solutions to the environmental crisis have proved ineffective, not only because of powerful opposition but also because of a more general lack of interest. Obstructionist attitudes, even on the part of believers, can range from denial of the problem to indifference, nonchalant resignation or blind confidence in technical solutions. We require a new and universal solidarity. As the bishops of Southern Africa have stated: “Everyone’s talents and involvement are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s creation”. [22] All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents.

15. It is my hope that this Encyclical Letter, which is now added to the body of the Church’s social teaching, can help us to acknowledge the appeal, immensity and urgency of the challenge we face. I will begin by briefly reviewing several aspects of the present ecological crisis, with the aim of drawing on the results of the best scientific research available today, letting them touch us deeply and provide a concrete foundation for the ethical and spiritual itinerary that follows. I will then consider some principles drawn from the Judaeo-Christian tradition which can render our commitment to the environment more coherent. I will then attempt to get to the roots of the present situation, so as to consider not only its symptoms but also its deepest causes. This will help to provide an approach to ecology which respects our unique place as human beings in this world and our relationship to our surroundings. In light of this reflection, I will advance some broader proposals for dialogue and action which would involve each of us as individuals, and also affect international policy. Finally, convinced as I am that change is impossible without motivation and a process of education, I will offer some inspired guidelines for human development to be found in the treasure of Christian spiritual experience.

16. Although each chapter will have its own subject and specific approach, it will also take up and re-examine important questions previously dealt with. This is particularly the case with a number of themes which will reappear as the Encyclical unfolds. As examples, I will point to the intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet, the conviction that everything in the world is connected, the critique of new paradigms and forms of power derived from technology, the call to seek other ways of understanding the economy and progress, the value proper to each creature, the human meaning of ecology, the need for forthright and honest debate, the serious responsibility of international and local policy, the throwaway culture and the proposal of a new lifestyle. These questions will not be dealt with once and for all, but reframed and enriched again and again.