Reflection for 2nd Sunday of Lent: Have we ever considered how we explain to others how God is willing to give all of us second chances? Our God is a God of new beginnings. Today’s readings invite us to consider the meaning of repentance in our lives. Repentance is a way of life that feeds our life and our faith. It is one of the ways that God can enrich our lives. God’s generosity of heart invites us to respond. For the love of God, people are willing to live life in a different way. Repentance leads to life in God. In addition to ourselves, are there other people in our life we would like to join with in repentance? What are we going to do about this?

| March 9th, 2010 | more letters ...

Please take a look at the bulletin for other activities and events that are coming in the next few weeks:

• WINGS – Mar 10
• Prayer Group – Mar 10
• Workshop on Visiting the Sick – Mar 11
• Project Rachel Retreat – Mar 13
• St. Bart’s St. Patrick’s Day Pizza Party – Mar 13
• Lenten Day with Patrick Madrid – Mar 13
• Extra Confessions – Mar 14
• 2nd Annual Youth Recognition Night – Mar 14
• Youth Choir Rehearsal – Mar 14
• Senior Social Club – Mar 17
• Lenten Day of Prayer and Reflection – Mar 20
• Amy’s Book Club – Mar 30
• Living the Journey – April 10
• Marriage Renewal Weekend – April 16
• Boston Catholic Men’s Conference – Apr 17
• Eucharist Weekend Retreat – Apr 23-25
• Project Rachel Retreat – Jun 5
• Parish Trip to Oberammergau – 2010
• World Youth Day – August, 2011

Or call the rectory for more information.

| March 9th, 2010 |

First it was the earthquake in Haiti; and now there has been an earthquake in Chile. The devastation and death toll is almost beyond our ability to comprehend. What can we do in the face of such catastrophic destruction and enormous needs? We can repair the only well, originally built by the Ste. Jeanne D’Arc Haiti Foundation in Petit-Goave. This well is now badly in need of repair. Severely damaged, it provides the only clean water to this area. Checks can be written out to St. Bartholomew Parish. Please write “Well” or “Ste. Jeanne D’Arc Haiti Foundation” on the memo line.

Please see the report from the Finance Committee on the next page.

~Barbara Dury

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My church is composed of people like me. I help make it what it is. It will be friendly, if I am. Its pews will be filled, if I help fill them. It will do great work, if I work. It will make generous gifts to many causes, if I am a generous giver. It will bring other people into its worship and fellowship, if I invite and bring them. It will be a church of loyalty and love, of fearlessness and faith, and a church with a noble spirit, if I, who make it what it is, am filled with these same things. Therefore, with the help of God, I shall dedicate myself to the task of being all the things that I want my church to be.

| March 9th, 2010 |

WINGS (Women in God’s Spirit) invites you to join us on Wednesday, March 10th. The speaker will be Mary Ellen Wasielewski who will speak on “Balancing Mary and Martha: Love in Action, Love in Prayer.” We all know the difficulties of the modern women’s juggling act. Sometimes it seems there’s very little time for God in our busy lives. Come hear the personal story of how one woman faces the challenge of spending more time with Christ. WINGS is a spiritual group for women of all ages. This is your opportunity to be refreshed, renewed and enthusiastic about life. We meet in the Linse Room at St. Joseph’s Parish, Needham each Wednesday morning from 9:45-11:30 am. Newcomers are always welcome and babysitting is available. We hope you consider joining us this spring—whether you can attend each week or just some of the weeks.

| March 9th, 2010 |

The Pro-Life Office of the Archdiocese of Boston and Women Affirming Life will be hosting a Lenten Day of Prayer and Reflection on Saturday, March 20th, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Daughters of St. Paul Convent in Jamaica Plain. The guest speaker will be Sr. Margaret Edward Moran, FSP. Her topic is At the Foot of the Cross: A Marian Lenten Reflection. Please call 508-651-1900 or email: ProLifeOffice@rcab.org for more information .

| March 9th, 2010 |

Click for Latest Newsletter

Religious Education:

Classes for all grades will meet on Monday, March 8th.

2nd Annual Youth Recognition Night: Every young person in our parish has a talent to share, thanks to those who share their talent in our parish community through sports, choir, Altar Servers, Religious Ed assistants, and other volunteer and ministerial roles – we would not be who we are as a parish without you!

Sunday March 14th 5pm – families are encouraged to attend, please RSVP not later than Wednesday March 10th with number attending to Melisa Hughes, melisahughes@comcast.net or 781-444-3434.

Sign up for the newsletter:

| March 9th, 2010 |

Operating Results July 1- December 31, 2009

Dear Fellow Parishioners, It gives us great pleasure to share with you an overview of the Operating Results for the Parish for the six month period ending December 31, 2009. Those interested in the details of the Parishes’ financial operation can find the complete report on the Parish web site at www.stbartholomew-needham.org.

On the income side, due to your continued generosity, our revenues from planned sources were slightly in excess of budget. We all appreciate this. Moreover, we benefited from two unusual items of revenue, one by bequest and the other due to a credit back from the Archdiocese on previous period items. The Finance Council strongly believes that this extraordinary revenue should be regarded as non-recurring revenue .There is no reason to assume that the Parish will be receiving comparable sums on a regular basis in the future .Consequently, we believe that this revenue should be credited to our surplus account and not relied upon to fund the day-to-day operations of the Parish. The Parish needs your continued generous support if it is to fulfill its mission of developing our faith community and helping all our parishioners to live Christ and the teachings of our Catholic faith.

Parish expenses for the six month period were also below budget. Actual staffing levels were lower than anticipated in both the clerical and non-clerical areas due to staff resignations and the time delay in filling these positions. These shortages placed unacceptable burdens on both our clerical and lay personnel, and we hope to address these shortages going forward. Non-personnel expenses ran below budget for the period as well, due primarily to timing issues on anticipated expenses. We expect that most of this shortfall will be made up in the next six months and that these expenses will be close to the anticipated budget by year-end.

In summary, our Operating Results for the six month period ended December 31, 2009, were strong. With your continued generous support and the disciplined efforts of Father Phil and the Parish Staff, we expect to stay on or somewhat ahead of budget for the entire year. This will enable us to enhance our Pastoral Ministry Program offerings as well as adding to the Surplus Account in order to address needed maintenance and improvement projects.

Respectfully submitted,
St. Bartholomew Finance Council

December 2009 Financial Summary

| March 9th, 2010 |

Sharing: Time Talent Treasure

ZEN THINKING

A day without sunshine is like, night. I just got lost in thought. It wasn’t familiar territory. Honk, if you love peace and quiet. A clear conscience is usually a sign of a bad memory. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments. When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering “What happened?” And so on…

If only life was as easy as a smile. Too often we fail to notice things that should give us a smile every day. Maybe it is something we hear or maybe there are no words…just something we should see, if we were to truly open our eyes to the world around us. Lent is not a time to drop our heads and trudge forward feeling all the time the heaviness of Jesus’ sacrifices. Lent is a time to rejoice in the gift of life. It is a time to reflect on the gift of faith. Not everyone is given it. It is a time to think of all of God’s creation and works. It is a time to think of Jesus. His life. His teachings. His mother Mary, His foster father Joseph, the saints, and so many more. Smile, when we think of His first public miracle at the wedding at Cana. No more wine. Mary said to the servants, ignoring Jesus’ protests, “Just do what He says.” And there was more and better wine than had been served before. Mary, it appears, was a take charge woman when she saw a problem. Remember this. She still is.

How do we begin this thinking about God? Recently, reading another church bulletin the priest compared praying to standing at the edge of the pool. Some just jump right in; while others stand there thinking of all the reasons it might not be a good idea. And others jump in only after much thinking, debating, and decision-making about its advantages. It might also be said that waiting too long might eliminate the opportunity all together. By the time one is willing, the chance to participate is gone.

In our little purple pot in front of the altar, some seeds have been planted. They are so small. But their growth possibilities are enormous compared to their size. And with a little nurturing, the plants will grow even more quickly. Prayer is like this. However, if you don’t plant the seed, nothing can be nurtured or grow. Don’t be impatient. It takes time to grow and flower. Make this Lent your garden. Say the prayer, nurture it, and watch your life blossom. Give Jesus a smile.

Stewardship: Kathy Reilly 781-444-0862
E-mail: kreilly15@ yahoo.com

Please contact me if you need a ride to any service, wish for a Communion visit, or have any other Lenten questions.

| March 9th, 2010 |

At our meeting in January, your Parish Pastoral Council adopted a new Mission Statement for our Parish. It is the culmination of a more than two year process of contemplation, discussion and prayer by and among the members of the Council. As stated by Msgr. Vincent J. Grimalia, “every community has a purpose for its existence” and, he continued, “the parish mission statement will give a succinct focus, direction and motivation to the parish community”. In addition, we strove to capture in our Mission Statement what Pope Benedict XVI has described as our Church’s “three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God…, celebrating the sacraments…, and exercising the ministry of charity”.

Our new Mission Statement is set forth below. We think it captures the essence of our Parish and what we try to be and do as a community. We believe that it will guide us well as we move forward and grow this year and in the coming years. As always, Fr. Phil, our Parish staff and your Council members appreciate your comments.

Our mission is:

• To be the spiritual and physical focal point of a community joined together and inspired in our thoughts, words and deeds by our Catholic faith and the teachings of Jesus Christ.
• To enrich our spiritual lives through the sacraments, especially daily and Sunday Eucharist, prayer groups, educational opportunities, retreats and other programs.
• To live Christ through active stewardship by encouraging and enabling each other to contribute our time, talent and means to help others and to promote justice, peace and charity.
• To develop the bonds within our community through social activities that bring together women, men, young and old to take joy in life and each other.
• To be welcoming and helpful to all, regardless of whom it is that “knocks on our door” or why.

We implement our mission through many programs, and all that we do is intended to develop our faith community and help us to live Christ and the teachings of our Catholic faith.

Adopted January 5, 2010

| January 24th, 2010 |