• 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.

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.

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:

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

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.

Why don’t I spend more time with God? I am ashamed to say it but the answer is: “I’m too busy” or more accurately, I just don’t make time in my day for prayer. It is far easier for me to do than it is to be. So this Lent I am setting aside more time for prayer each day. In setting my priorities for each day, time for prayer comes at the top of the list. I am giving “real” time to prayer and not just what is left over at the end of a busy day. I have even carved out time to go on a weekend retreat. It hasn’t been easy but I will continue to work on it. Having a set time and place seems to help.

Do you need to spend more time with God? The parish offers several opportunities each week for you to do just that: to “spend one hour with him.” Every Sunday in Lent we will be having a Holy Hour, “Our Stories”, with prayer, reflection and Adoration. In Bible Study, held every Monday morning 10:00 to 11:00am and evening 7:00-8:00, we are discovering the Book of Psalms. Tuesday we pray Morning Prayer before the 9:00 mass and every Friday we do the Stations of the Cross after the 9:00 am Mass. Every Wednesday morning the Prayer Group meets for 10:00 to 11:00. On Wednesday evenings during Lent there will be Adoration from 6:30 to 8:00 pm and the opportunity for reconciliation as part of the Archdiocesan initiative “The Light is on for You.” ARISE groups meet throughout the week on various days at various times. Newcomers are always welcome. This Lent join me in taking some extra time with God.

~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.