Mission Statement To live out the message of Jesus Christ and become, in fact and appearance, a true Christian community.

Faith Formation Faith formation is a lifelong process: an ongoing interaction with God’s creative goodness. We allow the Gospel to transform us and then bring transformation to the world. The Faith Formation Program at St. Matthias Parish provides opportunities to grow as individuals and as a community. We offer classroom sessions for children, a comprehensive Confirmation program, intergenerational learning in a variety of formats, and an adult enrichment program. For more information, contact Theresa Salafia (tsalafia@stmattpar.org).

Community Prayer Line Our prayer line, coordinated by Marie Mangan (978-562-2891), offers prayers for you, your loved ones and friends. Requests may also be placed in the "Prayer Request" box at the rear of the Church. All requests will be kept confidential.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults Those who are not baptized or have been baptized into another Christian community and are interested in learning more about initiation into the Catholic faith are invited to speak with Theresa Salafia (tsalafia@stmattpar.org).

Infant Baptism Our parish celebrates the sacrament of Baptism for infants and children under the age of 7 at regularly scheduled Sunday Masses. Please call Deacon Doug at any time during pregnancy or at least two months in advance for information on baptismal catechesis and the choosing of godparents.

Adult Confirmation Adults desiring to complete their Christian Initiation with the sacrament of Confirmation are encouraged to contact Fr. Fran

Reconciliation This sacrament of God’s infinite forgiveness, also known as Penance and Confession, is celebrated on Saturdays at 3:15PM or by appointment with Fr. Fran. Communal celebrations of the sacrament occur during Advent and Lent.

Anointing of the Sick The Church encourages all who are ill, about to undergo surgery, or confined to their homes due to illness to be prayed over and anointed with sacred oil. This can take place at a parish Mass, in the home or in the hospital. Please speak with Fr. Fran for more details .

Marriage Congratulations to engaged couples! Please contact Fr. Fran eight months to a year before your wedding to plan a program of marriage preparation. Welcome New Parishioners! We invite you to share in our life as a Eucharistic Community. Please complete a registration card found at the church entrances or register at the parish office. We look forward to welcoming you to our parish community.

Parish Leadership Francis P. O'Brien, Pastor frobrien@stmattpar.org Doug Peltak, Deacon dcnpeltak@stmattpar.org Paul G. Coletti, Deacon dcncoletti@stmattpar.org Russ Morey, Deacon Theresa Salafia, Faith Formation Director tsalafia@stmattpar.org Judy McManus, Director of Music Ministry, Emerita jmsweetums@aol.com Joyce Belliveau, Choir Director jbbelle@comcast.net April Lowe, Communications Administrator/Receptionist alowe@stmattpar.org Darleen Doona, Bookkeeper ddoona@stmattpar.org Sinara Silva, Maintenance Joe Grimaldo, Co-Chair, Finance Council Paul G. Coletti, Co-Chair, Finance Council St. Vincent dePaul Society tel. no. 978-493-3037

Celebrations of the Eucharist The Lord’s Day Saturday Vigil: 4:00 p.m. Sunday: 10:00 a.m. Liturgy of the Word for Children Liturgy of the Word for Children is Celebrated at the 10:00 a.m. Mass on the 1st Sunday of the month (October through April) Weekday Monday, Tuesday, and Friday: 9: 00 a.m., Downstairs Chapel Holy Day 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Easter Sunday 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

Saint Matthias Parish 409 Hemenway Street

Marlborough, MA 01752

Phone: 508-460-9255 Fax: 508-480-8801

THIS WEEK AT ST. MATTHIAS

Saturday, January 11

Celebration of the Eucharist

Church, 4:00 p.m.

Marlborough Community Cupboard Collection

Collection bins located at the church entrances

Sunday, January 12

Celebration of the Eucharist

Church, 10:00 a.m.

Coffee Social—St. Vincent dePaul Thank You

Parish Hall, following the 10:00 a.m. Mass

RCIA

Parish Hall, following the 11:00 a.m. Coffee Social

Extraordinary Ministers of Communion Chat Session

Parish Hall, 11:00 a.m.

Marlborough Community Cupboard Collection

Collection bins located at the church entrances

Monday, January 13

Finance Council Meeting

Upstairs Conference Room, 6:45 p.m.

Wednesday, January 15

Shawl Ministry

Downstairs Conference Room, 6:45 p.m.

St. Vincent dePaul Society meeting

Parish Hall, 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, January 16

Choir Rehearsal

Church, 7:00 p.m.

Bereavement Group Meeting

Downstairs Conference Room, 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 18

Celebration of the Eucharist

Church, 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 19

Celebration of the Eucharist with Baptism

Church, 10:00 a.m.

Coffee Social

Parish Hall, following the 10:00 a.m. Mass

St. Matthias Parish

Celebration of the Eucharist

The Worship Booklet for the Christmas Season can be

found in the book racks in the pews. This booklet contains the

Mass responses as well as our musical selections. Please

return the booklet to the book rack at the conclusion of Mass.

Office Hours for the Week of January 12

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday

9:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m.

WINTER WEATHER CANCELLATIONS FOR

ST. MATTHIAS PARISH

In all the following circumstances, a notice of cancellation

will be found on the parish website, phone system

voicemail, and Facebook page.

When it snows on a weekday, and the Marlborough

Schools are closed, the Parish Office will be closed and

morning Mass will be canceled. (Notice will be posted

by 8AM.)

There may be some snowy mornings when we will

cancel Mass even though Marlborough schools are open.

This will be due to conditions around the church.(Notice

will be posted by 8AM.)

If there are day and evening activities scheduled during

a snowy period, please check the website frequently to

see if your activity is on or off.

In rare cases, the Saturday 4PM Mass and/or Sunday

10AM Mass may be cancelled. Look for word of those

cancellations on the website and voice mail.

If Sunday Faith Formation classes are cancelled, notice

will be carried on our local TV stations as well as on

our parish resources. Weekday Masses for the Week of January 12

Monday, Tuesday and Friday

9:00 a.m. in the

Downstairs Conference Room Chapel

For Mass updates, please check the website

and voice message

INTENTIONS OF THE EUCHARIST

Saturday, January 11 — 4:00 p.m.

St. Matthias Parish Community

Sunday, January 12 — 10:00 a.m.

Frank Scalise — Memorial

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

Please welcome into our faith community

Maya Joyce Naton

Sunday, January 19 during the 10:00 a.m.

Celebration of the Eucharist.

Please keep Maya Joyce and her family in your prayers.

After the 10AM Mass this Sunday, our usual coffee

hour will be transformed into a full blown breakfast,

thanks to our parish St. Vincent DePaul Society. What a

great way to close the Christmas Season on this the Feast

of the Baptism of the Lord! On behalf of our parish

family, let me thank the members of our St. Vincent

DePaul Society for the wonderful work they do, almost

exclusively behind the scenes, as they care for those in

need within our parish boundaries.

As the winter doldrums set in, it might be a good time

to look forward to some of the activities that will be

happening here at St. Matthias, and in the wider church, as

we pass from winter into spring.

Our Grand Annual Campaign continues this month.

If you have yet to donate, now is the time. Our goal of

$65,000 is in sight! Let’s “make it and break it” together.

The continued support and generosity of each and every

parishioner is how we continue our work in the parish and

within the wider community.

On this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, it is fitting to

announce that, beginning in February, the Catholic Church

in the United States will celebrate a revised Rite of

Baptism for Children. This is the second edition of one

of the very first rites of the Church to be reformed after

Vatican II. For the most part, the changes are in the

translation of the prayers from the original Latin. There is

also some rearranging of the rite when it is celebrated

during Mass.

We are very fortunate here at St. Matthias to celebrate

most of our baptisms during the celebration of the

Eucharist. This clearly sets baptism in the midst of our

parish family. While baptism is entrance into the universal

Church, it is also entrance into a specific faith community.

When baptism occurs outside of a gathering of the faith

community, this important link tends to be lost, and

families may look upon baptism as more of a “private”

thing, which is never the case. When baptism occurs

during Mass, we get to celebrate the joy of the family

bringing their little one to be baptized, and each family gets

to share the joy of our parish family as we welcome them

in prayer and song.

Our Adult Faith Formation Series will continue this

winter with a session on voting as a Catholic, and then a

session on how the many cultures of the world celebrate

their Catholicism. Both topics come as a result of

discussions at a Parish Pastoral Council meeting last fall.

Both are extremely timely. Watch for more information in

upcoming bulletins.

As we prepare ourselves to vote in the upcoming

elections, may I suggest a reading of Pope Francis’

encyclical Laudato Si, on Care for our Common Home.

An online and downloadable version may be found at:

laudatosi.com. This important pastoral document, first

published in 2015, addresses in an honest and practical

way many of the important issues of our time through the

lens of Scripture, doctrine and Catholic social teaching.

While focusing on our treatment of the environment,

Pope Francis walks us through how everything we do is

connected in some way to our being placed here by God.

The way in which we treat the planet has social, physical

and political consequences. This systematic way of

viewing ourselves as part of God’s creation is an antidote

to the partisan rhetoric coming from our elected officials,

and the infinite loop of political punditry coming from the

“talking heads” we encounter on cable news and online.

Our Catholic tradition is rich in wisdom when it comes

to issues of social justice. I think that in these divisive

times we need to be reminded constantly that Christ

doesn’t favor one political party or race of people over

another. And God certainly doesn’t want us to settle our

differences through violence and war. I am convinced that,

if you take the time to do a thoughtful reading of Pope

Francis’ encyclical, you will be better informed as to how

Catholic social teaching and the gospels call us to interact

lovingly with the environment and each other. How you

chose to digest all this, and how it will affect your choices

at the ballot box, will be your greatest challenge.

January 12, 2020 Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

FROM FATHER FRAN

Weekly Financials—Weekly Goal: $4,000

Christmas Clergy Benefit Trust Collection $4,716.49

Of that amount WeShare donations $ 50.00

Parishioners celebrating Mass December 24 and 25 763

Offertory Collection - December 28 and 29 $3,464.55

Of that amount WeShare donations $ 582.55

Deficit to our weekly goal: $535.45

Parishioners celebrating Mass December 28 and 29 286

Offertory Collection - January 4 and 5 $3,275.55

Of that amount WeShare donations $ 392.55

Deficit to our weekly goal: $724.45

Parishioners celebrating Mass January 4 and 5 301

January Special Collection

January 11 and 12 — Parish Maintenance

January 25 and 26 — Church in Latin America

January 12, 2020 Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

FAITH FORMATION

RCIA will meet January 12 at 11:15 a.m.

following the coffee social.

Faith Formation meetings resume Sunday, January 26, 2020

Grades 1 through 5 8:30 – 9:45 a.m.

Confirmation I and II (Grade 9 and Grade 10)

Participants in these grades will attend 10:00 a.m. mass

followed by coffee social and meeting until noon.

Grades 6-8 6:00 – 7:15p.m.

On Saturday, January 18, 2020 St. Michael’s

Confirmation candidates will participate in a retreat

program at St. Matthias. This retreat will be held in the

parish hall from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Pray for the

Heal ing of the s ick

Please Pray For…

Richard Abraham, Donna Anastas, Conor Canavan, William

Connors, Carol Chatalian, Danielle and Melissa Chiasson,

Steven Chiasson, Joseph Cox, Adelbert Cyr, Fay DiNitto,

Kent Dudley, Stella Fettig, Jason Fournier, David Giugno,

Russ Hokanson, Emma Johnston, Alice Kimball, Fr. Mike

MacEwen, Dave Mackenzie, Doreen Martin, Pat McNeil,

Patrick Mauro, Maura McGuinness, Judy McManus,

Michael Messom, Theresa Morrill, Deborah Natoli, Jennifer

Natoli, Mary and Bob O’Connor, Johnny Pellrine, Theresa

Perry, Joan Russo, Kathleen Shine, Andrew Tivnan, Pedro

Torres, Trunfio Family, Ronald Vaudreuil, Vanessa Viega,

AnnMarie Walters, Paul and Jenny Weibel.

Call the Parish Office add a loved one to the prayer list.

HIGHLIGHTED MINISTRY OF THE WEEK

Money Counting

Each week, a team of volunteers counts the

weekly offertory collection including special

collections. Proper segregation of duties ensures

that the collections are accurately credited to the

appropriate collection and prepared for deposit. All procedures

follow the financial regulations of the Arcdiocese of Boston.

Individual donor envelopes are opened, verified, and the

dollar amount recorded on the envelope and the balance sheet

records. Volunteers for counting are needed. This ministry

group typically meets on Monday mornings and the process

takes approximately one hour. Training is provided. All

information must be kept to the highest level of confidentiality.

Call the office for additional details about this ministry.

END OF YEAR DONATION STATEMENTS

As another year comes to an end, we review

our finances and look toward tax season! If

you would like a copy of your end of year

donation statement, please call or email April

Lowe at 508-460-9255/alowe@stmattpar.org.

Statements will not be automatically sent out to parishioners,

but will be sent out upon request only. For those who donate

to the parish through WeShare, you should receive a year-

end report from WeShare, but you may also request a report

from St. Matthias as that information in included in our

parish database.

Thank you for your generous

contributions to support St. Matthias in

2019.

COLD AND FLU SEASON

As the winter progresses, more of us

will be suffering through colds and

flu. While we will miss your presence

at Mass, it is better for you, and for

the health of your fellow parishioners,

that you stay at home when you are ill. There are a number

of opportunities on line and on TV to join in a televised Mass

while resting up. (The current day’s Mass can always be

found on the website and app. of The Catholic Television

Network).

If you do come to Mass while under the weather, you are

asked to refrain from taking the precious blood at

communion time. A simple bow of reverence to the cup as

you pass by it would be very appropriate. Common sense

also reminds us that we should refrain from shaking hands at

the sign of peace when under the weather. A reverent bow,

or the simple phrase “peace be with you” will convey our

sharing in Christ’s peace.

OUR FATHER’S TABLE

MONDAY, JANUARY 20 — 4:00 P.M.

PLEASE NOTE DAY / DATE CHANGE

St. Matthias Parish will host the upcoming Our Father’s

Table at New Hope Church, 204 Main Street Marlborough

on Monday, January 20 beginning at 4:00 p.m. Your help

with serving, cooking or baking is greatly appreciated. This

work provides an opportunity to serve our neighbors in the

community.

Please be advised that the St. Matthias Parish

hosting day has changed to the third Monday of every

other month.

For details or to volunteer, please contact Sue Dolesh via

e-mail: daledolesh@gmail.com.

2020 GRAND ANNUAL CAMPAIGN

Thank you to everyone who has

pledged or given to the 2020 Grand

Annual Campaign. As of January 5 our

Grand Annuals numbers are:

Grand Annual Goal $65,000

Total Received $53,660

Total to Reach Goal $11,340

Families 98 To make your contribution, envelopes

are located at the church entrance. You may

also give on-line through our WeShare

program. Thank you for your support of the

parish community.

NEXT WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS

Readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 18 and 19

First Reading: Isaiah 49:3, 5-6

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3

Gospel: John 1:29-34

APPRECIATION BREAKFAST

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020

11:00 A.M. — PARISH HALL

The St. Matthias chapter of the Society of

St. Vincent dePaul will host a thank you

breakfast during the coffee social this Sunday, January

12. The meal is in appreciation for all the support, prayer

and monetary donations parishioners of St. Matthias have

given to ensure the mission of SVdP is achieved.

NO DONATIONS will be accepted this day!! Please

come and enjoy the food, conversation and camaraderie.

If you would like more information or are considering

joining us in our mission, please talk to any of the

members during the breakfast or at any time by calling

Sue Dolesh 248-474-8815.

It will be a hearty banquet with coffee, juices, ham, sliced

turkey breast, potatoes, fruit, pastries and much more.

MARLBOROUGH COMMUNITY

CUPBOARD

FOOD COLLECTION

Our monthly food collection bins will be placed at the

church entrances this weekend, January 11 and 12.

During the winter months, donation of coffee, tea and

soups bring comfort to our neighbors. Donations of

personal hygiene items are also welcome. Thank you.

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