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Greetings,
Linked below find my homily for this week, the Sixth Sunday of Easter. In both the Gospel (John 15) and the Second Reading (I John 4), we are reminded that love is the start and finish of who we are and who God is. Let us ponder this great mystery with gratitude on Mother’s Day, and let us pray for all our mothers living and dead!
And let us continue to pray for and remember Fr Jerry Hogan, everyone’s beloved circus priest, who passed away this week – though with us only for a short time on several stays, he was a great gift to OLOS and will not be forgotten.
~Fr. Clooney

Like a Mother, God Loves Her Children

Thursday, May 13th is the Feast of The Ascension of The Lord.
Masses will be at: 
9 AM & 7:30 PM

We will also be livestreaming the 7:30PM Mass for those of you who are unable to attend.
Click HERE for the link. 

It is with a deep sense of personal loss as well as with a sense of loss for all the goodness that he brought to our parish that I inform you of the death on the evening of May 5 of Fr Jerry.
He was a generous open-hearted priest who joyfully ministered to our parish and in the process became a brother and friend to me. I was so looking forward to his planned return in June.

Arrangements are pending and, I expect, will be limited by Covid restrictions. We will find a way to mark his passing as well as that of Fr Vinnie and Deacon Mike in the near future. Please keep Jerry in your prayers especially these days. Remember Fr Vinnie and Deacon Mike also for their goodness and commitment to OLOS.

~Fr Frank

Fr. Jerry's Obituary 

Daily Mass:
Thursdays at 9 AM
Sunday Mass: 
Saturdays at 4PM and Sundays 7:30 AM and 10AM 

MASKS ARE REQUIRED. Windows and doors will have to be open because of the need for adequate ventilation so please dress appropriately. Please observe the Public Health Guidelines and exercise caution. If you have any questions please contact the parish office at parish@olossharon.org or 781-784-2265.

CONGRATULATIONS AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY

We offer recognition and praise for two of our parishioners at either end of the age spectrum: a college student applauded for her social justice work and a gentleman celebrating his 100^th birthday.

Jim Delaney, a long-time parishioner and Sharon resident will celebrate his 100^th birthday on May 25^th. Blessings and congratulations to Jim on reaching this very special milestone.

Ana Morrison, a Junior at St Anselm’s College in Manchester, NH was awarded a fellowship for her leadership role in community-based service projects. The president of St Anselm’s, Dr. Joseph Favazza, our parishioner and former neighbor noted Ana’s “…significant leadership role in the college’s racial justice dialogue and her community work with high school students belonging to groups traditionally considered underrepresented in higher education, particularly refugee and immigrant youth.” Apparently, Ana carries north with her the work she did here at OLOS as a youth peer minister and her commitment to our parish social justice outreach projects. We are proud of Ana and congratulate her.

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“We have a moral responsibility to not let George Floyd’s death become a distant memory in the years ahead but a force for building communities of love, acceptance and fellowship.”          

~Cardinal Sean on the Chauvin verdict

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IN-PERSON MASS

It’s a joy to welcome back those who have decided that it is safe for them to return to in-person worship. At the same time, I want to assure you that safety is very high on our priority list and, given the uncertainty of the times, we understand those who do not think it is the right time for them to return yet. We plan to continue the video Masses on You Tube and Sharon TV. We are very grateful to Sharon TV and Amy Tobey of their staff for being so generous in broadcasting the Mass weekly on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings. It can be accessed on channel 12. Mass on You Tube is available through the website link each Saturday at 4:00 pm and after.

 Registration for in-person Mass

There are two reasons for asking you to register for in-person Mass. We need to have an idea how many we can accommodate given the capacity of the church and we need to know who you are so that if there is any exposure either remote or proximate, we can notify you. Our experience over the past few months, the improving situation and the lack of such an incident at in-person Masses seems to indicate that pre-registration is not currently necessary. Of course, given the uncertainty of the pandemic, if we need to do so we can always go back to it. As a regular practice, we will suspend the need to register for in-person Mass beginning the weekend of Sat/ Sun, May 8/9.

Daily Mass

When the pandemic began, all of our services including daily Mass were suspended by public health mandates. There was a special concern with daily Mass because a large percentage of attendees including me were over the age of 65. At that time they were the most vulnerable group.
Now, however a majority of people in that age group have been vaccinated and we have experience at conducting in-person Masses on weekends without incident. Accordingly, we will slowly return to our daily Mass schedule by offering Mass on Thursdays at 9:00 AM starting on Thursday, May 6, 2021. 
In all of these situations, we ask all to continue to follow basic public health guidelines such as masks, social distancing and hand sanitizing and we will have the windows open.

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“Now is the time to act. We are at the brink.” “When the destruction of nature is sparked, it is difficult to stop. But we are still in time and we will be more resilient if we work together instead of alone.”                                                                                                            ~Pope Francis on Earth Day 2021

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Music
The Archdiocesan guidelines for participation in singing responses etc have been changed and we will implement some of those starting on Pentecost Sunday, May 23. More later.

Website

OLOS is in need of branding. We would like to find someone in the parish who can help us create a new logo and look to the website. If you or someone you know has expertise in this area please contact Fr. Daly or Lynn Jacobs at parish@olossharon.org or 781-784-2265
~ Fr. Frank

The Knights of Columbus will be selling long stem red roses after the Masses the weekend of May 8th and 9th as part of their annual Mother’s Day fundraiser. All proceeds will be donated to women and children health organizations. The "Mom" in your life will love them!

Each year at this time, we launch the “Catholic Appeal.” It is an appeal to ask for your support for central ministries of the Archdiocese. (View Video)

Whenever I think of this, I think of Catholic Charities. Having served on a regional board, I am aware first hand of the work they do. Whoever comes to their door receives help. An American Cardinal once said: “We don’t help them because they’re Catholic; we help them because we’re Catholic. Much could be said also of Catholic Schools where by some accounts, 24 percent of the students aren’t Catholic and many students come from poor and underserved communities.

Our parish has received support and comprehensive guidance from a Pandemic Response Team. Recently, the Archdiocese provided to us at OLOS the services of a building expert to assess our properties and provide reports on each of our buildings and their current and future maintenance needs. We avoided the substantial cost that we received in a bid from a private contractor for the same work.

Tools and resources to reach out to parishioners through virtual evangelization were also made available. Couples preparing for marriage were able to be referred to the Transformed in Love marriage preparation ministry.

I understand that these are challenging times, but if you are able, I ask you to join me in supporting the “Catholic Appeal” by making a commitment of your own. If you have already responded to a letter or an email from Cardinal Sean, thank you. If you haven’t had a chance to give, envelopes are available in the church or you can go online to make your donation at bostoncatholicappeal.org.

I can assure you that your contribution has an immediate and lasting impact. Thank you.
~Fr. Frank

There are many service opportunities. Please click HERE to see what ways you can help your community. 

Sick:

Anna Fratello, AJ Quetta

Deceased:

Fr. Jerry Hogan, Fr. Vincent "Vinnie" Doolan, Nelson Rebello, Sarah Danca, Gerardine Young, Mary Nelson

Stay connected to Our Lady of Sorrows Parish throughout the week for the latest news and announcements. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter and each week you'll receive news and information, including some that just doesn't fit in the bulletin.

Click HERE to view our Annual Report.

All are welcome to join our Zoom Bible Study on Wednesday from 10am to 11am. 
The group, which meets weekly, includes and welcomes sisters and brothers of other faiths. Our examination of the biblical text honors the bible in both the Hebrew and Christian traditions.We are currently reading Exodus.

For more information email Lynn Jacobs at the parish office at ljacobs@olossharon.org.

9-22-2020