From the Pastor July 26/27

Time for Vacation

Summer is the time for rest and recharging our bodies with some vacation time. Vacation takes our mind off our jobs and regular responsibilities and give us an opportunity for a change of routine. Time off can give us the opportunity to visit new places and experience new things. Vacation is very important for our good health and wellbeing.

I’m happy to learn Pope Leo spent the first two full weeks of July on vacation at the traditional papal vacation spot at Castel Gandolfo on a lake outside Rome. He will return to Castel Gandolfo for the Assumption of Mary long weekend in mid-August. Pope Leo started his vacation at Castel Gandolfo that served as the regular papal vacation spot since 1626 until Pope Francis shunned vacations during his pontificate. 

Castel Gandolfo is a small village on Lake Albano. Coincidentally, its parish church is dedicated to St. Thomas of Villanova, a famous preacher and bishop who was, like Pope Leo, a member of his Augustinian Order. The papal estate at Castel Gandolfo is larger than the Vatican and encompasses 135 acres. That includes extensive gardens and 62 acres of farmland with fruit orchards, vegetable gardens, and a dairy. 

Pope Leo will be staying in the Villa Barberini, traditionally the summer residence of the Vatican Secretary of State, instead of the former papal palace. The village of Castel Gandolfo has long been economically dependent on being the papal summer home. To help substitute for the loss of tourists because Pope Francis didn’t vacation there, he turned the papal palace into the Borgo Laudato Si ecology project which provides year-round economic activity for the village. 

During his vacation Pope Leo cut back to only the minimum of liturgical ceremonies and public appearances. A priest friend said he planned to play tennis, a sport he is allegedly pretty good at, and play the piano. Leo didn’t totally slack off. He planned to start making the outline for his first encyclical. There is speculation it will be on peace, unity, or artificial intelligence.

When he gets back to the Vatican Leo will have a busy schedule. There will continue to be various events connected to the Holy Year, adjustments to personnel in the Curia, and a trip to Turkey to celebrate the Nicaean Council Anniversary with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and other Christian leaders.

Pope Leo’s time in Castel Gandolfo doesn’t seem like much of a vacation. His plan for his time doesn’t seem very restful. Americans aren’t very good at taking vacations. That is a waste of money and is detrimental to our health. Studies show that more than half of us who get paid vacation time leave some of it on the table. Many people seem to fear that if they take time off their bosses will begin to feel they are expendable. Our American culture seems emphasis material things and productivity over relaxation. 

Vacation is a pro-your-life issue. People who give themselves permission to take a vacation are of course happier, more successful, and more valued on their job. I hope you will take all the vacation time your are allowed and enjoy your family and friends during your time off.

Being a priest on Cape Cod it’s hard for me to take time off during the summer considering the heavy Mass schedule but come September I have a vacation planned. I’ll be spending a week touring Scotland with some seminary classmates. I can taste it already!

Our Lady of Grace Chapel Open

Our summer chapel, Our Lady of Grace, on Meetinghouse Road in S. Chatham, is open for the summer. The Mass Schedule is Saturday Vigil at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday morning at 7:30 & 9:30 a.m. The chapel will be open every weekend until the Labor Day weekend August 30-31. 

Fr. Sullivan’s Walk for the Homeless

Each year Fr. Sullivan conducts his own personal walk-a-thon for Chatham Ecumenical Council for the Homeless. CECH is a local group that raises funds to provide emergency assistance to Chatham residents struggling with homelessness, mortgage payments, and rental support. Over the last eight years he has collected $12,138, by his calculations. His plan is to walk five miles from the church, down Main Street to the corner of Sam Ryder Road and then back on the bike path on Wednesday, August 6. He wouldn’t mind company on the walk. If you would like to join him, sponsor sheets are available on the kiosks by the church doors. 

Unbound Visitors Next Weekend

Next weekend, Rev. Bill Martin and Rev. Thomas Keyes will be with us to celebrate Masses and tell us about the work of Unbound, a lay Catholic lay sponsorship ministry that helps connect children and elderly in 17 developing countries with sponsors here in our country. To learn more about their organization call (800) 875-6564 or visit Unbound online at www.unbound.org.

Support an Evangelizer

Every Christian is called to share the gospel with the world. Some do it as Missionaries and some of us financially support Missionary Religious Congregations or other Catholic mission groups. One of our parishioners, Jack Larussa, a recent graduate of UMass Amherst will be part of a missionary group FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students working to share the Good News with college students this academic year. Here is Jack’s assignment.

“This year, I’m serving as a Catholic missionary at New York University, right in the heart of Manhattan. With a team of fellow missionaries and chaplains, we’ll walk alongside college students—many of whom have never heard the Gospel or have walked away from the Church.

If your son, daughter, or grandchild has drifted from the faith, you know the ache. We’re going to meet them on their turf, speak their language, and invite them back to Christ. Will you join me in this mission? Through prayer or financial support, you can help bring Jesus back to campus.

This is my fundraising link, https://focus.org/missionaries/jack-larussa which includes a summarized version of my story, a picture of my team and me, and information about giving!”

Jack will be at the back of Holy Redeemer Church after Masses to answer questions about his ministry and sign-up sponsors if you would like to help in that way.