From the Pastor November 22/23

It’s An Every Day Affair

An early happy Thanksgiving. I want to wish all parishioners and their families a wonderful Thanksgiving this Thursday. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I usually enjoy it even more than Christmas. Thanksgiving isn’t as complicated as Christmas. It doesn’t involve decorations and gift giving. It is a calmer special family day. One to enjoy a traditional meal, have some good lively discussions about issues like whether we like dark or white meat, can the Patriots make a run in the Playoffs, and do you think it will be a cold winter? No politics today please!

Thanksgiving is more than an autumnal harvest festival. We all know the tradition stories of its origins in a three day feast hosted by the Pilgrims with Native Americans as guests celebrated after the first harvest in Plymouth. (Some sources claim the first Thanksgiving Feast on American soil was celebrated by Spanish settlers in 1565 at St. Augustine, FL.) Actually, thanksgiving is an essential Christian attitude, so it is difficult to assign the first Thanksgiving to any particular event on a specific date.

As Catholics we would contend that the first Thanksgiving meal was actually the Last Supper hosted by Jesus on the night before he died on the cross. Our Catholic belief is that was the night Jesus instituted the Eucharist, which is derived from the Greek word for thanksgiving. As Catholics we celebrate a thanksgiving meal every day at Mass. 

The Eucharist is the sum and summit of our Catholic faith. It is the Sacrament where we give thanks to Jesus for promising to come to us to share His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity with the gift of God’s grace. 

This Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful opportunity for us as Catholics to witness not only to the need for giving the Father thanks for his bountiful gifts and mercy, but also to unite ourselves with the greatest act of thanksgiving we can make as a Christian. As the liturgy says we will gather “with humbles and contrite heart” in the Holy Spirit and give thanks to the Father for all his many blessings, uniting our offering with Christ’ through the most sublime sacrament of the Eucharist. 

This year plan to give Thanksgiving, which is more of a secular holiday, a Catholic touch. Attend morning Mass at 8 AM. While we don’t have an obligation to attend Mass on Thanksgiving, start a tradition of doing so. There is no other more fitting way to express thanks to God than praying and receiving the gift of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Mass. If people bring items of food, they plan to share at the Thanksgiving meal I’ll bless them after Mass. 

Before the table is set for the feast and while the food is still cooking, gather the family and friends to count your blessings. Write them down and maybe keep them in front of you during the meal. Make it a day of real joyful celebration. That is something for which we Catholics are famous. Start your festivities early and keep them going with good table conversation and building family bonds. Maybe play a board game, or outdoor activity such as a post meal walk as a family. Make plans for a family service project everyone can participate in together before Christmas. Thanksgiving Day is such a great time to really take stock of what is important in our lives. It is when we recall again this year that we have been greatly blessed by God, and how God calls to his faithful to share our blessing with those around us this year. 

Advent Woman’s Retreat

The Advent Women’s Retreat sponsored by the Diocese of Fall River is being held again this year on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at Corpus Christi Church, E. Sandwich from 9 am-2:30 pm. Featured presenters will be Catherine DiNuzzo, international speaker and Licensed Professional Counselor, and podcaster, and author Allison Gingras, well known to Holy Redeemer parishioners, and Liz Cotrupi-Pfunder Catholic musician and songwriter. Cost for the day is $20 per person. That includes Morning Mass, Continental breakfast, Lunch, Eucharistic Adoration, and celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Almost a dozen parish women have already signed up. To register, visit: https://bit.ly/AWR2025.

Hosting Relic of St. Carlo

The parish will be hosting a relic of newly canonized St. Carlo Acutis the weekend of November 29/30. St. Carlo is the first millennium saint. As a child St. Carlo developed a deep devotion to the Eucharist while continuing to enjoy video games, soccer, and his pets. Very tech savvy he developed a website cataloging Eucharistic Miracles from through Church history. He referred to the Eucharist as his “highway to heaven.” Tragically Carlo contracted acute leukemia and died at the age of fifteen. His relic will be available for prayerful devotion after the masses on November 29/30. One of our Small Faith Sharing Groups is under the patronage of St. Carlo. They are providing prayer cards and other spiritual materials to help foster prayer to St. Carlo. Plan to participate on the First Sunday of Advent. 

"Unless the Lord Build the House” 2025 Capital Campaign 

The 2025 Capital Campaign has so far received donations and pledges of $XXXX. Our goal is to raise $750,000. Various capital improvements to the parish facilities will be paid for by the campaign. Replacement windows for the Rectory is one of the projects on list. A parish couple has chosen to pay the $50,000 cost of this project. We have received acceptable quotes for the project and await Bishop DaCunha’s approval. With luck the windows will be installed before winter gets too entrenched. Please prayerfully reflect on your making a truly sacrificial gift to the 2025 “Unless God Builds the House” Capital Campaign. 

Parish Ministry Fair

The Ministry Fair held on the weekend of November 8/9 was a great success. Fifty new parish volunteers were signed up for parish ministries and organizations. The new Knitters & Crocheting Group was the big winner with a dozen members enlisted. The new Prayer Ministry is off to a good start organizing around six members. Established groups like the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Knights of Columbus, and Choir all had new people interested. A half dozen parishioners signed up for the Christmas Choir. Maybe after getting a taste of choir, they will want to join on a regular basis. 

Sharing your gifts of time, talent, and treasure with you parish helps your faith to grow. It strengthen our sense of community and desire to share more of your gifts. We gain a sense of ownership for our parish. We become invested in its future and want to see our church flourish. If you were out of town when the fair was held or couldn’t come to the fair for a reason your still have an opportunity to enlist in one of our ministries. With Christmas approaching we will need extra help with hospitality ministers and parking lot attendants. Please consider how you want to help make Holy Redeemer the best parish we can possibly be.