Parents can you help Lifeteen?
Mrs. Susan Matthews, one of our parents, generously coordinates the preparation of the meals that are served at the end of every LifeNight. Since we ask teens to fast 1 hour prior to Mass, and have a LifeNight after Mass until 8:00 pm, we try to offer them a light dinner each Sunday. Could you volunteer to prepare one or more meals for our teens during this upcoming school year? Please see Susan, or phone her at (781) 871-2190.

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Parish Ministry includes an enormous variety of response to needs, both personal and communal. It is life-giving service, and people who are involved are the first to say, “I receive far more than I give.” Many ministries are clear cut with specific directives, such as Outreach to Nursing Homes or to the Homebound. Others, such as preparation of spiritual programs like RENEW or our Lenten Mission, unfold only after much sharing, planning, and discussion. Still other forms of parish ministry are never found in a Directory or on the weekly Parish Bulletin.

These include the many responses that we may make to people who may be going through a quiet period of grief over the loss of a loved one.

We have many funerals here at Holy Family. This summer between June and September, the lives and deaths of forty-five people were celebrated here. Do you realize how many loved ones are continuing on with broken hearts, huge changes in their day-to-day routines, and carrying sadness that can overwhelm them?

Why do I share this with you? Because someone living next door to you, or in your working environment, or a friend at a distance may be one of those people. How they might be uplifted by a card, a phone call, a smile of recognition, or a simple conversation in a store or a parking lot that lets them know they are thought of and lifted up in prayer. It can make their day!

It is usually not easy finding the “right words” to say at such an impromptu meeting. There are no words that will change their situation. But just our remembering their loss, sharing a sign of compassion when it’s least expected can soften someone’s grief for a time. Grief is not one size fits all. Its duration, form, and intensity varies with each person. Hopefully, Grief Support Groups facilitate recovery through meetings with others who are also experiencing a loss. This can be a huge help. But a neighbor or an acquaintance can also play a role by simply being thoughtful enough and even courageous enough to recognize another’s pain.

Do you know anyone who has recently lost a loved one?