"Desire God so that you may have Him, and then finally you will be really happy. This alone will make you truly happy." ~ St. Augustine
In this Sunday’s Gospel , Matthew continues the lesson on the cost of being a disciple of Jesus. This particular lesson reminds us that it is not just about claiming Christ as Savior, saying “Lord, Lord” (Mt 7:21), but actually placing Him above everything and everyone else in our lives, even family members. This can be a hard lesson for many – how can Christ make such a demand on us? Out of love for us and a desire for our love in return, Christ was sent by the Father to win back our friendship with Him. It is only in God that we will find what we seek – true happiness. Through our Baptism we become members of the family of God, heirs to His kingdom with the promise of eternal life. We are called, as disciples to proclaim that kingdom, by how we live our lives, in order to draw all those whom we encounter - family members, friends, co-workers - into the same kingdom. For reflection: what are the preferences in my life that keep me from living closer to Christ, what am I holding back?
Important Notice to our Parishioners
On Friday, June 26th, we learned that an individual who attended the 4 PM Mass on Saturday, June 20th and the 8 AM Mass on Thursday, June 25th has tested positive for COVID-19. Given the parish's adherence to safety protocols, including the wearing of masks, social distancing, and sanitizing according to the CDC protocols, there is a very low probability that anyone else in attendance at either of those Masses would have been infected via transmission from this individual. It is advisable, however, for those who are concerned, to check with their personal physicians about testing and/or any other steps to be taken.
Online Resources
  • For the Year of the Eucharist an online retreat from RC Spirituality:Food for the Journey (free, requires creation of a login)
  • Also for the Year of the Eucharist - free study from Scott Hahn: The Lamb's Supper (free, requires creation of a login)
  • Online Scripture Study from Boston College's Crossroads - the Gospel of Luke (3 weeks, $25 fee, begins July 22nd)
Live-Stream of Masses
To facilitate ease of participating in Mass remotely, we have added a page to our parish's website dedicated to the live-stream of Masses at StAugustineParish.org/live-stream . Mass will be live-streamed on Sundays at 8 AM and 10 AM. Daily Mass will be live-streamed most days but not on a fixed schedule. Please be sure to bookmark this page and check the schedule each week.
Read more in our weekly bulletin
Thanks to our sponsors for supporting our parish with an ad in the bulletin! We encourage our parishioners to consider our sponsors when doing business in the community!
Visit our website at  www.staugustineparish.org

The upkeep of our facilities and the salaries paid to our staff are dependent upon your generous donations to the regular offertory. There are 3 different ways to donate electronically - please visit our stewardship page for info. Your offertory can also be sent in by mail to St. Augustine Parish, 35 Essex St., Andover, MA 01810 Attn:Offertory. Thank you, as always, for your generous support!

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