Mary, Queen of
Martyrs Parish News
Biweekly Date: March 5, 2023 / Issue 98
'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased'
New Faith Formation Email Address
The new email for faith formation is faithformmqom@gmail.com. Please add this address to your contact list to make sure emails are sent to your inbox and not your spam folder.

First Communion Prep II Parent Meeting
The final meeting for our First Communion Prep II parents will be held: March 6 at 4:50 PM @ OLOL or March 12 at 8:20 AM @ St. Peter. Please plan on attending the meeting that works best for your schedule to learn more about the retreat, rehearsals, and other important information for May. 
March 6, 2023 OLOL 4:50-5:40 PM
March 12, 2023 St. Peter's 8:20-9:10 AM

First Communion Prep I Parent Meeting
There will be a meeting for all parents with children enrolled in our First Communion Prep I program on: March 20 at 5 PM @ OLOL or March 26 at 8:20 AM @ St. Peter. Please plan on attending the meeting that works best for your schedule to find out more information about what will be expected next year, a chance to register for next year with an early bird discount, to answer questions you may have, and to give feedback from this past year.

Family Reconciliation Service
March 21st 5:30pm St. Kateri
Everyone is welcome to join us for a Lenten Family Reconciliation Service. We will have handouts for examinations of conscience for parents, teens, and children; penance prayer cards; and a communal Act of Contrition. 
 
COOKS NEEDED!
We are looking for a couple of volunteers to make dinner for the Youth Mass on March 5, 2023. The plan is for chicken and rice soup, vegetable soup, and cornbread. Please contact Patsy if you would like to help. 

EASTER EGG DONATIONS
Many thanks to all of you who have contributed donations for our Easter Egg Hunt on April 2nd at St. Kateri. Please keep the candy and trinket donations coming so that we are able to ensure that every child is able to participate. Eggs will be stuffed on March 26th at St. Kateri after the morning Mass. Teens looking for service hours are welcome to stop by and help out!
  
LIVING STATIONS
March 10 - The middle schoolers prepare the Living Stations (acting out the Stations of the Cross) and then present them at the 6:00 PM at St. Kateri for the whole parish. All middle schoolers are invited to participate in the Living Stations on March 10th. We will meet at 3:00 PM at St. Kateri to walk through the Stations, assign roles, get costumes, and practice prior to leading the Living Stations for the parish at 6:00 PM. Please RSVP using the QR Code below so that we can make sure to have enough snacks and water on hand for everyone.
 UPCOMING CLASSES

March 5th 8:15am St. Peter Grades 1-5
5:00pm OLOL Youth Mass/Catholic Social Teaching Presentation

March 6th 4:45pm OLOL Grades 1-5
4:50pm OLOL FHC II Parent Meeting

March 7th 4:45pm St. Peter Grades 1-5

March 10th 3:00pm-7:00pm St Kateri Living Stations~Middle School

March 12th 8:15am St Peter Grades 1-5
8:20am St Peter FHC II Parent Meeting
5:00pm St Peter Confirmation I

March 13th 4:45pm OLOL Grades 1-5
6:00pm OLOL Edge Middle School

March 14th 4:45pm St Peter Grades 1-5

Patsy Gillespie
Director of Faith Formation
Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish
(508) 746 - 0663 ext. 206
 
" For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me" (Jeremiah 29:11-14).
RSVP for the Living Stations
A playtime for young children with their caregivers. This group is designed for parents or caregivers to bring their kids with them and allow them free acess to the gym space at St Peters Hall. During these long winter months the kids can get very stir-crazy so indoor play space is precious! There are No age restrictions for children, but due to school day gathering it is recommended for kids 5 and under. Please follow us on Facebook for weekly updates (or weather related cancellations).

The open gym dates are as follows:
Thursday March 16th -10-12p
Thursday March 30th -10-12p
Thursday April 13th - 10-12p”
Spotlight on Activities
Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish has a new online giving Platform. Check it out!!
Sacred Hospitality

Reflect
Offering hospitality is sacred. To open the door and greet others with warmth, to provide food and drink, to listen and share time: Each act is a way that we connect with the divine. As Scripture says, when we welcome strangers we could actually be entertaining angels (Hebrews 13:2).

Pray
God of Welcome and Hospitality,
Throughout salvation history, we are provided examples of how your holy ones
have opened doors and warmly welcomed others, just as you lovingly receive us
into the shelter of your compassion.
Help me to be more generous and hospitable, to be courageous with my kindness. May we never shy away from the Gospel call to welcome strangers.
Amen.

Act
Find a way to share time, food, drink, or space with another person today. Give from what you have, even if it is little. As you do, notice how sharing hospitality allows you to encounter Christ.
ONE-DAY SPIRITUAL RETREAT


SATURDAY, APRIL 29th
Serving the Spiritual Needs
of Grieving Parents
 
Losing a child under any circumstance is devastating. Focusing on the spirituality of the grieving process can help.
The Emmaus Ministry is for parents whose children of any age, have died by any cause, no matter how long ago.
 
Please join Fr. Joe and other parent companions at
Mary Queen of Martyrs Parish
Our Lady of Lourdes Church
130 Main St. Carver, MA
9:30am-6:30pm
 
Retreat agenda includes prayer services, spiritual reflections,
breakout sessions, Emmaus Walk, Mass, and time for reflection
 
The purpose of the retreat is to give yourself this gift of time on your spiritual journey and consider… Where is God in my pain?…Where is my child now?… How can my faith help me through this new reality of life without my child?
 
Pre-Registration is required
For more information or to register, please contact
Susanne Conley 774-454-9091
Learn more at www.emfgp.org
Ultreya Invitation


Come to Mary Queen of Martyrs Ultreya at Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Church,
126 So. Meadow Road, W Plymouth
on March 12, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.
Cursillistas & ALL interested in learning about Cursillo are welcome!

 Mass celebrant: Fr Joe Raeke
Witness: Nancy Smith, Retreat House Director
Please come welcome and support her!

Music provided by our amazing Cursillistas Kerry & Tim Campbell,
Laura Grant, Tim Grant & Mark Carey

 Lenten Challenge: could you invite someone who has not attended an Ultreya in a while or perhaps ever? Maybe someone you might have sponsored or your sponsor? Maybe someone you think might be interested in hearing about Cursillo & who might come, like what they hear & see & maybe then choose to attend Cursillo? ALL ARE WELCOME! 
 
Mass, small group sharing & refreshments/fellowship.
Snacks to share if the Spirit moves you!
Any questions call Patti & John DeAngelo (617) 678-4306

Our Ultreya Schedule at St Kateri Church is:

2023: March 12, April 16, May 21 (Sundays at 5:00 p.m.)
 
2022/2023 Cursillo Dates
Men's
March 23 - 26, 2023
Women's
April 20 - 23, 2023
Do you enjoy the music at Mass? Do you like to sing? The choir at St. Peter Church is always happy to welcome new members. No special training is necessary, just a love of music. The choir is returning from their winter break so we will all start together. If you have ever considered joining the choir now would be the perfect time. Rehearsals are held at 7:00 Thursday evenings at St. Peter Church and the choir sings at the 9:30 Mass on Sunday.  For more information please contact Crystal or Linda through the St. Peter office or come up and speak to us after Mass.
Gentle Blessings
 

Gentle Blessings is a small, acappella group of singers who sing at the bedside of folks in need of comfort and a gentle presence through song.

We come to the bedside at the invitation of the family and the nursing facility. We are all parishioners of Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish (St. Peter, St. Kateri, Our Lady of Lourdes) in Plymouth/Carver.

Our songs are repetitive and soothing with harmony. We prepare music that is both religious and non-religious. Families request which music is preferred. We come into the room for a 10-minute visit and quietly exit after our songs.

Our group is not entertainment. We offer a gentle presence at the bedside of the sick and the dying.

How Does It Work?
 
·        We visit in groups of 3 or 4 singers at a pre-arranged time.
·        We typically sing for 10 minutes.
·        We offer our singing as gentle blessing, not as entertainment.
·        You do not need to clean for us or feed us and we ask nothing in return.
·        We invite families and caregivers to join us in song or to participate by listening.

Contact:
Ann Cussen
781-291-1318
 
Our service is our gift. There is no charge.
 We are looking for more singers to join our group!
Please consider joining this ministry to the sick!
The group gathers to SING (practice) on the 3rd Saturday of the month in St. Peter lower Church from
10am to 11am.
Save the Date!


20th Anniversary Golf Classic
September 16, 2023
Southers Marsh

Committee Meeting
February 8, 2023
@ St Peter's Parish Center
10 Memorial Drive ~ Plymouth
Are you or someone you love in recovery, struggling with addictions,
 or just have questions on the disease of addictions?
Contact Deacon Jim for more information:
617-645-7915
Spotlight on Vocations
Pastoral Plan Annual Review of Year 2022
Goal Area: Developing A Deeper Prayer Life
Click Below to Review:
In the sacrament of Reconciliation, God’s merciful plan gives us a living encounter with his presence, which is forgiveness and mercy.

Through the ministry of the Church, we hear the very voice of Christ declaring, “Go in peace; your sins are forgiven.”
Penance, 'because of my many sins ...'
Bishop Robert Reed
FRIDAY 17TH OF FEBRUARY 2023

''Because of my many sins..."

If you know the phrase you probably heard it tagged on to the end of a sentence, muttered gently but with a droll sense of irony, as in: "I've been appointed chair of the fundraiser ... because of my many sins."

Or, "They didn't know where to put Uncle Willie at the wedding so I said he could sit by me ... because of my many sins."

The wry expression was, and perhaps is, most commonly heard from friends of an Irish, English or Scottish background, and for all that the phrase may mildly entertain, the theology behind it is sound.
Baptismal Robe Ministry
Every child that is baptized at our parish is given a beautiful white robe for their baptism. They are sewn with love and prayer by members of our parish. This sewing ministry is in need of some helping hands. Please reach out if you are interested in helping or if you have questions about our ministry. All materials and any needed directions will be provided. Please reach out to Jenn Spencer at 508-728-1209 if you are interested in helping or if you have questions about our ministry.
Journey from Grief to Healing


You are invited to come for sharing and healing in a prayerful small group setting.
 
Mary, Queen of Martyr’s Parish Grief and Loss Support group begins on Tuesday evenings February 28th through April 25th from 6:30PM to 8PM at St. Kateri Church. The group will meet once per week for 9 sessions. The facilitators of the group are Meredith Scott and Betty Whittaker.

Please call Kathy Benton
parish administrator to register:
508-866-4000 ext.404
The Weekly Gospel

Matthew 17:1-9
Listen to Him

If you could be present at one moment during the life of Jesus, which moment would you pick? Dr. Allen Hunt has a surprising answer.

Watch now to understand his Gospel pick from a new perspective—you’ll be amazed at what it reveals to you about the possibilities for your life!
Spotlight on Mass
Mass Streaming


  • streaming Saturday 4PM and Sunday 9:30AM


  • streaming Saturday 4PM and Sunday 10:00AM


  • streaming Sunday 10AM

Mary, Queen of Martyrs Bulletin


Our bulletin is now available on the new website at



Stations of the Cross
Fridays of Lent 2023
Time: 6:00PM 
 
March 10 - St. Kateri
 
March 17 - St. Peter
  
March 24 - Our Lady of Lourdes
 
March 31 - Our Lady of Lourdes
As a Parish We Pray for:
SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY CORNER
We are people of faith, called to live the Gospel!
 DIAPER PANTRY

The demand for diapers continues to increase but so too does your generosity with diaper and monetary donations! Thanks to your support we are able to continue to keep area babies in need clean and dry. Babies average about 7 changes per day; in the first year, a baby will require approximately 2,500 diapers, and many families have more than one child in diapers at once. 

Diaper donations can be dropped off at the entrances of our three churches before or after Mass, during regular Diaper Pantry hours at St. Kateri, or at the church offices during open hours (St. Kateri: Monday and Thursday 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; Our Lady of Lourdes: Tuesday and Friday 8:30 – 12:30 p.m.; St. Peter: Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.) For questions contact Jeanne at 508 – 591- 3510 or PCCDiaperPantry@yahoo.com

Note: Our latest Diaper Pantry Update and Report to Parishioners is now available! To view the report, please click below, visit our parish website, see the parish newsletter, or pick up a hard copy at our church entrances.
                                                                                              Diaper Pantry Hours
                                                                                The 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the Month
                                                                      
9:30–11:00 am at the
Saint Kateri Parish Office

Diapers needed this week:
SIZE 6
We also need baby wipes.
JOIN US FOR TWO IMPORTANT, INFORMATIVE PRESENTATIONS
ON THE SCOURGE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND WHAT YOU CAN DO TO STOP IT! 
HUMAN TRAFFICKING: MODERN DAY SLAVERY

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2023
6:30PM–7:30PM
ST. PETER LOWER CHURCH
 
Betsy Goodwin OSF, a Sister of St. Francis of Philadelphia, and Marilyn McGoldrick CSJ, a Sister of Saint Joseph of Boston, will join us for a presentation/conversation on the topic of Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery.
 
For the past 15 years both Sisters have been part of a coalition of Women Religious whose mission is to live the Gospel by promoting the dignity of persons who have been trafficked. Their primary purpose is to raise awareness about human trafficking and further ways of assisting those who have been and are enslaved in this evil. We invite you to join us to discover some important facts about human trafficking and how each of us plays a role in abolishing this modern-day slavery in all its forms. Don’t miss this opportunity – no pre-registration required.
TRAFFICKED. RECOVERED.REDEEMED.
JASMINE GRACE, SURVIVOR AND AUTHOR
SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 2023 10am-Noon
PLYMOUTH NORTH HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM
 
Please join us to hear Jasmine's powerful testimony and to learn more about sex trafficking, addiction, and recovery from a Survivor's perspective. Along with Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish, this presentation is co-sponsored with the Office of the District Attorney, Plymouth County, and the Plymouth Police Department. The public is invited, and no pre-registration is required.
HOLY HOUR SUNDAY
Please join us for a
Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration on
Sunday, March 19, 2023
from 3pm to 4pm
at St. Peter’s Church.
THIS WEEK’S FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Loving Father, we seek your divine protection for all who are exploited and enslaved. Make us instruments of your spirit for their liberation. Show us how we might end exploitation by addressing its causes. Amen.
Little Black Books for Lent 2023
Our parish is distributing the Little Black Books for Lent 2023.
Please take a copy with you as you leave Mass.

This Little Black Book is your companion for Lent. It’s an old-fashioned “vade mecum” (pronounced vahday maykum), which is Latin for “travel with  me”  and  was  used  to  describe  a  book  that  was  a  constant companion – perhaps a condensed book of prayers for traveling priests, or a handbook for quick reference – something you could take with you anywhere. The Little Black Book travels easily in your pocket, bag, or glove compartment.
 
The goal is to find six minutes of quiet time every day for the next 50 days to walk through this book a page at a time. The key is the right-hand page which will walk through some of the parables of Jesus, with explanations and reflections along the way. It's an ancient way of praying the scriptures called Lectio Divina. God speaks to us ‘live’ through the sacred word and we’re often surprised at the thoughts that come.

The left-hand page has a variety of quotes, information, and timely thoughts. Treat it like a buffet table from which you can take what you like. If pressed for time, go directly to the right-hand page, and spend your time there.

Taken from the Little Black Book
Six minutes. That's within reach. And it pays big returns
  Prayer Requests
 
There is NOW a link on our Mary, Queen of Martyrs website available for prayer requests. Please click on the link and you may write out your request.
 
There is also a Book of Intentions available at each of our churches. You may write your prayer intention directly in the book.
 
There are prayer angels in our parish community praying for all the intentions and ALL intentions are remembered at all the Masses in our parish community!

The Prayer Life Team
Food Pantries

St. Kateri Parish
Tuesdays 9:00AM-11AM and *the second and 4th Fridays of the month 5PM-6PM

Help Needed every third Tuesday to help unload a large shipment of food from Boston at 8:30AM

St. Peter Parish
Now EVERY FRIDAY
3:PM-4:30PM
Liturgy of the Hours for Lent 2023
Many voices, One Church, One prayer!
Word on Fire
 
Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish will be praying the Divine Office: Evening Prayer/Vespers on Tuesday evenings at 7PM during Lent 2023.
 ALL are invited to come to pray this beautiful prayer of the Church.
The Liturgy of the Hours is an ancient, structured way of praying Scripture throughout the day, focusing especially on the Psalms. It hearkens back to the Jewish custom of praying at fixed hours, a practice early Christians continued. By the medieval period, monks chanted the entire Psalter, all 150 Psalms, throughout each week, and sometimes in a single day!
Eventually, this form of prayer became known as the Liturgy of the Hours, also called the Divine Office. It is a liturgy because, like the Mass and other sacraments, it is a public prayer of the Church, Christ’s Mystical Body, as distinct from private devotions such as the Rosary, novenas, or personal prayer.
Its purpose is to sanctify the day and the whole range of human activity. It does this by bathing the morning, afternoon, and evening in prayer, so that “the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praises of God.” (Bishop Robert Barron, Word on Fire)

The Schedule for Lent 2023 is as follows:

Tuesday 7:00 PM  Church 
3/7/23 St. Kateri
3/14/23 St. Kateri
3/21/23 Our Lady of Lourdes
3/28/23 Our Lady of Lourdes
Spotlight on:
 Struggling to find daily time to pray?
Mary, Queen of Martyrs is on Instagram!!

Please follow us! Scan the QR Code below or click to follow the link to find us!!
Knights of Columbus
St. Patrick's Day
Corn Beef & Cabbage Dinner

When: Saturday, March 18, 2023 @ 6PM
Where: St. Peter's Parish Hall
What: Corn Beef & Cabbage Dinner with Live Irish Sing Along Performances

Enjoy a corn beef and cabbage dinner followed by a cake desert, with live Irish sing-along songs performed by the choir! (Lyric sheets will be provided.) There will be free parking behind Memorial
Hall. Tickets are $20 per person.
Please be advised that if the in-person event is canceled due to COVID, then it will pivot to a grab-and-go.

Tickets will be sold after Mass the weekends of Mar 4th, and Mar 11th
For question please contact Greg Krantz 781-254-4379 or gpkrantz@gmail.com
Family Healing and Recovery Ministry invites you to join us for an evening of intercessory Rosary, Holy Mass, guest speaker and fellowship.
When: First Friday of each month (2023)
Time: 6:30pm (Intercessory Rosary)
7:00pm (Mass) 
Location:
Saint Joseph the Worker Church (Holy Apostles Parish)
1 Maquan Street, Hanson, MA.
Livestream:
 
Karen McWilliams
(603)682-7933
Virtual Lenten Retreat
A Path of
Pain and Love
Monday, March 27th thru Thursday, March 30th
 In your own home, at your own time

What the participants said last year:
A Path of Pain and Love Retreat made this Easter Holiday extra special.
·        The Lenten Retreat came at a perfect time as we prepare to enter into Holy Week. I found the time each day to be a sacred space, an intimate time to be with Christ as He suffered His passion.
·        A loving way to end Lent. After a series of losses in the past couple of years, the retreat gave me a much-needed perspective as to how to accept things that we cannot change.
·        I found this particular Retreat both moving and comforting in preparation for Holy Week. It gave me a deeper more personal experience of Christ's Unconditional Love, Passion, and Sacrifice for our Salvation.
·        The best of all is that we have the recordings, and we can listen again and meditate on the passion of Christ at any time.
·        Thank you for inviting us to this retreat. It helped me a lot to immerse myself in Lent and be prepared for Holy Week. 
·        This retreat made me look and think at the events leading up to Christ’s resurrection in a whole different manner. 
 
Each day you will receive, by email or WhatsApp, the retreat materials containing a PDF file with the retreat's content for the day and audio files with talks, prayers, and songs.

Contact Mary Crespo – Cell: (413) 478-5141- email: crespomdtov@gmail.com
Our Newly Baptized

Clara Elizabeth Flood was baptized priest, prophet and king at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on January 29, 2023. Welcome Clara!
Eagle Scout Project for St. Peters 
Hi, I'm Charles King from Scout Troop 1620 Plymouth MA. I'm working on my Eagle Scout project which is installing gym padding along the wall, corner, and door of a newly installed closet in the St. Peter's Parish Center gym. Once the padding is installed, it will open more opportunities for the Parish youth to be able to participate in sport-related activities. Please consider making a monetary donation for the gym padding, any amount helps. Donations can be dropped off at St. Peter's Parish Center or mailed to 10 Memorial Drive, Plymouth, MA 02360. Donations must state "Eagle Project/Gym Padding St. Peters" on the check in the memo line. Thank you.
All Are Welcome!
Do you know you are loved by God?
 
You belong to Jesus Christ and
you belong with us.
 
Regardless of:
Your present status in the Catholic Church,
Your current family or marital situation, or personal history, Your age, ability, income, or background,
Your gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity or spirituality,
 
Your own self-image of holiness or virtue.
You are invited, accepted, and respected here at Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish. We want to share our Roman Catholic way of faith and life in Christ with you.