Praise God from whom all blessings flow! You may have heard that Governor Baker is permitting places of worship to re-open this week. Therefore, effective Saturday, May 23, 2020 Bishop McManus is lifting the suspension of public celebrations of the Mass in the Diocese of Worcester. While we are excited to welcome you all back to Saint Mary Church for the celebration of Mass, we also want to ensure the health and safety of all parishioners. Fr. Nick and the Parish Pastoral Team, along with the Parish Vision Team are working hard to ensure a smooth re-opening this weekend. A detailed plan for re-opening will be shared with you a little later this week. Until then, please continue praying for an end to the pandemic, check on your neighbors and the elderly, and always count your blessings.

The Ascension of the Lord, a Holy Day of Obligation, marks the completion of the earthly life and ministry of Jesus Christ. This Solemnity commemorates the bodily ascension of Our Lord Jesus into heaven, forty days after his resurrection from the dead (Acts 1:3-9). This Solemnity is one of the most ancient commemorations in the Catholic Church; its roots can be traced to the Apostolic era and is referred to in fourth century writings. It is also the beginning of the very first novena, as it begins nine days of preparation for the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Mass will be livestreamed at 8:00 AM and posted later on Facebook, YouTube and our parish website for viewing. Click above to access a novena to the Holy Spirit.

We are excited to begin celebrating Mass as a parish community! In order to meet the requirements to re-open, we will need to have people in place to assist with ushering and the cleaning of the pews after each Mass. If you can help with either of these, please respond to this Flocknote. Your help will be greatly appreciated!