April 5/6, 2008

Readings  | Calendar  |  Stewardship 

Money, Politics, and Religion
Next week, after each of the liturgies, the Investment Committee will offer a brief presentation on the past year’s work regarding: Investments and returns, shareholder advocacy efforts, investments in community -based investing initiatives, and working on adult education. Whether you are interested in economic justice or sound finance, we welcome the opportunity to be accountable to the community for our efforts and to receive feedback.

Hearing Paul Together
All are warmly invited to an ecumenical service of preaching and prayer celebrating our common Christian heritage in the writings of Saint Paul this Tuesday, April 8th, at 7 pm, at the Paulist Center. Our preachers will be Fr. Antony Hughes of St. Mary's Orthodox Church, Cambridge; Ms. Laura Everett, the Associate Director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches; and Rev. Jep Streit of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, Boston. The service is being organized by the Paulist Associates in honor of the 150th Anniversary of the Paulist Fathers.

Auction Tickets On Sale This Weekend
Tickets are now on sale after Mass for the Kentucky Derby -themed Auction on April 26. Plan ahead and purchase your tickets early. Raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. Tickets for dinner and the auction are $35, $40 at the door. Come with a group of friends and bid on a vacation home together. Reserve a table for 8! We are still looking for donations of fancy desserts for the dessert auction. Volunteers are always essential to help the night run smoothly. If you can help on Thursday, April 24, Friday, April 25 or Saturday, April 26, we NEED you! Please look for the blue flyer in the racks in the back of the chapel. Fill out both sides and return it by mail or drop it in the collection basket. You may also go to our website and fill it out, copy and paste it, and email it to Rachel Rumely at paulistcenterauction@gmail.com or call her at 317 -902-4725.

Food Pantry: demand is High, Food Supplies are Low
We are in need of hearty soups, stew, jarred spaghetti sauce, mac&cheese, an canned veggies/fruit..
The pantry is open each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 2-3:30. Thanks for your continued generosity in helping us feed the homeless.

Jr. High Youth Group
Will meet immediately following this Sunday’s 10 am mass in the 3 rd floor library.

1st Communion Seder Supper
Will take place on Saturday, April 12 th at 3:45 pm in the auditorium.

NO FREP CLASSES
On Sunday, April 20 th due the Patriot’s Day holiday. There WILL be class on Sunday, April 27 th.

The Paulist Center Blood Drive
Sunday, April 6th 2008 9:00am - 2:00pm The Paulist Center 5 Park Street, Boston Sign up for a donation time at: www.bloodpartners.org/paulist

The Paulist Center's LGBT & Friends
will hold its monthly gathering on Sunday, April 13th in the 3rd floor library following the 6PM Liturgy. More details to follow. If you would like information about the group, you can contact the coordinators at PaulistLGBT@ gmail.com.

Upcoming Retreat Opportunities
A day retreat that emphasizes art and Ignatian prayer exercises will be offered by Bob Gilroy, SJ, a spiritual director for the Jesuit Collaborative at the Paulist Center on Sat., May 17, 9:30am- 3:00pm. $40. Childcare available. Call Susan Rutkowski, Pastoral Minister, to reserve a spot 617 - 948-2426.

Operation Rice Bowl
If you have not already, please drop off your rice bowls at the Center (either in the collection or to Susan Rutkowski) during the next few weeks.

2008 Lay Ministry Scholarship
The Paulist Center offers a grant of $700 - $1,000 to an active Roman Catholic lay student. The grant is to be applied to tuition for the first level graduate theological or pastoral degree program (M. Div, MTS, MA in Pastoral Ministry, or equivalent). The award is open to any lay person after successful completion of her/his first year of a master’s -level degree program in a Boston Theological Institute (BTI) school. Informational sheets are available in the racks or by contacting Patty Simpson at 617 - 948- 2428 or pattypcc@aol.com. The deadline is April 28 and the winner will be notified by May 9.

150TH Anniversary Liturgy & Picnic on the Common
Will take place on Sunday, May 18th at 11 am at the bandstand on the Boston Common. THERE ARE NO OTHER MASSES THAT WEEKEND! Please plan on bringing chairs/ a blanket and a picnic lunch to enjoy after the liturgy. The Beantown Swing Orchestra will entertain us while we picnic, so bring your dancing shoes. Please reach out to former members of the community and invite them to what will be the blow -out event of the year!

150th Anniversary Convocation: June 19 -21 All are Invited!
The Paulist Fathers and friends of the Paulists will gather June 19 -21, 2008, for a poignant celebration in the history of the order – the 150th Anniversary Convocation in Washington, D.C. “We invite you to discover the rich history, solid mission and many great works of the Paulist Fathers, our lay colleagues and members of our worshipping communities,” said Paulist president Father John Duffy. For more information on the Convocation, go to www.paulist.org and click on 150 th Anniversary or contact Izabella Lopez at 202 -269-2512 or e-mail her at ilo pez@paulist.org by May 1 .

Sister Community
The sister community will be selling coffee and crafts after the 10am Mass this Sunday. This week, we will have necklaces made from colored paper by women in the refugee camps of Uganda.

Prayer Requests
Please continue to keep Christine and Todd Monterio in your prayers as they recover from their surgeries. Please pray for Eleanor Sampson, mother of community member Jay Sampson, who passed away on Easter Sunday.

Welcome
Please warmly welcome these new or returning members to our Paulist community!
Eisara Supavai from Allston
Margaret Kirschner from Boston
Theresa and Edward Zalewski from Hanover
Anna and Mary Hoffee from Chestnut Hill
Thomas Edward from Cambridge
Jeanne Caldwell from Belmont

40 years: Supper Club & Walk for Hunger
For the past 40 years, the Walk for Hunger has largely paid for the food our Supper Club volunteers cook and serve to our hungry and homeless neighbors each week! The walk started here at the Paulist Center as a fundraiser for our Supper Club and now funds 400 agencies across Massachusetts. Support our dedicated volunteers and needy guests by: Joining the walk team and walking on May 4 Donate to the walk team or a specific walker Volunteer for the walk on May 4 Join the 7 mile Kids ' Walk (open to anyone who would like a shorter route) by contacting community member Peggy Soper at 781-245-0094 or soperpeggy@verizon.net http://www.projectbread.org/goto/PaulistCenter

Boston Common Garage
Discount Parking Discount tickets usable for evenings (4pm and thereafter) and all day weekends are available from the Center. We are making the ticket available at our cost of $5.50, a fifty percent savings. Tickets are available here at the Center during regular business hours, Monday - Friday, and after Mass on weekends in the front office. (Incidentally, anyone may purchase these tickets at the Garage itself in blocks of 20 tickets.)

Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Direction is offered weekly here at the Center. This is an opportunity to reflect and grow in our relationship with God, others, & our world. If interested, contact Sr. Kathleen Hagerty at 617 - 746-2046 or kathleen.hagerty@csjboston.org. Donation: $10 -$25 per session.

Upcoming Retreat Opportunities
Days of Prayer and weekend retreats that emphasize art and Ignatian prayer exercises will be offered by Bob Gilroy, SJ, a spiritual director for the Jesuit Collaborative. Sat., April 5: The Ignatian Way with Art, Campion Renewal Center , Weston, MA, Register at www.campioncenter.org . Sat., May 17:, Art and Spirituality Retreat, Paulist Center, 9:30am- 3:00pm. $40. Childcare available. Call Susan Rutkowski, Pastoral Minister, to reserve a spot 617 -948-2426.

Journey with Isaac Hecker and Christ ! Let's mark 15,000 footprints of service as a community!
In honor of Isaac Hecker and in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Paulists, we challenge the community to log 15,000 hours (or footsteps) of service work by Paulist Center community members by next January. Please pick up a sheet in the racks in the back of the chapel that highlights different ideas, or organize an event that the community can participate in together. Then fill in the form to let us know what service you performed. Journey with us to become a stronger community in Christ!

Tax Letters
If you wish to have a letter from the Center for weekend and appeal contributions you made by check or credit card for 2007, please call the Center and leave a message with your request for Patty Simpson at (617)948-2428 or email her at pattypcc@aol.com. The IRS requires letters for single donations of $250 or more (i.e. several smaller donations totalling $250 do not require letters), and the letter is for your records only - it is not submitted to the IRS with your tax returns. Anyone who made a donation of stock will automatically receive a letter by Feb. 1.We sincerely thank all who gave to the Center in any way. Your generosity is essential and appreciated.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

New Pathways Volunteers Needed!
New Pathways Emergency Shelter is looking for volunteers willing to provide short-termshelter (1-15) days in their homes for teens in crisis. New Pathways serves youth throughout Boston, ages 12-17,who have either run away fromhome or who are homeless. If you are interested in finding outmore about the programand possibly serving as a host home, contactMelissaGlynn- Hyman or SarahHoxie at 617-277-8107.

Senior Tutors and Mentors for BPS Kids
Seeking older adults to serve as tutors and mentors in local elementary and after -school programs with Generations Incorporated . Your experience is valuable - make a difference in a child’s life and yours. All training and materials are provided. Contact PCC member Mary Ondrusek at 617 -778-0554.

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Community Gift
Any community member interested in nominating an organization to be the recipient of one of our Community Gifts (5% of weekend collections), please send a note to Patrick Letourneau, our Administrative Assistant, with the name and address of the organization, its purpose, and the reason you would like to have them receive one of our gifts. If there is a particular time of year that would be especially appropriate for the awarding of the gift, please also include that information in the request. Contact rae at 617.498.2427 or email at fiveparkst@aol.com

Credit Card Giving!
Our bank, Wainwright Bank & Trust, has made it possible to contribute to the Paulist Center with your credit card. Use this link to connect to the Paulist Center www.communityroom.net, and follow the prompts for donating. Please indicate in the memo field provided the intent of your donation (weekend, Easter, campaign, etc.), and be sure you get all the way to the receipt screen. If you do not get to this screen, your donation has not been processed and we will not receive your intended contribution. Thank you!

Set-Up Your Own On-Line Giving!
Vanco Services, who has handled our recurring credit card and bank account giving for several years, has made available to us the ability for you to set up your own on-line giving without having to route your form through the Center. Please go to www.paulist.org/boston & click on “Give to the Paulist Center.” You may also, of course, still fill out a paper form and send it to Patty Simpson if you prefer. Please call Patty at 617-948-2428 or email her at pattypcc@aol.com with any questions. Automatic recurring donations to the Center are a huge help to us in our ministry. Thank you for your generosity to the Paulist Center.

E-Service Direct Deposit
The forms to arrange to have direct deposit contributions to the Center are available in the racks, and  here on this website.

Matching Gifts
In the past few years, due to some changes in the wording of the law, many companies have been able to include churches in their matching gift programs as long as they are qualified 501(c)3 organizations, which the Paulist Center is. If your company offers a matching gift program, please check to see if you can have your donations to the Center matched. If you have any questions, please call Patty Simpson at 617-948-2428. We appreciate all donations. Thanks!

Mass Cards
Please stop by the reception area during the week or call Vusie at 617-742-4460 if you would like to arrange to purchase a mass card in memory of someone who has died, in honor of a special occasion,, or for the special intentions of yourself or a loved one.