ASP Food Drive

POSTPONED 
New Date: Saturday, February 5th

The ASP Food Drive scheduled for this weekend will be postponed til next weekend due to the forecasted snow storm.

Please donate as we again help restock the Westborough Food Pantry.  ASP youth are working to help local needs. Volunteers will pick up food donations so please leave items by your driveway by 9:00 AM on Saturday, Feb. 5th. 

Register your address for pick-up here: Food Drive 

Town-Wide Facial Covering Mandate Per Order of the Board of Health Effective at 12:01 am on Wednesday, Jan 5, 2022

To reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in indoor public settings, the Board of Health requires that everyone, including fully vaccinated people wear masks in indoor public settings across Westborough. All businesses must display a clearly visible sign upon entry stating that masks are required.. The masking requirements apply to all individuals aged two years and above in all indoor public spaces.

Note:  This applies to places of worship.
For more details on this mandate please click here. Westborough Mask Mandate
 

Mustard Seed Outreach

Mary Christensen and Tom Shea stand beside a truck load of food and clothing that was soon delivered to the Mustard Seed in Worcester on January 7th. They are just two of the many parishioners who generously donated food and clothing this month.  In addition to the bed of the truck being full of food and clothing, the rear seat is fully loaded with more clothing.  And, before the 7th we made a separate delivery of winter clothing as our garage was getting full!  St. Luke's parishioners have always been generous with food donations but the response to the winter clothing request was outstanding!  Donations included winter coats, shirts, pants, underwear, socks, hats, gloves and toiletries. Also, thanks to Lisa Stevens for donating her time to help serve meals that night.  The staff at Mustard Seed was most appreciative for the donations and the help. And, we know that those in need were truly thankful particularly now that winter weather has arrived.  Many thanks to all who generously donated to the Mustard Seed this month!

Legacy of Hope

The Diocesan Capital Campaign called Legacy of Hope is now well underway. In the last several weeks we have held three receptions in which the Diocesan Campaign Director, Jose DeJesus, Fr. Riley and Joe and Sue Black have explained the breath of the program, how it will support  the Diocese and St. Luke’s parish and how you can help.  Thank you to all parishioners who have attended one of the receptions. 

The Legacy of Hope campaign is a Diocesan wide initiative begun in 2018.  St. Luke’s is participating in the last block of the program.  The program will help support parishes, priests’ retirement, Catholic education, charitable outreach, evangelization, and the Cathedral of St. Paul.  In the remaining two months, there will be bulletin inserts, packet distributions, and announcements from the pulpit explaining the purpose for Legacy of Hope and where monies pledged will be used.

Through Msgr. Foley’s earlier work our Parish raised $105,750 from 13 gifts from families and individuals, toward the Parish goal of $930,013.  We are truly grateful for such a generous start for Legacy of Hope. We pray that St. Luke will intercede for our Parish during this essential capital campaign that will address important needs of our Parish as well as our Diocese.

Please watch the following short video presented by Bishop McManus that more fully explains the campaign.

In addition to the video click to see the Diocesan brochure and the St. Luke’s insert which includes how the funds will benefit St. Luke’s, the difference between Partners in Charity and Legacy of Hope, and frequently asked questions.  Should you have any questions please contact Joe and Sue Black at 508-212-2848 or joeblacksr@verizon.net.

Pledge Now

At least 40% of all Legacy of Hope donations are returned directly to their parishioners’ local parish; 60% of the funding goes to the Diocese of Worcester. The largest percentage of these diocesan funds are being used to create a long-term endowment to fund our Diocese’s retired priests. We can all think of the many priests who have blessed St. Luke’s in the past but who have since retired; some of these priests will continue in their ministry and support a parish. However, there will come a time when their needs will likely increase. By adding to and building the endowment the Diocese will be able to help defray some of the long-term costs associated with retirement including health care, independent living, assisted living and nursing homes. "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you," Deuteronomy 16:17 

At least 40% of all Legacy of Hope pledges are immediately returned from the Diocese of Worcester to the parishes as collections are received. For St Luke’s, a parish that celebrated its 150 th anniversary in 2020, a primary focus for these funds will be the refurbishment and repairs of our parish church at the corner of East Main and Ruggles Streets. 2021 marks the 100 th anniversary of our current church building – a solid brick building built after our first two wooden parish churches burned down in 1886 and 1920. While the brick building has proved more durable, New England’s difficult climate has left it the worse for wear. Our church steeple, the bell tower, and the main church roof need renovation and immediate repair as the bell tower is listing, roof tiles are missing, and the underlying structure has been water compromised. Repairs needed include replacing the underlying tower structure, repointing brick work, and replacing roof tiles. In addition, we will be replacing our compromised 68-yr old electric bell striking system. Below you can see the photographs of the tower showing the missing roofing tiles and listing cross, the water-damaged bell tower floor, and the old bell striking system.   “The bricks have fallen down, but we will build with squared stones.  They have cut down the sycamores, but we will replace them with cedars.”  Isaiah 9:10. 


How the funds will be used – Part 3:  

The Funding of Catholic Education is another worthy cause for which the LOH funds will be used.  Curriculums at the 18 Catholic Elementary Schools and 9 Catholic High Schools provide quality education and address the moral, spiritual, academic, artistic, social and physical development of the students.  The gifts will enhance the four-million-dollar endowment and allow the Diocese to offer tuition assistance to families who desire a Catholic education for their children but need assistance.  “This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.  Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them”.  1Timothy 4:10-11

How the funds will be used:  Part 4

Amidst these tedious and trying times, St Luke’s parishioners generously pledged $502,284 to our Legacy of Hope capital fund raising campaign! To the 143 families that generously donated, thank you very much! While we did not achieve our goal, at least 40% of the Legacy of Hope pledges to St Luke’s are immediately returned from the Diocese of Worcester, and these will be a huge help as we replace the Parish Center roof, upgrade technology in the Parish Center, and perform needed work on our Rectory – a building constructed in the early 1970s that requires structural and mechanical repairs. It is not too late to contribute: click here. 

"You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God". 2 Corinthians 9:11.  
 

RCIA Inquiry Sessions

Weekly Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) inquiry sessions are ongoing Tuesday evenings at 7:30 PM in room 23 of the Parish Center.  This is an opportunity for people to learn about the Catholic faith tradition for the first time, or to revisit that tradition if their religious education or Sacramental preparation was interrupted as life unfolded.  All are welcomed to attend as many sessions as they like without any obligation or pressure to “become Catholic.”

There is no need to register – just go to the parish center and walk into room 23 where we will look forward to meeting you!  For more information on RCIA in general or the inquiry sessions in particular, please contact Bob Thompson via phone at 508-341-7677 or via email at bob_thomps@hotmail.com.

The 9AM Masses are live streamed each Sunday and rebroadcast at 6:30PM by Westborough TV on Verizon Fios Channel 24 or Charter Spectrum Channel 191. 

 You can also view the Mass at anytime by clicking on the date.

Please see the bulletin.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Adoration 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM with Benediction at 1:00 PM. 

This service is broadcast live between 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM.  To view the service click on button below:  

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou,

O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of s ouls. Amen.