UPCOMING EVENTS: PLEASE BE SURE TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS SO THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE FOLLOWING PARISH MASSES AND EVENTS        

On Monday, June 3, 2024, we will be having a free Luncheon/Social in our Parish   Center.  We are very happy to announce that The Trinity Swing Band will once again be giving a live  performance at this event.  The band will begin playing at 11:00 AM and we will start  serving food at about 12:00 noon (Doors open at 9:30 AM).  This event is free and open to all.    If you are able to attend, please call the   rectory  (508-853-1640) and let us know how many are coming and if you can bring a dessert.  These are always very  enjoyable events, especially with The Trinity Swing Band giving  a performance.  We hope that you will be able to attend.

Adult Drop-In Activity:   Each Monday from 10AM until lunch time.    Come on down and bring a friend (it’s not just for parishioners) and enjoy socializing or playing scrabble, dominos, or cribbage.  

MONTHLY FOOD COLLECTION:  OUR NEXT MONTHLY FOOD COLLECTION WILL BE ON THE WEEKEND OF May 4th & 5th.  We will have our monthly food collection at all Masses on the first weekend of each month.   Please try to remember to bring in some non-perishable food items for the needy.  Please leave your items near the baptismal font, or in the bins inside the Fales Street entrance, when you come to Mass.  THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU!

HOPE FOR HOUSING CARDS are sold on the first and third weekend of each month.  Gift cards are available in various denominations from these vendors: Stop & Shop, Shaw's, Big Y, CVS, Dunkin, Panera, Amazon, Starbucks, Target and TJMaxx.  You purchase the cards for their face value and vendors contribute 3% to 5% to help end homelessness in the Worcester area community.  Your support for this project is appreciated.   For the month of May, they will be available on the weekends of  May 4th & 5th and May 18th & 19th.

2024 MASS INTENTIONS:  We are now accepting Mass intentions for the remainder of the year of 2024.  Please note, Mass intentions are not automatically carried over from year to year.   All Mass requests must be made by calling the rectory during office hours. The suggested donation for all Mass intentions is still $10.00.

Youth Drop-In Activity: We are now getting ready to restart our Youth Drop-In  Activity program.  We have Fr. Pat’s 2 large moon-walks, air hockey, skee-ball, and basketball in the upstairs gym.  Downstairs, we have other fun things to do as well as snacks, including hot dogs, chips, soda, freeze pops, all at no charge at all.  We are hoping to add a couple of new arcade games in the near future.   Watch the bulletin for the announcement of our first drop-in date.  Parents, please let us know which is better: Saturday, or Sunday evenings from 5-7 PM.

Our OPERATIONAL EXPENSES INCREASE APPEAL is now ongoing.  There are four areas that we are facing significant increases with.

1. Our property/liability insurance
2. Plowing increase (salt & sand especially)
3. Electricity increases
4. Natural gas increases.

These will amount to at least $27,000 in operational increases. We hope to take no more than half of this amount from our savings and to ask our parish for the other half with personal donations.  So far, toward raising at least half of this amount ($13,500) we have raised approximately $8,000.  We are very grateful to all who have contributed, and we ask everyone else to please consider making a gift no later than Thanksgiving Day.  The success of this appeal is essential to the financial well-being and future of our parish.  For all your generosity, thank you very much!

~Fr. Pat~

We want to thank everyone who made a donation to this appeal.  If you haven’t done so, there is still time.   We raised $14,500.00, which will go a long way in helping with the increases in our property insurance, plowing, electricity, and heating expenses.  Your generosity is appreciated so very much.

God Bless you!  ~Fr. Pat~

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COVID-19 MASS REGULATIONS:

DO NOT COME TO CHURCH IF YOU ARE SICK.

THE SIGN OF PEACE SHOULD BE DONE WITH A NOD OF THE HEAD AND/OR A WAVE OF THE HAND.  SHAKING HANDS IS STILL STRONGLY DISCOURAGED AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED EXCEPT AMONG FAMILY MEMBERS.

SOCIAL DISTANCING IS NO LONGER REQUIRED BUT MAY STILL REMAIN A PRUDENT PRACTICE WHEN AMONG PEOPLE YOU DO NOT KNOW, WHEREAS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHO IS AND IS NOT VACCINATED.

WE SHOULD STILL REMAIN CAUTIOUS WHILE CAREFULLY RETURNING TO PRACTICES IN PLACE PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC.

WE HAVE ALSO INSTALLED AUTOMATIC HOLY WATER DISPENSERS IN THE CHURCH TO REPLACE THE PRACTICE OF DIPPING YOUR HAND IN THE HOLY WATER BOWL AS A LITTLE PROFESSION OF FAITH UPON ENTERING AND LEAVING THE CHURCH.  THE HOLY WATER BOWLS ARE NOT SAFE AND NO LONGER ALLOWED.  IN ADDITION, THERE IS ALWAYS A HOLY WATER TANK AVAILABLE TO REFILL ANY SMALL HOLY WATER BOTTLES YOU MAY HAVE. 

COVID-19 RULES FOR HAVING BULLETINS: 

*DO NOT LEAVE BULLETINS IN THE PEWS

*DO NOT RETURN BULLETINS TO THE RACK

*IF YOU TAKE A BULLETIN IT IS REQUIRED THAT YOU TAKE IT HOME WITH YOU

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION 

PLEASE NOTE: WE HAVE NOW INSTALLED FOUR AUTOMATIC HAND SANITIZER MACHINES IN OUR CHURCH AND TWO UNITS IN OUR PARISH CENTER.  THE COST OF THIS WAS ABOUT $750.  WE THINK THIS WAS NECESSARY AND IMPORTANT IN LIGHT OF THE VIRUS SITUATION AND THIS SHOULD ALSO HELP PARISHIONERS FEEL MORE SAFE ABOUT COMING TO CHURCH.

EVEN IN THIS HEALTH CRISIS TIME, THE BILLS DO NOT STOP NEEDING TO BE PAID!  SO YOUR ARE ASKED TO PLEASE SEND IN YOUR PARISH SUPPORT ENVELOPES.

WE ARE RUNNING ON A VERY TIGHT BUDGET.  WE NEED YOUR DEDICATED WEEKLY SUPPORT OF THIS PARISH OR WE COULD VERY EASILY RUN INTO "THE RED."  PLEASE DO NOT THINK THAT YOUR WEEKLY PARISH SUPPORT WILL NOT BE MISSED - NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.  YOUR WEEKLY PARISH FINANCIAL SUPPORT IS SO VERY MUCH NEEDED AND APPRECIATED.

Please check here often for news about the latest happenings in our parish.

“LEGACY OF HOPE”

We have already started to put proceeds from the Legacy of Hope to use. 

PARISH PROJECTS FROM LEGACY OF HOPE CAMPAIGN

*New LED lights have been installed on the outside of our Parish Center

* Windows inside the center are being covered with insulating film to save on heat this winter

* Set of doors in Parish Center  have been repaired and repainted

* Outside front of Parish Center has been upgraded with new cement walkway and a truck load of mulch

* We have installed two 24,000 BTU heating/AC units in the downstairs of the Parish Center

* A new professional grade snow blower has been ordered and will arrive in the next month

WE HAVE ALSO DONE THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS

* New LED light bulbs have been installed in all the hanging lights over the pews in the church

* The outdoor shrubs in the front of the church have been trimmed so they are away from the buildings

* Scraping and painting of one of the handicapped railings to the church

* Installing a second sump pump in the basement of the church to protect the furnace

* The purchase of new hedge trimmers, 40 V batteries, and other cutting tools to maintain the property

* We repaired the church organ

* We updated & replaced lighting in the lower rectory to LED fixtures

* In addition there were several other repair/maintenance projects that were done. 

We are truly grateful for all those who have sent in their Legacy of Hope gifts.  If you haven’t done so already, please try to send in your gift either via the mail, drop off at the rectory, or hand to Sister Irene or Father Pat at any of the weekend Masses

Thank  you and God bless you!

Please see the following links for more information: 

                                                                                                                                                       OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH

23 Fales street Worcester, MA 01606        

         508-853-1640       OLR.WECONNECT.COM            

                                                MASS SCHEDULE                                                  

                                 SATURDAY VIGIL MASS: 4:00 PM                                   

SUNDAY MASSES: 7:30 AM, and 10:30 AM

• Rosary recording: Saturday 3:30 PM and Sunday 7:00 AM

• The sacrament of the sick is offered the first Saturday of each month after the 4:00 PM Mass

• WEEKDAY MASS: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday at 8:00 AM

• Confessions: Saturdays 3:00-3:20 PM or by appointment

• Please visit other pages of our website to learn about our Parish spiritual, social, and community outreach programs

 WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU JOIN US!

RECORDING OF THE ROSARY: Each Saturday at 3:30 PM and also at 7:00 AM on Sunday, a recording of the "Rosary" will be played in our church.  All are invited to come to either, listen to the recording and pray the Rosary along with the recording.

SACRAMENT OF THE SICK:  On the first Saturday of each month, immediately following the conclusion of the 4:00 p.m.  Mass, there will be an offering of the Sacrament of the Sick to anyone who feels a need for this sacrament.  A person can be physically, spiritually, or emotionally weary or sick and in need of this sacrament, it is not only given where there is an imminent danger of death. The administration of this sacrament consists of a brief prayer service and an anointing with the holy oils.  If you have any questions about this sacrament, please speak to Fr. Pat or Sister Irene.

 OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY CATHOLIC DVD LIBRARY
We now have available a selection of movies that can be signed out free-of-charge for a period of one week at a time.  The movies will be located on display, after all weekend Masses, behind the pulpit and can be signed out at the same table that the food cards are sold in back of the sacristy. 

ADULT DROP-IN ACTIVITY
On MONDAYS from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM each week we will have a "Adult Drop-In Activity" in our parish center.   We provide coffee, tea, and hot cocoa.   Come on down and socialize with friends, talk, knit, play cards, cribbage, scrabble,  or take part in other activities.

YOUTH DROP-IN GRADES K-8 SCHEDULE: For students in grades K-8 we have our Youth Drop-In Activities.  The parish center will be filled with plenty of fun activities, including video games, giant Jenga and Connect-Four, karaoke, various ball games, and TWO GIANT MOON WALKS! We have also added 2 new Simon electronic games, a fooseball table and an air hockey table!  Hot dogs, snacks, and drinks are available.  We provide this activity for students in these grades as a fun, safe, social activity for which there is no charge to attend.