Parish Support

Over the weekend of April 13th, our parish community contributed $6,655 in ordinary support, $2,091 for the Capital Improvement Fund, and $611 for phase 3 of our fuel collection. The fuel collection now stands at $3,861.

The next collection for our Capital Improvement Fund will be held .

Thank you for your continued support!

Building Fund

Our St. Leo's Parish Building Fund Campaign continues and we have now reached toward our goal of $1.6 million. THANKS!

At present we have received gifts with many potential donors still being solicited. Please consider the "Tree of Life" memorial.

If 13 donors pledge $2,500 over five years, we will attain our goal.

Pastoral Visits

If there are parishioners who are homebound, in a nursing facility, or in the hospital and who wish pastoral visits and Holy Communion, please contact the Rectory by calling 978-537-7257.

We rely on parishioners to notify us if there are patients to be visited. Please keep the Rectory informed.

Due to the new confidentiality guidelines for Leominster hospital, the hospital will no longer be able to notify us when parishioners are in the hospital. Unless you specifically ask the chaplain to contact us, we will not know of your admission.

Therefore, we ask that you please call us if you would like a visit while in the hospital. If you anticipate a stay in the hospital, please let us know so we can keep you in our prayers.

Wedding Banns

None This Week

Religious Education

Classes meet from September through April.

Grades 1-6 meet on Saturday from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.

Grades 7-11 meet on Monday nights from 7:00 - 8:15 p.m.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Medeiros at 978-537-7257 or 978-537-1194.

ALTAR SERVERS

On April 25, 2008, at 6:00 p.m. at St. Joseph Church, 49 Woodland Street, Fitchburg, the Serra Club of Worcester North will honor all altar servers, at a special prayer service presided over by Bishop Robert J. McManus of our diocese.

All servers are welcome as well as family members. Refreshments will follow. Please call the rectory to reserve a place before March 16th (978-537-7257).

SPRING BREAKFAST

St. Cecilia's Parish will be holding a "Spring Breakfast" on Sunday, April 20th in the Parish Center from 7:30 - 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast will include Jeanine's Stuffed French Toast with Strawberries, Scrambled Eggs, Home Fries, Ham with Pineapple Glaze.

Adults $8, Seniors/Children $5, children under 5 free. Tickets will go on sale March 16th and continue thru April 13th. Tickets may be purchased at the rectory or call Marilyn at 978-537-5495. TICKETS WILL NOT BE SOLD AT THE DOOR.

EWTN'S COVERAGE OF POPE'S VISIT

EWTN will be offering complete LIVE and commercial free coverage of Pope Benedict's trip to the US from April 15th - 20th.

Tune in to get accurate and in-depth reporting from a Catholic point-of-view not found on any other television network. EWTN can be seen on Cablevision on channel 238, DISH Network 261, and DIRECTV 370.

Visit EWTN - Eternal Word Television Network for the latest updates & schedules or call 205-271-2989.

LECTURE AT ASSUMPTION COLLEGE

On Wednesday, April 30th, at 7:00 p.m., Assumption College will sponsor a lecture by Dr. Robert Moynihan on "Pope Benedict's Message to America."

Dr. Moynihan is the founder and editor of Inside the Vatican magazine, a monthly journal on church and world affairs from Rome. He has interviewed the pope over 25 times. The lecture is free, open to the public, and will be held in the Hagan Campus Center hall.

ARE YOU INTERESTED?

There is an opening on the Diocesan Pastoral Council for a lay representative from our Montachusett Area. The Council advises Bishop McManus on church issues from the perspective of church members. If interested in being nominated, please call Fr. Doran at the rectory 978-537-7257.

MAKE-UP FUEL COLLECTION

In April we began phase 3 (our make-up collection) to help defray our heating costs during our present heating season.

All of us are aware on our personal level of the increased energy costs this year and our five buildings are no exception. Thus far this season we have spent $56,291 for heat and have received $13,302 in phases 1 and 2 of our annual appeal.

PLEASE BE GENEROUS.

CATHOLIC FREE PRESS

This is the time to renew or to begin a subscription to our diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Free Press. Cost for the 52 issues is still just $23 annually.

For the latest in Catholic news on the international, national and local levels, subscribe today.

PILGRIMAGE

Bishop Robert McManus of our diocese will be leading a pilgrimage to Quebec City, Canada, for the 49th International Eucharistic Congress from June 18th - 23rd, 2008.

Besides the Congress itself, visits will be made to the shrine of Ste. Anne de Beaupre, Montmerency Falls, and Old Quebec.

The cost is $1395 for twin occupancy. Please contact the rectory for additional information (978-537-7257). A $500 deposit is due March 15th.

ST.THOMAS MORE SCHOLARSHIP

Law students may obtain an application for the St. Thomas More Scholarship by contacting:

The St. Thomas More Society
Chancery Office
49 Elm Street
Worcester, MA 01609

Or you may call the chancery at 508-791-7171, and ask for Eileen in the Diocesan Tribunal.

Applicants may be currently enrolled in an accredited law school or entering their first year. Applicants or their parents must be members of a parish in the Diocese of Worcester.

The scholarship is usually in the amount of $3,000. The deadline for returning the application June 30, 2008.

PARTNERS IN CHARITY

Our 2008 participation in the annual Partners in Charity Appeal (formerly the Bishop's Fund) has begun.

This important drive throughout our whole diocese helps to fund 29 vital agencies and ministries in education, charity and pastoral services. This year's theme is "Bless Worcester County as a Partner In Charity" and we invoke the intercession of Blessed Pope John XXIII as our patron.

The appeal aids seminarians, college students, Catholic schools, Priests' retirement, religious education (CCD) and family life programs.

The overall goal is $4.7 million and our parish goal is $67,000. Please be generous.

BULLETIN ADVERTISING

Liturgical Publications, Inc., our publisher, will have a sales representative available within the next couple of weeks for those interested in placing a new ad in our bulletin.

To place your ad, please contact the sales person listed on the ad page or our office. We would like to thank our present advertisers for renewing their ad. Keep in mind: our advertising sponsors make our publication possible.

PRO-LIFE THOUGHT

"Although it is a fundamental embryological truth that each of us was once an embryo, the advocates of embryonic stem cell research are eager to portray human embryos as different from the rest of us, unable to make the grade, and hence fair game for destruction at the hands of those who themselves are no longer embryos."

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

On Fridays, beginning after the 7:00 a.m. Mass and concluding with Benediction at 4:00 p.m.

Parishioners are needed to be present with the Eucharist during the day. Please call the rectory to give us a time slot when you can visit with Our Lord.

Parishioners are asked to volunteer to spend an hour or a half-hour in Church because the exposed Blessed Sacrament should never be unattended.

Remember the words of Jesus to His Apostles, "Could you not watch one hour with me?"

Pro Life

Since the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion on demand for all nine months of pregnancy, almost 50 million unborn American children have been killed by abortion.

More unborn children die every year than Americans died in all the nation's wars combined.

Food Drive

Our Saint Vincent de Paul Society and Catholic Charities will be collecting food, and canned goods for distribution to those in need .

Your monetary donations and donations of canned goods and other non-perishable food items allow us to help many needy families of our Parish each month. Please bring your donations to the back of the Church before Mass.

Thank you for your generosity.

New Parishoners

Are you new in Leominster or unaffiliated with a Catholic parish here? If so, please consider joining St. Leo's Parish. We always welcome new parishioners and feel it very important to show a warmth and openness to new individuals or families.

Please take the time to register at St. Leo's rectory. We should have the pertinent personal information about you and your family.

You can even add or update your information online!

VOLUNTEER TRAINING

UMass Memorial Hospice is again offering Volunteer Training for their Hospice Patients or Pediatric Palliative Care patients.

Volunteers share the gifts of compassion, love, and companionship with terminally ill patients and their families. This year they are also offering volunteer services to children with life limiting illnesses in their homes.

The next Volunteer Training session will include two Saturdays, May 31st and June 7th and the evening of June 11th at 650 Lincoln Street, Worcester.

For more information or an application call Kathy Drew, Volunteer Coordinator at 508-0052 ext. 3057

WOMEN BUILD

Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts (HFHNCM) is sponsoring a Women Build at their Townsend construction site May 5th - 10th, 2008. Women Volunteers will work together to help complete the house at 14 Apple Drive for the Baboci family.

"A Women Build project empowers women from all walks of life to take action for simple, decent homeownership," said HFHNCM executive director Megan Foley. "Prior construction experience is not required," she said. "We can show you how to help build a house," Foley said.

To sign up, go to Habitat's website or call 978-348-2749.

Please Give Blood

The American Red Cross Blood Donor Center opens at the Leominster Elks, 134 North Main Street every Tuesday from 1:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Give the Gift of Life by making an appointment right now!

CONSCIENCE

As Catholics we are not single-issue voters. A candidate's position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil, such as support for legal abortion or the promotion of racism, may legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a candidate from receiving support.

"Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" 11/14/07

ACTION HEALTH SERVICES

Offer mobile and land-based primary medical, dental and behavioral health care services.

They are available to assist individuals in securing & maintaining health insurance coverage, locating primary health care and providing assistance with additional community services.

For more information call 978-878-8110. And see their flyer on our bulletin boards.

Pro Life

The delicate buds of spring, bursting with new life, will soon appear on trees and flowers.

Easter brings another, even more precious form of new life. As we value and protect these types of new life, let us act with the same reverence and awe toward the miracle in the gift of each new human life.

Pray For

Please remember in your prayers our parishioners who are on active duty in our military and others commended to our prayers.

• COL Francis Burns
• SGT Andrew Ciprotti
• LTC Arthur Elbthal
• SRA Elizabeth Galvin
• 1LT Ryan Hamel
• CPT. Matthew James
• PFC Jarred Merriam
• LCDR Shane Sullivan

If you have other soldiers that you wish parishioners to pray for, please contact the rectory.

MONTACHUSETT CHORALE

Will perform its Spring Concert on Sunday, April 27th at 2:00 p.m. in Leominster City Hall.

The concert will benefit the Leominster Chapter of Blue Star Mothers. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Call 534-9187 for tickets.

Adopt a Seminarian

The Serra Club of Worcester North invites St. Leo parishioners to adopt a seminarian of our diocese by sending a card or note and letting him know we care.

The designated seminarian is:
Michael Clements
Mount Saint Mary's Seminary
16300 Old Emmitsburg Road
Emmitsburg, MD 21727-7797

Food Stamps

New eligibility information about Food Stamps

Did you know that there is no asset limit for families with children under the age of 19 years old who apply and that a family of four can make up to $3,442 per month gross & many legal immigrants are now eligible! (Pending certain criteria)

You can apply for food stamps online or call 866-950-FOOD.

Open Gym

Now that we have our new gymnasium, it is available for open gym basketball.

We will have an open gym on Tuesdays for women from 8:00 - 9:30 p.m. and Wednesdays for men from 8:00 - 9:30 p.m.

These times are for ages 15 and above.

ST. LEO'S CEMETERY

Spring is here, flowers are blooming and clean-up at St. Leo's Cemetery has begun. Please do your part and remove all winter flowers and decorations from your cemetery plots.

Your help to beautify the cemetery is always appreciated. Our goal is to have the cemetery in tip-top shape by May 30th.

Thanks for your help!

RCIA

Are you a non-Catholic interested in becoming a Catholic? Are you a baptized Catholic who has never received the Sacraments of Eucharist, Reconciliation and or Confirmation? Do you need Confirmation before marriage?

If so, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is geared especially to you. Beginning in September, it comprises classes and prayer experiences every other Tuesday and culminates with the Sacraments at Easter.

Please consider prayerfully your call to join us and contact Fr. Doran at 978-537-7257.

St. Leo's Adult Choir

Our choir is looking for new voices and for people who love liturgy and love to sing. Please come forward and join our choir at rehearsals on Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m. and singing at the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sundays.

St. Benedict said, "Whoever sings prays twice." Please lift your voice in praising the Lord.

PARISH TRIP

Once again this year St. Leo's in conjunction with Collette Vacations will offer a parish trip for those interested.

The trip this year will be from September 4th – 11th 2008 and will feature the Northern National Parks of the U.S.

We will visit Salt Lake City, Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, Idaho Falls and other sights. The cost is $1,699 per person double occupancy.

Same Sex Marriage

As Boston's Archbishop Sean O'Malley has stated:

"Marriage as the union between one man and one woman must be approved on its own merits. Joining this amendment to the issue of civil unions deprives the people an opportunity to express their views on marriage. Citizens have that right. Linking the two coerces people in a way that is unfair. Voting on them respects the will of the public."

Call the Senate clerk or our State Senator Robert Antonioni, at 617-722-2356 or the House clerk or our state representative, Representative Jennifer L. Flanagan, at 617-722-2356 to register your opinion.

Marriage

Many Massachusetts state representatives and senators have remarked that a simple phone call is the most effective form of expressing your personal opinion.

Call your state representative and state senator to express your personal support for the institution of marriage between a man and a woman. They can be reached at 617-722-2000 or visit www.voteonmarriage.org and click 'COMMUNICATE' to find your state legislator's name and direct telephone number.

Marriage Encounter

A Get-Away Weekend!!! Do you need a vacation? Give yourself and your spouse time away from the pressures of work and everyday responsibilities. Enjoy a chance to talk and listen to that special someone who loves you!

Enrich your relationship by attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend.

It's a great time to rekindle communication and enjoy a weekend away.

Upcoming dates are coming soon.

For more information call: Ray & Beth 1-800-710-WWME or visit www.wwmema.org.