The Catholic Parishes 

of Stoughton 

 Orders are now being taken for Our Lady of Fatima T-Shirts. T-Shirts are available in light blue and display either the Our Lady Fatima logo or the I love Malassadas logo.  T-Shirt may be purchased  through the parish office.       
         
Prices are: 
T-shirts: $15.00

If you are interested in placing an order or have any questions, please contact the parish office.  Order forms are available on the tables as you leave church.

Virtus:  Protecting God’s Children; is an   awareness and educational session that is mandatory for parish staff and all levels of   volunteers in Parish ministry.  Virtus will be offered:                                                                Sunday, November 17, 2019
 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
St. James Parish Hall
560 Page Street,
Stoughton, MA 02072

Reserve a seat at the training by contacting Bridget Horan at bhoran@stoughtoncatholic.org/
781-886-6060.

Peace be with you! 
 

Welcome to the Catholic Parishes of Stoughton. We are a Roman Catholic community of faith, nourished by the Eucharist and committed to living out our faith in service to others. It’s our hope that no matter where you are on your life’s journey, you will find a home here. Please join us as we worship our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the source of all our faith, hope, strength and joy.

              Peace and blessings!
              Fr. Joe Mazzone
              Pastor of St. James & Immaculate Conception 

As Christians we have the duty and the privilege of proclaiming the message of Christ.  We can hardly do this unless we know him.  We get to know Jesus through prayer and contemplation of the scriptures.  In today’s   readings we hear how the Israelites won their battle as a consequence of Moses’ continual prayer, but they had to do the fighting.  Moses praying on the hilltop needed Joshua’s sword.
 
The  name “Joshua” means “savior.”  Joshua is a forecast of Jesus the savior who is at once the man of prayer and the man of action.  Jesus taught about prayer by example and word.  He tells us that prayer must be offered in the context of God’s will, and of giving God due worship, that it must be honest and direct.  In the Gospel today, he teaches us that our prayer
must also be persistent.  Even a man as callous as the judge responded to persistent and ever-hopeful appeals.  Is God less likely to listen?
 
God asks us for patience, perseverance, and faith that he will act justly.  When we take our requests to him, we are not forcing our demands on him, or telling him something he knows nothing about.  As Jesus said, God knows what we need even before we ask.
 
This weekend, the Church observes World Mission Sunday and calls our attention to the mandate of the Gospel to evangelize all people: “God and teach all nations…” We are called to support the Church’s missionary efforts with our prayers and generous  financial support.  It would be a mistake to think that, once we have generously given, our obligation as Christians ends.  Open-handedness is only the beginning.  Almost every one of us can participate in some activity which will help someone in need.  We must not only help, but we must do so without a trace of disdain or condescension.
 
Saint Thomas Aquinas once said: ”You cannot pray on an empty stomach.”  Today we might add, “nor with an empty heart.”  Because there are so many who are hungry or sad, not just in distant lands, but even here in our own cities and towns.  And now Christ appeals to us to do something about it.  If we are living in a sound house, if our cupboards are full, if we are financially secure, it is not necessarily because we are more hardworking and diligent than the poor and needy.  What the Gospel of Jesus demands of us is that we help those who have not been blessed as we have, by sharing with them God’s blessings to us.
 
                                                      ~Deacon Pat

Presence: The Mystery of the Eucharist
(From the Augustine Institute)
 
Our Adult Faith Formation Committee warmly invites you to attend our fall Bible Study on Thursday evening, October 24 from 7-8:30 pm 
 in St. James Hall. 
 
We will begin to discuss the topic “Biblical Foundations of the Eucharist”.  The evening will aquaint us with Bible passages which affirm our Catholic beliefs about the Eucharist.  Some people, even our fellow Catholics, do not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It is important for us to be able to share why we believe if we want to be true  evangelizers.  
 
We will continue to explore this topic on Thursday November 7^th.  (We will not have Bible Study October 31 due to the vigil of All Saints Day.)
 
On November 14^th, we will conclude with “Word Made Flesh, True Bread from Heaven: The Mystery of the Liturgy and the Eucharist”, a video by Bishop Barron.
 
Learning, fellowship and faith-sharing are the highlights
of participation in a Bible Study. 

Please join us!

This program is appropriate for high school age through adult. Light refreshments will be served.   Invite a friend or neighbor!
Sponsored by Adult Faith Formation