The candle will then assume its place next to the Baptismal Font to be lit for all baptisms and its re-location to the center aisle of the church to burn before the casket during funeral liturgies.
2026 PASCHAL CANDLE
The 2026 Paschal Candle has been donated in honor of :
Ralph DiGirolamo
on the occasion of his 100th birthday
It will take its honored place next to the ambo for the fifty days of the Easter Season as it represents the presence of the Risen Christ in our midst.
The
CHOSEN
SEASON THREE DATES:
1/26, 2/2, 2/9, 2/23, 3/2, 3/9, 3/16, 3/23, 3/30 & 4/13
WHEN: Monday evenings
TIME: 7:00 pm
WHERE: St. Patrick Parish
STEAM Room, Lower Level
ALL ARE WELCOME!
For more information, please contact the Parish Office at 781-438-0960
Divine Mercy Sunday ~ Sunday, April 12, 2026
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm lower church
Please join the clergy of Saint Patrick for the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday.
Join us for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Confession and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
How to Receive the Plenary Indulgence for Divine Mercy Sunday:
- Sacramental confession within about 20 days before or after Divine Mercy Sunday
- Receive Holy Communion
- Pray for the intentions of the Pope [certain prayers are not specified, but perhaps an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be]
On Divine Mercy Sunday:
- In any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honour of Divine Mercy
- or, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!”)
Experience the power of God’s healing love through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Priests will be available to hear Confessions at the following times during Holy Week:
Monday, March 30 ~ 11:20 - 11:50 am;
5:20 - 5:50 pm and 6:30 -7:30 pm
Wednesday, April 1 ~ 11:20 - 11:50 am and
5:20 - 5:50 pm
Good Friday, April 3 ~ 10:00 am -12:00 pm
Holy Saturday, April 4 ~ 9:00 - 10:00 am
in the lower Church.
2026 Cash Calendar Winners
(best viewed on tablet or computer)
CONGRATULATIONS
to our young men & women who received the
Sacrament of Confirmation on March 7, 2026
The 2026 Catholic Appeal officially launched the weekend of March 7 & 8th.
One of the most meaningful ways that we witness the presence of Christ and deepen the impact of our Church’s ministries is by supporting the Catholic Appeal. As your pastor, I invite you to prayerfully consider extending your generosity to this year’s appeal. When our parish reaches its goal of $85,998, a portion of the additional funds received will be returned to us for use in our parish.
If paying by check please write #360 in the memo line so our Parish gets credit for your donation.
To make a gift online, please be sure to select our Parish’s name and Town under “Choose Parish”
Next weekend, the 2026 Catholic Appeal will officially launch here at Saint Patrick parish and across our Archdiocese. As your pastor, I hope and encourage you to join me in making a gift to this year’s Catholic Appeal. As a parish, our participation in the Catholic Appeal signifies an important way that we can share Christ’s promise, care, and love with others. For those who have already made a gift, please know that I am deeply grateful.
To make an online gift, please visit: www.bostoncatholicappeal.org.
A Message from Archbishop Henning
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul would like to thank the St. Patrick Religious Education Staff and Students for organizing, drawing colorful signs and collecting all the donations during the Souper Bowl Food Drive. We are so grateful for the generosity from the St. Patrick's parishioners. God bless you all.
Food and Fund Drive
Hosted by the Religious Education Department
January 31st and February 1st before and after Masses
Let’s “Tackle Hunger” in our community!
Most Critical Needs
- Paper Towels, Paper Plates, Toilet Paper, Kleenex
- Shampoo, Bath Size Soap Bars, Toothpaste
- Small Load Laundry Detergent, Dishwashing Detergent
- Stop and Shop Gift Cards and Market Basket Gift Cards
Other Additional Needs
- Cereal (Boxed)
- Canned Fruit
- Canned Beef Stew and Baked Beans
- Canned Tuna Fish and Chicken Breast
- Canned or Bottled Soup
- Chef Boyardee
- Macaroni and Cheese (Boxed)
- Pasta (Boxed) and Spaghetti Sauce (Jarred)
- Cookies, Snack Items
- Instant Coffee, Boxed Tea Bags, Hot Chocolate
If possible, please donate low sodium products. Please do not donate expired or out of date products. Any expired food must be thrown out. Please no commercial sized items, no baby products or perishables.
Big Changes Are Coming to Tax Law
January 1, 2026
Maximize the effectiveness of your charitable giving--and your tax benefits in 2026.
Beginning in the 2026 tax year, a reinstated deduction allows non-itemizers to deduct cash donations to charity—up to $1,000 for single filers or $2,000 for married couples filing jointly. This means all households are now eligible to receive a tax deduction for qualified charitable contributions.
For top earners, new laws will cap tax benefits at 35 cents for each dollar of itemized deductions instead of the current 37 cents. Consider accelerating your 2025 giving to maximize your deduction before the new cap goes into effect.
Itemizers who make charitable contributions will only be able to claim a tax deduction to the extent that their qualified contributions exceed 0.5% of their adjusted gross income (AGI). For example, a couple with an AGI of $300,000 could only deduct charitable donations in excess of $1,500. Consider “bunching” your charitable contributions or making multiple years’ worth of donations in 2025. This allows you to itemize your large donation and then take the standard deduction in future years.
St. Patrick Grand Annual Update
Thank You! We are very grateful to the 365 parishioners and families who have thus far generously contributed $123,652. toward our goal of $130,000. The average family gift has been $338.
The Grand Annual—which is entirely for our St. Patrick Parish—is a necessary part of our yearly budget. Our goal is to have participation from 100% of our parish family!
All registered parishioners will have received the mailing from us. Please fill out the pledge card and return. If you are not registered but are part of our family, you can make a pledge by mailing a check payable to Saint Patrick Parish Grand Annual, to 71 Central St., Stoneham, MA 02180, sending a check from your online banking account or clicking on the "Give" button or using our QR code here.
We are so grateful for your generosity!
Thank You!
These are just three of the eight pictures that DCF sent of all the gifts that our parish donated to them for Christmas. They separate them by category to create a ‘store’ where their social workers can ‘shop’ for children and families. Thank you so much for your abundant generosity and for making Christmas happier for those in need. God bless you!
Sands of Time
Button
Giving Tuesday is a day that encourages people to give back in whatever ways they can. It presents nonprofit organizations with the chance to raise even more money than they would on an average day of giving, which is why many organizations create special campaigns to participate in this day of giving. Giving Tuesday takes place on December 2, 2025.
Won’t you consider donating to St. Patrick Parish? Please click on or scan this QR code.
Religious Education Registration is now open!
Registration is now OPEN for the 2025-2026 Religious Education School year! Go to Religious Education to learn about our In-Person Classes or Homeschool options for Grades 1-6 and our new two year Confirmation Program for Grades 7 and 8+. Older students or students who have missed a grade or a sacrament are asked to email the office to create a custom plan for getting back on track. Register today!
Confirmation Detailed Information
Confirmation Lessons and Masses
Students enrolled in the Confirmation Program are expected to attend the 6 pm Mass (families are encouraged to attend with them) and then stay for a class from 7-8 pm in Our Lady of Providence Hall. Dates of classes and the chapter to be covered at each class are available here.
The Confirmation Program this year is using the Confirmed in the Spirit book by Loyola Press. This 8-chapter book includes text, written response questions, and chapter reviews to be completed by the student. Students are expected to have read the chapter and completed the questions BEFORE attending class. This will ensure they have thought about the topic that will be discussed that week and be ready to fully participate.
During class the students will review the chapter and then break into small groups for guided discussion with the catechists. Finally, students will move back to the church for the last five to ten minutes of class where they will be led in a prayer activity before being dismissed.
Missed Class Policy
Students should make every effort to attend every class. However, if a student is unable to attend class for a legitimate reason, he or she must complete the following and turn in the writing assignment by email before the next class:
- Attend Mass another time that weekend and write a paragraph on what the homily was about (if student is ill, he or she can watch the Mass on www.catholictv.org.)
- Complete the chapter reading, answer the questions, and complete the review at the end of the Chapter (this is what is expected before attending every class).
- Write 1-2 paragraphs on how the theme of the chapter relates to your life.
The writing assignments can be emailed in PDF format to us at
reled@stpatrickstoneham.org. Please
do not send as Google Docs as we are unable to open them.
2025 Lenten Study
In Jesus, Friend of My Soul, each two-page daily reflection brings our attention to the Lenten season, providing reflections for growth and inviting us to follow Jesus and become more like him.
“As Christians,” Joyce Rupp writes, “we look to the person of Jesus to learn from him.” Because our lives are filled to the brim with activity, it is easy to drift away from trying to live as Jesus did, and we find ourselves in need of time to focus on drawing close to him again and learning from his example.
We will meet to share and discuss our experiences with these reflections on Monday evenings from 7:00 – 8:00 pm on March 3, 24, 31 and April 7 & 14. Registration is required. Please contact Diane McCarthy at 781-438-0200 or dianemccarthy@stpatrickstoneham.org. Cost of the book will be approximately $10.
Registration:
Registration is open now through September 30th.
Religious Education Registration is now Closed
Religious Education Registration is currently closed. If you need to complete your child(ren)’s registration, please email the office at
reled@stpatrickstoneham.org.
What should I wear?
We want you to feel comfortable. After all, we are thrilled that you're joining us and want you to be more focused on the service than what you're wearing. In the summertime, it's not uncommon to see people wearing sandals, shorts, and a shirt. Others prefer to still put on their "Sunday best," and that's fine too! However, we do request that shorts be of a conservative length (no “short-shorts”) and that in general, clothing be respectable and conservative.
How do I get to St. Patrick's Parish?
Our parish is located at 71 Central Street, Stoneham, MA 02180. Here is a map.
Where should I park?
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Where do my children go?
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I’m not Catholic, how do I know when to sit, stand and kneel?
There’s no need to be self-conscious about the postures and responses used during worship. Most visitors just follow the lead of the our parishioners. However, we do have worship aids located in each pew that provide you with the order of the mass, the postures, and the words to each prayer. If you don't see a worship aid in your pew, ask an usher, and they will be happy to bring you one.
I’m not Catholic, is it okay for me to participate in communion?
Communion, or The Eucharist, is the most intimate expression of our faith. Catholics believe that the host is literally the body of Christ, transformed from bread by the priest presiding over the service. Most evangelicals think of Communion as symbolic, so it makes sense that they are not as strict about having the right relationship to it as Catholics and Orthodox Christians who believe it is a sacrament and the true presence of Christ. So, if you are not Catholic, we ask that you not receive communion. However, those not receiving the Body of Christ and Precious blood are invited to come forward with their hands crossed over their chests for a special blessing.
Am I expected to put money in the offering?
If you are visiting with us, we don't expect you to put money in the offering, and you are welcome to just let it pass you by. If you consider our parish your church home, we'd love for you to prayerfully consider giving to our parish on a weekly basis. You can give by check or cash during the service, or you can sign up for online giving here.
I have a hearing problem, is there any special assistance?
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