Firstly, I am happy to welcome Fr. Matthew Harrington to St. Patrick Parish. Ordained a priest on May 25, 2024, Fr. Harrington grew up in Peabody and after high school entered Our Lady of Providence College Seminary in Rhode Island where he studied Philosophy and Political Science. He then entered St. John’s Seminary in Brighton for one year and then took a few years off from seminary. During that time, he taught at Catholic schools. He returned to the seminary, and after his ordination he spent the past year at St. Edward the Confessor Parish in Medfield and St. Jude Parish in Norfolk. Fr. Harrington reminded me that when he was in kindergarten at St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Beverly, I was assigned there as a priest. After that reminder, I am considering adding a 4:30 am weekday Mass to our schedule and assigning it permanently to him. Today we commemorate the Feast of All Souls. On this day and throughout the Month of November, the Church prays especially for the souls of the faithful departed. One of the beautiful things about St. Patrick Parish is the deeply-engrained seriousness with which its parishioners pray for the dead. When I arrived here, I was surprised to discover how quickly the calendar of Masses is filled up by people having Masses offered for their deceased loved ones. That is evidence of a strong Catholic faith in the power and effectiveness of the Mass. It is also evidence of a true love for the dead, a deep understanding of the communion of saints, and a sure and certain hope in the Paschal Mystery, the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. Every year around this time, I write about the importance of the Funeral Mass for the deceased. Sadly, many Catholics are depriving themselves and their loved ones of the privilege of a Funeral Mass. It is the ancient custom of the Church, at the time of death, to commend her children to the Mercy of God. The prayers, the rituals, and–most importantly–the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are the most loving things we can do for a member of the Church who has died. In those rituals, the Church accompanies the deceased person to the threshold of eternity. At every Mass, the saving effects of Christ’s death and resurrection are made present. At the Funeral Mass, we ask God to apply those saving effects upon the soul whom we are commending to God. To deprive oneself or a loved one of this salutary grace would have been unthinkable to our ancestors in the Faith. On several occasions throughout my life, I have offered a Funeral Mass where the only people present with me were the funeral director, the organist, the cantor, and the server. Some people might think that such a funeral would be particularly sad because of the lack of mourners, but for me, I found it extraordinarily beautiful. This person whose friends and family were perhaps all gone was not forgotten by the Church. This person had the exact same Funeral Mass that every Catholic receives. In a way, because of the simplicity of those Masses, it was easier to pray more deeply. The only sounds were the cantor and I chanting back and forth. (Last year when I wrote about this, a parishioner wrote back to me and mentioned that they thought Funeral Masses were “extra income” for the priest. It was a respectful letter, but unfortunately I lost the letter and could not reply directly. For the record, when an offering is made for any Mass, the priest who offers that Mass receives a $10 stipend. If a priest were to celebrate three Masses in a day, he would receive a $10 stipend from the first Mass but not for the other two Masses. So, I just want to assure you that I am not encouraging you to have a Funeral Mass as a “get rich quick scheme!” The parish does have to pay various costs involved in a Funeral Mass, so we do ask that those be covered by the family. If, however, there was a financial hardship, of course, we would provide nonetheless.) So, put it in your Will! Tell everyone you know! Wear a sign around your neck: “I want a Funeral Mass!” Even if everyone you know is already long dead and buried. Or, even if your family and friends would prefer just to have a brunch “celebrating your life,” you have the Funeral Home bring you here. If I’m still around, I will offer the most beautiful Funeral Mass I can for you. No soul in Purgatory has ever said, “I wish they didn’t have a Funeral Mass for me.” You are a Catholic. Live like one, die like one, and be buried like one! Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes

Recently I shared with a friend of mine that I had a series of projects that I needed to work on and that I set aside a good portion of the day to do them. No matter how many times I sat down at my desk, however, my brain just wouldn’t produce. Part of the problem is that as I sat down to work on one project, I suddenly found myself thinking about the other projects. And thinking about everything at once wasn’t helping to get any one particular thing accomplished. I’m sure all of our lives can be like that at times. I recall one of my nuns in grammar school, Sister Rosamond, used to say, “One thing at a time–and that’s done well–is a very good thing, as many can tell.” The image that comes to mind is that of a messy house. When looked at as a whole, it could be overwhelming and paralyzing, but if we look at just cleaning one small area, something gets accomplished and then, we have a sense that the whole thing can eventually be put back in order. One thing at a time–and that’s done well–is a very good thing, as many can tell. In parish life there are always more pastoral and spiritual opportunities we would like to provide. The most important thing, of course, is providing the Sacraments, but beyond that, we want everyone more involved. We want something for everyone and everyone doing something for others. Patience, however, is needed because well, one thing at a time and that’s done well . . . . Another aspect of parish life is all of the administrative and physical plant issues that need to be addressed. By way of update, I wanted to fill you in on some of the nitty-gritty: Since I arrived here, I have received many comments on the poor sound quality in the main church. It seems like sound systems are always an issue in parishes. In any event, a new sound system will be installed in the coming weeks. During the past couple of weeks the Systems Controls for the church and parish offices have been updated. The old system was no longer viable and we had little actual control over much of the building. In the coming weeks, you will see work being done on the steps of what was once the main entrance of the church. They are in rough shape and need some major work. In a way, it kills me to spend money on stairs that almost never get used, but letting them deteriorate further is not really an option. There are always projects that need addressing on our physical plant, and the needs sometimes can seem overwhelming. They cannot all be done at once, but thanks to our excellent staff, these issues are getting addressed methodically and well. After all, one thing at a time and that’s done . . . . Speaking of nitty-gritty, we are aware that the offertory envelopes arrived late for almost everybody. We have communicated to our envelope company our displeasure. Thanks for your patience. If there are ever issues in that regard, you can just use a regular envelope and put your name and address on it. I do not want to use this whole letter only talking about stairs, envelopes, and sound systems. So, let me make one quick spiritual connection: There are times in life when the Lord may put into our heart a desire to grow in the spiritual life or to put our spiritual life in order. Maybe we recognize we have a lot of faults, sins, weaknesses. Maybe the whole thing seems a bit overwhelming. If so, remember that the spiritual life is a life-long event. You don’t have to do it all at once. Just start somewhere. Do one thing. Beyond Confession and Mass, pick one thing. Begin building. Decide to join one of our small groups. Decide to pay a daily five-minute visit to the Blessed Sacrament each day. Decide to pray the Rosary or some part of it each day. Spend ten minutes a day reading the Gospels. Whatever. You don’t have to do all of them. Just pick one and do it well. It’s a very good thing as Sister Rosamond and many can tell. Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes