Keeping Christmas

Sunday Gospel Activities - 2012

Epiphany of the Lord - January 8, 2012

Epiphany House Blessing

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - January 9, 2012

MARCH FOR LIFE JANUARY 23, 2012

TALENT SHOW
Sunday, February 19
Church Hall
Sponsored by St. George's Women's Guild
Looking for singers, dancers, musicians, magicians or any other talent to share. Bishop Reilly will be the featured judge awarding the winning trophy. The them will be Mardi Gras. For more information call Claudette 508-892-8952 or Brenda 508-853-4547

The Top 5 Myths about Volunteering at Church

By Cory Busse

Think of a ministry at your church. One you really value or appreciate. Perhaps it’s the parish festival. Or the funeral luncheons. Are you thinking of one? Good. Now name all the people who volunteer to make that ministry happen. If your own name didn’t appear on that list, think about the reasons why (and say five Hail Mary’s while you’re at it).

Myth #1: “I’m not good at anything.”
When we think of volunteering at church, we often think of the “showy” ministries like singing in the choir or reading at Mass. But it doesn’t take a Julliard graduate to be a extraordinary minister of holy Communion, and there are plenty of people who are really good at being married Catholics who never think to volunteer for the local marriage preparation program. If reality television has taught us anything, it’s that America’s got talent. Take the basket off your light, and let it shine.

Myth #2: “They don’t need my help.”
If your faith community is anything like mine, an amazingly efficient staff plus a handful of dedicated volunteers are its greatest asset, and its greatest threat. The problem with parishes where everything seems handled is that everything seems, well, handled. New volunteers don’t come forward because it seems as though they’re not needed — and sometimes it’s hard to feel welcome. But slowly, quietly, staff turns over and volunteers burn out. Do yourself (and your fellow parishioners) a favor and get involved even when it seems like they could do it without you.

Myth #3: “I don’t have time.”
Saying we don’t have time to do something simply means that it’s not important to us. And there are lots of people who make time to teach youth faith-formation classes every Wednesday from September through May. Even if there aren’t enough hours in the day, there is time to cook a meal for Families Moving Forward or your local shelter. There’s time to be one of the first familiar faces new parishioners look for at Mass. It’s your faith community; make it important to you.

Myth #4: “I gave at the collection plate.”
Don’t get me wrong, your church is exceedingly grateful for your financial offerings — especially in economic times like these. But our churches aren’t built on money, they’re built on people. The three Ts, as the saying goes, are time, talent and treasure. Putting an envelope in the collection on Sunday is a good start, but if money were all anyone gave, we’d gather each week in beautiful buildings with a roomful of strangers. We need to warm up those other two Ts and get our hands dirty.

Myth #5: “I’m too [INSERT EXCUSE HERE] to volunteer.”
When the bulletin on Sunday reads “Volunteers Needed,” that means us. When the announcements from the pulpit include a call for help, that’s us, too. Volunteers aren’t expected to be perfect. There’s no requirement to be the strongest, the smartest, the best looking, the most holy, or the most “worthy” (whatever that means). As Jesus said when He called His disciples, “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Mt 9:13). That’s us. And if that were qualification enough to be an apostle, it’s probably more than enough to serve coffee and donuts on Sunday mornings.

Contact Annie Doyle, Outreach Coordinator in the church office 508-853-0183 ext 12 or email adoyle@saintgeo.com to find out more about volunteer opportunities in our parish community.

THE COLLAR

A priest was walking along the corridor of the parochial school near the preschool wing when a group of little ones were trotting by on the way to the cafeteria. One little lad of about three or four stopped and looked at him in his clerical clothes and asked, "Why do you dress funny?"

He told him he was a priest and this is the uniform priests wear. Then the boy pointed to the priest's plastic collar tab and asked, "Do you have an owie?" The priest was perplexed until he realized that to him the collar tab looked like a band-aid. So the priest took it off and handed it to the boy to show him. On the back of the tab are raised letters giving the name of the manufacturer.

The little guy felt the letters and the priest asked, "Do you know what those words say?" "Yes I do,", said the lad who not old enough to read. Peering intently at the letters he said, "Kills ticks and fleas up to six months!"