Gathering as Faith Family at Thanksgiving

Last week I wrote to you about how all Christians are united with the Communion of Saints as part of the Mystical Body of Christ. We need to celebrate what we have in common with other Christians, especially in ecumenical events that bring us together.

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving is the primary ecumenical celebration in our towns each year. This year our Collaborative is honored to be hosting this service of thanksgiving at St. Mary church at 7:30 pm, Tuesday, November 23. Please join me, other clergy & parishioners from our collaborative Parishes and neighboring churches to show our unity in recognizing that our Thanksgiving is truly giving thanks to God for all the blessings in our lives and our communities. Especially if you are traveling or busy on Wednesday and Thursday (when we celebrate Masses for Thanksgiving), that Tuesday is a great opportunity to bring our gratitude to prayer before things start getting hectic! I hope to see you there.

Our Collaborative Parishes will gather on Wednesday night, the eve of Thanksgiving, at the 7:00 pm Mass at St. Martha, as well as at the Thanksgiving Day 9:00 Mass at St. Mary, where we will be blessing food for your Thanksgiving meals. Breaking bread together has been a sign of unity and family in every culture. As we gather in unity as Catholics to share the Supper of the Lord, we will also bless some of the food you will share around your Thanksgiving table. We invite you to bring something wrapped, covered, or still sealed, such as bread/rolls, a pie, or a bottle of wine, which you will place on a special table that will be set in front of the sanctuary before the Mass begins. During the Mass, there will be a special blessing offered over this food, which you will then take after Mass from our table to your Thanksgiving table. People have found this a meaningful way of connecting their feast with the Supper of the Lord. Some use the opportunity to tell their family and guests about the fact it was blessed at a Mass, which is a gentle way of reminding people that you find value in going to Mass.

We hope you’ll join us at either the Ecumenical Thanksgiving service or a Mass to celebrate Thanksgiving (or both) as we all give thanks to God! Your Brother in Christ,

Fr. Joe