Beginning in October, we are pleased to offer multiple times for Confession and Adoration across our two parishes. Please see the Confession Times listed above on this page. We hope this schedule will enable our parishioners to avail themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, as well as Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, as an ongoing part of their regular activities.
We are thrilled to announce the hiring of Graceanne Bowe as our new Director of Religious Education! Graceanne comes to us from St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Winthrop where she served as the Director of Faith Formation for grades 1-6. As our collaborative DRE, she will be responsible for grades 1-8, as well as oversight of the Grade 9 & 10 Confirmation Program. Graceanne received her Master of Arts in Ministry degree through St. John’s Seminary and has many years of working with children of all ages, first as a volunteer and then as a religious education staff member at multiple parishes in the area. She is experienced in developing and implementing programs across various grade levels and skilled at bringing the teachings of the Church alive for our young members. Graceanne will officially join our staff on Tuesday, October 11th. Look for a personal note of introduction from Graceanne in the bulletin soon. More information about this year’s program will be forthcoming. Meanwhile, registration is ongoing. Please click on the Religious Education button above on this page to register.
Although this year the Feast Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not a holy day of obligation, it is of course a holy day nonetheless. The Mass for the holy day of the feast of the Assumption on Monday August 15th will be held at 9am at Most Precious Blood Church.
After 22 years of serving our collaborative parishes in roles including Director of Religious Education and, most recently, Pastoral Associate, Ann Carroll recently relinquished her official staff responsibilities. Her presence and dedication – manifested in a multitude of ways over the years – has continually blessed our parishes with the love of Christ. We are grateful that she continues to be an integral member of our collaborative family, giving of her time as a volunteer, as a Spiritual Director and mentor, and as a parishioner. Ann was recently honored with a reception and gifts from the collaborative as a gesture of thanks and acknowledgement of her years of devotion to our parishes. Please join us in celebrating Ann for all of her years of service and generosity!
I am pleased to let you know that Jeannine Phillips and Martha DePaola have accepted the offer to become our new Directors of Religious Education!! For several years they have been the Coordinators of Religious Education Grades 1-5 in our collaborative. Over the past year and half since my arrival, I have been amazed by the degree of flexibility and inventiveness that they have brought to the program -- especially during the past very unique and challenging two years. Families and students have all benefited from their degree of dedication -- demonstrated in a variety of ways. As they have labored to bring Christ to our young students grades 1-5 over the past years through their nurturing of an authentic relationship with Our Lord, they will continue to build upon and augment their knowledge and skills with additionally overseeing and instructing our students grades 6-12. Please join me in congratulating Martha and Jeannine, our two new DRE's!!!!! We are blessed to have them. Father Blaney
Wanting to accommodate the many parishioners who have expressed a desire for the Saturday Vigil Mass at Most Precious Blood Parish to return to 5:30pm, the decision has been made for this change to begin Saturday, June 4th. May this return of the 5:30pm mass allow for greater participation of our parishioners in the celebration of the Mass.
Please join us on SUNDAY, JUNE 12th immediately following the 10:30am Mass at St. Theresa’s for a coffee & donuts reception to celebrate and show our appreciation to Ann Carroll!!! For 22 years Ann has lovingly served both St. Theresa’s and Most Precious Blood Parishes – as a Coordinator of Religious Education, as the Director of Religious Education, and most recently as the Pastoral Associate. Her presence and dedication – manifested in a multitude of ways over the years – has continually blessed our parishes with the love of Christ. Although Ann recently relinquished her official staff responsibilities, we are grateful that she continues to be an integral member of our collaborative family, giving of her time as a volunteer, as a Spiritual Director and mentor, and as a parishioner. We hope that you can join us in thanking and celebrating Ann for all of her years of service and generosity!!
Abstinence -- Catholics over 14 years of age are bound to the obligation of abstinence. Abstinence is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays of Lent. On days of abstinence, meat may not be used at all. Fast -- Catholics over 18 and up to the beginning of their 60th year are bound to the obligation of fasting. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the days of fasting. On these days, only one full meal is allowed. Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to each one’s needs, but together they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids, including milk and fruit juices are allowed. Regarding other weekdays of Lent, participation in daily Mass and the voluntary observance of fasting is recommended.
During the season of Lent there will be weekly Holy Hours of Silence, Meditation, and Adoration immediately following every Thursday 9:00 AM daily Mass at St. Theresa of Lisieux Church and every Friday 9:00 AM daily Mass at Most Precious Blood Church. Confession will be offered from the conclusion of Mass until 10:00AM. Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament will occur at 10:30 AM.
As of February 28, masks will no longer be required at public Masses in the Archdiocese of Boston. Priests, Deacons, and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are no longer required to wear masks during the distribution of Communion. Masks will also not be required in Parish Faith Formation programs as of February 28. If the local municipality continues to require the wearing of masks in public places, the parish must comply with those regulations.
I am so pleased to announce that Roseann Furbush is being launched into the inaugural position of the Pastoral Associate for both Most Precious Blood and Saint Theresa of Lisieux parishes. Roseann will build upon the good work that has been accomplished in the past, and will help our parishes envision a future of faith and good works. I am grateful that Roseann has accepted this newly-created position and we look forward to facing the challenges, joys and successes that are in our future. - Fr. Blaney
We are all saddened in mind and heart that our beloved Ann Carroll will be relinquishing her role as Pastoral Associate. Her presence has blessed our parishes with the love of Christ. Although we are terribly saddened to see her venture on, we are grateful that she will continue to be an integral member of our collaborative family. Ann has been a tremendous support to me as your pastor, in these times especially. I am most grateful for Ann’s dedication to our collaborative of Most Precious Blood and Saint Theresa of Lisieux Parishes. - Fr. Blaney
It is with much gratitude that I am sharing with you my decision to retire from my Pastoral Associate role at St Theresa Parish on March 1, 2022. It is hard to believe, but I have worked in different roles between Saint Theresa and Most Precious Blood Parishes for 22 years. I have been blessed beyond measure and deeply humbled to have been invited into your every-day journeys with our Lord as well as your joys and sufferings and in turn you have let me share mine with you. I look forward to discerning where the Lord is calling me in this next chapter of my life. With much gratitude, Ann Carroll
In response to the many parishioners who have expressed a desire to move the time of the Saturday Vigil Mass at Saint Theresa Parish from 5:30 p.m. to 400 p.m., we have made the decision to make this change beginning Saturday, February 5th.I appreciate the time spent with the Collaborative Pastoral Council discerning this move. May it allow greater participation of our parishioners in the celebration of the Mass.
We urge our parishioners to stay off the roads during severe storms both for personal safety and to give town crews time to clear roads. If Dover-Sherborn schools are canceled due to weather, daily Mass and Religious Education classes will be canceled at both of our parishes and the parish offices will be closed. On weekends, cancellations will be announced on local television channels 5 and 7, on this website, and on the parish phone. Please note that if there is a power outage, the parishes will be closed and it may not be possible to update the phone message.
As the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God falls on Saturday this year, there will be a Vigil Mass at 4:00 PM Friday, December 31 at Most Precious Blood and a Holy Day Mass at Saint Theresa Parish at 10:00 AM Saturday, January 1. The normal Saturday evening and Sunday morning Mass schedule will be in effect for Sunday, January 2, The Epiphany of the Lord. Additionally, the 5:30 PM Sunday Mass resumes on January 2, now taking place at Most Precious Blood Church.
In preparation for Christmas, our collaborative will hold two evenings of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Reconciliation. On Wednesday, December 15 at Saint Theresa Parish and Thursday, December 16 at Most Precious Blood, Adoration will be held from 7:00 - 8:00 PM. During this time there will also be the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Both of our parishes are once again collecting donations for those in need this holiday season. Due to Covid restrictions and limited staffs, all the charities have requested that donations be in the form of gift cards this year. Please click on the photo for details.
Please plan to join us after morning Mass on Sunday, December 12 for a Christmas Sing-along! Father Blaney will play the piano and lead the singing at each parish immediately following Mass. We also invite you to bring the Christ Child figurine from your home nativity to be blessed during the sing-along in observance of Bambinelli Sunday.
We invite all adults of our collaborative parishes to celebrate the season at a Christmas Cocktail Party from 5 – 7 PM, Saturday, December 11 at Most Precious Blood. As this is a catered event, we ask that you RSVP to Anne Mangini at 508-785-0305 or mpbdover@mpb-stp.org, by December 6 so that we can have an accurate count.
