News - June 2021 RSS Feed

Ahhh you know what they say… you can’t go home again! And this weekend’s Gospel would agree with that sentiment. Maybe you can relate to the idea of going home after many years and being regarded as the person who you were before you left? I think it’s a pretty human experience, and it comforts me that Jesus experienced this relatively minor, but true, the experience of human life. This week’s Gospel reading can spark some great conversation about Jesus’ Only Child Status. The Church has her teaching on this (no siblings) but some scholars hold space for the possibility, in one way or another… I think the interesting question for our groups is, would it matter? Does the idea of Jesus having siblings change the story for us? What might have been gained or lost in the Jesus story, if he’d had a bunch of siblings? I pray you to have wonderful conversations around this week’s Gospel, as always! And, again, I invite you to check out MQOA Sunday, debuting the 4th of July on our website: www.mqoa.org

Weekly bulletin column from our Pastoral Associate, Margo Morin

Weekly column from our pastor, Fr. Bob Murray

Weekly bulletin column from our Pastoral Associate, Margo Morin

Weekly bulletin column from our Pastor, Fr. Bob Murray

Now that the dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass is being lifted, we are looking for ways to reach out to people online with the Word, while bringing everyone physically to the table every week is still our ultimate goal. So on Sundays, in place of the recorded weekend Mass, we’re putting together an interactive, engaging conversation centered around the Sunday Gospel. We’ll be using the weekly Beta lessons as the base of our conversations, and will take questions and prayer requests live. We think it’s going to be fun, approachable to people who aren’t ready to attend Mass in person and serve as a good connection point to people who can’t attend in person for whatever reason. We hope you’ll check it out, and that it will enhance your own experience of Beta, and of Mass! If your group says something brilliant that the world should hear, please share it with us! And, please invite your small group members to join us on Sundays at… time TBA. I pray blessings on your conversation this week!

Now that the dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass is being lifted, we are looking for ways to reach out to people online with the Word, while bringing everyone physically to the table every week is still our ultimate goal. So on Sundays, in place of the recorded weekend Mass, we’re putting together an interactive, engaging conversation centered around the Sunday Gospel. We’ll be using the weekly Beta lessons as the base of our conversations, and will take questions and prayer requests live. We think it’s going to be fun, approachable to people who aren’t ready to attend Mass in person and serve as a good connection point to people who can’t attend in person for whatever reason. We hope you’ll check it out, and that it will enhance your own experience of Beta, and of Mass! If your group says something brilliant that the world should hear, please share it with us! And, please invite your small group members to join us on Sundays at… time TBA. I pray blessings on your conversation this week!

Weekly bulletin column from our Pastoral Associate, Margo Morin

Weekly bulletin column from our pastor, Fr. Bob Murray.

Welcome to Ordinary Time! We’re back with our friend Mark this week, and it’s a Greatest Hit: the parable of the Mustard Seed! Having heard this story probably a trillion times before, you may be tempted to breeze through it, but this is not how we Beta Groups roll! I hope you’ll learn something new this time around, and find inspiration, too.

Even though our buildings have been closed, our parish has remained open... in more ways than ever. We are grateful for the growth that came through this pandemic.

This second week after the end of the Easter season, we celebrate our central teaching on the Eucharist. It is also a traditional weekend for First Communion and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, often featuring processions of different types around the world.

One week after we tackle the mystery of the Trinity, we tackle yet another mystery, that of how Christ is present in the Eucharist. This is a Very Catholic Reading, and the Church teaching on the Eucharist is pretty deep stuff, so you may want to take a minute to review what your group members understand about the Eucharist. How does it work? What does it mean? Who is it for? If you’re so inclined, you can take a deep dive into transubstantiation and whatnot, but the meaning of sacrifice is an alternative direction to take; if you choose this way, it might be helpful to read the other readings from this Mass along with the Gospel (not so much the psalm). Whichever direction you take, I’ve tried to include information in the background information section to shore up your conversation.