Welcome to St. Agnes Parish

Greetings in Christ Jesus! St. Agnes is a Catholic community, welcoming of all - a beacon of faith, alive in Spirit, and active in spreading the Word of Christ with an enthusiasm that shines through...Come, share His Light... Please join us in the exciting adventure of being a Catholic Christian of today!

_Address

St. Agnes Parish, 186 Woburn Street, Reading, Massachusetts, 01867
Phone: 781-944-0490, Fax: 781-944-4403

_{Rectory Office Hours}

Monday through Friday 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Exciting news for our parish!

SAINT AGNES PARISH
APRIL 23, 2013

Dear Parishioners,

We want to inform you of some exciting news for our parish. For those of you, who watched the Selectmen’s Meeting last Tuesday night, you may already know the Selectmen approved the purchase of our lower school and parking lot for the town’s future Pre-School and Kindergarten.

Here is how it came about:

Last fall the School Department approached us about the possibility of purchasing the lower school. For over six months a number of confidential meetings were held with town officials, the parish Finance Council and Archdiocesan officials to negotiate the terms which would be beneficial to both the town and parish. When it became evident that the town was going to make an offer to purchase the property the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) met to discuss the issue. The PPC agreed that this could be a blessing for the parish and that we should continue the negotiations.

There are a number of benefits to the Parish, including:

The current offer has been confirmed by real estate professionals to be a fair market value for the property, considering zoning issues. Some of the funds can be used to complete the Parish Center Project, some deferred maintenance of the church, and the remainder will be placed in an account which will earn interest income for the parish.
The town will give us continued use of the parking lot. We will no longer have to maintain the lot or be responsible for snow removal.
The parish will no longer be responsible for tenants and maintaining a 58 year old building with ongoing issues with the heating system, plumbing, roof and masonry repair.
It’s a win-win situation for the town and parish. For those who had the faith and foresight to help to build the school originally, their commitment is yielding a great financial benefit to the parish, and the school will carry on its legacy of educating our youth.

The sale is not final. The agreement approved by the Selectmen is only the first step. This sale has to be approved by the Archdiocese, including Cardinal Sean. This fall the School Committee will have an article in the Town Warrant for approval by the Town Meeting and if successful by the voters at a special election. In the coming weeks, we will be hosting our own “town meeting” session to further educate the Parish on this proposal. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

Please pray for the success of this life-giving transaction!

Fr. Steve Rock The Finance Committee The Parish Pastoral Council

Masses

Sunday Masses:
Saturday: 4:00 pm
Sunday: 7:30 am, 9:00 am (Family),
11:00 am, 5:30 pm (Sept.-May)

Weekday Masses:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 9:00 am; Tuesday and Thursday: 6:30 am

Confessions:
Saturday: 2:45 - 3:45 pm

The church is handicap accessible.

Upcoming Event

St. Agnes Church
Outdoor Mass & Picnic
SAVE THE DATE:
Sunday, June 9 at 11:00am

We promised more details on Saint Agnes’ Second Annual Outdoor Mass & Picnic to be celebrated on Sunday, June 9^th beginning with Mass at 11:00am in the athletic field directly behind Austin Prep’s field house.

The liturgy itself will be concelebrated by Fathers Steve Rock and Ed Malone. Deacon Bill Reidy along with other deacons who have interned at the parish while studying for the priesthood at St. John’s Seminary will assist. Music will be provided by Jason Gaudette, the Lifestream Choir and the Family Mass musicians.

Some of the picnic games to be included are tug of war, potato sack races, cornhole, hula hoop contests and face painting.

This year, the parish will be providing hot dogs, hamburgers, condiments, spring water and hoodsies. In addition, all are encouraged to bring whatever additional food and beverages they’d like to have available.

Tents will be available for those wishing to escape the sun.

It’s a great time for both family and friends to catch up with each other before school’s out and the summer begins. In case it rains, the Mass will be celebrated at 11:00am at St. Agnes Church with the picnic and games immediately following in the parish center.