“As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12

God designed us to find meaning and purpose in community. Just like Legos are made to connect with one another, God designed us to connect with one another. In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul challenges us to see that although we are all different, together we complete the body of Christ. We belong to one another--each of us needs all the others, and together we can accomplish what we never could on our own. Belonging to the Body of Christ helps me know who I am, and be who I am, in a way that no other community can do quite as well. God gave us this gift of belonging to his family, being a part of the body, the Church, because he knows that we need it. We need to be connected to each other, we need to support one another, we need to hold one another up. Because we belong to one another. We were made to belong to one another. 

Want to take your next step with this week’s message?

• There are plenty of people in our wider community that don’t come to church, that maybe don’t feel like they belong here at New Roads. Greeters at the doors of the church play a crucial role in creating an environment that is welcoming and inviting for all--an environment that communicates to all who enter our doors that they belong here with us, as part of God’s family. Consider serving as a greeter in 2016, even just for a couple of weeks, to try it out. To learn more, join us for our greeter meeting tonight, Wednesday, January 27, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Joseph. Please RSVP to Kathy Rushe, [email protected].
• Think about someone in your life who doesn’t belong to a church community. Maybe it’s a family member, friend, or neighbor who has been away from the Church, God’s family. Invite them to join you this Sunday at New Roads. Share an experience of how being part of God’s family, having that sense of belonging, has helped you find meaning and purpose.
• If you didn’t get to hear this week’s message, you can listen to it here on our Web site.

​Since we just hired a new team member, and we have new members joining our community (welcome!), and it's a new year, it occurred to me that this would be a great time to introduce the talented people serving on our pastoral team. New Roads Catholic Community exists to offer experiences of worship, welcome, and conversation through which people can encounter God and grow in their relationship with God. This is both a fantastic opportunity and a great challenge--I’m grateful that we are blessed with committed, qualified, and talented team members, and especially if you’re new to our community, I’m proud and happy to introduce them to you.

I’m Fr. Thom Mahoney. I was ordained in 1998, and I have served at Sacred Heart Parish in Middleborough, St. Patrick Parish in Watertown, and as a chaplain at Massachusetts General Hospital. I grew up in Wellesley, Massachusetts, one of eight children of my parents John and Mary. I attended the College of the Holy Cross and St. John’s Seminary and have a BA in Philosophy and a Masters in Divinity.

Mary Cahill has served as administrative assistant for the collaborative since November 2013, after holding similar positions in other parishes. Mary is the face of New Roads Catholic Community, the first person people see or speak to when they call or come in to the collaborative. A native of Woburn, Massachusetts, Mary is a huge Bruins fan. Mary has three grown children, with whom she went skiing over Christmas, and was very proud not to have fallen or broken any bones! Mary can be reached at [email protected], or just by showing up at the front door of the offices at St. Luke, Monday-Friday, 9-3.

Lou Fabrizio, our finance & operations manager, was born and raised in St. Luke Parish and began serving as business manager at St. Luke in 2012. He has a BS in Marketing Management from Bentley University and an MBA from Nichols College. Lou is responsible for all aspects of financial management, including budgeting, payroll, and bookkeeping, as well as campus operations, including maintaining the physical plant and managing relationships with vendors and tenants. Before working for St. Luke, Lou worked in marketing and finance, which he still teaches part-time. Lou loves golf, chocolate, and “Seinfeld.” He and his wife Suzanne have three sons. Lou can be reached at [email protected].

Rachel Keeler began working at St. Joseph in 2010. A native of Long Island, New York, Rachel came to Belmont by way of the College of the Holy Cross (go Crusaders!) and Weston Jesuit School of Theology, where she earned her Masters in Divinity. As associate minister, Rachel shares responsibility for overall vision, strategic planning, ministry coordination, pastoral care, and staff development. Rachel and her husband Noel have two children and two cats. In her unofficial role as Head Pastry Chef at New Roads, Rachel is constantly baking delicious treats for all of our team meetings! Rachel can be reached at [email protected].

Our newest team member, Grace Kincaid, joined us this week as coordinator of children’s ministry. Grace is a native of Natick, Massachusetts, earned a BA in Theology and Religious Studies at Catholic University, and has worked for the past two years in a parish in Camden, New Jersey. Grace will be coordinating our Kids’ Church programs (Tiny Disciples and Children’s Liturgy of the Word) and kids’ small groups. Grace is a dynamic and nurturing person whose heart is focused on helping children and their families grow in faith. Please welcome her when you see her. Grace can be reached at [email protected].

Holly Muson joined the team in November 2014 as sacramental preparation coordinator, after serving as a volunteer in several capacities relating to teens and faith formation. Her previous work was in the area of housing development. She holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard University. Holly coordinates our preparation programs for Baptism, Reconciliation & Eucharist, and Confirmation. Holly and her husband Steve have two daughters. Holly can be reached at [email protected], but be careful--if you reach out to her, she may ask you to do a witness talk on a Confirmation retreat!

Sr. Kathleen Moran probably had no idea where it would lead when she started in parish ministry at St. Luke’s in 2001 as a pastoral associate. A native of Boston, Sr. Kathleen received her BA from Regis College and a Masters in Divinity from Weston Jesuit School of Theology. Before starting at St. Luke’s, she served on the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph Leadership Team, after working previously in retreat ministry and school administration. As associate minister, Sr. Kathleen works with our liturgical ministers, ministers to the homebound and hospitalized, and bereavement ministers, as well as coordinating various liturgical, spiritual, and social opportunities. She can be reached at [email protected].

Kathy O’Leary joined our team in July 2014, after working for several years in tech recruiting and project management in the business world. She holds a BA in Philosophy from Wellesley College. Originally from Sudbury, Massachusetts, Kathy works primarily on communications and project management, working to keep our team focused on our priority of finding bold, creative, and exciting ways to share Christ’s love with those who have become disconnected from the Church. Kathy and her husband Devin welcomed their first child, Matthew Francis, in August. Kathy can be reached at [email protected].

Kathy Rushe began working at St. Joseph in 2010. Kathy coordinates mission and service projects, organizes volunteers for sacramental prep programs, and coordinates screening for all parish volunteers. Kathy attended Regis College and received a BA in Art. She brings her artistic talent and creativity to all aspects of our work--Kathy is the creative mind behind the mosaics our Confirmation teens have made for the past few years, for example. Originally from Allston, Massachusetts, Kathy went to Mt. St. Joseph Academy, where Sr. Kathleen was her principal! Kathy and her husband Vinnie have four children and a Jack Russell terrier. Kathy can be reached at [email protected].

Denise Ryan has been singing at St. Joseph and serving on the team for over 25 years. A native of Waltham, Denise comes from an extremely musical family--two of her sisters are music directors at other local parishes. She graduated with a BA in Music from Boston University and completed her Masters degree in Theology at Harvard Divinity School. Denise serves as a cantor regularly but also helps with the music program more generally, including working with families planning funerals at St. Joseph. Denise and her husband Jim have one son, James, who is participating in our Reconciliation & Eucharist preparation program this year. Denise can be reached at [email protected].

Todd Theriault has been music director at St. Luke since 2004. A native of northern Maine, Todd loves music of all kinds, especially making music with other people. He studied for a year at Boston Conservatory and has a Bachelor of Music from New England Conservatory. Todd plays the piano and organ for weekend and holy day liturgies, as well as weddings and funerals at St. Luke, directs the choir at the 11:00 Mass, and occasionally plays at St. Joseph as well. Todd can be reached at [email protected], or just by walking over to the piano after Mass any weekend at St. Luke.

We are also blessed to have several other people who provide services for New Roads: Charley Connor, a long-time music director at St. Joseph’s, and Zach Stadtmueller serve as accompanists, Roseann Grady assists Lou with bookkeeping, Steve Muldoon provides maintenance services at St. Joseph, and many others serve as cantors or instrumentalists.

Now you've met us--we want to meet you! If you are new to our community, or if you've been coming here for a while but never had the chance to say hello, please send us a note or look for one of us after Mass one week (we all wear nametags!).