Lazer - Ministry Service Dog to Arrive in Collaborative with New Pastor

NEADS in Princeton, MA has approved Father Scott Euvrard (scheduled to arrive this June in Amesbury-Salisbury as Collaborative Pastor) to receive a service dog for use in his ministry. Matched with a black lab, Father Scott begins training next week and plans a healing ministry based in part on some unconditional caring and comfort of his new service dog, Lazer.

Some sixteen months ago, Father Scott lost his previous dog Molly, who had assisted him with his ministry to the sick and grieving, but who had not been professionally trained as a service dog. Two of his current parishioners suggested NEADS in his search for a new dog and Father Scott then applied for a dog, now exuberant to be receiving one.

The primary mission of NEADS is to train dogs for deaf and disabled people. In recent times, they have trained dogs for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, and Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans. They also train dogs for those in therapeutic professions, including ministry! That's where Father Scott and Lazer comes in!

Learn more about NEADS's (National Education for Assistance Dog Services, also known as Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans) service dogs and their potential new owners at www.neads.org/.

Introducing Father Scott Euvrard: Collaboraive Pastor Designee

Father Scott Euvrard

Fr. Scott Euvrard, who is 51-years-old, was born and raised in the North Quabbin Region town of Athol, MA, where his parents still reside. The oldest of six children, he graduated from Athol High School in 1980. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Music Education Degree at Mount Union College in Alliance, OH. After spending one year in the seminary, he decided to take a leave of absence, during which time he held positions in the Athol-Royalston Regional School District, the Hull Public Schools, and the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, MA. He returned to the seminary in the fall of 1989. 

He was ordained on May 21, 1994. Fr. Scott currently serves as the pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Sharon, MA, a position to which he was appointed on October 1, 2004. During his first three years as pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Fr. Scott also served as the priest chaplain on the Campus Ministry Team at Regis College in Weston, MA. His other priestly assignments have included parishes in Lynn, Needham, and Lowell. Fr. Scott also completed two years of post-graduate studies in Biblical languages at the Harvard Divinity School.

Fr. Scott enjoys reading, walking, music, dogs, and spending time with family and friends. He also enjoys following the Bruins, Patriots, and Red Sox. Though he has not played the french horn in several years, many years ago he played a concert with the Metropolitan Wind Symphony at Maudslay State Park! He played for many years in the Lowell Summer Concert Band and as a community member in the UMass Lowell Wind Ensemble.

Having served in the Merrimack Valley before (Lowell), Fr. Scott is looking forward to returning to this beautiful part of the state within the Archdiocese of Boston and serving as pastor for the Holy Family Parish and Star of the Sea Parish Amesbury/Salisbury Collaborative beginning this June.

Celebrating W.I.N.G.S.

WINGS (Women In God’s Spirit) is a ministry of encouragement and enrichment for women of all ages who seek to deepen their faith and grow in their relationship with God and one another. Having concluded their winter session, they joined together for a potluck celebration as well as to honor one of their members, Mary Fraiser.

CLICK ON J-ALBUM IMAGE TO SEE PHOTOS

Photos courtesy of Claudette Leblanc and Patricia Elario.

Father Michael on Catholic Social Justice

Fr. Michael reviews the Catholic Church’s teachings on social justice in the world. Called by God to love Him and our neighbors, the three-part course explores the many facets that this commandment has in the world today.

Click here to learn more about Catholic Social Teachings

SCORE: 665 DOLLARS and 885 POUNDS

Photo courtesy of Our Neighbors Table

665 DOLLARS and 885 POUNDS of groceries: that's what Holy Family's 4th grade religious education classes scored on Super Bowl Weekend at all HFP Masses as part of the nationwide Souper Bowl of Caring, a partnership of people throughout the U.S. responding to God’s gracious love by loving their neighbors.

Holy Family's generous parishioners donated $664.84; more than two overflowing wagons of canned goods collected at the back of the church; and a station wagon full of groceries collected in contributions outside of church - - all of which will support the needs of the hungry throughout greater Amesbury through Our Neighbors Table's food bank programs. 

The "Souper Bowl" collection is heralded as the signiture event of Holy Family's 1st Sunday of the Month Food Drive Ministry which each month conducts a themed food drive to the benefit of Our Neighbor's Table.

Last year, 10,500 congregations and organizations across the country participated in this Souper Bowl of Caring raising $9.8 million to care for  hungry and hurting people. With God’s help, ordinary people can do extraordinary good! Yeah HFP!

Catholic Super Bowl Quiz 2014

Children in Grades 1 thru 4 participated in the Parish Catholic Super Bowl Quiz with Father Michael.  Questions on the Catholic Faith, distributed during Religious Education Classes, were then asked during Mass on Super Bowl Sunday (2/2); all correct answers received a prize!