Happy New Year!
On behalf of Deacon Dave and the parish staff, please know of our prayers for you as we begin this new year. May 2026 be filled with abundant blessings for you and your loved ones.
"Adoration and Apps"
An evening of Adoration and praise and worship
Friday, January 9th
6:00-7:00pm
All are invited to join us for "Adoration and Apps", an evening of Eucharistic Adoration and praise and worship music in the church, led by Liz Cotrupi-Pfunder.
This night is especially intended as a chance for parents and couples to step away from the busyness of daily life and spend some quiet time with the Lord, though everyone is very welcome.
Those who wish are encouraged to continue the evening afterward with a date night or dinner out at a local restaurant.
Those who wish are encouraged to continue the evening afterward with a date night or dinner out at a local restaurant.
Adoration Safety Meeting
Thursday, January 8th at 6:30pm
All adorers are encouraged to attend this brief meeting, where we will hear from members of our Parish Safety Committee and representatives from the Acushnet Police Department. We will review safety best practices during Adoration and discuss practical steps we can take together to ensure a prayerful and secure environment.
Please mark your calendar and consider joining us.
Please mark your calendar and consider joining us.
Christmas Church Photos
A parishioner recently arranged for a photographer to capture photos of our Christmas decorations so they could be shared with loved ones and friends who live outside the area. This was a thoughtful way to allow others to see the church beautifully decorated for Christmas, especially following the renovation.
We are grateful to parishioner Michaela Arruda for her beautiful photography. A Google Drive folder of these photos is linked below for anyone who would like to view, download, or share them.
We are grateful to parishioner Michaela Arruda for her beautiful photography. A Google Drive folder of these photos is linked below for anyone who would like to view, download, or share them.
I was also moved this week when a parishioner from the former Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish attended one of our Masses and spoke with me afterward. Having heard that their Nativity scene was being used here, she wanted to share how happy she was to see it still part of a church’s Christmas celebration. She told me that every time she sees the high altar, it gives her chills, and that she is deeply grateful to see these sacred pieces given a second life, even after the closing of her beloved parish.
Epiphany - "Chalking the Door"
Bless your Entryway this Weekend
On the Feast of the Epiphany (this Sunday), it is traditional to bless our homes by writing the Cross of salvation, the year, and the initials "C+M+B" above the front door using blessed chalk as a witness of our faith and protection against evil. These initials stand for "Christus Mansionem Benedicat" ("May Christ bless this house") and also honor the traditional names of the three wise men. Chalk and instruction sheets will be available in the church entryway this weekend.
Thank You for Christmas Flower Donations
Thank you to all who so generously donated toward the Christmas flowers in our church. Your gifts helped beautify our worship space for the celebration of the Lord’s Nativity. The names of those remembered through these flower memorials may be found on the last page of this weekend’s bulletin.
Image: The Adoration of the Magi by Domingos Sequeira (1828)
A Homily for this Sunday from Fr. Mike Schmitz:
On the Bulletin Cover This Weekend...
Blessed Rita Lopes de Almeida (5 March 1848 – 6 January 1913)
Feast Day: Jan 6
Beatified in 2006
A Portuguese mystic and foundress of the Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sisters, devoted to Eucharistic reparation and the education of disadvantaged youth during a time of religious suppression in Portugal.
In your kindness, please pray for the repose of the souls of the following individuals:
Thomas L. Rayner, 73, of Fairhaven passed away Sunday, December 28, 2025 at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford after a long period of declining health. He was the loving husband of 52 years to Katherine H. (Sabatowski) Rayner. Calling hours are Sunday from 1-4PM in the Fairhaven Funeral Home, 117 Main Street, Fairhaven. His funeral will be Monday, January 5, 2026 at 9AM from the funeral home followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10AM in St. Francis Xavier Church, Acushnet. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Fairhaven.
Joan Elizabeth Elias, née Costa, 89, of Acushnet, passed away peacefully in the company of her family at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford on Sunday, December 28, 2025. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Francis Xavier Church in Acushnet on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 10:30 AM followed by a gathering at the Century House in Acushnet at 12 PM.
Christina Szwaja (née Curry), age 99, of Acushnet, Massachusetts passed away peacefully on December 30th, 2025 at her daughter's house in Mattapoisett, surrounded by her loving family. Her family will receive guests on Tuesday, January 6th from 8:30-9:30 AM at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett followed by her Funeral Mass at St. Francis Xavier Church, 125 Main St. Acushnet at 10 AM. Burial will follow in Acushnet Cemetery.
Save the Date: 2026 SFX Lenten Mission
Please mark your calendar for February 22–25, 2026, and plan to join us for our Parish Lenten Mission with Father James Sullivan, OP, of the Dominican Fathers of the Province of St. Joseph.
Father Jim is a nationally sought after preacher and retreat leader, currently assigned in Washington, D.C. I had the privilege of knowing him during my time in the seminary, including when he served for a period at St. John’s Seminary in Boston. Our school teachers will also remember him fondly from a retreat he led at SFX School.
I am very excited to finally be able to share this with you and look forward to welcoming Father Jim back to St. Francis Xavier. More details will be shared as we get closer. A link to one of his talks will be included below.
Father Jim is a nationally sought after preacher and retreat leader, currently assigned in Washington, D.C. I had the privilege of knowing him during my time in the seminary, including when he served for a period at St. John’s Seminary in Boston. Our school teachers will also remember him fondly from a retreat he led at SFX School.
I am very excited to finally be able to share this with you and look forward to welcoming Father Jim back to St. Francis Xavier. More details will be shared as we get closer. A link to one of his talks will be included below.
St. André Bessette
Feast Day This Tuesday
(He used to visit New Bedford!)
Diocesan Annual Divorced and Separated Healing Mass Sunday Jan 25
Local Upcoming Marriage Enrichment Retreat
Diocese: Additional Permanent Diaconate Info Nights Scheduled
Bishop da Cunha has authorized the formation of a new class for Permanent Deacons beginning in the Fall of 2026.
Men interested in pursuing the vocation of the diaconate and beginning the Aspirancy phase in Fall 2026 are invited to submit a preliminary application. Additional details and the preliminary application are available at fallriverdeacons.com.
These general information meetings will explore the process of formation for Permanent Deacons in the Diocese of Fall River. Information nights will be held at several locations throughout the diocese and via Zoom:
• January 27, 2026 – via Zoom
• February 13, 2026 – St. Ann’s Parish Hall, Raynham
• April 27, 2026 – via Zoom
For questions, please contact Deacon Frank Lucca or Deacon Joseph McGinley, Co-Directors of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate, at office@frpermanentdiaconate.com.
Men interested in pursuing the vocation of the diaconate and beginning the Aspirancy phase in Fall 2026 are invited to submit a preliminary application. Additional details and the preliminary application are available at fallriverdeacons.com.
These general information meetings will explore the process of formation for Permanent Deacons in the Diocese of Fall River. Information nights will be held at several locations throughout the diocese and via Zoom:
• January 27, 2026 – via Zoom
• February 13, 2026 – St. Ann’s Parish Hall, Raynham
• April 27, 2026 – via Zoom
For questions, please contact Deacon Frank Lucca or Deacon Joseph McGinley, Co-Directors of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate, at office@frpermanentdiaconate.com.
Blessing of Our New Entryway Crucifix
Our new entryway crucifix has arrived from Italy and will be blessed tomorrow (Saturday) at the 4:00pm Mass before being hung in the church entryway. We are grateful for this beautiful gift, donated by the Alfonse family in loving memory of Lorraine and Ernest Gentili.
A New Home for Our Former Altar
Some have asked what became of our previous altar following the church renovation. After being used for our summer Masses at the school, I am happy to share that it has now found a new home. The altar will become part of a new chapel being created at the Pastoral Center in Braintree for the office of Archbishop Richard Henning, Archbishop of Boston. This chapel will serve as a space where visitors and friends of the Archbishop will gather to celebrate Mass and pray together.
This photo shows the arrival of the items, including the altar, ambo, and celebrant’s chairs, along with the beautiful antependium cloths made by parishioner Sarah Hamel. The altar itself was donated during a previous renovation of our church, in the 1990s, by Mr. and Mrs. Jose S. Castelo & family in memory of his beloved mother, Maria Lourdes Castelo. The relic of St. Francis Xavier that had been placed within the altar was removed and is now contained in our new main altar.
This photo shows the arrival of the items, including the altar, ambo, and celebrant’s chairs, along with the beautiful antependium cloths made by parishioner Sarah Hamel. The altar itself was donated during a previous renovation of our church, in the 1990s, by Mr. and Mrs. Jose S. Castelo & family in memory of his beloved mother, Maria Lourdes Castelo. The relic of St. Francis Xavier that had been placed within the altar was removed and is now contained in our new main altar.
Mass Times
Sunday: 8:00 AM | 10:30 AM
Saturday Vigil: 4:00 PM
M, T, Th, F, S: 9:00 AM
Sunday: 8:00 AM | 10:30 AM
Saturday Vigil: 4:00 PM
M, T, Th, F, S: 9:00 AM
First Friday: 9:00 AM | 6:00 PM
Adoration Times
Monday-Friday
6:30am-8:45am, 9:30am-8:30pm
6:30am-8:45am, 9:30am-8:30pm
Wednesday
6:30am-8:30pm
Saturday
6:30am-8:45am, 9:30am-2:45pm
6:30am-8:30pm
Saturday
6:30am-8:45am, 9:30am-2:45pm
Confession Times
Monday: 5:30–6:30 PM
Saturday: 9:30–10:00 AM | 3:00–3:45 PM
Monday: 5:30–6:30 PM
Saturday: 9:30–10:00 AM | 3:00–3:45 PM
First Friday: 6:45–7:15 PM
Anytime by Appointment
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