st. matthew the evangelist parish – Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

General Questions regarding the Collaborative

When are Mass Times?

Our Mass and Reconciliation Times may be found HERE.

How do I contact the St. Andrew Parish Office (Rectory)?

We have unified the Parish Offices for St. Andrew, St. Mary and St. Theresa of Lisieux at 1 Grace Avenue, in anticipation of consolidating into St. Matthew the Evangelist Parish. All business (Baptisms, Mass Intentions, Weddings, etc.) for our Parishes and Church buildings will be handled through this central office.

Our office hours are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 10am-1pm. Do not hesitate to call us at 978.663.8816 with questions or requests.

How do I contact the St. Mary Parish Office (Rectory)?

Our office hours are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 10am-1pm. Do not hesitate to call us at 978.663.8816 with questions or requests.

How do I contact the St. Theresa Parish Office (Rectory)?

Our office hours are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 10am-1pm. Do not hesitate to call us at 978.663.8816 with questions or requests.

What are your top concerns now, Father Aveni?

In what seems at first to be naiveté, the primary and most important concerns of the faithful have been with keeping many aspects of the parish as they have always been, including Mass times, traditions and operative liturgical and ecclesiastical styles. I have noticed at the core of this preservation, tones of fear, mistrust of the other parishes and at times clergy.

The energy used to carry the banners of those interests, may have been better directed at addressing the areas of temporal goods (finance and properties), staffing of the parishes/collaborative, not to mention developing the critical pastoral needs of the changing face of our town and collaborative, issues that all three parishes have been facing.

Our recent history includes the abuse crisis and the effect it has had on the parishes of Billerica such as decreased attendance, participation and contribution, and the increase in apathy and unresolved anger and woundedness especially in the parishes that were directly affected by abuse.

Other than timing, the pandemic would have had little, if any, effect on the eventual need to face merging the three parishes into one.

The soft landing of merging our parishes is that there will not be an abrupt closing of one or more parishes and loss of our assets. Properties will be brought together.

We cannot assume that we can continue business as usual, that nothing will change. This is not a pro-forma decision, the decision to merge will have significant effects on our parishes. Very soon after merging, we will need to assess the physical conditions properties, our actual needs and the feasibility of maintaining and operating our
properties. Staffing will need to be assessed and adjusted. A number of these changes will need to be made in the immediate future.

If the conditions were already critical at the time of introducing collaboratives in 2013, there would continue to be three independent stand-alone Parishes in Billerica. The need to form the three-parish collaborative at that time in Billerica had far less to do with the number of ordained priests than it did with the state of the three parishes.

We need to be realistic with the way we move forward, either in a concerted effort as one parish community made up of the three former parish communities, or as one parish community welcoming parishioners of one or two parishes forced to close because they are no longer viable.

I know these are difficult realities to face, and I could try to blame all my predecessors as Presidents of the US have enjoyed doing, but I am not going to do that. Our three parishes have been in grave danger for years, which is only exacerbated by the current condition of our world during this pandemic which has had adverse effects on many aspects of our lives.

Even if the pandemic were to end soon, the economic effects will likely take far longer to recover from, if ever. Like many companies and families, we need to act in the best interest of the People of God of Billerica.

Had I known this last April, would I have responded in the same way to the Cardinal’s request? The answer is a resounding ‘yes.’ My ministry has been guided by the Holy Spirit and under the patronage of the Blessed Mother for 22 years. God has called me to serve as the pastor of St. Matthew the Evangelist Parish. Though at times unbeknownst to me, God has already been providing me with the tools to lead in this particular situation. It is not me who will do this, it will be God working through all of us.

Let us not lose sight of that.

— Father Paul Aveni

Funeral Preparation

Questions associated with the Funeral planning process.

What is a Catholic funeral? (Is it just the funeral Mass? The vigil? The committal?) 

Catholic funeral rites are the liturgical rites in which the Church “commends the dead to God’s merciful love and pleads for the forgiveness of their sins.” Through the funeral rites, Christians “offer worship, praise, and thanksgiving to God for the gift of a life which has now been returned to God, the author of life and the hope of the just.” There are three principal components to a Catholic funeral:

Vigil for the deceased (sometimes referred to as the “wake”)
Funeral liturgy (which often includes the celebration of Mass)
Rite of committal. These are outlined in the Order of Christian Funerals.

Vigil: A wake or vigil precedes the funeral liturgy. The vigil may take place in the home of the deceased, in the funeral home, in the church (provided it takes place well before the funeral liturgy), or in some other suitable place. At the vigil, “the Christian community keeps watch with the family in prayer to the God of mercy and finds strength in God’s presence.” Its structure includes introductory rites, the liturgy of the Word, prayers of intercession, and a concluding rite.

Funeral liturgy is the central liturgical celebration for the deceased. As such, the Church encourages the celebration of a funeral Mass as part of the funeral liturgy. However, a funeral liturgy outside of Mass is also permitted in those cases where Mass cannot be celebrated.

The funeral Mass is offered for the deceased, usually at the parish church of the deceased. “The Mass, the memorial of Christ’s death and resurrection, is the principal celebration of the Christian funeral.” The Mass includes the reception of the body (if this has not already take place), the liturgy of the Word, the liturgy of the Eucharist, and the final commendation (unless the commendation will be celebrated at the place of committal).

The commendation is the prayer in which “the community calls upon God’s mercy, commends the deceased into God’s hands, and affirms its belief that those who have died in Christ will share in Christ’s victory over death.”

Rite of Committal concludes the liturgical rites of a Catholic funeral; the burial of the deceased generally follows the rite of committal. The committal ordinarily takes place where the body of the deceased is to be buried (or “committed”) to the ground, or where the remains are to be interred. The committal is “the final act of the community of faith in caring for the body of its deceased member.” The rite includes the final commendation (unless the commendation has already been celebrated at the funeral Mass).

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What is a Mass for the Dead? Is it different than a funeral Mass? 

A Mass for the Dead is a Mass offered for the repose of the soul of a deceased person.

Masses for the Dead may be celebrated on receiving the news of a death, for the final burial, or the first anniversary. Other Masses for the Dead, that is, ‘daily’ Masses, may be celebrated on weekdays in Ordinary Time on which optional memorials occur or when the Office is of the weekday, provided such Masses are actually applied for the dead.”

The funeral Mass is a Mass for the dead.

Is it permissible to have a funeral without a Mass?

Yes. While a funeral Mass is preferred, a funeral liturgy outside Mass is permitted. The rite may be used for various reasons:

when the funeral Mass is not permitted, namely, on solemnities of obligation, on Holy Thursday and the Easter Triduum, and on the Sundays of Advent, Lent, and the Easter Season;
when in some places or circumstances it is not possible to celebrate the funeral Mass before the committal (for example, if a priest is not available);
when for pastoral reasons the parish priest (pastor) and the family decide that the

May funeral Masses be celebrated with the cremated remains of the deceased present? 

Yes. Funeral Masses in the United States may be celebrated in the presence of the cremated remains of the deceased.

May a eulogy be given at a Catholic funeral? 

Yes. The Church’s rites do allow a member or a friend of the family to speak in remembrance of the deceased prior to the final commendation. This is not a full eulogy, but a brief reflection proportionate to the other parts of the funeral rites.

Catholic funeral rites do not allow space for a eulogy. The focus of a Christian funeral is the paschal mystery: the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The funeral rites are not so much a celebration of the life of the deceased, but a prayer that the life and death of the deceased may be joined to Christ in heaven. Because the focus of a Catholic funeral is first on God, eulogies do not have a place within the funeral liturgy.

This does not mean we cannot reflect on and celebrate the life of the deceased. It does mean that such a celebration of the life of the deceased would be more appropriate to a non-liturgical gathering (for example, a post-funeral luncheon).

Who may preside at the funeral rites? 

Priests preside at the funeral rites, especially the Mass; the celebration of the funeral liturgy is especially entrusted to pastors and associate pastors.

Where must a funeral take place? May it take place outside of a church? 

A funeral, whether celebrated with a funeral Mass or not, must normally take place in one’s Parish Church. Another church may be chosen, given the consent of whoever is in charge of that church and notification to the proper parish priest of the deceased. If a death occurred outside the person’s own parish, and the body was not transferred to it nor another church legitimately chosen for the funeral rite, the funeral is to be celebrated in the church of the parish where the death occurred unless particular law has designated another church.

Additionally, the funeral liturgy outside Mass is ordinarily celebrated in the parish church.

May a vigil take place in the church before the funeral liturgy? 

Yes. Provided it is held at a time well before the funeral liturgy, so that the funeral liturgy will not be lengthy and the liturgy of the word repetitious.

The vigil may also be celebrated in the home of the deceased, in the funeral home, parlor or chapel of rest, or in some other suitable place.

What are the liturgical colors for a funeral Mass? 

White. The liturgical color chosen for funerals should express Christian hope but should not be offensive to human grief or sorrow. In the United States, normally a white vestment is worn at the funeral rites and at other offices and Masses for the dead.

May flowers be used at a funeral Mass? 

Yes, fresh flowers, used in moderation, can enhance the setting of the funeral rites.

May a casket be draped with an American flag?

No, National flags or the flags or insignia of associations to which the deceased belonged are to be removed from the coffin at the entrance of the church. They may be replaced after the coffin has been taken from the church.

Only Christian symbols may rest on or be placed near the coffin during the funeral liturgy.