July 7, 2022
Good morning-
I’m hoping you had a joyous and spectacular 4th of July!
As many of you know, we lost another dear parishioner this week. Michael Butler lost his fight on July 4th. Please pray for his wife, Michelle and their children, especially Matthew as they grieve and accept God’s call to bring Mike home. His wake will be this Friday, July 8th at Forestaire in Southwick from 4-7p.m. His funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be here at Our Lady of the Lake, Saturday, July 9th at 10:00 a.m. followed immediately with committal prayers at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Westfield.
Please note this weekend we will welcome Sr. Joan Grumbach as she will speak at each Mass in respect for her mission with the Medical Missionaries of Mary. There will be a special second collection at each Mass for this mission.
Next Sunday, July 17th from 8:30-Noon, the Knights of Columbus council will be hosting “Breakfast with Santa IN JULY”. Please join and help support our knights and community.
Saturday, July 23rd at 9:00p.m. we will be having “Movie Night” in the pavilion. We will be showing “Sister Act”. Please bring your chairs, snacks and bug spray!! Can’t wait!!
Many thanks again for all your sympathy cards, Mass cards, and donations in honor of my late father’s Skal’s memory. The family has not had a chance to acknowledge everything yet but hopes to do so soon. I will be on vacation from August 1-19. Fr. Henry Dorsch, pastor emeritus will cover most of the time that I am away. Have a peaceful, relaxing, and blessed summer!
God Bless you all!
June 28, 2022
Hi All-
Well, the weather is definitely looking brighter… hoping for a glorious holiday weekend!!
Just wanted to touch base with you since it’s been a couple weeks… not much going on right now, but we’ll be having a few events in July.
Reminder that on Monday, July 4th the office will be closed, however daily Mass will still take place at 8:30a.m.
Praise and Worship will be in the Marian Hall on Tuesday, July 5th at 6:30p.m. Please join us and don’t forget to bring a friend.
Stay safe this weekend and get out and enjoy some sunshine and fireworks!!

June 7, 2022
It has been such a beautiful June so far… lets pray it stays this way for a bit longer!!
Couple things happening that I wanted to share with you…. Plus, I know you all were just on pins and needles waiting for this email… 😊!!
Anyway…
Tonight, is Praise & Worship at 6:30pm in the Marian Hall.
Next Tuesday, Soup Kitchen in the Fr. Shea Hall starting at 2:00pm. Help is greatly needed for preparing, packaging and bringing the filled totes to the cars (need some muscles for this!!)
Next month, there will be two family events happening…
First on Sunday, July 17th. The Knights will be hosting “Breakfast in July with Santa” from 8:30am – Noon.
Second on Saturday, July 23rd. We will be having movie night in the Pavilion. At 9:00pm we will be showing “Sister Act”. Please bring your own chairs, snacks and bug spray. (if you have any extra citronella candles or torches, please bring to share.. thank you)
Couple of things happening in the office this summer….
Lynda will be taking a majority of the summer off. Please pray for her as she will be taking on a few new ventures in her writings.
I will be taking every Wednesday off (and maybe an hour or two here and there). Jack needs me with our current project.
And the last thing for today…. There are NO more Masses available for 2022. The 2023 book will be opened on July 5th. As we did last year, it will be first come, first serve and a limit of 5 requests per person until January. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience.
Have a tremendous, splendiferous, joyous weekend!!! 😊
May 23, 2022
Hi everyone-
Just wanted to touch base with you with a couple of reminders for the upcoming week….
First- (this is actually the first time you have seen this… got the message late last week.) This is from our Young Adult ministry within the diocese. Good conversations, networking and don’t forget the beer.. lol!
Second- Thursday is the Ascension of the Lord (Holy day of obligation). There will be a vigil Mass on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. and the regular morning Mass on Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
Third- Next Monday is Memorial Day and the office will be closed (Mass will still be held at 8:30 a.m.). Please have a safe and beautiful, blessed weekend!!!
God Bless you all!!!
May 12, 2022
Happy Thursday to you all-
Can you believe the weather??? Wow, incredible… hopefully, you will all be able to get out and enjoy this weekend!!!!
This Friday, May 13th, the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) has called for a Day of Prayer and Fasting in response to the leak of the Supreme Court Draft on Roe vs. Wade, and the heated tensions around the issue at this time. (See below for more details.)
This Saturday, May 14th due to a wedding at 2:00 p.m., confessions will be begin immediately after the ceremony, hopefully around 3:00 p.m.
This coming Wednesday, May 18th at 6:30 p.m., Bishop Byrne will be here to celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation with our children. All are welcome to attend.
On Thursday, May 19th at 6:30 p.m. in the Marian Hall, the Synod discussions will take place. Please take a moment to prayerfully consider attending and letting the Bishop’s and Pope hear from the people. (See below for more details.)
Note for Faith Formation families from Mrs. Daniele:
We had a wonderful Faith Formation year, and we are looking forward to a great 2022 – 2023 year as well!! Our Faith Formation Registration Form for the fall is attached. The fees will be the same for Faith Formation classes in the fall. Please send in the form soon, so we can plan for the fall sessions.
Remember to say your prayers every day!! We need them all!! We look forward to seeing everyone at our weekend Masses during the summer!!!!
Reminder that the Ascension of the Lord is on Thursday, May 26th. This is a holy day of obligation. Masses will be held Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. and Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m.
One more quick note about the Church’s front doors… as a continued precaution and security measure to our parish family, the front doors will remain locked at all times (the only exceptions are funerals and weddings). In today’s society it is recommended by our town police/ emergency management to take every precaution possible to protect our parish from any potential threats
And finally, on a personal note, Jack and I would like to thank everyone for the encouragement, support, and congratulations with our wedding. It was amazing and endearing to have so much love around us that day, and every day!! Thank you!!

Kim Yourous
Parish Administrative Assistant
Our Lady of the Lake Church
(413) 569-0161
Email Me
P.S. Please let me know if you received this email in error, or if you hear of someone not receiving that has in the past. When I got back from vacation, my email “quirked” on me and I no longer have my email blast contact… so I’ll be working on fixing that😊!
April 21, 2022
Good morning-
I hope everyone had a glorious Easter! I wanted to share with you a few upcoming items.
This weekend will be very busy for our kids. Saturday is the confirmation classes retreat at 10:00am. Then Sunday, the elementary kids will have their retreat to make up for the winter classes missed. This will be right after the 10:00am Mass.
There will be two weekends coming up that confession times will be altered slightly due to weddings in the church. The first will be April 30th, confessions will begin at 3:00pm and May 14th they will begin immediately after the 2:00pm wedding (hopefully 3:00).
Our first communion class will be receiving their sacrament on Saturday May 7th at 10:00am. All are welcome to attend.
Confirmation will be held on Wednesday May 18th at 6:30pm with Bishop Byrne. All are welcome to attend.
And just on a side note, I will be leaving the office around noon on Tuesday in preparation of Jack and my wedding on Saturday. I will not be returning to the office until May 10th. If you need anything, please let me know asap. Thank you in advance.
Have a great weekend!!!
April 12, 2022
Good morning everyone-
Its unbelievable that Easter is just a few short days away… please take some time this week to reflect on what our Lord has given for each and every one of us! Thank HIM for His Suffering and His Resurrection to allow us eternal life!
Wanted to remind you of schedule for this weeks services. Also, please remember to go to confession before this Thursday.
Sacred Paschal Triduum Schedule and Notes:
Holy Thursday -Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Thursday, April 14th– 7:00 p.m. Mass with Adoration until 10:00 p.m. at the altar of repose in the Marian Hall.
Good Friday
Friday, April 15th– 3:00 p.m. Service
There will be NO Stations of the Cross.
Easter Vigil Mass-Holy Saturday
Saturday, April 16th– 8:00 p.m. Mass
Easter Sunday Masses
Sunday, April 17th– 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
No morning Mass on Holy Thursday, no Stations of the Cross on Good Friday and no 4:00 p.m. Mass on Holy Saturday. Those attending the Easter Vigil at 8:00 p.m. are asked to meet at the bonfire before entering the church. Please be sure to hold your small candles (luminaries) straight and upright to avoid wax from dripping onto the pews and floor.
Please bring any old palms and/or scapulars or any other blessed items that are able to be burned (bibles, books, holy cards (not laminated), etc.) (statues and medals would need to be buried not burned) into the office or give to Father by tomorrow, so that they can be burned in the bonfire prior to the Vigil Mass.
Reminder for anyone sensitive (allergies) to incense, Father will be using incense at the Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday Masses.
The Easter Flowers list of memorials is quite lengthy this year, therefore it has been posted on our website for viewing. If you are in need of a hard copy, please contact Kim in the office. The link to the list is: https://ollsouthwick.org/easter-flowers-2022/.
Father will be attending the Chrism Mass this morning where he will receive the sacred oils for the coming year and also this is a time when all the priests renew their promises. Please pray for Father Matthew and all our priests!!
The new movie FATHER STU based on a true story and starring Mark Wahlburg is opening tomorrow. If you can, please take some time to check out this amazing story of conversion.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. I will be in the office until 2pm today and tomorrow.

April 7, 2022
Good morning one and all-
It’s unbelievable that Holy Week is here already… ya, know when my parents told me “wait until you are older, and you’ll see just how fast time goes”… well…. I sure know what they mean now… whew!!! Anyway, I wanted to just reiterate what is happening for the next week and some directions Father is asking all of us to be consider of.
Palm Sunday… Father would like everyone to have a palm and join him in processing into the church from the Marian Hall. Therefore, the only entrance open this weekend will be the double glass doors of the Marian Hall.
The final scheduled opportunities to take advantage of the Sacrament of Penance/ Reconciliation/ Confession are Friday, April 8th from 5:30-6:00 p.m. before Stations of the Cross and Saturday, April 9th from 2:30-3:30 p.m. or by appointment. We also have confession times offered at other parishes available. The Diocese of Springfield has asked that all confessions be heard BEFORE Holy Thursday, April 14th.
Sacred Paschal Triduum Schedule and Notes:
Holy Thursday -Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Thursday, April 14th– 7:00 p.m. Mass with Adoration until 10:00 p.m. at the altar of repose in the Marian Hall.
Good Friday
Friday, April 15th– 3:00 p.m. Service
There will be NO Stations of the Cross.
Easter Vigil Mass-Holy Saturday
Saturday, April 16th– 8:00 p.m. Mass
No morning Mass on Holy Thursday, no stations of the cross on Good Friday and no 4:00 p.m. Mass on Holy Saturday. Those attending the Easter Vigil at 8:00 p.m. are asked to meet at the bonfire before entering the church. Please be sure to hold your small candles (luminaries) straight and upright to avoid wax from dripping onto the pews and floor.
Please bring any old palms and/or scapulars into the office or give to Father by next Wednesday so that they can be burned in the bonfire prior to the Vigil Mass.
For anyone sensitive (allergies) to incense, please be advised that Father will be using incense at the Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday Masses.
During Holy Week, we will NOT be allowing any prayer candles to be lit (Mary or St. Jude). This is a sacred and solemn time to reflect on the Crucifixion and Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
The office will be closed on Holy Thursday and will not reopen until the Monday after Easter. There will be no scheduled meetings, gatherings, or appointments during Holy Week except for emergencies (Anointing of the Sick) and appointments for the Sacrament of Penance (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday ONLY). No funerals permitted during the Sacred Paschal Triduum. This week should be dedicated to quiet reflection, meditation, and prayer.

March 23, 2022
Looks like spring is definitely heading our way (Sunday at 11:33a.m.:))… please, enjoy!! Remember… 
Well, I have a few messages to send your way from Father regarding Easter and Holy Week.
Starting with Palm Sunday… Father would like everyone to have a palm and join him in processing into the church from the Marian Hall. Therefore, the only entrance open this weekend will be the double glass doors of the Marian Hall. Thank you.
At the Saturday vigil there will be a bonfire (just like last year) at which time old palms will be burned. If you have any old palms at home that you need disposed of, please put them in a Ziploc bag and bring to Father. They will all be burned that evening. Also, if anyone has any firewood, they would be willing to donate, please contact Kim. Last year, we went through about two wheelbarrows full.
For anyone sensitive (allergies) to incense, please be advised that Father will be using incense at the Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday Masses.
Following the Holy Thursday Mass (Mass of the Lord’s Supper) at 7:00 p.m. there will be Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 10:00 p.m. at the Altar of Repose in the Marian Hall.
During Holy Week, we will NOT be allowing any prayer candles to be lit (Mary or St. Jude). This is a sacred and solemn time to reflect on the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
On a somber note, if anyone would like to celebrate Sharyn Drenen’s beautiful life, her wake will be at Firtion-Adams on Sunday 2-6:00 p.m. and her funeral will be here on Monday at 10:00 a.m. Father will NOT be celebrating 8:30 a.m. Mass on Monday, as most will be attending the funeral. The link to her obituary is attached.
https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/24285363/sharyn-l-drenen/westfield/massachusetts/firtion-adams-funeral-home
We’d also like to send our deepest condolences to Pat Ardery. Her husband, Fred passed away yesterday and his funeral will be here on Wednesday.
Remember… GOD is always with us: in our joys, tears, fears, and tragedy… He will not let us fall!
March 8, 2022
Good Morning Everyone-
Welcome March!!! Lets hope and pray for an early spring and that the weather starts getting better and we can get out an enjoy more!
Well, today the message will be a bit longer, as we have a few more items that need to be addressed. Please take special notice of the Lenten Schedule.
First– Praise & Worship will be held in the Marian Hall tonight at 6:30p.m. and will also be livestreamed on our Facebook page.
Second– The Shroud Encounter is this weekend. Tickets will be available the day of the events. Please continue to encourage all to come. (Reminder- Faith Formation grades 7-11, this presentation is required (mandatory) to make up for 4 missed classes this winter.)
Third– Soup Kitchen will be next Tuesday, March 8th at 2:00p.m. in the Fr. Shea Hall. We are in need of more volunteers to help with this much needed and valued ministry.
Also, on March 8th at 6:30p.m. Father Matthew will be hosting a virtual general assembly on Conversions. If you would like the link, please email Lynda.
Please see below for our Lenten Schedule:
Ash Wednesday is this Wednesday, March 2nd.
Our Ash Wednesday Mass Schedule is as follows:
March 2nd @ 8:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Ashes will be distributed at both Masses. This is a day for fasting and abstinence. See below for more information on these important practices during the Lenten season.
Stations of the Cross:
Every Friday during Lent at 6:00 p.m.
Each week, Father Matthew or Deacon Dave will alternate leading the prayers. On the weeks that Father Matthew leads, he will be available to hear confessions from 5:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Deacon Dave: March 4th, 18th and April 1st
Father Matthew: March 11th, 25th and April 8th
Parish Mission Shroud Encounter:
March 5th @ 6:00 p.m. and March 6th at 1:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 for those 18 years old & up. Please call the parish office or order on our parish website. All reserved tickets will be available at the “reservation” table, also tickets will be available at the door to purchase at the time of each event.
Fast & Abstinence
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.
For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.
Fr. Matthew S.P. Guidi
224 Sheep Pasture Road
P.O. Box 1150
Southwick, MA 01077-1150
(413) 569-0161