Home

Our Mission:

“We, Our Lady of the Lake Roman Catholic Church, seek to have a living faith in Jesus Christ. Nourished by the Eucharist and guided by the Holy Spirit, we share the gospel, encourage our youth and embrace and welcome everyone in need.”

If you are new to the parish, please introduce yourself after Mass and arrange to register at the rectory office.

MASS SCHEDULE

Lord’s Day:
Saturday 4:00 p.m. (Vigil Mass)
Sunday 8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m.

Weekdays:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 8:30 a.m.
Miraculous Medal Novena follows Tuesday Mass
St. Joseph Novena follows Wednesday Mass
St. Jude Novena follows Thursday Mass

PARISH OFFICE HOURS

Monday – Wednesday
9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Thursday
9:00 a.m. to Noon
Friday
Closed
Hours subject to change
PO Box 1150, 224 Sheep Pasture Rd
Southwick, MA 01077

TELEPHONE

Rectory: 413-569-0161
Religious Ed: 413-569-0162

Q. Why is Easter 50 days?

A. Most people think of Easter as a single day. It’s never had the commercial appeal of Christmas, and because it always falls on Sunday, most people don’t get an additional day off from work. But for Catholics, Easter isn’t just a day, it’s a whole season. The Easter season stretches all the way to the feast of Pentecost. Lent, which sometimes feels like it’s stretching on forever, is actually forty days long. Easter, on theologian Nathan Mitchell writes:

“The great fifty days of Pentecost are not an unwelcome, unrealistic obligation to ‘party on,’ even if we don’t feel like it, but an invitation to explore more deeply ‘the weather of the heart,’ to awaken our memory of God’s presence and power in our lives, to look more closely at all the rich and varied textures of creation.”

One way the church pursues this goal of seeing God present in the world is through the reading of the Acts of the Apostles. At Masses all through the Easter season, our usual practice of reading from the Old Testament is replaced be reading from the Acts of the Apostles. These readings tell the story of the church’s earliest days, and the beginnings of our faith’s spreading throughout the ancient world. These stories of heroism, controversies, persecutions, and miracles all testify to the continued presence of the Risen Christ in the world, through the lives of his disciples, and the actions of the Holy Spirit.

All of this should be an encouragement and a sign of hope for us today. Despite war, violence, personal struggles, and an under-performing economy, God has not abandoned us, nor left us to our own devices. The risen savior is still with us. These 50 days of Easter ask us to reflect on his presence, and -even in the face of danger or fear- to live with joy.

Our Lady of the Lake Parish

Living Faith in Jesus Christ

Home