Fr. Lariviere’s Petition to Found SFX School
Fairhaven, July 29th, 1918
Right Rev. Bishop of Fall River, Mass.
My Lord,
Since some time I wished to see Your Lordship with regard to a parochial school in St. Francis Xavier’s parish, Acushnet.
The facts in connection with this matter were brought by me to the knowledge of my Superior, Rev. Fr. Stanislaus, who kindly acceded to my petition jointly to see Your Lordship to let one expose all the facts and reasons that may lead to a prudent decision in this matter.
We called on Friday last, June 26th, but failed to see Your Lordship. The retreat of the priests prevented our seeing you at an earlier date.
Hearing, however, that Your Lordship will be absent for some time, I begged my Superior to allow me to expose these same facts in writing and it is by kind permission I am presently taking advantage.
Let one give a short statement of the church’s income and expenses in the first six months of 1918:
Total receipts from Jan 1st to July 1st: $2991.10
Seat-money: $795.00 (average $30.10)
Monthly collections: $514.60
Parties: $546.50
For the latter part of the year one may expect:
Seat-money (½ at same rate): $1170.00
Monthly collections (same rate): $514.60
Parties: $540.00
Total: $2170.00
We have a debt of $1390.00, interest at 5.5% = $726.00.
Expenses foreseen for remainder of this year:
Interest: $363.00
Coal: $250.00
Salary: $500.00
Diverse: $300.00
Total: $1413.00
Remains $757.00 to be used toward paying off debt. So far, we paid nothing to debt, which is due to the fact that we had all our parties toward raising a school fund and also brought a liberty bond.
We have worked much for the raising of a school fund, and so far we have $1724.00 raised as follows:
Voluntary subscriptions: $935.00
Parties: $611.00
Special collection: $178.00
Total: $1724.00
This school-fund could be considerably increased in case permission could be granted to start a parochial school.
Expenses necessary to start school:
Classrooms, two, have to be installed in that part of our basement which now serves as a hall. All we have to do is to put in two partitions with doors. On reliable authority I hear this may occasion an expense of about $150.00.
We have the desks.
We have to erect water-closets outside, which may occasion an expense of: $350.00
Diverse expenses: $200.00
Books to be paid by children.
Salary of Sisters:
Two teaching Sisters $50.00 to be paid by children. Taking 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, we would have over 100 children. Every child payes $0.50 tuition. some persons promised to pay for their children, and thus the salary could be easily provided.
House for Sisters:
There is a good offer of a house of the bungalow type at 4 or 5 minutes’ walk from church: 7 rooms, basement, water system, heating system to be installed, land 50 x 150 ft., high place, good surroundings, on Fairhaven Rd.—with regard to this house four propositions are made, contained in the type-written letter of the proprietor to me and inclosed herewith. Of course we could not buy, but the 3rd and 4th propositions appear to be advantageous.
The furnishing of the Sisters’ house would be very largely done by the parishioners, as many will give some pieces of furnishing; we have, however, a nice amount to see to it.
As to the Sisters, some two or three years, Rev. Fr. Seraphim secured the Dominican Sisters to take up the charge of our school in Acushnet.
Right Reverend Bishop, may I humbly and respectfully beg to submit these considerations to your Lordship. I have at present no complaint to make of our parishioners, and I am confident that we can make a success of the school.
It is, however, far from my intentions, My Lord, to urge anything but submit these facts and humble request for a parochial school, respectfully expecting your decision and readily accepting it whatever it happens to be. In this manner I put it up to the parishioners and I am confident they are of that disposition of mind.
We wish, however, very ardently to have a parochial school and to start next September, for the immense good resulting from it, and to impart to our children a thoroughly Catholic education in a Catholic atmosphere.
I have the honor to be,
Your Lordship’s,
humble and obedient servant,
Fr. Andrew Lariviere, S.S.O.,
Howland Rd.,
Fairhaven, Mass.
Easter Meal Blessing
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Leader: Christ is risen. Alleluia.
And all reply: He is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Leader: Throughout Lent we have been preparing for the resurrection of the Lord by prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. Our lenten fasting is a reminder of our hunger and thirst for holiness which is satisfied only by Christ who feeds and nourishes us by his word and sacraments. When we gather at our first meal of Easter may this food be a sign for us of that heavenly banquet to which the Lord calls us.
READING OF THE WORD OF GOD
Brothers and sisters, listen to the words of the book of Deuteronomy:
16:1-8 The passover of the Lord. Observe the month of Abib by keeping the Passover of the LORD, your God, since it was in the month of Abib that he brought you by night out of Egypt. You shall offer the Passover sacrifice from your flock or your herd to the LORD, your God, in the place which he chooses as the dwelling place of his name. You shall not eat leavened bread with it. For seven days you shall eat with it only unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, that you may remember as long as you live the day of your departure from the land of Egypt; for in frightened haste you left the land of Egypt. Nothing leavened may be found in all your territory for seven days, and none of the meat which you sacrificed on the evening of the first day shall be kept overnight for the next day.
You may not sacrifice the Passover in any of the communities which the LORD, your God, gives you; only at the place which he chooses as the dwelling place of his name, and in the evening at sunset, on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt, shall you sacrifice the Passover. You shall cook and eat it at the place the LORD, your God, chooses; then in the morning you may return to your tents. For six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh there shall be a solemn meeting in honor of the LORD, your God; on that day you shall not do any sort of work.
INTERCESSIONS
The Son of God who invites us to the Paschal feast stands ready to help. Let us call upon him in our need.
R. Lord, prepare us for the feast of life.
That Easter may find us cleansed of sin and ready to live anew our Christian faith, we pray to the Lord. R.
That the bread we share may be a reminder of the bread of life we share in the Eucharist, we pray to the Lord. R.
That we may be ready to give from our table to those who hunger and thirst, we pray to the Lord. R.
That we may one day enjoy the banquet of the Lord in the heavenly kingdom, we pray to the Lord. R.
Christ taught us to pray for our daily bread and so we dare to say:
All: Our Father . . .
PRAYER OF BLESSING
God of glory, the eyes of all turn to you as we celebrate Christ’s victory over sin and death.
Bless us and this food of our first Easter meal. May we who gather at the Lord’s table continue to celebrate the joy of his resurrection and be admitted finally to his heavenly banquet.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
May Christ nourish us and strengthen us in faith and love now and for ever. R. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Poem: How good it is to be with you, Lord
Holy Thursday 2025
Poem shared by Fr. Ryan in his Homily
Link to original Spanish version by Fr. Caraud: ¡Qué bien se está contigo, Señor, junto al Sagrario!
How good it is to be with you, Lord, beside the Tabernacle!
How good it is to be with you! Why don’t I come more often?
It’s been many years since I started coming here daily,
and here I always find you, a lonely lover.
Alone, Poor, Hidden, Perhaps thinking of me.
You don’t say anything to me, and I don’t say anything to you,
because you already know everything, What can I say?
You know all my sorrows, all my joys.
You know I come with empty hands,
and that I have nothing to give you
that could be of use.
Every time I come, I always find you alone.
Could it be, Lord, that no one knows you’re here?
I don’t know! But I do know this, even if no one loved you or thanked you,
you would still be here waiting for me.
Why don’t I come more often? How blind I am, how blind!
If I know from experience that when I come to you,
I always leave changed, always better.
Where else can I go, my God, when I don’t come to you?
If you’re always waiting, if I always have you.
If You have never once closed the doors of your love.
Some travel long paths on foot,
weary pilgrims journey far,
paying large sums they’ll never get back.
But for you no one asks. No one wonders, Here,
if someone enters, it’s only in passing.
Here, you’re the one who pays just to let someone come in.
Why don’t I come more often, if I know that here by your side,
I can find what I’ve searched for so long?
My light. My strength. My peace. My only good.
If I have never come without finding you.
If I’ve never suffered, if I’ve never wept, Lord,
without you weeping with me too.
Why don’t I come more often, Blessed Jesus?
If you’re longing for me, if I need you,
if I know that I know nothing when I’m not here.
Here, you would teach me the wisdom of the saints,
that blessed wisdom that so many learned here,
your friends who now enjoy you forever.
Why don’t I come more often, if I know for sure
that you are the model my soul needs,
That nothing is hard when I look at you here?
The Tabernacle is the cell where you are enclosed:
so poor, so obedient, so meek, so silent!
So alone, so hidden. Why don’t I come more often, O Infinite Goodness?
Invaluable wealth, who needs nothing!
and yet, you’ve humbled yourself just to beg for my love!
Open that door now, let that be my life:
forgotten by all, hidden from all!
How good it is to be with you! How good it is, Lord!
Amen.