THANKS to all who have been working so hard this week to get the festival together, to everyone who has been donating items for the festival, to everyone who has been buying or selling raffle tickets, and to everyone who has been praying for good weather and a beautiful time to share together.

PLEASE INVITE your friends and relatives to come with you to the festival: Hours are:

SATURDAY 5 P.M. TO 10 P.M.

SUNDAY 4 P.M. TO 9 P.M.

If you would like more raffle tickets, they are on sale at the festival.

BLOOD PRESSURE: The Health Committee will be offering Blood Pressure screenings after the Mass this weekend.

FINANCE COUNCIL: The finance council will also need to be formally reconstituted due to the merger, but I would like to meet with the members on this Monday at 7:45 p.m.

PARISH COUNCIL: The parish council will need to be reconstituted due to the merger, but I would like to meet with the members of the parish councils of St. James, St. Hedwig and Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe on this Wednesday at 7 p.m. Since all the parishioners of St. Anne’s were considered members of the council, I would like interested people from there to contact me (Fr. Wilson) beforehand. Thanks!

SPANISH CLASS: Carol Oliveira, is offering a class Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in the rectory. New students are welcome to come. If you would like more info, contact Carol at 508-997-8859.

ENGLISH CLASS will begin soon. Nancy Medeiros is working to gather the materials right now and will have sign-ups at the door of the church. This will be open to anyone who would like to improve their English. Nancy can speak Spanish and Portuguese, so people of either background should have no problem. We thank the other people who volunteered last weekend to help with the classes. For more info, either to be a student or to help teaching, please contact Nancy at 993-9612.

ESL CLASSES offered by Catholic Social Services will begin in the fall. Registration will be held on Sept.9 from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Sister Anne Marie Phillips Learning Center, corner of Delano & South Second Sts. Classes will be assigned on that day in local locations. If you cannot go that day, please call Sheila Sullivan at 508-997-7337 on any Thursday to arrange for registration.

YOUTH GROUP: Next meeting is this Thursday at 7:45 in the church hall.

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS: The Eucharistic Ministers will have a meeting on Wednesday, August 25 at 7 p.m. We will begin with a faith sharing, then go over how the distribution of Communion is going, discuss Communion to the sick at home, and train new Extraordinary Ministers. Please place this in your calendar.

LECTORS will have a meeting on Wednesday, September 1 at 7 p.m. in the rectory. Please reserve this space on your calendar.

CCD TEACHERS will have an appreciation dinner and meeting on Wednesday, August 18 at 6 p.m. here. Please call the rectory to RSVP. Thanks for your valuable service of spreading the faith!

REGISTRATION FOR CCD – Registration for this year’s classes will be held the weekends of Sept. 4/5 and 11/12 after the Masses. Classes will begin the week of September 19. Please mark your calendars. Passing on the faith is such a vital task, beginning with parents and Godparents, and then assisted by our dedicated Religious Education teachers.

BABY SUPPLIES NEEDED: Project PALM (Protect all the Little Munchkins) is looking for your help in assisting new mothers and newborns. PALM was founded by Bishop Stang Seniors Allysa Piché & Matthew Lecuyer (son of Mrs. Lecuyer, formerly of St. James/St. John School). Donations can be dropped off in marked boxes in the back of the church ‘til Sept. 12. The following new, unused items are needed: baby soap & shampoo, baby wipes, bibs, blankets, booties, bottles, disposable diapers, diaper rash ointment, lotions, onesies, pacifiers, socks, and washcloths. Please do not give baby food, formula or perishable food items. Thank you for your collaboration!

FOCOLARE is an international Catholic movement which works toward building unity within the Church, outside the Church and in our world. Please feel welcome to come with family and/or friends to spend an evening of fun & prayer this Friday, August 13 from 7 to 9 p.m., meeting at 718 Russells Mills Road, S. Dartmouth. For more info, call parishioner Grace Cardoza at 990-1228.

NATIVITY PREPARATORY SCHOOL is accepting applications for 5^th & 6^th grades this Fall. Nativity is a private, tuition-free middle school for boys from low income families. For more info, call 994-3800 or go by the school at 66 Spring St., downtown.

BUS SERVICE CHANGES: In the front entranceway of the church you may read an announcement from SRTA, the local bus agency, regarding a fare hike and cutting back of service that is planned to begin September 7. The fare will go from $1 to $1.25 (seniors & children from 50 to 60 cents) and Route 5 (Rivet St.) will be cut back to every 45 minutes. If you are concerned about this, you must contact the administrator’s office before August 29. Phone 997-6767 or lpettine@aol.com.

MEETING FOR FISH WORKERS will be held this Wednesday at 6:30 at the community room of the Ben Rose Housing, 35 Delano St. They will be meeting with the state procurator to discuss salaries and rights.

Eucharistic Adoration This Week – On Tuesday, From 7 to 9 p.m. we will have Eucharistic Adoration, with the Rosary prayed at 7:20, a talk at 8 p.m., Night Prayer & Benediction at 8:45 and Confessions during the evening. Father Richard and Deacon Karl will be present this week.

ST. JAMES/ST. JOHN SCHOOL: There are limited openings in grades 1, 2, 4 & 6 for this Fall. Please contact Principal Ed Borges (996-0534).

FAMILY ASSISTANCE: Maria Pereira from Catholic Social Services wrote to us to announce that she is working with the Family Center for Non-violence to train volunteers to promote positive communications skills in families. If you would like to volunteer or if you are looking for some assistance with your family, contact Maria at CSS (997-7337).

CLARK’S POINT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION will meet at Fort Tabor (in the first building on the right as you drive in) on Wednesday, August 18 at 6:30. Come join with your neighbors to discuss issues of concern to the South End and work to make the neighborhood better.

TIFERETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE invites us to come and hear Ruth Gruber, this Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Ruth Gruber will present the second volume of her autobiography, Inside of Time: My Journey from Alaska to Israel. Gruber worked for President Roosevelt in WWII, shuttling refugees from Europe to the USA and helped displaced persons after the war. To make reservations, call the Jewish Federation of Greater New Bedford (997-7471) or the synagogue (997-3171). Cost is $5 and refreshments will be served.

CIVIL WAR WEEKEND: The Fort Taber Historical Association invites us to their 2^nd annual Civil War weekend, Aug. 13-15. New Bedford will be transformed into Charleston, SC. It is the largest Civil War Encampment in Southern New England. From meals to parades to dances, the 1860s will come alive. Also, tours of Fort Taber will be available as well as the new Fort Taber Military Museum. For more info: www.forttaber.org or www.newbedfordtourism.com or call 800-508-5353.

CATHOLIC CITIZENSHIP MINISTRY, with Catholic Bishops of Massachusetts, has organized an evening with former Mayor and Ambassador Ray Flynn, Wed., Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. at Bishop Stang High School (Slocum Rd., N. Dartmouth). The discussion will center around how Catholic values of economic and social justice and human dignity can be respected in our political world. For more info, please call 508-678-3351.

HOSPICE VOLUNTEERS: Community Nurse & Hospice Care invites compassionate individuals to be a part of their volunteer team. Training sessions are Mondays & Wednesdays, beginning Sept. 8 and concluding Oct. 13. They’re held 5:30-7:30 at 62 Center St., Fairhaven. For more info, call JoAnn Richard at 999-3400.

"Bearing Fruit by Streams of Waters," the newly published history of the Diocese of Fall River, is on sale in the rectory for $20. This limited addition book begins with the work of the church in our area before the 1904 founding of the diocese and traces the various developments over the past century. St. James, St. Anne’s, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, and St.Hedwig’s each have a little section, and mention is made of St. Hyacinth’s, too. If you would like to buy a copy, please speak to one of the priests or deacons (after Masses) or Carol Sylvia or Ana Medina (at the rectory). It might make a good gift or a keepsake to hand on to later generations.