Holy Mass Schedule
(Winter)
St. Augustine’s Church
Saturday 4:00 pm
7:00 pm (in Portuguese)
Sunday 9:00 am
St. Elizabeth’s Church
Sunday 11:00 am
Our Lady Star of the Sea Church
Closed for season
Daily Mass
Monday – Friday
8:00 am at St. Elizabeth’s Church, EDG
First Fridays/Saturdays
8:00 am Masses St. Augustine’s Church, VH; followed by the Rosary and Confession 8:30-9:00 am
After First Friday Mass,
24 Hour Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament,
in the Chapel 9:00 am – 9:00 am
First Fridays: 7:00 pm Mass (Portuguese) at St. Augustine’s Church
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Mon-Fri 8:30-9:00 am (St. Elizabeth’s Church);
Saturday 3:00 pm (St. Augustine’s);
First Fridays/Saturdays 8:30-9:00 am (St. Augustine’s)
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Mass at MV Hospital beginning Nov. 18, 2025, 3rd Tuesday of each month
Fr. Joseph will celebrate Mass at MV Hospital at 11:00 am, for hospital patients, visitors and staff once per month, on the 3rd Tuesdays. (photo credit: Kyra Steck, MVTimes)
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Advent 2025 Women’s Retreat
Saturday, December 6, 2025 9:00 am – 2:30 pm
Corpus Christi Parish, 324 Quaker Meetinghouse Rd, East Sandwich
The retreat cost is $20 per person and includes: Morning Mass,
Continental Breakfast, Keynote Talks from Speakers,
Discussion & Community, Lunch, Adoration and
Opportunity for Confession (click on the picture to register)
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OCIA – Order of Christian Initiation for Adults
An Invitation That Never Ends!
Have you been worshiping with us, but never officially taken the step to become Catholic? Have you been away from the Church, and have now returned, but want to know more? Have you been a Catholic all your life, but never celebrated all the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist)? Have you joined us from a different background and would like to find out more about the Catholic Church?
If you (“or someone you know”) answers YES to any of these questions, you are invited to find out more through the process called the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). It is a journey that begins with your questions. On behalf of the Catholic faith community of the Good Shepherd Parish, we look forward to welcoming you.
We are using the newly revised series Symbolon: The Faith of the Church. This 16-episode series is available on http://formed.org and we have participant workbooks available at the parish office. Our OCIA team is Regina Amarins, Esther Deming, Sergio Racigh and Sue Pagliccia.
Unlock the profound beauty and depth of the Catholic faith by joining Taylor Kemp, Noelle Garcia, and Augustine Institute theologians on a transformative journey across America, delving into Catholicism’s rich history, core teachings, and spiritual practices. Guided by the Creed, it explores everything from the sacraments to inspiring saintly stories, empowering you to understand, live, and share your faith confidently. Designed to offer you and your parishioners a fuller understanding of the truths and beauty of the faith, this new series is ideal for your OCIA classes. Recommended too for adult Catholics as a refresher course. Watch the trailer: https://watch.formed.org/symbolon-the-faith-of-the-church/videos/symbolon-the-faith-of-the-church-trailer
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Financial Support for the O’Connell House & the Sisters of Good News
This is the first 13-room residence in MA which provides comprehensive services to women who have been sex trafficked. These women may be pregnant and/or have a small child. It is a place where dignity will be restored and healing can occur. The unique 24/7 “Sister Care Model” delivers trauma-informed care which supports their complex needs with compassion, while being the loving nurturing presence the women so desperately need.
As of August 4, 2025, they have had two women graduate from this program! Parishioner Deb O’Hara-Rusckowski, co-founder of The O’Connell House and delegate for the United Nations representing the Order of Malta said: “Many thanks to our friends and supporters on Martha’s Vineyard! We so appreciate all of you!! Thank you for keeping our women, and their children, in your prayers as they heal from the horrors of being trafficked.” 🙏
Visit their website: http://theoconnellhouse.org or follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheOConnellHouseMA
Checks can be made out to The O’Connell House, Inc. and mail to: The O’Connell House, P.O. Box 9568, Lowell, MA. 01853.
Please keep them and all victims of human trafficking in your daily prayers!
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Pope Leo XIV, Robert Cardinal Prevost was elected as 267th Bishop of Rome on May 8, 2025. First Pope born in the USA.
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Prayer for Priests – St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Join us every Thursday in praying for priests.
Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
for your unfaithful and tepid priests;
for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields;
for your tempted priests;
for your lonely and desolate priests;
for your young priests;
for your dying priests;
for the souls of your priests in Purgatory.
But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me:
the priest who baptized me;
the priests who’ve absolved me from my sins;
the priests at whose Masses I’ve assisted and who’ve given me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
the priests who’ve taught and instructed me;
all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, especially our pastor Fr. Joseph, Fr. Edivar, & all priests who have served on Martha’s Vineyard.
O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.
Amen.
Mission Statement
Knowing that all things in this world are gifts of God, presented to us so that we can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily; recognizing God as the Origin of Life, the giver of freedom and the source of all that we have and are and will be; knowing ourselves to be recipients and caretakers of God’s many gifts; grateful for all that we have received; eager to cultivate our gifts out of love for God and one another. The Mission of the Good Shepherd Parish is to give witness and to celebrate the Risen Christ’s Presence in the life of each person.
Parish Prayer
God, our Father, bless our Good Shepherd Parish. Help us to welcome all who come to worship, adore and praise You, the One true God and Father of us all.
Jesus, be with us, as we celebrate your life, death and resurrection in Word and Sacrament.
Holy Spirit, fill our parish family with your love. Help us to love one another in our parish and in our family. Guide us in your holy will for the present and the future of our Parish of the Good Shepherd. Amen.
Vision Statement
We have a fruitful past, a challenging present and a hopeful future.
We invite all our island parishioners, year-round and summer, to recommit themselves to being disciples of Jesus Christ.
We see our future as offering a stronger community presence, closer unity, and greater strength and dynamic growth in a living faith.
Our Presence will be in vibrant lay participation joining with the service of our pastor and support staff.
Our Unity will be celebrated in our communal gatherings in settings appropriate to our diverse liturgical, educational and social needs.
Our Strength will come from the sharing of time, talent and treasure of parishioners of varied age, residence and background.
Our Growth will come through embracing change and through participation in our challenging ministries.
As a Parish, we will prayerfully and joyously serve our island community, following the example and command of Jesus, The Good Shepherd.
Good Shepherd Parish History—Fun Fact: Do you remember or perhaps wonder about our parish’s history? On May 2, 2004, Bishop George Coleman consolidated the three parishes into one new parish, The Good Shepherd Parish, with three Churches to worship in, St. Augustine’s Church in Vineyard Haven, Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Oak Bluffs and St. Elizabeth’s Church in Edgartown. The coat of arms, designed by Fr. Nagle a few years later, represents the unity of the three Churches as one: the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd at the center; Our Lady Star of the Sea–boat on the sea following the star; St. Elizabeth’s–basket of bread (which she fed to the poor); St. Augustine’s–the flaming, pierced heart; and the flowing water is from the Diocese of Fall River’s coat of arms, as uniting our communities as one parish to the diocese.