Nicholas “Nick” Francis McWilliams January 27th, 1992 – February 27th, 2019 Nick McWilliams of Halifax, MA was called home by God at the age of 27. He will be forever missed by his parents, Frank and Karen McWilliams and his sister, Mary McWilliams of Whitman, MA. Grandson to Frank X. McWilliams Jr., of Hull and predeceased by Patricia (Calvi) McWilliams. Grandson to Carol A. Swanson of Whitman and predeceased by Joel A. Swanson. Nephew to Joel & Sharon (predeceased) Swanson of Marlborough , Cheryl(God-mother) & David Blanchard of Kingston, John & Julie Swanson of Middleboro, Michael (God-father) & Lisa Swanson of Hingham, Patricia & Daniel Driscoll of Whitman, Kathleen McWilliams & Brian Amero of Amesbury, Richard & Hosana McWilliams of Pulaski, VA and many great aunts/uncles and loving cousins. Nick was an amazing young man who deserved the life he won’t get the chance to live. We believed, as we always did that he would overcome his disease and make a good life for himself. Despite Nick’s own battle, he always had time to lift someone else’s spirit up with encouragement and support. Nick’s love and compassion for others was not lost on those who knew him. He always had a smile on his face and loved the company of people. He thrived on good conversation, engaging in creative and interesting ideas, was an entrepreneur at heart, and was a hard worker and a kind soul. He was genuine and always interested to hear about what was going on in everyone’s life. Nick appreciated and enjoyed life. He especially loved his dog Noah, fishing, canoeing, camping, swimming, zip-lining, gardening, traveling, cooking, movies, and landscape design. He was a proud owner of Ecoscape Enterprises LLC Landscaping & Lawn Care. Nick attended Bridgewater State University. He also loved music and was a talented drummer. Nick was so much more than can ever be captured in words. Nick had a good and generous heart and we will all miss him terribly. Nick found that his greatest strength during his struggles was his faith and love for God. No matter how many paths Nick was on over the years, he always ended back on the sure path of God, bringing him back to purpose, hope, and light. Nick was especially proud to have worked as the Collaborative Social Media Outreach/Fund Development Coordinator for Our Lady of the Lake, Halifax and St Joseph the Worker, Hanson parishes. When you see Nick only through the eyes of addiction, you stop seeing Nick and who he really was. The true Nick was a beautiful person, someone who loved life, family, friends, and his God. Those struggling with drug addiction know every new day is a gift and ever present hope for recovery. Every life is profound and precious. May we all have open eyes and hearts, as Nick did, to help those suffering from addiction. In this way, Nick’s life continues to live on with dignity and purpose. Funeral Services will be held: Thursday, March 7th, 2019 Our Lady of The Lake Church 580 Monponsett Street, Halifax, MA Wake 9am-11am (in church) Funeral Mass 11am Funeral services are provided by Sullivan Funeral Home, Hanson, MA The McWilliams family is requesting, In lieu of flowers, any donations be made out to Our Lady of The Lake Church, 580 Monponsett Street Halifax, Massachusetts 02338. We were so proud of the collaborative website and social media networking that Nick completed while he was surrounded by a loving and supportive network of staff and friends. We were comforted knowing he was respected and treated as family – special thanks to Fr. Mike Hobson, Fr. Kwang Lee and Fr. Jack Schatzel, who specially cared for Nick’s spiritual needs. God bless you!
Monthly Holy Mass for Family Healing - Every 4th Saturday 11:00am -12noon Saint Joseph the Worker Church 1 Maquan St., Hanson, MA (fellowship & light refreshments to follow)
Thank you to all those who participated in our Family Healing and Recovery Ministry Fundraiser! You helped raise $400.00 for our media outreach which has helped defray the cost of the website design and additional mailer outreach of "Rosary4recovery.org" postcards. Every dollar helps bring awareness and support to other families in need of support and healing.
Reflection on the Jim Browne retreat weekend of November 2-4, 2018 As I reflect on the retreat, I can’t help but feel mixed feelings of happiness and sadness (that it is over). The weeks and days leading up to the retreat had its share of challenges for those of us directly involved in its plans and preparations. I always look at these difficulties as an indicator of many blessings to come. God is never outdone in generosity and we were alerted a few days after the retreat ended that one of our participants, Linda, who was diagnosed with stage 4 (metastatic) pancreatic cancer has had a healing. Her recent MRI report is “unexplainably” clean and her doctors are baffled! We thank God for this incredible outpouring of blessings and grace and we will keep you updated as we get more information. As a community, please join me in continued prayers for Linda and her family and for all of our and our families’ needs. We trust in Jesus Christ, the Divine Physician, who takes care of all of our needs. We will see many more blessings by surrendering to His will and “to have the faith of a mustard seed” trusting in Divine Providence. Between the three days, we had an average of 85 people in attendance. The retreat was lively with many laughs along with a few tears. We prayed together and shared our journeys with each other and I witnessed old friendships rekindle and new friendships blossom. The Spirit of God was ever present as we experienced profound physical, emotional and spiritual healings. Thank you Jesus! You called us together to worship as a community and filled us with peace and joy, beyond understanding which only comes from You. There were many gifted people who helped make the retreat a success. Behind the scenes were several people who donated their time, talent and finances to insure that others could enjoy a grace filled weekend. Your generosity was appreciated and was crucial in making this a blessed event. We enjoyed Jim Browne with his endearing Irish wit and special healing gifts of the Spirit. He kept us laughing and on the edge of our seats with his stories of healing and recovery. He has an uncanny ability to recognize the wounds in others and calls them out for healing through God’s will. Jim is the first to say that all healing comes from Jesus and he (Jim) is only an instrument in God’s hands. He encourages all to shout out thanks to God even those who are quiet and introverted by nature were shouting praise during this retreat. Jim has a generous spirit and happily gave everyone a blessed Medjugorje Christmas Day Crucifix. There have been many reports of healings from those who have been presented with these special crucifixes. Thank you for your holy priesthood, Fr. Mike Hobson and Fr. Kwang Lee. You tirelessly offered your precious time to hear confessions and to bless our group as well as individuals throughout the retreat weekend. It was truly a weekend filled with many blessings by your beautiful offerings of Holy Mass, Eucharistic Healing Services and prayers. We are truly blessed by your priestly service. Jim Browne (www.mirhousekilladoon.com )will return in the Fall 2019 for another retreat – Save the date for September 27-29, 2019. Please follow us at www.rosary4recovery.org All glory and honor to God! Thank you Jesus!