February 19, 2006
7th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Weekend Mass Intentions
Saturday,  February 18
   4:00 PM  Intention of the Celebrant
Sunday,  February 19
   8:00 AM  Eleanor Ahearn by her husband George Ahearn
   9:30 AM  For the parishioners of St.Paul
Saturday,  February 25
    4:00 PM  Intention of the Celebrant
Sunday,  February 26
   8:00 AM  Intention of the Celebrant
   9:30 AM  For the parishioners of St.Paul

Parish News and Notes

Parish office hours
    Our parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. The Pastoral Associate is in most afternoons until 4:00 PM.  If you need to come in the PM please give us a call to make sure someone is here. Messages can always be left on the answering machine. 

Are you registered?
     Are you new to our parish?   If you are, please pick up a registration form in the vestibule of the church. Registration is very important.  Just drop it in the basket or mail it to our office.  Thanks!  We are always happy to receive new parishioners.  We welcome you and pray you will be happy here with us.

Please use church envelopes 
    Envelope users provide the bedrock of our financial support.  Please consider using them.  New packets of envelopes are mailed every three months. If you would like to receive some but you are not yet on the mailing list, please call Jeannine to give her your name and address. Thank you!

Envelope Request Form ____ I want to support our parish on a regular basis. Please add me to the envelope list. Name ______________________________ Address___________________________ Town ________________,NH Zip ________

Generation of Faith Session  
    The GoF session that was scheduled for last Sunday, Feb. 12, was postponed to this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. due to last week’s storm.  This session is very important since it will be preparing us to celebrate the season of Lent as families and as a parish.  All parishioners are invited to this session. 

CYA (Catholic Young Adults)  are inviting everyone between the ages of 20-39 to join them at their next two meetings if you are interested in getting more involved in your church.  The meetings will be here at St. Paul’s on Feb. 14th and 28th.  Both meetings will be at 6:30 – 8:00 pm.  If you want more information on this organization contact the website at www.cyanh.org  We hope to see you at the next meeting!

Food Pantry Needs! ! !
    Our food pantry is being used quite regularly this winter and we are completely out of certain foods.  We especially need,  Tuna,  any kind of Soup,  ready prepared canned meals such as Ravioli, Chili, Spaghetti etc.  We could also use canned fruit and Spaghetti Sauce.  Please no pasta for a while.  Thank you all so much!

Christian Formation News

Grades K – 3     The children entering grades K- 3 this fall will be attending Lectionary Catechesis as they have been in the past.  The program began on the weekend of September 24/25th.  We hope to be able to offer the program at all Masses but we will have to have a sufficient number of teachers and monitors to staff the three Masses.  If we do not have enough volunteers we will have to limit the classes to two Masses.   Grades 4 – 10+     All children in grades 4 – 10 will be attending the new program that is being initiated in the parish this year.  This means that they will attend classes once a month with their parents and the rest of the parish.  This class will be complimented by work at home which will enable the children to deepen their understanding of the theme of the month as well as to process the information on a day to day basis.  .    Since there will be only one class per month, parents will be asked to commit this weekend time as a priority to Christian Formation. The class may be made up by attending the class at St. Peter Parish the following weekend.  The classes will begin in October.  A  schedule for the year  has been mailed out to parents who have children previously enrolled in Religious Formation. Our first class is Sunday, October 16, 2005 from 11am - 1pm. The January and February Classes are scheduled as follows.  January 15, 2006 and February 12, 2006.  Both classes will be held from 11:00 – 1:00 pm.    If you are new to the parish or if you child is just beginning his/her formation, please call the parish office for a registration blank.     Confirmation students will also meet one extra time per month.  The dates for January and February are as follows.  January 8 and February 5, 2006.  Both will be held at 12:30PM immediately following the 11:30 Mass in Auburn.  All students from both parishes will meet together in Auburn for these meetings.

Holy Family Academy
    Holy Family Academy, a private school located in Manchester, NH, provides a classical education in the Roman Catholic tradition for students in grades 7-12.  The Academy will hold an OPEN HOUSE for prospective students on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2006 at 2:00 PM with a snow date of Feb. 12, 2006 at 2:00 PM.  Come and hear about the Academy’s program of excellence in classical education and solid formation in the Catholic Faith.  Holy Family Academy is currently accepting qualified students in grades 7-12 for the 2006-07 academic year.

Question of the Week
7th  Sunday of Ordinary Time
Theme: (God’s Forgiveness)
Reading I: Isaiah 43:18-19,21-25 (Wiping Out Sins)
Reading II: 2Cor. 1:18-22 (The Promises of God)
Gospel:  Mark 2: 1-12 (Authority to Forgive Sins)

Question for Adults: How is the story of Jesus forgiving the paralytic like my own experience of being forgiven of sin in the sacrament of reconciliation?
    There are several points that bear similarity between the two experiences.  However, before we take the time to reflect on these points this week, perhaps it would be good for us to ask ourselves, “Do we really believe in the merits of receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation?”  It seems as though many of us do not really believe in it or perhaps we really do not understand it as well as we should.  If we did, and if we really saw the parallel between being reconciled and being cured, we would make it a point to receive the sacrament a bit more regularly.
    One point that is important not to overlook in this question is the idea that sin is very much like paralysis.  When we turn away from God in our daily lives, (and this could include many and various ways), we place ourselves on a rode that is slippery and dangerous.  If we continue on this road we are living dangerously to say the least.  We may even be risking our spiritual health to the point that we become unable to proceed on our own.  Without the help of others we may remain incapacitated for life.       
    Paralysis on a physical level is simple to identify.  Being spiritually paralyzed is not always as simple to identify but both are as real, one as the other.  How does this point fit into our personal journey of faith?  And how does reconciliation help us to move on?

Question for Children? How do I think the man felt who could suddenly walk again and who knew that Jesus had forgiven all his sins??    This question does not leave much to the imagination.  Even children will be able to identify the joy and excitement this man must as felt when he realized he had been cured.  Perhaps you may want to help your children to think of times they were forgiven by their parents, their teachers, their friends etc. and also to remember what it was like to feel reconciled.  Being freed of guilt and pain is a wonderful experience.  It is worth helping your child to remember these times.

Community News