St. Paul's Church, Candia, NH

Weekend Mass Intentions
Saturday, April 29
    6:00 PM Alexina Therrien by Therese Therrien
Sunday, April 30
    9:30 AM For the parishioners of St.Paul
Saturday, May 6
   6:00 PM  For the parishioners of St.Paul
Sunday, May 7
   9:30 AM  John & Rita Lefebvre By Mary & Barry Stevens

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 ________

Update on Parish Income

Weekend of April 23, 2006
St. Paul, Candia
Envelopes   $1905
Loose           282
Credit 100
Total    2287

Last weekend envelope users contributed 84% of our income.
(Amount tithed for the poor and needy: $137.22)

Thank You so much for your Generosity.

You Have the Power to Make a Difference

Since 1945, NH Catholic Charities has responded to the unique needs of hundreds of thousands of people. The agency has held the hands of the elderly, served as the voice of inspiration for countless individuals and families, and offered an attentive ear to children. This attentiveness made a significant difference in the case of one very neglected little girl who came to St. Charles Children’s Home. When she arrived at the home she displayed almost no vocabulary, a severe lack of feelings towards herself and others, and behavior so bad that no foster home was capable of handling her. Through the nurturing and care of St. Charles’ staff, however, she is now able to communicate, behave appropriately, and express her feelings. . .

With each passing year, the call to help becomes more desperate, more involved, and Catholic Charities is faced with the challenge to answer. The Annual Appeal is a primary source of funding for Catholic Charities. It is through your generosity that the agency is able to continue its mission of helping and healing. Please give what you can. Your gift will help change a life forever.

Trinity High School Open House

Trinity High School will be hosting a Spring Open House on Sunday, May 7^th from 12 noon to 3:00pm for 6^th and 7^th graders, late-applying 8^th graders, and their families. You will have the opportunity to meet faculty and other members of the Trinity community. Call Admissions at 668-1779.

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 runs from mid-September to mid-May. We do offer the program at all Masses .

Grades 4 – 10+
This year we are initiating a new program for the children in these grade levels. The classes are held once a month and the program is geared to the entire family. Parents are asked to attend the sessions as there is an adult component to the program. Our first class was Sunday, October 16, 2005 from 11am – 1pm. The last two classes of the school year are: April 2, and May 21, 2006.    All classes will are 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 date for March is as follows: March 5, 2006. It 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.

Question of the Week
Third Sunday of Easter
Theme: (Witnesses of Christ)
Reading I: Acts 3:13-15 (Witnesses to the Resurrection)
Reading II: 1 John 2:1-5 (Expiation for Our Sins)
Gospel: Luke 24:35-48 (Fulfillment of the Scriptures)

Question for Adults: How might I deepen my personal relationship with Jesus so that my life becomes a more authentic witness to the Gospel?
            The answer to this question could lead us through a maze of questions and answers. Of course the simple answer is to rely on our human experience. How can we deepen our relationship with anyone? The obvious answer is to spend more time with them, listening to them, sharing our own thoughts and feelings about our experiences etc. Naturally, the same can be done with our relationship with Jesus.
      The sticky point comes in the second part of the question, however. How can we deepen our relationship in order to become more authentic in our living out of the Gospel? It now becomes obvious that we do not want to develop an intimacy for solely for our personal joy. We want to be able to witness our love, our joy, our passion for the person we love. Again we can draw on our human experience.
            When we sincerely love someone it shows. We do not have to write it on a bumper sticker or on our foreheads, or in the newspaper. When we truly love someone, people will notice. It often happens that people will notice our feelings for others much more than we are aware. What are your feelings about Jesus? Do you know him enough to have a deep relationship with him? Do you spend enough time in his company? Do you think about him at times? What do you think or feel about him? Could this improve? Where are the weak points?

Question for Children?   What is one way this week that I can tell others how much God loves us all?   Telling others how much God loves us can be done in various ways. The best way is to do it the way it is most comfortable for us. For some of us, it is simply by speaking out. For some of us, taking action comes more naturally. There is not one way that is best. If we are sincere and kind in our words or actions people will get the message very easily. Help you child to think of ways he/she can put this point across with relative ease.

Community News

A Look at Upcoming Events

“God or the Girl”
      This Friday, May 5^th at Joseph House in Manchester, join local men who have similar stories to Dan, Mike, Steve and Joe who starred on A&E’s reality show “God or the Girl”. As these four young men faced the most difficult decision of their lives on television, men in NH face the same difficult decision at monthly gatherings called Crossroads. If you are a single, young man who is searching to know God’s will in your life, come to Crossroads. Gatherings begin at 6:30 p.m. with Mass followed by dinner and discussion. Contact Fr. Jason Jalbert, Associate Vocation Director at jjalbert@rcbm.org. or call Fr. Jason at 660-3100.

First Communion Retreat
    Just a reminder to parents who have children in the First Communion Class. There will be a Retreat for the children on Saturday, May 6, 2006 beginning at 9:45 a.m. The retreat will end at 12 noon. Parents need not stay for the entire session. Simply pick them up at 12 noon.
     Children who will be making their First Communion on May 13, will be having a rehearsal immediately following the retreat. It should last no longer than a half hour. Parents should be present at the rehearsal. See you all on May 6th.

Cathedral Music in Manchester presents Bach’s “Actus Tragicus”, Sacred Cantata 106, performed by Choralis Ars Antiqua Friday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m., St. Joseph Cathedral, corner of Pine and Lowell Streets in Downtown Manchester. The Choir, under the direction of Michael Joseph, will perform this most famous cantata, along with psalm settings by Thomas Tallis from Archbishop Parker’s Psalm Book. Admission is free and open to the public. A free-will offering will go to the Cathedral Organ Fund. The Cathedral is handicapped accessible. For more information call 660-3100
ext. 190.

NH Charismatics
    Alpha, New England is sponsoring, and St. Michael Parish in Exeter, NH, is hosting Freedom in Christ, a conference by Neal Lozano, author of the book “Unbound Freedom in Christ” beginning Friday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m. and continuing Saturday May 6, at 8:30a.m.
    Why go? Have you ever felt stuck, bound up, unable to move forward and experience the love and freedom you see other Christians experience the love and freedom you see other Christian experience? You ask yourself, “How can I be free?” This seminar will present a sound practical road map to greater freedom from what binds you. For more information or to register please call St. Michael Parish at 772-2494.

Electronic Offering:
A few months ago the finance council recommended the implementation of electronic contributions for weekly contributions.
Our Parish is now able to take your offertory donations through Credit or Debit card. If you wish to make you contribution in this manner, go to our website home page and make your contribution on line.

Raymond Head Start Now Taking Applications
    Head Start is a free comprehensive child and family program for preschool aged children, including those with special needs, from families whose income do not exceed the federal guidelines ($20,000 family of four). Head Start provides developmentally appropriate activities and education for children in a classroom setting. In addition it provides :
Health & Nutrition Services, Disability Services
Social Services, Family & Community Partnerships and Parent involvement & Support.
    The program runs from September through May, 5 days a week from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. through state licensed child care providers. If you or someone you know qualifies for this program please call the Raymond Center, 895-9223 to schedule a time to apply. After June 1, contact the Administrative Offices at 1-800-556-9300 or
431-2911.

CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS

Please remember the following people and intentions in your daily prayers:

Our sick parishioners and friends…

Please pray for the following people: . Charlie Doucette, Betty Lintz, Cecile Gendron, Kimberly Mirolo, Rita Sullivan, Kathy Gauthier, Roger Auger, Jean Swindler, Roger Plante, Rita Matten, Joseph Gesel, Jacob Desrocher, Cindy Huard, Deborah McGovern, Ethel Thomas, Gordon Gladden and Carol Sheperd.

For peace in the world, especially in Iraq…
For those serving in the armed forces...
For families experiencing stress due to financial, emotional or relational problems
For our sister parish in Haiti...
For vocations to full-time ministry, especially the priesthood, the deaconate, religious life lay ministry...
For all victims of current natual disasters world wide...

If you would like to add a person or intention, please let us know. If people on the sick list are no longer in need of prayers, please let us know.