June 25, 2006
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Weekend Mass Intentions
Saturday,  June 24
    6:00 PM   For Hectoreine Hebert by Therese Therrien & Normand & Jeannine Fraser 
Sunday,  June 25
    9:30 AM  For the parishioners of St.Paul
Saturday,  July 1  
   6:00 PM  For Julie Pinard by Paul & Rita Gosselin
Sunday,  July 2
   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 ________

RCIA-(Christian Initiation for Adults).

            The Catholic Community of St. Paul Parish wish to extend a special invitation to all who are interested in learning more about the process of becoming a Baptized member of our Church.  If you, or someone you know have been thinking about taking this step toward full Communion, do not hesitate to call the office at 483-8481 and ask to speak to Lorette about this process.  Whether you have already been baptized in another Christian Faith denomination or have never been baptized at all, the road is open to all.  If you are interested in knowing more about this spiritually enriching journey toward Catholicism, we would be happy to meet with you and answer any questions you may have.

A Time for Altar Serving Training
    If you have a son or daughter who has made their 1st Communion and is between the ages of 8 and 12 years old, and has expressed the desire to be an altar server, this is the time to come forward.  We will be trying a new method of training this year.  We are in the process of making a video for them to take home and watch.  This way they can watch the video as often as they need to in order to remember what their responsibilities are.  If your child is interested in this important ministry, please let Lorette know as soon as possible. 
    If your child has not mentioned this desire, perhaps you may want to ask them. 

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.  The last class of the year will be on Sunday, May 14, 2006   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 class of the school year was on May 21, 2006.  This class was held at St. Peter Church at 4:00 PM.  There were a number of church related activities on that day which would make it difficult if not impossible to hold a double program.  We will return to having separate sessions in the fall.   Thank you very much for your understanding.  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 meet one extra time per month.   All students from both parishes will meet together in Auburn for these meetings.

Question of the Week
<>12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Theme: (Faith in the Lord)
Reading I: Job 38:1, 8-11,(The Power of the Lord)
Reading II: 2 Cor. 5:14-17 (A New Creation)
<>Gospel: Mark. 4:35-41 (The Calming of a Storm)

Question for Adults:   How have Jesus’ words led and guided me to a deeper faith?
      On the one hand, the answer to this question is a very personal one.  Each one of us has been led to a deep faith in our own personal way.  We are all unique individuals who are loved by God in a very unique way.  God guides us all, yet He does so very gently and sensitively according to our needs and our abilities, our frailties and our willingness to follow.  The constant factor in all this is God’s Faithfulness to each and every one of us.
      On the other hand, we all have the experience of being led and guided by Jesus toward a deeper faith.  Although there are dozens of factors that enter into this journey of faith, we can all learn from one another and we can lean on one another for inspiration and encouragement.  In this respect we can look at the following in order to assist us in our reflection this week.  Perhaps you may want to ask yourself the following questions:
      Are there people who have come into my life over the past few years who have led me to question the reality of my faith?  How has this happened?
      Have there been any situations, (death or other tragedy, loss of a job, divorce etc), that have forced me to search for deeper answers about God? 
      Have the Gospel words come to me at times I least expect them, perhaps while I’m shopping or cleaning or at work with others who do not share my beliefs?  What have I done with these ideas?
     
Question for Children?    How do I see God’s power each day?   This is an excellent time to lead your child into a discussion on the miracles of Creation.  You could even divide the talks into categories such as miracles/God’s power in our home life, our play time, our sleeping time.  Then you could move to the power displayed in nature, the trees, plants etc., then, the oceans, the heavenly bodies.  Children never cease to be amazed.  They may be able to think of things we, as adults can no longer see because we are too busy or too jaded.

Community News

Youth Work Camp
    Perhaps you may remember that the youth of our parish were invited to join the youth of St. Peter Church in Auburn for a week of dedicated service to places in the US that were most in need of their help.  Two of our young people took up the challenge. They, along with the youth of St. Peter’s will be heading for Machias, Maine this week.  Please keep them and their chaperones in your prayers.  The work can be quite tedious at times but it is also very rewarding.  Pray that they may all be open to the work of the Holy Spirit within them. 

A Trip to the Holy Land
    I am organizing a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for March 5-March 14, 2007.  If anyone would be interested in joining in this trip please call Sacred Hear Parish in Lebanon and ask for Fr. William Kaliyadan, M.S. at (603)448-1262 or e-mail Fr. at williamms@hotmail.com The trip will include sailing on the Sea of Galilee, visiting Capernaum, the ascent to Mt. Tabor, and on to Jerusalem. 

Mark Your Calendars
    The office of Vocations to the Priesthood is midway toward their goal of celebrating a monthly Mass for Vocations through the year 2006.  The following dates include the next six Masses.  All Masses will be held at St. Joseph’s Cathedral.  Please join us in praying for priestly vocations.


Please Mark Your Calendars
    The office of Spirituality and Evangelization is preparing to celebrate the 1st Annual New Hampshire Catholic Faith Conference on Saturday, October 28, 2006 in Concord, NH.  The Focus of this conference is Evangelization, and the theme is “Come, We Have God’s Work to do.” 
    Please mark your calendars and commit to this day!!! We will give more information as time approaches.

Seacoast Theology-on-Tap

            We are having 4TOTs in Portsmouth New Hampshire.  All will be held at the Portsmouth Brewery on Market Street from 6:30-8:00pm.  Speakers and dates are as follows:

June 22nd         Fr. Volney (Von) DeRosia
                        From St. Michael Church, Exeter
June 29th          Fr. Fritz Cerullo, OSA
                        From St. Mary Church, Dover 
Come! Bring your buddies and have a drink and appetizers, socialize, learn, ask questions, and enjoy an evening of a fun-filled faith-talk that will help you know our Lord Jesus better.  This is a great opportunity to ask the deeper questions and become engaged in “real” talk.  For more information, please call 669-3100, ext. 174, or send email to cya@rcbm.org