St. Paul's Church, Candia, NH

April 27, 2008
6th Sunday of Easter Alleluia
Jesus is Risen – He is Truly Risen

Weekend Mass Intentions

Saturday, April 26
    6:00 PM For the Parishioners of St. Paul
Sunday, April 27
    9:30 AM For Leon & Alexina Therrien by Therese Therrien
Saturday, May 3
   6:00 PM For the Parishioners of St. Paul
Sunday, May 4
    9:30 AM PM For Deceased members of the Gibeau family by the Lebel family

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 20, 2008
St. Paul, Candia
Envelopes   $1104
Loose           509
Credit 340
Total    1953

    Special Collection
Total to Date $11,905.00

Last weekend envelope users contributed 73% of our income.
(Amount tithed for the poor and needy: $117.18)
Thank You so much for your Generosity.

Ascension Thursday: This Thursday, May 1^st is the feast of the Ascension of Our Lord. This is a Holy Day of Obligation for all Catholics. We will be having Mass for the feast on the vigil. Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday evening, April 30, 2008 at 7:00 pm.

Change of Schedule: St. Paul’s will be celebrating the sacrament of the Eucharist for First Communicants on Saturday, May 10, 2008. For this occasion we will be changing the 6:00 PM Mass to 4:00 PM. There will be no 6 pm Mass on that day and that day only.    If this is your usual Mass you are more than welcome to attend the First Communion ceremony.

Women of Faith Event
    Women of Faith is a Manchester area group of Christian, Jewish and Muslim women who gather to share religious beliefs, culture and traditions and to develop understanding and friendship among us. We are pleased to invite all women to our next event entitled, Wedding Traditions. We will meet in the downstairs dining room at First Congregational Church, 508 Union St. Manchester on Monday, May 5, 7-9 p.m. Join us to learn about wedding traditions from a variety of faiths and cultures. Bring a wedding remembrance to share. Parking is available in the lot behind the church on the corner of Amherst and Union. Please call Barbara Lantiegne at 668-5366 to RSVP by May 3 or if you have any questions.

Electronic Offering:
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, simply fill in the following and return to our office.
*****************************************
Name on Card___________________________________
Address________________________________________
Please Check: ______MasterCard ______Visa
       ______Debit MasterCard _____Debit Visa
Card Number:___________________________________
Expiration:_________________Amount:_______________
How often do you want this transaction to occur?
____One time _____Weekly_____Bi-Weekly ______Monthly

Signature:________________________________________
Email___________________________________________

Christian Formation News

2007-2008 Schedule (click here)

Grades K – High School
All children from grade K – 10 must register. The registration does not roll over from one year to the next. You can pick up a form in the back of the church or you can visit the parish office Monday – Thursday during office hours or give us a call at 483-8481 and ask us to mail you a form. We would be happy to do this

Grades K- 3 The children in grades K – 3 attend classes during the weekend liturgies. We use a Lectionary Catechesis which is based on the Gospel of the week. Kindergarten students are not obliged to attend regularly. However, beginning with grade l, students must attend classes on a weekly basis as the program for 1st Communion is a two year program. It is vital that students continue with their Christian Formation even after their 1st Communion. This year’s program will begin on September 15, 2007

Grades 4 – 10 + This program is designed for both parents and children. Parents are asked to attend the sessions as they have the opportunity to refresh their memory on important matters of the faith . This year’s program for the Generations of Faith has come to an end as of April 13th.
Schedule of Classes

Question of the Week
6th Sunday of Easter
Theme: (Discipleship in Christ)
Reading: Acts 8: 5-8 (Peter and John)
Reading II: 1 Peter: 3:15-18 (Brought to Life in the Spirit)
Gospel: John 14:15- 21 (Keep My Commandments)

Question for Adults: In what ways am I most aware of God’s presence in my life? How open am I to that presence? In as much as we often say that we would like God to be more present in our daily activities, it often happens that we tend to run the other way (unconsciously) when we become aware of God’s presence and his desire to commune with us. This practice often leads to confusion on our part. This week, perhaps we could try to become more aware of God’s knocking on the door of our hearts. If we sense ourselves wanting to run away, we could spend a short time in prayer asking for the courage to stay with the experience. If we cannot stay with it, we must ask God and ourselves why this is so.

Question for Children? When I am feeling alone, do I remember that God is with me and that I can talk to him in my heart. Teaching children to be aware of God’s presence in their heart is perhaps one of the greatest gifts we can give them as parents and teachers. Having a loving relationship with God is what our faith is all about. One way to help our children with this practice is to talk to them about their conversations with God on a daily basis. The quiet time just before bed time is a possible “good’ time for this practice.

Why do we have Holy Days of Obligation
First of all we must remember that Easter is not just another feast but the feast of all feasts. With this feast we celebrate the fact that Christ crushed death and gave us New Life. The various aspects of this mystery are unfolded during the liturgical year. We commemorate these events on all Sundays of the year. (CCC 1169).
There are some feasts that do not fall on a Sunday but are nonetheless of equal importance to those we celebrate on the Sundays of the year. Over the years, some of these feast have been transferred to the closest Sunday such as the Epiphany since the changing of the date was not significant to the play of events. There are other feasts that are impossible to change however, such as the feast of the Ascension. This feast falls 40 days after Easter which brings it to a Thursday. Other days such as Christmas and some feasts of Mary are other such days. Because of their significance in the life of Christ, the church asks Catholics to regard them as any other Sunday hence, the Holy Day of Obligation.

Community News

Jesus Quest: A Scripture Retreat for women ages 18 and up. “Come apart and rest a while”; allow the Lord to refresh you. The retreat will be Friday May 16th at 7 pm until Sunday May 18th at 1 pm at Our Lady of Hope House of Prayer in New Ipswich, NH. The suggested donation is $60 – 110 as able. The registration deadline is May 9th. Please contact Sr. Lorraine Aucoin, pm at 668-1791 or srlorrainea@yahoo.com.

We’re Looking for Pictures. . .
Msgr. Donald Gilbert, who was pastor of this parish from 1995-1999, will be retiring from parish ministry this summer. His present parish of St. Matthew’s in Windham is preparing a book of memories commemorating his ministry. They are looking for pictures of him as he served in various parishes. Since he was pastor in this parish there are probably many of you who have pictures of Mgrs. Gilbert. If you would be willing to share these pictures and possibly a story that accompanies it, St. Matthew’s parish would be very appreciative. If you want to bring them here we can forward them to Windham. If you wish to contact the parish directly or if you have any questions, please contact Jack Kennedy at 603-890-1013 or e-mail him at jackkennedy3@verizon.net. The address for St. Matthew Parish is 2 Searles Rd., Windham, NH 03087

The Children Need Your Help!
CASA of NH trains concerned citizens to advocate for abused and neglected children in the courts. There are children waiting for someone to speak on their behalf. Your common sense, commitment to children, and a contribution of 15 hours a month will help ensure a child grows up in a safe, permanent home. To become a CASA/GAL volunteer and help the children in your community, please call 800/626-0622, or log onto www.casanh.org for more information.

Food Pantry for April This month our pantry shelves are in need of Tuna, Macaroni & Cheese, and Cereal. We can also use Instant Dry Milk. Thank you very much for all you do for those less fortunate.

A Look at Upcoming Events

Holy Family Academy. . . cordially invites you to a special evening with noted author and speaker. . .Robert Moynihan, Ph.D. who will speak on “Pope Benedict’s Vision – A Challenge to Catholic Education”. Our Second Annual Dinner to benefit Holy Family Academy will be held at The Event Center, CR Sparks, Bedford, NH, Friday, May 2, 2008 at 6:00 pm. The evening will include a cocktail hour, a delicious dinner, stimulating talk and a book signing. Tickets are $100.00 per person and may be obtained by calling the Academy at 644-7247. Tables of 10 are available.

An Invitation . . . The Parish of the Resurrection at 449 Broad Street in Nashua, NH is inviting all to an evening of entertainment with musician/storyteller Steve Angrisano on May 17, 2008 beginning at 7:00 pm.
    Angrisano is recognized as one of the most dynamic and effective communicators with parish groups, youth, families and religious educators in the Church today. As a musician, composer and storyteller he has shared his music and message with thousands of people in more than 200 dioceses. His unique blend of laughter, song, story and hilarious audience interaction has made him a popular performer around the country.
    Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for Jr. and Sr. High students. Children (who must be accompanied by an adult) will be admitted free. All are invited to meet with Angrisano at a reception following the concert. For tickets, please call 882-0925 or e-mail rezparish@comcast.net or Ginny Provost at 623-7513 / gprovost1@comcast.net.

Journey to the Holy Land
    Join the pastor of All Saints Parish in Charlestown, No. Walpole, and Walpole, on a journey to the Holy Land, Dec. 3-12, 2008. We will visit the Holy Sites walking in the footsteps of Jesus and experience life-changing events. Cost is $2699 per person from the Manchester airport. For more info contact Lew and Rita Goody at 1-800-332-4659.

Pilgrimage to Italy
    Fr. Marc Montminy, pastor of Ste. Marie and Sacred Heart Parishes in Manchester, NH is leading a pilgrimage to Italy on November 5-13, 2008. The cost is $2599.00 per person from Boston. For a brochure please call Rita or Lew Goody at 1-800-322-4659.

The 49th International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City June 19-22, 2008.
    Come join the diocesan Pilgrimage to Quebec City. The weekend includes a three night stay at the 5 star Loews Le Concorde Quebec Hotel as well as a tour at Saint Anne de Beaupre Shrine and or course, bus transportation to and from Quebec and the Congress events.
    Double Room $575.00 per person.
    Triple Room $475.00 per person.
Space is on a first come first serve basis. A $300.00 non-refundable deposit with registration form is required by no later than April 2, 2008. For registration forms and more information, contact Karen Poza 606-7824 or khpoza@comcast.net. The Rev. Marc Montminy and Rev. Jason Jalbert are the diocesan Eucharistic Congress coordinators.

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: Marie Keenan, Frank and Greg Huard, Betty Lintz, Cecile Gendron, Lori Aguilera, Kimberly Mirolo, Rita Sullivan, Kathy Gauthier, Jean Swindler, Roger Plante, Joseph Gesel, Jacob Desrocher, Cindy Huard, Deborah McGovern, Ethel Thomas, Gordon Gladden and Carol Sheperd.

For peace in the world, especially in the Middle East…
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...

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.