March 1, 2009
1st Sunday of Lent

Weekend Mass Intentions
Saturday, February 28
   6:00 PM  For Parishioners of St. Paul
Sunday,  March 1
    9:30 AM  For Michael Galibois By Marcel & Joyce Lebel
Saturday, March 7
   6:00 PM  PM  For Parishioners of St. Paul
Sunday,  March 8
    9:30 AM For Albert Gibeau By Marcel & Joyce Lebel

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 ________

Christian Formation News

All children from k – 10 must register for Religious Education each year.  The registration does not roll over from one year to the next.  We will be mailing a registration form through e-mail in the near future.  If you have not received a form by mid-August it is because we do not have your e-mail address or perhaps you are not yet registered in the parish so we do not have any pertinent information related to you family.  You can call the office between Monday –Thursday at 483-8481 to update your e-mail info or you can pick up a registration in the entrance of the church. 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 1, students must attend classes on a weekly basis during the Mass, as the program for 1st Communion is a two year program.  The program for the school year 2008-2009 will begin on the weekend of September 20th and 21st.  Classes are held during both weekend Masses. Grades 4 – 10 +, Generation of Faith     This program is designed for both parents and children.  Parents who have children in grades  4 - 10 are asked to attend these monthly sessions. The adult session gives them an opportunity to refresh their memory on important matters of the faith as well as giving them the chance to share with other adults on pertinent issues of faith. The next class for parents and children in this program will be March 15, 2009 at St. Peter Parish in Auburn.  All GoF classes are held on Sundays from 4 – 6 pm. Confirmation Program:      The Confirmation students will begin their two year program on Sunday, October 5, 2008.  Classes are held from 11:00 am to 12 noon. Students must be registered in the program and must be registered members of the parish.  If you have not yet registered your child for classes please call the office to speak to Lorette.                      Schedule of Classes

1st Sunday of Lent 
Theme: (Repent and Believe)
Reading I:  Genesis 9: 8-15 (The covenant with Noah)
Reading II: 1 Peter 3: 18-22 (saved through Baptism
Gospel: Mark 1: 12-15 (the Desert Temptations)

Question for Adults:  What can I do this Lent to deepen my trust in God as my only source of strength and peace? Is there anything hindering my spiritual growth? Developing Trust in God works very much in the same manner as developing Trust in another human being. How do we go about developing trust?  Is it by spending time with them, talking to them about more intimate matters? Or, do we find we have difficult trusting people no matter what.  If this is the case, we will probably have the same problem with God.  Perhaps we could take the time to reflect on our behaviors in relation to Trust then, we can think of ways to deepen our Trust with God.  Have a Very blessed Lenten season ) .  

Question for Children? What can I do at home or school this Lent to be more like Jesus? It is important to begin this discussion by explaining the purpose of Lent.  Teach or remind your child that Lent is a time to get closer to God.  It is a time to change our selfish and self-centered ways in order to act more in a manner that is related to God such as loving, forgiving and being generous to others.  One way to help us in this goal is to take a little more time to pray each day.)

Community News

Lenten Practice:  The season of Lent is a time well recognized for sacrifice and it is also a time Catholics try to give more time to prayer.  There are various ways of prayer.  One very simple yet popular way to pray is to pray the Rosary.  The Rosary can be said anywhere, i.e., in your car, in the comfort of your home or while taking a nature walk.
There are many benefits to reciting the Rosary.  Mary has often promised to be with us in our needs.  For all who pray the rosary with a sincere heart, Mary has promised her special protection and graces.  She also has told us that our prayers will result in virtue and that good works will flourish.
    Perhaps we should consider praying the Rosary during the Lenten season.
  
Food Pantry for March:  This month our pantry shelves continue to be in need of Cereal,  Tuna, Instant Potatoes,  Canned Pastas, and Evaporated Milk . We are always in need of juices.   Thank you very much for all you do for God’s people.

A Look at Upcoming Events

Pilgrimage to Conclude the Year of St. Paul the Apostle  Join Fr. Michael Monette and parishioners of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish on pilgrimage to celebrate the conclusion of the Holy Year of St. Paul the Apostle as we travel down the northeast corridor to visit and pray at many of the holy shrines of fifteen men and women who are in the process of being added to the Church’s list of publicly declared and canonized Saints.  Learn about their lives, their struggles and their tremendous faith.  How do ordinary men and women become saints?  Come away to relax and enjoy some of the cities where we will be stopping.  Our trip will lead us to the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia to conclude the Holy Year of the Apostle Paul on his feast day June 29th.  Take home with you new friends and memories of a lifetime.  For more information or to register, please call Colette at 603-382-6566 or e-mail at csampson@choiceonemail.com

Retrouvaille. . .a Lifeline
    Rediscover a loving marriage with a Retrouvaille (pronounced re-tru-vi) weekend.  If your marriage is tearing the two of you apart, if there is little or no meaningful communication, if you are considering a separation or divorce, we believe Retrouvaille can help you.   Look us up on the web at www.HelpOurMarriage.com or call 1-800-470-2230.  The next New England retrouvaille marriage renewal weekends will be held March 20-22 and September 11-13,2009

“The Promise Holds True: The Message and Meaning of Paul”  In honor of the Year of St. Paul, join us at St. Raphael church on Manchester’s West Side as we begin the spring session of The Pastor’s Class for a guest lecture series.  Each program will be led by a St. Anselm College faculty member.  Classes will begin at 7 pm on Mondays or Tuesdays on Feb. 24, Mar. 3, 10, 16, 24, 31, Apr. 7, 14, 20.  Each talk is freestanding. You are encouraged to attend the full series, but it is easy to pick what you like .. Admission is free.  Please call the church office at 623-2604 to let us know you’re coming or for more info. Bring a Bible, a notebook, and “the ear of your heart”!

Vita Nova Annual women’s Retreat
    This will be a reflective weekend on prayer based on the book “six Secrets to a Powerful Quiet Time” with Fr. John Grace, spiritual director and Kathy Garon, retreat leader.  Meals and two night $175 pp double room, $195 single.  Register on-line at www.vitanova.org. The retreat will be held from March 13-15, 2009 at the Franciscan Retreat Center in Andover MA.  For more info call Chritine Duffley at 668-2357 or Vita Nova 623-6682.

Hospice Volunteer Training
     The ten week Hospice volunteer training begins on March 6 and continues each Friday from 9am-noon through May 8, 2009, at the offices of Rockingham VNA & Hospice at 137 Epping Road Exeter, NH.  For more info call Martha Chandler, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, at 772-2981 or 800-540-2981 ext. 140

Natural Family Planning Class
    Discover a natural way to postpone or achieve a pregnancy.  In CCL’s  NFP classes, couples will learn how to interpret a woman’s fertility.  It is healthy for your body, safe for the environment and over 99% effective. Natural Family Planning has been known to have a positive effect on a couple’s marriage.  Our newly revised course includes John Paul’s Theology of the Body and thus enables couples to understand the beauty of the married vocation.  Classes are to begin on April 5th at St. Luke the Evangelist in Plaistow.  Pre-registration required by March 27.  For more information, contact Barbara or Paul at 463-7456. 

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: Josephine Stout,  Frank Huard, Cecile Gendron,  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.