February 28, 2010
2nd Sunday of Lent

Weekend Mass Intentions
Saturday, February 27
    6:00 PM For the Parishioners of St. Paul
Sunday,  February 28
    9:30 AM  For Francis Huard By Normand & Jeannine Fraser
Saturday, March 6
    6:00 PM For Yvette Lamontagne By Jeannette Alimi
Sunday,  March 7
    9:30 AM  For Parishioners of St. Paul

During Lent there is a Mass at 12 noon every Tuesday at St. Peter Parish in Auburn.

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 2009-2010 will begin on the weekend of September 19th and 20th.  Classes are held during both weekend Masses. We would need some volunteers to help out as monitors during the classes.  Please contact the office if you can do this. 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.  All GoF classes are held on Sundays from 4 – 6 pm.  Our next class will be held on March 14th. Confirmation Program:      The Confirmation students will begin their two year program on Sunday, September 27, 2009.  Our next class is scheduled for March 7, 2010.  Second year students must have completed year one in full, i.e., two classes per month from September through April.  Attendance at Generation of Faith only does not satisfy the requirements for Confirmation.  All students are also asked to attend Mass on a weekly basis.  The retreat for the 2nd year students is scheduled for March 13, 2010.  It will be held at St. Peter Parish (lower level) from 10:00am – 1:00pm.                       Schedule of Classes

Question of the Week
2nd Sunday of Lent
Theme:  (Listening to the Chosen One)
Reading: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
    (The covenant with Abram)
Reading II: Phil. 3: 17-4:1(Stand Firm in the Lord)
Gospel: Luke 9: 28b -36 (the Transfiguration)

Question for Adults:  How has the cross – suffering – become a source of faith in my life?
We all have crosses in our life.  Regardless of our age, race, gender or social status, we all experience some type of suffering.  Some suffer from illness, others from financial stress, and yet others from broken relationships.  For some it is loneliness, or perhaps being misunderstood by friends or family. There are small or minor crosses that we face each day and there are bigger, all encompassing crosses that we face less frequently.  When they appear we are often thrown off center. If we were left alone we would surely despair.  This is when our faith helps us to deal with life. For many of us, having had to deal with crosses beyond our own strength has forced us to rely on God’s strength and loving compassion.   All too often the weight of the cross we carry brings us to our knees.  How have your crosses served you in bringing your closer to God?

Question for Children:  Why is faith so important in my life?   Faith should be at the center of our life. Talk to your child about the necessity of faith in their lives.  Explain to them that faith is not simply a matter of Sunday Mass.  Faith, if it is real, must be part of every day, the way we think and a feel and act.  If this is true we will be able to face any problem that might come our way.

Community News

Thank You So Much. . .
    Emily Martin and Emily Bourque, two students from Trinity High School who created the organization Kids for the Cure would like to thank you for your generous donations.  With your help, they raised close to five hundred dollars and were able to create 50 “cancer kids kits” to distribute to local oncology practices.  Each kit included a bag which held a teddy bear, a book a journal, pencil, candy, toys, and pamphlet.  Please visit their website http://sites.google.com/site/kidsforthecure/ for more information or to see pictures when they dropped off the kits.  Thank you so much for all of your help!

Our Food Pantry If you would like to help our food pantry during this Lenten season, we especially need Canned Soup, Tuna,  Instant Potatoes, canned Pastas and Spaghetti sauce.  We can always use cereal.  Thank you so much for your generosity.  You have no idea how appreciative people are when they come and we have something to offer. 

Rice Bowls Jesus’ transfiguration was a moment of hope for the disciples, giving them the strength to endure the future sacrifices they would make as they formed the early Church.  As we continue our journey with Catholic Relief Services’ Operation Rice Bowl, let us be mindful that our Lenten sacrifices help to give hope to our brother and sisters.

Candia Woman’s Club – Scholarship
    The Connie L. Lofgren Continuing education Scholarship is given annually to a Candia woman who has returned to a post-secondary school after a three year or more absence from an educational institution.  This scholarship in the amount of $500 (paid directly to the college or school) is given in memory of Connie L. Lofgren, a long time member of the GFWC Candia Community Woman’s Club.  Continuing with the process of learning, changing, and growing had been an important part of Ms. Lofgren’s life as well as an ongoing commitment of the  Woman’s Club.  Applications are available at the Candia Town Hall, Smyth Library, and Candia Post Office.  The deadline is:  applications must be postmarked on or before:  March 27, 2010.  Mail to GFWC Candia Community woman’s club
PO Box 152, Candia, NH 03034.

A Look at Upcoming Events

Natural Family Planning Classes.   There will be a workshop on NFP at St. Joseph’s Parish in Epping on the following three weekends:  March 28, April 25, and May 23, 2010.  Please contact Barbara at 463-7456 to pre-order materials by March 14th.  For further information visit:  www.ccli.org  Pre-registration required in order to purchase necessary materials. 

Young Adult Retreat 
    Are you incredibly busy?  Who isn’t?  But how do you know what God is asking of you if you don’t take the time to be still and listen?  Have you made a life-commitment yet?  This retreat is for those who have yet to discover whether God is calling them to marriage, single life, priesthood, or consecrated life as a religious.  Come pray, learn a little more about the different vocations, take quiet time with our God, ask some questions, and pray some more.  We only have 13 rooms so sign up quickly.  The retreat will take place Friday March 12th at 7pm until Sunday March 14th at 1 pm in New Ipswich, NH.  The cost is a free will offering.  Please contact Sr. Lorraine for more info at srlorrainea@yahoo, com or 603-668-1791

Operation Helping Hands
    NH Catholic Charities is seeking volunteers, 10 – 15 people, for the week of May 22 to May 29 to travel to New Orleans to participate in Operation Helping Hands.  The focus of the week is to elp needy homeowners to clean up their neighborhoods and restore their homes.  This is the 10th service trip that Catholic charities and Operation Helping Hands have done to New Orleans since Hurrican Katrina.  Volunteers travel at their own expense.  Simple meals and basic accommodations will be provided.  For more information or to reserve a space, please call Parish and community Outreach coordinator Leonard Campbell at 528-3035 or e-mail lcampbell@nh-cc.org

Vianney: by Leonardo Defilippis During this year of the priest the Diocese of Manchester is sponsoring a one man performance by Leonardo Defilippis on the life of Jean Marie Vianney.  This was done with a generous donation by the Knights of Columbus. The presentation will be held at the Dana Center at St. Anselm College at 100 St. Anselm Dr. Manchester, on Monday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m.  Please join us in this celebration.

Are You a Caregiver to an elderly parent or friend?  NH Catholic Charities is offering an 8 week workshop to be held on the following Mondays: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12,  and 19.  The group will meet from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at Mount Carmel Healthcare Center, 235 Myrtle St., Manchester.  We will discuss personal responsibilities, setting healthy boundaries within the caregiving relationship, physical and emotional changes involved in aging, and legal & financial resources.  Registration is at the first meeting.  The fee for this workshop is $50.00 for individuals or $75.00 for couples (fee negotiable).  If you are interested and need more info, please contact NHCC
at 624-4717.

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, 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.