February 12, 2006
6th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Weekend Mass Intentions
Saturday,  February 11
    4:00 PM  Butch Cassio by his wife & family
Sunday,  February 12
   8:00 AM  Eleanor Ahearn by her husband George Ahearn
   9:30 AM  For the parishioners of St.Paul
Saturday,  February 18
   4:00 PM  Intention of the Celebrant
Sunday,  February 19
   8:00 AM  Intention of the Celebrant
   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 ________

Prayer Group Meeting
    All are invited to join us for our Prayer Session this month.  We will be meeting on Wednesday, February 15, 2006 at 6:30 pm in the parish rectory.  If you have never joined us, feel free to come.  All are invited.

CYA (Catholic Young Adults)  are inviting everyone between the ages of 20-39 to join them at their next two meetings if you are interested in getting more involved in your church.  The meetings will be here at St. Paul’s on Feb. 14th and 28th.  Both meetings will be at 6:30 – 8:00 pm.  If you want more information on this organization contact the website at www.cyanh.org  We hope to see you at the next meeting!

Food Pantry Needs! ! !
    Our food pantry is being used quite regularly this winter and we are completely out of certain foods.  We especially need,  Tuna,  any kind of Soup,  ready prepared canned meals such as Ravioli, Chili, Spaghetti etc.  We could also use canned fruit and Spaghetti Sauce.  Please no pasta for a while.  Thank you all so much!

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 began on the weekend of September 24/25th.  We hope to be able to offer the program at all Masses but we will have to have a sufficient number of teachers and monitors to staff the three Masses.  If we do not have enough volunteers we will have to limit the classes to two Masses.   Grades 4 – 10+     All children in grades 4 – 10 will be attending the new program that is being initiated in the parish this year.  This means that they will attend classes once a month with their parents and the rest of the parish.  This class will be complimented by work at home which will enable the children to deepen their understanding of the theme of the month as well as to process the information on a day to day basis.  .    Since there will be only one class per month, parents will be asked to commit this weekend time as a priority to Christian Formation. The class may be made up by attending the class at St. Peter Parish the following weekend.  The classes will begin in October.  A  schedule for the year  has been mailed out to parents who have children previously enrolled in Religious Formation. Our first class is Sunday, October 16, 2005 from 11am - 1pm. The January and February Classes are scheduled as follows.  January 15, 2006 and February 12, 2006.  Both classes will be 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 dates for January and February are as follows.  January 8 and February 5, 2006.  Both 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.

Holy Family Academy
    Holy Family Academy, a private school located in Manchester, NH, provides a classical education in the Roman Catholic tradition for students in grades 7-12.  The Academy will hold an OPEN HOUSE for prospective students on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2006 at 2:00 PM with a snow date of Feb. 12, 2006 at 2:00 PM.  Come and hear about the Academy’s program of excellence in classical education and solid formation in the Catholic Faith.  Holy Family Academy is currently accepting qualified students in grades 7-12 for the 2006-07 academic year.

Question of the Week
6th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Theme: (The Healing Christ)
Reading I: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 (The Leper will Dwell Apart)
Reading II: 1Cor. 10:31-11:1 (Be Imitators of Christ)
Gospel:  Mark 1: 40-45 (Healing the Leper)

Question for Adults: How might I see beyond the clinical dimension of illness and embrace the comfort of Christ?
    When we experience illness, serious illness, we are always at a disadvantage because the very nature of illness weakens us emotionally as well as physically.  When we are in a weakened state we have a great deal more difficulty to maintain spiritual strength.  On the other hand, the very fact that we experience weakness often challenges us to look for someone to console us and care for us because we cannot do so ourselves. 
    Perhaps it is the latter side of the coin just mentioned that helps us to see and recognize the comfort of Christ in illness.  The very fact that we are not able to control matters and be self sufficient forces us to look beyond our own strength. 
    A second point that we might want to consider is the fact that Christ spent much of his ministry healing the sick.  We know from the Gospels that he cared sincerely for the suffering in society.  Even if our faith is minimal we are able to realize that Christ wants to comfort us.  Illness, after all, is not a punishment from God.  It is a consequence of the human condition.  As human beings, we will necessarily be sick and eventually die.  With faith we must believe that Christ wants to walk that journey with us. 
    This week let us take a serious look at our degree of faith.  Do we have the faith to sustain us when we become ill?  If not, what can we do to strengthen our faith in the goodness and compassion of God?  This is the real question.

Question for Children? What can I do this week to comfort someone suffering from sickness or old age?    It often happens that children feel awkward in the presence of people who are sick or simply suffering from old age.  This is natural since it is foreign to their experience.  Help them to understand that people who are sick are just like them.  They are people too and they appreciate it when someone is considerate and caring in time of need.  Perhaps giving them a few examples of things they could do would help

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