June 4, 2006
Feast of Pentecost

Weekend Mass Intentions
Saturday,  June 3  
   6:00 PM  For the parishioners of St.Paul
Sunday,  June 4
   9:30 AM  Mass of Thanksgiving for all teachers in Ministry of Christian Formation
Saturday,  June 10
    6:00 PM   <>In Honor of St. Anthony for favor received by Pete & Diane Sutton
Sunday,  June 11
    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 ________

To All Parishioners:
    Now that we have gone through the difficult time of transitioning as a twinned parish with the parish of St. Peter, your pastor along with the pastoral council feel that it is a good time to have a parish wide re-registration.  In order to facilitate matters, we will be doing this at the same time as St. Peter Parish.  Hopefully this will eliminate more confusion than is necessary. 
    Included with the registration is a short but important questionnaire that we hope you will take into consideration.  Please consider one of the ministries to the parish either as a lector, a Eucharistic Minister, an usher, an altar server or joining the music ministry.  There are other ministries as well which you will find on the questionnaire.
    The registration includes everyone, not only new parishioners.  We need to update our files and this new information is very important.  You will notice that there is a space for your e-mail address.  We will soon be able to communicate by e-mail with most of the parish.  This will be a great time saver for office personnel as well as a financial savings.
    We will be having an ongoing registration throughout the month of June.  Please take the information home and return before July 1, 2006
Thank you very much for your cooperation and understanding in this matter.

Lorette P. Nault,  Pastoral Associate

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
Pentecost Sunday
Theme: (Receiving the Holy Spirit)
Reading I: Acts 2: 1-11  (Speaking in Tongues)
Reading II: 1 Cor.  12: 3-7, 12-13 (Parts of the Body)
Gospel:  John 20:19-23 (Sent with the Spirit)

Question for Adults:    When looking back on your daily encounters with others, which fruits of the Holy Spirit do you see as having taken root in your spiritual life?  Before taking the time for reflection on this question, it would probably be good to refresh our memories as to what the fruits of the Holy Spirit actually are.  Fruits of the Spirit take on the same meaning as the fruit of our labors.  The only difference is that the fruits of the Spirit are the work of the Spirit, not our work.  The only thing we have to do is allow the Spirit to work within us.
    We often hear the list of the Fruits of the Spirit being listed but we probably don’t always fully realize that these are things that are being offered to us as gifts.  When we open ourselves to God’s Spirit within us we are literally opening ourselves to the realization of these fruits evolving within us.
    The Fruits of the Spirit are as follows:  They are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. These are the virtues that are signs of our being one with our God.  On this feast of Pentecost, it would be a wonderful time to reflect on our behavior toward others.  You must take care not to confuse the outward imitation of these virtues however.  
    The best thing about these fruits is that they can come to us at any age, gender, social standing or any other factor that we may think could be an impediment.  Take some time this week and examine your growth with the Spirit.  If you find that there is much work to be done, perhaps it would be time to open the windows in order to allow the Spirit to enter your Holy Sanctum
     
Question for Children?   When I am being good to someone, do I know that these actions, thoughts, and feelings are from the Holy Spirit?   
    The feast of Pentecost is a wonderful time to teach our children about the work of the Holy Spirit within us.  Perhaps you could help them become acquainted with the Fruits of the Spirit one at the time.  Begin with the more concrete ones such as Patience and Generosity.  Work your way up to the others over the next few weeks and months.

Community News

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.
 
Thank You All
    The Group Work Campers and their Chaperones would like to thank parishioners for their generosity and support.  Last weekend we raised $550.00 in bake sale proceeds and received a donation of $50.00 from a family in Candia.  We have also become benefactors from the monthly title at both St. Peter and St. Paul Parishes.  We truly appreciate the enthusiasm of those around us and look forward to our week of service in Machias, Maine.  Be assured that when we are away serving others we will remember the support of our parishes back home.  Thank you all.