St. Christopher Parish January 18, 2015 St. Christopher Church Fr. Richard Kelley, Pastor 62 Manchester St. Nashua, New Hampshire 03064 (603) 882-0632 (603)881-8728 fax [email protected] www.stchrisparishnh.org St. Christopher School Mrs. Cindy Clarke, Principal Grades PreK - 6 20 Cushing Ave. Nashua, New Hampshire 03064 (603) 882-7442 (603)594-9253 fax www.stchrisschoolnh.org Worship Schedule Morning Prayer Daily Mass Saturday Vigil Sunday Mass Vietnamese Mass 7:00 AM Weekdays 7:15 AM Weekdays 4:00 PM 8:00 & 10:00 AM 1:00 PM Sunday Confessions 3:00-3:30 PM Saturday Rosary 7:00 PM Tuesday Eucharistic Adoration 1:00-4:00 PM 1st Friday of the Month September - June Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Just before our first reading it says that “the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.” (1 Sam 3:1) I imagine most people today would think that was true. Haven’t you ever wished you lived in biblical times, to see some of the miracles you read about? Wouldn’t it be cool to hear the LORD speaking in a vision? Do you think God has stopped talking? People apparently felt that way in Samuel’s time. Let’s look at the reading to see what Samuel’s experience can teach us. At first Samuel thinks it is Eli calling him. It is not unusual for people to miss a sign from God. If you have a talent that you are proud of, perhaps it is a sign that God wants you to use that talent to help others. Or if a friend tells you she is concerned about your health, it could be God’s way of telling you to get help. Try to see God speaking in whatever happens to you and you may hear a lot more than you think. Samuel also gets help from Eli. Eli began to recognize that the LORD was speaking to Samuel. Sometimes we need help discerning what the Lord is telling us. A good spiritual director can lead you to understand what God is saying to you. Your pastor may be able to do that, or at least able to refer you to someone. Warning: A spiritual director will probably ask how often you pray. In our reading Samuel finally speaks directly to God, instead of going back to Eli. Then God tells him what God’s plan was. So if you wonder what God plans for your life, try spending more time in prayer with him. Don’t be like the man who complains he never know what his wife wants from him. When asked what she tells him, he says, “I don’t know; we never talk.” I bet we have all had times where we didn’t know if we are doing God’s will because we didn’t take time to pray. But don’t do all the talking. Give God some quiet time to hear his response. For God hasn’t stopped talking; we just stopped listening. Our Parish Prayer Heavenly Father, we pray for all of the people and programs of St. Christopher Parish. Unite us as a community of believers and grant us the wisdom, grace, and strength to do your will. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. AMEN. Our Mission We are a Roman Catholic parish whose members live and proclaim the saving message of Jesus Christ. Our Vision Welcome New Parishioners! If you would like to register or you have changed your address, please fill out the form on page 5. Those moving from the parish are also asked to contact the rectory. Thank you! St. Christopher Church serves as a spiritual home where all are welcome to share in its ongoing commitment to providing opportunities for • Worship through the celebration of the Sacraments, • Service through active and compassionate participation in the community, • Education in God’s Word and the Catholic faith, and • Fellowship through parish events that nurture and support family life. January 18, 2015 2 Mass Intentions Saturday, January 17 4:00 PM Jeffrey Bullock, 5th Ann. by His Family Sunday, January 18 8:00 AM For Parish Intentions 10:00 AM Alfred Ellis by Peter & Mariellen Gallaher 1:00 PM Vietnamese Mass Monday, January 19 7:15 AM For Parish Intentions Tuesday, January 20 7:15 AM Ludwik Buczek by His Wife, Sophie Wednesday, January 21 7:15 AM Nick Sevilla London by His Family Thursday, January 22 7:15 AM For Parish Intentions Friday, January 23 7:15 AM Ronald Lavallee by Norm & Mary Lavallee Saturday, January 24 4:00 PM Robert Farina, 1st Annivsary by His Wife & Family Sunday, January 25 8:00 AM For Parish Intentions 10:00 AM Stanley Koperniak by Shari, Bob, Grace, Joe & Trabucchi 1:00 PM Vietnamese Mass The Sanctuary Lamp Burns This Week: For Luis Gustavo Lopez Gomez by Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Murphy & Family Altar Bread and Wine: The Altar Bread and Wine, which will become the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ at all Masses celebrated during the month of January 2015, is offered for deceased members of the Cadwell and Carroll families by Peter and Jane Cadwell. SEMINARIAN COLLECTION – This weekend at all of the parishes throughout the Diocese of Manchester, there will be a second collection for the education of our seminarians. These men (God-willing) will be our future priests. This is an investment since we will be relying on these men to serve in our parishes in the future. I also ask that you take home the brochure that is inserted into the bulletin. You can read about our seminarians and I also ask that you faithfully pray the Prayer for Vocations which is enclosed in the insert. You will notice that there is an envelope as well. Please use this envelope for your contribution. If you are unable to contribute this weekend, you can do so in the following weeks. I ask that you be as generous as possible and please continue to pray for more vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life. They are needed. MARCH FOR LIFE - The 41st annual March for Life takes place this week (Wednesday, January 21 – Thursday, January 22nd) in Washington, DC. To the best of my knowledge, there is still room available on the buses from New Hampshire. For more information, contact the diocese at (603) 669-3100. The Vigil Mass for Life will take place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Wednesday evening, January 21st beginning at 6:30 PM. It will be televised on EWTN. On Thursday, January 22nd, a number of events will take place. One of these is the Diocese of Manchester’s annual Mass which will take place at Saint Joseph Church on Capitol Hill. Bishop Libasci will be the principal celebrant. The rally on the Capitol Mall will take place at noon. That should be televised as well on EWTN. Due to a family commitment, it will be necessary for me to miss this year’s March for Life. I have participated 17 times in past years, each time I have been inspired by what I have seen and experienced. Even though I cannot be there in person, I will be there in spirit. I ask that you please pray for this year’s annual March for Life and for all those people who will participate. Let us also pray for an end to abortion which has been a plaque on our nation since 1973 when the Supreme Court at that time legalized abortions. PRAYERS – Please remember in your prayers Mary Tinker and Rita Mercurio. Their Funeral Masses were held here this past week. PARISH COUNCIL – will meet on Tuesday evening, January 20 at 6:30 PM at the Pennell Center. PARISH RETREAT – Fr. Richard McAlear, an Oblate priest, will be giving a parish retreat here beginning on the weekend of March 7-8. It will continue for the next three days (March 9, 10, 11). Fr. McAlear gave a retreat here several years ago and I am looking forward to his return to the parish. Although the retreat is a few months away, it is good to put it on your calendar, now. More information will be given in due time. Yoga for Seniors Are you looking to improve your overall health and well being in the New Year? Create a new healthy habit in 2015 and join the St. Christopher Yoga for Seniors class weekly on Wednesday mornings at 8:00 am in the Church Hall. Yoga for Seniors is a class that moves the whole body through a series of seated and standing yoga poses to increase flexibility and range of motion, improve balance and core strength, and help promote stress reduction and mental clarity. Classes are provided free of charge to St. Christopher’s seniors. Please take note of our upcoming class schedule: January 21 -- Regular Class @ 8:00 AM January 28 -- Regular Class @ 8:00 AM January 18, 2015 K of C Free Throw Contest The St. Patrick’ Knights of Columbus Council #11907 will hold its annual Free Throw Contest on Sunday, Jan. 25 at St. Patrick’s Gymnasium (29 Spring St.; Nashua) at 1:30 PM. Boys and girls who were ages 9-14 as of Jan. 1, 2015 are eligible to participate. If you have any questions, please contact Grand Knight Jim Lockwood at jamestlockwood@ comcast.net. Corpus Christi Corner Thank you to all the generous parishioners who donated to Corpus Christi Food Pantry during the month of December. Special thanks to the CYO Basketball teams who gave the Pantry 65 pounds of food. The donations in the Church baskets came to 404.5 pounds, bringing the total to 469.5 pounds of food. Blessings to you all! Weather forecasts are predicting very cold temperatures for the month of January. This time of year we need hearty meals and hot drinks to keep warm. Please consider donating canned stews, soups, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. There are baskets located at each of the Church entrances for your donations. Discerning a Vocation? “Behold the Lamb of God.” Could it be that you are being called to point out the Lord to others as a priest or in the consecrated life? Call Father Jason Jalbert (603) 663-0132, or write: [email protected]. The following family recently registered at St. Christopher Parish and we extend them a warm welcome to their new spiritual home: Deborah Duncan and her son Stefan. Nashua Catholic Jr. High Open House We’re Here for YOU at St. Christopher Parish! Rectory Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00-3:00 Rectory Phone: 882-0632 Parish Email: [email protected] Vietnamese Ministry: Rev. Thien Nguyen Parish Life Coordinator Linda Sanborn [email protected] Religious Education Alana Kocsis [email protected] Confirmation Deacon Jim Daly [email protected] This Week’s Parish Activities Bookkeeper Jean Dickson Saturday, January 17, 2015 [email protected] Confessions @3:00pm Music Director Vigil Mass @4:00pm Sunday, January 18, 2015 Carol Ann Skabo Sunday Mass @8:00am [email protected] Re.Ed. Pre-K to 6-Class Canceled @8:30am Parish Council Chair Sunday Mass @10:00am Youth Choir Rehearsal @11:10am Elizabeth Cote Confirmation Class Canceled @7:00pm [email protected] St. Vincent de Paul Society Monthly Meeting Right to Life Coordinator @7:00pm Dan Hogan Monday, January 19, 2015 7:15 am Morning Mass 880-8157 Rel. Ed. Grades 7 & 8-Class Canceled Bulletin @6:30pm Marta Nissen RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) [email protected] @7:00pm Nashua Catholic Regional Junior High School will hold an Open House Tuesday, February 3, 2015 from 6:30 - 8:00 P.M. Nashua Catholic is a vibrant Christ-centered 7th and 8th grade junior high school, challenging students to raise their personal expectations from classroom to playing field each day. Interscholastic athletics provide a wide variety of opportunity for our student athletes. A broad spectrum of extra-curricular activities includes rounds out each student’s education. Nashua busing is available. NC is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Call NC Admissions at 882-7011 for more information. Tuesday, January 20, 2015 7:15 am Morning Mass Cub Scout Troop Pack 253 Meeting @6:40pm Rosary @7:00pm Wednesday, January 21, 2015 7:15 am Morning Mass Senior Yoga @8:00am Adult Choir Rehearsal @7:00pm Thursday, January 22, 2015 7:15 am Morning Mass Boy Scout #773 @7:00pm Friday, January 23, 2015 7:15 am Morning Mass Saturday, January 24, 2015 Confessions @3:00pm Vigil Mass @4:00pm Sunday, January 25, 2015 Sunday Mass @8:00am Re.Ed. Pre-K to 6 @8:30am Sunday Mass and Youth Choir @10:00am Knights of Columbus Coffee Hour after the 10 am Mass @11:00am Youth Choir Rehearsal @11:10am Sacrament of Baptism @2:30pm Confirmation Class @7:00pm Bulletin submissions are due one week before publication. Thanks! Visitation of the Sick Please call the Rectory, 882-0632, if a loved one is hospitalized, in the care of a nursing facility, or confined at home, and would like to receive the Sacraments. Overwhelmed by life, by care? May we help with our prayer? St. Christopher’s Prayer Line -24/7 from us to Heaven! Call the Prayer Line (Coordinator Maureen Brown) at 882-8634 Go online to www.stchrisparishnh.org Send email to [email protected] 4 January 18, 2015 End of Year Tax Statements January 11, 2015 Offertory Envelopes Loose Children’s Envelopes Faith Direct Total $2,981.50 $1,157.00 $8.00 $1,016.00 $5,163.50 Under Budget $936.50 Christmas (total to date $27,340.79) Fuel (total to date $3,433.00) Seminarians (total to date $180.00) Snow Removal (total to date $75.00) Solemnity of Mary (total to date $1,373.50) $150.00 $505.00 $135.00 $5.00 $60.00 Finance Year to Date as of Jan. 2014 Income $204,686.57 Expense $189,743.55 $14,943.02 Nashua’s Diocesan Catholic Schools www. NashuaDiocesanSchools.org St. Christopher School Grades Pre-Kindergarten - 6 882-7442 www.stchrisschoolnh.org • Infant Jesus School Grades Pre-Kindergarten - 6 889-2649 www.ijschool.org • Nashua Catholic Regional Junior High School Grades 7 & 8 882-7011 www.ncrjhs.org End of year tax statements for 2014 will be automatically sent to anyone that received a statement from the parish for tax year 2013. If you did not receive a statement for 2013 and would like to receive a 2014 statement from the parish, please contact the rectory at 882-0632. To save the parish the cost of postage and paper, you may opt to receive your 2014 statement via email. If you received your last year’s statement via email, you will automatically receive your 2014 statement via email. If you have not received your statement via email in the past, or if your email address has changed, please contact the rectory with an up to date email address. The statements will be mailed/emailed by the end of January. If there are any discrepancies between your personal records and the year end statement sent by the parish, please contact the rectory at 882-0632. Parish Nurse Notes Cold and flu season is in full swing! Know how to protect yourself. Hopefully you have received the preventative/attenuating vaccine. Common sense steps to take to ward off infection include an adequate diet, daily exercise and sufficient sleep EVERY night. Frequent handwashing is essential and should last 30 seconds. Remember a cough or sneeze goes onto your arm/ sleeve NOT your hands. Dispose of tissues promptly and properly. Close proximity with many people increases your chance of infection so stay away from crowds in enclosed areas if you become aware of sudden increase in infection in your community. And remember to hydrate – those 8 glasses of fluids. Parish Nurse is at the Pennell Center THIS Tuesday, the third Tuesday of the month, and is eager to assist you in planning/maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Parish Website and Online Giving Help You Stay Connected Winter weather is upon us and sometimes it certainly makes coming to mass difficult. If you find that you have had to miss mass, but would like to know what is going on at the parish, please visit our parish website at www.StChrisParishNH.org. There you will find the weekly bulletin, as well as a calendar of upcoming parish events. On the website, you will also find a link to FaithDirect, our online giving service. This program allows parishioners to continue to support the parish even when the weather makes travel treacherous or you are unable to attend mass at St. Chris for some other reason. If you would like to learn more about this easy, safe and secure way of giving, please follow the simple instructions found on the website at www.faithdirect.net and sign up using parish code NH10. Have you bought your commemorative brick yet? Now is the chance to have your special message engraved on a paver brick that becomes a permanent part of St. Christopher Parish! Each brick costs $50 and is a great way to honor loved ones and celebrate special occasions like anniversaries, First Communion or Confimation. Bricks will be placed around the statue of St. Francis in the spring. Order forms are available in the alcove at the front of the church. All bricks must be ordered by March 1. For more information, contact Helen Blais at 603-889-1059 5 January 18, 2015 Faith Formation News Classes for Faith Formation are underway. There is still time to join us. Register now for Sunday morning, Junior High or Home Study Program. Forms are available on our parish website, on the bulletin board in the church hall and by calling the parish office. The schedule for the next few weeks: Sunday Morning classes meet in the school. Parents and children are to gather in the parish hall at 8:30 AM January 18– NO Class – Martin Luther King Holiday January 25– Regular Class Junior High meets on Monday evening for Grades 7 and 8 at 6:30 PM in the church hall. January 19 – NO Class – Martin Luther King Holiday January 26 – Regular Class First Communion Classes Preparation classes for the children making First Communion this spring begin on Sunday, February 8 at 5:30 PM in the church hall. Pre-registration is required. Home Study Program Our parish offers a Home Study Program for families who wish to teach our Catholic Faith to their children. This option is open to children in Grades Pre-K to 8. Registration is required. St. Chris Book Club The Book Club will resume on Tuesday, January 27, 2015 at 7:00 PM at Panera Bread on Amherst Street. For the January meeting we will read two books. “Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night” by Barbara J. Taylor is a novel set in a coal mining town in 1913 that depicts how an unexpected event can alter lives. “Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Under City” by Katherine Boo is the dramatic story of families striving toward a better life in Annawadi. Both novels are sure to provide for fascinating conversation. All are welcome to join us! Families of Nazareth Speak Lord - Your Servant Is Listening “Listening intently to the Word of God will cause you to meditate on the words, which will be engraved deeply into your heart.” Rev. Tadeusz Dajczer, The Gift of Faith, p. 216. YOU ARE INVITED TO PUT YOUR GIFT OF FAITH TO USE THIS THURSDAY! Come to 27 Biscayne Pkwy in Nashua this coming THURSDAY, January 15th. All are welcome -- you may pick up a flyer in the vestibule of the church ahead of time, if you wish to find out what these Families of Nazareth meetings are all about. Join us for coffee/tea at 7 PM or arrive just in time for the Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary beginning at 7:15. Meeting concludes approximately 8:30 PM. Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families, For the selfless acts they perform, For us in our time of need. And give us peace. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Our Lord and Savior. Amen. Please pray for the following service people from our parish: Children of William and Yvette Berthelotte: Maj. Joseph Berthelotte (Army); Maj. Brian Berthelotte (Army); Maj. Mark Berthelotte (Air Force); Lt. Brad Berthelotte (Navy) Son of John and Alana Kocsis: Pfc. John Kocsis III, (Army) Son of Joseph and Sue Strob: Maj. Rob Strob Husband/Father of Lynn, Thomas and Jack: Sgt. Francis Hyland (Army) Grandson of Pat and Kaye Heffernan: Eamonn Garber, Corporal (USMC) Son of David and Patricia Taylor: SFC James Taylor (Army) To add names to our weekly military prayer list, please call Linda at the rectory at 882-0632. Welcome! St. Christopher Parish welcomes all visitors to our Spiritual Home! If you are interested in joining the parish, please complete the form below and either drop it in the Offertory Basket or mail it to the Rectory. One of our Parish staff members will be in touch. Registration forms are also available online at www.StChrisParishNH.org. Knights of Columbus Name ____________________________ Phone _________________ Coffee Hour Address __________________________ Email __________________ January 25 _________________________________ January 18, 2015 6 Prayer to Saint Michael With so many challenges confronting us these days, we need help and strength to meet them head on. Please join us in praying daily that through the intercession of Saint Michael, we will remain faithful and strong in the Lord’s service and in defending the Truth which resides in the Church! St. Michael the Archangel defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl around the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. January 15 Conversion of St. Paul Paul’s entire life can be explained in terms of one experience—his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus. In an instant, he saw that all the zeal of his dynamic personality was being wasted, like the strength of a boxer swinging wildly. Perhaps he had never seen Jesus, who was only a few years older. But he had acquired a zealot’s hatred of all Jesus stood for, as he began to harass the Church: “...entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment” (Acts 8:3b). Now he himself was “entered,” possessed, all his energy harnessed to one goal—being a slave of Christ in the ministry of reconciliation, an instrument to help others experience the one Savior. One sentence determined his theology: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5b). Jesus was mysteriously identified with people—the loving group of people Saul had been running down like criminals. Jesus, he saw, was the mysterious fulfillment of all he had been blindly pursuing. From then on, his only work was to “present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me” (Colossians 1:28b29). “For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and [with] much conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5a). Paul’s life became a tireless proclaiming and living out of the message of the cross: Christians die baptismally to sin and are buried with Christ; they are dead to all that is sinful and unredeemed in the world. They are made into a new creation, already sharing Christ’s victory and someday to rise from the dead like him. Through this risen Christ the Father pours out the Spirit on them, making them completely new. So Paul’s great message to the world was: You are saved entirely by God, not by anything you can do. Saving faith is the gift of total, free, personal and loving commitment to Christ, a commitment that then bears fruit in more “works” than the Law could ever contemplate. Paul is undoubtedly hard to understand. His style often reflects the rabbinical style of argument of his day, and often his thought skips on mountaintops while we plod below. But perhaps our problems are accentuated by the fact that so many beautiful jewels have become part of the everyday coin in our Christian language Corpus Christi Adoration Chapel Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 12:00 —8:00 PM 43 Franklin Street Nashua , NH Volunteers are needed to commit to one hour of adoration each week. Adoration provides a wonderful time of grace-filled peace in the presence of our Lord. Please contact Sr. Elizabeth Castro, H.M.S.P. at 8820893 or 882-2262 to sign up. Readings for the Week Monday: Heb 5:1-10; Ps 110:1-4; Mk 2:18-22 Tuesday: Heb 6:10-20; Ps 111:1-2, 4-5, 9, 10c; Mk 2:23-28 Wednesday: Heb 7:1-3, 15-17; Ps 110:1-4; Mk 3:1-6 Thursday: Heb 7:25 -- 8:6; Ps 40:7-10, 17; Mk 3:7-12, or any of a number of readings for the Day of Prayer Friday: Heb 8:6-13; Ps 85:8, 10-14; Mk 3:13-19 Saturday: Heb 9:2-3, 11-14; Ps 47:2-3, 6-9; Mk 3:20-21 Sunday: Jon 3:1-5, 10; Ps 25:4-9; 1 Cor 7:2931; Mk 1:14-20 “Sunday is the Lord’s Day. Let us find time to be with him.” Pope Francis I @ Pontifex January 10, 2015 7 January 18, 2015 Family Connection to this Week’s Gospel Gospel Reading: John 1:35–42 John the Baptist recognizes Jesus as the Lamb of God, and Jesus receives his first followers. In today’s Gospel we learn about one of at least two family relations that appear among Jesus’ first disciples. Andrew is the brother of Simon, whom Jesus renames Peter. In next week’s Gospel, we will learn about the brothers James and John, the sons of Zebedee. We know from the letters of Paul and other witnesses to the early Church that it was a common occurrence for an entire household to be baptized together. From the very beginning of the Church, families helped one another to know and follow Jesus. We hope and pray that this continues to be true in our family life. Before your family gathers, look around your house and gather some items that your family might have that remind you of your faith. Perhaps you have a cross or crucifix displayed in your home, a statue of Mary, or statues or other art depicting saints. In today’s Gospel we learn about how Andrew led his brother, Simon, to Jesus. Read today’s Gospel, John 1:35-42. In our family life, we also help to lead one another to Jesus. Talk together about the items that you gathered, discussing what these items mean to you and how you might use them during the day for prayer. Pray that your family will continue to help one another grow in our faith in Jesus. Pray together the Glory Be to the Father. Reprinted from http://www.loyolapress.com/
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