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/