MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST + MAY 25, 2008

On the way....

A little over two years ago I read in a Catholic news outlet that the 49th International Eucharistic Congress would be held in Quebec City in June, 2008. I immediately called my cousin, who lives about 8 miles away and asked if he would let me stay at his house. Last December I decided to build my yearly vacation around the events in Quebec from June 15-22. The time is almost here. And there is a delegation going from our Diocese, headed by Bishop McCormack, Fathers Marc Montminy and Jason Jalbert. To mark the occasion, Bishop McCormack has asked all parishes of the Diocese of Manchester to devote the weekends of May 24/25, May 31/June 1 and June 7/8 to the Eucharist. There will a bulletin insert for each week as well as the weekly homily. All priests and parishes of the Diocese are to participate.

PARISH NURSE: Friday from 7:30-10:00 am.

Weekly Offertory: $4,991

Catholic Communications: $396

MY SACRIFICIAL GIVING: The scriptures today remind us that "we, many though we are, are one body for all we partake of the one loaf." How are we using our gifts of time and talent to build up the body of Christ?

FOOD DRIVE: Our monthly food drive is next weekend, June 1. The spring and summer months are critical times for donations to soup kitchens and food banks. New Horizons of NH is in great need of the following: cereal, tuna, diapers (in the large sizes), baked beans, #10 cans of fruits and vegetables, and peanut butter. Please help us make a difference this month!

Choir rehearsal: May 28, 7:00 pm in church.

NEW HAMPSHIRE CATHOLIC CHARITIES:

Our Parish Goal: $33,000

Current Amount Received: $13,220 to date. We have reached 40% of our goal.

Is your marriage tearing you apart? Call Retrouvaille at 1-800-470-2230 or go to www.retrouvaille.org 

MYANMAR RELIEF: For those who would like to send a donation for relief in Myanmar, Catholic Relief Services has been working with Caritas International, a confederation of 162 Catholic relief organizations, and together have been able to send aid sent that does reach those affected by the cyclone and its aftermath. News reports have caused concern about the relief actually reaching those who need it, so this relief effort by CRS and Caritas is reassuring that victims will receive aid. You can check for ongoing updates from Catholic Relief Services on their work in Myanmar, or make your donation online, by visiting www.crs.org , or by mailing your donation directly to Catholic Relief Services, 228 West Lexington St., Baltimore, MD 21201-3443

MASS INTENTIONS

May 27, Tue. 7:00 am Eleanore Coughlan (Month’s Mind) by Bill and Judy Coughlan

May 28, Wed. 7:00 am Denise Barbeau by George and Sue Mercier

May 31, Sat. 4:00 pm Ernest Battistelli by St. Peter Church Women’s Guild

June 1, Sun. 8:00 am For all parishioners of St. Peter Church

June 1, Sun. 11:00 am Camille St. Onge by his daughter, Lucy

CHRISTIAN FORMATION NEWS

The registration does not roll over from year to year. Please re-register by picking up a registration form for 2008-09 found at the entryways to church.

MEMORIAL DAY: When you visit a cemetery, remember not only those in your family who have died, but look around and salute the flags that decorate our Veterans’ graves.

ALTAR SERVERS, SPECIAL MINISTERS OF THE EUCHARIST, AND LECTORS: We can now begin sign-ups for July-Labor Day (Sept. 1). If you would not be available for one or two weekends during those months, just let Shirley know which weekends you are unavailable. If you will NOT be available most of the summer, please give Shirley two or three dates when you could help out. You may call 623-5429, or e-mail Shirley at stpeteraub@comcast.net

MAY IS THE MONTH OF MARY: We will pray the Rosary in church at 6:30 pm on Tuesday.

The St. Joseph Cathedral Choir, Cathedral Schola, and Cathedral Children's Choir will present a concert of choral music, organ music, and hymns from throughout the liturgical year, on June 1 at 3:00 pm at St. Joseph Cathedral, Pine & Lowell Sts. in Manchester.

Continued from last week....POPE, BISHOPS GET HIGH MARKS FOR LEADERSHIP, CARA POLL FINDS MILLENNIALS RESEMBLE PRE-VATICAN II CATHOLICS IN ATTITUDES, PRACTICES (for full report, go to our website, www.stpeteraub.org

Among this group, the Millennials are most likely to say that having devotion to the saints is "very" important to their sense of what it means to be Catholic.

Millennials stand apart when saying which sacrament is most meaningful to them personally. For Catholics overall, 39 percent said baptism is the most meaningful; 43 percent of Millennials said marriage is.

The wide-ranging poll found that Catholics hold that helping those in need is important, and two-thirds agreed with the statement: "Helping the poor and needy is a moral obligation for Catholics."

The poll offers a snapshot of the Church in the United States today. "Older Catholics, especially those who came of age prior to the Second Vatican Council, are typically more involved in Church life and attend Mass more frequently than younger generations of Catholics," the report said. "In general, they tend to score higher on most survey items that measure ‘commitment’ to Catholicism."

Knowledge about the Catholic faith varies by generation and is frequently greatest among older Catholics, yet this depends on the topic. "For example, knowledge of Church teachings and obligations is usually higher among older Catholics, but knowledge of the bible is typically greater among younger generations," the report said. Agreement with Church teachings is, again, often relatively high among the oldest Catholics, the pre-Vatican II generation. To a lesser extent this is also true of the Millennial generation, currently in their mid-20s and younger. Agreement with Church teaching is typically lowest among the generation of Catholics who came of age during the changes associated with Vatican II and among post-Vatican II generation Catholics, though this too depends on the teaching in question.

Frequency of Mass attendance is a strong indicator of the general importance of Catholicism in a person’s life and of his or her level of commitment to living out the faith. In general, the more frequently one attends Mass, the more frequently he or she participates in other Church or religious activities, the greater his or her knowledge about the Catholic faith, the greater his or her awareness of current events in the Church, and the greater his or her adherence to Church teachings. CARA found that Catholics who attend Mass at least monthly hold similar views to those who attend weekly. Catholics are obliged to attend Sunday Mass each week. continued next week

This is the latter part of the discourse on the bread of life. The first part portrayed Jesus primarily as the Wisdom of God, and secondarily as the Eucharistic bread of life. In this second part, the entire emphasis is upon the Real Presence of Jesus in the bread and wine that have become his body and blood. We hear that the bread is the flesh of Jesus. The word for flesh in Greek is "sarx", and it means physical body. When the prologue of this gospel spoke about the incarnation, it said that the word became flesh. By using the same word for the Eucharist, this gospel is saying that whatever Jesus was in the incarnation, that is what the Eucharist is. Those listening to Him are horrified, for it sounds as if He is proposing cannibalism (this was in fact, one of the calumnies used against early Christians). Jesus even proposes drinking his blood (blood was sacred to the Hebrews and belonged only to God, which is why in Kosher butchering the animal is bled completely). In this holy sacrament, Jesus offers to come into a profound and intimate union with each one of us.

What practical and specific steps can I take to pay more attention at Mass, to really enter into the mystery of the celebration?

Maybe some will be able to arrive a little earlier and go over the day’s readings. Others will have to make an effort just to get there on time! Once I am in church and the Mass starts, there is no time for bulletins or text-messaging. I certainly must come to Mass without gum or candy, especially if I am going to Holy Communion. Some people spend their time at Mass observing what is going on around them, commenting to their neighbor, etc. Some people might find it fitting to slide into the pew when someone approaches to enter. Each one of us can and should make at least one resolution in this area this week

This would make the job much easier for Mom and Dad. If I watch what is going on, then they can pray too! Maybe I can ask them to go to the end of the pew so I can look at the lector and the server (maybe I can be one some day) and the singers and priest. I certainly should go to the bathroom before I leave home so that I don’t have to get an adult to go downstairs with me. If I can hang in there for a few minutes then there will be less disruption in the church; people in front of me and behind me will not look up when they see me leave or return, and their time in church will be better spent. Which one of these will I do this week?