NINTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME + JUNE 1, 2008

On the Way....

The Mass is a great mystery, but it is also something we "do" every weekend. Therein lies a danger that we "take it for granted", that we "know it by heart", that we can even stay away from it for a while and start right up again where we stopped off. I certainly do not want to become a pastor who "harps" on Mass attendance. But I will always try to pique your interest and deepen your appreciation of the Eucharist. I feel that if I am the least successful in helping you deepen your appreciation for the Mass that you will want to be there every week. So today and next weekend we will continue to examine the Mystery of the Eucharist. Make an effort to focus on these matters. Banish from your mind any temptation that says that you have heard it all before. Try to listen with an open heart.

If I leave church with nothing, then I am empty, I have wasted my time, I have made an effort and received nothing in return, I have "put out" but have not "gotten back". It is perhaps because I am looking at Mass with the same eyes and listening with the same ears I use outside of Church. Here it takes a special "seeing and listening". Unlike the radio or television, I have to make an effort. God will not "bombard" me. When I come to Mass I must relax, focus, cut myself off from what I just finished doing or will do after Mass, remember that I came here for a purpose, and that I do not want it to be a waste of time. I can make a difference if I remember that Jesus Christ, the Son of God the Father, is here, and the Holy Spirit is hovering over me, just waiting for an opportunity. I will open my heart, and my mind, and my will.

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

Weekly Offertory: $5,095.53

Catholic Communications: $493 total

MY SACRIFICIAL GIVING: In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples, "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock". Do I listen to Jesus’ words, and create a foundation based on faith? Do I live out my Christian beliefs by sharing what I have with those less fortunate?

FYI: For those of you who occasionally attend the Saturday 6:00 pm Mass in Candia, June 7 will be the last scheduled until Fall.

FOOD DRIVE: Our monthly food drive is this weekend. 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 (especially toddler sizes), baked beans, #10 cans of fruits and vegetables, and peanut butter. Please help us make a difference this month! PLEASE NOTE: Our food drives are held the first Sunday of each month. Although we specify what is most needed each month, ALL non-perishable food items are welcome.

BAPTISMS ON SUNDAY, MAY 25: Nicholas Ryan Bishop, son of Christopher and Brooke; Sarah Grace Forand, daughter of Robert and Marsha; Emmanuel Langdon Ramirez, son of Diego and Hilary

WELCOME TO NEWLY REGISTERED PARISHIONERS: Kate Arvanitis, and P. Alan LaChapelle

NEW HAMPSHIRE CATHOLIC CHARITIES:

A special thanks to everyone who has made a gift or pledge to New Hampshire Catholic Charities 2008 Annual Appeal. For those who haven't yet, please consider making your gift this week. New Hampshire Catholic Charities is the largest private social services provider in the state, and last year 60,000 of our neighbors here in New Hampshire were helped by Catholic Charities programs. Our Parish Goal: $33,000

Current Amount Received: $14,190 to date. We have reached 43% of our goal.

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

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, and return to us a.s.a.p.

ALTAR SERVERS, SPECIAL MINISTERS OF THE EUCHARIST, AND LECTORS: This weekend and next, June 8, there will be a sign-up sheet in the sacristy, for the July -Labor Day schedule. Please sign up two or three times if you can. You may also call Shirley at 623-5429 or e-mail Shirley at stpeteraub@comcast.net  to give specific dates that you are available.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS SCHOOL in Derry is anticipating an opening for a music teacher. This position requires teaching music classes for Grades K-8, two days per week, as well as the following: directing the school choir; planning, playing, and directing music for our school Masses; etc. Please forward all inquiries to the school office at 432-2712. Resumes may be mailed to St. Thomas Aquinas School, P.O. Box 387, Derry, NH 03038.

CARA estimates that there are more than 51 million adult Catholics, about 22-23 percent of the nation’s adults, making Catholicism the religion chosen by most Americans. Of this number:

-- 31 percent, or approximately 16 million adult Catholics, attend Mass in any given week (23 percent of Catholics say they attend Mass every week). Mass attendance is highest among Catholics who are older, female, married to another Catholic, who have a college degree or more, and who attended Catholic educational institutions – especially a Catholic college or university. Majorities of adult Catholics agree with the following statements: "I can be a good Catholic without going to Mass every Sunday" (68 percent) and "I think of myself as a practicing Catholic (55 percent).

-- 61 percent agree "somewhat" or "very much" with the statement "Sacraments are essential to my faith." Older Catholics are more likely than younger Catholics to have celebrated their First Reconciliation, First Communion or the Sacrament of Confirmation. With each generation the percentage having celebrated each of these sacraments decreases. For example, 99 percent of those of the Pre-Vatican II generation celebrated their First Communion compared to 94 percent of the Vatican II generation, 91 percent of the Post-Vatican II generation and 85 percent of the Millennial Generation.

-- Of the seven sacraments -- baptism, confirmation, Holy Eucharist, reconciliation, sacrament of the sick, holy orders and marriage – the vast majority of Catholics find meaningful four of the seven sacraments: marriage (89 percent), baptism (88 percent), the Eucharist (84 percent) and confirmation (83 percent.) Only two-thirds said reconciliation was somewhat or very meaningful to them.

About six in ten have a statue or picture of Mary on display in their home (about 30.1 million adult Catholics). This is most common among Hispanics (67 percent) and weekly Mass attendees (80 percent). A third say that they wear or carry a cross or crucifix and nearly a quarter (23 percent) carry a rosary. Religious medals or pins are carried by nearly three in ten adult Catholics and one in five carry prayer cards or coins. Those who attend Mass weekly are more likely to carry a rosary than a cross (45 percent compared to 39 percent).

This poll offers guidance to church leaders, said Archbishop George Niederauer, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Communications Committee, which authorized the poll. "It reveals good will, healthy attitudes toward neighbor and an openness to the church among young Catholics. Yet it also points out a need for greater efforts in education for both adults and young people. It’s heartening that so many are proud to call themselves Catholic. The challenge for church leaders is to help them see what Catholicism really means."

conclusion next week.....

When we follow Jesus, we have to make sure that our discipleship is not superficial or opportunistic. Jesus warns his listeners that it is not enough to say that one belongs to Him. He demands more than a half-hearted commitment. One must be willing to take up one's cross and follow Him, no matter what the cost. Furthermore, one's gifts from God do not guarantee one's salvation. Just because one has received the power to prophesy or heal the sick does not necessarily mean that one is truly holy. That is measured by what is in one's heart. This is why the Church does not judge the authenticity of religious phenomenon just by their extraordinary nature. The Church always examines whether the person's moral life is consistent with what these signs seem to communicate. God is the rock upon which one builds one’s house (one’s life). If one bases one’s life upon the foundation of God, then one will live a life of stability. If not, then it is as if one’s foundation is nothing more than sand. When a crisis comes along, then it will seem as if everything is falling apart.

MASS INTENTIONS

June 2, Mon. 7:00 am Souls in Purgatory by S.M.

June 3, Tue. 7:00 am Denise Barbeau by Mr. and Mrs. Gerard Villemure

June 4, Wed. 7:00 am Sylvianne Montminy by Blandine

June 6, Fri. 7:00 am To end abortions from parishioners

June 7, Sat. 4:00 pm Martin Laliberte (4th Ann.) by the family

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

June 8, Sun. 11:00 am Jacqueline Beaudoin by the Laliberte family