On the Way....

The 49th International Eucharistic Congress (continued)...

The opening ceremonies took place on Sunday, June 15 in the afternoon at the exposition/convention center of the City of Quebec, about three miles outside the center of the city. The "Eucharistic City" center was at the Pepsi Coliseum, a hockey arena, which can hold 20,000 people. The site also utilized nearly all of the buildings on the enormous site, not only housing four separate adoration chapels, but also huge tents capable of seating 14,000 pilgrims for lunch! There were also First Aid stations, an exhibition hall, conference rooms and halls for group discussions, a Youth Center, translation booths and the usual security and other complements such a huge undertaking demands. The City of Quebec gave free use of its public bus service to the Congress members who held an ID tag. As you can well imagine, the logistics were very well tended to and the details of the congress were very well organized. The number of volunteers who helped us was mainly made up of young adults who cared in a special way for the cardinals, bishops, priests and deacons who attended. We would put on our albs and stoles and be seated in designated areas where we could be available for the distribution of Holy Communion or for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The opening Mass on June 15 was at 4 pm and preceded by an allegorical presentation of music and very large puppets, reminding all those present that the roots of the Catholic Faith in North America are found in Quebec and the Northeast, nourished by the blood of Martyrs and witnessed by the work of so many women religious, many of them French-Canadian Saints and Blesseds.

The Opening Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Josef Tomko, the personal representative of Pope Benedict XVI. This Mass and most of the others were basically celebrated in French, English and Spanish. Every member of the Congress was given a personal FM radio and ear-buds which were available for simultaneous translations into 15 or 20 languages. Cardinal Tomko was accompanied by Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec City, and many other cardinals. Over the coming week I would guess that I noticed about

30 different cardinals and well over 300 bishops. I would estimate that the number of priests at the daily Mass at the Pepsi Coliseum totaled about 300 including deacons. More to follow...

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

Weekly Offertory: $5,268

PARISH TO PARISH SUPPORT FUND: PARISH TO PARISH SUPPORT FUND collection is this weekend. This collection provides grants to parishes in New Hampshire experiencing financial difficulties. Please be generous.

MY SACRIFICIAL GIVING: Good stewards in a parish are like the yeast in today’s Gospel. Their selfless gifts of time and talent help the parish grow and thrive, and their example inspires others to become good stewards, too.

WELCOME TO NEWLY-REGISTERED PARISHIONERS David and Isabel Stiasny Marc and Laura Jutras, and children Kara, Brenden, and Troy.

FOUND: Ladies’ bracelet. Call Shirley to identify and claim (623-5429)

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

RCIA - Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults: The Rite of Christian Initiation takes place yearly at the Easter Vigil - Holy Saturday. This is the time when adults who have never been baptized in the Christian faith are baptized. It is also the time when baptized Christians of other Christian denominations are welcomed into the Catholic Church as they make a public profession of faith. This rite is also offered to baptized Catholics who were not fully initiated into the Church (never made their First Communion or Confirmation). As a general rule, this rite is not for adults who have received their First Communion, but never been confirmed. If Confirmation is the only sacrament they have not received, there will be a special course given for them during the year and an adult Confirmation will be held at the Cathedral in Manchester both this Fall and next Spring. If you or someone you know is a candidate for the Rite of Initiation or if someone is interested in finding out more about what is entailed in the preparation or for adult confirmation, please call Jake Linxweiler at 483-5571. The program will begin in the Fall.

GROUP WORK CAMP: This weekend at all masses, a chaperone from this year’s Group Work Camp will address the parish, to see if any adults would be interested in becoming chaperones for next year. An informational meeting will be held in the near future. Watch the bulletin! 

TEACHERS NEEDED: If you would be interested in helping with weekly dismissals of K-3 during Mass, or at our once-a-month Generations of Faith sessions, please call Jake at 669-5134, or e-mail to stpetercf@comcast.net,  and Jake will be in touch with you. 

REGISTRATION FORMS FOR 2008-09 CHRISTIAN FORMATION are available at the entryways to church. Please fill in the Family information section completely. If your child was not registered in our program this year, please submit a Baptism record, unless the Baptism took place at St. Peter Church. Call Jake at 669-5134, or e-mail stpetercf@comcast.net  if you have any questions.

If you are celebrating your 25th, 30th, 35th, 40th, 45th, 50th or beyond, Wedding Anniversary, anytime during the current year 2008, Bishop John McCormack invites you to a Special Anniversary Mass and Reception, to be held on Sunday, October 5, 2008, at 2:00 pm, at Saint Anselm Abbey Church, Manchester. If you would like to receive an invitation, please drop a note in the collection basket with your name, address, and what anniversary you are celebrating, and we will forward it to the Diocese.

PARISH DIRECTORY

We hope that all parishioners will participate in our Parish Picture Directory, in celebration of our 60th year as a parish. You may sign up at the back of church, or go online to www.stpeteraub.org , and click on the link to Olan Mills. The scheduled dates are August 12, 13 and 14, from 3:00 pm - 9:20 pm. We also have scheduled dates on September 18, 19 and 20. You will receive an 8 x 10 free, and also a Parish Directory. You may order extra photos at a very reasonable price. Any questions, call Shirley at 623-5429.

MASS INTENTIONS

July 21, Mon. 7:00 am Intention of the celebrant

July 22, Tue. 7:00 am Bruce Rogers (1st Ann.) by Bob and Rita Booker

July 23, Wed. 7:00 am Intention of the celebrant

July 26, Sat. 4:00 pm William Czachor (3rd Ann.) by the family

July 27, Sun. 8:00 am Noel and Sally Spiess by Don and Kathy Dallaire

July 27, Sun. 11:00 am For all parishioners of St. Peter Church

First Reading: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19

Second Reading: Romans 8:26-27

Gospel: Matthew 13:24-43

Jesus proclaimed the dawning of the kingdom of God. When people heard this, they were sure that God the Father would soon send His angels upon the earth to put all things right. They were anxious for this to occur, for evil seemed to have reigned for far too long. That is why some of His listeners were disappointed both during His ministry and during the early days of the Church. They wondered where the promised miraculous intervention was. They wondered why God was waiting to reward the just and punish the evil. The parables in today's Gospel give a partial answer to these difficulties. The first message is that the kingdom has begun to grow, but it will take a long time for it to come to fruition.The word of God was like the wheat seed that had been planted in the fields. It was growing, but there was evil growing right alongside of it. That evil would continue to co-exist with those who had chosen the kingdom until the end of time. God was not going to make it all better until then. In the meantime, people must make a choice for or against the kingdom.

Family or individual activity for the week

Jesus is again using the experience of the sower, the farmer, the field, the garden, the harvest, etc., to give us a context in which we can think about Him and His wishes for us. The images He uses are readily available to us, especially during this time of summer vacation when we should take a few moments of relaxation and quiet (not forced) reflection. Take time to look at the trees, the flowers, your garden, and try to get an insight into the spiritual life by what seems so natural and everyday. If Jesus took the time and the effort to use everyday examples to speak of His Kingdom, then we surely have easy access to what He has to say.

ST. BENEDICT ACADEMY is accepting registrations for 2008-09 School Year, Grades K-6, Full and half-day kindergarten, and an after school program. St. Benedict’s is located at 85 Third St., Manchester. For more information call 669-3932.