FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
MARCH 29, 2009
On the Way.....
We approach quickly the end of Lent and take this occasion to plan our calendars for Holy Week. Next Sunday, Palm Sunday, the blessing and distribution of palms will be celebrated at each Mass. You may take your palms on your way into church, hold them during the blessing and the reading of the Passion of the Lord if you wish, and bring them home to a place of honor in your home, reminding you of the victory of Jesus Christ over suffering and death.
If you rarely or never have participated at the services of the Sacred Triduum, why not plan to attend this year? The Holy Thursday Mass is at 7 pm at St. Peter and lasts about one hour and ten minutes. You are also welcome to stay for a short while for private adoration. It is during this Mass that we commemorate Jesus washing the feet of His disciples, an especially interesting moment for the children in your family.
On Good Friday the Service will take place at 7 pm as well, but at St. Paul in Candia. This ceremony lasts just a little over one hour: the reading of the Passion, the veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion. You can also join in the celebration of the Way of the Cross at 3 pm at St. Peter. The culmination of the entire liturgical year is the Easter Vigil. This year we have no catechumens or candidates so the Vigil will not be quite as long. It will begin at 8 pm with the blessing of the new fire on the sidewalk outside our church, the procession with the Easter Candle into the church, the Easter Proclamation, readings, Gospel of the Resurrection, blessing of the new water and Eucharist (this Mass will last about 90 minutes).
I also remind you that on Fridays of Lent we are to abstain from meat. Good Friday is a day of fast and abstinence.
So plan now for next week!
HOLY WEEK SERVICES
Palm Sunday: April 4 and 5, regular weekend Mass schedule with reading of the Passion
Daily Mass: April 6, 7 & 8, Monday and Wednesday at 7:00 am, Tuesday at 12:00 noon
Holy Thursday: April 9, Mass at 7:00 pm, followed by Adoration until 9:00 pm
Good Friday April 10, Stations of the Cross at 3:00 pm (service at St. Paul in Candia at 7 pm)
Easter Vigil Mass: April 11, 8:00 pm
Easter Sunday: April 12, 8:00 am and 11:00 am
CONFESSIONS: In addition to the regular weekly schedule from 3:00-3:30 pm every Saturday afternoon, there will be a large Penance Service at St. Anthony Church in Manchester this Sunday, March 29, at 2 pm. Also, this Monday evening, March 30, Father Babineau and Fr. Dumont will be available in church at 6:30 pm for individual confessions. If you desire to present yourself outside of these times, you are free to contact Fr. Dumont or another priest to set up a private time and appointment.
WEEKLY OFFERTORY: $6,231
SACRIFICIAL GIVING: "If anyone would serve me,"says Jesus in today’s Gospel, "let him follow Me; where I am, there will My servant be." In what ways is Jesus inviting me to follow Him? What service is He asking of me?
OUR MONTHLY FOOD DRIVE is next weekend, April 4/5. Now that the holidays are over, donations to the NH Food Bank have dwindled and they are again in need of donated food, especially food high in protein. Items such as canned meats, stews, tuna, canned soup, peanut butter, pasta and tomato sauce would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for any donation you can make.
RICE BOWLS: Rice Bowls and accompanying leaflet are still available in the pews. If you have participated, then next week you may submit a check for the amount in your Rice Bowl, made payable to St. Peter Church, and place it in a plain envelope marked "Rice Bowl", along with your name and envelope number, and this donation will be added to your contribution records.
PARISH NURSE: Due to medical issues, our parish nurse will be unavailable until further notice. Watch the bulletin for the return date.
EASTER FLOWERS: If you would like to donate toward our Easter flowers in memory of a loved one, please put your donation ($10 suggested) in an envelope, with the person’s name, and "from". Names will be published in the Easter bulletin. (PLEASE PRINT!)
K-3 DISMISSALS at all Masses this weekend and next. No dismissals on Easter Sunday.
GENERATIONS OF FAITH: Our last session is next weekend, April 5, from 4:00-6:00 pm.
BAPTISM: We welcomed Kaden Christopher Paglierani, son of Steven and Kelly, to our parish family through the Sacrament of Baptism last Saturday at the 4:00 mass.
GROUP WORK CAMP DONATIONS: If you would like to donate to the Group Work Campers, please put your check in a separate envelope in the collection basket with your name on it, and your donation will be posted to your records for income tax purposes. Any way you can help would be much appreciated by these hard-working teens!!!
40 Days For Life
You can make a difference in your own community! The nationwide campaign of prayer, fasting and witness to end abortion began Ash Wednesday, February 25, and will go to April 5. Sign up for the peaceful vigil at Planned Parenthood, 24 Pennacook St, Manchester, 7am to 7 pm: www.40daysforlife.com/manchester
Your prayers could save a life.
Healing the Wounds of Abortion…
The NH Catholic Charities Project Rachel program offers counseling, reconciliation, and support services for individuals and their families who have experienced the pain of abortion. This program provides a means for people to begin the healing process and experience reconciliation with the Church. It presents a caring, hopeful approach towards peace with the parents, the unborn child, the family, the church, and God. You are not alone..NH Catholic Charities can help. Call us today at 669-3030.
CARE-NET PREGNANCY CENTER of Manchester and Nashua is hosting its annual Walkathon on May 9, the day before Mother’s Day. Registration is at 9:30 am at Veterans’ Memorial Park, Elm St., Manchester, with the walk to begin at 10:15 am. Call 623-5534 for more information.
MASS INTENTIONS
March 30, Mon. 7:00 am Pauline Dumont by Vivian Dumont
March 31, Tue. 12:00 pm William Mitzel (7th Ann.) by his wife and family
April 1, Wed. 7:00 am Intention of the celebrant
April 3, Fri. 7:00 am To end abortions, from parishioners
April 4, Sat. 4:00 pm Peggy Bernard and Dora Kearney by friends at the 4:00 Mass.
April 5, Sun. 8:00 am For all parishioners of St. Peter Church
April 5, Sun. 11:00 am Robert Baril (20th Ann.) by the family
REFLECTION OF THE WEEK
First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34
Second Reading: Hebrews 5:7-9
Gospel: John 12:20-33
This discourse comes at the end of the first part of the Gospel of John, not too much before the account of the Last Supper. There is a sense of the story drawing to a conclusion, something that is appropriate on the Sunday before Palm Sunday. One of the words that is repeated in the passage is "glory". Normally this word is understood as being a synonym for power or magnificence. If that were how the word was being used in this Gospel, then one would expect the hour of Jesus' glory is the cross, for the word has been redefined in this Gospel. Here it means an outpouring of love. Jesus most manifests the love of God for us when He is dying on the cross, for the cross is the Sacrament (visible sign of the invisible reality) of God's love for us. The voice that comes from heaven is said to sound like thunder. This is a bit of a word play, for the Hebrew word for thunder is "qol" which could be translated as "thunder" or "the voice of God".
Jesus is about to be lifted up (on the cross). This was the moment of judgment, for one had to choose between life (which is found in Jesus) and death (the realm of Satan, ruler of this world).
LIFE IN THE SPIRIT SEMINAR: Are you thirsting for a deeper relationship with Jesus? Would you like to learn about how the gifts of the Holy Spirit can change your life? Come to the Life In The Spirit Seminar! Dates: Fri., April 24, from 6:30-9:00 pm; Sat., April 25, 8:30 am-8:30 pm, and Wed., April 29, 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. WHERE: St. Joseph Parish, 208 Pleasant St. (Rt. 27) Epping, NH. To register or for more information call 679-8805. $15 registration includes light meals. There are also registration forms on the bulletin board.
CHOIR REHEARSAL: Wednesday, April 1, from 7-8:30 in church.
IS YOUR MARRIAGE TEARING YOU APART? Rediscover a loving marriage with a Retrouvaille weekend. Call Retrouvaille at 1-800-470-2230 or go to www.retrouvaille.org