PALM SUNDAY OF THE APRIL 5, 2009

LORD’S PASSION

 

On the Way...

Brethren, how fine a thing it is to move from festival to festival, from prayer to prayer, from holy day to holy day. The time is now at hand when we enter on a new beginning: the proclamation of the blessed Passover, in which the Lord was sacrificed. We feed as on the food of life, we constantly refresh our souls with his precious blood, as from a fountain. Yet we are always thirsting, burning to be satisfied. But he himself is present for those who thirst and in his goodness invites them to the feast day. Our Savior repeats his words: If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

Moreover, my friends, the God who first established this feast for us allows us to celebrate it each year. He who gave up his Son to death for our salvation, from the same motive gives us this feast, which is commemorated every year. This feast guides us through the trials that meet us in this world. God now gives us the joy of salvation that shines out from this feast, as he brings us together to form one assembly, uniting us all in spirit in every place, allowing us to pray together and to offer common thanksgiving, as is our duty on the feast. Such is the wonder of his love: he gathers to this feast those who are far apart, and brings together in unity of faith those who may be physically separated from each other. From an Easter letter by Saint Athanasius, bishop

 

HOLY WEEK SERVICES

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

 

 

SACRIFICIAL GIVING: Good stewards strive to conform their lives to that of Christ - emptying themselves of all pride and putting themselves at the service of others.

 

PARISH NURSE: Due to medical issues, our parish nurse will be unavailable until further notice. Watch the bulletin for the return date.

 

WEEKLY OFFERTORY: $5,507.62

RICE BOWLS: We would ask that you 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.

 

 

FEATURED AD OF THE WEEK

Many thanks to Dr. Dave Smiley of the Smiley Veterinary Clinic, for again placing an ad on our bulletin. Dave is happy to begin his fifth year of service to the pets of Auburn and surrounding towns. Smiley Veterinary Clinic is located just off Rt. 101, Exit 2, at 9 Auburndale Lane, Auburn (minutes from St. Peter Church!) The clinic is thriving and ready to SPRING into 2009. Dr. Smiley offers a wide variety of medical and surgical services for dogs and cats, plus stocks an expanding selection of pet products that will save you and your pets a trip into Manchester. The clinic also sports a growing family farm, with the farm animals on site. The various breeds of chickens enable the farm to sell "a rainbow of eggs", colored white, light brown, light blue, green and dark brown. These eggs are perfect for undyed eggs for Easter! Plans for later this Spring include offering raw cow's milk along with homemade dairy goods, honey and other bee products, catnip toys for cats and freshly made dog biscuits. The Smiley Veterinary Clinic is a fun place to visit, both for you AND your pet. Call 483-3071 for more details.

 

 

EASTER FLOWERS: This is the last weekend 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!)

 

PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS those who died last week, and especially Paul Balcius, father of Kathy Toomey of this parish.

 

NEW BULLETIN COVER BEGINS THIS WEEKEND: We welcome three new advertisers: Stephen J. Repoza Tree Service, Sandy’s Variety Store, and Jean Wozniak Photography. We hope you will consider patronizing any of our advertisers if you are in need of their services - they help support our parish.

 

 

OUR MONTHLY FOOD DRIVE is this weekend. 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.

 

K-3 DISMISSALS at all Masses this weekend.

No dismissals on Easter Sunday.

 

GENERATIONS OF FAITH: Our last session is this weekend, April 5, from 4:00-6:00 pm.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Registration forms for our 2009-2010 Christian Formation year can be found at all the entryways to church. Please fill in completely and return to us. If your child is new to the program, please submit a Baptism Certificate, if not baptized at St. Peter Church.

 

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and in its ongoing effort to keep the children of our state and diocese safe, the Diocese of Manchester is promoting new resources to help parents, educators and caregivers. Each week in April, the diocese will showcase a new feature regarding child safety on its Web site, www.catholicnh.org  . These include an online quiz to test visitors’ knowledge of safe environment practices outlined in the diocesan Code of Conduct. Visitors to the Web site will also find a prayer for victims of abuse. The diocese is also reaching out directly to parishes and schools with a new information guide on preventing victimization from an unlikely place: a child’s cell phone. The booklet Cell Phones and Parental Controls: Protect Your Children, offers practical advice for parents grappling with the risks of modern cell phones and other internet-enabled devices that can access online content, from Facebook to explicit Web sites. This publication may be found at the entrances to church today.

Responding to the new initiatives, Bishop McCormack said, "The safety and formation of children remains an utmost priority for our entire community. I hope that everyone concerned with the safety of children, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, will take some time to increase their awareness on how to protect children through these valuable new features."

 

MASS INTENTIONS

April 6, Mon. 7:00 am Souls in Purgatory

April 7, Tue. 12:00 pm Lorraine Samson by her family

April 8, Wed. 7:00 am Armand Beaudin (2nd Ann.) by his wife Theresa and family

April 9, Thu. 7:00 pm Intention of the celebrant

April 11, Sat. 8:00 pm For all parishioners of St. Peter Church

April 12, Sun. 8:00 am Arthur and Louise Delisle by Irene

April 12, Sun. 11:00 am Donat Ouellette by his wife, Loretta

 

 

REFLECTION OF THE WEEK

First Reading: Isaiah 50:40-7

Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11

Gospel: Mark 14:1-15:47

The proclamation of the Passion of Jesus today gives us an opportunity to reflect upon the meaning of remembrance. The Jewish concept of remembrance was much more powerful than simply calling something to mind. By remembering, one somehow made that thing present. Thus, when Jewish people read the account of the Passover, they believed that they were somehow participating in those events. Likewise, as we enter into the commemoration of Holy Week, we are passing outside of our everyday life and entering into the mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

 

 

OBSERVING THE PASCHAL TRIDUUM AT HOME

In addition to the liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil, you can observe the Sacred Triduum (three days) in a variety of simple ways. This may help you and your family to make their meaning more deeply felt.

Holy Thursday

Slowly and reverently read a gospel account of the Passion, contemplating as you read, the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ, who suffered and died on the cross for your sins.

 

Good Friday

In addition to fasting and abstaining from meat, you may wish to observe silence for a period of time, especially around noon, or from 12 to 3 pm. You may wish to go for a walk, taking particular notice of the stones obstructing your path. Like the stone rolled in front of His tomb, there are "stones" (sins) in our lives that keep us from seeing Him.

Saturday

Take a nap, imitating Jesus in the tomb. Let the short nap energize you and when you wake, thank Jesus for giving you new life.

Easter Sunday

Place a lighted candle in a place of prominence in your home to remind yourself that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, and that the Light of Christ has broken through darkness and death.