Category: From the Pastor’s Desk (Page 2 of 61)

Dear Parishioners and Visitors:

Among the Body of Christ, there exists a variety of ministries that are especially evident when we gather at Holy Mass on Sundays. By  virtue of Baptism into the life and ministry of Christ, some individuals are called by the Holy Spirit to serve as Lectors and Extraordinary  Ministers of Holy Communion (EMs). Lectors  and EMs are laypersons called forward from the assembly of the faithful in a parish church to   proclaim the Word of God and to assist with the distribution of Holy Communion at Holy Mass.   To serve the assembly and the local Church in these ministries is both an honor and a responsibility. I am grateful to the new Lectors and EMs, who were trained last week, and are prepared now to assume the responsibilities of their respective ministries.

May the Holy Spirit guide and support all of our parish ministers, both those who are serving    under continuing appointments, and especially those newly-appointed and those newly-reappointed Lectors and EMs:

The month of November will be dedicated to the  souls  of our faithful            departed.  Remembrances may be specifically made with assigned offertory       envelopes, envelopes located in the pews and/or listed in the Book of Intentions located to the left of the Fatima statue, throughout the month.   We pray that our intentions, on their behalf, might be received by Almighty God in a special
way during celebrations of Holy Mass.

Since the political world is where society makes its most significant decisions concerning human dignity and the common good, we have a serious moral obligation to participate in the public square and to vote.  For Catholics, it is obvious that deciding who to vote for is something that   cannot be based on our own self-interest. Instead, just like all the decisions we make in life, it must be based on one thing: a desire to serve God and neighbor. If we confess Jesus as Lord, then it only follows that we must see our political allegiances through the lens of our faith, and not the other way around.  Since the Church cannot be partisan, the Church does not tell Catholics who to vote for or against in an election. No one can tell you who to vote for in an election. It is up to each Catholic voter to prayerfully consider the policies of each candidate in an election and then decide which one will best advance human dignity and the common good.

For more information about casting your vote, visit: www.catholicnh.org/voting or www.faithfulcitizenship.org.

Dear Parishioners and Visitors,

As we embark upon the month   of November, Bishop Libasci calls our attention to the significance of Catholic funeral rites and Catholic cemeteries.

The month of November is traditionally a time in which the Catholic community remembers those who have died. It is related to the fact that the end of November is the end of the Liturgical Year with a new year starting the First Sunday of Advent – the four-week period of preparation before Christmas. The Church, then, uses this end-of-the-year period as a time to think of the end of life and the end of all things and the great hope that our earthly end is transition into a new life in God’s heavenly reality. We remember and give thanks for those who have gone before us, and we look with prayer and hope to their new life in heaven and our desire to join them there one day.

I hope that you will take a few minutes to read more about Catholic funerals and Catholic cemeteries as outlined on the enclosed flyer. There are additional pastoral guidelines and canonical regulation available for your review at the Diocese’s website, www.catholicnh.org under the tab “Funerals and Christian Burials.”

With prayerful best wishes,
Fr. John Mahoney