THE EVANGELIST. Welcome Home! We, as a Parish Family, are so glad you are here! Welcome to the Catholic Community of SAINT MARK

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1 Welcome to the Catholic Community of SAINT MARK THE EVANGELIST A Catholic Community of Caring Since 1981 Serving Londonderry, Hudson & Windham - New Hampshire Fr. Mike Zgonc Deacon Tom Lavallee Brandon Sargent Claudia Dominguez Vicky Wood Hollis Cornelissen Lisa Olsen Artie Carew Amanda Morgan Richard Dussault Church and Parish Center (603) One South Road, Londonderry, NH Pastor Permanent Deacon Director of Evangelization Family Faith Formation Faith Formation Assistant Youth Minister Office Manager Music Director Music Ministry Custodian MASS SCHEDULE 5:00 PM 8:00 AM 9:30 AM and 11:00 AM Monday through 9:00 AM Welcome Home! We, as a Parish Family, are so glad you are here! As sharers of the one baptism & the one Spirit of the Risen Christ, we come together as the Parish Community of St. Mark the Evangelist to proclaim our identity as the People of God. The Eucharist is the center of our life and work together. Through the one bread, we become the one body of Christ, a living sacrifice of praise. In our worship of God, the Author of life and holiness, we proclaim our hope in the life of Christ s Resurrection; we open our hearts and minds to the Spirit of God dwelling in our midst. In our work, together, we seek to enable our children to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of God; to accompany our young sons and daughters on their journeys of discovery toward adulthood; to deepen our faith commitment through prayer & study; to be present to one another in the joys and sufferings, the victories and struggles of life; to give witness to the Gospel of justice and compassion to our hurting world. We welcome to our parish family all who share our Catholic faith & traditions & our search for God in all things. -Parish Mission Statement Website: Facebook: Instagram: stmarksnhlifeteen

2 From Your Parish Evangelist Dear Brothers and Sisters, Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! These words of St. Paul express the hope and confidence that are the hallmarks of the Advent Season. We light the pink candle on this Gaudete Sunday in joyful expectation for the coming of Lord Jesus Christ on Christmas Day Today s readings from Zephaniah, Isaiah, and St. Paul all speak of celebration and fanfare surrounding the wondrous coming of our Messiah. Salvation has come! God has saved His people! Its time to party! And party we will. Tis the season! But as all of you who are hosting a holiday soiree in these coming weeks know, a good party doesn t just happen - it takes a lot of preparation! Throughout the Old Testament, we hear of how God has been preparing for this party since the very beginning. From the promise of enmity between the woman and the serpent in the Garden of Eden, to the rainbow over Noah s Ark, the promise to Abraham, the revelation to Moses, the Covenant with King David, and the proclamations of the Prophets - throughout all of history our Father has been preparing to bring His Son into the world to rescue us. A bit more than decking the halls and whipping up eggnog and hors d oeuvres! In Her wisdom, the Church has set aside the Advent Season for us to prepare as well. While in a real sense we prepare to commemorate our Lord s birth some two millennia ago, if we have been paying attention to the Liturgy in these weeks we are indeed called to take stock of our lives in preparation for His Second Coming! What are we supposed to do to get ready? The followers of John the Baptist ask the same question in today s Gospel The passage picks up right after John s dire plea for repentance in Luke 3:9: Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire (Merry Christmas!). Even though John is harkening the coming of his cousin Jesus, he is simultaneously speaking eschatologically - prophesying about the Last Days when the same Jesus Christ will return to judge the living and the dead. Upon hearing this, John s disciples ask what should we do?? His answer echoes the simple message of all those who came before him and after him. The message of the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and Christ Himself: Love one another. The only way to prepare for the coming of Christ, whether on the banks of the Jordan in the First Century or in our suburban New Hampshire community of 2018, is to love each other as He has always loved us. Peace, harmony, generosity, compassion, justice, humility this is what Christ brings into the world. To accept Him is to conform our lives to Him - to let Love in so that we may love like Him. It is precisely that love of God and neighbor that will prepare us for His glorious return, when a new heaven and new earth will be made manifest, and every tear will be wiped away. We will behold the face of God and rejoice forever with all the angels and saints. Now that s a party worth preparing for Peace be with you, Brandon

3 Advent Evensong and Spiritual Enrichment! Join us THIS Monday evening for Advent Evensong and Fellowship! The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed at 6:00 PM, and Evensong and Benediction will begin at 7:00 PM. This will be the final Advent Evensong with a presentation by Fr. Mike. FIRE INSIDE- EDGE is TODAY!! Join us after the 9:30 mass to continue our conversation about the Holy Spirit by getting to know Mama Mary a bit better as we enter into the second week of the season of Advent! Advent Elves for the Elderly Today!! Immediately following the 9:30 Mass all LifeTeen members are welcome to join our middle school students during Edge to create Christmas crafts for the elderly. At 3:50 PM we will meet at All American Assisted Living at Londonderry for Christmas Caroling and gift delivery for the residents. Please contact Hollis for more details. LifeTeen - One Home - 6PM TONIGHT! Come hungry for pizza and hungry for some grappling over the Christian view of immigration. We will close the evening with a prayer service and Adoration with some praise and worship! Children s Christmas 4PM We are looking for children of all ages to join in singing for our Christmas Eve Mass at 4:00 PM. Join us TODAY from 4-5 PM at All American Assisted Living, 1 Button Drive, Londonderry. We will be singing Christmas carols for the residents! Vocation Christmas Program Please join us December 5:30 PM for a Vocation Dinner with Bishop Peter Libasci and our Seminarians at St. Joseph Cathedral Hall. The event is $20.00 per person or $50.00 per family. For Reservations, contact Ed McCann at Thank you for your support! Christmas Chuck s BP Station Come to Crossroads at the corner of Mammoth Road and Route 102 THIS WEEKEND! Support the K of C! Good Shepherd Program - Help Needed The Good Shepard Program is well on its way! This program is for our 3-6 years old who explore and learn about faith through their eyes and hands. This program requires a lot of custom creation for tiny hands. We are desperately in need for someone to sew a few small pieces for our Atrium. If that is you, please call the office. Church of the Good Shepherd Today our tiny children learned about the Birth of Jesus, just in time for Christmas! Parents thank you for sharing your little ones with our community! The next class will be after Christmas on January 13 after the 9:30 AM Mass. Time Travelers Today our Time Travelers meet and explore as The Israelites Follow God in the Dessert. Parents are welcome and socialize in the parish hall or the lounge during the class times. The next class will be after Christmas on January 13 after the 9:30AM Mass. We are delighted in having so many explorers among us! This St. Mark s!! Sunday, December 16: 9:30 AM Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Time Travelers & EDGE 6:00 PM LifeTeen Monday, December 17: 7:00 PM AFF 7:00 PM Advent Evensong Tuesday, December 18: 6AM-10PM Eucharistic Adoration (Chapel) Wednesday, December 19: 9:30 AM Wednesday Witness (Lounge) Thursday, December 20: 6:30 PM Worship Team Rehearsal (Room 202) Friday, December 21: 6:00 PM Scouts / Den Mtg (Parish Center) Saturday, December 22: 9:30 AM Al Anon *The Parish Office will be Closed December 24th - 26th and Jan 1st. We will be open a half day on Dec 31st.

4 Christmas Baskets - THANK YOU!! Thank you ALL for your overwhelming response to the Christmas Baskets! The parish hall was full of food, gift cards, clothes and toy donations! What a great outpouring of love and support to help bring JOY to others! Christmas Mass Schedule Christmas Eve: 4PM, 7PM & Midnight Christmas Day: 10AM *The 4PM Christmas Eve Mass will be celebrated in the Church and in the Hall New Years Day Mass Schedule Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God 9AM and 7PM Steubenville Sign Ups Live Now Calling all high school students!! If any of you are interested in a fun-filled weekend away where you get to experience college life and learn more about your relationship with God then sign up for Steubenville East. This year it is July 12-14th at UMass Lowell and the theme is "BELONG". All those interested need to be signed up by the beginning of January as we will begin fundraising in January this year. You can find the button to sign up on our website stmarksnh.org and if you have any questions contact Hollis! Wedding Bells!! Our very own Brandon Sargent will be tying the knot on December 29 at 10 AM at St. Joseph s Cathedral, 150 Lowell St, Manchester NH. While Brandon and Corinne can t invite everyone to the reception, they would certainly love anyone to come to attend the ceremony who wish to be there! All are welcome! Vacation Bible School Save the Date!! We are SO excited to announce that Vacation Bible School 2019 will be July 8 - July 12!! We have EXCITING new things happening and want YOU to be apart of it! Planning has already begun! Let us know if you are interested to help in any capacity as we will start preparing in the beginning of January. Stay tuned Welcome Ministry - We want your Smile! Moving into the New Year = New Things!! We are SO excited to combine the amazing Welcome Ministry that will incorporate our current Liturgical Services Team AND the Welcome Team. We want YOU to be a part of it! This ministry will be the first face of all those who enter! Some of the Welcome Ministry responsibilities will be: opening the front doors, greeting all who enter, assisting with overflow, staffing the Information Desk and finding offertory helpers. What is the commitment? Arrive about 30 minutes before mass and stay about 10 minutes afterwards. We hope to build this ministry into a monthly rotation. We look forward to hearing you! Call the Parish Office to sign up at Faith Formation Date REMINDER Catechesis of the Good Shepherd & Time Travelers Jan 13, 27 / Feb 10, 17 / Mar 10, 17 / Apr 14, 28 Growing in Faith Together (G.I.F.T) Jan 6, Feb 3, Mar 3, Apr 7 & May 5 EDGE Jan 6, 20 / Feb 3, 17 / Mar 3, 17 / Apr 7, 28 LifeTeen Jan 13, 27 / Feb 10, 24 / Mar 10, 24 / Apr 14 & May 5

5 Sacrificial Giving (Dec 8 - Dec 9) Operating Funds Offertory Envelopes (161) $4, Loose Cash & Checks $2, Special Holy Day - Immaculate Conception $1, ElectronicGiving (3) $ WeShare $4, Fuel (11) $ Social, Flowers, Mass Donations $ General Donations $ Religious Ed $ Total $13, Designated Funds Capital Development $ Diocesan - Retired Religious $1, Poor Box $ Total $2, Grand Total $15, Mass Intentions for Dec Dec /15 Saturday, 5 PM: Caryn Draghi by Sophie Veilleux 12/16 Sunday, 8 AM: Rita Lynn by Jane Leonard 12/16 Sunday, 9:30 AM: Lucille DiMartino & niece Louela Harper by the Leone family 12/16 Sunday, 11 AM: Chuck Keenan by Allan & Terry Fernald 12/17 Monday, 9 AM: Deacon William R. Emerson by Dan & Anne Emerson 12/18 Tuesday, 9 AM: Thomas Gallagher by the Hegarty family 12/19 Wednesday, 9 AM: Rev. Maurice Lavigne 12/20 Thursday, 9 AM: Rev. Thomas Bresnahan 12/22 Saturday, 5 PM: Pat Trongo by his wife & family 12/23 Sunday, 8 AM: Mario, Filomena & Helen Pisano by Cheryl Hoegen 12/23 Sunday, 9:30 AM: Wayne Fernald by Allan & Terry Fernald 12/23 Sunday, 11 AM: Shirley Vasington by Marc & Ann D Anjou Parish Contact Information Parish Office (603) Parish info@stmarksnh.org Web Page stmarksnh.org Office Hours Mon-Thurs 9:30AM- 4 PM Fr. Mike Deacon Tom Claudia Dominguez Vicky Wood Hollis Cornelissen Lisa Olsen Brandon Sargent Artie Carew frmike@stmarksnh.org dctom@stmarksnh.org claudia@stmarksnh.org vicky@stmarksnh.org hollis@stmarksnh.org info@stmarksnh.org brandon@stmarksnh.org artie@stmarksnh.org Pastoral Council Justin Paré Finance Council Kevin Cronin Music Artie Carew (603) Outreach Dianne Zdankiewicz (603) Knights of Columbus Brian Roche (603) Men of St Joseph Bill Donroe (603) Prayer Line (603) Safe Environment Claudia Dominguez (603) Al-Anon Saturdays, 9:30-11 AM Birthright (603) NH Catholic Charities, Windham (603) Sacrament of Baptism Parents are asked to participate in the baptismal catechesis program prior to their child s baptism. Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturday 3:30-4:30 PM or by appointment Sacrament of Marriage Couples should contact the parish office at least six months in advance and before making any other wedding arrangements. Sacrament of the Sick Please call us to request the Sacrament of the Sick or to receive communion in the home. Eucharistic Adoration Tuesdays, 6:00 AM-11PM / First Fridays 8 PM-12 AM