SAINT MATTHEW PARISH MASS SCHEDULE. Rev. Brian Kennedy, CSsR, Pastor

Transcription

1 SAINT MATTHEW PARISH 2 Searles Road, Windham, NH Sunday, December 10, 2017 MASS SCHEDULE WEEKENDS IN ST. MATTHEW CHURCH SAT: 4:00 PM SUN: 7:30, 9:30, 11:30AM & 6:00 PM WEEKDAYS AT WARDE HEALTH CTR MON - THUR: 8:30 AM WEEKDAYS IN ST. MATTHEW CHURCH WEDS: 7:00 PM FRI: 8:30 AM HOLY DAYS Contact Parish for Mass Schedule SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION SAT: 2:30-3:30 PM or by appointment PARISH windstmatt@comcast.net PARISH WEBSITE stmatthew-nh.org Office: Rel.Ed.: Fax: Rev. Brian Kennedy, CSsR, Pastor Telephone: Second Sunday of Advent

2 LITURGY Making Crooked Roads Straight Advent Week #2 by Claire McGarry "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths." Mark 1:3 John The Baptist was called to prepare the way for Christ. He did so by inspiring people to repent and be baptized. His actions made a straight path that led directly to Christ. There doesn't seem to be any straight paths today with all that is happening in our country, and in our world. Instead, divisiveness is creating forks in the road, making us feel we need to choose one way or the other, putting us on "us" and "them" parallel roads that never seem to meet. In the process, that voice crying out in the desert gets drowned out by anger and protests. Advent is a time to refine our hearing. We need to tune our ears to John The Baptist's voice, tuning out the rhetoric of dissension and hate. We are all God's people, walking the same path. Our job is to restore the streets and lanes in our own little corner of the world. We do that by lending our neighbors a hand, welcoming strangers to our town, raising our children to honor the differences in others, and spreading the Gospel through our actions, using words when necessary. (St. Francis) If we tend to our own little corner of the world, treating others as if they were Jesus, suddenly those crooked and divided roads straighten and meet. The more of us working with this "one corner at a time" approach, the more our corners will attach. The more corners that attach, the more roads there will be that lead to God. Questions For Reflection: * Do I get overwhelmed by, or worse yet, fall victim to the divisive tone in our world today? * Instead, can I focus on just my corner of the world to make it a better place? In doing so, do I believe I can make its crooked roads straight so they lead to God? To read more reflections by Claire, visit her blog at Mass Intentions For The Week SATURDAY, December 9 4:00 PM Lorraine Matton by her family (Anniversary) SUNDAY, December 10 - Second Sunday of Advent 7:30 AM Denis D Entremont by his mom 9:30 AM Philomena Lovallo by her daughters 11:30 AM Palma Johnson by Laurie & Steve Johnson 6:00 PM For all parishioners of St. Matthew DAILY MASS WARDE HEALTH CENTER CHAPEL MONDAY, December 11 8:30 AM Kenneth Parow by Barbara Smith TUESDAY, December 12 8:30 AM Thomas Canney by Shelagh Demers and the boys WEDNESDAY, December 13 8:30 AM In memory of the Sisters of Mercy founded by Catherine McAuley in Ireland in :00 PM Irene Kouba by the Alain Guepy family & Odile Tolme (church) THURSDAY, December 14 8:30 AM For all Sisters of Mercy FRIDAY, December 15 8:30 AM Joan Bompastore by the Bauer family (church) SATURDAY, December 16 * * * * * 4:00 PM For all parishioners of St. Matthew SUNDAY, December 17 Third Sunday of Advent 7:30 AM Annette Audet by family 9:30 AM Mr. & Mrs. Edward Hachey by the family 11:30 AM Shislo & Labul families by Sandra Broadhurst and family 6:00 PM Ava Guepy (living-birthday) by Odile Tolme Justice shall walk before him, and prepare the way of his steps.

3 FAMILY EYES ON JESUS - Prayer Meeting Dec. 16th May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13 All are invited to join us to praise and worship the Lord Jesus with Scripture, Christmas Songs, and Prayer. We pray for our parish, our families, our community (local and global), our clergy, our country, and all special needs. Wishing all a blessed Advent and Christmas filled with joy, peace and hope! Please join us on Saturday, December 16th from 5:15-6:15pm in Room 208 of the Parish Center. Responsorial Psalm Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation. ADVENT PENANCE SERVICE THIS Sunday, December 10th 2:00pm at St. Matthew Church Prepare for the Christmas Season by celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Advent! Area priests will be available for Confession. We encourage all to take part in this celebration. Saturday, December 23rd 4:00 PM Mass Sunday, December 24 th - 4th Sunday of Advent 7:30 AM Mass & 9:30 AM Mass (NO 11:30 AM Mass) Christmas Eve & Day Mass Schedule Sunday, Dec. 24th 3:30 PM Church 5:30 PM Church 7:30 PM Church 10:00 PM Church Monday, December 25 th 9:30 AM Church Wishing everyone a very blessed and peaceful Advent & Christmas Season! Join us for our Evening Advent Series! Mark your calendars for each Wednesday during Advent! This Wednesday, December 13th at 6:30pm. There will be a reflection about the themes,peace, Joy, Hope and Love, followed by Mass, and an interactive Homily. Join us for this time of serenity in quiet preparation this Advent season away from the hustle and bustle and grow closer to our Savior! 2018 Catholic Family Calendars Our beautiful Catholic Calendars for 2018 have arrived! These are a gift to all parishioners on behalf of Carrier Family Funeral Home & Crematory in Windham. Our sincere thanks to Bob Carrier for providing these at no cost to the parish! Please take one home today! On behalf of the parishioners of St. Matthew, and others who supported the November 18 Ham & Bean supper, the Knights of Columbus have presented a check for $1400 to Fr. Brian to support his efforts in the Dominican Republic. Thanks to all who made the dinner exciting, and this donation possible. And thanks to Kevin and Lise Reichard who chaired this effort! Christmas Flower Remembrances We invite you to make a gift toward our Christmas flowers to beautiful our Sanctuary in memory of your loves. Please use the envelope provided to you or mark your envelope Christmas Flowers and include the name(s) of those you wish to honor. We will include them in our Christmas bulletin. Deadline for remembrances is December 17th.

4 CATECHESIS Christmas Pageant The Birth of Jesus Our pageant will take place this year next Saturday, Dec. 16th at 4:00pm Mass. Mark your calendars, you won t want to miss this beautiful rendition of the Nativity by the children of our parish! HONOR ROLL Monday: St. Damasus I, Pope Tuesday: Our Lady of Guadalupe Wednesday: St. Lucy, Virgin & Martyr Thursday: St. John of the Cross, Priest 2017 ADVENT CHRISTIAN SERVICE PROJECTS GRADES K - 5 Memo to families and catechists Dec. 3 rd & 10 th, our students are invited to participate in an Advent/Christmas service opportunity. In the spirit of the season, the Gospel message, and the corporal works of mercy, we will be collecting various items for those most in need. The following class days will be focused on these communities/ministries: SUNDAY MORNING 8:15 & 11:00 Children Feeding Children Dec. 3 & 10 We will be collecting non-perishable food items such as peanut butter and jelly, tuna fish, fluff, cereal, juice boxes, and snacks to help stock the shelves at local food pantries. MONDAY 4:15 Caring for God s Creatures Dec. 4 & 11 We will collect wish-list items for the Salem Animal Rescue League (SARL). These can be dog and cat food, treats, and toys; kitty litter; clean & gently used sheets, blankets, and towels; collars and leashes. WEDNESDAY 4:15 Clothing the Naked Dec. 6 & 13 We will collect new children s and adults hats, socks, mittens, and gloves for the poor. HOME SCHOOL Grades K, 1, 3, 4 & 5 Derry Birthright Collection Dec. 5 th We will collect baby items for Derry Birthright diapers, wipes, bottles, outfits, and toys. All items will be collected during these two (2) weeks and will be delivered over the Christmas holidays. Thank you very much for your continued support!! UPCOMING CLASS SCHEDULE: Classes for Grades K - 5 classes this week: Sun. Dec. 10th 8:15am K-5 Classes 11:00am K-5 Classes Pageant Rehearsal 3:30pm Church Mon. Dec. 11th 4:15pm K-5 Classes Weds., Dec. 13th 4:15pm K-5 Classes Classes for Grades Year I and Year II resume January 31/February 3 with the Souper Bowl of Service! Classes for Grades K-5 resume the week of February 4th Enjoy your holiday break! Gospel For All Ages "People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him." John the Baptist commanded quite a crowd. What was the attraction? Was it his unusual appearance-clothed in camel's hair? Perhaps it was his bizarre eating habits-feeding on locusts and wild honey. Or maybe people were captivated by the Baptist's remarkable humility in the face of such huge popularity-"i am not worthy." Unlike our modern fascination with standing in the presence of superstars, the crowds who flocked to John weren't looking for a thrill. They weren't lining up for autographs. They were lining up for baptism. And they were acknowledging their sins at the same time. John was proclaiming "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." And people came because they were longing to experience the freedom of that forgiveness. John called them to conversion. To convert means to turn, in this case to turn away from sin. And the crowds were anxious to do so in order to "prepare the way of the Lord." For these first-century Jews, the imminent approach of the Messiah came with a call for conversion and they took this call very seriously. Now, for us, as twenty-first century Christians, the Church, like John the Baptist, calls us to prepare and repent during this season of Advent. Will we take the call seriously? Will we examine the areas of our lives that need to change? Will we pray for God's help to overcome our habitual sin and to make choices based on generosity instead of selfishness? Now is the time to heed the message. Now is the time to "prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." Life Question: What could you do to prepare and repent as we await the coming of the Lord?

5 YOUTH SAVE THE DATE! YOUTH MINISTRY CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION W/ ZACH! WEDNESDAY, December 27th! We invite our parish youth to take part in Christmas festivities and fun as we welcome back our Youth Ministry Intern, Zach! Mark your calendar and join us! Watch for more details! Readings for the Week of December 10, 2017 Sunday: Is 40:1-11/Ps 85:9--14 [8]/2 Pt 3:8-14/Mk 1:1-8 Monday: Is 35:1-10/Ps 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, [Is 35:4f]/Lk 5:17-26 Tuesday: Zec 2:14-17; 12:1-6,10/Jdt 13:18-19 /Lk 1:26-38 Wednesday: Is 40:25-31/Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8,10/Mt 11:28-30 Thursday: Is 41:13-20/Ps 145:1, 9, 10-11,12-13/Mt 11:11-15 Friday: Is 48:17-19/Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 /Jn 8:12/Mt 11:16-19 Saturday: Sir 48:1-4, 9-11/Ps 80: /Mt 17:9a, Next Sunday: Is 61:1-2a, 10-11/Lk 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54/ Is 61:10/1 Thes 5:16-24/Jn 1:6-8, nd Annual Tri-Parish Christmas Concert Mark your calendars as once again the parishes of St. Thomas in Derry, Holy Cross in Derry, and St. Mark in Londonderry will be combing their adult choirs to bring you a wonderful Christmas Concert at St. Thomas Aquinas, Crystal Ave in Derry on Saturday, December 16th at 7:00 pm. Experience the spirit of the season and step away from the hustle and bustle for an evening of beautiful music! Camps Now Accepting Registrations Camp Fatima for boys and Camp Bernadette for girls are now accepting registrations for the 2018 summer season. The camps, located in the Lakes Region of NH, offer 2-week overnight sessions for children, ages To request a brochure contact Michael Drumm at or mdrumm@bfcamp.com, or visit us on the web at Please don t wait as sessions fill up quickly. VOCATION AWARENESS He will feed his flock like a shepherd. If God may be calling you to nourish His people as a priest or in the consecrated life, call Father Matthew Mason (603) , or write: mmason@rcbm.org. MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL CLASS SCHEDULE: Classes for Grades Year I and Year II resume January 31/February 3 with the Souper Bowl of Service! Pope Francis Tweeted this on November 30th The Love of Christ is like a spiritual GPS that guides us unerringly towards God and towards the heart of our neighbor. Follow Pope Francis on

6 THANK YOU! To all those who took one or more tags to purchase gifts for those in need this holiday season. We are so grateful for the generosity of our parishioners! Please return your unwrapped gifts with TAG attached no later than December 14th. (only the pink stocking gifts should be wrapped) We also appreciate wrapping paper, bows, tags and tape to give to the families) Gifts can be dropped at the office or in the church! Thank you!!! OUTREACH SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR GIFT WRAPPING EVENT! Save yourself the stress and worry of wrapping your gifts Let us do it for you! During all the Masses on Dec. 16th & 17th, Dec. 20th and Dec. 23rd & 24th we invite you to bring your gifts to our team of Elves who will wrap them for you while you attend Mass! Donations will be gladly accepted!! This is a fundraising event for a special new ministry for families we hope to offer! Staging Needed The parish is in the process of changing over many of our indoor and outdoor lighting over to LED which is more cost effective and will create a great savings to the parish we are in need of staging which will allow us to not have to rent a lift each time we need to change out bulbs. If there is someone in the parish who has access to or would like to donate staging for our use, please contact the parish office. BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP Rockingham VNA & Hospice will be offering Bereavement Support Groups that meet once a week for 6 weeks during January and February. A Monday afternoon group (January 15 February 26) and a Thursday evening group (January 11 February 15) are planned. These groups are free to the public, but must have 4 registered participants for each group (with a maximum of 8 participants). The afternoon group will meet at the Epping Regional Health Center on Route 125 and the evening group(s) will be held at the offices of RVNA & Hospice, 137 Epping Road in Exeter. For more information and to register, please call Molly Brewer at DR 10 - Donation Needs! February 15 - March 2, 2018 Our Next DR Mission trip is fast approaching We are taking the largest group of missionaries yet! We are going to need a record number of suitcases and duffle bags! Can you help with any of our needs? Donations can be dropped in the gathering space at church or by the parish office! Donations Material Goods Suitcases both full size and carry-on to carry donations Duffle bags large to carry donations Working laptops and tablets Plates and bowls lightweight, durable (like Corelle, melamine, or enamelware not plastic) for families in Pomito Luci Lights inflatable solar lights, available online Shorts, pants, shirts for teenage boys new or gently used (SMALL/MED PREFERRED) New twin size sheet sets for our mission house in Las Matas New bath towels for our mission house in Las Matas Seeds: onion, beets, cilantro, watermelon, eggplant, carrots, lettuce Sneakers of all sizes in very good condition Flip flops of all sizes new *Donations Financial You can purchase a 100 meter roll of 25 mm polyethylene tubing for $125*. We will be using 120 rolls for 4 village aqueducts on this trip: Orqueta, Botoncito, Pomito, and Llanadita. THANK YOU!!! SACRIFICIAL GIVING Sacrificial Offering for December 2 & 3 $9, God bless you for your faithful & generous support! Thank you in advance to all those who made a generous gift to the Religious Retirement collection which supports our aging religious who have served so faithfully.