Christ the King Parish

Transcription

1 Christ the King Parish established 2011 Inside This Issue From the Pastor 1,2 Parish Mission 3 Parish Picnic Church Doors are Open 4 Welcome Fr. George St. John Regional School Consecration to Mary Faith Formation 5 Youth Ministry RCIA Feast of Corpus Christi 6 SVdP Food Pantries Catholic Charities NH 7 Clergy Ordinations Financial Report 8 Volume 4, 4, Issue 32 Spring 2014 Lent 2014 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Rejoice! Rejoice! Again I say, Rejoice! As we celebrate the very core of our faith, the Resurrection of Jesus, the Easter Season calls us to experience the resurrection of Jesus in our personal lives and as a parish community. As Jesus appears to His apostles and disciples, He tells them not to be afraid and sends them forth to proclaim the Kingdom to all the world. The question we must ask ourselves is, How do I proclaim the Kingdom here and now? To be better equipped to proclaim the Kingdom and to live our faith, I invite you to seriously consider participating in some or all of the opportunities offered in the next few months. Sunday, May 18th, Consecration to Jesus through Mary at all the Masses we will consecrate the Parish. We will also have an opportunity to pray for the greater Concord area community, our Diocese, State and Nation. Beginning at 1:30pm at St. John the Evangelist Church, we will process to the State House, City Hall, and Federal Building and end with a Crowning of Mary at Sacred Heart Church, followed by a reception. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, May 19th through 21st, arish Mission at St. John the Evangelist Church. We will be led by Paul Koleske, a musician and inspirational Catholic speaker, in a Parish Mission on the theme, Igniting the Light of Christ within You. Sunday, June 8th, 4th Annual Parish Picnic, this parish gathering will begin with Mass at 11:30am, followed by a BBQ and picnic, with lots of fun for all ages, at Bishop Brady High School. Sunday, June 22nd, Feast of Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Again, this year we will have a procession beginning about 12:30pm at St. John the Evangelist Church, processing to Sacred Heart Church, and continuing to St. Peter Church for Benediction, followed by a reception in the St. Peter Activity Center. All of these are great opportunities for us to witness to our faith, in a simple way, and to strengthen our bond of unity in Christ the King. Our unity as a parish must begin with Christ at the very center of our lives and a deepening personal relationship with Him. Our Sunday worship, our participation in the Holy Eucharist at Mass, our celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation/ Confession are means of powerful grace. The opportunities that we have in the coming months for deepening our devotion to Christ, through His mother Mary, will also give us spiritual strength. Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Matthew 25:34

2 Volume 4, Issue 3 Page 2 Continued from Page 1 Our spiritual strength must also lead us to witness to our faith and relationship with Christ, in concrete and tangible ways. What does this mean? It means that we must go out of ourselves to have a spirit of service and generosity. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples on Holy Thursday, on the same night that he instituted the Eucharist, and He told them that what he was doing was giving them an example of what they themselves must do. We are called to embrace the example of Jesus and examine how we serve others in His name. Jesus, in the gospels, also encountered a rich young man who asked Him, What must I do to inherit the Kingdom? Jesus said, Sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and come follow me. The rich young man went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus also calls us to a radical response to His invitation. We may not need to sell everything we have, but we are called to give of our very substance and not only our surplus. To be a follower of Christ means that we will be challenged, be stretched, and go beyond what is comfortable. Service to others requires sacrificial giving of our time, talent and treasure, if we are to grow in Christ and truly be united in Him. We must take this very seriously. Our parish needs all of us, you and me, to step up to the plate to take ownership of our faith and respond from the heart. As you know, our parish is experiencing a deficit of over $250,000 per year. This translates to a need of $5,000 more each week in the offertory. If you are contributing on a regular basis we, as a parish community, are grateful and appreciative of your commitment. If you contribute occasionally, again we thank you and ask that you consider giving on a regular basis. If you never give and seldom attend, we must challenge you to help your fellow parishioners who contribute on a regular basis and provide you with the many dimensions of worship and service that are available. Many years ago, I was challenged by a childhood friend, who was a layman, to consider tithing (to give 10% of one s income back to God). At the time, I thought that giving my life as a priest was enough. After prayer and reflection, I came to realize that everything I have was a gift from God and that I had to respond to His generosity. For over twenty-five years, I have made a commitment to tithing. Tithing in my life has become a blessing in many, many ways. Presently, I give a portion of my tithe to the parish through our parish on-line giving, and have increased my tithe at the beginning of this calendar year. Our churches, our programs, and our staff cannot exist and cannot provide without the sacrificial gifts of time, talent and treasure given by all members of the parish. If you are truly a member of our parish and want to grow in faith, then participation in the worship of God and an active commitment to parish community is necessary. In the last newsletter, I announced that our Future Planning Committee received approval, from the Bishop, to put St. Peter and Sacred Heart campuses up for sale. It goes without saying that this is a painful reality. Things have changed in many different dimensions, and we could debate the pros and cons on many different levels. But the facts speak for themselves. We must grow in unity as a people of God. We must take courage and move forward, like our ancestors. We must be good stewards and chart a course for the future. Change is not optional; it is a reality. Please join me in praying for a deeper spiritual transformation in our lives, and in our community, as we move forward to become, in reality, what we pray for at every Eucharist, to become One Body, One Spirit in Christ. Yours in Christ, Fr. Rich Please consider Online Giving. Visit our website for more information

3 Volume 4, Issue 3 Page 3 Parish Mission - Save the Dates! Igniting the Light of Christ Within You A Parish Mission with Paul Koleske This is a spiritual and musical retreat focused on keeping Christ s light burning brightly in our lives and in our parish. Our community is going through difficult sacrifices. Let s gather together, so that the flame of Christ s love may burn brightly in our midst. This retreat will be held at St. John the Evangelist Church on three consecutive nights (May 19-21). It s a wonderful opportunity to refocus our relationship with Christ and with fellow parishioners. It s also a great opportunity to invite friends who may have left the church to come back, or to reach out to friends who may be interested in learning more about the faith. With that in mind, we have included a couple of postcards with this newsletter. We hope that you will reach out to friends and family (you can do so anonymously if you like!) who may not be registered members of the parish. It s an easy way to evangelize! Just address the postcard and attach a stamp. May 19 Connecting with the Light of Christ May 20 Experiencing the Light of Christ May 21 Living the Light of Christ 6:30-8:00pm each evening (refreshments and fellowship to follow) St. John the Evangelist Church Come for one, two or all three evenings! To find out more about Paul Koleske, visit his website at Parish Picnic and Mass June 8 th On June 8 th at Bishop Brady High School, we will be holding our annual Parish Picnic. The Mass will be at 11:30am in the BBHS gym (there will be no 10am Mass at Sacred Heart or 11am Mass at St. John the Evangelist that day), followed by a BBQ lunch and activities. This wonderful summer celebration is a great event for all ages and interests. The event will happen rain or shine, so plan on it! If you cannot make it for the entire time, drop in when you can. Looking for Sponsorship! The Parish Picnic Planning Committee is looking for sponsors of ANY level, to help with the cost of the event. If you, or your corporation, can provide bottled water, snacks, candy, ice cream, anything that may enrich the experience, please contact the parish ( ) and ask for Angie. If you know someone who may be a sponsor, please ask them. We are also seeking financial sponsors. Any level gift is greatly appreciated. Come Build Community! There will also be volunteer sign-up sheets at each church. We need many volunteers to pull this off, so please consider lending us your time and talent.

4 Volume 4, Issue 3 Page 4 The Church Doors are Open Jesus calls us to visit! Though changing times have led many to lock church doors, God desires His people to come to Him. There is no denying the sacredness of being in His house, the church building. In an act of faith, we will be leaving our churches open each day from 7am- 6pm. In doing so, we hope that many will come to visit with the Lord, parishioners and non-parishioners alike. Through this small act, we are reaching out to our community and inviting them to grow in their relationship with Christ. Feel free to stop by and pray. Or take this opportunity to visit one of our beautiful churches that may not be as familiar to you. Jesus welcomes all visitors! Fr. George Mattathilanikal We would like to welcome Fr. George to Christ the King Parish. Father joined us on February 26th as Associate Pastor. Father was born in the village of Neelor, in the state of Kerala, India. He was ordained in May 1986 for the Diocese of Balasore, Orissa and served at various parishes and institutions for many years. In 2006, at the request of his Bishop, he offered to serve outside the country to support the Missions and came to the United States to serve in the Diocese of Norwich. After seven years of service, he came to Diocese of Manchester in June 2013 to serve as the Associate Pastor at Ste. Marie Parish in Manchester. Fr. George is the third oldest in a family of ten. He has a younger brother who is a LaSalette Priest in Attleboro, Massachusetts and a younger sister that is a religious sister working in the northern part of India. Please keep Fr. George in your prayers as he ministers to our community. CONSIDER ST. JOHN REGIONAL SCHOOL FOR YOUR FAMILY St. John Regional School nourishes the spiritual, academic and social growth of students, age 4 through Grade 8. Visit their website at Consider SJRS, a place which provides: A solid foundation for students age 4 through Grade 8 A caring community committed to student achievement A tradition of excellent Catholic education for over 125 years A Pre-K program which stresses social development and readiness for Kindergarten A middle school with high expectations and small class sizes Availability of After School Care until 5:30 Reduced tuition for parish members Financial assistance for those in need Resources committed to educating Catholic children in the Concord area Contact SJRS: Phone: or mrdonohue@stjohnregional.org The Consecration of our Parishes, Deanery, City, State and Nation to Jesus through Mary will occur on Sunday, May 18th. This deanery wide celebration will begin after the 11 AM Mass with the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction at St. John. At about 1:30 PM, we will then process with the statue of Our Lady of Fatima to the State House, City Hall and the Federal Building. Refreshments and fellowship will follow at the end of the procession in Sacred Heart Hall. Please save the date for this important event.

5 Volume 4, Issue 3 Page 5 Christ the King Faith Formation and Youth Events Community Faith Formation Wrap-up We recently held our last weekend of Community Faith Formation, with our focus on Christ, Alive and on Your Side! It has been a great year, as we introduced small group facilitators and extended discussion time for the adults, as well as the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies curriculum for the children. We continue to be blessed with wonderful teachers, for both the adults and children s classes. As many as 350 people participated over one weekend and all enjoyed the optional meal and social time before the lesson started. This is what some of our parishioners had to say: It is a great way to experience God and learn in a friendly environment. My daughter just loves church school. It is worth the effort to go to these events. I enjoyed enriching my faith through talking with others. Thank you to all those who worked so hard during the year to help us have a terrific experience the teachers, cooks, decorators, organizers, facilitators and thank you to all those who participated! We look forward to providing these opportunities again, beginning in the Fall. A Big Thank You! Please pray for the 53 children who received their First Holy Communion on April 26th and May 3rd. May they continue to grow in faith. Confirmation 44 high school students received the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday, May 4. Let us pray that they will be open to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit that they have received and that they become more active Catholic youth. High School Senior Appreciation Party All high school seniors, families, and friends are invited to a celebration of appreciation on Sunday, May 18, from 5:30 6:45 pm at St. John the Evangelist Activity Center. Stay for a blessing at the 7:00 pm Mass! Please RSVP to Tammy, at , or tammy@christthekingnh.org by May 12. Thank you so much for supporting the Youth Ministry Palm Sunday Pancake Breakfast! It was a delicious and productive day! Thank you, especially, to Dennis Thivierge who led the event and to all the adults and youth who worked so hard during the day. Adopt-A-Workcamper We would like to thank those who have adopted a Workcamper by picking up envelopes that were available in church. Inside the envelopes were a prayer and the name of a high school youth or chaperone who will be attending Workcamp in Guilderland Center, NY, this summer. We ask that you keep them in prayer, as they prepare for Workcamp, and especially when they are at Workcamp, from July It is still not too late if you wish to adopt a Workcamper. Please call the Faith Formation Center at for more information. All those who Adopt-A-Workcamper will be invited to a dinner and Workcamp presentation on Saturday, July 26. Thank you for your support! New Church Members! We joyfully welcome into our family Eric Thum, Rachel Forgit and Kameryn and Henry Roberge. These four individuals were received into the Church on April 19 th at the Easter Vigil Mass. Please pray for them, as they continue their journey of faith, as well as for those who are still preparing to receive the sacraments of initiation.

6 Volume 4, Issue 3 Page 6 Feast of Corpus Christ The Body and Blood of Christ Sunday, June 22nd To celebrate this special feast, we will once again gather for Adoration and have a procession through the streets of Concord. This is a time to witness to our faith and deeply held belief that Jesus is truly present, body and blood, soul and divinity, in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. All parishioners are encouraged to come together, as a community of faith, to celebrate this feast. After the 11:00am Mass at St. John, there will be a period of Adoration, followed by a procession, which will begin around 12:30pm. The procession will go up Main Street, turn up Pleasant Street and proceed to Sacred Heart Church, where we will have time for Adoration. We will then proceed up Green Street to Center Street and up North State Street to St. Peter Church. At St. Peter Church we will have a period of Adoration, followed by Benediction. After the procession and Benediction all will be welcome to the St. Peter Activity Center for refreshments and fellowship. We encourage all parish organizations to consider coming to the procession, as a group and certainly encourage families and individuals, to come and join in prayer and witness to our Lord, Jesus. The entire procession is just over one mile and is all on level ground. If you are unable to walk, but would like to participate, you can join us at any of the three churches for Adoration and Prayer. It is our hope, again this year, to secure a bus for those who may want to ride from one location to another. Christ the King Parish St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantries located on the St. John and St. Peter Campuses The volunteers of the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantries would like to thank their many benefactors for their continuing support. The list is long, and there are many benefactors from different walks of life, who have been called by God to support this ministry and do so unsparingly in their generosity. They include: Christ the King parishioners and staff; Immaculate Heart of Mary parishioners and staff; parents, children and staff of St. John Regional School; United Baptist Churches congregation; Panera Bread; Shaw s; Cimo s Market; Bagel Works; Freihoffer Bread; Market Basket; Associated Grocers; Catholic Charity New Hampshire s Food Bank; Capital Region Food Program; US Postal Workers; the local Boy Scouts; and Community Action Program staff, administering the US Dept. of Agriculture commodities program. Many of our volunteers have been with us from the beginning and continue to help those in need who come to us today. Those veterans have been joined, over the decades of time, by many parish members and close friends who are drawn to Christ s work among those in the greatest need of temporary support. Our client families come from Concord and from over twenty other near-by communities, and through phone conversations and on-site conversations, we have come to know and respect people from many homelands and nutritional lifestyles. The ministry members serve on the lines, making up boxes to insure each visiting family is served. Some of our volunteers shop on their own time, to keep the shelves as full as we can afford. We encourage you to come by and meet a few of the dedicated, active members of this ministry. Unfortunately, our demand continues to grow. We ask you to please continue your support, by donating items to the Brown Bag bins in the churches or by making a monetary donation using the envelopes placed at the end of the pews. Every little bit helps! God has provided, down through the years, and we ask you to join your prayers with ours, to keep up the service to all who come to us in need.

7 Volume 4, Issue 3 Page 7 Catholic Charities New Hampshire Serving families and individuals of all faiths, from all walks of life, since Catholic Charities Appeal: Goal: $105,000 Actual total donated: $118, Catholic Charities Appeal: Goal: $117,000 Moving Lives Forward Enclosed in this mailing is our 2014 Catholic Charities Appeal. We must continue to be reminded that we are Catholic Charities. All the various outreach and social services provided by Catholic Charities are possible only through our generous contributions. We would ask you to prayerfully consider your gift to Catholic Charities this year. Each year I pledge a sacrificial gift to Catholic Charities. I would ask all parishioners to consider some gift, no matter how small or large, for the fine works that Catholic Charities provides throughout the State of New Hampshire. There are two important things that we can do to help Catholic Charities New Hampshire. 1. Pray for the Staff and all the families and individuals they serve on our behalf. 2. Make a donation or pledge. No gift is too small or too large, but the key is that everyone contribute something towards our goal. Let us remember that we are Catholic Charities New Hampshire. In Christ, Fr. Rich Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach. Rite of Ordination of Deacons Let us pray for our Deacon Candidate, William Lavallee, who is one of twenty-two candidates who have been called to Holy Orders as Permanent Deacons. Bill will be ordained to the Diaconate by Bishop Peter Libasci at St. Joseph Cathedral on May 24th. Diaconate Ordination Let us pray for our Candidates for Priesthood, Reverend Mr. Michael Zgonc, who served as a Seminarian here at Christ the King during the summer of 2011, and Reverend Mr. Jeffrey Paveglio, who is a native of Bow. Both men will be ordained to the Priesthood by Bishop Libasci at St. Joseph Cathedral on June 7th. Priesthood Ordination Accept from the holy people of God the gifts to be offered to Him. Know what you are doing, and imitate the mystery you celebrate: model your life on the mystery of the Lord s cross. Rite of Ordination of Priests Please view our website Notice our parish online store, for spiritual and religious items. Check out the links to great resources, for faith enrichment.

8 Volume 4, Issue 3 Page 8 Operating Budget Year End Projection June 30, 2014 Where will we stand financially at the end of our fiscal year? While we have been able to consistently meet our budgeted numbers in almost all categories, we continue to incur large operating losses. Below is a projection of where we think the operating budget will finish, at the end of the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, Revenues should end up very close to budget in all areas, with a projected positive variance of $10,900, or 1.0% ahead of budget. Total expenses will be over budget by $9,700, or 0.7% more than budget. The largest expense variances are in the areas of lay staff salaries and benefits (positive) and property expenses (negative). Staff salaries and benefits are projected to be under budget by $39,100. Hours have been reduced wherever possible without affecting normal program operations; and tighter controls over the use of paid labor have been put in place. A significant negative variance of $54,100 was incurred with property expenses. Despite our best efforts to reduce utility bills by lowering thermostats and using energy efficient technologies, this past long, cold Winter has taken a toll. Along with utilities running over budget, the harsh weather also had a detrimental impact on all of our twelve buildings, causing higher than normal repair costs. Additional repairs, especially to roofs, will be necessary this Spring. Another unexpected weather-related cost was damage caused by two lightning strikes last Summer, one at St. John and one at St. Peter. Although insurance covered much of the loss, we still had to pay substantial deductibles. One last area that had an adverse effect on expenses relates to unbudgeted parking lot maintenance that was supposed to be part of the site work for our proposed Vision and Plan project. The anticipated bottom-line for the year-end operating budget is a loss of $287,400. Our regular offertory shortfall is $5,500 per week. This may seem like a daunting number but, if each of us was to modestly increase our weekly sacrificial giving, we could overcome this deficit. Please give this prayerful consideration. Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2014 Projection Budget Variance Income Regular Offertory 986, ,100 (1,100) Trust Income 23,000 19,000 4,000 Fundraising Activities 27,500 21,000 6,500 Parking Lot 55,000 55,000 0 Faith Formation Donations 6,400 5,100 1,300 Other Donations 14,200 12,800 1,400 Rents and Other Revenue 7,700 8,900 (1,200) Total Income 1,119,800 1,108,900 10,900 Expenses Clergy Salary, Benefits and Expenses 128, ,200 (4,500) Lay Staff Salaries and Benefits 535, ,000 (39,100) Property Expenses 334, ,000 54,100 Diocesan Assessments 247, ,000 (1,400) Supplies and Expenses 67,900 69,700 (1,800) Furnishings and Equipment 13,800 8,800 5,000 Faith Formation and Other Programs 42,800 45,600 (2,800) Charity* 36,400 36, Total Expenses 1,407,200 1,397,500 9,700 Net Operating Loss (287,400) (288,600) 1,200