Week of August 28, 2016 Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time The Pastor s Musings The Week at a Glance Dear Family in the Lord, In today s Gospel (Luke 14:17-14), we see Jesus at a banquet, and, He s not impressed! He teaches an important lesson through the scene, however, as He links it with a much greater banquet and a call to a lifestyle that embraces the important quality of humility. Humility doesn t get good publicity these days. In a world of power and privilege, where the fittest survive, and where those who push themselves forward at any cost to succeed, it doesn t rate highly. At times, it is actually linked with spinelessness, weakness, and a poor self-image but in truth it is none of these. Humility is the attempt to see ourselves as God sees us, so, it s not about putting ourselves down either. It s standing before the truth of who we are and who God is, as the origin of our talents and gifts and as the one who chooses to work through us! This gospel warns against all forms of pride and selfglorification. The message is so obvious that we may fail to give it serious thought. We all need to take stock now and then. Pride is a road that goes nowhere. Like a frost that can nip our spiritual growth in the budding stage, it can make us self-centered and full of self-importance with little time for God, let alone others, in our lives. We can get caught up in the race for wants, rather than more deliberately living in gratitude that our needs are met and we have opportunities to be merciful and charitable. Pride can cut us off from reality and can make us prisoners of ourselves. As Mary sings in her Magnificat, in God s eyes the proud are toppled from their thrones, while He sets the humble near to Himself. As we continue this journey, as we embrace opportunities, and avoid other pitfalls, as we move toward the banquet of eternity, of which every Eucharist is a foretaste and promise, can we hear the words of Jesus ring clear: Everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted? With you on the Journey, Monday, August 29 CERS Group Meeting 7:00 PM (NH LL) Tuesday, August 30 Televised Parish Mass 7 PM, Channel 98 Wednesday, August 31 Prayer Cenacle 2:00 PM (SC C) K of C Mtg 6:00 PM (IC H) Thursday, September 1 Exposition/Adoration 8:30 AM-Noon (SC) Televised Parish Mass 7 PM, Channel 98 Friday, September 2 Breakfast Group 8:30 AM (SC H) Wedding Rehearsal 4:30 PM (IC C) Italian Class 7:00 PM (EDPC LL) Saturday, September 3 Baptism 10:00 AM (IC C) Wedding Liturgy 1:00 PM (IC C) Rosary 3:30 PM (IC C) Wedding Rehearsal 4:30 PM (SJ C) Wedding Rehearsal 5:30 PM (IC C) Sunday, September 4 Televised Parish Mass 10 AM, Channel 98 Choir Practice Spanish Mass 1:30 PM (SC) Spanish Mass 2:00 PM (SC C) Bible Study in Spanish 3:30 PM (SC H) Wedding Liturgy 2:00 PM (IC C) Wedding Liturgy 3:00 PM (SJ C) Jubilee Parish Mission! Save these nights October 17-20, 7:00 PM, Monday Thursday, when we will welcome Fr. Wade Menezes of the Fathers of Mercy for our Parish Mission on Mercy, as we draw close to the conclusion of the Year of Mercy later in November. Fr. Wade is an outstanding preacher and teacher, perhaps familiar to many for the many series and homilies he has offered on EWTN. He was, for a few years, the chaplain of Mother Angelica s Sisters at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama. Fr. Wade was ordained in 2000 and is part of a religious community that is dedicated to bringing parish missions all over the country. Plan to invite friends... save these nights now! Traveling Vocation Icon This week, Jack & Dotty Corrado will receive the Icon of Jesus Knocking at the Door into their home and intercede in a special way for Sr. Jacinta Pio, Joe, and all in formation, for those discerning, and for many vocations to rise up from our community.
Intentions For Holy Mass Monday AUG 29 The Passion of St. John the Baptist 8:00AM SC Julia Parnell, by Maryann Parnell Tuesday AUG 30 Feria (weekday) 8:00AM SC Eleanor Kelliher, by her sister Frances Lebel Wednesday AUG 31 Feria 8:00AM SC Maureen Sirignano, by Eugene & Catherine Lynch Thursday SEP 1 Feria 8:00AM SC Eldora Miniutti, by Pat & Rick Sargent Friday SEP 2 Feria 8:00AM SC T J Bassett, by the Maloney Family Saturday SEP 3 St. Gregory the Great 8:00AM SC Catherine Athanasiou, by her husband Odyssias Vigil 23 rd Sunday of Ordinary Time 4:00PM IC Tunney Shea, by his Wife and Daughters Sunday SEP 4 23 rd Sunday of Ordinary Time 8:30AM IC Tina Scarlotto, by Sally Eldredge 10:30AM IC Blanch & Edward Lach, by the McDonough Family 2:00PM SC in Spanish Celebrant s Intention 4:30PM IC Pro Populo (For our Parish Family) To schedule Mass intentions, please call Marilyn Chavez at the St. Catherine office, 436-0344. Morning Prayer All are invited to join the community gathered before the daily Mass, Monday through Saturday, as they pray Lauds (Morning Prayer) from the Liturgy of the Hours at 7:40 AM at our St. Catherine Church. Our reflection of God s generosity to us! Weekend of August 20/21, 2016 Envelopes/EFT $ 11,641.00 Loose $ 2,157.32 Total $ 13,798.32 Last weekend 223 envelope/40 Online Giving users contributed 84 % of our income. Poor Box Donations $ 781.25 Online Giving It s easy and convenient! You are in complete control and you can start, stop, and change your contributions at any time. You can choose checking, savings, and/or credit/debit cards (MasterCard, Visa, Discover, but not AmEx). Visit www.corpuschristinh.org, and scroll down to Registration & Online Giving. For more information, contact Norm Houle at 603-436-4555, X 16, or aa2.ccnh@gmail.com. SEMINARIAN CORNER Dear Parish Family, As many of you may know, the past eight weeks I was on assignment at Sacred Heart Parish, in Lebanon, NH. It was good to get to know the people and the Church of the Upper Valley area. I enjoyed the assignment. However, it's nice to be back home at Corpus Christi with all of you and to be nearer to the ocean. Honestly, though, I don t believe that I can adequately express my thanks for all that this parish has done for me as I continue along my discernment to the priesthood. Whether it's your prayers (keep them coming), kind words of encouragement, or generous gifts, and everything else in between, I m very thankful for all you do. Please know of my prayers for you! Also, to keep you all updated as to where I m at with everything: I leave for St. John s Seminary in Brighton on the 30th. This will be year two of six, and I m a little nervous, but more so excited for this upcoming year. Also, I would like to reiterate what I mentioned before the spring semester began last year: I m not afraid. If anything, there s much more conviction that the priesthood is what Our Lord is calling me to do, and with that comes an indescribable peace and joy. So, thank you for all that you ve done to help this be a great summer! I look forward to seeing you when I visit from the seminary. For you young people I d like to leave you with a quote from a hero of mine Pope St. John Paul II: You young people have in a special way the task of witnessing today to the faith; the commitment to bring the Gospel of Christ the Way, the Truth and the Life into the third Christian Millennium, to build a new civilization a civilization of love, of justice, and of peace. So I ask, how will you faithfully do this? As a married person? As a nun or a brother? As a priest? Ask Jesus, and do not be afraid at His response!! In His Love, Seminarian Joe Sanctuary Lamps At Immaculate Conception Church this week, the sanctuary lamp will burn with Birthday Blessings for Jeannette Sheridan, as requested by Corpus Christi Parish and Calvary Cemetery staff.
Parish News NEW! Back To School! On Monday we ll be welcoming back our St. Patrick School kids for a new year, while others will be heading back to their schools at various points throughout the coming week. Many of our college youth are already gone and others are packing up and heading out in these days. Fr. Gary was happy to be approached by many seeking a blessing before heading out and was glad to impart it! This Tuesday a new academic year gets underway for our seminarian Joe at St. John Seminary as well. To all students, faculty, and staff we offer our best wishes and prayers that the coming year be filled with growth in grace and wisdom in many ways! Special thanks to all who make the mission and day to day life of our little school here at St. Patrick s possible, and a warm welcome to all who will be part of our St. Pat s community for the first time this year! NEW! Vocation Prayer & Support As we continue to strive to be a parish that is fertile soil in which vocations to the priesthood and religious life can grow, and as we try to individually foster vocations in our homes and parish by our individual encouragement and prayer, we are asked to lift up in our daily prayers, in particular, our Seminarian, Joseph Moynahan, beginning his second year of Seminary this week, and also Sr. Jacinta Pio, our former youth minister, who continues in her Novitiate year with the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth. In addition, please lift up all those discerning, especially Kyle Milden and Dan Simard, and remember Mike Niemaszyk who is from Litchfield, NH and entering St. John Seminary for the first time this year. Mike grew up in Fr. Gary s previous parish and served at the altar there for many years. It s been great for Fr. G and Seminarian Joe to get together with Mike and support him in his discernment over these past couple of years. NEW! First Friday/Saturday Join us as we honor and make reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with Holy Mass and Litany this Friday at 8:00 AM and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary with 8:00 AM Mass followed by Rosary on Saturday. Confessions are heard after both, as they are every day after morning Mass at our St. Catherine Church. NEW! St. Patrick School in Need of Coaches Our St. Patrick School is seeking coaches for its school Middle School and Elementary Soccer teams, plus its Middle School Cross Country Team. Middle School Soccer is (4) afternoons a week, and Elementary Soccer is (2) afternoons a week. Cross Country is (2) afternoons a week. Each season starts in early September and concludes in October. Those interested are asked to contact school Director of Athletics Rick Bean at 603-312-1111 or Rick@RickBean.com. New 20/20 Series Begins Soon! Tickets for the next series will be available after Masses this weekend and also during the week at the St. Catherine office, 436-0344; and the Eileen Daly Pastoral Center, 436-4555. NEW! RCIA Anyone? Do you know someone who was never baptized, baptized in another Christian denomination, or, baptized Catholic but not brought up in the faith? Maybe they never received formation, made their First Communion or Confirmation? Maybe this is you and you have been joining us for Mass with a family member or friend? If you, or someone you know, would like to explore the Catholic faith and discern further if, perhaps, the Lord might be inviting you or them to become a full member of the Catholic Church, then RCIA Inquiry sessions are for you! Simply contact Brenda in our Office of Faith Formation to express your interest and you will get an invitation to join us in some informal info sessions, no obligation, that start in early September after the 10:30 AM Sunday Mass. She can also set up a time to get together and explain a little more about this Journey of Faith known as R (Rite) of C (Christian) I (Initiation) of A (Adults). You can email her at faithformdir.ccnh@gmail.com or call 603-436-4555, X20. NEW! Wedding Bells! Next weekend, Carrie Holowecki & Scott Kelley, Katherine Silva & Cliff Townsend, and Kate McKenna & Mike Pelaggi will pledge life and love in the sacrament of Marriage in our parish. We extend our congratulations and prayerful best wishes to them! May He who brought you together bless you in abundance in the years ahead as you live out this wonderful vocation. New Parishioners! Occasional guests become frequent visitors, and then many visitors decide to call Corpus Christi home! We re happy to extend the hand and heart of Christian fellowship to those who are discovering our parish as a place to be nourished in faith, supported on the journey, and in which to invest their God-given gifts of time, talent, and treasure! The newest (since April) members of our growing parish family include: Ruth Abalajon Lilaini Alves Mary Andrews Daniele Cruz Tom & Cathy Forbes Dennis & Andrea Glynn, DJ, Erin Ann, Molly Judith Halliday John & Patricia Heath Michael & Amber Huber, Delyla, Ava Nancy Lightbown Lindsay Martin Julia McDonald Bianca Monteiro & Kevin Szych Keith Natale Neely & Kristi Nelson, Jacob, Matthew, Lucas Thomas & Kimberly Pierog, Alicia, Hannah Erin Rigby Jennifer Rouillard, Shae Melissa Royer Christopher & Nicole Shaw, Charlotte Corey Sheehan, Ryan Steven & Sharon Spinney Jack & Antoniette Trammel, Danielle, Michael, Jacob Jon-Robert & Elizabeth Williams, Carolyn, Evan Anthony Wilson, Julian
St. Patrick School Welcomes the 2016-1017 school year! NEW! First Day of School! The first day of school is Monday, August 29 th. All grades will start at 8:00 AM this year. Parents may drop off their children between 7:50 and 8:00 AM. The first day of school is a half day. Students will be dismissed at noon. NEW! Watermelon Welcome & Car Raffle! We will hold our Watermelon Welcome on Wednesday, August 31 st, from 5:00 to 6:30 PM in the school yard. Bring your chairs and a picnic dinner! Watermelon will be provided. After the Watermelon Welcome, join us at Toyota of Portsmouth where the winner of our Car Raffle will be drawn at 7:00 PM. Haven't gotten a ticket yet? There are still some left! Call the school office at 603-436-0739. Tickets are $100 each and only 500 are being sold. NEW! Readers Wanted! St. Patrick School is looking for volunteer readers for our library program on Monday afternoons, roughly 1 2:30 PM. It would be wonderful if a couple of readers could commit to coming in once a week. Please call the school office at 603-436-0739 to say you ll share your love for reading with our students! New Sir Knights the K of C On June 25th, Saint Mary's Assembly sponsored a State Fourth Degree Exemplification. Four members of Council 140 and eight members of Council 5093, Hampton, took the final step to Knighthood by taking the Fourth Degree Exemplification in Hampton. Please join the members of Saint Mary s Assembly 1445 in welcoming new Sir Knights: SK Dante Tosi, SK Pete Johnson, SK James Diamond, and SK Terrence O'Rourke. Also, from the Hampton Council 5093, Pastor of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish, SK Rev. Gary Kosmowski, SK Jim McAden, SK Mike McMahon, SK Dave Skonieczki, SK Ron Plourde, SK Dave Drolet, SK Donald Stebbins, and SK Michael Blais. These men are living out their faith by their actions. St. Charles Children s Home 5K The 20 th Annual St. Charles Children s Home 5K Road Race will be here before you know it! Join us on Labor Day, Monday, September 5 th, for a day of fun & exercise at Martin s Point Health Care, Pease International Tradeport, Portsmouth. Tons of food, including Tommy Maddie and his crew from Applebee's, activities for the kids, raffles, and awards. Our race has a flat, fast course and cash awards for fast runners. At the same time it welcomes children, beginners, and walkers. Don t miss this encouraging opportunity to support St. Charles Children s Home and encounter a great race experience no matter what level you are. Visit www.runningnuns.com to register online or print a registration form. Preregister by September 1 st for $20. Registration the day of the race is $30; kids 12 and under are always $10. Free T-shirts to the first 800 registrations! Volunteers Needed! For information, please contact Jennifer Gilbert at jgilbert@stcharleshome.com or 603-332-4768! Young Adult Events All 21 to 30-something are invited to attend these upcoming events of our Young Adult Ministry and should feel welcome to invite friends as well! REMINDER Beach, BBQ, & Bonfire Tonight For those of you who signed up, see you tonight, Sunday, at 6:30 PM at Seapoint Beach in Kittery for burgers & dogs, volleyball, and fellowship with other young people grounded in faith. DVD, DINNER, & DISCUSSION A compelling documentary called Convinced came out last January and has received rave reviews both times we have screened it in the parish. It has helped many on the edges to find their way back to the active practice of the faith and has given good info and tools to those of us who often have our faith challenged or put down, or just not understood, by our friends and coworkers. On Sunday, September 18 th, we ll get together for a special screening for young adults, with an opportunity to share a simple supper and then talk a bit about what we saw after. Save the date! We will gather in the lower hall at Immaculate Conception Church after the 4:30 PM Mass. DVD at 5:30 PM, dinner and discussion following, with a 7:30 PM wrap up. RSVP to Meghan at mlz735@hotmail.com by Friday, September 16 th, if you can join us! If you are a practicing Catholic who, for one reason or another, never received the Sacrament of Confirmation and would like to, we invite you to take part in a threepart program of reflection/ enrichment which will enable you to be confirmed in our Diocesan Adult Confirmation Liturgy on Sunday, October 30th, at 2:00 PM at St. Joseph Cathedral in Manchester. Sessions will be held at 6:30 PM in our parish office building, next to St. James Church, on three consecutive Wednesdays: September 28, October 5, October 12. For details, contact our Faith Formation director, Brenda Stinson, at 436-4555 or faithformdir.ccnh@gmail.com. Many thanks to all who have supported this year's Back to School effort! Remember today is the deadline to return your donation of gift cards (to Kohl s, Walmart, Fox Run Mall, Dick s Sporting Goods, Staples, or to area gas stations) for local homeless children/ teens. Just drop them in the basket in the back of Immaculate Conception Church or into the collection basket.
August 28, 2016 Corpus Christi Parish Portsmouth, NH Upcoming Fall Events Small Discipleship Groups The Choice Wine: 7 Steps to a Superabundant Marriage is a pathway to authentic marital happiness. Couples will learn how to virtually divorceproof their marriages, experience the superabundant love and mercy of God, and realize a foretaste of Paradise in their marriages and families. To learn more about this fall offering, join us for an information session on Sunday, September 11, at 6:30 PM at St. Catherine Hall. Forming Intentional Disciples Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19 20) When Jesus started His ministry, the first thing He did was form a small group. Since the earliest days of the Church, most of the ministry that occurs takes place in small groups of disciples where people come to know and love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Join us as we begin the journey of Small Discipleship Groups where we pray, study, and share to become more faithful disciples in our daily life. Watch for sign-ups after weekend masses! Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them A mini-series Saturdays: October 29 November 5 November 12 November 19 December 3 Return How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church 9:00-11:00 AM St. Catherine Church Hall Join us this fall to explore the lives of five of the Bible's best-known femme fatales. From Eve to Delilah, each woman's story and struggles come to life. Divided into five independent gatherings, the Bad Girls of the Bible series offers a fresh way to engage with the truths found in Bible. For more information or to register, please contact Lisa Bald at 207-337-0934 Sponsored by the Women s Ministry You're worried about your child. He's stopped going to Mass. Maybe she's found another religion. Maybe he's rejected God. Maybe she just doesn't care anymore. Whatever the case... You want your child to return to the Church. You need a game plan! It's time to stop waiting and just hoping for the best. You need proven tools and strategies to draw your child back to the Church. Information Night: Wednesday, September 21 St. James Church Hall at 6:30 PM For more information or to register for any of these programs, please contact Roxanne Raeside Wilton at 603-436-4555, extension 24.