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 Lee Abbott Deacon Bob Turner Cathy Kinnon Susan Joncas Brandon Sargent Kate Ciarletta Rebeccah Nusbaum Allan Fernald Richard Dussault Church and Parish Center (603) 432-8711 One South Road, Londonderry, NH 03053 Pastor Pastoral Associate Deacon Religious Education Director Business Manager Evangelist/Youth Minister Assistant Youth Minister RCIA Coordinator Music Director Custodian MASS SCHEDULE Saturday @ 5:00 PM Sunday @ 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM, and 11:00 AM Monday through Thursday @ 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 have 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 Facebook: stmarkslondonderry Twitter: @stmarksnh Website: www.saintmarkevangelist.com
Deacon s Pencil. Divine Mercy Sunday Homily by Pope Francis The Apostles, along with other disciples, are gathered in the Upper Room on the evening of the first day after the Sabbath. The Gospel tells us that Jesus came and stood among them, and said, Peace be with you! and He showed them His hands and His side (wounds). In this way, they came to realize that He was not a ghost. It was truly Him, the Lord, and they were filled with joy. On the eight day, Jesus came, once again, into the Upper Room and showed His wounds to the Apostle Thomas so that he could touch them as he had wished to in order to believe and thus become himself a witness to the Resurrection. Jesus invites us to behold these wounds, to touch them as Thomas did, to heal our lack of belief. Above all, He invites us to enter into the mystery of these wounds, which is the mystery of His merciful love. Through these wounds, as in a light-filled opening, we can see the entire mystery of Christ and of God: His Passion, His earthy life filled with compassion for the weak and sick His incarnation in the womb of Mary. And we can retrace the whole history of salvation: the prophecies especially about the Servant of the Lord, the Psalms, the Law and the Covenant, to the liberation from Egypt, to the first Passover and to the blood of the slaughtered lambs; and again, from the Patriarchs to Abraham, and then all the way back to Abel, whose blood cried out from the earth. All of this we can see in the wounds of Jesus, crucified and risen; with Mary, in her Magnificat, we can perceive that, His MERCY extends from generation to generation. Faced with the tragic events of human history we can feel crushed at times, asking ourselves, Why?. Humanity s evil can appear in the world like an abyss, a great void: empty of love, empty of goodness, empty of life. And so, we ask: how can we fill this abyss? For us it is impossible; only God can fill this emptiness that evil brings to our hearts and to human history. It is Jesus, God made man, who died on the Cross and who fills the abyss of sin with the depth of His mercy. Saint Bernard, in one of his commentaries on the Canticle of Canticles, reflects precisely on the mystery of the Lord s wounds, using forceful and even bold expressions which we do well to repeat today. He says that through these sacred wounds we can see the secret of Christ s heart, the great mystery of love, the sincerity of His mercy with which He visited us from on high. Brothers and sisters, behold the way which God has opened for us to finally go out from our slavery to sin and death, and thus enter into the land of life and peace. Jesus, crucified and risen, is the way and His wounds are especially full of mercy. The saints teach us that the world is changed beginning with the conversion of one s own heart, and that this happens through the mercy of God. And so, whether faced with my own sins or the great tragedies of the world, my conscience would be distressed, but it would not be in turmoil, for I would recall the wounds of the Lord: He was wounded for our iniquities (Is. 53:5). What sin is there so deadly that it cannot be pardoned by the death of Christ. Keeping our gaze on the wounds of the Risen Jesus, we can sing with the Church: His love endures forever (Ps. 117:2); eternal is His mercy. And with these words impressed on our hearts, let us go forth along the paths of history, led by the hand of our Lord and Savior, our life and our hope, Jesus Christ. God Bless, Dc. Lee
New Mass Schedule!! It is truly an exciting time here at St. Mark s! As you may have noticed, our 10:30 Sunday Mass has been filled to capacity for weeks! Our community is growing, and the time has come for us to make some adjustments to ensure that there is always a seat available at our Sunday services. Beginning this week, our Sunday Masses will be held at 8 AM, 9:30 AM, and 11 AM. The Adult Choir that is a perennial feature of our 10:30 Mass will now aid our worship at the 9:30, and the new 11:00 Mass will feature a contemporary Praise and Worship music ministry! A Job Well Done!! Thank you to all of the young people for an outstanding presentation of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday: Stephen Bompastore, Teresa Bompastore, Garrett Calusdian, Anthony Ciarletta, Laura Ciarletta, Lena Cook, Owen Cook, Dylan Giordano, Courtney Julian, Katie LaCerda, Amy Maffattone, Mary Catherine Neville, Adrian Niceforo, Michaella Niceforo, Ross Pare, Michaela Short, Anna Windisch, Ava Windish, Olivia Windisch, and Kelsey Wilson. Your faith and dedication are an inspiration to us all! Thank you, too, to our adult helpers Kate Ciarletta, Lisa Cook, Cathy Kinnon, Maria Windisch and our photographer, Jean Desrosiers. Your time and help was invaluable, and it wouldn t have come together without you. Thanks again to all for a job very well done! Happy Easter! Adult Faith Formation! Our Adult Faith Formation evenings return Monday night, May 1st, at 7:00 PM! Join us as our RCIA Coordinator, Rebeccah Nusbaum, presents a talk on the religion of Islam. This is sure to be an informative evening on a current and relevant topic that many of us know very little about! The following week, on Monday, May 8th, parishioner Mike Speltz will be presenting us with Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si. Come hear what the Holy Father has to teach us about Care For Our Common Home. You won t want to miss it! Our Adult Faith Formation evenings are held in the Parish Lounge at 7:00 PM. Refreshments are provided, and all are welcome! Praise and Worship Group Forming!! Our new 11:00 AM Sunday Mass will include a contemporary Praise and Worship Choir! Won t you be a part of it? Mr. Steve Pratt has agreed to help us form and grow this exciting new ministry. As we welcome him into our community, let s join him in enhancing our worship through songs of praise! Our first rehearsal is Sunday, April 30, at 7:00 PM here in the church. This is an open call for anyone (High School Students, Young Adults, Any Adults) to help us put together this vibrant music ministry for the new 11:00 AM Mass. We can t wait to see you there! Welcome to the Family!! Congratulations to the newest members of our family of Faith! A joyous welcome to Lindsay, Katie, Anthony, Ariel, Joey, Mason, Hannah, and Cooper who entered the Church at the Easter Vigil! Our St. Mark s community is so excited for them, and proud of all the work they put in through the year. A heartfelt thank you to our RCIA team: Dan, Paula, Jane, Tamara, Maury, Kay, and Beccah for all the help and support they gave to the candidates and catechumens throughout the process. Please keep our newest family members in your prayers as they continue with us on our journey of faith! This Week @ St. Mark s!!! Sunday, April 23: 12:00 PM Baptisms (Church) Tuesday, April 25: 6 AM- 11 PM Eucharistic Adoration (Chapel) 7:30 PM Choir Practice (Church) Wednesday, April 26: 7:00 PM Grace Within Session (Room 102) Thursday, April 27: Parish Office Closed 7:30 PM Knights of Columbus Business Meeting Saturday, April 29: 9:30 AM Al Anon (Room 209) Sunday, April 30: 7:00 PM Praise & Worship Rehearsal (Church)
St. Mark s Needs YOU!! We would love to have your smiling face on our team! Our Welcome Team and our Liturgical Services Team is seeking volunteers to assist in the ministry and mission of St. Mark s. With the addition of a third Sunday Mass, we need some friendly folks to roll up their sleeves and give us a hand! You can help out at the Mass you and your family regularly attend, and it just requires about fifteen minutes before and after Mass. What a great way to participate more in our community and live the Gospel! If you re interested, stop by the Welcome Center, chat with a team member, or email us at stmarkevan@comcast.net. We can t wait to hear from you! Middle School Night returns!! We are pleased to announce that Middle School Night is back! Mark your calendars for Sunday, May 7, from 4-5:30, as we get together for Faith, Fellowship, and Fun! What a great way to close out Spring Break! All 6th and 7th graders are welcome, and being close to the end of the school year, we d love to invite 5th graders to join us, too! All are welcome - so bring a friend! You don t have to belong to St. Mark s to join us and have a blast! There will be food and fun, as always, so you don t want to miss it! See you there! High School Youth Night! Happy Easter everybody!! We had such an awesome turnout last time, it was so great to be together and doing what we do best: having fun and praising God for all the blessings in our lives. We ll be getting together on the last night of Spring Break, Sunday, May 7, from 6-8. Come on down and close out your vacation with us. Bring a friend, have some pizza, and hang out for a bit. Are you coming with us to Stuebenville East with us this July? If you re interested (which you know you are!) come down to High School Night and talk to us, or find Kate or Brandon after Mass and we ll get you all the info you need. Spaces are filling up fast, it s going to be an epic weekend down at UMASS Lowell, and we want you there with us! If you have any questions, email Brandon at brandon.stmarks@comcast.net. Religious Education News * 9th and 10th grade Confirmation students are reminded that all Confirmation requirements are due by Monday, May 15th. Any questions please contact Mrs. Kinnon at (603) 434-5711. * Registrations for the Summer Religious Education Program are still being accepted! The summer program is July 10th through July 20th from 9:00 AM until noon each day. Welcome Seminarian Ryan!! We are excited to announce that St. Mark s will have a seminarian in residence this summer! Mr. Ryan Amazeen is in priestly formation at St. John s Seminary in Boston, and will be joining us for his summer pastoral assignment! Please keep him and all of our diocesan seminarians in your prayers! Mass Intentions for April 22-April 30 4/22 Saturday, 5 PM: Herman Max by his wife 4/23 Sunday, 8 AM: Aage & Sylvia Schou by the Schou family 4/23 Sunday, 9:30 AM: For the People of the Parish 4/23 Sunday, 11 AM Jacqueline, Alfred, Diane Fortier Trombley, Jim & Michelle Fortier by their family 4/24 Monday, 9 AM: Kathleen Toland Cane by the Beliveau family 4/25 Tuesday, 9 AM: Margaret Webster by Rich & Cathy Kinnon & family 4/26 Wednesday, 9 AM: Mary Bennive by John & Kathy Blay 4/27 Thursday 9 AM: Mary Bennive by John & Kathy Blay 4/29 Saturday, 5 PM: Francis Berthiane & Jennifer Windisch by Cathy Urquhart & family 4/30 Sunday, 8 AM: Bob Fawcett by his loving family 4/30 Sunday, 9:30 AM: St. Gianna s Place by friends & supporters 4/30 Sunday, 11 AM Vern Ouelette by his wife Andrea Ouelette
Sacrificial Giving (April 8-9) Operating Funds Offertory Envelopes $ 7,084.50 Loose Cash $ 944.00 # of Offertory Envelopes - 241 Electronic Giving - wkly - 4 donors $ 140.00 ParishPay - wkly avg - 80 donors $ 3,145.00 Easter $ 115.00 Flowers $ 245.00 Fuel $ - Social $ 53.00 Youth $ - Mass Donations $ 20.00 Donations (bap/wed/fun/gen) $ - Total $11,746.50 Designated Funds Capital Development $ 275.00 Charitable $ 455.00 Poor Box $ 222.00 Diocesan Collection(s) $ 85.00 Rice Bowls $ 180.00 Total $ 1,217.00 Grand Total $12,963.50 Sacrificial Giving (April 14-16) Operating Funds Offertory Envelopes $ 6,898.00 Loose Cash $ 2,301.00 # of Offertory Envelopes - 212 Electronic Giving - wkly - 5 donors $ 240.00 ParishPay - wkly avg - 80 donors $ 3,145.00 Easter - 188 envelopes $ 6,777.00 Flowers $ 285.00 Mass Donations $ 60.00 Donations (bap/wed/fun/gen) $ - Total $19,706.00 Designated Funds Capital Development $ 191.00 Charitable $ 203.00 Poor Box $ 18.00 Diocesan Collection(s) $ 915.00 Rice Bowls $ 441.00 Total $ 1,768.00 Parish Contact Information Parish Office (603) 432-8711 Religious Education Office FAX (603) 434-5711 Parish Email stmarkevan@comcast.net Web Page saintmarkevangelist.com Office Hours Mon-Thurs 9 AM- 4 PM Fr Mike Deacon Lee Deacon Bob Cathy Kinnon Susan Joncas Brandon Sargent frmike.stmarks@comcast.net leestmark@comcast.net turnerjhn76@aol.com cathystmark@comcast.net susanstmark@comcast.net brandon.stmarks@comcast.net Pastoral Council Justin Paré Finance Council Kevin Cronin Music Allan Fernald (603) 434-9101 Outreach Dianne Zdankiewicz (603) 434-7991 Knights of Columbus Bob McGuirk (603) 203-6066 Men of St Joseph Bill Donroe (603) 432-6066 Prayer Line (603) 429-1211 Safe Environment Susan Joncas (603) 432-8711 Al-Anon Saturdays, 9:30-11 AM Birthright (603) 434-3000 NH Catholic Charities, Windham (603) 893-1971 Sacrament of Baptism Parents are asked to participate in the baptismal catechesis program prior to their child s baptism. Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturday 3:30-4:30pm 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, 6:00am-11pm / First Fridays 8pm-12am Grand Total $21,474.00