April 26, 2020 St. Christopher Church Fr. David Harris, Pastor [email protected]Rev. Thien Nguyen, Vietnamese Ministry 62 Manchester St. Nashua, New Hampshire 03064 (603) 882-0632 parish.offi[email protected]www.stchrisparishnh.org St. Christopher School Mrs. Cindy Clarke, Principal [email protected]Grades PreK - 6 20 Cushing Ave. Nashua, New Hampshire 03064 (603) 882-7442 www.stchrisschoolnh.org Worship Schedule Morning Prayer 7:00 AM Mon-Thurs Daily Mass 7:15 AM Mon-Thurs Saturday Vigil 4:00 PM Sunday Mass 8:00 & 10:00 AM Vietnamese Mass 3:00 PM Sunday Confessions After Daily Mass, approx. 7:45 AM 3:00-3:30 PM Saturday Rosary 7:00 PM Tuesday Eucharistic Adoration Wednesday 7:45-8:45 AM Rosary at beginning 1st Friday of the Month 1:00-3:00 PM September - June Welcome New Parishioners! If you would like to register or you have changed your address, please fill out the form on page 5. Our Parish Prayer Heavenly Father, we pray for all of the people and programs of St. Christopher Parish. Unite us as a community of believers and grant us the wisdom, grace, and strength to do your will. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. AMEN. Our Mission We are a Roman Catholic parish whose members live and proclaim the saving message of Jesus Christ. SAINT CHRISTOPHER CATHOLIC CHURCH
Morning Prayer 7:00 AM Mon-ThursDaily Mass 7:15 AM Mon-ThursSaturday Vigil 4:00 PMSunday Mass 8:00 & 10:00 AMVietnamese Mass 3:00 PM Sunday
Confessions After Daily Mass, approx. 7:45 AM 3:00-3:30 PM SaturdayRosary 7:00 PM TuesdayEucharistic Adoration Wednesday 7:45-8:45 AM Rosary at beginning
1st Friday of the Month 1:00-3:00 PM September - June Welcome New Parishioners! If you would like to register or you havechanged your address, please fill out the form on page 5.
Our Parish PrayerHeavenly Father, we pray for all of the people and programs of St. Christopher Parish. Unite us as a community of believers and grant us the wisdom, grace, and strength to do your will. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. AMEN.
Our MissionWe are a Roman Catholic parish whose members live and proclaim the saving message of Jesus Christ.
SAINT CHRISTOPHERC A T H O L I C C H U R C H
April 26, 2020
Until further notice...
St. Christopher Church
will be OPEN
for prayer
Monday to Friday9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Please use the side door toenter the church!
Saturday, April 25 4:00 PM Marion Moran by Hugh & Anne Moran
Sunday, April 26 8:00 AM Rosemary Mahoney by Michael and Ann Feenan 10:00 AM For the people of the parish 3:00 PM Vietnamese Mass
Monday, April 27 7:15 AM Jeanne Paquette by Jeanne Berube
Tuesday, April 28 7:15 AM Richard Vita by His Daughter, Cindy
Wednesday, April 29 7:15 AM The young people of our parish and school by St. Christopher Parish
Thursday, April 30 7:15 AM Joan Beaulieu by Dennis, Janet, Emily, Theresa & Lucy Murphy
Friday, May 1 No Mass on Fridays
Saturday, May 2 4:00 PM Stephanie Cadwell Walsh by Joe & Chris Mercurio
Sunday, May 3 8:00 AM For the people of the parish 10:00 AM Jean Catherine Sica by Fr. David Harris 3:00 PM Vietnamese Mass
The Sanctuary Lamp Burns This Week: For Evelyn Salvas by The Murphy Family
Altar Bread and Wine:The Altar Bread, which will become the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ at all Masses during April, will be offered for Family members who have gone before us, by Michael & Susan Glenn. It will be offered in May for the people of the parish.
Arrangements can be made to donate the monthly Altar bread and wine in honor of a loved one by contacting the rectory at 882-0632 during business hours. Mass intentions can also be scheduled by calling the rectory.
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Mass Intentions
“He was made known to them in the breaking of bread”
Conversations and debates have been swirling around about what things in society are ‘essential’. There are common-sense reasons to temporarily prohibit certain types of public gatherings and activities to prevent the widespread spreading of contagion. The idea is that it is necessary to keep certain businesses and services open so that the most basic needs of human life can be maintained. It might be sad having no live sports on TV, malls to walk through, or hair salons to keep our handsome looks maintained, but we all know we can survive without them for now. However, when we talk about what is ‘essential’, we cannot forget what is essential for our souls. This is what our secultar culture ignores. Yes, having grocery stores, hospitals, and post offices open is very important, but we know that they only serve us in a limited way. What is essential for our eternal journey to get to where we ultimately want to be? What do we need in our lives that will help us attain eternal happiness in heaven, and even experience the joys of God’s life here and now? A society that can’t answer that question like ours is one that doesn’t know what is really essential. In the Gospel this Sunday, the Risen Lord reveals himself to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. They are ignorant of Jesus’ presence until He ‘breaks bread’ with them. Of course we know that this is not just some regular loaf of Wonder bread! It is the Eucharist, which causes their hearts to ‘burn’ with divine love inside of them. They experienced what they truly craved - that which was truly essential. Without God’s love burning within us, we end up building a world of ever-growing sadness, hopelessness, confusion, and darkness. As we experience a painful fast from gathering around the Eucharistic altar to be nourished by God’s Body and Blood, my prayer and hope is that this temporary separation helps us understand at an even deeper level that the Bread of Life is truly our essential food. It is through this awesome sacrament that God transforms us into the image of His Son, experiencing the happiness of God’s love here and now and also preparing us to enter into divine glory in heaven. It is a mystery we can never fully grasp! My hope is that our presence at Mass will slowly return in the weeks ahead. I pray that it is a cause for great consolation in our parish and in the whole Church. Oftentimes separation makes the heart grow fonder. May our reception of the Holy Eucharist convict our hearts that God is giving us what is truly essential and may it lead to a new springtime of joyful devotion to the awesome gift we receive each time we come to Mass!
Parish Giving During COVID-19The operation of the parish continues to rely upon your generosity through the offertory collection. It is important that we continue our parish giving at this time. Please consider the following ways to support St. Chris during this challenging time:
•If you give by cash in the offertory collection, we highly encourage you to please sign up for online giving. This is the most efficient way for us to enable the parish to maintain it’s financial obligations uninterrupted. You can sign up for automated payment or make individual gifts online at https://stchrisparishnh.org/giving/
•If you typically put envelopes in the collection basket, please consider mailing them to us or dropping them in the mail slot of the office door.
•If you are in a position to give more, we would ask you to prayerfully increase your giving in the weeks ahead or consider making an additional gift.
Thank You!
Be On the Lookout!With the pandemic, cyber criminals are increasing their attacks, hoping to take advantage of confusion and the migration to a remote work environment. It is important to be extra careful and very vigilant! Be on the lookout for cryptic or unusual email requests purporting to be from our parish office - we would never email you to ask for gift cards, bank information, wire transfers, etc. Recent scams have included:
• Requests to call, email back, send gift cards, transfer funds, have an invoice paid (that may be attached), perform wire transfers, or change payroll direct deposit.
• Requests to connect to unknown webinars, online conferences/calls, or other communication. These are usually accompanied by an invitation to download a communication tool (like Zoom or GoToMeeting), but in reality is a virus that can take over your computer and your network to gain access to your files, banks, credit cards, etc. At times they will demand a ransom to get your files restored (known as ransomware).
• Scams and attacks using apps such as Zoom and GoToMeeting. The FBI has warned about potential vulnerabilities in the apps, mainly that your meeting can be “Zoombombed” – joined by someone who wasn’t invited or an inappropriate video added.
Catholic Charities NH Update
All Programs Continue to Offer Support During COVID-19 Crisis
In this challenging and unprecedented time, Catholic Charites NH continues to serve the needs of the vulnerable across New Hampshire. While most of our physical locations are closed, all of our programs remain operational. Our staff is working remotely and is accessible to serve individuals and families facing increasing hardship during this difficult period. If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact 603-669-3030 or visit us online at www.cc-nh.org/programs.
April 26, 2020
Corpus Christi Corner In this unprecedented time in our community, with people laid off from work or asked to work from home, many of our neighbors may be in financial distress and finding it hard to put food on the table. Volunteers at Corpus Christi Food Pantry are are diligently working to ensure that our client’s needs are still being met. Our hours have changed, they are now: Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. We are handing out prepackaged bags of food, enough for several days. If you are in need of food please call us for an appointment, 882-6372. We are following health department guidelines to help keep both our clients and our volunteers safe. If you are able to donate food, it can still be dropped off at the church, during the hours it is open for prayers. Our supplies are low on the following foods:
Two pound bags of flour, 64 ounce bottles of juice, pasta sauce, Hamburger Helper, canned 1 pound hams, scalloped potatoes, brownie mix, mustard, baked beans and Saltine crackers. Your donations can be placed in the basket located by the side door of the church. In this time of uncertainty, we can all pull together to help each other. During the month of March parishioners from St Chris donated 166 pounds of food to the Pantry valued at $277. Thank you for your continued support.
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Thank you
for supporting
your Spiritual Home!
From the Families of Nazareth
When We Are Slow Of Heart To Believe“We are witnesses of our God, who comes to us so frequently and yet we often behave as if we have not seen or experienced anything.”
Offertory Envelopes $3,025.00Loose Offertory $135.00Faith Direct $1,836.00Total $4,996.00
Easter $2,035.00 (total to date $19,824.00)Holy Places $25.00 (total to date $521.00)
Coming July 1, 2020
Families looking for a comprehensive au-thentically Catholic school for their PreK-3 through grade 8 children will have a new option in Fall 2020! St. Christopher School and Nashua Catholic Regional Junior High School will be unified as one Catholic acad-emy, named Saint Christopher Academy, as of July 1, 2020. The new school model, unique to the Diocese of Manchester, will blend both schools into one Catholic acad-emy housed on two campuses. PreK-3 to grade 6 students will attend class at the lower campus at 20 Cushing Avenue, the current location of St. Christopher School. Students in grades 7 and 8 will attend at the upper campus at 6 Bartlett Avenue, the current location of Nashua Catholic. “Our new school will bring together the numerous gifts, strengths, and traditions of St. Christopher School, the former Infant Jesus School, and Nashua Catholic Regional Junior High School, while also adding new advantages and opportunities made possible by the unified academy model. The Academy will be faith centered, academically excellent, and built upon a loving community where each child is cherished and challenged to grow,” explains Principal Cynthia Vita Clarke. Saint Christopher Academy is enrolling students for the 2020-2021 school year. To apply, visit SaintChrisAcademy.org or contact Cindy Clarke at 603-882-7442.
Knights of Columbus5. Called “The strong right arm of the Church” by Saint John Paul II, the Knights of Columbus has more than 1.9 million members and families who support the church and charitable causes around the globe. Go to KofC.org/Joinus for more information on how you and your family can transform the world.
April 26, 20205
Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.Protect them as they protect us.Bless them and their families,For the selfless acts they perform,For us in our time of need.And give us peace.We ask this in the name of Jesus, Our Lord
and Savior. Amen.
Please pray for the following service people from our parish:
Children of William & Yvette Berthelotte:
LTC Brian Berthelotte (Army); LtCol Mark Berthelotte (USAF); LCDR Brad Berthelotte (Navy)
Grandson of William & Yvette Berthelotte: Cpl. Matthew Berthelotte (USMC)
Son of John & Alana Kocsis:SSG. John Kocsis III (Army)
Son of Joseph & Sue Strob:Maj. Rob Strob
Grandson of Pat & Kaye Heffernan: Sgt. Eamonn Garber (USMC)
Son of David & Patricia Taylor: SFC James Taylor (Army)
Grandson of Lorraine St. Pierre PFC Alexander St. Pierre (Army)
Sons of Laurie Kopka and Grandsons of Madeleine Kopka:
AT2 Michael Allard (Navy)AME2 Joseph Allard (Navy)
Daugher of John Soltis:Lt.Col. Kristen Soltis (USAF)
Granddaughter of Dan & Sue Tracy:1Lt Brittany DesLauriers (Army)
Grandson of Betty Batey:Captain Nick Batey USAF
Nephew of Karen Narkis: AMT3 David P. Narkis (Coast Guard)
To add to our military prayer list, email [email protected] or call the Rectory at 882-0632.
VBS Coming Soon! Rocky Railways 2020!
July 27-July 31, 2020 8:30 AM -11:30 AM
Looking for volunteers to add to our crew and get this train rolling!
Come join us for a rockin’ good time aboard the Rocky Railways VBS train… where God’s strength always pulls us through! Dancing, music, crafts, snacks and games galore as we hear and learn how Jesus pulls us through! We will need lots of volunteers to make this event happen- please email [email protected] if you are age 18+ and want to help us make an amazing trek! Youth volunteer slots will be filled as soon as we have our 18+ crew assembled!
For Vocations“You have made known to me the paths of life.” Do you recognize Christ in your life and hope to make Him known to others? Perhaps you are being called to the priesthood or consecrated life. If you are considering this possiblity, Write Father Matthew Mason at [email protected].
Diocesan Quo Vadis Days“Quo Vadis” is the Latin phrase for “Where are you going.” Do you know where your life is going? The Lord Jesus has a great plan for you! If you are a young man age 14-18, you are invited to attend the third annual Quo Vadis Days camp to spend time with other young men your age looking at the Lord’s call in your life while having lots of fun. Quo Vadis Days is an overnight camp led by priests and seminarians of the diocese and includes a full schedule of hiking, swimming, canoeing, sports and games, daily Mass and prayer, and opportunities to grow in friendship with the Lord and with each other. Questions? Contact Father Matt Mason at [email protected].
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Welcome! Please use this form to register!St. Christopher Parish welcomes all visitors to our Spiritual Home! If you are interested in joining the
parish, please complete the form below and either drop it in the Offertory Basket or mail it to the Rectory. One of our Parish staff members will be in touch. Registration forms are also available online
Parish Prayer LineOverwhelmed by life, by care?May we help with our prayer?
St. Christopher’s Prayer Line --24/7 from us to Heaven!
Go online towww.stchrisparishnh.org
Send email toprayerhotline@
stchrisparishnh.org
Outreach MinistryIf you are homebound and cannot attend Mass and would like to receive communion, please call the Rectory 882-0632.
Senior CompanionsAre you homebound? Would you enjoy a visit? Your parish wants to stay connected with you! If St. Christopher is your spiritual home, how about a visit from one of your fellow parishioners? To arrange a visit, please call the Rectory at 882-0632.
Prayer ShawlsOur prayer shawl ministry, Creating for our Community, gathers once a month to knit, crochet, and pray as they create beautiful prayer shawls. If you know of someone who could benefit from the gift of a Prayer Shawl, whether they are having difficult time, or simply need the comfort of Prayer wrapped around their shoulders, please contact the rectory at 882-0632.
St. Christopher ParishCommunity Outreach
Saint Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) Louis’s life is inseparable from his efforts to promote genuine devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus and mother of the Church. Totus tuus (“completely yours”) was Louis’s personal motto; Pope John Paul II chose it as his episcopal motto.
Born in the Breton village of Montfort, close to Rennes, France, as an adult Louis identified himself by the place of his Baptism instead of his family name, Grignion. After being educated by the Jesuits and the Sulpicians, he was ordained a diocesan priest in 1700.
Soon he began preaching parish missions throughout western France. His years of ministering to the poor prompted him to travel and live very simply, sometimes getting him into trouble with Church authorities. In his preaching, which attracted thousands of people back to the faith, Father Louis recommended frequent, even daily, Holy Communion—not the custom then!—and imitation of the Virgin Mary’s ongoing acceptance of God’s will for her life. Louis founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary, for priests and brothers, and the Daughters of Wisdom, who cared especially for the sick. His book True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin has become a classic explanation of Marian devotion. Louis died in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, where a basilica has been erected in his honor. He was canonized in 1947. His Liturgical Feast Day is April 28.
ReflectionLike Mary, Louis experienced challenges in his efforts to follow Jesus. Opposed at times in his preaching and in his other ministries, Louis knew with Saint Paul, “Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7). Any attempt to succeed by worldly standards runs the risk of betraying the Good News of Jesus. Mary is “the first and most perfect disciple,” as the late Sulpician Father Raymond Brown described her. https://www.franciscanmedia.org
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“The Lord waits for us to offer him our failings so that he can help us experience his mercy.”
Pope Francis I @ PontifexApril 19, 2020
Prayer for VocationsO Holy Spirit, Spirit of wisdom and divine love, impart Your knowledge, understanding, and counsel to youth that they may know the vocation wherein they can best serve God. Give them courage and strength to follow God’s holy will. Guide their uncertain steps, strengthen their resolutions, shield their chastity, fashion their minds, conquer their hearts, and lead them to the vine-yards where they will labor in God’s holy service. Amen.
Prayer to Saint MichaelSt. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell, Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Family Connection to this Week’s Gospel
Gospel Reading: Luke 24:13-35
Jesus appears to two disciples who are walking to Emmaus.
Families, as the domestic church, have the opportunity to make the family meal a time of prayerful encounter with one another and with Jesus. At a family meal we share our experiences of the day and connect them with the experiences of others in the family. We can also enjoy the meal as an opportunity to reflect upon our family life in light of Scripture. At their best our family meals can connect us to Jesus too. Choose a family meal this week to share one another’s experiences of the week in a special way. Perhaps invite family members to plan and prepare the meal together. Begin the meal by reading today’s Gospel, Luke 24:13-35. As you eat, talk together about how the disciples discussed their experiences in Jerusalem and how they came to understand them differently when Jesus interpreted those events in the light of Scripture. Then invite each family member to share the things that are going on in his or her life. Consider what Jesus might say to each person if he were sitting at your dinner table. Conclude with a special prayer after your dinner. Pray a prayer of blessing for each family member, asking that Jesus continue to be present in each person’s life, helping each one to be a better follower of Jesus. Conclude with a Sign of Peace. Reprinted from http://www.loyolapress.com
Prayer for PriestsGracious and loving God, we thank you for the gift of our priests. Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments. Help our priests be strong in their vocation. Set their souls on fire for your people. Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom. Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel. Allow them to experience joy in their ministry. Help them to become instruments of your Divine grace. We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest. Amen.
About Our Catholic Faith:
What is the Stations of the Light?The Stations of the Light is a spiritual journey with Christ that takes one through fourteen of the most inspiriting events of His post-Resurrection life on earth. In the early Church this practice was known as the Via Lucis, or Way of the Resurrection. It invites participants to walk along a path of transforming joy by following in the footsteps of the Risen Christ and his friends. Although known and cherished since the first century, the Stations of the Light were never gathered into a precise devotion until recent years. While the Stations of the Cross focus on events within one day of Christ’s life on earth, the Way of Light begins with the story of the Resurrection and focuses on the awe-inspiring events from the Resurrection to Pentecost. The symbols in both devotions, the cross and the empty tomb, were key symbols in the early church. The Via Lucis was first blessed on Easter Sunday, 1994, in Turin, Italy, the birthplace of St. John Bosco, founder of the Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians). It formally became a Roman Catholic devotion, however, at the end of the twentieth century when the Vatican was preparing the Jubilee Year and searching for new devotions appropriate to the millennial transition and yet faithful to Christian tradition.
Why practice the Stations of the Light?Some of the blessings and spiritual gifts that come to participants who practice the Stations of the Light include: a joyful spirituality; contemplative living; peace and happiness; love; friendship; family bonds; compassion; reverence for the Sacred; prayer; staying power; and joyful optimism. Through these and other blessings, participants awaken to a new vision of self and imagine a new way of being in the world.
To download a video and prayer guide, visit https://www.catholicnh.org/worship-and-sacraments/faith/liturgical-calendar/stations-of-the-light/
