Sat., March 9 Saint Frances of Rome 4 PM … Grand Marshals John & Marilyn Cashin

Sun., March 10 I Sunday of Lent 7:30 AM … Our Parish Family 9:30 AM … Richard E. Kelley by Patrick & Kathy Arnold 5 PM … Deceased of the Bregar family by Dave Bregar Monday, March 11 12 PM … Claire Mulcahey by Ronnie Shclender Tue., March 12

12 PM … Margaret McGettigan (2nd Anniv) by Diane Bolton Wed., March 13 12 PM … Available intention Thur., March 14 8:30 AM … Frances Green by her daughter Fri., March 15 6 PM … Gloria Amanda Clermont by P. Jerome Sat., March 16 4 PM … Ronald Johnson (9th Anniv) by Armand & Kathy Carignan

Sun., March 17 II Sunday of Lent 7:30 AM … Mary Marszal; Ernest, Carl & Jeanne Bienvenue by Richard Bienvenue 9:30 AM … Linda Paris (14th Anniv) by Bill Paris 5 PM … Our Parish Family

First Sunday in Lent

Mon., March 11 6:30—8 PM … Youth Ministry @ Parish of the Transfiguration 7—8 PM … Food PantryTue., March 12 12:45 PM … Parish Nurse 7 PM … Lent 2019 Series Wed., March 13 7 PM … Knitting Group Thur., March 14 7:30 PM … Choir Practice Fri., March 15 7 PM … Lenten Adoration & Vespers

March 10, 2019

Weekend of March 3, 2019 Regular Offertory $2,920.00 Loose Offertory 292.00 Online Offertory Last Wk 825.00 Total Offertory $4,037.00

Stewardship Make Up $ 25.00 Holy Day Make up $ 10.00

Food Pantry $ 40.00

********************** Last Year: Wknd of March 4, 2018 Total Offertory $5,575.00

Sanctuary candle The sanctuary candle burns this week for Kathleen Perkins by Ker -ri Stanley.

Year C Hymnal #885

READINGS FOR THE WEEK of March 10, 2019 Monday: Lv 19:1-2, 11-18; Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 15; Mt 25:31-46; Tuesday: Is 55:10-11; Ps 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19; Mt 6:7-15; Wednesday: Jon 3:1-10; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19; Lk 11:29-32; Thursday: Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25; Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8; Mt 7:7-12; Friday: Ez 18:21-28; Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8; Mt 5:20-26; Saturday: Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8; Mt 5:43-48; Sunday: Gn 15:5-12, 17-18; Ps 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14; Phil 3:17 — 4:1 or Phil 3:20 — 4:1; Lk 9:28b-36

Congratulations! Shout out to Al Heidenreich on receiv-

ing the 2018 Maurice McQuillen service to veter-

ans award. Al is the past commander of the Henry

J. Sweeney American Legion Post. Well deserved!

Congratulations also to Skyler Podziewski, who

holds the title of Miss Capital Area’s Outstanding Teen 2019.

Skye recently competed for the national title in Orlando, FL.

On Monday, March 4, the food pantry served 10 families and gave out 15 bags of groceries. We can always use brown paper bags, peanut butter, and soup. Thank you!

Daily Reflections for Lent by Mary De-Turris Poust are available in the Infor-mation Nook for $2. You may pay for the book by including it with your offerto-ry or leave your donation in the donation box in the nook. Thanks.

The Seven Precepts of the Church The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists five precepts, or

commandments of the Church (Nos. 2041-2043). The last two

are included elsewhere in the catechism but are not listed as pre-

cepts. They are equally important, however. The original seven

are listed here for historic educational value.

1.) To attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and resting from

servile works. 2.) To observe the days of abstinence and fasting. 3.) To confess

our sins to a priest, at least once a year. 4.) To receive Our Lord Jesus Christ in

the Holy Eucharist at least once a year during Easter Season. 5.) To contribute

to the support of the Church. 6.) To obey the laws of the Church concerning

Matrimony. 7.) To participate in the Church's mission of Evangelization of

souls. (Missionary Spirit of the Church)

Please pray for the repose of the souls of Kathleen Perkins and Lynne Cov-ey, who died Mar . 4. A funeral Mass

will be celebrated for Kathleen on Monday, Mar. 11, and on Saturday, Mar. 16 for Lynne. Please keep them and their families in prayer.

Congratulations to Evangeline Marie Landry, daughter of

Ryan & Maria (King) Landry, who was baptized Feb. 23

by P. Jerome, O.S.B., our pastor. Let us strive, by our

word and example, to create an environment for them

to come to know the love of God and the meaning of “being

church.”

Saint Raphael's Avenging Archangels News This past Sunday our Saint Raphael's Parish team faced Saint Elizabeth Seton in the first round of the playoffs. After finishing the regular season 4-6, they went into the game as steep underdogs. Leaving everything on the court, and tied 52-52, Seton hit a desperation shot as time ex-pired. Saint Raphael left the court with their heads held high.

Message from the Bishop On Feb. 25, the U.S. Senate failed to advance the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. This bill proposed to prohibit the killing of newborn children by ensuring that babies born alive following an abortion would receive the same degree of care to preserve their lives and health as would be given to other children born alive at the same gestational age. It should horrify all of us that our elected officials failed to advance a bill to make clear that killing newborn babies is wrong and should not be tolerated. Please take a minute to visit the diocesan website at catholicnh.org/abortion to learn more and contact your US Senators.

I had a hot fudge sundae Shrove Tuesday, got marked with soot Ash Wednesday, wrestled with a little chocolate temptation later on, and happily buttered my first hot cross bun of the season this past Thurs-day. There can be no question that Lent 2019 has arrived! As liturgical seasons go, I’ve always loved Advent. It’s filled with so much good cheer, beauty and anticipation. The wonder of Christmas radiates through Advent, pull-ing believers into the mystery of the incar-nate Christ. Lent, on the other hand, is a little tougher. Advent is not a penitential season in quite the same way. Lent means business, and it has good reason to do so. As disciples of Christ, we are preparing to commemorate his passion and death on the Cross and celebrate his rising from the dead at Easter. Saint Benedict in the Holy Rule instructs his monks not only that we should observe Lent solemn-ly, but that we should live our lives as if they were an extend-ed Lenten observance. That may sound a little severe, but I think the patriarch of Western monasticism is making a point by making an analogy. As Lent is to Easter, so our lives are to the life of Heaven for which we strive in God’s mercy and grace. That means our lives as disciples who take Jesus of Naza-reth seriously, our lives should give ample evidence of three realities – the same reali-ties that mark every Christian’s observance of the Lenten discipline. First, we should pray, and thereby open our hearts, minds and wills to communi-cating with the Lord who made us, sustains us and will judge us. We express our fears, needs and concerns and the Lord takes them and responds to us, sometimes in obvious ways, sometimes in subtle and hidden ways. Second, we should practice self-discipline and self-denial. We move ourselves out of the way, so to speak, so that we might ad-dress how we might change our ways to be the man or woman God desires us to be. Third, and finally, we should practice almsgiving, an old English word meaning a manifestation of our faith in the salvation Jesus has won for us in and through acts of love and support, encouragement and gener-osity. Such almsgiving both expresses and builds solidarity with brothers and sisters in need, alleviates suffering and shows will-ingness to listen and learn from others. We manifest good stewardship of the gifts we have been given. Such charity fulfills the command of Jesus as expressed in Matthew’s gospel parable, “I assure you, as often as you did it for one of the least of my brothers, you did it for

me” (Mt. 25:40) While that passage may make us smile, its corollary is sobering, “I assure you, as often as you neglected to do it to one of these ones, you neglected to do it to me.” Each of the Lenten disciplines reminds that we have freedom to choose, that life

inevitably demands choices of us and, finally, that our choices have consequences now and eter-nally. This year, Saint Raphael pro-vides several ways for each of us to make a “good Lent,” that is a season that truly prepares us for the commemorations and cele-brations of the Easter Triduum. If a Red Sox player squandered spring training, the fans in Red

Sox Nation would be right to be riled and question his commitment to the team. In same way, as Catholics, we know our team, and far more than any team, is the Mystical Body of Christ. As usual, we have a regu-lar schedule of Mass each day during Lent, Monday through Wednesday at 12 noon, Thursday at 8.30 a.m., and Friday at 6 p.m. On Fridays, the Eucharistic Prayer is recited in Latin. Participating in the Eucharistic celebration of Mass is the “source and summit” of our Catholic faith – and it has my highest recommendation. Immediately after the Friday evening Mass, many remain to participate in our continuing Novena to the Archangels. Why not consider joining us each day, if possible, or even once a week if your schedule is restrictive? On Fridays, after the Mass, we will have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament along with Vespers, the Evening Prayer of the Church, and a period of adoration. (Because Lent 2019 will include this feature each week, the usual monthly celebration of Vespers within the Friday Mass will not occur, Vespers being available immediately after the Lenten Mass.) This feature is being undertaken by the men who belong to the Holy League, and I thank them for their assistance and willingness to help enrich our offerings. Some parishioners and friends may want to avail of both Friday evening opportunities, but others may find one or the

other suits them better. If Fridays were not enough for people, we plan a special Tuesday evening program each week as well. Stealing a title and a theme, with a major variation, from a popu-lar 1997 non-fiction work, we will present “Tuesdays with Jesus” each Tuesday at 7 p.m. A special brochure on this program and our other Lenten activities is available at the door of the church. Briefly, however, the Tuesday programs are organized around the themes of “Repentance, Reparation, Re-discovery and Renewal.” Each Tuesday night, we will have a differ-ent worship experience – Vespers, the Holy Rosary, a Bible service, Adoration of Blessed Sacrament and Stations of the Cross – plus Benediction. The evening program in the chapel will include worship, a short talk by a member of our Benedic-tine community at Saint Anselm Abbey, distribution of a brief practical activity for a kind of weekly Lenten homework and time for fellowship and refreshments. Those four words in our Lenten program – Repentance, Reparation, Rediscovery and Renewal – are not just alliterative; they are deeply important personal responses to Christ’s call to conversion of heart. Hav-ing acknowledged our sins, we express sor-row for the offense given God and the harm done to our neighbor. Reparation enables us to join our limited efforts to the inestimable value of Christ’s atonement, and thus “fill up what is lacking in Christ’s sufferings,” as Saint Paul teaches in Col. 1:24. As part of the Mystical Body, we contribute our re-demptive suffering to Christ’s all sufficient suffering for justice and atonement. Rediscovery enables us to share tradition-al forms of worship that we do not experi-ence in public so often any more – and in the bargain rediscover something about ourselves. Finally, renewal, the whole point of Lent, is conversion of heart so that, in the light and grace of the Crucified and Risen Christ, we might become new in the best sense. Please join us on Tuesday evenings!Wouldn’t it be a wonderful blessing to have so many coming that we were forced to move out of the chapel and into the big church!◄ © Rev. Jerome Joseph Day, O.S.B.

From the Pastor: Fr. Jerome Joseph Day, O.S.B.

Lent 2019: Try ‘Tuesdays with Jesus’ as fuel for repentance and renewal