June 08 2008
Sisters
and Brothers,
Well, it’s summertime. That means people will be coming and going to and from the area. That means that we will have some sparsely attended Masses and some very heavily attended Masses. From my Presider’s Chair I notice an awful lot. One thing I see is the territorial imperative – I was here first – I have my seat – I’m not going to budge – not even to let someone climb over me and claim an empty seat. People, please, make the seating of worshippers go as smoothly as possible. I’m not asking you to give up your seat. If need be – just get up for a moment and let others pass.
Summertime also brings some great seasonal activities. In planning your weekend events make Mass your focal point. Mass will run about an hour – give or take. It takes so long for you to get here from home. It takes so long to get where you will be going after Church. Don’t cut your times so close that you will be arriving late and departing early.
This week our country marks FLAG DAY. The hallmark of the Fourth Degree of the Knights of Columbus is Patriotism. The Knights will be having a flag retiring ceremony this week. This ceremony is for all of our flags that have become tattered and faded through the years. See elsewhere in the bulletin for full details.
Recently I was going through the directory of priests who serve in the Diocese of Charleston. I was amazed to see how many of the priests are aging and graying – of course that doesn’t apply to me!!! Make sure that you pray for an increase of vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life every day. The Lord has new workers for the vineyard but these future workers have to hear the invitation and then have it nurtured by family, friends and parish.
God Bless,
PS
Isn’t it strange how we believe everything that magazines, the web and newspapers say but we question the words in the Bible?
Well, it’s summertime. That means people will be coming and going to and from the area. That means that we will have some sparsely attended Masses and some very heavily attended Masses. From my Presider’s Chair I notice an awful lot. One thing I see is the territorial imperative – I was here first – I have my seat – I’m not going to budge – not even to let someone climb over me and claim an empty seat. People, please, make the seating of worshippers go as smoothly as possible. I’m not asking you to give up your seat. If need be – just get up for a moment and let others pass.
Summertime also brings some great seasonal activities. In planning your weekend events make Mass your focal point. Mass will run about an hour – give or take. It takes so long for you to get here from home. It takes so long to get where you will be going after Church. Don’t cut your times so close that you will be arriving late and departing early.
This week our country marks FLAG DAY. The hallmark of the Fourth Degree of the Knights of Columbus is Patriotism. The Knights will be having a flag retiring ceremony this week. This ceremony is for all of our flags that have become tattered and faded through the years. See elsewhere in the bulletin for full details.
Recently I was going through the directory of priests who serve in the Diocese of Charleston. I was amazed to see how many of the priests are aging and graying – of course that doesn’t apply to me!!! Make sure that you pray for an increase of vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life every day. The Lord has new workers for the vineyard but these future workers have to hear the invitation and then have it nurtured by family, friends and parish.
God Bless,
PS
Isn’t it strange how we believe everything that magazines, the web and newspapers say but we question the words in the Bible?
June 01 2008
People
of God,
Do you remember the old Broadway play Carousel? A lyric from one of the musical tunes went something like this: June is bustin’ out all over, all over the river and the glen. Well it is June – schools are closed for the summer – Vacation Bible School is right around the corner – time to go to the shore, the fairways, the mountains and the lakes – time to lay back and relax. We’ve finished the grind of Lent. We have celebrated the glories of the Easter Season once again. We’ve marked Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi. Today we once again start counting the “green Sundays” of Ordinary Time.
What a misnomer, Ordinary Time! Any time we gather to worship Almighty God at the celebration of Mass there is nothing ordinary about it. Whether we are at our ‘home parish’ or ‘on the road’ we come together every week to be filled with The Word and nourished with Holy Communion. What is ‘ordinary’ about that? DO NOT LET THE PRACTICE OF YOUR FAITH SLIDE THIS SUMMER! If you are going to vacation in a different place and would like to know where the nearest Catholic Church might be, contact the office. We have a book called the National Catholic Directory. It lists every church and mission in the country. There’s no excuse for missing Mass at any time.
Be close to the Lord. Enjoy the summer.
God Bless,
PS
Isn’t it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share with others but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?
Do you remember the old Broadway play Carousel? A lyric from one of the musical tunes went something like this: June is bustin’ out all over, all over the river and the glen. Well it is June – schools are closed for the summer – Vacation Bible School is right around the corner – time to go to the shore, the fairways, the mountains and the lakes – time to lay back and relax. We’ve finished the grind of Lent. We have celebrated the glories of the Easter Season once again. We’ve marked Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi. Today we once again start counting the “green Sundays” of Ordinary Time.
What a misnomer, Ordinary Time! Any time we gather to worship Almighty God at the celebration of Mass there is nothing ordinary about it. Whether we are at our ‘home parish’ or ‘on the road’ we come together every week to be filled with The Word and nourished with Holy Communion. What is ‘ordinary’ about that? DO NOT LET THE PRACTICE OF YOUR FAITH SLIDE THIS SUMMER! If you are going to vacation in a different place and would like to know where the nearest Catholic Church might be, contact the office. We have a book called the National Catholic Directory. It lists every church and mission in the country. There’s no excuse for missing Mass at any time.
Be close to the Lord. Enjoy the summer.
God Bless,
PS
Isn’t it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share with others but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?
June 01 2008
Brothers
and Sisters,
Today our church celebrates the gift of the feast of Corpus Christi – the celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ. This day should be a reminder to all of us of the great love, healing, compassion and mercy of Almighty God toward those of us who are weak and who are sinners. The Lord died on the cross for us not because we are good but because we need divine redemption. This day should remind of us the value of Mass. This day should remind us that when we enter church we leave the work-a-day world behind us and focus on the divine. This day should remind us that we gather in a special place for a special purpose. Today’s graphic invites you to reflect on John 6:51-58.
Corpus Christi is a day of remembrance. This weekend our nation marks the national holiday of Memorial Day. This holiday goes back to the time of “The War Of Northern Aggression” when people on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line remembered those lost in that war. Over the years the holiday has been broaden in scope to remember all the deceased of all our wars. The death of war has touched not only our parish in the death of Michael Adams but has also touched our personal lives in the death of family members and loved ones. Make this a special day. Come join us for Mass at 9:00AM on Monday.
Speaking of veterans and soldiers, my good friend and hopefully yours, Fr. Al Dagnoli is celebrating his 40th anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood on June 8. If you would like to send him a card with congratulatory wishes you my send it to Fr. Al c/o his brother’s home address:
John Dagnoli
14 Maple Street
North Walpole, NH 03609
God Bless,
PS
Isn’t it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute?
Today our church celebrates the gift of the feast of Corpus Christi – the celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ. This day should be a reminder to all of us of the great love, healing, compassion and mercy of Almighty God toward those of us who are weak and who are sinners. The Lord died on the cross for us not because we are good but because we need divine redemption. This day should remind of us the value of Mass. This day should remind us that when we enter church we leave the work-a-day world behind us and focus on the divine. This day should remind us that we gather in a special place for a special purpose. Today’s graphic invites you to reflect on John 6:51-58.
Corpus Christi is a day of remembrance. This weekend our nation marks the national holiday of Memorial Day. This holiday goes back to the time of “The War Of Northern Aggression” when people on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line remembered those lost in that war. Over the years the holiday has been broaden in scope to remember all the deceased of all our wars. The death of war has touched not only our parish in the death of Michael Adams but has also touched our personal lives in the death of family members and loved ones. Make this a special day. Come join us for Mass at 9:00AM on Monday.
Speaking of veterans and soldiers, my good friend and hopefully yours, Fr. Al Dagnoli is celebrating his 40th anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood on June 8. If you would like to send him a card with congratulatory wishes you my send it to Fr. Al c/o his brother’s home address:
John Dagnoli
14 Maple Street
North Walpole, NH 03609
God Bless,
PS
Isn’t it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute?
May 18 2008
People
of God,
I’m sure that many of you are tired of looking at “my mug” each week in this my note to you. I thought that I would give it a rest for a while. Today I will start to use graphics which reflect one of the scripture readings or the overall theme of a Sunday. Today is Trinity Sunday and so the embedded graphic – the creative hand of the Father- the Son and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
One of the rites of Spring in every parish is the celebration of First Communion with the children of the parish. This year we were blessed with one hundred children receiving the Lord and so we had two different celebrations of First Communion. That’s a lot of work! The parish owes a major league THANK YOU to our Religious Education director, Nancy Cormack, and her super team of catechists and volunteers – ladies – gentlemen – WELL DONE!
Final exams – graduations – this is the time of the year when our students look forward to advancement in their studies or the beginning of new careers, and so, new directions in their lives. Let’s keep our students and graduates in special prayer for the next few weeks so that they might have the wisdom and strength that they
need.
If you have an extra prayer Monday (May 19th) ‘say one for me’. That day is my 35th anniversary of ordination to Priesthood – God knows I need all the help I can get!!!!
God Bless,
PS
Isn’t it strange how everyone wants front-row tickets for concerts or games but they do whatever possible to sit at the last row in Church?
I’m sure that many of you are tired of looking at “my mug” each week in this my note to you. I thought that I would give it a rest for a while. Today I will start to use graphics which reflect one of the scripture readings or the overall theme of a Sunday. Today is Trinity Sunday and so the embedded graphic – the creative hand of the Father- the Son and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
One of the rites of Spring in every parish is the celebration of First Communion with the children of the parish. This year we were blessed with one hundred children receiving the Lord and so we had two different celebrations of First Communion. That’s a lot of work! The parish owes a major league THANK YOU to our Religious Education director, Nancy Cormack, and her super team of catechists and volunteers – ladies – gentlemen – WELL DONE!
Final exams – graduations – this is the time of the year when our students look forward to advancement in their studies or the beginning of new careers, and so, new directions in their lives. Let’s keep our students and graduates in special prayer for the next few weeks so that they might have the wisdom and strength that they
need.
If you have an extra prayer Monday (May 19th) ‘say one for me’. That day is my 35th anniversary of ordination to Priesthood – God knows I need all the help I can get!!!!
God Bless,
PS
Isn’t it strange how everyone wants front-row tickets for concerts or games but they do whatever possible to sit at the last row in Church?
May 11 2008
HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY! Let me take a moment to wish each and every one of our Moms who are with us a very Blessed and Grace filled day. Whether your children are near to you or geographically far away know that you are loved from the bottom of your children’s hearts. Inserted in the bulletin is my Mothers’ Day gift to you, a reflection on Mary and the Rosary. Read these reflections. Meditate on them as you pray your daily rosary. May the Blessed Mother always walk next to you on your journey of Faith. Some of our Moms are deceased. They have been called home to the Lord after their years of service to him in the vocation of Marriage. They still watch over us and intercede for us with the Lord at the Eternal Banquet. To all of our Moms – living and deceased –
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU ARE!
Even though it is Mothers’ Day we can’t forget the fact that today the church celebrates the great feast of Pentecost – the end of the Easter Season and the ‘birthday’ of the church. You probably won’t hear the word “Easterize” from me for a while but it is a task and a challenge for each of us each day. We are “Easteized” each time we allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in the very depths of our being.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
God Bless,
