September 24, 2006
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Weekend Mass Intentions
Saturday,  September 23
   6:00 PM   For Henry Hebert by Therese Therrien and Normand & Jeannine Fraser
Sunday,  September 24
   9:30 AM For the parishioners of St.Paul
Saturday,  September 30
    6:00 PM   For the parishioners of St.Paul
Sunday,  October 1
    9:30 AM  For Leon & Alexina Therrien by Normand & Jeannine Faser

Parish News and Notes

Parish office hours
    Our parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. The Pastoral Associate is in most afternoons until 4:00 PM.  If you need to come in the PM please give us a call to make sure someone is here. Messages can always be left on the answering machine. 

Are you registered?
     Are you new to our parish?   If you are, please pick up a registration form in the vestibule of the church. Registration is very important.  Just drop it in the basket or mail it to our office.  Thanks!  We are always happy to receive new parishioners.  We welcome you and pray you will be happy here with us.

Please use church envelopes 
    Envelope users provide the bedrock of our financial support.  Please consider using them.  New packets of envelopes are mailed every three months. If you would like to receive some but you are not yet on the mailing list, please call Jeannine to give her your name and address. Thank you!

Envelope Request Form ____ I want to support our parish on a regular basis. Please add me to the envelope list. Name ______________________________ Address___________________________ Town ________________,NH Zip ________

Christian Formation News

Grades K – High School     If you have children of age for Religious Education, please remember to pick up a registration form for Religious Education for the coming year.  All children from grade K – the end of Confirmation must register.  The registration does not roll over from one year to the next.  You can pick up a form in the back of the church or you can visit the parish office Monday – Thursday during office hours or give us a call at 483-8481 and ask us to mail you a form.  We would be happy to do this Grades K- 3  Classes for children in these grades will resume on the weekend of September 16/17..    Grades 4 – 10 +    Last year we initiated a new program for the children in these grade levels.  The classes are held once a month and the program is geared to the entire family. Parents are strongly urged to attend the sessions as there is an adult component to the program which helps them to deepen their knowledge of the faith as well as making it possible for them to compliment the practice of the faith in the home. Our first class will be on Sunday, October 15, 2006.  This year, the classes will be held from 4:00 – 6:00 pm here at St. Paul’s.  A full year’s schedule will be given to you on the first class day.  Please mark your calendars.

Question of the Week
25th  Sunday in Ordinary Time
Theme: (Serving Others)
Reading Wisdom 2:12, 17-20 (Condemning the Just One)
Reading II: James 3: 16-4:3 (Wisdom from Above)
Gospel:  Mark 9: 30-37 (The Servant of All)

Question for Adults: While striving for personal excellence, how can I fulfill Jesus’ call to remain the last of all and servant of all? This is a question that often leaves us torn between two worlds, or at least it seems as if it should.  The two goals are not mutually exclusive however.  The trick is to remember that we need to be well balanced in life.  This means that we must strive for spiritual excellence along with everything else.  If we don’t,  we will soon feel empty or at least incomplete at some point in our lives.
    If we can broaden our focus to include excellence in the area of spiritual growth, we will soon find that all else falls into place.  There are many people who have been financially, socially, academically or athletically successful and have reached the level of excellence all while remaining faithful to their Christian goals and beliefs.  Being last and the servant of all simply means putting the needs of others ahead of our own.  What it comes down to is striving for excellence in a fair and just manner. Take some time to reflect on this in your own lives. 

Question for Children? In what ways can I serve others this week?  Make sure that your child understands that the service of a Christian is not synonymous to being a servant as we understand the term today.  Serving others is more in the idea of being kind and thoughtful, thinking about others needs before our own.  Help your child to make a list of concrete ideas that demonstrate this type of service for others. 

Question 4 Teens
What does the expression “being a servant of all” have to do with the life of a 21st Century teen?  In modern day language, the expression means that we shouldn’t always be looking to brag or show off. This type of behavior will only put us on the black list of most people.  It leaves us without friends and leaves us feeling alienated.  The best way to be happy is to try to see the needs of others and then do what we can to help.   

Community News

A Parish Pictorial Directory
    This year, 2006, the parish is St. Paul is celebrating its 35th Anniversary.  With this in mind,  after much discussion, the Pastor and I along with the Pastoral Council have decided to have a new Pictorial Directory for the Parish.  Our last Directory was completed in 2001. 
    This year’s Directory will be developed by Olin Mills.  They are the Company that served us in 1998, 2 directories ago.  Many parishioners were very happy with Olin Mills so we opted to go with them rather than the company that served us in 2001. 
   Sign up dates begin on September 9th and 10th.  Mark you calendars.  If you are unable to make the dates of October 19-21, you may be able to go to another nearby parish and you family photo will be sent to our directory.  You can also give us a photo of your own as long as you did not have it taken at another company such as Sears, Walmart etc.  You would need their permission to use a picture they photographed

The CYA (Catholic Young Adults) . . . Welcome to the 2^nd season of CYA, after a short summer hiatus, we are back! If you are between the ages of 20-39, please join us at our next meeting September 26^th at St. Paul Church from 6:30-8:00 pm.  For more information e-mail Christy at chipmunknh@comcast.net.  For more information about Catholic Young Adults here in NH, please check out our website at www.cyanh.org.  We hope to see you at the next meeting!