Author: Fr. Mahoney (Page 19 of 65)

We learned many lessons about covenants during the forty days of Lent this year. And now we exult in the most   important covenant – that God so loved the world that He sent His only son so that we who follow him might have eternal life. God loves us. God is merciful toward us. And God wants us to live forever with Him in His Kingdom. This is the essential meaning of our Easter celebrations.

The pastoral staff and ministry team here at Saint Joseph’s extend a heartfelt “thank you” to all our parishioners and visitors. Your dedication,   support, and love for the Lord encourage us in our ministry. You are an Easter People! You live in the light and the love of the Lord and inspire us greatly! May we continue to work together in building God’s Kingdom and extending Easter joy to all those we meet.

May the grace of the Risen Christ be with you and your loved ones. God bless and keep you!

Fr. John Mahoney

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified. The use of a colt instead of a horse is highly symbolic, representing the humble arrival of someone who comes in the name of peace, as opposed to a warrior mounted on a military steed. Palm branches are recognized widely as symbols of peace and victory, hence their use on Palm Sunday. The palms enjoy one of the longest sacramental blessings of any blessed item and are one of the few sacred items blessed in the context of the Mass itself. In church, the faithful hold their palm branches high for the rite of sprinkling and blessing, then bring their palms home and place them with devotion behind a crucifix or holy picture – a yearlong reminder that Christ “reigns from the wood,” suffered and died out of love for us, and is with us in our own times of suffering, peace, and victory.
With prayerful best wishes for a blessed Palm Sunday and Holy Week,

Fr. John Mahoney

There is no way in which to thank sufficiently those members of the Parish Pastoral Council   and the Parish Finance Council whose three- year appointments have reached expiration. 

Their dedicated service has been very supportive in maintaining the good order of the spiritual needs and the temporal functioning of St. Joseph Parish.  God bless you!  Please pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance as we reconstitute these two advisory bodies.

For those interested, Steven Babin will be holding brief tutorial and Q&A sessions in the parish hall after  Masses next weekend, March 16 &17, regarding the new email scheduling  system.  Please, come and see!

As a parish community, we are blessed to have so many Lectors, Extraordinary    Ministers of Holy Communion, Sacristan/Servers, Greeters, and Collectors, all of whom volunteer  to share their faith and time in support of our Masses.  Given that so many of our  ministers reside outside of New Hampshire – and that many are   seasonal ministers – scheduling can become a    complex feat.  It is beyond me how Paula King has kept it all straight!

 I am happy to report that St. Joseph’s will be joining many other parishes by switching to an email scheduling system that will save everyone much time and energy.  It’s very easy to use – especially when you need to check your Mass assignments, schedule yourself “away” for any period of time, or to request a substitute at the last minute.

 We envision moving away from the manual scheduling method shortly after Easter.  Steven Babin will be holding brief tutorials and Q&A sessions in the parish hall after weekend Masses on one Sunday in late March.

 With thanks for your cooperation and esteem for your ministry!

 Fr. John Mahoney