Dear Parishioners and Friends,

In the upcoming weeks, some of the children from the parish’s Faith Formation Program will be receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time.  What a moving tribute for the parish community here at St. Joseph’s to support prayerfully the celebration of this grace-filled occasion as the children experience God’s unconditional love.  They have learned through their lessons that in mercy He is always ready to forgive, no matter what the wrong.  It assures them that God already knows the secrets of their hearts, but that sometimes we all need to name these aloud as a way of preparing our hearts to receive Him sacramentally and more fully.

Please pray for the children, for their parents, and for their teachers.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation shows us that just as God is One, He dreams that we might all be one as well.  God’s will is that all people will be reconciled with one another and with God.  What extraordinary graces flow from the act of forgiveness and reconciliation!

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, each child together with the whole faith community meets the Risen Christ who reveals the Father’s mercy and renews our life in the Spirit, by inviting us to recall our Baptism and leading us to complete communion with Christ and the Church in the Eucharist.

Blessed Mother, watch over all your children, and lead them to a closer union with you and the Most Holy Trinity!  Amen.

With prayerful best wishes,

Fr. John Mahoney

One of the true joys of ministry at St. Joseph’s Parish in Lincoln is meeting the diversity of visitors at daily and weekend Masses.  People come from everywhere to join us for prayer and worship.  All are welcomed in this place!

Frequently, seminarians from St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, MA and Our Lady of Providence Seminary in Providence, RI come to ski the White Mountains.  While here, they take a mini-retreat from their studies and join this worshipping community for Eucharist – disciples one and all, gathered together, coming from near and far, to “see” Jesus in the breaking of the bread.  It is refreshing to know that the call-and-discernment initiatives of the Holy Spirit continue to nurture men and women aspiring to religious life by spreading the message of the gospel and giving continued life to Mother Church.  More, it is inspiring that we play a role in the formation process of these special visitors.

When we pray for “vocations” we still seem to mean a call to religious life or to ministry, but, generally, that should include the call to single and married life.  Vocation Sunday should prompt us to recognize how much we care for the church and how much we make inviting women and men to ministry a priority in our parish.  While appreciating all vocations, the Church concentrates its attention this weekend on vocations to the ordained ministries (priesthood and diaconate), consecrated life in all its forms (male and female religious life, societies of apostolic life, consecrated virginity), secular institutes in their services and membership, and to the missionary life.

Under the auspices of the Holy Spirit and by the intercession of the Blessed Mother, please pray for vocations!

With prayerful best wishes,
Father John Mahoney

The Diocesan Digest

Weekly Administration E-Mail Communications for Pastors and Associate Pastors

April 16, 2021

Welcome to the Diocesan Digest!

If you have any questions or suggestions about this communication, please contact Bevin Kennedy (bkennedy@rcbm.org, 603-663-0136).

Topics in this Digest

1. State Mask Mandate
You may have seen that the Governor announced the repeal of the State mask mandate. This is causing confusion because it does not repeal what is in place for guidance for Houses of Worship in New Hampshire which incorporated the CDC’s best practices including the continued recommended  wearing of masks. From the first days of this pandemic impacting our State, the Diocese has been, and will continue to be, informed by federal and state public health experts and our own local, Catholic health resources.

What the Governor is allowing to expire is separate from the broader and still prudent precautionary measures which remain in place: washing and sanitizing of hands, maintaining a distance of six feet, or twenty for choirs, and other measures the Diocese has had in place since last May. Masks when in close confines, such as when we are at Mass, are still strongly encouraged to be worn by those who are able, according to the guidance we have asked all to follow.

While vaccines are now widely available, they should not give the false sense that no other precautions are necessary or helpful. We ask you, therefore, to continue to follow the guidance of best practices for the Celebration of Mass and other aspects of Parish life which are found on our website by clicking here and watching the Diocesan Digest for further updates.

Please also be aware that municipal regulations may address the wearing of masks in your community.

For questions, please contact Fr. Jason Jalbert (663-0132 or jjalbert@rcbm.org); Meredith Cook (663-0148 or mcook@rcbm.org); or Dennis Honan (663-0112 or dhonan@rcbm.org)….