Along with the St. Joseph Parish Pastoral Council and Safety Committee, we welcome you to our Celebration of the Eucharist and to our meeting facilities!  In the interest of charity and safety for everyone, please note that face coverings are required during the entire time that you and your family are inside the church building.  Please find below the policy established by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Manchester, as well as a link to further information set forth by the Center for Disease Control and the State of New Hampshire.

MASKS ARE REQUIRED FOR YOURPROTECTION AND FOR THE PROTECTION OF ALL WHO WORSHIP AT OUR CHURCH OR UTILIZE OUR MEETING FACILITIES

Guidelines of the Diocese of Manchester for Usage of Masks

The wearing of masks in all public gatherings remains the best practice in the eyes of state and federal public health authorities. Thus, as an act of charity, masks are required in all liturgical gatherings in the Diocese of Manchester, except for children younger than 2 years old; anyone who has trouble breathing; and anyone incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the facecovering without assistance.

https://www.catholicnh.org/assets/Documents/Community/Health-Care/GuidelinesToPrepareForMass-Updated090920.pdf

SIMPLE SCREENING QUESTIONNAIRE TO ASSESSSUITABILITY FOR ADMISSION TO THE CHURCH BUILDING OR MEETING FACILITIES

The following are the screening questions as laid out in the most recent version of the Universal Guidelines.

Do you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher?  Symptoms of COVID-19 can include:

• Fever, or feeling feverish;
• Respiratory symptoms such as runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough, or shortness of breath;
• General body symptoms such as muscle aches, chills, and severe fatigue;
• Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Changes in a person’s sense of taste or smell.

Have you had close contact with someone who is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 in the prior 14 days? (Note: healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients while wearing appropriate personal protective equipment should answer “no” because they are not considered to have a COVID- 19 exposure)

Have you traveled in the prior 14 days outside of New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, or Rhode Island for non-essential purposes?

If you have responded affirmatively to any of these questions, or if anyone has tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 10 days (from the test date or from the date symptoms first appeared), then they should not enter the church building or meeting facilities.

Please note that these guidelines and questions are subject to change at any time and as determined by the Diocese of Manchester.

This Thanksgiving won’t be celebrated the way many of us hoped and imagined back when the pandemic started.  And yet, praise God, we are alive.  Most of us reading these words can breathe freely.  The virus has reminded us to never again take for granted the simple matters of enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with loved ones.

In turn, a prayer of thanksgiving is offered to all of you, and especially to those of you who were able to help the food insecure of the Lincoln and Woodstock communities by donating foodstuffs, cash contributions, and even turkeys.  Through your generosity, the St. Joseph’s Parish Outreach Committee was able to deliver to the Lincoln-Woodstock Food Pantry more than 30 food baskets filled to the brim with everything a family could need to put together a bountiful Thanksgiving dinner for loved ones.

In the Gospel for this weekend, Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats challenges us to see the world in light of God’s compassion as we reach out for one another’s hand.  We are reminded that God dwells within every man, woman, and child, and that as God’s children – no matter our race, nationality, culture, or language – our  lives must be centered in holiness, charity, and love of our neighbor.

May God continue to bless you and your families,

Fr. John Mahoney    

Ronald Wayne would draw personal meaning from today’s parable.  Who is he? Ronald Wayne is the little-known third Apple founder who sold his 10% stake for $800.  Apple shares hit an historic $1 trillion market cap value last August.  Owning 10% of Apple right now sounds like a dream.  But Mr. Wayne knows what it’s like to watch that opportunity slip away. 

Wayne joined Apple co-founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, who were 21 and 25 at the time, to provide the new company with so-called “adult supervision” and to oversee mechanical engineering and documentation in exchange for a 10% stake in the business. 

While both Jobs and Wozniak were young and broke, Wayne had assets, including a house, and feared that the financial burden would fall on him if the deal ever went south.  So after spending a mere 12 days with Wozniak and Jobs, Wayne had his name taken off the contract and sold his shares back to the co-founders.  Today a 10% stake in Apple would be worth $95 billion.  It would make Wayne one of the richest people in the world.  Google the rest of his story and discover what he thinks of his decision.

If He were preaching in person today, I believe Jesus would have used this story of Mr. Wayne in a retelling of His original parable.  We read there about the three reactions that the servants had to the gifts given them by the “man going on a journey.”  How we pity servant number 3 for his foolish choice.  Talk about the need in life to balance prudence with wisdom!  But the parable also stresses the importance of using one’s gifts and talents to serve others, especially the poor.

This Sunday just happens to be World Day of the Poor in our Church calendar.  It is the fourth one of these “Days” having been established by Pope Francis in 2017.  Here are some of the thoughts in Pope Francis’ inaugural Message given at that time and still relevant:

“Over these 2,000 years, how many pages of history have been written by Christians who, in utter simplicity and humility, and with generous and creative charity, have served their poorest brothers and sisters.  The most outstanding example is that of Francis of Assisi…He was not satisfied to embrace lepers and give them alms, but chose to go to Gubbio to stay with them.

We may think of the poor simply as the beneficiaries of our occasional volunteer work, or impromptu acts of generosity that appease our conscience. However good and useful such acts may be for making us sensitive to people’s needs…they ought to lead to a true encounter with the poor and a sharing that becomes a way of life.

…The Body of Christ, broken in the Sacred Liturgy, can be seen, through charity and sharing, in the faces and persons of the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters.

…Saint John Chrysostom’s admonition remains ever timely: ‘If you want to honor the body of Christ, do not scorn it when we see it is naked; do not honor the Eucharistic Christ with silk vestments, and then, leaving the church, neglect the other Christ suffering from cold and nakedness.’”

God love you and give you His peace!