103 Walker Street, Manchester, NH 03102

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

12 noon

8:30 am

6 pm

DAILY LITURGY SCHEDULE

Wednesday, 11:30 am; Friday, 5:30 pm;

Saturday, 3:30 pm; Sunday, 4:30 pm

CONFESSION & RECONCILIATION

WEEKEND LITURGY SCHEDULE

Saturday:

Sunday:

4 pm (Vigil)

7:30 am, 9:30 am, 5 pm

CONTINUING DEVOTIONS

Novena to the Archangels: Fridays, 6:45 pm, unless Adoration Adoration of Blessed Sacrament: 1st Friday of each month, 6:45 pm Rosary: Months of May & October, Saturdays at 3:35 pm; Wednesdays at 12:35 pm

OFFICE HOURS

Monday—Friday 9 am to 12 pm; 1:30 to 4 pm

WWW.ST-RAPHAEL-PARISH.ORG

Saint Raphael Parish

Welcome to the Benedictine Catholic Community of

PARISH OFFICE 603.623.2604

PASTORAL TEAM & SUPPORT STAFF

Rev. Jerome Joseph Day, O.S.B., Ph.D., Pastor

Kerri Stanley, Parish Secretary, Director of Liturgy Nina Lukens, Catechetical Coordinator

Therese Dame, Religious Education Consultant

Dorene Turner, Director of Food Pantry & Hope Chest

Ray Clement, Director of Facilities Don Provencher, Facilities Assistant

Lyle Hamel, Director of Choir & Principal Organist

Scott Bergendahl, Jonathan Cote, Gerry LeBlond, Organists

Tom Larson et al., Catholic Basics Choir;

Amber Byron, Judy Costigan, Erin McCahon, Caresse Mailloux, Melanie

Noonan, Cantors

@SaintRaphaelParish

saint_raphael_parish_nh

@SaintRaphaelManch

Founded in 1888, Saint Raphael is a Roman Catholic parish, confided to the care of the Bene-dictine monks of Saint Anselm Abbey, in the Dio-cese of Manchester. The first Benedictine foun-dation in New England, the parish is a tithing community, endeavoring to return to the Lord in time, treasure and talent some of the blessings He bestows upon us. The parish strives to return 10 percent, the biblical standard, of gifts it receives

March 22, 2020

Fourth (Laetare) Sunday of Lent

The sanctuary candle burns this week

for Maurice Doucet and Eileen

Doucet Audet by Lionel & Lillian

Coulon.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Saint Benedict Academy (Pre-K—6): Brandy Houle, principal 603.669.3932 85 Third St., Manchester, NH 03102

Saint Joseph Regional Catholic School (7—8): Dawn Florino, principal 603.624.4811 148 Belmont St., Manchester, NH 03103

Holy Family Academy (7-12): Mark Gillis, head of school 603.644.7247 281 Cartier St., Manchester, NH 03102

Trinity High School (9-12): Steven F. Gadecki, principal 603.668.2910 581 Bridge St., Manchester, NH 03104

Monday: Is 65:17-21; Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b; Jn 4:43-54 Tuesday: Ez 47:1-9, 12; Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; Jn 5:1-16 Wednesday: Is 7:10-14; 8:10; Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11; Heb 10:4-10; Lk 1:26-38 Thursday: Ex 32:7-14; Ps 106:19-20, 21-22, 23; Jn 5:31-47 Friday: Wis 2:1a, 12-22; Ps 34:17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23; Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 Saturday: Jer 11:18-20; Ps 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12; Jn 7:40-53 Sunday: Ez 37:12-14; Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; Rom 8:8-11; Jn 11:1-45 or Jn 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45

On Monday, Mar. 16, the food pantry served 17 families and gave out 30 bags of groceries. The need for our Lenten Food Col-lection for the Food Pantry is ongoing. Items requested for this week are as follows: Bar of soap, Tuna Helper, laundry detergent, canned fruit, jar of

marshmallow fluff, baked beans/ If you shop Hannaford-to-Go, we can really put the bags to good use as well as any paper and/or plastic shopping bags! If you would like to drop off on the rectory side porch, your donation would be greatly appreciated!

of March 22, 2020

eGiving ... Did you know you can use your credit card or elec-tronic check to support the mis-sion of Saint Raphael Parish?

This is especially helpful during this period when Masses have been suspended. Go to our website (www.st-raphael-parish.org) and click on the Giving button. In a few minutes, you can be sure that your gift will work every day of the year to help your parish.

Weekend of March 15, 2020 Regular Offertory $2,460.00 Loose Offertory 406.15 Online Offertory Prev Week 642.00 Total Offertory $3,508.15

Stewardship make up $ 384.00

Food Pantry $ 20.00

Last Year Weekend of March 17, 2019 Total Offertory $ $4,258.30

Saturday March 21

12:00 PM Patricia Proulx (30th anniv) by her family

Sunday March 22 Fourth Sunday of Lent

10:30 AM Helen & Edward Sullivan by Christine Sullivan-McCann Linda Paris (15th anniv) by Bill Paris ❖Our Parish Family

Monday March 23 Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo

12:00 PM The Helpers by Mary McGuire Lussier

Tuesday March 24 Saint Oscar Romero

12:00 PM Available intention

Wednesday March 25 The Annunciation of the Lord

12:00 PM Annunciation of the Lord Mass for Our Parish Family

Thursday March 26

12:00 PM Available intention

Friday March 27

12:00 PM Available intention

Saturday March 28

Intention moved to Sunday

Sunday March 29 Fourth Sunday of Lent

10:30 AM Charles & Simone Richard by a friend ❖Our Parish Family Edward Bolton by Diane Bolton

Amy Allard by Jack & Colleen Byrne

Year A

Masses will be celebrated each day, despite the

fact that they are closed to the general public.

Please call the office at 623.2604 if you’d like

to take any of the available intentions.

Saint Raphael Parish will live stream daily

Masses Monday through Friday at noon from

our Facebook page and YouTube channel:

Saint Raphael Parish Manchester NH. Sunday

Mass will be at 10:30 AM. You can also take

advantage of other programming options,

such as Boston Catholic TV, which can be ac-

cessed in NH on cable channel 268, and

EWTN.

Until further notice, Tues-day’s Parish Nurse pro-gram is canceled.

March 22, 2020

Paul Barnes, Sue Beauchemin, T. Michael Collins, Jimmy Couture, Lil-

lie Duquette, Eric Featherman, Kim Mailloux, Mikki Margaritis, Chris-

tine McMillan, Max Mendez, Marcia Santos, Marie Sullivan and Ger-

maine Yergeau.

If you or a loved one would like your name on the prayer list, please call

Kerri Stanley at 623.2604, or email admin@st-raphael-parish.org. Please

call each month to have the name put back on the list. Thank you!

We regret cancellation of our Saint Patrick’s Dinner last Saturday, March 14, 2020. We appreciate the un-derstanding and support of all. Because the corned beef was a special order and was being cooked when the decision was made, we were obligated to pay the caterer. In an effort to avoid a financial loss, we had 100 corned beef meals made and offered them to parishioners last weekend. Our thanks to all who purchased a

meal and supported these efforts. We sold out! In the end, we came out ahead by $212.76. Not the fundraiser we’d expected, but not a loss either! It is our hope to hold a fundraising fellowship event in the near future. Maybe May, but perhaps in September, a “Halfway to Saint Patrick’s Day” event? Donated raffle items will be held for this event or at another SRP fundraising activity. Unless the pastor finds the hoverboard and starts jetting around Granite Square!

“The Lord looks on the

heart.” Are you being

called to do the deeds

of Christ as a priest or

in the consecrated life,

proclaiming the reign

of the loving mercy of

God our Father? Call

Father Matthew Mason

663-0132, or write:

mmason@rcbm.org.

Upcoming Events for Middle and High School Youth Ministry.

Cleaning Saint Raphael for Holy Week

Seder with both Sr. & Jr. High groups

Middle school group only

HOLIDAY & VACATION WEEK

Sr. High middle school group

Middle school group only

Last class Sr. High and middle school

groups

Saturday, Apr. 4, 9 am - 12 pm

Monday, Apr. 13, 6:30 - 8 pm

Monday, Apr. 20, 6:30 - 8 pm

Monday, Apr. 27—NO CLASS

Monday, May 4, 6:30 - 8 pm

Monday, May 11, 6:30 - 8 pm

Monday, May 18, 6:30 - 8 pm

card. Purple pamphlets with names and

As things evolve, we will update the schedule should any

events beyond March need to be canceled.

Reading I: I Samuel 16: 1b, 6-7, 10-13a God chooses David, Jesse’s youngest son, to be His anointed one, and Samuel complies. This story also contains an element of fear of Saul. Reading II: Ephesians 5: 8-14 There is a clear contrast made between Christian and pagan life, in terms of light and darkness. The Gospel: John 9: 1-41 The essence of the “sixth sign” is not simply that a man’s sight is restored, but that light is given to one who has never had it. The Pharisees ironically illustrate true blindness, not of the eyes but of the heart.

Lenten Prayer: Help me be patient on

my Lenten journey and open to the grace

that will help me recognize opportunities to

reach out to others, especially during this

critical period in which we are living.

Nursing Home and Homebound greetings Remember

our SRP parishioners and friends in nursing homes or homebound. Send an Easter greeting card. Call the office to have the list emailed to you, or go to our website to

download the pamphlet.

The meeting sched-

uled for Tuesday,

March 24, at 6:30

PM has been canceled. Information will be

forthcoming for a reschedule date.

From the Pastor: Fr. Jerome Joseph Day, O.S.B.

Disciplines of Lent can teach us how to cope with disruption, fear of Covid-19

More than 17 centuries ago, Saint Jerome

looked upon refugees streaming into his mon-

astery in Bethlehem, the birthplace of the

Savior he had served so fully and nobly all his

life, with horror. He welcomed them, of

course, as brothers and sisters in the Lord who

needed assistance, protection and encourage-

ment, but his horror came from the fear in

their voices and on their faces. They had fled

from Rome, and brought news of the unthink-

able: the imperial capital, the city that was

queen of the world had fallen to barbarians.

Despite his worries, Saint Jerome, the man

who translated the biblical Word of God into

the language of Roman power and law, Latin,

went to work translating the circumstances of

the new residents of Bethlehem into order,

security and compassion. He figured out how

to feed, clothe, house, heal and console his

brothers and sisters – and he recognized that

the cross of Christ comes in many forms and

shapes. Ever the realist, Jerome recognized

the challenges he faced, including the uncer-

tain prospect of barbarian violence even in the

land of Israel. But as a man of faith and love,

he realized that God was giving him an oppor-

tunity to embrace the cross – and in so doing

experience the transformation of spirit at the

heart of Christian life.

The relentless spread of the novel corona-

virus, the health problem we Americans face,

confronts nations around the world. That sum-

mons us to look for a global

solution even as we tend to

the immediate needs in our

own communities and na-

tions. At this writing, Friday,

March 20, 2020, the number

of reported cases is moving

toward 250,000, a quarter

million, worldwide, with

14,250 here in the U.S. The

number of deaths now ex-

ceeds 10,000 globally, with

205 here at home. The na-

tional state of emergency declared by Presi-

dent Trump is designed to facilitate health

policy, financial assistance and federal re-

sources to assist communities and states in

need. Likewise, his declaration helps focus

national attention on the seriousness of the

problem.

Ironically, and yet appropriately in many

respects, this challenge occurs during Lent,

the Christian season of prayer and penitence.

It is a time when we confront our own sin and

failure, seek to grown in humility and contri-

tion, and make efforts to deepen our prayer,

enhance our self-discipline and enlarge our

generosity. Could there be a more appropriate

time for us at Saint Raphael, and indeed for

the whole American Catholic

community, to place our response

to Covid-19 within a Lenten

framework? As our petitions at

Mass for the past several weeks

have said: “We pray for all those

claimed by or suffering from the

novel coronavirus, and for all

those caring for patients, re-

searching remedies and organiz-

ing public policy at home and

abroad, we pray to the Lord.”

To that end, let us endeavor to

do some of the following:

►Recognize that this disease is

real and can have deadly conse-

quences for those within high-risk

groups. Those with compromised

respiratory and immune systems,

those over age 60, and those with-

out access to adequate medical

care need our attention, care and

support. We need to stop acting

and thinking this is a hoax, the

consequence of an unhinged me-

dia or a political plot, even though

there are some who still exagger-

ate, distort and dissemble for eco-

nomic or partisan gain. To reject

the truth has moral and health

consequences.

►Cooperate as best we can with the recom-

mendations, and in now,

orders of public authorities

following the recommenda-

tions of health officials. Re-

strictions on our freedom of

association and movement

are difficult, but they are

frequently necessary, some-

times vitally so. The sooner

American society is able to

“flatten out” the statistical

curve of infection transmis-

sion through testing, identifi-

cation, restricted access and even quarantine,

the sooner the rate of infections will fall. The

quicker infections fall, the safer at-risk groups

will be and the sooner we will be able to re-

sume normal activities.

►Be sensible in provisioning the home.

Hoarding will create the very crisis those

stockpiling beyond reason fear. Strive to be

generous. Avoid blaming Covid-19 on any

particular group; we are all vulnerable in an

interconnected world.

►Reach out to those who may be or may feel

isolated and alone, encourage those who are

vulnerable and fearful and discover the many

ways of showing love and friendship that do

not require physical contact.

Lent is a time of discipline. “Ascetical” is

not an adjective our culture much employs,

because ascetics is not a practice it much en-

joys. The ancient Christian tradition of self-

denial, that is, refusing good things for the

sake of even better things, is not far from

what health authorities want us to undertake.

We give up shaking hands, embracing friends

and sharing food and drink from the same

containers so that we can stop infection in its

tracks – and protect ourselves and those we

love.

►Obtain our news from legitimate news or-

ganizations and health authorities, not from

social media, hearsay or partisan shills. Ru-

mor-mongering or know-it-all dismissals can

lead to panic on one hand and apathy on the

other; neither does much to help protect those

at risk and prevent the spread of infection.

Saint Jerome, my monastic patron, was some-

thing of a lion when the truth was at stake. He

knew that only be standing in the truth of

God’s love and the realities we confront could

a prudent response to danger and disruption

be a means to compassion. May we learn from

him as we address the novel coronavirus pan-

demic with prayer and good sense.

© Rev. Jerome Joseph Day, O.S.B.