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4 Dracut Road, Hudson, NH 03051 • Tel (603) 882-7793 • Fax (603) 595-1465

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FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK

31 May 2020

God Alone! Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The fifth letter to the Churches in the Book of Revelation is ad-dressed to the Church of Sardis, a city about thirty miles south of Thyatira. The ancient city of Sardis is the modern city of Sart in Turkey. It was and continues to be a town that finds itself on an important route that links the interior of the country to the sea. During the time of the author of the Book of Revelation, the city of Sardis was both wealthy and had strong fortifications to protect it against invaders. Despite this, the city was attacked and con-quered twice. Thus, the Lord is warning the Church at Sardis to be on guard. To this church, the Lord addresses these words, “I know your works, that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not watchful, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come upon you” (Rev. 3: 1c-3). Ancient Greek historians describe the city of Sardis as being immoral and so the Lord’s admonition to the Church of Sardis seems to indicate that some Christians have become infected by the immoral attitude of the people of Sardis. What is most strik-ing is that the Lord indicates that although they appear outwardly

as Christians, they have become estranged from Christ. Christianity became solely an external practice and the Chris-tians lost the interior life they once had through serious sin. In some way, like the city, through carelessness or indiffer-ence, some Christians allowed themselves to be conquered and invaded by sin. They lost their sense of vigilance and considered it sufficient to be Christian simply by external ritual and in name. This is why the Lord exhorts the Church to repentance. In some way, the address to the Church of Sardis should remind us of John the Baptist ’s challenge to the Pharisees, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Mt. 3: 7b-10). The Pharisees prided themselves on the external trappings of religion, but because of sin, were cut off from the living God. Lukewarmness is a spiritual lethargy that renders the Christian disciple careless about their interior life, it can lead to the accommodation of sin, which if serious, cuts us off from God’s divine life. As Jesus says later in Matthew’s Gospel, “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Mt. 6:24). In order to combat lukewarmness then, we need the power of repentance. In very truth, we need the power of God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A frequent reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation helps us to maintain our spiritu-al armor and to remain defended against the power of sin in our lives. The Sacrament of God ’s mercy helps us to be-come truly rich in what matters to God: a right relationship with Him. Now if serious sin is death, as Jesus convicts the Church in Sardis, then the only one who can conquer death is Christ Himself. This is the beauty of the Sacrament of God’s mercy, because in that Sacrament, one is immersed again into the saving death of Jesus. Through the Church ’s prayer of absolution, the healing remedy of Christ’s passion is applied to the soul, and it is this very action that breaks the bond of sin, so one can rise again to newness of life. How tremendous a gift is given to the Church! Pope St. John Paul II expresses the beauty of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in this way in his apostolic exhortation, Reconciliatio and Paenitentia, “It is the moment at which, in response to the penitent, the Trinity becomes present in or-der to blot out sin and restore innocence. And the saving power of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus is also imparted to the penitent as the ‘mercy stronger than sin and offense.’ Hence absolution is the effective sign of the inter-vention of the Father in every absolution and the sign of the ‘resurrection’ from ‘spiritual death’ which is renewed each time that the sacrament of penance is administered. Only faith can give us certainty that at that moment every sin is for-given and blotted out by the mysterious intervention of the Savior” (31.III).

In Jesus and Mary,

Fr. Michael

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MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK

Saturday, May 30

Vigil (Pentecost) 4:00PM—+Mary Donahue St. Louis, by John, Ginny, and Cecile Adams

Sunday, May 31 (Pentecost) 8:30AM—+Irene Frechette, by the Rondeau Family and +Judith Emmett, by the Schofield Family 10:30AM—For the People of the Parish

Monday, June 1 (The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church) 8:30AM—+Arthur and Albertina Lemoine, by their loving son, Bernie Wednesday, June 3 (Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions) 8:30AM—+Dick Merrifield, by his wife, Merilyn

Thursday, June 4 (Weekday) 6:30PM—+Louise and Arthur Leary, by Kahty and Urs

Friday, June 5 (Saint Boniface) 8:30AM—+William Souza and Lucille Hebert, by their daughter, Denny

Saturday, June 6 (Saint Norbert) 8:30AM—+Joseph Tru Do, by his family

Vigil (The Most Holy Trinity) 4:00PM—+Hanna Coulter (26th Anniversary), by Judy Paladino

Sunday, June 7 (The Most Holy Trinity) 8:30AM—+Francine Dupuis, by her sister, Jocelyn, and Nick and +Gerard Rondeau, by his family 10:30AM—For the People of the Parish

CORPUS CHRISTI On Sunday, June 14th, our

annual Corpus Christi Procession will take place. On this year’s Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Father Michael, Deacon Ray, and the Knights of Columbus will process with the Blessed Sacrament from the parish grounds to an outdoor altar about two miles up the road. Further details will be forthcoming, but mark this date on your calendar for the procession taking place after the 10:30 a.m. livestream Mass.

MAY 31, 2020

THIS WEEK AT CHURCH

By decree of the Most Rev. Bishop Peter A. Libasci, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all

Masses are closed to the public; however, by further decree, distribution of Holy Communion will now take place in all parishes in the Diocese

of Manchester.

Distribution of Communion at Saint Kathryn’s will commence on Pentecost

weekend. (Times and details were not available before this bulletin was due to the publisher. Please visit our

website or Facebook for updates.)

The Parish Office and Saint Kathryn Religious Goods are closed until further notice. Office staff

check parish voicemail and emails remotely during normal parish business hours, Monday-

Thursday, 9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m. The church is open for prayer every day from

7:00 a.m.—8:00 p.m.

Sunday, May 31st Livestream Holy Mass/stkathryns.org (10:30A) Distribution of Holy Communion/Church (times

and details to be posted on our website) Wednesday, June 3rd

Adoration/Church (5:30A-7:00P) Staff Prayer/Online (9:45-10:30A) Thursday, May 28th

Sacrament of Reconciliation/Church (5:30-6:15P) Friday, June 5th

Adoration/Church (9:00A-Midnight) Saturday, June 6th

Knights of Columbus Blood Drive/Parish Hall (9:ooA-2:00P) Sacrament of Reconciliation/Church (9:15-10:00A) Sunday, June 7th Livestream Holy Mass/stkathryns.org (10:30A)

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PENTECOST SUNDAY

ORDER OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF

ADULTS Are you thinking about becoming

Catholic? Responding to God’s Call No matter when you begin to consider Catholicism, rest assured that God is present from the first moment of your spiritual journey. There are many reasons you may

yearn to deepen your relationship with God. The Search for Meaning We live in a secular culture that constantly bombards us with subtle messages that tell us we aren’t good enough, we don’t have enough, and we need something new to make us happy. The Search for God The search for God almost always involves a struggle with the image of God that was instilled in us as children. The Search for Belonging We live in a technological world, but despite our capacity for instant communication, we often feel alone. The Search for Truth The quest for truth solely through history, philosophy, literature, or theology often brings to light misconceptions about Catholic beliefs that have no basis of reality. The Search for Family Unity Many find that as they discover more about the Catholic faith, their initial desire based on family unity becomes a deep, personal desire to enter into the community as a disciple of Jesus. Deciding to find out more? Contact Deacon Ray

Marcotte at deacon.ray@stkathryns.org.

SEEKING HOST FAMILY FOR FOREIGN

EXCHANGE STUDENT My name is Morgan

Tondreault and I am looking for a family in the Hudson area to host Samuele from Italy, who will be a high school exchange student this fall semester. Samuele is 16, going on 17, and describes himself as positive, optimistic, and friendly. He is an active Catholic who would like to continue participating in his religion on a weekly basis while here in the USA. His hobbies include soccer, reading, going to church, and cars. Samuele has taken 10 years of English and 3 years of Spanish and Latin, and his teachers describe him as fair, honest, and respectful. Samuele says, “I have always been fascinated by the American life and culture and I want to live in it.” For more information, please contact Regional Director for NH, Lonna Abbott at lonna@stsfoundation.org or 978.776.6043, or visit stsfoundation.org.

SISTER DIANE DUBE TO PROFESS FINAL

VOWS Sister Diane Dube, pm, will profess her final

vows on Saturday, June 13th, at the Presentation of Mary Provincial House. We thank God for Sister Diane on this joyful and momentous occasion. As we have prayed for her all along her vocational discernment and journey, we continue to pray that God will bless her in her vocation now and always.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS BLOOD DRIVE The

Knights of Columbus Council #5162 will be hosting a Red Cross Blood Drive on Saturday, June 5th in the Church Hall. Donation hours will be 9 am to 2 pm. The

Blood Drive is an essential activity, as outlined by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Governor’s Emergency Order #17. The Red Cross is taking special precautions during the COVID-19 crisis to ensure the safety of donors and staff. These precautions include: • All donors are temperature-screened before being permitted into the blood drive. If bodily temperature is above 99.5°F, the donor is asked to donate another time instead • All Red Cross staff are asked to check their temperature before presenting to work, and will not report for work if they are showing any symptoms or test above 99.5°F • Blood donors are asked to use hand sanitizer before and during the donation process • All staff, volunteers and donors will be required to wear face masks or coverings at the blood drive • Staff wear gloves throughout the donation process, changing gloves between every donor • Donor beds are sanitized between every donor • Red Cross is implementing social distancing space of 6 feet between donors wherever possible. Whole blood and “Power Red” (i.e. “double red”) donors are accepted. Please sign up now on-line at: www.rcblood.org/appt. Once registered, save time by using RapidPass® to complete your pre-donation reading and health history online before you come to your appointment. Get started at: www.RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass. The need for blood is constant, and volunteer donors are the only source of blood for those in need. Please volunteer.

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PENTECOST TRADITION Alive with the fire of the

Spirit in our souls on this beautiful Pentecost Sunday, remember our tradition of wearing fiery Holy Spirit colors on this day! Whether you are able to join us in church for the Distribution of Holy Communion or you are one with us in prayer

at home due to pandemic limitations, let’s light our homes and towns up with red, orange and yellow, united in the joy and zeal of the Holy Spirit! Perhaps even this small action will cause someone to ask, "What makes you so full of life?" Please God, the answer is ready on our lips and in our hearts. With Love, Who is the Eucharist, burning inside of us, how could we wish to keep Him to ourselves?

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION REGISTRATION

Religious education registration forms for grades 1-10 for school year 2020-2021 are available online at https://www.stkathryns.org/religious-education-grades-1-10

and in the back of the church. Register by June 1st to avoid late fees! Tuition is $40/child and $80/family maximum. Confirmation this year will be for grades 3, 6, and 7. Please get your registrations in as soon as possible to ensure that your children are placed in the group that is convenient to your schedule.

DAILY ROSARY Each evening at 6:30 p.m.,

parishioners pray the Rosary in the main church (in

the chapel on Wednesdays due to adoration).

Please join us if you are able! There may be a

maximum of 10 people in the church or chapel at a

time with at least six feet of distance between

parishioners, preferably wearing masks and gloves.

If the space is already at capacity, please pray the

Rosary in union with us either outside on the

beautiful church grounds or in your vehicle. May is

Mary’s month; we turn to our Mother for aid at this

challenging time and always.

PENTECOST SUNDAY

REFLECTING GOD’S GENEROSITY TO US

Due to an early publishing deadline, the offertory of May 24th and 25th will be published in the next

bulletin.

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BRICKS FOR MARY’S GARDEN Please support a

Mary Garden renovation project for the PMA sisters by buying an engraved brick. The project will create a secluded garden for the sisters for private prayer. It will include a brick pathway leading to an area with a bench and a pedestal to hold a repainted statue of the Blessed Mother. Your message will be engraved in a brick that will be carefully placed on the path where it will be seen each time someone enters the garden! Please mail your order form with a check made out to James Bord and send it to: Bricks for Mary’s Garden 6 Hazelwood Dr. Hudson, NH 03051 The message cannot be longer than three lines. Each line may be up to 14 characters long, in-cluding spaces.

PENTECOST SUNDAY

ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION When unable

to receive Jesus sacramentally in the Eucharist, a Spiritual Communion can be made: My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacra-mentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY, HEALTH OF THE

SICK O Mary, you always brighten our path as a sign of salvation and of hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who, at the Cross, took part in Jesus’ pain while re-maining steadfast in faith. O loving Mother, you know what we need, and we are confident you will provide for us as at Cana in Galilee. Intercede for us with your Son Jesus, the Divine Phy-sician, for those who have fallen ill, for those who are vulnerable, and for those who have died. Intercede also for those charged with protecting the health and safety of others and for those who are tending to the sick and seeking a cure. Help us, O Mother of Divine Love, to conform to the will of the Father and to do as we are told by Jesus, who took upon himself our sufferings and carried our sorrows, so as to lead us, through the Cross, to the glory of the Resurrection. Amen. Under thy protection we seek refuge, O Holy Mother of God. In our needs, despise not our pe-titions, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen. Adapted from the prayer of Pope Francis

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES Events and information

in this bulletin may be outdated by the time of dis-tribution. Please visit stkathryns.org (and sign up for our email announcements there!) and/or find us on Facebook at Saint Kathryn’s Church for the very lat-est information regarding events and procedures in the time of coronavirus.

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SAINT KATHRYN PARISH

4 Dracut Road, Hudson, New Hampshire 03051-5006

Telephone: 603.882.7793 Fax: 603.595.1465

Website: www.stkathryns.org Facebook: Saint Kathryn’s Church Store: 603.595.4463

PARISH STAFF Rev. Michael R. Monette, Pastor fr.michael@stkathryns.org

Deacon Raymond V. Marcotte, Permanent Deacon deacon.ray@stkathryns.org

Sister Janice Rooney, SNDdeN, Director of Religious Education sr.janice@stkathryns.org

Charlene Maniotis, Parish Secretary charlene.maniotis@stkathryns.org

Tina Decoeur, Religious Education Secretary tina.decoeur@stkathryns.org

Peter Krauss, Bookkeeper book72worm@aol.com

Larry Franchitto, Music Director lfranchitto@panam.com

Rick Balboni, Grounds Manager/Religious Goods Store Manager rick.balboni@stkathryns.org

Greg Chagnon, Facilities Manager greg.chagnon@stkathryns.org

PARISH OFFICE (REMOTELY) Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00-4:00 p.m. Closed Friday/Weekends

SAINT KATHRYN RELIGIOUS GOODS (CLOSED TEMPORARILY FOR COVID-19 PREVENTION) Our religious goods store is located in the back of the parish office building and has its own parking.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m.

Saturday 9:00 a.m.—Noon

Friday and Sunday Closed

603.595.4463

SCHEDULE OF MASSES (NO MASSES OPEN TO PUBLIC AT THIS TIME) Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:00 p.m. Sunday Masses: 8:30 a.m.; 10:30 a.m. (livestream); 6:30 p.m.

SACRAMENT OF PENANCE Thursday: 5:30-6:15 p.m.

Saturday: 9:15-10:00 a.m. (and 3:00-3:45 p.m. when normal operations resume)

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM Catechesis takes place with the parents prior to scheduling a date for the baptism. For more information, please contact

Deacon Ray in the parish office.

SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE Engaged couples should contact the parish office at least six months in advance of the proposed date of the wedding. Please

refer to the marriage policy as found on the parish website.

SACRAMENT OF THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK/COMMUNION TO THE HOMEBOUND Arrangements may be made for Communion to the Homebound or for the Sacrament of the Sick by calling the parish office.

The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick should be celebrated at the outset of an illness or when there is a change in the

person’s condition. The Sacrament should also be received prior to surgery.

PROTECTION OF CHILDREN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES The diocesan policies are available by calling the parish office or by consulting the diocesan website at www.catholicnh.org.

OPEN FOR YOU! We invite you to use our church, the transept chapel, or the Emmaus Chapel (in the office building) for personal prayer. Our sacred spaces are open daily from 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (closed Saturday after the 4:00 p.m. Mass).

Welcome! If you are new to our community, we hope you have felt welcome! If you are a visitor - occasional or frequent

- we’re glad you joined us! If you’re considering parish membership introduce yourself to the pastor after Holy Mass to get

the process underway!

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ST. KATHRYN PARISH HUDSON, NEW HAMPSHIRE 03-0779 May 31, 2020 – Week 27