Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Merrimack NH October 22, 2017

SATURDAY, October 21st

Vigil: Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:30PM: Dorothy Lavallee req by her family

SUNDAY, October 22nd Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

8:30AM: Joseph Micali req by Nany King & for all parishioners 10:30AM: Mary Mullaney req by Clay & Kathy Rush

MONDAY, October 23rd St John of Capistrano, Priest

8:10AM: Morning Prayer 8:30AM: Bob McGrath req by Ned Robertson

TUESDAY, October 24th St. Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop

8:10AM: Morning Prayer 8:30AM: Donald Lyons req by his family

WEDNESDAY, October 25th 8:10AM: Morning Prayer 8:30AM: Edward & Betty Walsh req by their children

THURSDAY, October 26th NO MASS

FRIDAY, October 27th 8:10AM: Morning Prayer 8:30AM: Charlie Hanafin req by Clay & Kathy Rush

SATURDAY, October 28th Vigil: Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:30PM: Mary Theresa “Terry” Mullaney req by the Yuse family

SUNDAY, October 29th Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

8:30AM: Matthew Bechard req by his mother 10:30AM: Sean Moran (3rd anniv) req by his mother and for all parishioners

"He Alone Is LORD" In the scriptures, being anointed usually meant you were a prophet or king of Israel. Anointing was a sign that God had chosen you for that job. But it was almost un-heard of to call a king from another country anointed. So why is Cyrus given that title? Cyrus was king of Per-sia when the Babylonians held the people of Israel cap-tive. God used him to defeat the Babylonians and even-tually bring the Israelites back to their homes. In our first reading, we hear the Lord's words to Cyrus about God's plan for Israel. Notice that God is in charge: telling Cyrus what God will do, making other kings run from him, opening doors or gates that might have blocked Cyrus' armies--all for a king who doesn't even know God. Cyrus only knew the Persian gods. That is why the reading says several times that there is no God but the LORD. One thing this tells us is that God can work through an-yone, not just saints and religious. Any time someone does a good deed, God is behind it. Just as God used Cyrus to free the Israelites from their Babylonian cap-tivity, God can use governments to protect the poor, to help rebuild after disasters, to defend freedom. In that sense, we can understand what Jesus says about payment to Caesar and to God. Since everything be-longs to God, that should be our first allegiance. When a government does not protect the weakest or the rights of the poor, it should be accountable. But when God works through governments, we can give some support to them by such activities as voting, or paying taxes. Let us ask God to work through us also, helping us to pro-claim that God alone is LORD. Tom Schmidt, Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co.

PRIESTHOOD SUNDAY

Priesthood Sunday is a special day set aside to honor priests in the United States. It is a day to reflect upon and affirm the role of the priesthood in the life of the Church as a central one. This year Priesthood Sunday falls on October 29th. Take a few minutes to thank Fr. Paul for the dedicated love and support he gives to all of us here at the parish. Let him know how much we appreciate his hard work and sacrifices. Please keep him and all priests in your prayers.

The Sanctuary Lamp for the week of 21st through October 27th is lit in memory of Alice and William Hanlon.

Weekend of October 15th: $5683.00

WEEK #11: Helen Bonenfant & Kevin Donohue, Sr.

OUR LADY OF MERCY PARISH MERRIMACK, NH

ALL SAINT’S DAY/ALL SOUL’S DAY

All Saint’s Day—November 1, 2017: All Saints' Day is a solemn holy day of the Catholic Church celebrated annu-ally on November 1. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church, that is, all those who have attained heaven. Mass times for this Holy Day are Wednesday, November 1st at 8:30 am and 7:00 pm. There will be no anticipated Mass on October 31st.

During the month of November we take time to remember our loved ones who have passed. Again this year you are asked to bring photos (framed or unframed) of a loved one who has died. Beginning on the weekend of October 28/29 a table will be set up in the main entrance of the church to leave your pictures. The photos will remain for the month of November. Make sure to put your name and phone number on the back of the pictures.

On November 2nd we celebrate All Souls Day. At the 7:00 PM Mass we will say aloud the names of those whose funeral Mass was celebrated in our parish during the past 12 months. A candle will be lit for each of the deceased.

All parishioners are invited to attend this Mass and remember these and all of our beloved dead.

This year, the annual March for Life will be taking place on January 19, 2018! The March for Life is an annual rally protesting abortion, held in Washington, D.C., on or around the anniversary of the United States Supreme Court's decision legalizing abortion in the case Roe v. Wade. For the first time, Our Lady of Mercy will be organ-izing a group to bring! We would depart by bus from the Denny's Parking Lot in Nashua on Thursday Jan-uary 18 at 6am and would arrive back to Nashua on Saturday January 20 around 5am! If you are interested in coming or have any ques-tions, please contact Mackenzie Murphy: MMur-phy@olmnh.org or Deacon John Castelot: DeaconJohn@olmnh.org. All registration forms are due by November 1.

Hard to believe but Thanksgiving will soon be upon us. For many in our community with stressed budgets and financial challenges, a Thanksgiving dinner just isn’t possible. Your support of our annual Food Drive will help make a fulfilling holiday possible for many families this season and also con-tinue to help throughout the year. Our annual Thanksgiving Drive benefits Our Lady of Mercy and St. John Neumann Food Pantry. Our ministry to the needy is combined with St. John Neumann to better assist our neighbors in need. Many families have benefitted from your support of this program. This year we again are asking that you contribute gift cards from local supermarkets (Shaws, Market Basket or Hannafords) in any denomination or if you prefer you may purchase one of the non perishable items listed below. Gift cards should be dropped off in the basket on the altar and food items in the boxes at the doors beginning the weekend of October 28/29 through the weekend of November 18/19.

Non-Perishable Items Needed

Boxed stuffing mix Canned vegetables Instant mashed potatoes Canned fruit (peaches, orange segments– no grapefruit) Jelly—all kinds Canned meats such as Dinty Moore beef stew, spam, tuna Progresso canned soups Pasta and cans or jars or pasta sauce Boxed mixes-cakes, cookies, brownies, muffins, etc Bar soap, toothpaste, shampoo

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!!

Deacon John will be hosting his famous “Meatball Sub Fundraiser” on the week-

end of November 18th and 19th. Meatball subs will be available after all the masses in the Church hall. The proceeds from this fundraiser will go to the pa-rishioners who will be attending the March for Life in Washington, DC from January 18th through the 20th. Meatball subs will be $5.00 each.

GATHERING FOR GREETERS

The October 25th gathering for Greeters is can-celled. We did this so that the greeters can all meet together at one time - October 28 at 11:30 am - and enjoy a luncheon together. This gathering is for all experienced Greeters and anyone considering the ministry.

October 22, 2017

The 18th annual Knights of Co-lumbus Fall Craft Fair will be held on Friday, November 3rd from

5:00 pm to 8:00 pm and Saturday, November 4th from 9am to 3pm in the Mastricola Upper Elementary School at 26 Baboosic Lake Rd in Merrimack. There will be approximately 45 crafters offering a wide variety of handmade crafts. Please join us for some fun and to support the charitable efforts of Our Lady of Mercy’s Knights of Columbus.

OCTOBER BABY SHOWER

Throughout the month of October, our parish will once again remember in a special way, pregnant and parenting teens, their newborns and children in need of assistance. Your gifts may be placed in the playpen in the back of the church through October 29th.

Items Needed: diapers of all sizes, especially sizes 2,3,4 and 5.

Baby wipes, sleepers, baby blankets, onesies, cloth-ing up to 3T, infant socks, bibs, Enfamil, baby wash-cloths, bottles, sippy cups and sleep sacks.

FOOT CLINIC

On October 26th from 9:00am to 1:00pm Our Lady of Mercy will be hosting a Foot Care Clinic operated by the

well qualified nurses of Home Health and Hospice Care. The cost is $28.00 and is payable by cash or check at the time of the appointment. For more information or to schedule your appointment, please call Home Health & Hospice Care at 689-2931.

YOUTH GROUP

Our High School Youth Group (Gr 9-12) will be meeting again on Sunday evening, October 22nd from 4:30 to 6:00 pm in the Parish Meeting Room. Do you love kids? Are you looking for ways to be-come more involved in the Church? Have you ever wanted to share your faith with others? Our High School Youth Ministry is seeking energetic adults to join us on our Core Team as we are looking to expand our Youth Ministry and create a Middle School Youth Group! If interested, please contact Mackenzie Mur-phy at mmurphy@olmnh.org.

OLM TRUNK OR TREAT October 28, 2017 6:00 to 8:00 pm

We will be holding our annual Trunk or Treat from 6-8 pm with a teen party to follow from 8 to 9pm. All are welcome to wear a Halloween cos-tume and join in the fun.

Kids: Come in costumes to enjoy games, music, crafts and a story read by Fr. Paul

Adults: Decorate the trunk of your car and hand out treats (approx. 75 children)

Cars should be decorated between 5:45 and 6:15pm while Fr. Paul is reading a story to the children.

Children will go out to the parking lot at 6:15 pm for Trunk or Treat. From 7:00 to 8:00 pm there will be a Halloween party in the Church hall for kids. Teen Party—8:00 to 9:00 pm in Church Hall.

FLU CLINIC, BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC AND PARISH BREAKFAST

November 12, 2017

A Flu Clinic sponsored by Walgreen’s Pharmacy, is being held here at the parish in conjunction with the parish breakfast and Blood Pressure Clinic on Sunday, Novem-ber 12th after the 8:30 and 10:30 am Masses for those who are 7 years of age and up. Please bring your medical insurance card and pharmacy benefits card with you. For those without insurance, the cost is $25.99 payable by cash or check at the time of service. Please join us for another great breakfast served by our Knights of Columbus, get your flu shot and have our par-ish nurses check your blood pressure, all in one easy stop.

Restore, Renew, Proclaim the Hope that is Christ…

For quite some time, many Catholics have referred to the Sacrament of Confirmation as kind of a rite of passage in the faith. Confirmation is, and has always been, a sacra-ment of initiation, not transition or graduation.

The Catechism says this: “Although Confirmation is sometimes call the ‘sacrament of Maturity’, we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural growth...St. Thomas reminds us of this: Age of body does not determine age of soul. Even in childhood one can attain spiritual maturity.” (ccc1308)

We do not confirm our faith in the sacrament of Confir-mation. It is not about what we do, but it is about the work of God. Go to www.catholicnh.org/lifelong for more information on the sacrament of Confirmation.

Information Page

Acct #: 694750 Our Lady of Mercy Parish 16 Baboosic Lake Road Merrimack, NH 03054 Contact Person: Kathleen Rush Phone: (603) 424-4477 or (603) 424-3757 Fax: (603) 424-1780 Email Address: kjrush1@olmnh.org

Bulletin for October 22, 2017 Kathy