Divine Mercy Parish Newsletter
“Together in Faith as We Prepare for Our Future”
Vol. 5 Issue 15- March 2013
Divine Mercy Parish Mission Statement
“Guided by the Holy Spirit and in communion with the Catholic Church throughout the world, the people of Divine Mercy Parish of the Diocese of Manchester seek to create a welcoming and compassionate community of faith, where we grow in grace and love of Jesus Christ. We strive to understand and proclaim His Gospel, building up God’s kingdom in our lives, our families and our towns. We provide a joyful home for prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist and all the sacraments. Through actions and words, we seek to embrace all those in need, defend the holiness and flourishing of human life and promote peace and justice.”
4
Divine Mercy Parish Newsletter
“Together in Faith as We Prepare for Our Future”
Vol. 5 Issue 15- March 2013
David Courtemanche
By Elaine Giacomo
As Divine Mercy Parish takes its first steps toward the construction of a new church, prudent handling of our finances is critical. As a non-profit organization, we have been blessed, first in the long-term leadership of the now-retired Gordon Auth, and now with our new finance committee chair, David Courtemanche.
David and his wife Annette are residents of Greenfield, where they have lived for 27 years. Vermont natives, they settled in Greenfield after David started working at Sanders Associates (now BAE Systems) in Nashua. The parents of two grown children, Dave and Annette are the proud grandparents of three grandchildren.
David’s life has been one of service to nation, church and community. An Army veteran, David has been involved with the community in various capacities, and was an active volunteer at St. Patrick Church. When the churches merged, he felt an obligation to continue serving his parish, no matter what the name or location. Utilizing his background as a project engineer and his concern for the financial well-being of the parish, he decided to serve on the Finance Council.
As the committee chair, David sees his task as keeping the parish in good financial health. The results of the survey commissioned some years ago indicated that we could afford to build a church, but
the Finance Council wants to make sure that we don’t sacrifice ongoing parish programs and activities in the process.
David is a frugal Yankee whose first priority is the financial sustainability of Divine Mercy Parish. Like many parishioners, he views a new church as an opportunity to take the final step in the merger of the three parishes. He reminds parishioners that the completion of a new church will require extra generosity from parishioners and strong financial oversight. It’s up to all of us to provide the former; David Courtemanche and the Divine Mercy Finance Council have us covered for the latter.
Father Gerry promoted to Monsignor
By Allison Steele
On Monday, March 19, the Diocese of Manchester announced the promotion of six Manchester diocesan priests to monsignors, Prelate of Honor to his Holiness. This was one of the last actions of now Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI elevated the six on February 14th upon the request of Bishop Libasci. The title of “Monsignor” is a title of distinction given by the Pope to priests in the Roman Catholic Church as part of a papal honor recognizing the priest’s service to the Church. The diocesan bishop nominates candidates for the honor and submits the names, biographies and information to the Holy See. The Holy Father then, if he wishes, confers the honor on the priest. Once decided by the Pope, the Vatican Secretariat of State issues a diploma designating the new title and rank and recognizing the newly-made monsignor’s service to the Church.
Since 1968 there have been only three levels or types of “Monsignors” in the Church. They are as follows in ascending order: The first and basic level is known as “Chaplain to His Holiness.” The second level is known as “Prelate of Honor to His Holiness.” The third and highest level is known as “Protonotary Apostolic Supernumerary.” Being a Monsignor is not an appointment as much as it is an honorific award granted by the Pope, usually at the request of a bishop.
I’m sure we all agree Father Gerry’s elevation is an honor well-deserved. Father Gerry has been making a beautiful and positive difference for parishioners and for the Diocese for many, many years. We are truly blessed to have such a special person in our midst!
A special installation ceremony with Vespers will be held on Wednesday, May 1, 2013, at 6:00 PM at St. Joseph Cathedral in Manchester presided by Bishop Peter Libasci, Bishop of Manchester.
Book Nook
By Linda Kepner
Some books give you a chance to experience other people’s lifestyles without living them. A good example is Will Sparrow’s Road by Karen Cushman. Ms. Cushman, who has won many awards for her work, writes fiction with historical accuracy. This book is about an English runaway during Elizabethan times – it’s not all the fun and glamor you will see at a “Renaissance Faire.” Will is a professional liar, so to speak – the shill in the audience, the magician’s cheat, and possesses all the little talents that require a “third eye.” The reader learns about Will’s world. However, as Will becomes more competent and confident, we also see him develop conscience and scruples – and he now has the guts and ability to choose his own path. Will is a sympathetic character, the ending is happy, and you won’t suffer half the flea-bites I’m sure Will gets daily.
The most recent Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries are written not by Dorothy L. Sayers, but by a continuator, Jill Paton Walsh. Her most recent book, The Attenbury Emeralds, highlights an incident only mentioned in Sayers’ books – the event that caused Wimsey to become a detective – but this action is seen mainly through Harriet (Vane) Wimsey’s eyes. Harriet is an interesting character because she is an author by trade, and non-nobility. She sees the struggles between class-levels of servants with an anthropologist’s eye, as she learns more about the new tribe to which she now belongs. My favorite example of this series is still Thrones, Dominations, and the last unfinished Sayers book that was finished by Paton Walsh.
Our local library no longer has its copy of The Black Mountain, by Rex Stouts. Written in the 1950’s, it reflects the fear and paranoia of the Communist years as the unflappable Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin sneak into Yugoslavia to track down a murderer. The book shows the despair of the people in the countries that make-up what is now known as Bosnia, during a time when the World Bank was pouring money into these nations but ordinary folks weren’t seeing any of it. It’s easy to be blithe about their situation until you see it through Archie Goodwin’s eyes, as he says if he was going to name a town Goodwingrad he’d at least give it a fresh coat of paint. Even Wolfe and Archie don’t get out of this one unscathed.
For those who don’t like fiction, a fun non-fiction read is Consider the Fork: a History of How We Cook and Eat, by Bee Wilson. Why is cold beverages considered “an American mistake” by the rest of the world? Why isn’t an oven thermostat a true indicator of the temperature inside, and should we care? Why is Fannie Farmer’s String Bean Salad a prime example of an impossible recipe? What kitchen job was once assigned only to orphans, and was then relegated to trained dogs? What corporation campaigned to inspire women to find emotional fulfillment in housework? What Western culture loved their cooked, mashed lettuce?
Dive into these books and sample another lifestyle!
4
Divine Mercy Parish Newsletter
“Together in Faith as We Prepare for Our Future”
Vol. 5 Issue 15- March 2013
A History of Catholicism in New Hampshire Part 2
By Ginny Chevalier
4
Divine Mercy Parish Newsletter
“Together in Faith as We Prepare for Our Future”
Vol. 5 Issue 15- March 2013
The prevailing attitude of 17th and 18th century American colonists toward Catholicism was bitter hatred. During the settlement of North America, Europe was involved in the tumultuous period of the Protestant Reformation. Thousands of people were slaughtered in the name of religion, and fear, anger, and loathing toward people of religious ideas other than one’s own was the norm.
This religious intolerance was carried to the colonies by immigrants from England. The resulting tension pitted Protestants against Catholics, the mainstay Anglicans against Protestant splinter groups of Puritans, Quakers, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists, and the splinter groups against each other. Hatred abounded, but the greatest hatred was directed toward Catholics.
The Protestants who fled persecution in England seeking religious liberty brought with them total intolerance for the Roman Catholic Church. Over the next 150 years, these people and their descendants passed laws and created customs that excluded Catholics from public life and following Catholic religious practices.
In 1647 the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which included Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, banished Jesuit priests from entering the Colony under penalty of death. The reasoning behind this was threefold:
1. Jesuits were Catholics. Catholics were guilty of “idolatry” and “blasphemy,” and all were “destined for eternal damnation”;
2. Jesuits were French. The French were the enemies, engaged with the English in a struggle for control of North America;
3. Jesuits were missionaries. As missionaries, they had converted large numbers of Native Americans to Catholicism. Indian Catholics were allies of the French and enemies of the English.
Allowances were made only for shipwrecked Jesuit priests or those on diplomatic business. Puritans considered the Pope the Anti-Christ and the “Papists” who followed him as in league with the Devil.
The Catholic French Canadians expressed an equal hatred of anything Protestant. Protestants in Canada were as ill-treated as Catholics in New England. This animosity would eventually lead to war.
In 1679, King Charles II made New Hampshire a Royal Crown Colony. Male Protestants at least twenty-four years old and possessing at least twenty pounds worth of property were given the right to vote. Every voter had to take the Oath of Allegiance to the King. At that time, New Hampshire’s population was around 2000 with 209 voters and no known Catholics.
When King James II ascended the throne in 1685, he instructed the colonies to show greater religious tolerance and planned to send Catholic priests to Maine to minister to the Indians. He also attempted to establish a centralized New England government through Royal appointment and doing away with local elections. Both ideas were abhorred by the colonists who rejoiced when James II was dethroned.
In 1690, New Hampshire again joined with Massachusetts in a political union that lasted only until 1692. In 1691, a new Royal Charter granted a liberty of conscience in the worship of God to all Christians (except Catholics). The legislature of Massachusetts also passed a law forbidding French from residing in the province, except with the approval of the Governor and his counsel.
New Hampshire in 1767 had about 53,000 residents, divided almost equally between males and females, with presumably a few isolated Catholics. It is known that a number of French Catholics were engaged illegally in shipbuilding for France and Spain in the harbors of Boston and Portsmouth.
Groups of Scots-Irish immigrants helped to settle towns in Southern New Hampshire including Peterborough, Dublin, Antrim, Stoddard, and Gilsum. The association of these immigrants with the title Scots made them acceptable to the local populous, even though most were from southern Ireland and therefore Catholic. Irish schoolmasters escaping English persecution in southern Ireland taught in a number of towns in New Hampshire. With no means of nurturing their faith, it is thought that most of these immigrants eventually lost their Catholic identity.
One of the critical acts leading to the American Revolutionary War was the English legislature passing the Quebec Act of June 22, 1774. This document legalized the practice and support of the Catholic Church in Canada; colonists considered it an act of British betrayal. They felt they were losing their own liberties to give precedence to the religion of their enemies. Thus, tension between Protestants and Catholics grew.
Q. What does the large Easter candle mean?
A. The Easter Vigil begins in darkness as a symbol of Christ's tomb, as well as of the multiple occasions when darkness enters our lives. The parish community, with unlit candles, gathers outside in the darkness around dry, dead wood that will soon be brought to life by a spark. The resulting flame dispels the darkness while symbolically affirming our resurrection belief.
A tall, large, decorative candle is lit from the Easter fire, symbolizing the risen Christ, the light of the world. This Easter candle is the prominent Easter symbol of the risen Christ, of his Pasch or Pass-over from death to new life. As we process into church proclaiming Christ as our light, individual candles are lit from the Easter candle and we share Christ's light with others. Once all have gathered with lit candles, the “Exultet,” a hymn of joy and praise to God for the gift of new life in Christ, is chanted.
The Easter candle is prominently placed in the sanctuary as a constant reminder of the risen Christ and our undying hope for resurrection. The Easter candle is kept lit during all the liturgical celebrations of the Easter season's great fifty days. After Pentecost, the Easter candle remains prominently displayed, but is lit only for baptisms and funerals, celebrations which significantly attune us to our constant hope for resurrected life in Christ, our light.
This Easter season attune yourself to the rich symbolism of the Easter candle, asking Christ to be your constant light.
©2009 Liturgical Publications Inc, New Berlin, WI 53151
NEWSLETTER STAFF:
Gail Caron – Co-editor
Elaine Giacomo - Co-editor
Allison Steele – Co-editor
Linda Kepner – Staff writer
Ginny Chevalier – Staff writer
4