Saint Francis of Assisi

OCTOBER 13-21, 2008

Fr. Paul Montminy, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Manchester, and Fr. Ray Labrie, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Litchfield, are planning a pilgrimage to Fatima, Lourdes, Paris and Nevers Our trip will take us to Fatima where Our Lady appeared to Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco in 1917.  We will explore the Basilica and see the tombs of these visionaries.  We will then travel to nearby Spain to visit Burgos, known as the cradle of the Castile region.  Day 5 will take us to Lourdes, France where the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette in the Grotto of Massabielle.  All travelers will be able to take part in the beautiful candlelight procession.  During our tour of Parish, we will see the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal and view the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Laboure.  Our tour includes seeing some of the most beautiful and important churches in the world, such as Notre Dame and Sacred Heart of Montmartre.  The last day of our stay will take us to the Loire Valley to pray at the tomb of St. Bernadette.  Our farewell dinner will be enjoyed at the Eiffel Tower with breathtaking views of the “City of Lights.”  Per person Rates: Double $3,289; Single $3,689.  For more information, or for a flyer, please contact Fr. Paul or Fr. Ray at 622-4966. 

**There will be an information night on Monday, April 28, at 7pm at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Manchester

The Web Ministries team has recieved requests from parishoners to put together a section where the daily Mass readings could be reviewed.  With so many Catholic ministries devoted to reaching out using modern technology, we are happy to be able to bring you several ways to reflect on the scripture readings. 

Read the Bible on-line

Thanks to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, a beautiful website has been put together devoted to the New American Bible. In their cycle of programs they offer the Daily Mass Readings right at your fingertips.  Follow the menu selection that we created right off the St. Francis website or click the links found here:

Meditation & Prayer  >  Masses & Sermons  >  Daily Mass Readings  

Listen to the Daily Readings by PODCAST

Once again the Conference of Catholic Bishops comes through with the Daily Readings as a "podcast."  Click on the NAB Podcast picture on the left hand side of the Bishop's website, to see the entire page of offerings.   The link will take you to a list of choices that you can use to listen or even subscribe to feeds using an automated reader or an i-pod.  If you are not technology savvey, or just prefer to listen when ever you have a free moment while visiting the St. Francis website, click this link to pop-up an instant podcasting media player and enjoy:

Pop-up Podcast

Remember, you do need to have speakers connected to your computer to hear the readings.   If your Internet browser is blocking pop-ups, you will need to allow them for this site.  The NAB Podcast puts up a full week of readings, so you might need to click on the proper day of the week that you are seeking.

Preview of the Sunday Readings

 For Teenagers Only

This is a great Podcast website for young Catholics looking for a preview of the Sunday Mass readings.  The entire website, called Life Teen is geared toward serving teen Catholics and has lots of fun stuff to explore.  Those looking for a preview of the Mass readings and some commentary can check out this pop-up link and listen to "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday..."

Pop-up Podcast for Teens 

As we continue to get parishoner feedback, we will be adding scripture readinga and Mass reflections to this section.  We hope that the offereings here help to deepen your awaearness of God and provide you with a better understanding of daily Mass.

Who doesn't want to go to Orlando, Florida in January?  That is exactly how two of our parishioners felt, so Jyl Dittbenner and Vicki Fontaine attended the Fashion Me a People conference from January 10-12 this year.  

The music was phenomenal, the speakers were dramatic, and the liturgies were inspiring.  Upon arrival we found ourselves at our hotel - and the first thing we saw as we walked the grounds to catch a shuttle to Epcot was an aneole (small chameleon type lizard).  They were every where we looked - just hidden in the flower beds and shrubbery.  Epcot was beautiful.  Our favorite country was Morrocco - where we heard the story of the turtle.

In the following article, Peg Valenti chronicles her faith journey over the last two years and her involvement in a Lay Ministry Formation Program held at St. Anselm College in Manchester.

St Francis of Assisi, Litchfield NH welcomes all into its community.  We serve Catholics in Litchfield, southern Manchester and Londonderry from our church located on the banks of the Merrimack River in southern New Hampshire.  As the website resources continue to grow, we hope to spiritually reach out to individuals far wider then our geographic location.  Please browse our web pages, pray with us and return occationally to see how our community is growing.  If you happen to find yourself in southern New Hampshire, we invite you to come worship with us.  If you like what what you see, please find your way to the Contact Us page and send in your comment. 

The women's scripture study share group, now known as Sisters in Faith has been meeting since the Fall of 2005.

We have gone from the Gospel of Matthew, to the Characters of the Old Testament, to Lenten Sunday readings, and finally to the book of Revelations.  What a wonderful time of sharing this has been.  We have truly walked with one another through the trials and celebrations of life. As we begin to study the book of Revelations, I wanted to share with you some of the revelations our group has discovered.