Divine Mercy Parish Newsletter
“Coming Together, Growing in Faith”
Vol. 4 Issue 13- September 2012
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.”
A HISTORY OF CATHOLICISM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
(Part One) by Ginny Chevalier
Catholic visitors to New Hampshire may have
arrived as early as 800 A.D. Viking sagas and
probable Viking runes in Hampton, New Hampshire
indicate that as early as 1000 A.D. Vikings, under
Leif Ericsson, a Catholic convert, may have been
exploring our coastline.
The earliest European settlers of what we now call
the United States were not English or Spanish but
French Huguenots. Although the Spanish had
attempted to settle Florida, they had been
unsuccessful. The Huguenots arrived from France
in 1562, and settled in Florida near what is now
Jacksonville. Reinforcements followed and in 1564
Fort Caroline was built. In 1565, the Spanish
attacked and destroyed the fort and its inhabitants.
Spain then took control of Florida for a number of
years, essentially ending the French presence there
It is known with certainty that Catholic explorers
such as Giovanni Caboto, (1497) for England,
Giovanni da Verrazano, (1524) for France, and
Samuel de Champlain (1605) for France sailed the
waters off New England. Champlain especially
made note of the White Mountains seen from New
Hampshire’s coastline while Verrazano mapped the
coastline from Cape Cod to Cape Breton. In 1614,
Captain John Smith, a Protestant, sailed along New
England’s coastline and drew maps of the waters
from the Penobscot River to Cape Cod. Smith gave
the name of “New England” to this area which was
formerly referred to as North Virginia. For his
service to the English crown Smith was given title
to the nine little, rocky Isles of Shoals.
In the late spring of 1603 a young English
adventurer and businessman, Martin Pring, and two
companions were sent from Bristol, England, to
find wealth by mapping territory and establishing
trade with the natives. He followed the Piscataway
looking for sassafras, a valuable commodity, and
landed somewhere on Great Bay. These men were
the first documented Europeans to stand on New
Hampshire soil.
In August 1607 the Virginia Company of London
established the colony of Sagadahoc on the west
bank of the Kennebec River. The colonies
experienced sever hardships and before winter,
1608, Sagadahoc was abandoned.
Not acknowledged by most historians were the
hundreds of sailors and fisherman who made yearly
trips from France, Spain, Portugal, England,
Brittany and the Basque region to fish the rich
waters off the Isles of Shoals. These men made no
permanent settlements but occupied temporary
quarters on the Isles of Shoals for months every
year.
Meanwhile, the French were also attempting to
establish colonies in North America in areas
stretching from New Jersey to Nova Scotia. Thus,
the land that is now New Hampshire was claimed
by both England and France.
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Divine Mercy Parish Newsletter
“Coming Together, Growing in Faith”
Vol. 4 Issue 13- September 2012
In 1604, the first French colony was established on
an island in the Sainte Croix River (between Maine
and New Brunswick. A small Catholic chapel was
built and Mass was celebrated for the first time in
July 1604 by a Parisian priest, Nicholas Aubrey.
The expansion of French settlement was slow and
there were many confrontations with the English
along the eastern seaboard.
church. Once the list is compiled, it is given to the
recipient.
Samuel de Champlain established the first
permanent French colony on the St Lawrence River
at Quebec in 1608. The first permanent colony in
New England was settled in 1620 and established in
early 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts by Puritans,
dissenters from the Anglican Church. The royal
government grant excluded Roman Catholics from
going to the colony, unless they took an oath of
supremacy to the British crown. This anti-Catholic
attitude was to mark most of the early history of
New England.
BOOKS TO LOVE
By Linda Tiernan Kepner
Some suggestions for what you can do in lieu of a
Spiritual Bouquet is to make a donation to New
Hampshire Catholic Charities, Food Banks,
Outreach Programs or local service organizations in
the recipient’s name.
I recently purchased a book featured
in a YouTube video link that had
“gone viral,” or immensely popular because it
featured an animated film about the love of books.
How’s that for a twist? The Fantastic Flying Books
of Mr. Morris Lessmore, by William Joyce, inspired
the Academy Award-winning short film of the same
name. If you love books, you may find Morris’s
bibliographic adventures to be quite a three-hankie
story! And, if the video’s YouTube popularity is
any indication, you may very well be reading the hit
book of the year.
In March 1632, the Treaty of St. Germain-en-Laye
ended the war between the French and English and
unofficially established the boundary between New
France and New England as the St George River on
the Atlantic seacoast and the Kennebec River Island
to the west. New Hampshire thus fell completely
within English and Puritan territory.
Another remarkable book that surprised me is a
“For Dummies” book, Sherlock Holmes for
Dummies, by Steven Doyle and David A. Crowder.
This book focuses on Sherlock Holmes in literature,
on both sides of the Atlantic. Various sections refer
to the main characters and locations, unsolved
mysteries, literary rivals of Sherlock Holmes, places
and people mentioned in the chronicles, and other
books that ought to accompany them in your
library. Every chapter of this book is filled with
entertaining trivia about the Great Detective and his
world. The “Beyond Baker Street” section refers to
stage, screen, and parody Sherlock Holmeses. Did
you know that, if you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes,
and you’re an Englishman, you are a Holmesian,
but if you’re American, you are a Sherlockian?
Sources for this article are available on our website
www.divinemercynh.org.
MAKING A SPIRITUAL BOUQUET
Occasionally requests are made for Spiritual
Bouquets. While not offered through the Parish
Office, with a little ingenuity you can create your
own with a blank card.
Traditionally, “spiritual bouquets” are prayers or
devotional acts that are offered for a specific person
or purpose. They can be individual or offered by a
group, and usually are comprised of a certain
number of Masses, Rosaries, Holy Hours, Acts of
Charity, or other devotional practices. The nice part
of this ministry is that it can be done at home or at
Whether you are like Morris Lessmore, the friend
and companion of books (and vice versa), or a
Sherlockian (on this side of the ocean), you will
enjoy these books about books.
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Divine Mercy Parish Newsletter
“Coming Together, Growing in Faith”
Vol. 4 Issue 13- September 2012
don't want to find out you're not quite up to the task
and risk losing your benefits and critical medical
coverage.
INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY
September 8 was proclaimed as International
Literacy Day in 1965 by UNESCO, the United
Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization. Each year on September 8, UNESCO
publishes data on world literacy and highlights the
need to promote literacy. In 2011, one in six adults
in the world was illiterate and over 67 million
children were not in school. Literacy rates suffer
most in Africa, but no country is exempt from the
problems of an illiterate population. Illiteracy is
tied to poverty. It prevents men and women from
advancing economically and socially. Many
charitable organizations that provide aid to the poor
include literacy work among their efforts to advance
the situation of the people they serve.
We have good news for you: our work incentives
can help you go to work without the worry.
Work incentives include:
-Continued cash benefits for a period of time while
you work;
-Continued Medicare or Medicaid while you work;
-Help with education, training, and rehabilitation to
start a new line of work.
For example, a trial work period allows you to test
your ability to work for at least nine months without
affecting your benefits. Beyond that, an extended
period of eligibility allows you to work another 36
months and still receive benefits, depending on your
earnings. If your benefits stopped because your
earnings were too high, but you find that your
disabling condition does not allow you to stick with
the job, you're eligible for expedited reinstatement
without having to complete a new application.
For over 65 years (UNESCO) has worked to ensure
that literacy remains a priority on international
agendas. In 2003, UNESCO launched a Literacy
Decade, with the slogan of “Literacy as Freedom.”
This is the final year of this Decade. A report on
the progress of the objectives of this initiative will
be submitted to the UN General Assembly in 2013.
If you are successful at returning to work, but you
fear the loss of your medical coverage, here's more
good news. You can continue to get Medicare Part
A for at least seven years after your cash benefits
end; after that you can buy Medicare Part A
coverage by paying a monthly premium. Through it
all, you can opt to continue paying your Medicare
Part B premium for that additional coverage.
On Literacy Day, may God remind us that gifts such
as reading are not only meant for learning math and
science, or for entertainment, but also as a means to
draw closer to God.
© Liturgical Publications Inc.
WORK INCENTIVES FOR LABOR DAY
In addition to these incentives, you also may be
interested in the Ticket to Work program, which
may be able to help you receive vocational
rehabilitation, training, job referrals, and other
employment support services free of charge.
This Labor Day, many Americans commemorate
the fruits of their hard work by taking a day off
from it. There will be gatherings and games,
barbecues and baseball. Labor Day was established
in 1882, and it has become an American tradition to
celebrate with family and friends.
This Labor Day, visit
www.SocialSecurity.gov/work to learn more. Or
read their publication, "Working While Disabled-How We Can Help," available at
www.ssa.gov/pubs/10095.html.
For many Americans who receive Social Security or
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability
benefits, Labor Day can be a good day to think
about the future. It may be that, in spite of your
disabling condition, you would like to attempt to
work. But perhaps you're apprehensive because you
©Liturgical Publications Inc.
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Divine Mercy Parish Newsletter
“Coming Together, Growing in Faith”
Vol. 4 Issue 13- September 2012

A TIME TO REFLECT
by Lorene Hanley Duquin
a new parish ministry.
As summer begins to wind down, it’s important for
everyone who is involved in a parish to take a little
time for personal reflection. Start by thinking back
on how you got involved in the first place.
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Sometimes you may not notice God’s little nudges
because you are distracted by something else.
Sometimes, you may not like what you hear and try
to ignore it. Sometimes you are just not listening.
One of the biggest problems faced by people in
parishes is that we get so busy with what we are
doing that we don’t take the time they need for quiet
prayer and reflection. Listening to the Holy Spirit is
not something that comes naturally, but it is a skill
that is essential for anyone involved in parish life.
Maybe someone invited you.
Maybe you remember feeling a deep desire
to do something.
Maybe a series of events, coincidences or
changes in your life lead you to the place in
the parish where you are today.
No matter how you ended up in a leadership
position, it is important to understand that the Holy
Spirit called you and lead you to where you are
today.
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Now is the perfect time to practice your listening
skills. Set aside a specific time every day for
listening. If you’re just getting started, try to set
aside at least 10 or 20 minutes in the morning and
another 10 or 20 minutes before you go to bed.
Sometimes, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in
something we read.
Sometimes the message is transmitted
through comments, advice or insights offered
Start with some deep breathing. Then simply repeat
the words, “Here I am, Lord…. Here I am, Lord…
Here I am, Lord…
by someone else.
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Sometimes images, ideas and inspirations
sometimes pop into our heads and we find
Listening will open you to an exciting new
awareness of God. You may be surprised where the
Holy Spirit will lead you.
ourselves captivated.
Thomas Merton described it as “something quite
new and strange, this voice that seemed to prompt
me, this firm, growing inner conviction of what I
needed to do.” When you became involved in your
parish, you said yes to the Holy Spirit. However, it
is important to understand that saying “yes” is only
the beginning. God continues to call you in various
ways.
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©2012 Our Sunday Visitor
NEWSLETTER STAFF:
Elaine Giacomo - Co-editor
Gail Caron – Co-editor
Linda Kepner – Staff writer
Ginny Chevalier – Staff writer
A chance meeting or a fleeting thought
about someone might be God’s way of
saying, "You need to spend some time with this
person."
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A question or a comment from someone in
the parish might be God’s way of developing
A new suggestion or a different way of
doing something might be God’s way of
infusing new life into the parish.
A dream about a difficult situation might be
God’s way of encouraging you to find a new
solution to the problem.
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