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.”
David
Courtemanche
the Finance Council wants to make sure that we
don’t sacrifice ongoing parish programs and
activities in the process.
By Elaine Giacomo
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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Divine Mercy Parish Newsletter
“Together in Faith as We Prepare for Our Future”
Vol. 5 Issue 15- March 2013
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.
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 classlevels 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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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
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Divine Mercy Parish Newsletter
“Together in Faith as We Prepare for Our Future”
Vol. 5 Issue 15- March 2013
France and Spain in the harbors of Boston and
Portsmouth.
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.
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.
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
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
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