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Widow's Group
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Cafe with Padre
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Men's Holy Hour
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Catholic Daughters
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The Ladies of St. Ann
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Marie Rivier Association
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Sunday Dinner
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Vocations Ministry
Traditional Music Ministry
Traditional music is sung at all the masses at St. Bernard and St. Margaret Mary churches, with the exception of the 9:30am Mass at St. Bernard. This consists of a mix of long-familiar hymns from our Catholic music tradition together with contemporary hymns found in our current hymnal. Singing is usually led by cantors who have demonstrated an advanced level of musicianship and whose voices are suited to a strong proclamation of the psalms and gospel acclamations.
There are choirs at the 8:00am Mass at St. Bernard and at both the 4:00pm and 9:00am Masses at St. Margaret Mary. Anyone is welcome to join those choirs at any time regardless of your level of musicianship of the frequency of your participation. Reading music is not a prerequisite - only the joy in your heart to raise your voice in praise and worship to our Lord. Opportunities may come up, particularly around Christmas and Easter, for the inclusion of musical instruments into the Masses as well.
If you are interested in sharing your musical talents with your fellow parishioners, please contact one of these music directors:
Jon Farina | St. Bernard
(603) 831-0479
Dan Taylor | St. Margaret Mary
(603) 209-3669
Folk Music Group
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!”
If you are looking to “make a joyful noise to the Lord,” think about joining us as we sing God’s praises at the 11:15am Mass on Sunday mornings.
We are a contemporary church music group that currently has guitars, piano, occasional violin and tambourine. We love to sing for our church as we praise and worship our God and have fun while we do it. We mostly sing unison melody with some occasional descants and harmony. We have soloists sing the Responsorial Psalm and Gospel Acclamation at Mass and I encourage anyone who has ever thought of singing these to try, even if you have never done it before. I will work with anyone who would like to try. It is a no-pressure situation. You can take as long as you need to get comfortable before you sing. Of course, it isn’t necessary for your to sing solos if you don’t want to.
No tryouts are necessary. I don’t take attendance. I realize that people have lives outside of church and I want to make it as easy as possible to sing for your church and praise God. If you can play an instrument and would like to add it to our group you are welcome to play along. We also encourage high school and college students to join us as well.
We meet to rehearse on Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm in the choir loft in St. Bernard's Church. We also gather in the choir loft in St. Bernard’s Church at 10:45am on Sunday mornings to warm up before Mass to go over the music that we will be doing that morning.
Chris Dube
christopher_j_dube@hotmail.com
(603) 499-1233
Altar Serving
Are you a boy or a girl that has made your First Communion? Would you like to be more involved at Mass? If you answered yes to these questions, then altar serving is for you. Altar serving is a ministry that is available to the youth of our parish that deepens your understanding of the Mass and our Catholic faith through active participation in the celebration of the liturgy. Carrying incense, ringing the bells, and helping prepare the altar are just a few of the responsibilities that you could have as an altar server.
New servers will go through a training session hosted by Fr. Alan, Andy Cardine, and Todd Pearson and then placed into a scheduled serving rotation. Servers can continue to attend the same Mass that they normally attend. An informational session for new altar servers will be announced in the bulletin, and you can reach Andy or Todd with any questions.
Andy Cardine
Todd Pearson
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Mission: to knit and crochet prayer shawls and lap robes for those in need of comfort and solace
Available items are prayer shawls (Small, Medium, Large) and lap robes for the sick, hospitalized or homebound who are struggling with their health, and caregiver squares to comfort those who care for them. Recipients of the shawls and lap robes get a hand-sewn cloth bag containing the shawl, a rosary, scapular, and ministry prayers.
Baptism blankets for babies and toddlers are also available. Recipients also get a prayer for the baby or toddler. All items are made with prayers and blessed by the Priest.
The ministry meets the second and fourth Thursday of the month. The usual meeting time is 9:00am but follows WINGS when they meet. Check the bulletin for changes to this.
Catholic Women of Charity
Mission: we are Catholic women extending our spirituality through random acts of kindness and charity in our community throughout the year.
We are an offshoot of the Catholic Daughters of America (CDA) Court Josephine #319 which disbanded in June 2016 after 100 years. We have no rules or dues. We meet on the first Monday of the month from February to June and September to December in St. Margaret Mary Church hall.
The generous assistance of the parish through our sales of food or through other endeavors supports the following charities:
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100 Nights
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Cheshire Medical Center Women’s & Children’s Unit
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Church Women United
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Feeding Tiny Tummies
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New Hampshire Catholic Charities
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New Hampshire Children’s Trust
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Nursing Homes with stocking stuffers, cards, etc.
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Project Linus (Local, State, and National)
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Saint Joseph Regional
This year we have done the following:
February:
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Visited nursing homes with valentines and candy
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Donated $100 to Feeding Tiny Tummies
March:
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Delivered 15 blankets to Project Linus drop-off at New England Fabrics
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Bake Sale at St. Bernard’s Hall on March 31st
April:
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Filled plastic Easter eggs with candies for the nursing homes
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Delivered eggs and a card to the nursing homes
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Donated $100 to Feeding Tiny Tummies
May:
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Collected over 500 baby items for our members
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Dropped off Baby Layette items to Cheshire Medical Center Women and Children’s Unit
June:
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Dropped of 15 more blankets to Project Linus
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Donated $300 to St. Joseph Regional School for “special teacher projects”
Women in God's Spirit (WINGS)
Everyone is invited to this spiritual event! There are sessions in the Spring and Fall. It begins after the 8:00am Mass on Thursdays. Light refreshments are served.
The topics for each session are spiritual, hopefully to assist us on our earthly journey to eternal happiness.
WINGS is in its 11th year. Please drop in and enjoy spiritual refreshment!
Who are the Knights?
Knights are Catholic men, 18 years of age and older, who are committed to making their community a better place, while supporting their Church.
Knights share camaraderie with men who hold values similar to yours. Knights are involved with your community; they support your local Catholic Church and its causes, while deepening their faith; and they believe in protecting and enhancing their family life.
Why become a Knight?
In today’s world, many Catholic men are looking to fulfill their desire to spend meaningful time with their family, to serve their community and their Church, and to grow in their faith. Joining the Knights of Columbus provides these men and their families with volunteer opportunities and activities that accomplish these goals. If you are such a man who is dedicated to making a difference, them membership in the Knights of Columbus is for you.
Additionally, the Knights of Columbus also offers a portfolio of top-quality life insurance, long-term care, and annuity products exclusively for members and their families.
All Catholic men over the age of 18 are invited to attend - if you are interested in becoming a member contact Todd Pearson.
Todd Pearson
(508) 450-4279
Scouts BSA Troop 350 - Girls Troop
Sponsored by the Parish of the Holy Spirit
Welcoming all girls ages 11-17 who want to go places, test themselves and have a one-of-a-kind adventure that can’t be found anywhere else.
We meet every Wednesday night at 7:00pm at the St. Margaret Mary Rectory at 33 Arch Street, Keene.
For more information, contact Committee Chairman Susan Ruel or Scoutmaster Joe Hanrahan:
Susan Ruel | Committee Chairman
(603) 209-2138
Joe Hanrahan | Scoutmaster
(603) 762-7890
Parish Finance Council
The mission of the Parish of the Holy Spirit Finance Council is to support the pastor in his stewardship of parish financial resources for our three churches (St. Bernard Church, St. Margaret Mary Church, and Immaculate Conception Church).
The Parish Financial Council has an advisory and consultative role with the pastor of the parish. An active, well-formed Parish Finance Council is a key element for promoting the financial health of a parish, assuring accountability and assisting the pastor with his temporal responsibilities. The Finance Council provides a yearly update to the parish of the overall financial health of the parish.
The current members of the Parish Finance Council are:
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Ann Szot, Chair
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Jon Farina, Bookkeeper
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Mike Forrest
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Diane Langlois
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Ed Morena
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Kathy O’Donnell
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Debbie Rose
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Anthony Toscano
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Joe Walker
All three parishes are represented by members on the council.