Organist Joe Labreque plays the new organ that has been installed at St Helena.

Join us at Sacred Heart in Lebanon!

The feast of Saint Helena is Friday, August 18. Be sure to join us for Mass at 6 PM followed by a reception in the church hall.

Tuesday August 15 is a Holy Day of Obligation - The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary's in Canaan at 12:10pm. Mass will also be celebrated at Sacred Heart in Lebanon at 8am and 7pm

Upcoming at St. Helena/St. Mary...... The Diocese of Manchester is launching an initiative to strengthen faith formation in our parishes and schools. It is called “Restore, Renew, Proclaim the Hope that Is Christ.” The goal of this initiative is to make lifelong faith formation a priority and a reality in all our parishes. To accomplish this, we will be looking at ways to strengthen our youth ministry and adult faith formation processes, as well as reimagining our sacramental preparation programs. At the heart of all this is a desire to form disciples of all ages. Exciting things will be happening in all our parishes as we look forward with hope and with confidence that the Holy Spirit will guide all our efforts. Our parish will continue to be a place where disciples are formed in the faith and sent out on mission. Over the next few years, the standard age of Confirmation is going to be third grade throughout the Diocese of Manchester, and Confirmation will be celebrated before, not after, First Communion. This practice restores Confirmation to its original place. Through this process, the three Sacraments of Christian Initiation return to the logical order in which they were designed to be received: first Baptism, Confirmation, and then Eucharist. It also restores the practice of administering the Sacraments of Christian Initiation to young children as early as possible. Nothing will change this year! The diocese has designated the 2017-2018 academic year as a time to pray and prepare. I'm sure this announcement brings up lots of questions! We will be hosting information sessions on August 15th after the 8 am Mass (at Sacred Heart); after the 12:10 Mass (at St. Mary's) and at 5:45, before the 7 Mass at Sacred Heart. I've connected the meetings to the Holy Day Masses with the intention that we will pray together as a community to the Blessed Mother to guide our efforts and prepare our hearts for the changes ahead. The meetings will be less than an hour and are informative in nature. We will follow up in September with a “Town Hall” style meeting to continue the dialogue. If you are unable to attend a meeting, feel free to email or call Amy Cheevers @ DFFsheartlebanon@gmail.com or 603-4481262.

Please note that there will be no Daily Mass August 9th.

July 26 - The Feast of Saints Joachim & Anne Joachim and Anne were the father and mother of Mary, and the grandparents of Jesus. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, traditions and stories about them lead Catholics to celebrate this couple's significant impact on our faith. Joachim and Anne serve as great examples of faith for all married couples, parents, and grandparents. Like several Biblical couples, they had difficulty conceiving a child. As time was running out, they desperately prayed to God to grant them a child. By strong faith and patience, God granted them their daughter, Mary. St. Anne and St. Joachim are the patron saints of grandparents and infertile couples.