On the weekends of October 28 & 29 and November 4 & 5, information will be handed out after all masses for the Thanksgiving basket project. If you would like to adopt a family but will be away those weekends just email Justine at [email protected] and she will send you the info along with a suggested grocery list. This past Easter we helped 103 families have a wonderful holiday dinner. All food and baskets need to be dropped off at Mary Queen of Peace on Saturday, November 18 by 11:00 AM. If you have been blessed this past year and feel you want to “pay it forward” this is your chance.

OUR DIOCESE WILL BE RESTORING THE ORDER IN WHICH THE SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION ARE CELEBRATED—BAPTISM, CONFIRMATION, FIRST HOLY COMMUNION. 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, then Confirmation, then Eucharist. It also restores the practice of administering the Sacraments of Christian Initiation to young children as early as possible. Our parish has a plan for an implementation schedule, as well as a renewed vigor for implementing this change within the context of Lifelong Faith Formation. This will help us to provide an enriching experience of God's love through the sacramental life of the Church. For more information on the Lifelong Faith Formation and Restored Order of the Sacraments of Initiation, you can visit the RESTORE, RENEW, PROCLAIM page on the diocesan web site by clicking here or you can contact the Catholic Formation Offices at 669-3100.

Once again, we have a wonderful opportunity to help make BIRTHDAYS a little brighter for the children of the End 68 Hours of Hunger Program by giving them a birthday gift this school year! Last year more than 80 low-income children received thoughtful, generous gifts from our parish. The children and their families were most appreciative!!! If you wish to participate in this fun act of giving, tags will be available at the entrances of St. Joseph and Mary Queen of Peace next weekend, Oct. 14 & 15. Please return your donation with the tag attached by October 29th regardless of the birth date. You may leave your donation in the collection boxes at either campus or drop off at the office. Please limit the spending to $20 per gift. If you want to spend more please take additional tags. Envelopes will be available for monetary donations to the End 68 Hours of Hunger Program. Please see the back of the tags for more information or feel free to contact Laura Andolino via email, text or phone: [email protected] or 978-882-2657.

Once again, we mark the month of October as Respect Life Month. Looking back over the last year, there's been a lot of uncertainty, suffering, and heartache. Between tragedies that occur in the public eye and trials that take place in our personal lives, there's no shortage of reasons we cry out to God. At such times, we may feel alone and unequipped to handle the circumstances. But we have an anchor of hope to cling to. With words that echo through thousands of years into the corners of our hearts, God says to us, "Do not fear: I am with you" (Isaiah 41:10). This year’s Respect Life Theme is “Be Not Afraid!” Timothy Cardinal Dolan

Begins with the celebration of the Eucharist at the Mary Queen of Peace campus 11:00am mass, and continues with brunch in the church hall. Alumni Sunday is an opportunity for alumni and friends of Jesuit schools to share their common bonds through the celebration of liturgy, followed by a reception highlighting opportunities for continuing spiritual growth and service to the local and global community. Our guest homilist for the mass will be Fr. Bill Clark, SJ, Professor of Theology at Holy Cross College in Worcester.

Marie-Line Morin, soprano, who sang at our parish last spring, is inviting you to her next concert: It’s All About Love, that will be held at St. Joseph Cathedral, Manchester (145 Lowell St.), on Saturday, October 28, 7:00 p.m. Accompanied by pianists, Lucille Fortin and Lyle Hamel, she will sing sacred, classical and popular songs including French songs, while sharing her faith journey testimony as a French-Canadian immigrant. Professor Morin, from Laval University, Quebec, recently returned to New Hampshire, where her family resides since the 70’s, to care for two of her siblings who have a disability. She will also talk about a “Listening Ministry” project in the diocese associated with the Institute of Psychoreligious Counseling that she founded in Quebec. Suggested donations: $15 per person, will benefit this project. Click here for more details.