saint christopher`s - St. Christopher Parish

Parish church & school of
SAINT CHRISTOPHER’S
538 Brewer Street, East Hartford, CT 06118
Tel: 860-568-5240 Fax: 860-568-0673
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.stchris-eh.org
PRIEST
Rev. Vincent J. Curran, Pastor
PRIEST IN RESIDENCE
Rev. Louis D. Cremonie
DEACONS
Deacon William Gilles (RCIA Director)
Deacon Edward Giard
PARISH TRUSTEES
Kay McNamara
Richard “Mac” McCarthy
PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT
Roch Girard – 860-568-5879
FINANCE COUNCIL CHAIRMAN
Michael Munley – 860-683-8594
MASSES
Saturday Vigil: 4:30 PM
Sunday: 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM
Monday – Friday: 7:30 AM
Holy Days: As announced in the
preceding Sunday Bulletin
SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
Saturday afternoon: 3:15 – 4:00 PM
or Anytime by appointment
ROSARY and MIRACULOUS MEDAL
NOVENA
Wednesday: 7:00 PM - Chapel
BAPTISMS / PRE-BAPTISM PROGRAM
By app’t. w/Deacon Bill Gilles –
860-633-8997
OFFICE MANAGER
Bonnie Szalay – 860-568-5240
MARRIAGES
Please contact Parish Priest at least six
months in advance at 860-568-5240
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Carol Waterman – 860-521-7411
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Mrs. Kathleen Madej – 860-568-4100
COORDINATOR OF RELIGIOUS ED.
Maria Sousa – 860-895-8692
E-mail: [email protected]
DIRECTOR OF YOUTH MINISTRY AND
CONFIRMATION
Kristina Gillespie – 860-895-8692
E-mail: [email protected]
SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Karen Santacross – 860-568-4975
SCHOOL SECRETARY
Audrey Cesana – 860-568-4100
SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT
Chris Kiely – 860-568-8910
MINISTRY OF CONSOLATION
Toni Amberg – 860-568-9069
Jean Nowik-Martocci – 860-568-8873
COORDINATOR OF EXTRAORDINARY
MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION
Cathy Reynolds – 860-214-9287
HOMEBOUND MINISTRY
Barbara Casey – 860-568-4638
PRAYER LINE
and TEDDY BEAR MINISTRY
Bev Connors – 860-432-1530
[email protected]
PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
Toni Amberg—860-568-9069
PRO-LIFE MINISTRY
Phil Gosselin – 860-568-5001
COORDINATOR OF FOOD BANK
Eleanor Domler – 860-569-7396
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
St. Christopher Council #4
www.kofc-ehartford4.org
PRIESTHOOD - OFFICE OF VOCATIONS
860-761-7456 vocationshartford.org
PARISH & SCHOOL ACCOUNTANT
Dianne Rumsey
HOME / SCHOOL ASSOC. PRESIDENT
Susan Haas – 860-508-7271
CREDO CATHOLIC SINGLES
www.credocath.com
CHURCH CUSTODIAN
Roger Dube
SCHOOL’S WEBSITE
www.saintchristopherschool.org
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC
WOMEN www.nccw.org
St. Christopher Church ~ East Hartford, CT
First Sunday
of
Lent
March 13, 2011
“The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him
alone shall you serve.”
— Matthew 4:10
Saturday, March 12 – 4:30 p.m.
Helen D’Alessandro - 20th Anniversary
(Husband & Family)
Sunday, March 13 – 8:00 a.m.
Ruth Cadwallader
(Don & Jackie Luizzi)
Sunday, March 13 – 10:30 a.m.
John Santillo - 25th Anniversary (Family)
Monday, March 14 – 7:30 a.m.
Matthew Traynor
(Ann Traynor & Family)
Tuesday, March 15 – 7:30 a.m.
Roland A. Raymond
(Ladies of Wednesday’s
Small Christian Group)
Wednesday, March 16 – 7:30 a.m.
Robert Murphy
(The Barrett Family)
Thursday, March 17 – 7:30 a.m.
Rev. Richard L. Shellman
Saturday, March 19 – 4:30 p.m.
In Honor of St. Joseph in
Memory of Father Ron Osborne
(Suzanne Martel)
Page 1
OUR TITHING PARISH
Weekly Collection (March 6):
Same Sunday in 2010:
$ 5,683
$ 6,934
Your generosity to our parish is appreciated. Many
thanks for all you do to help our parish!
with Gratitude, Fr. Curran
THANK YOU!!
We are most grateful for your generous response to
our request for help to offset the unexpected snow
removal costs we’ve incurred due to the unusually
snowy winter. Through a second collection taken
over the past four weekends, a total of $5,967 was
collected. We appreciate your generosity!
STEWARDSHIP REFLECTION
The world tempts us with so much. Like Jesus on the
top of the mountain, we can all see magnificent
possessions, power, adventures, activities or
accomplishments that tempt us to push God into the
background of our lives. Yet, we must follow the
example of Jesus and back away from the
temptations of the world so that we have more time
in our lives to worship and serve God. Lent provides
us with the perfect opportunity to make a change that
will last not just for forty days but for a lifetime.
SANCTUARY LAMPS
The lamps beside our tabernacles remind
us of the real presence of Jesus in the
Holy Eucharist.
The candle in the church burns this week for
God’s Comfort & Healing Presence
For a Parishioner
The candle in the chapel burns this week for
Sunday, March 20 – 8:00 a.m.
Lucille Serruto (Don & Jackie Luizzi)
A Happy St. Patrick’s Day
For All Parishioners
(Beverly Connors)
Sunday, March 20 – 10:30 a.m.
Frances Cascone
(Fr. Curran & the People of St. Christopher’s)
For information on scheduling a weekly
dedication, please call the Parish Office at
860-568-5240.
First Sunday of Lent ~ March 13, 2011
CONGRATULATIONS TO
BEVERLY CONNORS!
I am pleased to announce that
Beverly Connors, a long-time
St. Christopher parishioner, will
receive the St. Joseph Medal of
Appreciation from Archbishop
Mansell during a ceremony that will
be held at the Cathedral of
St. Joseph next Sunday, March 20 at 3:00 p.m. No
medal can express adequately the church’s
appreciation for Beverly’s dedication on behalf of
our parish. She has shown great stewardship and
leadership through her service as coordinator of our
Prayer Line, Teddy Bear Ministry, Hospitality and
Small Christian Community. Beverly also serves on
our Parish Council, and as one of our Extraordinary
Ministers, brings Communion weekly to several of
our homebound parishioners. Her willingness to help
wherever needed and her playful personality make
Beverly a real blessing to our parish.
With a grateful heart, Fr. Curran
ST. CHRISTOPHER SCHOOL’S
ANNUAL AUCTION
Saturday ~ April 9 ~ 6:00 p.m.
Our parish school is hosting a wonderful adult-only
event that is packed with loads of fun. This year’s
auction will be held at Rentschler Field Ballroom.
Casual dress! Jeans ok! Admission is $35 per person
and includes pasta stations, carving stations, hot and
cold appetizers, beer and wine...a great night out
with friends and family! A silent auction begins at
6:00 p.m. with a live auction to follow. Tickets can
be purchased by using the reservation form that ca be
found on the tables at the main entrance to the
church or by calling the school office at 860-5684100 or Bridget Messier-Cooke at 860-202-3692.
We hope you can join us!
GIFT CARD PROGRAM
Volunteers from our parish school will
be selling gift cards this weekend after
all Masses in our church hall. You may also contact
our school office at 860-568-4100 or Kathy Simeone
at [email protected] with any questions.
Page 2
= Lenten Scripture Study...During Lent this
year, we will be offering a “Scripture Study”
group that will be held in our church on Sunday
mornings beginning at 9:15 a.m. and lasting about
one hour. The first study group meets this Sunday,
March 13.
= “Soup and Stations”...a sharing of simple
soup and bread (with conversation and sharing
with fellow parishioners) at 5:30 p.m. followed by
Stations of the Cross beginning at 6:30 p.m. This
will take place on the following Wednesday
evenings during the season: March 16, 23, 30 and
April 6, 13. Children from our parish school and
religious education program will lead us once
again in the Stations.
So...dig out your favorite soup recipes and mark
your calendars to keep Wednesday evenings free.
"Be church" with us and get to know the people in
your church family.
Volunteers will be needed to prepare soup and/
or bread for each Wednesday. You may simply
bring with you to the church hall the item you
wish to share on the Wednesday evening that
works best for you. Soup and bread are all we will
need. No desserts please.
= Way of the Cross booklets are available on
the long tables at the main entrance to the church
during the Lenten season for our parishioners who
wish to reflect on the Stations of the Cross in our
church at a time more convenient to them. We do
ask that these booklets remain in the church. Thank
you.
= Daily Mass...will be celebrated Monday
through Friday at 7:30 a.m. This is a great way to
draw closer to our Eucharistic Lord. Come, join us!
LENT
“Lent is about exercising the control that enables us to
say no to ourselves so that when life turns hard of its
own accord we have the stamina to yes to its twists and
turns with faith and hope…. Lent is the time to make
new efforts to be what we say we want to be.”
– Sister Joan Chittister
First Sunday of Lent ~ March 13, 2011
ADULT CONFIRMATION CLASSES
The Archdiocesan Office of Religious Education has
announced that Confirmation classes for adults aged
18 or older, who were baptized Catholic and have
made their First Communion, will be held at St.
Mark the Evangelist Church, in West Hartford. The
classes will meet from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. on the
following six Tuesdays: March 22, 29, April 5, 12,
26 and May 3.
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated at
the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford on Tuesday,
May 17, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
If you are interested in participating in these classes,
please call Mary Marsan at the Office of Religious
Education at 860-243-9465 or go to
www.orehartford.org/adultconfirmation.htm to
obtain an information sheet that must be sent in prior
to the first day of class. There is a $20 fee to cover
the cost of the book.
Page 3
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS - Council 4
The Knights of Columbus are Catholic men
committed to making our community a better place,
building up our faith, and protecting and enhancing
family life. For more information, call Ray Simeone
at 860-569-8451 or Bob Falkevitz at 860-568-5452.
Upcoming Council Activities
y Social Meeting on Thursday, March 17, at
7:30 p.m. in the Church Hall
FAMILY PERSPECTIVE (by Bud Ozar)
In today’s gospel Jesus cautions it is not enough to provide food for our children; “one does not live on bread
alone.” Let Lent 2011 be a time when you are “led by
the Spirit” to explore new ways to be a moral guide to
your children.
DISCOVER MERCY HIGH SCHOOL
Girls in the 6th and 7th grades and their parents are
invited to Discover Mercy: an opportunity to explore
the Mercy experience. The event will take place on
Saturday, March 26 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. at
Mercy High School, 1740 Randolph Road in
Middletown. Activities, Food and Fun for the girls!!
Separate activities for parents will also be available.
Girls must register for this event by March 18.
For more information or to register your child, please
call the Mercy High office at 860-346-6659 or visit
www.mercyhigh.com.
required.
PINEWOOD DERBY
3/12 & 3/13
The boys from St. Christopher’s Cub Scout Pack 161
recently enjoyed the fun and excitement of their
annual Pinewood Derby. We congratulate the
following boys who placed in their group.
1st Place: Joshua (Bear)
2nd Place: Colin (Tiger)
3rd Place: DJ (Wolf)
These boys will represent Pack 161 at the regional
being held next Sunday, March 20. Good luck boys!
First Sunday of Lent ~ March 13, 2011
Page 4
TEEN MASS - NEXT SATURDAY
2011 ARCHBISHOP’S ANNUAL APPEAL
The Youth Ministry will be sponsoring its third Teen
Mass of the school year next Saturday, March 19, at
the 4:30 Vigil. The teens of the parish will be
ministering as lectors, greeters, collectors, and
musicians during the Mass. This is an opportunity for
the youth of our parish to experience liturgy in a way
that speaks to them personally. The YOUTH
GROUP will host a social for high school students
immediately following the Mass. If you have a teen
in your house, please consider joining us for this
liturgy. Please note: All confirmation students are
required to attend two Teen Masses a year. Please
sign-in at the church hall when you enter for Mass
next Saturday. Thank you!
The 2011 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal is now
underway in our parish. Your support of this year’s
Appeal ensures that essential charitable, educational
and pastoral ministries of the Archdiocese of
Hartford are continued and carried forward. Appeal
packets are available at our church’s main entrance.
YOUTH GROUP
Attention all high school students!
Have you been receiving periodic Youth Ministry
updates via email? If not, send Kristi a message at
[email protected] to sign up!
March 13: 9th Grade Confirmation class
March 19: Youth Mass and Youth Group Social
March 20: Soup Kitchen
March 21: BINGO at Aurora Healthcare
(formerly East Hartford Healthcare)
March 16, 23, 30: Soup and Stations 5:30 p.m.,
followed by Light Night. Light Night is an hour
long Scripture Study through words, music, and
prayer...a great way to reflect during Lent!
ALL HIGH SCHOOL AGE students are invited!
April 9: Burn Calories for Fuel 5K...register by
March 12 for lower registration fee! Benefits
Operation Fuel
April 10: 9th and 10th Grade Confirmation Trip
to hear Sean Forrest...details to follow.
FAITH TEAM
For students in grades 6-8!
Would you like to receive FAITH Team news by
email? Sign up with Kristi at
[email protected]
March 13: Speed Meeting 6-7 pm
March 18: Dessert Making for Soup Kitchen
HOMEFRONT DAY APPEAL
The HomeFront bell has sounded to
begin our journey to Saturday,
May 7, 2011! For those who are not
familiar with the HomeFront project,
it is a community outreach to a neighbor in need,
where St. Christopher Church will form a crew to
perform necessary home repairs and the HomeFront
organization provides the materials. The typical
HomeFront recipient is elderly, disabled or a single
parent and the average total household income was
$22,000 for recipients in 2010.
We have much to be grateful for already; Norm Cote
and Tony Sousa have agreed to be our House
Captain and Assistant House Captain again this year!
They did a tremendous job last year; we honestly
could not have done the project without them. Now
we need to assemble our Crew. We do not have our
specific house assignment yet, but it will definitely
be an East Hartford neighbor in need. We should
have the house assignment in a couple weeks and
will provide more details about the scope of the work
at that time. In the meantime, if folks could begin to
contact me if they would be willing to assist with this
very worthy endeavor, that would be great. We are
going to need both skilled and unskilled help, so
please don’t feel you cannot help if you are not a
skilled craftsman...you can!!
Also, in the near future we will be conducting a
second collection to assist with the required fee that
helps make HomeFront possible. A donation of just a
few dollars per person would be very helpful. Thank
you for your past and future support of this project of
neighbor helping neighbor.
We can make a difference, but it won’t happen
without you. Please say YES! For more information
or to volunteer, please contact Phil Gosselin at 860568-5001 or by e-mail at [email protected].
“Radical Mercy”
Reflection for the First Sunday of Lent
Today we hear the story of creation from Genesis 2. We are presented with the image of the garden, the man and woman, the serpent, and the man and woman’s realization that they are naked. I
love this story! The Catholic Church does not profess the creation story to be taken literally, but
rather that it is a story written to teach us basic truths about our God. I once heard it explained like
this:
The Garden of Eden was filled with everything the first people could ever need. God gave them all
they needed and told them to partake of all the wonderful things in the garden. The one thing God
told them not to partake of was the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God warned
them that if they ate of that tree they would “die!” Again, the Bible entitled “The Message” explains
that when the woman and the serpent conversed about the tree, the serpent tells her that she will
not die, but rather she will “know what’s really going on.” We know the rest of the story, the
woman desires this knowledge and takes what the tree has to offer…it’s “fruit.”
The explanation held that the tree represented the things of “this world”…what we may call
“society” today. God was trying to protect us from buying into what society would tell us…those
things that would foster our EGO (false self) and kill our true self. However, we did, and do, buy into
what society tells us…we partake of the fruits of society rather than the fruits of our God. Prior to
partaking of the “fruit”…what the tree produced…we were completely comfortable in our nakedness. For, in our nakedness, we reveal our true self. However, once we bought into the “fruit” of
the tree…the message of society, our nakedness became too much for us to handle and we needed
to cover ourselves.
Today, we still choose to “eat of the fruit” of that tree…society. We place more value on the opinions of others rather than the “opinion” of our God. We are not content with all God gives us, including God’s mercy…we want and desire more. In the second reading today from Paul’s letter to
the Romans, we hear of the sacrifice of Jesus. The Message states the last line of this reading to say:
“One man (human) said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and
put many in the right.” It is through the death of Jesus that we are given “acquittal”…a NOT GUILTY
sentence for any of our transgressions. WOW! Can you say “radical mercy???” The gospel today
speaks of the temptations Jesus is faced with and those temptations are things we too must face.
Jesus is tempted three times. Richard Rohr, in his book Wondrous Encounters (2011), explains that
the temptations Jesus faced are also things we must face before we take on any form of power.
They are temptations for the misuse of power for anything other than God’s purposes. They are:
the misuse of practical everyday power, the misuse of religious power, and the misuse of political
power. These are represented in each of the temptations presented to Jesus by Satan. Rohr notes
that in order for something to be tempting, it must have some good to it. We cannot be tempted by
something we have never “tasted” before. The things that often tempt us…the things society often
offers us…can be good. What we have to decide is why we are tempted, and what we will use those
things for if we partake of them. Will they help us to do God’s work…God’s will in our lives? Will
they help us to create the kingdom?