December 2011 - Diocese of Bridgeport

Inside this issue
11Elegant Evening:
Inner-City Foundation Dinner
24Immaculate High girls
are State Soccer Champs!
(Photo by Amy Mortensen)
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2
December 2011
Soundings
“The Liturgy of the Eucharist:
Part III”
W
e have been using the new translations of the Third Edition of the Roman
Missal for a few weeks. We are getting used to new words and cadences,
but more than that, we are becoming better acquainted with a language
which, over time, has been honed to express how what we believe is rendered present and active in our sacramental life of worship. Nowhere in the Mass is this
more evident than in the Eucharistic Prayer which we have been studying in the past
two columns. This is the final installment and will take us from the institution narrative
(Consecration) of the Mass up to the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer, the Great Amen.
Thus far, we have considered the following parts of
the Eucharistic Prayer: the Preface and Sanctus in which
the note of thanksgiving is sounded; the epiclesis (calling
down the Holy Spirit upon the gifts of bread and wine);
the institution narrative in which bread and wine are consecrated to become the Body and Blood of Christ; the first
elevation of the Body and Blood of Christ before the worshipping assembly for adoration; the anamnesis or remembrance in which we truly encounter what we remember,
namely, Jesus’ death, resurrection, and exaltation; that is,
we enter into and share in the Paschal Mystery.
Singing or saying the words, “the mystery of faith,”
the priest invites us to participate in this “effective”
remembrance of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, by singing or saying one of the following forms:
We proclaim your Death, O Lord and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
***
When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your Death, O Lord,
until you come again.
***
Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
This act of remembrance or anamnesis continues as
the Eucharistic Prayer exalts in the Lord’s Passion,
Resurrection, and Ascension. It is only by entering into
this mystery that we enabled to offer the Father the One
Sacrifice that is holy and pleasing in His sight. We offer
to the Father what He first provided for us when He
sent his divine Son who assumed our human nature,
preached the Good News, manifested his Father’s glory,
and took upon Himself the sins of the world, overcoming
them by His saving Death and Resurrection. Thus, the
whole Church and we, as members of the Church, offer
to God the spotless Victim by which we are reconciled
to God and to one another. In the presence and power of
that Sacrifice we offer ourselves and whole lives through
Christ to the Father. The Second Eucharistic Prayer puts
it this way:
Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial
of his Death and Resurrection,
we offer you, Lord, the Bread of life
and the Chalice of Salvation,
giving thanks that you have held us worthy
to be in your presence and minister to you.
Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, we may be
gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.
Here again the priest invokes the Holy Spirit whom
he had previously invoked as he extended his hands over
the offerings of bread and wine. Now, in what is sometimes called “a second epiclesis”, the priest prays that,
through sharing in the Eucharist, the worshipping assembly may be gathered into one, that is to say, into the
communion of the Church in heaven and throughout the
world. In this prayer, we ask for the unity of the Church,
not relying on our own views and efforts, but asking the
Holy Spirit to join us all more closely to Christ. As we
pray in this fashion, we should have in us “the mind of
Christ”(1 Cor. 2:16) who prayed: “… so that they may
all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you, so
they also may be in us, that the world may believe that
you sent me” (John 17: 20-21). Blessed Pope John Paul
II comments that the Eucharist is the sign and source of
our unity and apostolic vigor, for in it Christ abides in us
and we abide in Christ through the Holy Spirit. United
in “… the perpetuation of the Sacrifice of the Cross and
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GIs, Veterans
In the “Living Nativity” recently enacted
at St. Aloysius Parish in New Canaan, Olivia Buzzeo,
13, is Mary; Claire Conley, 13, plays the Angel;
and Matt Bisceglia, 13, keeps watch as the Shepherd.
All three from New Canaan are Level II Confirmation
students. The Nativity story, proclaimed by Deacon
Stephen Pond, featured costumed students, live stable
animals and a Nativity Choir led by parish director
of music, Thom Marino. A team of more than 75,
led by Confirmation Coordinator Chris Otis, worked
on the events, which has now became a tradition
at New Canaan’s Holiday Stroll.
and Family
her communion with the Body and Blood of Christ in the
Eucharist, the Church draws the spiritual power needed
to carry out her mission. The Eucharist thus appears as
the source and the summit of all evangelization, since
its goal is the communion of mankind with Christ in
him with the Father and the Holy Spirit” (Ecclesia de
Eucharistia, no. 22). Further, as we pray to be gathered
into one, we look ahead and share by way of foretaste in
the inexpressible trust, joy, and oneness of the redeemed
in heaven, gathered glorious summit of the Triune God’s
throne.
Brought together into one by sharing in Christ’s sacrificial love in the power of the Holy Spirit, the priest offers
intercessions in which we pray for the Church throughout
the world, for living and the dead, and for congregation
gathered for Mass. Again, it is important to remember that
our intercessions for the Church and the world partake of
the presence and power of Christ’s Sacrifice; we are not
just praying on our own. In our prayer we ask the Lord to
strengthen the communion of the Church – not just in the
abstract but concretely, for Church as she is today, in the
midst of the blessings with which she is endowed and the
stiff headwinds she faces. We pray for the Pope, the successor of Peter, as the visible principle of unity and pastor
of the universal Church, and for the local bishop as the
chief shepherd of the local Church or diocese, as well as
the clergy who are their close co-workers:
Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout
the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity,
together with Benedict our Pope and William
our bishop and all the clergy.
Similarly we pray for those who have died. Sharing in
Christ’s sacrificial love, a love stronger than sin and more
| CONTENTS
4
SHARE!
Theology for Adults 7
FATHER OROZCO
New Pastor at St. Charles
13 IN THE SPIRIT
20 A CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
23 A PRO LIFE CHRISTMAS
50 Years of Music
Billboards Challenge Drivers
27 AN AFRICAN CHRISTMAS
Dee Maggiori’s New Book 17 ST. MARK’S ORGANIST 30
Saint Catherine Academy
K of C Museum
HOLIDAY CALENDAR
Bits and Pieces
➤ continued on page
12
3
December 2011
National and Local News
Bishops discuss religious liberty at annual meeting
By PATRICIA ZAPOR
Catholic News Service
BALTIMORE – At the start of
their annual three-day fall assembly November 14 in Baltimore,
the U.S. bishops were urged to
restore the luster, credibility and
beauty of the Catholic Church
in the hearts of its members.
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan
of New York called on his fellow
bishops to communicate to the
world that the sinfulness of the
Church’s members is not “a reason to dismiss the Church or her
eternal truths, but to embrace her
all the more.”
In his first presidential address
since election as president of
the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops last November, he
opened and closed with the
words: “Love for Jesus and his
Church must be the passion of
our lives.”
He noted that the Church still
has plenty to say to the modern
world. “She dares the world ... to
foster and protect the inviolable
dignity of the human person and
human life; ... to protect marriage and family; to embrace
those suffering and struggling; to
prefer service to selfishness; and
never, ever to stifle the liberty to
quench the deep-down thirst for
the divine.”
Archbishop Dolan later pointed out that he was encouraged
by a November 8 private meeting
he had with President Barack
Obama at the White House. He
said he found the president to be
“very open to the sensitivities”
of the U.S. Catholic Church on
issues related to religious freedom that the two discussed. He
said the current issues related to
religious liberty and government
might be an area where there is
room for compromise.
Bishop William E. Lori
from the Diocese of Bridgeport
in Connecticut, chairman of
a new Ad Hoc Committee for
Religious Liberty, outlined some
of the issues at stake in a report
to the bishops. He said several
situations involving Church
and government are related to
policies of the Department of
Health and Human Services.
They include draft HHS regulations that would require all
private health insurance plans
to provide coverage for sterilization and contraception.
HHS also recently denied
a one-year grant to the U.S.
Catholic bishops’ Migration and
Refugee Services to aid foreignborn human trafficking victims.
BISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Ad Hoc
Committee for Religious Liberty, answers a question during a press conference at the U.S. Bishops’ annual fall meeting in Baltimore. Pictured at right
is Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the USCCB.
(CNS/Nancy Phelan Wiechec)
The attention has focused on
requirements in the guidelines
for the new grants that called for
agencies to offer the “full range of
reproductive service,” including
abortion and contraception, to
trafficking victims.
Bishop Lori also cited the
Department of Justice’s shift
from defending the Defense of
Marriage Act to opposing it in
court “as an act of ‘bias and
prejudice’ akin to racism, thereby
implying that churches which
teach that marriage is between a
man and a woman are guilty of
bigotry.”
He said the bishops see a pattern in culture and law to treat
religion “as merely a private
matter between an individual
and one’s own God. ... Some
decisions and some administrative regulations treat religion not
as a contributor to our nation’s
common morality but rather as a
divisive and disruptive force better kept out of public life.”
The U.S. bishops’ campaign to
strengthen marriage has reached
a large audience and also has garnered awards from professional
advertising organizations, the
chairman of the Committee on
Laity, Marriage, Family Life and
Youth reported to the bishops. In
a presentation on the work of the
Subcommittee for the Promotion
and Defense of Marriage, Bishop
Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort
Wayne-South Bend, IN, said the
public service announcements
with messages about marriage
had been measured as having 1.3
billion “audience impressions”
since they began several years
ago. He said the campaign won
a national public relations award
in 2009 and has been the most
successful effort of its kind ever
sponsored by the USCCB.
Public service announcements
with the theme of “a good marriage goes a long way” were
released in September to 1,600
television stations and 7,000
radio stations, he said.
During a news conference
after the morning session,
Archbishop Dolan spoke about
➤ continued on page
21
Stocking Stuffers at www.BlessedGifts.org
BRIDGEPORT – ‘Tis the
season of searching frantically
for the perfect gift, and a new
Diocesan program enables you
to fill the stockings of your
loved ones with Christ’s love.
At a special web page, www.
BlessedGifts.org, Christmas
shoppers may choose from a
wide range of gifts that support
the working poor and homeless,
Catholic education, seminarians,
and our retired priests.
Blessed Gifts offers an opportunity for you to prepare a personalized Christmas card for your
family or friend that describes the
charitable gift that has been made
in their name.
“I think that a lot of people
want to give gifts that make a
difference in the lives of others,
and people love to receive them,”
says Pam Rittman, from the
Development Office. “Blessed
Gifts supports faith in action and
brings Christmas joy to so many
people. It provides a way for
donors to make a lasting gift and
a chance to do something very
meaningful by supporting areas in
honor of friends and families.
Tom McCarthy from Danbury
says: “For many years, my wife
and I have included a charitable
gift to each of our children in
their stockings. While it is fulfilling to support many wonderful
causes around the globe, it is
particularly heartwarming to
know that I may also purchase a
Christmas dinner for a family in
Fairfield County.”
In 2012, Blessed Gifts will be
expanded to offer commemorative opportunities for every occasion including birthdays, weddings, First Holy Communions,
Confirmations, anniversaries and
expressions of sympathy.
“These gifts stay here in the
Diocese and are used to serve
the poor, assist children in our
schools, educate new seminar-
ians, and support our retired
priests. Blessed Gifts offers
a tangible way to make a difference in our community.” Rittman
concludes. n
Blessed Gifts are offered
at $25 and above. Here are just
a few examples of how your gift
will touch the lives of others:
• $50 Bring joy to a family
with a Christmas
Dinner
• $100 Provide groceries
for the New Covenant
House Food Pantry
in Stamford
• $250 Purchase Liturgy
of the Hours Prayer
Books for our new
seminarians
4
December 2011
Local News
SHU-sponsored program gives
adults a leg up on Church work
By TRACY DEER-MIREK
If you’re an adult interested in
working in the Catholic Church
as a parish-based director of religious education, youth minister
or like position, there’s a new
program co-sponsored by Sacred
Heart University and the Diocese
of Bridgeport that can help you
obtain the necessary background
and credentials.
SHARE (Sacred Heart Adult
Religious Education), a collegelevel continuing education program, was initiated by the diocese
and embraced by SHU. It was
modeled on Education Parish
Service (EPS), which started 33
years ago at Trinity College in
Washington, D.C., as a way to
bring the Catholic faith to adults
in that area. When the program
was discontinued, past an EPS
coordinator approached the dio-
cese about continuing it in a new
form, which led to SHARE.
“Recently Pope Benedict
XVI’s Apostolic Letter, Porta
Fidei, declared the ‘Year of Faith’
beginning next fall,” says Damien
O’Connor, diocesan director of
the Office for Pastoral Services.
“I believe that the new SHARE
program is providentially timely in
that it offers excellent opportunities through which to enrich one’s
faith. As the Holy Father said,
‘The Year of Faith…is a summons to an authentic and renewed
conversion to the Lord, the one
Savior of the world.’ Our hope
and prayer is that adults throughout the diocese will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity
to grow in their knowledge of the
Catholic faith and subsequently
put it into action.”
The program is one of
four ministries that Gina
Donnarummo, director of
adult formation for the diocese,
administers. She works with
adults becoming Catholics, overseeing a formal process called
Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults (RCIA), collaborating
with coordinators at each of
the 87 parishes in the diocese.
The RCIA process consists of a
period of inquiry, in depth study
of Catholicism, Purification and
Enlightenment coinciding with
Lent, and a period of Mystagogy.
Candidates are baptized, receive
First Communion, and confirmed
at the Easter Vigil.
A recent SHU graduate who
earned a masters degree in religious studies and holds a B.A.
in social work from Saint Joseph
College, Donnarummo explained
that the SHARE program covers four disciplines: Scripture,
Church History, Theology and
Pastoral Theology. “Five courses
will be offered from January to
May,” she says. “We will offer
Sacraments of Initiation; Mary,
the Perfect Disciple; Church
History: From Pentecost to the
21st Century; Church Law; and
Reading the Old Testament. We
hope to address pastoral theology
in fall 2012.”
Dr. Matthew Kenney, assistant vice president for Mission
and Catholic Identity and lecturer in Theology at Sacred Heart
University, teaches a bioethics class
for the SHARE program. “The
program is an excellent opportunity for those within the diocese
who are serious about their faith
and who want to use their gifts and
talents in service of the Church to
engage the central themes of our
faith and crucial questions of our
time in an environment that fosters
in-depth discussion, collaboration
and personal growth,” he says.
“The program provides a solid
theological foundation upon which
participants can build in order to
better accomplish their respective
ministries.”
Put simply, SHARE is a fouryear certificate program to help
Catholics understand their faith
and empower them to put it into
action. The pastoral certificate is
received after the 20 courses are
completed. Courses are held at
St. Philip Parish in Norwalk on
Tuesday and Wednesday evenings
from 7-9 p.m. The certificate is
awarded by the diocese and SHU.
(To learn more about SHARE or to
register, contact Gina Donnarummo:
203.416.1446 or e-mail at SHARE@
diobpt.org. You can also visit
www.sacredheart.edu/share.cfm for a
schedule of the courses. A 4-week course
is $140; a 6-week course is $210;
an 8-week course is $280.)
n
Fr. Allen pinch hits for Bobby Valentine
By BRIAN D. WALLACE
Fr. Charles Allen pinch hit
for Bobby Valentine and drove
some important points across the
plate at the Catholic Charities
Celebrity Breakfast held recently at
Shorehaven Golf Club in Norwalk.
With his trademark humor
and spiritual insights Fr. Allen
charmed the 200 men and women
in attendance who contributed
over $15,000 to support Room
To Grow Child Care Center and
the counseling and mental health
services of the Norwalk office of
Catholic Charities.
Donning a Boston Red Sox
cap before starting his talk, Fr.
Allen joked that he often finds
himself being a “big disappointment” to audiences when he is
introduced as a last minute substitute for a guest speaker who
had to cancel. Valentine, who
had been scheduled to speak,
was named new manager of the
Boston Red Sox on the evening
before the breakfast.
“He seems like a good guy. I’ll
know better by the end of next
season,” quipped Fr. Allen, a
Boston native and Red Sox fan.
Fr. Allen told the gathering
that he learned some important
lessons from hearing athletes
speak, and that one of those
thoughts came from Bobby
Valentine.
Valentine spoke at a Shehan
Center breakfast a few years back
and said that when his
team was going through
a rough patch, he had to
learn to turn off the criticism.
“‘Don’t turn on the
radio,’ Bobby Valentine
said, and I think that’s
great advice,” said Fr.
Allen, who recommended that people read
Scripture to find answers
in their lives.
The Jesuit, who
serves as Special
Assistant to the President
of Fairfield University,
said he remembered
hearing Dodger great
Tommy John speaking at
a Rotary breakfast when
he took over as skipper of the
Bridgeport Blue Fish.
The great left-hander discussed
his anxiety and lack of sleep after
he sustained what he though
would be a career-ending injury.
When he went to his pastor for
advice, the pastor told him to let
doctors worry about what to do
during the day and to hand over
his problems to God at night.
“The results was a successful
surgery that would come to be
BATTING FOR VALENTINE – Fr. Charles Allen (above) speaking
to almost 200 men and women at the Celebrity Breakfast for Catholic
Charities in Norwalk, praised the work of the agency. The event, which
raised over $15,000 for Catholic Charities mental health and childcare
programs in the greater Norwalk area, was held at Shorehaven Golf
Club in Norwalk.
WAITER! – Msgr. William Scheyd, (left) pastor of St. Aloysius Parish
in New Canaan and vicar general of the diocese, was one of the “celebrity waiters” who donned an apron and served a delicious breakfast to
guests at the annual event.
(Photos by Jean Santopatre)
known as Tommy John Surgery,
and a few good years left in his
career,” said Fr. Allen. “The
story is a reminder that we should
put what we can’t change into
God’s hands and he’ll take care
of it for us.”
Noting that many sports figures are role models and that
fathers often encourage their
children to play sports, Fr. Allen
recalled that his own father had a
reverence for priests and always
encouraged him in his vocation.
(For more information on
Catholic Charities services in
Norwalk, call 203-750-9711 or email
[email protected].)
n
5
December 2011
Local News
Convent of the Sacred Heart looks to the future
GREENWICH – The
Convent of the Sacred Heart celebrated a historic moment with the
transfer to the school of the entire
110 acres on which the campus
is located. The purchase puts the
school in an extremely strong
position for the future.
To walk into Convent of the
Sacred Heart in Greenwich is to
be surrounded by 200-year-old
traditions at the all-girls’ school,
which traces its roots to France
and St. Madeleine Sophie Barat
(1779-1865), founder of the
Religious of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus (RSCJ).
The Convent of the Sacred
Heart is one of 22 schools in
U.S. Network of Sacred Heart
Schools, and the only one in
Connecticut. The schools are dedicated to St. Madeleine Sophie’s
goal to educate young women to
become leaders who would trans-
OPEN LAND SURROUNDED the Convent of the Sacred Heart when the
Society of the Sacred Heart first acquired the property. A recent photo highlights the historic mansion that serves as administrative center, classrooms, art
gallery, chapel and dining rooms. The school celebrates graduation and Prize
Days on the front lawn each June.
form society.
A woman of vision and courage, St. Madeleine Sophie was
born on the eve of the French
Revolution in Joigny, a village on
the banks of the Yvonne, where the
wine trade was good despite hard
times. Sophie’s father was a winecooper, building barrels in a workshop on the home’s ground floor.
It was here that Sophie first
heard the call to follow Jesus in
the religious life. At the age of 20,
she made her first vows in Paris,
and so the Society of the Sacred
Heart began. In her heart, she
had a two-fold desire – to lead a
life of prayer and to improve the
world through the education of
young women.
So much is written today
about educating the “whole
child.” Madeleine Sophie was
ahead of her times, addressing the
whole person. Her desire was to
give students the intellectual and
the moral strength to function in
a world devastated by the violence of the French Revolution.
Sophie moved to Paris after the
Reign of Terror to found a small
community of young girls that
would reestablish the primacy of
religion and the Church through
a devotion to the Sacred Heart in
the Blessed Sacrament.
The connection to those difficult times is reinforced when
juniors at Ring Day receive rings
with the school’s seal showing,
the pierced hearts of Jesus and
Mary. It is one of many connections the students have to St.
Madeleine Sophie. Others include
the five Goals and Criteria of a
Sacred Heart education. All in
the school community – administrators, faculty and staff, as
well as students – are required
to follow these principles. They
include educating to “a personal
and active faith in God, a deep
respect for intellectual values, a
social awareness which impels to
action, the building of commu➤ continued on page
SHARE (Sacred Heart Adult Religious Education) for the Diocese of Bridgeport
is a four-year certificate program created through a partnership between Sacred Heart
University and the Diocese of Bridgeport. This theology program for adults will help
Catholics understand their faith and empower them to put it into action. SHARE has a
no-test format. Students can take one or more classes, or complete the entire four-year
certificate program from SHU and the Diocese.
Four Disciplines:
Scripture, Church History, Theology and Pastoral Theology
Total classes to complete the certificate = 20
(15 of the required courses / 5 others as you wish from
the Core Curriculum and/or Elective courses)
Required Courses
1. Reading the Old Testament
2. The Psalms
3. Synoptic Gospels
4. Letters of Saint Paul
5. Church History: From Pentecost to the 21st Century!
6. American Church History
7. Church as a Sacrament
8. Sacraments of Initiation
9. Sacraments of Healing and Vocation
10. Catholic Social Teaching
11. The Nicene Creed
12. Mary, the Perfect Disciple
13. Christology
14. The Blessed Trinity
15. Liturgy of the Church
Elective Courses (but not limited to):
1. Year of Faith Coinciding in the 50th Anniversary
of the Second Vatican Council
2. Apologetics
3. Leadership Skills in Ministry
4. Acts of the Apostles
5. Biomedical Ethics
Winter – Spring 2012 SHARE
for the Diocese of Bridgeport courses
All the classes will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings,
7pm to 9pm at: Saint Philip Parish (Charleston Room in the
School Building) 25 France Street, Norwalk, CT 06851
Sacraments of Initiation: Gain a better understanding of the
Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist and how
to live these three sacraments in your daily life.
• 6-week course: Tuesdays, January 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, February 7
• Instructor: Msgr. Christopher Walsh, Ph.D.
• $210
Mary, the Perfect Disciple: Considers Mary as the Mother of
God and Mother of the Church as well as the model of discipleship.
• 4-week course: Wednesdays, January 18, 25, February 1, 8
• Instructor: Fr. Donald Guglielmi
• $140
Church History: From Pentecost to the 21st Century!: Come
and explore the lives and adventures of the spiritual and intellectual
heroes and heroines of the last 2,000 years! Learn the triumphs
and tragedies of the ongoing story of our beloved Christian faith.
Glory in the past! And celebrate the present and future to come
as you engage yourself in the mystery, drama, and pageantry
of Christian History!
• 8-week course: Tuesdays, February 28,
March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17
• Instructor: Joan Kelly, D.Min.
• $280
Church Law: You are invited to an overview of the oldest
continuously, operative legal system in the world, i.e., the Code
of Canon Law. The Code contains 1752 “canons” which treat who
is bound by its norms, how it should be understood and interpreted,
the basics of all fundamental ecclesiastical structures, plus norms
for all sacraments, for Church property and for penalties.
• 4-week course: Tuesdays, April 24, May 1, 8, 15
• Instructor: Sr. Elizabeth McDonough, OP
• $140
Reading the Old Testament: An introduction to the Catholic
approach to interpreting Sacred Scripture, including an overview
of Divino Affante Spiritu, Dei Verbum, and Interpretation of the
Bible in the Church by the Pontifical Biblical Commission. The
course also will introduce students to the Old Testament, with a
special focus on the Pentateuch.
• 6-week course: Wednesdays, April 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
• Instructor: Fr. Peter Lynch
• $210
Mass with Bishop Lori at 7pm on Tuesday, June 5 at the Chapel of
the Holy Spirit on the campus of Sacred Heart University. Social
to follow.
*Religious sisters in the diocese please email [email protected]
directly to register for courses, or call 203-416-1446.
Visit us on the web for more information
www.sacredheart.edu/share.cfm
6
6
December 2011
Vocations
Newly professed Sister: “This life is a gift”
By KAREN KOVACS
DYDZUHN
In the Gospel of Matthew, we
learn that all things are possible
with God. Moreover, He knows
the deep yearning of our soul
often times before we do.
Although Janet Lawrence,
who was raised in the Jewish
faith, enjoyed attending Mass
with her childhood friends in the
Brooklyn neighborhood where
she grew up, she never aspired to
becoming a nun. She did, however, recall having a “tingling feeling” when her eight-year-old eyes
gazed at Jesus on the Cross.
This summer Janet professed
her vows and became a Sister in
the Congregation of Notre Dame.
It was the culmination of six
years of discernment that began
shortly after Janet converted to
Catholicism in 2005.
Sr. Janet is currently living in
Scranton, PA, with two Sisters
from her order who work professionally in the community as a
family therapist and associate
professor at the University of
Scranton. Sr. Janet says that she
is spending time reflecting on her
own God-given ministry.
“I wake up and pray each day
that it will be revealed to me,”
she explains. “I felt God calling
me to live and be with the poor
here. I just keep trying to listen
to Jesus. I know I want to help
the underprivileged and do something with mothers and babies. I
know Jesus wouldn’t have sent
me here without a reason.”
Perhaps Sr. Janet’s faith is
unwavering because of the spiritual journey that took her from
a lucrative career as a neonatal
nurse at Greenwich Hospital
to entering the religious life.
Although she enjoyed her work
in the health care field, she says
that she always felt that there
was something more she could be
doing with her life.
She met Maryann Hnath, a St.
Mary Parish, Ridgefield, member
and fellow nurse, at Greenwich
Hospital. They became best
friends. When Janet decided that
she wanted to officially join the
Catholic Church, she sold her
house in Stamford and moved to
Ridgefield so that Maryann could
be her sponsor in the parish’s
RCIA program. “I definitely think
that God led me to this position
at Greenwich Hospital so I could
meet Maryann, and then He led
me to St. Mary’s Church where
I would meet the Sisters who
belonged to the Congregation of
Notre Dame,” she explains.
Coming home early one morn-
Attention “Snowbirds”!
Will you or your family members
be in Florida this winter?
Bishop William E. Lori
will attend receptions
in Naples on February 12
and in Stuart
on February 14.
Please e-mail
Pat Hansen:
[email protected]
to join the invitation list.
See you in the Sunshine State!
JOY FILLS THE FACE of Sr. Janet Lawrence, CND, (second from right)
after she pronounced her First Vows in the Congregation of Notre Dame in
July. Welcoming Sr. Janet into the order were (l-r) Sr. Anne Leonard, general
administration councilor; Sr. Darleen Mayo, novice director; and Sr. Patricia
McCarthy, provincial leader.
ing after working the hospital’s
night shift, the two friends attended St. Mary’s morning Mass.
When she heard the reading from
the New Testament, Janet felt
that the priest looked right at her
when he said, “I am calling you.”
When she asked Maryann if
God was asking her to become
a nun, Hnath was cautious.
“You’re on fire with the Holy
Spirit! You’ve just been baptized
– of course you’d feel this way!”
she advised her friend.
Janet was persistent, though.
She began to meet with the
Sisters who lived in the convent at St. Mary’s. Janet was
drawn to the spirituality of the
Congregation of Notre Dame,
which emphasizes missionary
work. “We’re not cloistered,”
she explains. “The idea is to be
Christ to people and come out
and work with people.” Although
many Sisters of the Congregation
of Notre Dame are teachers,
they also work as lawyers, social
workers and, like Sr. Janet’s two
new Sister-friends, university professors and therapists.
During a three-year discernment process, Janet continued
to work at Greenwich Hospital.
In 2009, she was accepted as a
candidate in the Congregation
of Notre Dame and moved to
the Bronx for formation. “I felt
more at home at the convent than
anywhere else, and I knew I was
called to this life,” she says.
A year later, in 2010, Janet
moved to Chicago as a novice.
She completed an intense first
year, filled with rigorous classroom studies, and then traveled
on missions in her second year to
a Native American reservation in
South Dakota and to Africa. “It
was a wonderful, amazing experience,” Sr. Janet says.
As she prays daily, Sr. Janet
trusts that God will reveal what
her next step will be. “This life is
a gift to me,” she says. “I’ve never
been so happy. To walk away
from what I had, but to get back
so much that I never thought was
possible – it still amazes me.” n
Convent of the Sacred Heart from page 5
nity as a Christian value, and personal growth in an atmosphere of
wise freedom.”
The vision of St. Madeleine
Sophie has come to fulfillment
worldwide. The Society of the
Sacred Heart has more than 2,600
women in over 500 communities
in 41 countries. They work in a
variety of settings from universities, schools and parishes to prisons and retreat centers. They are
teachers, administrators, lawyers,
nurses, doctors, artists, writers,
therapists, pastoral counselors,
spiritual directors, and social
workers.
The Society’s International
Conference for Heads of Schools
was held in October in Taiwan.
“May these days be a time of
searching together how best to
educate to the justice, peace and
care of creation which our planet
so needs, that this generation
of young people may be able
to live the fullness of life which
God desires,” said the Superior
General of the Society, Kathleen
Conan, RSCJ in her welcome.
Her words echo St. Madeleine
Sophie’s message to educators in
the 1800s.
The history of the Greenwich
school dates to 1848, when it
opened in Manhattan at the
request of Bishop John Hughes,
who had prevailed upon
Madeleine Sophie to open an
academy for girls. The school
opened with 60 students in a
rented house on Bleecker Street.
As the need for permanent and
larger quarters grew, the school
moved several times, and in 1942,
the Society purchased the current
campus at 1177 King St. from
the family of publishing magnate
Paul Block. The Society made
the investment for the dual purpose of developing a school and
securing an asset for the Society’s
future needs.
Today the Convent of the
Sacred Heart educates 770 students from preschool through
twelfth grade. As the founder
of an educational system intent
on changing the world, St.
Madeline Sophie would have
embraced CSH’s use of technology – iPads in the elementary grades, and net books and
laptops in grades six through
twelve, along with its rigorous academics, international
exchange program, community
service, and focus on preparing
young women to become leaders
in the 21st century.
The transfer of title from the
Society of the Sacred Heart to
the school itself begins a new
era, built on a stong mission at
the Convent of the Sacred Heart,
said Head of School Pamela Juan
Hayes during an allow us to
expand our footprint, advance our
programs, further our mission and
secure the future of the School in
perpetuity,” said Hayes. n
7
December 2011
Local News
Saint Charles has new pastor
BRIDGEPORT – Fr. Edicson
Orozco has been named pastor
of St. Charles Borromeo Parish
in Bridgeport by Bishop William
E. Lori.
His appointment as pastor
follows two years of service as
administrator of the parish located on the East Side of Bridgeport.
“Building on generations of
faith and priestly service, Fr.
Orozco has provided new leadership to this historic parish,” says
Bishop Lori. “His work has galvanized St. Charles and revitalized this proud parish, which has
so beautifully ministered to new
arrivals to our country.”
Founded in 1902 as a largely
Irish parish, St. Charles is one
of the more diverse parishes in
the diocese. Sunday Masses are
now said in English, Spanish,
Creole/Haitian, Portuguese
(Brazilian) and Laotian. The
parish also has a wide range of
services and outreach ministries
to the various ethnic communities it serves.
The church, completed in
1925, is one of the largest in
the diocese, seating over 1,400
people. It also reflects a high level
of craftsmanship and detail distin-
St. Pius begins
expansion
FAIRFIELD – “The entire St. Pius Community has looked
forward with enthusiasm to this wonderful day” said Fr.
Michael Dogali, pastor of St. Pius X Parish, at the ground breaking ceremony on November 21 for the new faith center.
Bishop William E. Lori presided over the ceremony and officially “broke ground” with a golden shovel. He is shown here
with St. Pius’
Deacon William
Koniers, parochial vicar Fr.
Shaun Cutler,
and Fr. Dogali.
The 14,000
square foot
expansion,
which will form
an L-shaped
addition on the
back of the present church, will
house a chapel
for weekday
Masses, office
space and a
multi-purpose
area for social
and educational
events. The
overall project
includes energysaving renovations to the church and a revamped landscape
design for the parking area. The planting of new grasses and
shrubs will create a “green space” out of what is presently a
large asphalt parking lot. The addition was designed by Doyle/
Coffin Architecture of Ridgefield.
“I am pleased to share with so many of our friends the joy,
spirit and sense of purpose that help this parish accomplish its
mission: the formation of modern-day disciples who love Jesus,
his Church and his people,” said Fr. Dogali.
(Photo by Erik Shanabrough)
guished by white Carrara marble
from Italy, stained glass windows
from Bavaria and a ceiling of
stained cypress accented with
bronze panels.
A native of Aguadas
Columbia, Fr. Orozco was
ordained by Cardinal Edward
Egan on May 29, 1999, at
St. Augustine Cathedral in
Bridgeport.
He was educated in Columbia
at Francisco Montoya and
Clemente Hofbauer schools
in Manizales before studying
Philosophy at Seminario Mayor.
While in Columbia, he also per-
P
formed pastoral work and served
in the Communications Office of
the Archdiocese of Manizales.
After coming to the U.S.,
he studied at St. John Fisher
Seminary in Stamford and assisted at St. Charles. He also served
a summer internship as a deacon
at St. Peter Parish in Bridgeport.
His first assignment following ordination in June 1999 was
as parochical vicar of St. Mary
Parish in Stamford. In January,
2004, Bishop Lori assigned him
to St. Peter Parish in Bridgeport.
He returned to St. Charles in
2005 and was named administra-
tor in March of 2009.
Located at 391 Ogden Street,
St. Charles offers a wide range
of programs and ministries. For
information call 203-333-2147, or
email [email protected]. n
erhaps the greatest joy in retiring is
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life to its fullest, including
24-hour medical and security
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meal plan. Day-to-day living is
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library, recreation hall, crafts
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We would like to help you
make the next years the finest
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A non-denominational facility owned by the Diocese of Bridgeport. Professionally managed by Winn Residential.
8
December 2011
World and National News
NY “Choose Life” license
plates vindicated
ALBANY, NY – A Federal
Court has ordered the State of
New York to allow pro-adoption
license plates as part of decision in seven-year-old Alliance
Defense Fund (ADF) lawsuit. On
November 9, the court ruled that
the state of New York violated
the First Amendment when it
rejected a pro-adoption group’s
application to sponsor a “Choose
Life” specialty license plate as
part of a state program.
“Pro-adoption organizations
have the right to a specialty license
plate on the same terms as any
other organization, and the court’s
decision affirms that,” said ADF
Senior Legal Counsel Jeff Shafer.
“It is undisputed that CFF
complied with the requirements for
entry into the program,” the court
wrote. “As this court has found, the
sole basis for Defendants’ denial of
CFF’s license plate application was
viewpoint discrimination.”
USCCB files request
over grant denial
WASHINGTON, DC – The
United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has
filed a Freedom of Information
Act request to discover why the
Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) declined to renew
a grant to aid victims of human
trafficking. According to a report
published in the Washington
Post, the leadership of the US
Department of Health and Human
Services, in declining to renew the
grant to the USCCB’s Migration
and Refugee Services, overruled
its own staff members.
“I have been informed that six
organizations applied for antitrafficking grants from HHS’s
Office for Refugee Resettlement
(ORR),” said Sr. Mary Ann
Walsh, the USCCB’s director of
media relations. “Four scored so
low they did not make the cutoff
when evaluated by an independent review board.” In their decision, the government awarded the
grants to Heartland Human Care
Services, which received high
evaluation, and two groups that
hadn’t made the grade according
to the review board.
ORR openly said that it
Texas Priest Hosts
National Parks Tour
Kings Canyon – Sequoia – Yosemite
Arches – Canyonlands – Bryce Canyon
Zion – Capitol Reef – Grand Canyon
14 Days Departs June 22, 2012 from $1249*
Take time for reflection of God’s remarkable creation!
Take a relaxing trip on your luxurious coach as you travel with other Catholics through
the changing desert landscapes of Nevada to the farmlands of central California.
Witness the giant Redwood trees in Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks,
then be amazed at the rock formations and waterfalls in Yosemite National Park.
You’ll also visit majestic Lake Tahoe with 72 miles of pristine shoreline and stop in
historic Virginia City, Reno, Winnemucca and Elko, Nevada. In Utah tour the world’s
largest man-made excavation – the Kennecott Copper Mine; 2, 2/3 miles wide plus
the Great Salt Lake! Next tour the unique rocks shaped by wind, water, sun and frost
at Arches’ National Park; and Canyonlands, with enchanting vistas carved by the
Colorado and Green Rivers. Next your Catholic group will visit Capitol Reef and Bryce
Canyon National Parks and drive through the Dixie National Forest. On Monday,
July 2, you’ll arrive at the grandest of all National Parks, The Grand Canyon, for both
a day and night. Enjoy the sunset that evening and sunrise the following morning!
Spend the fourth of July in exciting Las Vegas with an included day excursion to Zion
National Park. That evening enjoy all the hoopla and excitement Las Vegas is famous
for on Independence Day including free fireworks shows. Your Chaplain is Father Frank
Wittouck, SCJ, from Houston, Texas. He retired as an Army Chaplain in 2010 yet currently
ministers in the Cypress Assistance Ministries. His recent YMT pilgrimage was to the
Holy Land. *Per person, double occupancy, plus $149 tax, service and gov’t fees. Add
$650 for single room supplement. Airfare is extra.
US Anglican ordinariate
established
WASHINGTON, DC – Pope
Benedict XVI will establish
an ordinariate for American
Anglicans who wish to enter
into full communion with the
Catholic Church on January 1,
2012. Two Anglican communities – one in Texas, the other in
Maryland – have entered into
full communion in recent months
and are expected to become
part of the ordinariate. Donald
Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of
Washington, also announced that
67 Anglican clergy in the U.S. are
seeking ordination as Catholic
priests. To date, the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith has
granted initial approval to 35 of
these applications.
would favor proposals from
agencies that would refer clients
to contraceptives, abortion and
sterilization. It had not publically
admitted that it would exclude
applicants on this basis.
“HHS’s manipulation was not
harmless,” said Sr. Mary Ann.
In giving the awards to unready
agencies, “450 enrolled victims of
trafficking and their families were
left without services.”
Study finds 19% of ‘vegetative’ patients are aware
LIÉGE, Belgium – A study
has found that 19% of patients in
a “vegetative state” can consistently demonstrate awareness.
The researchers asked 16
patients in the United Kingdom
and Belgium to imagine that their
hands or toes were moving. A
portable electroencephalogram
(EEG) device consistently measured responses that indicated
awareness of the questions in
three of the patients. Each patient
had been officially diagnosed
using relevant criteria as being
in a vegetative state (defined as a
clinical condition in which there
is complete absence of awareness
of the self and the environment).
The researchers conclude:
“The development of techniques
for the real-time classification of
these forms of mental imagery
will enable routine two-way communication with some of these
patients, allowing them to share
information about their inner
worlds, experiences, and needs.”
Pope illuminated world’s largest “Christmas tree” – by iPad
VATICAN – Pope Benedict
XVI used an iPad to turn on
the lights of the world’s largest
“Christmas tree.” (Above)
Residents of Gubbio, Italy,
arranged a series of lights on
the hill overlooking their town,
forming the shape of a Christmas
tree over 2,000 feet high. Town
officials took part in a video conference on December 7 at which
the Pope – from his residence in
the apostolic palace – touched a
button on an iPad to turn on the
lights and illuminate the hill.
US Forest Service to decide
fate of ‘”Big Mountain Jesus”
WHITEFISH, Montana – In
early 2012, the United States Forest
Service will decide the fate of “Big
Mountain Jesus,” a statue erected
by the Knights of Columbus over
50 years ago in honor of soldiers
killed in World War II.
Following complaints from an
atheist organization, the Forest
Service in August declined to
renew the Knights’ special-use permit for the statue on federal land.
Local opposition has led the Forest
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9
December 2011
World and National News
Service to reconsider its decision.
“Would we take the crosses
and Stars of David out of
Arlington Cemetery?” said
Denny Rehberg, a Montana congressman and Episcopalian. “I
don’t think so.”
Number of U.S. seminarians
on the rise
WASHINGTON, DC – The
number of seminarians in the
United States has risen to 3,608
– the highest number since the
early 1990s – with some seminaries experiencing their highest
enrollment in decades.
In Minnesota, the archdiocesan seminary in St. Paul has its
largest enrollment since 1980,
while enrollment at the Pontifical
College Josephinum in Ohio
is the largest since the 1970s.
Theological College at Catholic
University in Washington is at its
maximum enrollment.
“I’m tremendously impressed
with the quality of the candidates,
their zeal,” said Father Phillip
Brown, who was appointed rector
of Theological College in March.
“We’re seeing a real renewal of
the priesthood.”
Under Blessed Pope John
Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI,
the Church worldwide has been
blessed with a priestly vocation
boom. The number of major
seminarians surged from 63,882
in 1978 to 117,978 in 2009, an
increase of nearly 85%, outstripping world population growth
(58%) and Catholic population
growth (56%) during the same
time period.
German city drops seatbelt
charge against Pope Benedict
FREIBURG, Germany – The
city of Freiburg has dismissed a
complaint against Pope Benedict
XVI for failing to wear a seatbelt
while riding in the Popemobile
during his September visit there.
“There will be no fine for
the pope,” city spokeswoman
Edith Lamersdorf, told the daily
Badische Zeitung.
Although there is a requirement in Germany to wear
seatbelts, even in slow-moving
vehicles, city officials ruled that
the law didn’t apply in the pope’s
case because the street on which
he was spotted without a seatbelt
had been closed for public traffic the day of his visit. Freiburg
was Benedict’s last stop during
his September visit to his native
Germany.
If found guilty, the pope could
have faced fines of between 30
and 2,500 euros ($40 to $3,340).
Vatican officials were amused,
rather than concerned, by the
complaint. “It continues to
provoke curiosity and smiles of
amusements, beginning with the
Pope himself,” reported Father
Federico Lombardi, the director
of the Vatican press office.
Pope’s apostolic exhortation
in Africa
OUIDAH, Benin – “Be
the salt of the African earth,”
Pope Benedict XVI challenged
Catholics as he formally released
his apostolic exhortation, Africae
Munus, summarizing the key
insights of the Second African
Synod.
Pope Benedict signed the apostolic exhortation on November 19
at the basilica of the Immaculate
Conception in Ouidah, Benin,
during a 2-day trip to the African
nation. He had chosed Benin
as his destination because that
country is celebrating the 150th
anniversary of its evangelization.
The faith first spread from there
to surrounding nations and the
Immaculate Conception basilica
is the first cathedral in the region
of West Africa. The continent is
home to the fastest growing number of Catholics.
On the feast of Christ the
King, the Pope formally released
the document at an outdoor Mass
in Cotonou, the nation’s capital,
which he concelebrated with
more than 200 African bishops.
He said that the key priority for
the Church in Africa must remain
“the proclamation of the Good
News of Jesus.” This evangelizing effort, he continued, “is not
just a message or a word. It is
above all an openness and adhesion to a person: Jesus Christ the
Incarnate Word.”
Pope Benedict noted that
evangelization “cannot be separated from the work of human
promotion.” Thus the Synod had
built on the work of the first by
concentrating on “reconciliation,
justice, and peace.” The theme
of reconciliation is particularly
crucial in Africa because of the
continent’s troubled past and its
continuing conflicts today, the
Pope observes. “Africa’s memory
is painfully scarred as a result
of fratricidal conflicts between
ethnic groups, the slave trade
and colonization. Today, too,
the continent has to cope with
rivalries and with new forms of
enslavement and colonization.”
POPE BENEDICT XVI GREETS faithful during a meeting in the courtyard of St. Gall Seminary of Ouidah in Benin,
Africa. (AP Photo/Osservatore Romano, HO)
Navy rescinds ban on Bibles
for Walter Reed patients
WASHINGTON, DC –
Under heavy pressure from
Congressional and religious leaders, the U.S. Navy has rescinded
a policy that forbade visitors from
giving Bibles or religious articles
to wounded troops at the nation’s
leading military hospital.
In a memo regarding visits to
patients at Walter Reed hospital, chief of staff C.W. Callahan
wrote: “No religious items (i.e.
Bibles, reading material, and/or
artifacts) are allowed to be given
away or used during a visit.” The
memo, as written, would have
made it impossible for relatives
or chaplains to give wounded
troops Bibles, Rosaries, or other
religious items.
When Callahan’s memo was
made public, religious leaders
reacted with horror. An angry
Congressman Steve King of
Iowa said: “The President of the
United States should address this
and should excoriate the people
who brought about this policy
and the individual who brought it
about should be dismissed from
the United States military.”
Spokesmen for the Navy
quickly announced that the policy
had been rescinded. The intent of
the memo, they claimed, was not
to prevent military patients from
receiving desired religious items,
but to deter pamphleteers from
leaving unwanted material with
patients. n
OneFamily
Family In
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A missionary first told him.
Be an ‘angel’ like Sister Margaret…
When Ame
Voilongiswas
Sister Margaret
Mweshi
an about
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“angel” to some 40 children in
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— revealing
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Sister Margaret runs a home
told him the “Good News.”
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as they continue to bring
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will you
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Will you support the work and witness of local Sisters
through the Society for the Propagation of the Faith?
TheSociety
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Enclosed
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of $_________
238 Jewett Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut 06606
Enclosed is my gift for the Missions of $_______
Name
_______________________________________________
Name ___________________________________________
Address
______________________________________
Address__________________________________________
City___________________________State________Zip_______
City ____________________ State________Zip ________
www.onefamilyinmission.org www.givetothemission.org
www.givetothemissions.org www.onefamilyinmission.org
10
December 2011
Local News
Faith perspective at SHU
By ALISON EVERS
Recent research by
the MMD (Mass Media
Distribution) newswire on author Tor
Constantino’s book,
“A Question of Faith,”
reported that “one-in-four
Millennials (those born
between 1980 and into
the 90s) generally don’t
care about religion and
are unaffiliated with any
faith tradition.”
Yet Catholic colleges like
Sacred Heart University are thriving, even if many of those same
millennials don’t attend Mass during their college years. Whether
the students are attending Mass
at Sacred Heart’s new Chapel of
the Holy Spirit, attending Mass off
campus or withdrawing from religious practices all together, many
are interested in seeking a spiritual
path in their lives.
Fr. Jerry Ryle, SHU chap-
lain and the director of Campus
Ministry at Sacred Heart, continues to be reassured by the
regular attendees at Mass, as well
as the increase in the number of
students who have come to Mass
this year as compared to previous years. Fr. Ryle believes that
being involved in a faith community expands the student’s awareness and deepens their college
experience.
“Those who attend church
have a more rounded and indepth experience of what SHU
has to offer in the culture of our
Catholic faith,” says Fr. Ryle.
He is especially glad when he
sees those who did not grow
up in a parish or experience the
Catholic education tradition
suddenly discover a passion in
their newfound faith and Church
attendance.
“It fills my cup,” said Fr. Ryle.
“It’s a great delight when those
not raised in the Catholic Church
attend Mass.”
Many students note that they
enjoy Mass at Sacred Heart and
the campus ministry because of
its focus on the needs and culture of the students. Amy Rose
Mantaruli, 21, of Yonkers, NY, a
Senior at Sacred Heart University
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she “loves how the students
take part in Campus Ministry
and actively live out their faith
– whether they are taking part
in weekly Mass or living out the
corporal works of mercy in the
Bridgeport Community.”
What Sacred Heart presents
to students is a safe environment where faith is affirmed and
encouraged.
Students see
evidence of that
across the campus. Sacred Heart
is very much a
Catholic university, and they are
always invited
to deepen their
faith and awareness, and share
in the gift of the
Eucharist.
It is clear that
many students
are not attending
Church because
they were not
brought up with
a Catholic background, while
others may simply be rebelling
from after growing up entirely in
Catholic institutions.
Still others, like Kelley Bligh,
21, of Oakdale, NY, a senior english and communications major,
are drifting away from Mass
after wrestling with some of the
Church’s teachings.
“At some point as I matured,
I didn’t feel like I fit there anymore, but I want to pray.”
When speaking to students
like Bligh who are upset with
Catholic teaching, Fr. Ryle tries
to better explain Catholic teaching, based on the compassion of
the Church for all those in need.
With regard to those who
aren’t or have never been regular
church-goers, Fr. Ryle still sees
hope and opportunity for them
to begin a life of prayer and
worship. He says their decision
to attend Sacred Heart is often
inspired by the fact that they
believe in God, even if they don’t
attend Church, and that’s a good
starting point.
“I have asked students – not
only those who go to Mass but
everyone – ‘Do you pray?’ ‘Well
yeah,’ they say, ‘I don’t say the
prayers but I talk to God.’ That’s
a mature step of faith. That
encourages me.”
Bligh agrees. She
says prayer and her
Catholic background are
important to her even as
she struggles with some
issues.
“Even though I don’t
feel the same connection to the Church as an
FATHER JERRY RYLE
(above) and senior Amy
Rose
Mantaruli
(l)
of
Yonkers, NY, in the Chapel
of the Holy Spirit at Sacred
Heart University in Fairfield.
(Photo by Alison Evers)
institution or the Sunday Mass,
I do believe in the basics of the
Catholic faith. When I do prayer,
it’s mostly asking for inner
strength, praying for others, or
giving thanks.”
Brandon Boeswald, 24, of
Barrie, Ontario, Canada a graduate assistant at Sacred Heart
University, is also content with
his spirituality though he does
not presently find answers in
weekly Mass attendance.
Although Fr. Ryle always
encourages students like
Bligh and Boeswald to attend
weekly Mass, he strongly
encourages them to do so
with their own intentions in
mind. “A student who comes
to Mass only because of their
family tradition is getting as
much out of it as those who don’t
come at all.”
After speaking with Bligh and
Boeswald and other students at
the university, it’s apparent that
many could and will become
more involved in their faith later
on in life, especially when these
students are closer to marriage.
Until then, Fr. Ryle will continue
to keep his door open for those
who wish to deepen their faith.
(Alison Evers is a Senior at Sacred
Heart University in Fairfield)
n
11
December 2011
Society
$1.1 million raised at Inner-City
Foundation Dinner
Photos by Cynthia Stone
LEADERSHIP COUPLES
– (Above) George and
Ann Bodenheimer
joined husband and
wife duo ESPN anchor
Hannah Storm, and NBC
sports broadcaster Dan
Hicks to provide leadership for the Inner-City
Foundation Dinner. Mr.
Bodenheimer, co-chairman of Disney Media
Networks and president
of ESPN and ABC Sports,
served as chair of the
Corporate Committee,
while Hannah & Dan
were Benefit Committee
chairs.
TIM RUSSERT AWARD WINNER – Joan and Phil Broadhurst of Old
Saybrook were congratulated by Bishop Lori during the evening. Mr.
Broadhurst, who recently retired from Kolbe-Cathedral High School, was
the 2011 “Tim Russert Making A Difference Award” winner.
CO-CHARIS – Paul and Patricia Kuehner of
Ridgefield served as co-chairs for the evening.
CATCHING UP – Pat and Bill Phelan of New Canaan
catch up with Terri Ameen of Jupiter, FL.
FEATURED SPEAKER – “NBC
Nightly News” Anchor Brian
Williams served as the featured
speaker.
HAVING A GOOD TIME – Peter and Kathy
Gogolak of Darien were among the 500 guests
who turned out for the Black Tie evening.
12
December 2011
Health News
St. Vincent’s ranked in top 10% for Heart Care
BRIDGEPORT – A report
released by HealthGrades, the
nation’s most trusted independent source of physician
information and hospital quality ratings, named St. Vincent’s
Medical Center a recipient
of the Coronary Intervention
Excellence Award in 2012. The
HealthGrades report found that
patients treated at 5-star rated
hospitals experience a 73% lower
risk of mortality and a 63% lower
risk of complications compared to
1-star rated hospitals.
“This third party endorsement validates the patient care
provided by our excellent cardiologists, nurses, other clinical
staff and support team,” says
Lawrence Schek, vice president
and chairman of cardiology. “St.
Vincent’s has a long history of
excellent cardiac care outcomes.
We have invested in new technology and expanded and renovated
our interventional cardiology
area so we can provide the safest
and highest quality care to our
patients.”
“Patients today have a wide
array of options when it comes to
choosing a healthcare provider,”
says Kerry Hicks, HealthGrades
chief executive officer. “At
HealthGrades, we are proud to
have led the way for empowering
patient choice based on objective
clinical outcomes and access to
actionable quality measures. We
commend St. Vincent’s Medical
Center for its superior quality
and support of consumerism and
transparency.”
St. Vincent’s Medical Center is
also a recipient of the following: HealthGrades Coronary
Intervention Excellence Award in 2012
Five-Star Rated for Coronary
Interventional Procedures in 2012
Five-Star Rated for Treatment of
Heart Attack for 10 Years in a Row
(2003-2012)
It was ranked Among the Top
10% in the Nation for Coronary
Interventional Procedures in 2012
Key findings of the
HealthGrades 2011 Healthcare
Consumerism and Hospital
Quality in America report include
the following observations:
Patients, on average, were
63% less likely to experience
in-hospital complications in a
five-star hospital than patients at
1-star programs, and had a 43%
lower chance of developing an
in-hospital complication than the
national average.
If all Medicare patients from
2008 through 2010 had gone to
5-star hospitals for their procedure, 164,472 inhospital complications could have potentially
been avoided.
n
do we pray in continuity with
those who went before us in faith
but indeed, in the Eucharist we
are joined to the saints, most especially the Virgin Mary. Standing
at the foot of the Cross, she shared
more intimately than anyone else
in the sacrifice of her Son. Her
song of praise, the Magnificat,
remains a model of the praise and
thanks that should well up in our
hearts and in our assemblies as we
encounter a love like no other, the
love of Christ for us!
Thus, in the Second Eucharistic
Prayer, the priest prays:
Have mercy on us all, we pray,
that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
with the blessed Apostles
and all the Saints
who have pleased you throughout the ages,
we may merit to be co-heirs
of eternal life,
and may praise and glorify you
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
The Eucharistic Prayer concludes with the Doxology in which
“all glory and honor” is offered to
the Trinity. This acclamation of
praise is at the same time a profession of faith in Christ. For it is
“through Him, with Him, and in
Him” and “in the unity of the Holy
Spirit” that we worship the Father
“in spirit and truth” (John 4:22).
As the priest prays the
Doxology, he, together with the
deacon, elevates the host and
chalice once more. We see no longer bread and wine but the Lord
Jesus in whom we have communion with the Father through
the Holy Spirit. And with joy and
thanksgiving we say, “Amen!”
Throughout the Mass, we often
sing or say the word “Amen”
but this is known as “the Great
Amen,” the summit of our expression of belief in and consent to all
that has taken place thus far.
Next month we will continue
our study of the Mass by looking
at the Communion Rite. In the
meantime, I wish you, your families, and your loved ones a most
joyful Christmas. May the highlight of your Christmas indeed be
the Eucharistic Sacrifice in which
the Lord continues to dwell in
our midst.
n
Soundings from page 2
powerful than death, we ask that
the souls of those who have departed from this world gain admittance
into the liturgy of heaven. Praying
for the dead, as we do at every
Mass, we continue a practice that
goes back to the beginning of the
Church. We are also reminded
not to take for granted that the
deceased are in heaven and thus
no longer need our prayers:
Remember also our brothers and sisters
who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection,
and all who have died in your mercy:
welcome them into the light
of your face.
Notice also that in praying
for the living and the dead, the
Church asks for the prayers the
Blessed Virgin Mary and the
saints. This is most prominent
in the Roman Canon or First
Eucharistic Prayer, in which we
invoke the Apostles, early popes,
bishops, and men and women
martyrs, some 31 saints in all.
This reminds us that our prayer
spans time and eternity. Not only
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13
December 2011
Review
Popular columnist publishes book
By PAT HENNESSY
To see why Dee
Maggori’s “In the Spirit”
columns had such a
devoted following in
Fairfield County Catholic,
just take a sample of
her opening sentences:
“Some mornings it just
doesn’t pay to get up!”
“It was really raining
that morning in Tokyo.”
“Do you pray?”
You’re drawn in, immediately
part of her world, ready to be
entertained, inspired, or instructed – often in some offbeat way.
(Did you know that St. Patrick
wasn’t born in Ireland? Or that
his given name wasn’t Patrick? It
was probably –
hold your breath
– Merwin!)
Maggiori has
now published a
collection of her
“In the Spirit”
columns, 68 of
her favorites
from the almost
200 she wrote for
Fairfield County
Catholic over the
past 15 years.
The “woman
behind the telephone” (her
iconic photo
from her days
as an editor) has a background
as interesting and varied as the
columns she later wrote. The
Bridgeport native had been the
owner of an advertising agency
and a freelance writer, with
articles appearing regularly in The
New York Times and the Bridgeport
Post (now Connecticut Post). Before
joining Msgr. Nicholas Grieco
to begin this newspaper, she
had been the Fairfield County
reporter for the Archdiocese of
Hartford’s The Catholic Transcript.
Over the years she has interviewed such luminaries as writers William F. Buckley, Jr., and
Maya Angelou; TV personality
Andy Rooney; dancer Ginger
Rogers; Emmy-award winning
TV journalist Cokie Roberts;
and Soviet Premier Mikhail
Gorbachev and his wife Raisa.
In addition to her journalism career, Maggiori worked for
the Diocese of Bridgeport under
Bishop Walter W. Curtis, first as
commissioner on aging for the
diocese and later taking charge
of the Manpower Training and
Development program. Msgr.
(then Father) Nicholas Grieco
worked across the hall from her.
When he was tapped to be the
first director of communications
for the diocese, Maggiori was the
first person he thought of.
“I know you’re a journalist,”
he said, sharing his plans for a
diocesan newspaper. “If you can
do the writing, I’ll lay it out.”
The first issue of Fairfield
County Catholic came out January
15, 1984. In addition to Maggiori
and Msgr. Grieco, the newspaper
counted on the services of Allan
Fisher as marketing manager and
Debbie Skerencak as secretary.
The mission of
the paper was
to inform and
inspire, with
an emphasis
on local events
and activities.
“We wanted
all people to
have a personal
interest in the
Church through
the diocesan
newspaper,”
Maggiori recalls.
As the success of the paper
grew, Maggiori
found herself
writing as many as 30 articles
a month. To add interest and
variety, she wrote under three
pen names: Maureen McGrath,
Kern Stevens, and Ellen Flynn.
“Everybody thought Kern
Stevens was a man,” she recalls
with a laugh. “Sometimes, if they
asked for him, I’d pitch my voice
low and take the call!”
Maggiori has worked under
all four of the newspaper’s
editors: Msgr. Grieco, Msgr.
Chris Walsh, Dr. Joseph
McAleer and the current editor,
Brian D. Wallace.
“Dee was there from the start,”
says Wallace. “She was an exceptional interviewer, writer and editor who gave shape to more than
IN THE BEGINNING: the
Communications Office for the
Diocese of Bridgeport opened under
Msgr. Nicholas Grieco, shown here
with the staff of the fledgling Fairfield
County Catholic: (l-r) Dee Maggiori,
Allan Fisher, and Debbie Skerencak.
Maggiori’s iconic photo (above) heralded her column for 15 years.
three decades of diocesan communications. A committed Catholic
journalist and consummate professional, Dee did groundbreaking
work in the diocese.”
Although she retired from her
full-time position as assistant editor in 1997, Maggiori continued
to work for the paper as a feature
writer and – most prominently
– as columnist. She was stunned
when she received the column
assignment. “I’d never written
a column in my life!” she says.
“I’m a journalist.”
Nevertheless, after the news-
paper itself, her “In the Spirit”
columns are Maggiori’s greatest
legacy. Reflecting her personality,
the columns were written in an
upbeat, non-preachy style, peppered with sharp wit and more
than a touch of Irish humor.
“I’d just write about what I’d
see and do during the days,” she
says. “It’s a strange job, but it
was a lot of fun.”
“Readers of Fairfield County
Catholic from near and far have
looked forward with eager anticipation to her columns, which leave
them smiling and thinking,” says
Bishop William E. Lori, who wrote
the book’s Forward. “Her wit,
humor and insight into the spiritual
life have been a blessing to us all.”
Maggiori’s final column in this
collection “Teach Me, Lord” concludes with this wish:
“Bless my words as they tumble
from my mouth. Let them inspire others and reflect the joy I feel in knowing and loving you. Let my actions
portray that joy and give it gladly
and freely to others.”
For Dee Maggiori, that blessing has been abundantly fulfilled.
(In the Spirit: Living a Christian
Life can be purchased at Angels &
Company, 115 Main St., Monroe,
or ordered from deemaggiori@gmail.
com or from AuthorHouse: www.
authorhouse.com.)
n
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14
Local
News
EDITORIAL
December 2011
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Christmas Views
Radiance
Christmas: another man is homeless, another woman is homeless.
Middle class, college educated, not an addict. Homeless. It happens more
often than you would expect.
Thanks to places like Merton Center in Bridgeport and New Covenant
House in Stamford, they will be treated to Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and also find services to help them keep their lives together.
As the economy worsens, budgets tighten and holes grow in the nation’s
safety net. More and more the churches – the Church in its largest sense, as
the Body of Christ – are filling in the gap. Parishes are sending carloads of
food to the soup kitchens. Kids in religious education programs are collecting toys for needy youngsters. Social concerns groups are gathering warm
winter coats, mittens and scarves. Volunteers across the diocese will donate
their own Christmas Day to feed, and cheer, the poor and homeless.
Why? Because when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords came to
earth, he was born homeless. He spent his childhood as a refugee in an
alien country, dependent on the kindness of strangers. When he comes
again in glory to judge the living and the dead, he will say to them
“whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me.”
The radiance of God’s love streams from the cradle of Bethlehem with a
brilliance that eclipses the tallest Christmas tree and the brightest Christmas
Village. John’s Gospel tells of the coming of Christ: “the light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness can not overcome it.” There is no darkness,
hurt, loss or sorrow that the light of Christ cannot warm and heal.
At Mass on Christmas, pay special attention to the last verse of “Silent
Night” as it sums up the promise of Christ:
Silent night, holy night; Son of God, love’s pure light,
Radiant, beams from Thy holy face; With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth; Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Generosity
This Christmas we have much to celebrate, particularly the incredible
giving that goes on in the diocese throughout the year.
First we are grateful for the dedicated leadership of Bishop Lori, who
has been not only a true shepherd of our own diocese, but whose leadership as chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty has been
a gift to Catholics across the U.S.
Likewise, we are always be grateful for our pastors, priests, deacons,
and religious who are so present to us throughout the year. They share
in our joys and sorrows, preach the Gospel, and bring the sacraments,
which open us to a joy and wholeness we can find nowhere else.
Gifts also bound in the work of the laity. Could there be a more generous and charitable laity than in the Diocese of Bridgeport! Everyday,
Catholic men and women are on the front lines, working in soup kitchens,
visiting the sick, seeking out the homeless, helping out in parishes, teaching
in schools, and reaching out in every conceivable way.
We are inspired by the generous donors who support their parishes and
the Bishop’s Appeal; those who have very little to give, but give anyway;
and by those who have much to give and don’t hesitate to do so.
Perhaps gifts are appreciated most by those who have the least; one gift
alone can redeem a life, warm a heart, bring true joy – and at Christmas
we are all in need of grace and the light of faith – the true gift of the season.
Heart
What do you want for Christmas? We know what the answer is on the
cards we send: “Peace on earth, goodwill to men.” But Christmas is more
likely to bring an expensive watch under the tree, a raft of toys or the latest model computer. We seem to assimilate the holiday on two tracks; the
Christmas that gets hijacked by a cultural spending spree and the feast day
that celebrates the birth of Christ. So we ask each other, ‘What do you
want for Christmas?’ the question suggesting something to be purchased
as well as a wish to be fulfilled. The gospels tell us to be prepared to lose
everything, to give what we have to the poor, to empty ourselves, to
want nothing – an anomalous mandate in a materialistic culture, but our
Christmas dreams seem to hold both: a warm place around the hearth
and a warm place in our hearts for others. Merry Christmas!
n
CLERGYAPPOINTMENTS
The Most Reverend William E. Lori, S.T.D.
Bishop of Bridgeport,
has made the following clergy appointments
in the Diocese of Bridgeport:
Parochial Vicar
REV. CYRUS BARTOLOME, Parochial Vicar of Saint Mary Parish,
Bethel, to Parochial Vicar of Saint Luke Parish, Westport. Effective date
was December 2.
REV. JEFFREY W. COUTURE, Parochial Vicar of Saint Edward the
Confessor Parish, New Fairfield, to Parochial Vicar of Saint Mary Parish,
Bethel. Effective date was December 2.
REV. SHAWN CUTLER, Parochial Vicar of Saint Michael the
Archangel Parish, Greenwich, to Parochial Vicar of Saint Pius X Parish,
Fairfield. Effective date was November 15.
REV. JHON GOMEZ, Parochial Vicar of Saint Augustine Cathedral
Parish, Bridgeport, to Parochial Vicar of Saint Mary Parish, Greenwich.
Effective date was November 1.
REV. SAMUEL KACHUBA, Parochial Vicar of Saint Pius X Parish,
Fairfield, to Parochial Vicar of Saint Michael the Archangel Parish,
Greenwich. Father Kachuba will also be Assistant Vocation Director.
Effective date was November 15.
Deacon
DEACON ANTHONY CONTI, Leave of Absence, to Deacon of Blessed
Sacrament Parish, Bridgeport. Effective date was November 26.
Rev. Msgr. Kevin Royal
Episcopal Vicar for Clergy
December, 2011
Most Rev. William E. Lori
Publisher
Brian D. Wallace
Executive Editor [email protected]
Office of
Communications
Diocese of Bridgeport
238 Jewett Avenue
Bridgeport, Connecticut 06606-2892
telephone | 203.416.1461
fax | 203.374.2044
e-mail | [email protected]
web | www.bridgeportdiocese.com
USPS no.: 12-117. Periodical
postage paid at Bridgeport, CT 06601,
and additional mailing offices.
Pat Hennessy
Managing Editor [email protected]
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Art Director [email protected]
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Graphic Designer [email protected]
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Office Manager/Admin [email protected]
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Advertising Manager [email protected]
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Copy Editor*
* Consultants
The Natural Law
The Natural Law that’s writ within
Is a gift from God to warn of sin.
Some proud elites choose
not to note it,
Preferring to mock the God
who wrote it.
Progressives all, they scoff, guffaw
At the very idea of a Natural Law.
“Really, dear friends,
it’s such a bore.
“We have Reason and need
no more.”
“If you should choose to disagree,
You’re simply fools, it’s plain
to see.
You believe so you’ll become
a saint?
That’s infantile, but, oh, so quaint.”
The toll on the highway of disbelief
May be as high as eternal grief.
But the thorny path, though filled
with strife,
Will lead to the joy of eternal life.
Gene Fairfield,
Merton House Volunteer
Circulation
Every registered Catholic household
in Fairfield County is entitled
to a subscription.
To add or change an address,
call 203-416-1461,
or e-mail: [email protected]
Annual Subscription Price
$20 (within diocese)
$50 (outside diocese)
Postmaster
send address changes to:
Fairfield County Catholic,
238 Jewett Avenue,
Bridgeport, CT 06606-2892
© Copyright 2011, Diocese of Bridgeport
15
December 2011
Editorial
The Christmas Message in a Timeless Tale
A Woman’s View
By Antoinette Bosco
Antoinette Bosco is a member
of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys
Parish in Brookfield.
E
very Christmas season
I have renewed again
my acquaintance with
Scrooge, Marley’s
ghost and the Cratchits, loving
the encounter and feeling warm
– like you do when you visit
old friends. Of course, the real
“old friend” I think of is Charles
Dickens, the man who brought
these people together to send us
an important message.
I was very well “introduced”
to Mr. Dickens when I was a
young teenager. I was always
at a used book store where the
fine gentleman owner would
let me sit and read any book I
chose, knowing I had no money
to buy the books. One day he
had a book that really caught
my eye, “Charles Dickens, the
Last of the Great Men,” by
G. K. Chesterton. I knew who
Chesterton was – a writer who
died around the time I was born,
but one who had converted to
the Catholic faith. The bookstore
owner held Chesterton’s book
for me until I earned enough to
buy it.
Of course, I had already
read Dickens’s A Christmas
Carol when I was quite young.
But now I had this new book.
Happy me. One sentence I
underlined I have often reread:
“Whether the Christmas visions
would or would not convert
Scrooge, they convert us,”
wrote the great man Chesterton.
So early on, it was no mystery
to me why generations of people
have loved and continue to love
A Christmas Carol, for basically the
story is a reminder that people
can have a second chance, that
they can change for the better,
that evil can be transformed into
benevolence – witness Scrooge –
and that love can be the avenue
of new hope for renewed life –
witness Tiny Tim.
I have often admired the
wisdom Dickens had in creating his tale. He dealt with the
two ultimate themes – death and
life – and with a human failing.
That failing is, of course, greed
and the love of money which so
easily carry one to the extreme of
crowding out all the other things
in life. When money becomes
one’s “god,” then the next logical
need is to have power, so you can
protect your money.
Dickens created Scrooge to be
the embodiment of greed’s effect.
The loveless man. He exercises
his power over his employee, Bob
Cratchit, bleeding every ounce
of labor from him to protect and
increase his own wealth. Mr.
Crachit, who values fidelity to his
family, accepts this exploitation
so as to keep his job and support
those who are dependent on him.
He also bears a cross, knowing
that he cannot provide the medical care needed by his son Tiny
Tim. The child, thus, faces an
early death.
With his gift of being an imaginative story teller, Dickens goes
on to create an eerie setting that
forces Scrooge to face his own
evil and the death this will lead
him to. It is a bleak destiny for
a man who has lived for money
and exploited people for his own
gain.
It may seem strange that a
Christmas story begins on this
note of death, for Christmas is a
time of birth. But that’s the seduction of A Christmas Carol.
By undergoing his symbolic
death, Scrooge realizes how he
has lost his life – and he asks forgiveness and another chance. It is
a wish that is generously granted
to him. Dickens’ story, then,
becomes a tale of life-renewed,
in the rebirth of Scrooge and the
saving of Tiny Tim.
I think A Christmas Carol
has become a classic that lives
on because it is really a metaphor about how the Scrooge
in all of us must die so that we
can be reborn – with the Child
Jesus – into goodness and life.
Told as a captivating story, A
Christmas Carol is a renewal of the
Christmas message of hope and
redemption.
Charles Dickens, a father of
seven, died suddenly in the year
1870 at age 58. In a small book I
picked up a few years ago with a
section titled “Little Masterpieces
of Autobiography,” there were
a few letters to his sons. In his
own words, he expressed his
feeling about the “best book that
ever was,” the Bible, writing:
“I now most solemnly impress
upon you the truth and beauty
of the Christian Religion, as it
came from Christ Himself, and
the impossibility of your going far
wrong if you humbly but heartily
respect it.”
May we all joyfully celebrate the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ on His Birthday,
December 25, and the “truth
and beauty” he brought as His
gift to us.
n
hushed and white with snow. Or
when there’s a ballgame on TV.
After three years of constant
crooning, I’ve gotten inside
Danny Boy. Maybe I watch too
much American Idol, but I feel
like I’ve made a connection with
the song. I’ve really started to
make it my own.
Here’s what I’ve learned. At
two verses, Danny Boy is the
perfect length for bedtime: not
too long, not too short. And it
is a curiously touching song,
especially so in the dark light of a
child’s bedroom. Singing it every
night as I do has more than once
inspired real reflection on some
important stuff: family and fatherhood, culture and Christianity,
life and death.
Am I a sap? Yeah, a little bit.
No more than the average Dad.
I’ve been known to mist up when
the kids hit important milestones,
like taking their first steps or learning to ride a bike. No big thing,
right? Happens to lots of guys.
But singing that song to my
son, and watching as “the pipes”
call his drowsy eyelids down the
mountainside and into the warmer, sweeter clutches of sleep, I can
get a little mushy. He is so fragile, so dependent on me, so helpless. The realization of this has
focused my mind. It has caused
me to reflect on just how fragile I
am. Just how helpless I will one
day be to stave off death.
Some day, I know, Paddy will
outgrow it, too. He won’t want
to hear me sing Danny Boy. The
day will come when he’ll look up
at me and say “Not tonight Dad.
I’m all set with this book right
here. You can go on about your
business, washing the dishes or
taking out the trash and such.”
And then what will I do? Then
where will I go for artistic fulfillment? Where will I turn to find
that deeper connection to life,
love, fatherhood, and death that
Danny Boy has become for me?
Maybe I’ll get lucky. Maybe it
will be a Tuesday and American
Idol will be on.
n
Bedtime song for my son
A Dad’s View
By Matthew Hennessey
Matthew Hennessey and
his family are parishioners
of St. Aloysius in New Canaan.
P
robably no one in the
world has sung “Danny
Boy” more times over
the last few years than
I have. I’ve warbled the famous
Irish ballad just about every night
since our Patrick was born in
2008. He insists upon it, and I am
happy to oblige.
Singing at bedtime is one of
life’s treats. Whether you have a
great voice or a gravel pit, children don’t judge. Good, bad,
or just plain awful, kids love a
song at bedtime. God bless their
little hearts.
My daughters, at the advanced
ages of “almost 8” and “almost
6,” have outgrown it. They don’t
mind a tune or two some nights,
but they don’t rely on it. Clara is
content to read herself to sleep.
Magdalena has been known to
shush me if I start in without first
being invited, although she does
it in a loving sort of a way.
Luckily, I have Paddy, my
number one fan. His nightly command performance consists of
two numbers: Danny Boy and the
Thomas the Tank Engine theme
song. In that order. No excep-
tions. Once Danny Boy begins,
everything that follows is as predictable as the tides: Danny Boy.
Thomas. Covers tucked in. A kiss
on the forehead. Lights out now.
I’m closing the door, but not
all the way. I love you, buddy,
you’re a good little boy. See you
in the morning.
That’s the way he likes it, and
that’s what I’m here to provide.
Thank you and good night.
You’ve been a great audience.
Singing the same song night
after night is not nearly as tedious
as it might seem. I tell myself I’m
like Bruce Springsteen, closing
every show with “Born to Run.”
It’s my signature. People expect it.
And like The Boss, I put a spin on
it some nights, just to keep myself
interested. Every great artist does.
Paddy loves the deeply-felt,
almost-whispered version he gets
on long summer nights just as
much as he loves the no-nonsense
version that he gets on cold winter nights, when the shadows are
long, and our small front lawn is
16
December 2011
Christmas
Elves make Christmas bright
The North Pole may be home
to some of Santa’s Elves, but
hundreds more of them live in
Fairfield County. In parishes and
schools throughout the diocese,
they are hard at work, making
Christmas merry and bright for
all God’s children.
Two of the elves projects have
recently come to the attention of
Fairfield County Catholic. Seventh
graders in the Confirmation
Preparation Class at St. Aloysius
Parish in New Canaan filled 1,000
stockings to be sent to impoverished children in the Appalachian
region of Kentucky. Just a tad
closer to the North Pole, the
students at St. Jude School in
Monroe worked to keep families
warm and well-fed closer to home.
Both sets of “elves” started early
– about the time of the first snowfall. At St. Aloysius, they appealed
to parishioners at all the Masses
in October and stood at the doors
with Christmas stockings to collect donations to fund the project.
Families pledged to donate 1,000
specific items. The class collected
over $6,000 in donations to put
towards the project.
On the night of the project (at
right), over 125 students and catechists worked assembly-line style
to fill the stockings, and topped
each one with a personal note
from one of the students.
Up in the hills, the St. Jude
elves were busy collecting over 250
winter clothing items, including 150
coats, to bring to the Daughters of
Charity in Bridgeport to help warm
those who are less fortunate as the
cold weather approaches. When the
North Pole hotline informed them
that supplies were running low at
the Thomas Merton Center in
Bridgeport, the St. Jude students
once again answered the call to
stock the shelves.
Hope Hottois, a seventh grader
at St. Jude’s (at left with first
grader Lauren O’Broctha) was one
of the elves helping to make the
St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church
HOLIDAY SCHEDULE 2011-2012
Rev. Fr. Peter F. Lenox, Administrator • Rev. Fr. John Pius Mwago, Parochial Vicar
Rev. Mr. William Bissenden and Rev. Mr. Alix Africot, Parish Deacons
Advent Schedule
Gaudete Sunday Organ Concert
Sunday, December 11 – 3:00pm
(Upper Church)
Marie F. Lenox, Organist
Advent Penance Service
Wednesday, December 21 –
7:00pm (Upper Church)
Christmas Mass
Schedule
Saturday, December 24:
Christmas Eve
Morning Mass: 8:00am – (Lower Church)
Vigil Mass: 5:30pm – (Upper Church)
Mass with the Living Gospel portrayed
by the children of the Parish
Solemn Mass with the Adult Choir:
9:00pm – (Upper Church)
Christmas celebration
in the Parish Center afterwards
Midnight Mass: 12:00am
at Saint Augustine Cathedral –
the Most Rev. William E. Lori, Celebrant
Sunday, December 25:
Merry Christmas
to one & all!
Christmas Day
Solemn Mass: 9:00am – (Upper Church)
Solemn Mass: 12:10pm – (Upper Church)
(Christmas “Coffee and....”
after each Mass)
SAINT MARY CHURCH
203.335.0106 • Fax: 203.335.0107
A Roman Catholic Community in Greenwich, Connecticut
851 North Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut 06604
Parish Office: 170 Thompson Street, Bridgeport, Connecticut 06604
holiday
season easier
for struggling
families. “It was
a great feeling
knowing that
the food I was
delivering would
make a family’s
life just a little
bit better,”
she says. n
CHRISTMAS MASSES
CHRISTMAS EVE, SATURDAY
VIGILS AT 4:00 AND 5:30PM
MASS IN SPANISH, 7:30PM
CHRISTMAS MASS, 10:00PM
CHRISTMAS DAY, SUNDAY
7:00, 9:00, 10:30AM, 12:15, 5:15PM
NEW YEAR’S MASSES
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2011
4:00, 5:15PM, AND
7:30PM(SPANISH MASS)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2012
7:00, 9:00, 10:30AM, 12:15, 5:15PM
Prayers and Blessings to our Friends and Parishioners
during the Christmas season and for the New Year
REV. MSGR. FRANK C. WISSEL, PASTOR
REV. RICHARD J. GEMZA, PAROCHIAL VICAR
REV. JHON GOMEZ, PAROCHIAL VICAR
REV. JOHN INSERRA, PAROCHIAL VICAR
DEACON PAUL E. TUPPER
AND THE STAFF OF ST. MARY PARISH
ST. MARY CHOIR CHRISTMAS CONCERT
ADULT AND YOUTH CHOIRS
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18 AT 3:00PM
(SUGGESTED ADMISSION $10 - CHILDREN FREE)
17
December 2011
Parish News
Fifty years of music at Saint Mark Parish
By PAT HENNESSY
St. Mark’s organist knows his
church from the ground up – literally. When Organist Peter Nelsen
was honored for 50 years of service
on November 13, St. Mark’s pastor, Fr. Donald Guglielmi, read a
history of the intertwined lives of
Nelsen and his beloved parish.
Nelson was on hand when
Bishop (later Cardinal) Lawrence
J. Sheehan founded the parish in
1960. At that time a young Peter
had newly graduated from St.
James School in Stratford. He
quickly became an all-around jack
of all trades for the first pastor, Fr.
John McNerney. “Whatever needed to be done, Peter lent a hand,
from installing the new windows
in the rectory to being an altar
server,” Fr. Guglielmi told parish-
ioners attending November’s celebration.
Nelson was an altar server at
the first Mass in the church – celebrated in the basement, since
the upstairs (the current church)
hadn’t been completed. Once the
current St. Mark’s church was
finished, Nelson – then 14 years
old – slid onto the organ bench
and claimed it as his own. For
50 years now he has played at
all weekend Masses, most daily
Masses, and extraordinary Masses
including weddings, funerals and
anniversary celebrations.
From that beginning, Nelson,
a realtor with Century 21 Real
Estate Company, has supported
St. Mark’s in every way his
wide-ranging talents allowed.
His early experiences helping Fr.
McNerney made him admirably
Saint Thomas Aquinas Church
1719 Post Road • Fairfield, Connecticut 06824 • 203.255.1097
Parish Advent Mission
Awakening Our Faith in Challenging Times
December 12, 13, 14, 2011 at 7:30pm
All Are Welcomed!!!
Monday: December 12th
Living in the Embrace of God’s Love
Tuesday: December 13th
Forgiveness as the Path to Peace
(Confessions will be available)
Wednesday: December 14th
Healing the Human Heart
Father Dan Lanahan, OFM, will lead the Advent Mission. Father was raised in Brooklyn, NY
and joined the Holy Name Friars. For the first 20 years of his priestly ministry
he was involved with the formation of candidates for the priesthood
at Christ the King Seminary in St. Bonaventure University and later in East Aurora, NY.
In 1986 he joined the Franciscan Ministry of the Word parish renewal team
and he has conducted numerous retreats and parish missions.
Father Dan is the Author of “When God Says No - The Mystery of Suffering
and the Dynamics of Prayer.”
FIFTY YEARS AND COUNTING:
Peter Nelson (r) was congratulated
by Fr. Donald Guglielmi, pastor of
St. Mark Parish, at a reception honoring Nelson’s 50 years as St. Mark’s
organist. Nelson had claimed the
organ as his own territory at the ripe
old age of 14.
suited to take over as maintenance director for the parish
in 1980. Shortly thereafter, he
became the music teacher at the
school and for the religious education program.
“Peter has taught over 7,000
students a love of music and a
love of God,” says Fr. Guglielmi.
In addition to his duties as
organist, choir director and music
teacher, Nelson has been the
chairman of the parish council
➤ continued on page
Christmas 2011 Schedule
Penance Service
Tuesday, December 20 - 7:30 pm
No Confessions Saturday, December 24th
Daily Mass on Saturday, December 24, 8:00 am ONLY
Christmas Eve Masses
Saturday, December 24
4 pm - Children’s Mass; 6 pm - Children’s Mass
8:00 pm Christmas Eve Mass; Adult Choir Concert 11:30 pm
12:00 am - Midnight Mass
Christmas Day Masses
Sunday, December 25
7 am, 9 am, 10:30 am, 12 Noon
No 7 am Mass on Monday - December 26th
Daily Mass - 12:10 Noon only on December 26th
Feast of Mary, Mother of God
New Year’s Eve - December 31 - 5 p.m. Mass
No Confessions - December 31
New Year’s Day Masses
Sunday - January 1, 2012 - 7 am, 9 am, 10:30 am, 12 Noon
19
18
December 2011
Local News
Vets/Knights celebrate their faith
FR. ARTHUR MOLLENHAUER,
(center back row) pastor of St. Mary
Parish, celebrated a Veteran’s Day Mass
to honor area vets and pray for peace.
James Santangelo of Greenwich (front
row with bugle), Commander of VFW
Post 9617 in Stamford, says that the post
numbers 140 veterans of World War II,
the Korean War and Vietnam. “It was
a beautiful Mass from beginning to end.
We all really enjoyed it.” he says.
Among those who attended was
93-year-old World War II veteran Michael A. DeMasi (2nd row, white cap) who entered into the United States Army on
November 7, 1941. Michael is one of three brothers who served their country in the war. He performed duties overseas in
Germany and Belgium from 1944 to 1945 and took part in the Battle of the Bulge. Two of the medals Mike earned were
the “European African Middle Eastern Campaign” and “Army of Occupation.”
(Photo by Sharon MacKnight)
THE YEAR
2011 saw the
100th anniversary of
the Lafayette
Assembly
#109 Fourth
Degree
Knights of
Columbus.
The 100th
anniversary
celebration was held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Stamford.
In attendance were Past Faithful Navigators(l-r) Arthur Rakoczy,
John Macari, Michael Raduazzo, Carmine J. Vaccaro, Philip J.
Gambino, Donald W. Porter and Donald T. Donahue, Sr.
Saint Mary’s Church
“The Mother Church of Norwalk” | 669 West Avenue, Norwalk | Est. 1848 | www.stmarynorwalk.net | 203.866.5546
Pastor: Fr. Greg J. Markey • Parochial Vicar: Fr. Richard G. Cipolla • In Residence: Fr. Paul N. Check, Director of Courage • Deacon Stephan Genovese • Choirmaster: David J. Hughes
Music for the 9:30am Sunday Solemn High Latin Mass
December 11: The Third Sunday of Advent - Missa O Virgo simul et Mater (Palestrina);
Domine praestolamur / Veni Domine noli tardare (Byrd); Organ music of Titelouze and Bach
December 16: ADVENT LESSONS & CAROLS
& BENEDICTION – 7:00pm - The Choirs of the Parish
December 18: The Fourth Sunday of Advent - Missa
super Dixit Maria (Hassler); Alma Redemptoris Mater
(Ockeghem); Canite tuba (Guerrero)
THE MIDNIGHT MASS OF CHRISTMAS Carols
& organ meditations at 11:30pm Mass at Midnight
Missa Quaeramus cum pastoribus (Morales); Quaeramus
cum pastoribus (Mouton); O Magnum Mysterium (Victoria); Hodie Christus natus est (Palestrina); organ music
of Brahms, Vierne, and Messiaen
THE MASS OF CHRISTMAS DAY - Missa Dies
Sanctificatus (Palestrina); Viderunt omnes (Perotin);
Hodie Christus natus est (Palestrina); organ music of
Buxtehude and Vierne
January 1: The Octave Day of Christmas - Missa
Puer qui natus est nobis (Guerrero); Ante luciferum
(Handl); Jesu Redemptor omnium (Willaert); organ
music of Tournemire
Saint Mary’s Bookstore 203.854.9013
Offering a wide selection of books, crucifixes, rosaries, sacramentals from Italy
and the Holy Land, First Communion and Confirmation gifts, and more.
HOURS: Saturday 10-4pm | Sunday 11-1pm | Tuesday and Wednesday 12:45-1:30pm
Located in Parish Center building behind Saint Mary Church | VISA/MC ACCEPTED
Christmas Schedule
Special Events:
Posadas, December 15-23, 7:00pm
Christmas Lessons and Carols,
December 16, 7:00pm
Sacrament of
Confession:
Monday-Friday, December 19-23:
11:30am-12:00 Noon
Wednesday, December 21: 6:30-6:50pm
Friday, December 23: 5:30-6:30pm
Saturday, December 24: 3:00-4:30pm
Christmas Eve Masses:
Saturday, December 24: 4:00pm (Vigil)
7:00pm (Spanish Vigil)
12:00 Midnight Mass (Latin)
Holy Family/New Year’s
Eve Masses:
Saturday, December 31 - 4:00pm,
7:00pm (Spanish),
Saturday, December 31 - 9:00-12:00
midnight, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Reception
Christmas Day Masses:
Solemnity of Mary/
New Year’s Day masses:
Saturday, December 25: 8:00am,
9:30am (Latin), 11:30am,
and 1:15pm (Spanish)
Sunday, January 1: 8:00am,
9:30am (Latin), 11:30am,
and 1:15pm (Spanish)
19
December 2011
Parish News
Fifty Years from page 17
and served as a parish trustee, has
chaired the annual Parish Bazaar,
and was president of the Men’s
League.
Under the late Msgr.
Lawrence McMahon’s pastorship, St. Mark’s was famed for its
musical productions and parish
cabarets. For 25 years Nelson
donated his talent to these, working as everything from an actor to
a member of the stage crew.
When the elderly church organ
needed to be replaced, Nelson
gave the parish finance council
a presentation on the state of the
organ and the recommendation
to perchance an Allen Protégé
L-341. The organ was installed in
September; under Nelson’s hands
it resounded at all Masses on
November 13. Just because he was
being honored that day was no
reason for Nelson to skip his musical contribution to parishioners.
Peter has been married for 27
CATHEDRAL of
SAINT AUGUSTINE
359 Washington Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut • 203.368.6777
The Most Reverend William E. Lori, S.T.D., Bishop of Bridgeport
• Rev. Gustavo A. Falla, Administrator
• Rev. Ha Dinh Dang, Parochial Vicar
• Rev. Sean Kulakz, Parochial Vicar
• Deacon Santos Garcia
• Mr. David F. McCaffrey, Diocesan Director of Music
• Mrs. Karen Ballone, Coordinator of Religious Education
• Mrs. Mary Daley, School Principal
Christmas Schedule
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturday, December 17 – 2:00pm - 3:45pm
Saturday, December 24 – 2:00pm - 3:45pm
Advent Penance Service –
Wednesday, December 21 – 7:00pm
at Saint Patrick Church, 851 North Avenue, Bridgeport
Christmas Mass Schedule
Christmas Eve – Saturday, December 24
4:00pm (English), 7:00pm (Vietnamese)
11:30pm............... Christmas Concert
Midnight................ Solemn Pontifical Mass
Celebrated by Bishop William E. Lori
Midnight Mass will be broadcast live on WSHU 91.1 FM and WICC 600 AM
Christmas Day – Sunday, December 25
10:00am (English), 12:15pm (Spanish), and 2:30pm (Vietnamese)
Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God
Saturday, December 31 – 4:00pm (English), 8:00pm (Spanish),
10:00pm Holy Hour and Solemn Benediction
Sunday, January 1 – 10:00am (English), 12:15pm (Spanish), 2:30pm (Vietnamese)
Come and share the joys of Christmas!
years to Marianne (Mimi) Brady
Nelson. The couple has four
children and two grandchildren.
The family was on hand to
see him honored at the parish
celebration.
n
AT AGE 21, Peter Nelson had years
of confident experience on the organ
at St. Mark’s.
St. James Church
2110 Main Street, Stratford, Connecticut
203-375-5887 - www.stjamesstratford.com
Rev. Thomas F. Lynch, Pastor
BLESSING OF EXPECTANT PARENTS
Saturday and Sunday, December 17 and 18
A blessing will be given to those awaiting the gift of a child.
CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE
Saturday, December 24 – Vigil Masses: 4:00pm and 6:00pm
A Mass in celebration of the Lord’s birth at 11:00pm
Sunday, December 25 – 7:30am, 9:30am, and 11:30am
12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
December 26 through January 6
The greatest gifts you can give are your presence and your words
of love to one another. During the 12 Days of
Christmas, we ask you to practice a relational quality each day. As a helpful reminder, cards with relational qualities will be available at the Christmas Eve
and Christmas Day masses.
THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS,
MARY AND JOSEPH
Friday, December 30
All families will be lifted up in prayer
at the 8:00am Mass.
SOLEMNITY OF MARY,
MOTHER OF GOD
Saturday, December 31, Vigil Mass: 4:30pm
Holy Day Masses – Sunday, January 1, 2012,
7:30am, 9:15am, and 11:00am
SAINT JAMES NEW YEAR’S DAY OF PRAYER
Sunday, January 1, 2012
1:00pm to 3:00pm Eucharistic Adoration in Parish Center Chapel
REMEMBERANCE FOR CHILDREN WHO HAVE DIED
Tuesday, January 3 – 5:30pm Mass
A special candle will be lit in remembrance of the children
who have gone before us in faith. All parents who have lost a
child are invited to attend.
FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY
God’s Word is among us - A celebration of our commitment to open our
hearts to God’s word by reading, studying, & praying Sacred Scripture daily
Saturday, January 7, 2012 – Vigil Mass: 4:30pm
Sunday, January 8, 2012 – 7:30am, 9:15am, and 11:00am
12:45pm, and 6:00pm
20
December 2011
Christmas
Pageant reflects meaning of the season
By KAREN KOVACS
DYDZUHN
In the next couple
of weeks, there will
be many Christmas
Pageants staged at
churches and schools
throughout the diocese.
There were will many
pious ‘Josephs,’ humble
‘Marys’ and regal Wise
Men fervently acting out
the beloved story of Our
Lord’s birth.
As poignant as these performances will be, none will pull at
one’s heartstrings as the production
starring students with special needs
enrolled at St. Catherine Academy.
For at least eight years, students from kindergarten to 21
have offered their own unique
account of the Christmas Story.
“It’s not very long and it’s
very simple,” explains Helen
Burland, president of St. Catherine
Academy. However, she feels that
it’s the production’s simplicity,
combined with the fact that every
student at the school is involved in
some way, that elicits overwhelmingly positive responses each year
from the audience. “It’s definitely
something that the kids look forward to every year.”
Because some of St.
Catherine’s students are nonverbal, the challenge each year
is how to give every student the
experience of performing in the
THERE MAY BE MORE THAN ONE “Mary” or “Joseph” in the Christmas
Pageant at St. Catherine Academy for children with special needs in Fairfield,
shown here in their 2010 pageant. The script is adapted by the staff each year to
highlight to the abilities of the students, all of whom will have a part.
Saint Theresa
R O M A N CAT H O L I C C H U R C H
The Mother Church of Trumbull
Rev. Brian P. Gannon, S.T.D., Pastor
Rev. Michael Flynn, Parochial Vicar
Rev. Karol Ksiazek, Parochial Vicar
Deacon Salvatore M. Clarizio
Dr. Carolina Flores, Director of Music
CHRISTMAS
SCHEDULE - 2011
Sacrament of Penance
Saturday, December 17
11:00am-12:00 noon
3:00-4:15pm
Friday, December 23
4:00-5:15pm
7:00-8:00pm
Saturday, December 24
10:30am-12:00 noon
Masses
Christmas Vigil
Saturday, December 24
4:00pm, 6:00pm and 12:00 midnight
Christmas Concert at 11:30pm
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
Sunday, December 25
7:30am, 10:00am and 12:00 noon
New Years Day
Feast of Mary,
The Mother of God
Saturday, December 31
Vigil Mass at 4:30pm
5301 Main Street • Trumbull, Connecticut 06611-4195
Sunday, January 1
7:30am, 9:00am, 10:30 and 12:00 noon
Christmas Pageant. “In some
years we’ve had several ‘Marys’
and ‘Josephs,’” Burland says.
“And, in other years the focus
has been on the wise men.”
The script is written by staff
members and tailored to the students. “We have a very creative
staff,” Burland says, proud of
their care in individualizing the
pageant each year. “They make
all of the costumes and the set.
It’s all very simple, though.”
Although the Christmas Pageant
is primarily performed for the
school’s families, members of the
community are also welcome to
attend. This year’s show is on
Friday, December 23 at 9:30 a.m. at
the school. “We’ve had an increasing number of people come and
join us because the word has gotten
out,” Burland says. “It’s truly a
reflection of the values we believe in
for the Christmas season.”
Nancy Fontana, whose daughter Kelsey performs in the show,
says her family looks forward to
the annual holiday program. “It
really reminds us of what our lives
are all about, especially during this
hectic time of year,” Fontana says.
“The students love to show off
their acting skills while giving us
their very unique rendition of the
birth of Jesus. It amazes me how
well the students work together
and how they remember all their
parts; it puts a smile on our faces
and gets us ready for Christmas!”
Bishop William E. Lori is
expected to attend this year’s
performance. “He’s warmhearted
and relaxed with them, and the
kids are always so happy to have
him visit,” says Burland.
Burland says that audience
members frequently come up to her
and say how moved they were by
the students’ performance. “Some
people tell me that attending our
Christmas Pageant has become the
way that they’ve chosen to start
their Christmas celebration.”
A recitation of the Christmas
Story is the focus of the program.
However, there is also music and
a visit from Santa Claus. “We
always have Christmas music
integrated into the program, and
we end the event with a couple of
Christmas carols that the audience
can sing, too,”
Burland appreciates local
Knights of Columbus members
for providing the visit from Santa.
“Their contribution adds an extra
nice touch to the morning,” she
says.
(St. Catherine Academy
is located at 760 Tahmore Drive,
Fairfield. For more information,
call 203.540.5383 orgo to
www.stcatherineacademy.org.)
n
21
December 2011
Local News
Squires Circle reactivated
NEWTOWN – On November
13, twenty-five young men re-established the Columbian Squires in
Newtown. The Columbian Squires
is an international youth fraternity
of the Knights of Columbus.The
investiture was conducted in St.
Rose of Lima Church by Tony
DeCaprio, State Squires chairman
and his Squires Team.
This reactivation started two
years ago, when Matthew Rahtelli
was in the founding group of the
Fairfield Prep Squires Circle. Matt
wanted to bring back the works of
the Squires to Newtown as well.
After several months of preparation, ten youth arrived at the
first meeting. The project quickly
expanded, with Michael Lally
immediately volunteering to organize and record what occurred at
the meetings. Miguel Rodriguez
and Knute Johnson were key
factors in making the voice of
Squires known and encouraging others to encounter the same
experience. Patrick Carello took
a leadership role in recruiting and
assisting in the running of the
informational meetings.
Ten of the young men are
involved in Boy Scouts, almost
a dozen are part of the St.
Rose Senior Youth Group and
more than a dozen are sons of
Knights. As their first activity, the
Circle plans to assist the Newtown
Knights with their annual
Breakfast with Santa and Toy
Closet distribution, both events
being held on December 11.
In addition to becoming
Newtown’s Chief Squire (chapter president), Matt Rahtelli has
recently been appointed to a state
level position for the 2011-2012
year as CT State Marshal Squire.
The organization of the
Squires is an international fraternity of approximately 25,000
Catholic young men between the
ages of 10 and 18 in over 1,500
trusted advice
starts with careful
and comprehensive
planning.
circles worldwide. Local Knights
of Columbus councils and assemblies sponsor Squire Circles. The
Squires involves young men in
programs to benefit the Church,
the community, as well as in recreational and social activities.
It gives Catholic young men
have the opportunity to grow
spiritually, culturally, civically,
socially and physically.
n
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22
December 2011
Obituary
Fr. George Healy, C.S.Sp., dies at 84
By PAT HENNESSY
Fr. George Healy, C.S.Sp.,
died peacefully of October 21 at
St. Vincent’s Medical Center in
Bridgeport. He was 84 years old.
One of 13 children, he was born in
Bridgeport on August 14, 1927 and
attended the former Sacred Heart
School in the city’s South End.
He entered the Congregation
of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans), and
completed his theology studies at
the former St. Mary Seminary in
the Ferndale area of Norwalk. He
was ordained in 1953 by Bishop
John Hackett, auxiliary bishop of
the Archdiocese of Hartford.
Following his ordination, he
served in Puerto Rico from 195468. On his return to this country,
he served in Louisiana, Arizona,
and California. While fulfilling
those duties, he became one of the
first vocation directors of the newly-established Western Province
of the Congregation. During
this time he was involved in the
Cursillo, Marriage encounter, and
Christian Family movements of
the post-Vatican II Church.
In succeeding years, in addition
to his responsibilities as pastor of
St. Agnes Parish, San Antonio,
TX, he was a spiritual director of
seminarians, vocations director,
provincial bursar, and hospital
chaplain. From 2000-10 he was
superior of the Spiritan priests’
retirement home, Casa Laval, in
Hemet, CA, and served for a year
on the formation team at St. Mary
Magdalene in Chicago, IL.
One of his bothers, the late
Fr. James Healy, C.S.Sp., also
entered the Congregation of the
Holy Spirit. One of his surviving
sisters, Sr. Mary Healy, RSM, is
a member of the Sisters of Mercy;
in this diocese he is survived by
his sister Edna Henchy and her
husband John, who are members
of St. Mark Parish in Stratford.
A Mass of Christian Burial
was celebrated at St. Mark’s
on October 25. Fr. Healy was
buried with the priests of his
Congregation in Holy Spirit
Cemetery, Cornwall Heights, PA.
His tombstone stands alongside
that of his brother James.
n
Formerly known as Beardsley, Brown and Bassett
850 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT
Happy
Holidays!
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23
December 2011
Christmas
A Respect Life Christmas
By KAREN KOVACS
DYDZUHN
Traveling through Danbury
and Bridgeport, it’s hard to miss
the compelling billboards depicting an ultrasound image of a
baby with the words, “He’s on
the Way; Christmas Starts with
Christ.” This is a reminder that
Christmas is, of course, about
celebrating our Lord’s birth.
However, members of St. Mary
Parish, Ridgefield, Respect Life
committee also strongly believe
that it’s an important reminder
about protecting all sanctity of all
new life.
“The beauty of Christmas is
that it’s really the greatest Respect
Life story ever,” says John Papa.
He is co-chairman of the parish’s
Respect Life committee, along with
Hank Vosswinkel. “Sometimes this
Religious Liberties
from page 3
Penn State University’s sex abuse
scandal, which he said shows
both the scope of the abuse problem and the value of safe environment training.
He said the indictment of several Penn State officials and the
firing of the university’s president
and its longtime football coach
“has reopened a wound in the
Church as well.
“It shows that the scourge (of
sex abuse) is not limited to any
one faith and certainly not limited to priests,” he said. “It’s in
organizations, in universities, all
over the place, in families and,
yes, in priests.”
Archbishop Dolan said the
Church’s own sex abuse scandal
“makes us a little timid about
wanting to give advice” but he said
the Church’s experience with providing safe environment training
to help children and their parents,
as well as clergy and Church volunteers, become more aware of the
warning signs of child sex abuse
has been “phenomenally advantageous” over the past decade.
During the first day’s session,
the bishops also met Archbishop
Carlo Maria Vigano, the new
apostolic nuncio to the United
States, who said he was pleased
to be with them for the first time.
He told the bishops the Pope puts
great hope in this country for the
future of the universal Church. n
is the only pro-life message that
anyone ever sees.”
A smaller image is on display
in front of the Ridgefield church.
Papa says that other parishes are
invited to order these re-usable
posters for display. “Our pastor,
Msgr. Laurence Bronkiewicz,
was very supportive, and he
really loved the picture for the
billboards,” Papa explains.
According to Sr. Mary
Concepta, S.V., director of
Respect Life Ministry for the
Diocese of Bridgeport, the posters can be customized to each
parish’s individual specifications.
“It is simply a beautiful way to
spread the truth of the pro-life
message and connect it intimately
with the coming of the Christ,
fully human and fully divine as
an unborn child in the womb of
Our Lady,” Sr. Concepta says.
“We are reminded during this
season that every child, even
those still waiting to be born, is a
unique reflection of the image of
Christ to the world.”
Papa credits both Bishop
William E. Lori and the Sisters
of Life with getting this billboard
and poster project off the ground.
“I really applaud Bishop Lori for
putting the Sisters of Life in place
so we could really organize all of
these groups and give hope and
promote a Respect Life culture,”
says Papa.
Though St. Mary’s has sponsored Christmas billboards for
decades, this is the first year that
commemorating Christ’s birth
and a Respect Life message has
been intermingled. Papa hopes
that the billboards and posters
kick off more programs that bring
a greater awareness and education about this issue to this area.
Sr. Mary says, “It is our hope
that, as people see these inspiring
signs throughout the community,
they will not only offer a moment
of reflection on the true meaning of Christmas, but also on the
sacredness and inherent dignity
of the unborn child in the womb.
Surely, hearts that come to know
and live this truth will contribute
to the building of the Culture of
Life in our community.”
Details about the pro-life
CHRISTMAS STARTS WITH CHRIST – The Christmas greetings on the
billboard at the Lake Ave. Extension, Mill Plain Road intersection in Danbury
celebrates and affirms the birth of Christ and the sanctity of all life. The board
is being sponsored by the Sponsored by the St. Mary Respect Life Committee.
(Photo by Michelle Babyak)
Christmas posters have been sent
to parishes’ respect life coordinators and friends of life in the
Diocese of Bridgeport. In addition, Sister Mary adds, “It was
also picked up by the Archdiocese
of New York and sent to contacts
in parishes there as well.”
A resident of Ridgefield for
17 years, Papa says that he has
only been involved with the parish’s Respect Life committee
for the past three years. He was
recently nominated to the cochair position. Papa attributes
former chairman Jack Gilchrist
with “opening my eyes to the fact
that something needs to be done”
about Respect Life issues. Since
then, Papa has been part of the
parish’s numerous fundraisers to
support the billboard campaign.
The billboards can be seen
in the Black Rock Section of
Bridgeport on the corner of
Fairfield Ave. and Elsworth St.,
facing west. In Danbury, they
are located at the intersection of
White and Moss streets, on Main
St. opposite White St., and at the
Lake Ave. Extension/Mill Plain
Rd, east of Kenosia Ave.
(For more information
or to order the posters, contact
Sr. Concepta: 203.416.1444 or
[email protected].)
n
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24
December 2011
Sports
Immaculate State Champs!
By JOE RYAN
The shame of sports is that
sometimes a program does not
get the attention it is warranted
and Immaculate High School’s
girls’ soccer team is a great
example.
On October 26, the Lady
Mustangs won their fourth
straight CIAC Class S
Championship but their accomplishment is hardly celebrated as
it should be throughout the state.
They are the small school nestled up in the western portion of
the state but they play big in biggest games and showed that again
with a 3-0 win over Litchfield at
Watertown’s Memorial Stadium.
This current success started
in 2003 with a 4-0 win over
Tourtellotte and since then, they
have been to the Class S finals
every year except 2007. They
come away with a win or a tie in
each championship tilt which has
garnered the Mustangs six outright
titles and two shared crowns.
If you add their championship
from the year 1995, they have tied
Trumbull for the most individual
championships of any girls’ soccer
program with seven. The Eagles
have won their championships in
Class LL while the nearest competitor to the Immaculate mark in
Class S is Avon with four titles.
Their nine overall crowns set them
at the top of the heap.
Those are just the facts, which
are amazing on the surface, but it
is the core values of this team that
has allowed it to string together
success over a significant period
of time. The program believes in
the virtue that your teammates are
your extended family and those
values have propelled Immaculate
to unprecedented success.
Head coach Nelson
Mingachos has set the tone
throughout the streak. The girls
should get the credit for their
dedication to the tradition and for
making the sacrifices needed to
win, but it does not happen without a steady hand at the helm to
keep the team on course.
“It’s a great family atmosphere
and the kids just feed into it,”
said Mingachos. “Being a small
school, whether you’re a freshman or a senior, they are all classmates. These girls since August
have spent every day together and
do everything together.”
STATE CHAMPS: the Lady Mustangs from Immaculate High School in
Danbury won their fourth straight CIAC Class S championship on October 26
with a 3-0 win over Litchfield. Since 2003, they have been to the Class S finals
every year except 2007.
That closeness does not end
on graduation day for the alumni
who have played for the team.
Mingachos said there was a large
group of alumni at the game
against Litchfield, while more
than 20 former players had sent
e-mails to the team to wish them
well and share their experiences.
Those letters get bigger and bigger each year.
Junior Lindsay Jossick is one
player who appreciates the support. The all-SWC forward was
one of the best players on the
field during the championship
game and scored twice.
“It’s a great feeling everyone is
family,” said Jossick. “I feel that
of all the teams that we play and
compete with that we have most
connection with each other.”
The Mustangs will lose six
players to graduation, including allSWC midfielder Corina DaSilva,
but will retain a number of key
players including junior defender
Sierra Stein and sophomore forward Natalia Diaz, who scored the
first goal against Litchfield in the
championship game.
Another key returnee will be
sophomore goalkeeper Ashley
Houghton. She is the latest in a
string of three Mustangs who have
distinguished themselves at the
position. Nikki Weiss was in goal
for the first four titles and was a
four-time all-SWC and all-State
player. Weiss went on to star at
the University of Notre Dame and
win a national championship there
with the Fighting Irish.
Corey Medrano succeeded
Weiss for three championships
and was a twice named all-SWC
and all-State. She is at Central
Connecticut State University now.
Houghton was named the allSWC goaltender this past season
as she helped the Mustangs post
a 10-3-2 mark. She allowed only
two goals in her four tournament
starts. Her coach appreciates how
well she played in what was a
large shadow left by the previous
players, but it was her dedication
which made her a success.
“She came in and she wanted
that challenge and she didn’t
back down from anything,”said
Mingachos. “So credit to her,
her goals are just what Nikki and
Corey’s were to play division one
soccer and I can tell you right
now that she is one her way to
getting there.”
The task of replacing Weiss and
Medrano was never overwhelming
for Houghton because she never
felt like she was in it alone.
“Everyone was so welcoming, we are such a family, I kind
of came in seamlessly,” said
Houghton. “We definitely felt the
pressure coming in but in practice
we’re always joking around and
having fun.”
It is where the success is born
because it all starts with family. n
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25
December 2011
Obituaries
Msgr. John Gilmartin, 81
STRATFORD – Msgr. John
E. Gilmartin died on December
3, barely a month shy of his 82nd
birthday. Mgsr. Gilmartin, known
to family and friends as Father
Bob, was born in Danbury,
January 10, 1930. He attended
St. Peter Elementary School and
Danbury High School where he
graduated in the Class of 1947.
The following fall, he entered St.
Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield,
later graduating from St. Bernard
Seminary in Rochester, NY. He
completed his studies at Christ
the King Seminary in Olean, NY,
on the campus of St. Bonaventure
University and was ordained to
on May 10, 1956 in St. Augustine
Cathedral in Bridgeport by the
Bishop Lawrence J. Sheehan.
His first assignment was as
parochial vicar at St. Ambrose
Parish in Bridgeport. Assigned
to teach at Notre Dame High
School, in June of 1960 he
resided at St. Mary Parish in
Bridgeport. The following year
he became assistant chaplin at St.
Joseph’s Manor, while continuing
to teach. In 1962, he was appointed parochial vicar at St. Mary
Parish in Greenwich, where he
spent the next seven years.
In 1969, he served as director of the Connecticut Catholic
Conference on Education in
Hartford, coordinating the efforts
of the three dioceses to seek funding for Catholic Education. In
June of that same year, he was
named a vice chancellor of the
diocese and secretary to Bishop
Walter W. Curtis. He served
as parochial vicar at St. Cecilia
Parish in Stamford before being
named rector of St. Augustine
Cathedral in Bridgeport.
In 1976, Msgr. Gilmartin
became pastor of Christ the
King Parish in Trumbull where
he served for ten years. He was
pastor of St. Andrew Parish in
the north end of Bridgeport from
1986-89. It was at this time that,
at the request of Bishop Curtis,
he received the honor of being
appointed a Domestic Prelate
by Pope John Paul II. His final
pastoral assignment was as pastor
of Our Lady of Peace Parish in
the Lordship section of Stratford,
where he served for 16 years until
his retirement in June of 2005.
He was named domestic prelate,
carrying the title of Monsignor, in
1989 by Pope John Paul II.
In retirement, Msgr.
Gilmartin served for five years
as senior priest at St. Edward
the Confessor Parish in New
Fairfield. He later resided at the
Catherine Dennis Keefe Priests’
Retirement Home in Stamford.
Msgr. Gilmartin was received
into Our Lady of Peace on
December 5, where a parish
vigil Mass was celebrated at 7
p.m. Msgr. Stanley B. Rousseau
was the principal homilist; Fr. J.
Barry Furey was homilist.
“He was consummate gentleman and a very faithful servant,”
says Fr. Furey. “When he was
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Deceased Clergy of the Diocese of Bridgeport:
December 11 - January 14
December
3
Msgr. Pierre A. Botton.............................. 2010
17 Rev. Kieran T. Ahearn............................. 1997
6
Msgr. William J. Fox................................ 1962
19 Rev. Philip Morrissey............................... 2008
7
Rev. Walter E. Bozek............................... 1995
26 Rev. Vincent P. Cleary.............................. 1965
8
Rev. Mr. Edward R. Kovacs..................... 1999
27 Rev. Ignatius Baraniak, O.F.M. Conv....... 1980
Rev. Joseph P. Biondino........................... 2001
29 Msgr. James H. Grady.............................. 1967
9
Rev. Gerald T. Devore.............................. 2011
30 Rev. M. Joseph McCarthy........................ 2006
Rev. Mr. Hugh Sweeney........................... 1990
Rev. Robert Nemeth, O.F.M. Conv.......... 1998
January
1
Rev. Michael J. Flynn, C.S.Sa.................. 1995
13 Rev. Daniel J. Deehan.............................. 1976
2
Rev. Robert J. McDermott........................ 1989
14 Msgr. Joseph A. Sullivan.......................... 2001
ordained in 1956, the words of
Scripture truly applied to him and
his priesthood, ‘Here I am Lord, I
come to do Your will.’ And he did
that with dignity, with grace, with
gentleness and with compassion. He
is what we commonly refer to as “a
priest’s priest.” Msgr. Gilmartin was
always there for his brother priests,
just as he was also a good shepherd
and was always there for his flock.
He was a wonderful man and friend
to so many of us.”
A Mass of Christian Burial was
celebrated at Our Lady of Peace
Church on December 6 by
Bishop William E. Lori, with
Msgr. Frank C. McGrath as homilist. Interment followed in the
family plot at St. Mary Cemetery,
Bethel. n
Deacon Wayne
Malloy dies at 64
STAMFORD – Deacon Wayne E. Malloy, 64, died peacefully
with his family at his side on November 28, after a courageous
battle with leukemia. He was born on August 1, 1947 and was a
lifelong Stamford resident, graduating Stamford Catholic High
School (now Trinity Catholic) in 1965.
Deacon Malloy proudly served in the U. S. Army, attaining
the rank of Sergeant. He was veteran of the Vietnam War and
was awarded several honors including the Bronze Star. He had
worked as property manager for the Villa Maria Retreat House in
Stamford, and the time of his death was the manager at St. John
Fisher Seminary in Stamford,
as well as serving as a deacon
there. Deacon Malloy was a
third degree in the Knights
of Columbus in the Fairfield
Council #11077. His strong
faith was fulfilled by his ordination as a deacon for the Diocese
of Bridgeport in 2002. As a
deacon he was assigned first to
St. Paul Parish, Greenwich and
later to St. John Parish, Darien
before receiving his assignment
at St. John Fisher.
He is survived by his wife
of thirty-nine years Priscilla
(Poochie), the secretary of St.
Bridget of Ireland Parish in
Stamford, and their children Keith, Kara, and Jason. He is also
survived by his brothers, Fr. Joseph Malloy, pastor of St. Gabriel
Parish in Stamford, and Donald Malloy and his sister Dale Malloy.
Deacon Malloy was received into St. John Church on
December 2 for a vigil and parish Mass. Bishop William E. Lori
celebrated the Mass; Msgr. Kevin Royal was the homilist. “We
all know Wayne in different ways, as his family, brother Knights,
through his parish assignments or at St. John Fisher,” Msgr. Royal
said in his reflections. “But we all knew the same person – honest,
true, faithful and humble.”
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated for Deacon Malloy
on December 3. His brother, Fr. Joseph Malloy was the principal
celebrant and homilist. Burial followed at St. John cemetery in
Darien. n
26
December 2011
Nuestra Voz
¿Cómo celebramos la Navidad?
Por Padre Julio Lopresti, IVE
(El Padre Lopresti es párroco
de la Parroquia de San Jorge en
Bridgeport).
Una vez finalizada la Fiesta de
Acción de Gracias, viene el tiempo de la Navidad, tiempo ciertamente muy hermoso. Convivir
en este país con tantas personas
de diferentes partes del mundo
nos permite conocer costumbres
y tradiciones navideñas de todo
tipo: adornos del árbol, aguinaldo, posadas, pesebres; Santa
Claus; los reyes magos; tarjetas
de navidad; las 12 uvas; villanci-
cos; platos de comida exquisitos,
etc. La lista es inmensa.
Todas las tradiciones tienen
como tema central la navidad,
sin embargo para muchas
personas, esas tradiciones no
tienen como significado el
nacimiento de Cristo; celebran
la fiesta pero el agasajado es el
gran ausente.
Nadie podría aceptar como
algo normal si fuéramos al cumpleaños de un amigo que, al
llegar a su hogar y él saliendo
a nuestro encuentro, no lo
saludáramos, entráramos a su
casa y, cerrando las puertas, lo
dejáramos afuera. ¿Puede alguien
entender que mientras la fiesta se
desarrolla nadie note la ausencia
del dueño de la fiesta? Así sucede
en la Navidad cuando la preocupación por la tradición y los
festejos son el fin en lugar de ser
el medio que nos ayude a celebrar
con Cristo.
Para que eso no suceda en personas de buena voluntad, puede
servir mucho, entre otras sugerencias semejantes, preparar la
Navidad leyendo pasajes bíblicos
del antiguo testamento, los cuales
nos recuerdan la preparación a
la venida del Mesías; leyendo y
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Resurrection Cemetery
C/O Gate of Heaven Cemetery
1056 Daniels Farm Road
Trumbull, CT 06611
(203) 268-5574
NORWALK
St. John – St. Mary Cemetery
223 Richards Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06850
(203) 838-4271
You can purchase cemetery property out of current income!
STAMFORD
St. John Cemetery
Queen of Peace Cemetery
25 Camp Avenue
Darien, CT 06820
(203) 322-0455
You can make the decision now, based on one of the above reasons, or you can
wait until you have to decide at a time of great emotional stress, when families
can make the wrong decision!
TRUMBULL
Gate of Heaven Cemetery
1056 Daniels Farm Road
Trumbull, CT 06611
(203) 268-5574
You are under normal emotional circumstances!
The purchase of cemetery property is an inevitable task!
At a time of need, cemetery property must be paid for in full!
Sometime in the distant future you will be thankful you
took care of this important matter now! We recommend
that you call your local cemetery for more information.
Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Bridgeport
Administrative Office
The Catholic Center
238 Jewett Avenue • Bridgeport, CT 06606
Phone: (203) 372-4301
WESTPORT
Assumption, Green Farms
Assumption, Kings Highway
C/O St. John Cemetery
223 Richards Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06850
(203) 838-4271
We offer time payments for those
families who purchase in advance,
interest free.
meditando podremos llegar al
asombro de ver en Jesús todas
las profecías cumplidas, así poder
volver nuestra mirada al gran
agasajado y redescubrir el sentido
principal de la Navidad.
Vale preguntarnos: ¿A quién
anunciaron los profetas? ¿Quién
es el enviado de Dios? ¿Cómo
ha de ser su venida? ¿Cómo será
blecer una nueva alianza (Gen.
su misión y cómo establecerá
17:2,19, Is. 49:8, Jer. 31:31). El
su reinado? ¿Nosotros lo conoEspíritu descenderá sobre Él (Is.
cemos? ¿Nosotros lo esperamos?
11:2,42:1). Predicará a la gente
¿Nosotros renovamos nuestro
(Is. 61:1). Hablará en parábolas
júbilo por su nacimiento?
(Ps. 78:2). Será pastor de sus
Así lo esperaban a Cristo.
ovejas (Ps. 23:1,80:1, Ec. 12:11, Is.
Cuando venga “Gobernará a
40:11). Establecerá una Iglesia
las naciones y
que durará
enderezará a la
para siempre
“La Navidad está
humanidad. (Is.
(Is. 59:21).
2, 1-5). “Preparen
Hará milacerca una vez más;
el camino al
gros, prodiSeñor. (Is. 40,
gios y señales
dirijamos nuestra
1-11). Porque
(Is. 8:18).
cuándo él llegue
Resucitará
mirada al niño
traerá: “júbilo y
de entre los
alegría porque
muertos (Is.
que nace”.
Dios está con
25:8,26:19,
nosotros; ya no
Ez 37:1-14) y
habrá temor y nos
muchas prorenovará en su amor”. (Sof. 3,
fecías más que anunciaron su
14-18). Porque Cristo viene a:
pasión, muerte y Resurrección.
“Anunciar la Buena Noticia a los Será la piedra angular (Ps.
humildes; sanará los corazones
118:22). Con su misión habrá un
heridos; traerá la libertad a los
rebaño y un pastor (Is. 40:11). Su
cautivos; consolará a los que
palabra se propagará a muchas
lloran. (Is. 61, 1-3).
naciones desde Jerusalén (Mi.
¿Cómo será posible esto?:
4:2). Ascenderá al Cielo (Is.
“Una virgen concebirá y dará a
9:7). Se sentará a la derecha del
luz a un niño” (Is. 7, 10-14); el
Padre (Ps. 110:1). Cada rodilla
cual nacerá: “en Belén y guiará al se doblará ante Él (Is. 45:23).
rebaño con autoridad; su poder
Vendrá a juzgarnos (Jer. 33:15).
llegará hasta los confines de la
Pondrá a sus enemigos por escatierra” (Mi. 5, 1-4). “Un niño nos
bel de sus pies (Ps. 110:1). Su
ha nacido; un niño que llevará
Reino durará por siempre (Ps.
por nombre: Consejero admi45:6, Dan. 7:14). Porque: Él es el
rable; Héroe Divino; Padre que
primero y el último, el Alfa y el
no muere; Príncipe de paz.
Omega (Is. 41:4,44:6).
(Is. 9, 1-7).
La Navidad está cerca una vez
Cristo nacerá: de Israel (Núm. más; dirijamos nuestra mirada al
24:17-19, Is. 11:1). Será: descenniño que nace, ese niño que nace
diente de Abraham, Isaac,
con un propósito: ser nuestro
Jacob (Gen. 12:2; 17:19; Núm.
salvador. A Él le debemos
24:17). De la familia de David
adoración y gloria, por él nos
(Gen. 49, Is. 11). Luz del mundo
unimos al coro de los ángeles y
hasta el fin del mundo (Is. 49:6). exultamos el himno: “Gloria in
El Redentor (Is. 49:7,26). El
excelsis Deo”; doblemos nuestras
Salvador (Is. 19:20). El Mesías
rodillas con humildad como los
(Dan. 9:25). El Rey de Reyes
pastores que: “postrados ante
(Dan. 2:37). El Rey de Israel (Is.
el recién nacido lo adoraron”.
44:6, Sof. 3:15). El Señor de los
Unámonos a la naturaleza entera,
señores (Dt. 10:17, Ps. 110:1). El
que le regaló a su creador la
Hijo de Dios (Ps. 2:9).
noche más hermosa. Que no sea
una navidad sin Cristo; dejémoslo
Cristo vendrá además: A
entrar a celebrar con nosotros su
servir, no a ser servido (Zac.
propia fiesta.
3:8). A cargar los pecados de
la humanidad (Is. 53:4). A esta¡Feliz Navidad! n
27
December 2011
Christmas
Museum features Christmas Across Africa
By JOSEPH PRONECHEN
The annual crèche exhibit
at the Knights of Columbus
Museum in New Haven is one of
the great Christmas traditions in
the Connecticut and Metropolitan
areas.
The museum’s crèche shows
of Christmases Past showed us
the joy and delight people have
in celebrating Christ’s birth from
various places. Exhibits took
us to places including Vatican
City, then Italy, Europe, South
and Central America, and the
Southwestern United States.
For Christmas Present, this
seventh annual exhibit takes us
to Christmas Across Africa. The
show couldn’t be more timely,
considering Pope Benedict XVI’s
November trip to Benin when he
told all Africans to “Become the
light of the world.”
In these crèches presenting
Jesus as the newborn Light of
the World we see the strong faith
of Christians across Africa. The
crèches also help us to remember
that not long after Jesus’ birth the
Holy Family had to flee to Egypt,
which is in North Africa.
We can also see and be
inspired and amazed by the way
the Africans have adapted the
style of the European crèche and
the figures are hand carved from
Madonna and Child approxiincluded and used details of each mately seven feet tall.
ebony wood. They’re left in polparticular culture or country.
ished black, dark brown or, in
These are truly unique carvings
The images range from the
one case, a surprising shade of
from the country’s native springsimple wood or clay carvings
stone which appears in remarkable deep red. Less than a foot tall,
to the museum quality stone
some sets have figures with highshades of blue, natural red, and
sculptures of Zimbabwe artists.
ly detailed features while other
ebony depending on how they’re
There are over 15 of these excepsets’ figures are perfectly smooth.
polished. All, like the one-piece
tionally remarkable and elegant
The hands of Mary and Joseph
Holy Family, have smooth, flowThis retreating
explores
ourthan
capacity
adapt gracefully
to
stone depictions from Zimbabwe,
are often extra-large
to denote
lines rather
chiseledtodetail.
change.
Any
living
thing
that
stops
changing
has
died.
But our
which is approximately 80%
love and protection.
Figures for some of the
we believe,
with us
each
we navigate
Christian. The sculptures God,
average
often distinguishes
Nativityisscenes
areindone
in moment
a style asWhat
anywhere from about 18 both
inchesthe diffi
andthem
evenelongated.
the welcomed
changes
which
the crèches
is the assortment of
thatcult
makes
In
high to the largest, a graceful
native costume and dress. For
a number of the Nativity scenes
instance, the blues and greens
from the Ivory Coast crèche
with its atypical square figures
give way to the bright reds of the
wrap-around native clothing for
the Holy Family from Kenya/
Tanzania.
The different African dress
becomes a lesson on the universality of the Catholic Church; no
matter in which costume the Holy
Family and the wise men and
shepherds appear, we immediately
know this is a crèche recalling the
birth of Jesus the Messiah.
Interestingly enough, some
of the more extensive scenes
include villagers who come carrying gifts for the Infant Savior.
One incredible scene from
Nigeria has woman villagers
bringing breads, while an eightpiece band playing native instruments marches in a straight line
to visit the Christ Child.
The same is true of the animals. While we expect to see
camels, we are definitely astonished to see elephants coming to
the straw stable to pay homage to
the newborn Babe in the manger.
Native materials also play a
huge role in many crèches. What
a surprise it is to see fine-looking
framed wall art of Nativity scenes
➤ continued on page
28
Retreats at Holy family
for men:
Most weekends
from September
through June.
This year’s retreat theme is: The Courage to Hope.
Do you know that a nationally recognized
ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY
is located in your backyard?
for women:
CROSBY COMMONS at Wesley Village is the proud recipient of the
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January 27-29
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HOLY FAMILY PASSIONIST RETREAT CENTER
303 Tunxis Road • West Hartford, CT 06107
860-521-0440 • [email protected]
Register online: www.holyfamilyretreat.org
Call Lois Poutney today at (203) 225-5000.
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www.wesleyvillage-ct.org • 580 Long Hill Avenue • Shelton, CT
(Located off Exit 53 of the Merritt Parkway or Exit 13 of Route 8)
28
Column
December 2011
The joys of early January
Potpourri
By Thomas H. Hicks
Thomas Hicks is a member
of St. Theresa Parish in Trumbull.
S
ometime around the second
week of January, I usually
experience a sharp feeling
of happiness. I’m filled with
an exhilarating feeling of life. My
happiness surprises me and I’ve
tried to factor it into its components. There are a number of reasons for my feeling so happy.
The main reason is that the
Christmas season was over – the
presents, the parties – and that
was a relief. The hectic commercialism becomes repugnant to me,
and I find it an effort to be officially happy and sentimental.
I heard a grandmother say:
“Isn’t it wonderful, looking forward to the Christmas holidays
again, with all the family coming
to visit? It’s almost as wonderful
as the day they all go home.”
• Newspapers
I’m happy that the days again
take up their usual course. I’m
glad to be again swallowed up in
the usual run of things. For me,
the good times are when nothing
“important” happens, when life
goes on in its ordinary, everyday way. As C. S. Lewis once
remarked, “I like monotony.”
And as Andy Rooney once said,
“Life is best when it’s filled with
small pleasures. The big ones
don’t last.” He’s right. I love a
life full of small adventures, the
daily quiet joys.
Ever since the Christmas after
my wife died, I have felt that the
yuletide is a special hell for those
families who have suffered any
loss, or who must admit to any
imperfection. Christmas is our
time to be aware of what we lack,
We are the proud printers of the
Fairfield County Catholic for the past 20 years.
• Publications
Mass Cards from Holy Family
assortment of Mass Cards of
all kinds - sympathy, get well,
birthday, anniversary, holidays
or a special word of thanks.
We have a collection of new
one-year and perpetual
remembrance folders from
which to choose.
• Catalogs
• Magazines
• Directories
• Coupon Books
C
hristmas
Mass Cards
now available.
• College Course
Catalogs
Give the gift of prayer to
• Business & Financial
Periodicals
• Advertising
Supplements
unpleasant feeling that time is
slipping through our fingers. Even
much of the spiritual talk becomes
routine. It is no doubt difficult
to say something new and fresh
about Christmas, but lately one
wishes preachers could offer from
the pulpit something more satisfying that the annual lament about
“the secularizing of Christmas.”
And one wearies with the annual
December crèches battles.
Yet even for me, the holidays
are sometimes uplifting. It is
pleasant to drive over night roads
and see the lights of stores and
houses aglow in the darkness.
How mellow and inviting a single
candle can look in the window of
a house on a December night.
I admire the perseverance of
anyone who climbs up on the roof
and sets up a Santa Claus and the
reindeers. There is still something
magical about the idea of Santa
coming down the chimney, his
pack just squeezing through with
him; mysterious and wonderful is
the idea of his reindeers’ hooves
on the snowy roof.
There is the exchange of
fumbling affection that presents
symbolize. And once in a while
there is the bliss of being given a
thoughtful gift.
We have a beautiful
• Shoppers
• Free Standing
Inserts
of who’s not there. Christmas is a
memory of other days. For many,
feelings of loneliness and loss are
heightened during the holidays.
Records indicate that the
workload of psychologists and
marriage counselors usually
increases during the Christmas
season. I’ve been told that during the holiday season doctors
prescribe three times as much
tranquilizing medicine than
usual. Police records indicate
an increase in domestic disputes
during this time. Statistics show
an increase in suicide and suicide
attempts at this time of year.
The best Christmases were
when we were children. Time
moved more slowly then, and we
could hardly wait. When we were
in school, my brother and I hated it
when Christmas (and New Year’s
as well) fell on a Monday (or even
worse, on a weekend), because it
meant a briefer vacation.
The Christmas season was
full of surprises. In our grown-up
Christmases, there is little surprise
left. Everything is a bit bland and
predictable. The same Christmas
card list, give or take a few names,
the same stresses and strains in
family living, the same people
at the same parties, the same
someone you love!
Mass Card office: 860.521.6709
205 Spring Hill Road, Trumbull CT 06611
203.261.2548
www.trumbullprinting.com
Call us for a free quote.
HOLY FAMILY PASSIONIST RETREAT CENTER
303 Tunxis Road • West Hartford, CT 06107
860-521-0440 • [email protected]
Order online: www.holyfamilyretreat.org/masscards.
Another reason for my happiness around the second week of
January is that the Solstice has
taken place, and at this time one
can notice that the daylight has
gotten a new grip on life as the
days are quietly lengthening. The
darkest days have passed.
And Advent and Christmas
can assure us that God will come
to us in surprising ways, in ways
and times we least expect. He is
a God who does the unexpected.
And often we do sense something about the surprising ways
of God’s love. Into this world of
fear and worry, Christmas can
bring the confidence that somehow things will be all right.
So I love returning to the
simple adventures in living that
January allows, delighting in the
ordinary and the everyday. But
cold January does tend to outlast
its welcome.
n
Christmas Across Africa
from page 27
or Madonna and Child crafted
from banana leaves.
There is even a section from
the Coptic Christians in Egypt.
These are mostly in icon or twodimensional style done on papyrus. In several, the Theotokos, or
Mother of God, stands with the
Child Jesus next to her. She has
one arm around his shoulder and
with her other hand points to him.
The two-dimensional Coptic
scenes that depict the Flight in to
Egypt with – for whatever reason – a blue donkey, are good
reminders for us that shortly after
Jesus’ birth the Holy Family had
to flee to Egypt to live for a time.
Now 2000 years later, this
crèche exhibit shows us the
Holy Family lives the length and
breadth of Africa, from the large
cities to the small rural villages.
Christmas Across Africa runs
through February 5, 2012. Bonus
exhibits include the 11th annual
Christmas Tree Festival featuring Christmas trees decorated by
school children with handmade
ornaments and Full of Grace:
Crowned Madonnas from the Vatican
Basilica, which continues until
January 8.
(The Knights Museum, located
at 1 State St. in New Haven, is open
daily 10 a.m.5 p.m. Admission and
parking are free. For more information, call 203.865.0400 or visit
www.kofcmuseum.org.)
n
29
December 2011
Column
St. Raymond de Peñafort, January 7
The Communion
of Saints
By Fr. Greg J. Markey
Fr. Markey is pastor of St. Mary
Parish in Norwalk.
E
xtremely gifted from his
childhood, St. Raymond
de Peñafort shows how
someone can use his
gifts for the sake of the Church
and have a dramatic effect on the
Body of Christ and for the salvation of souls.
Raymond was born into noble
Peñafort family in 1175 outside
Barcelona, Spain. Gifted in his
studies and excelling in virtue,
he enjoyed fame as a philosophy
professor at a young age. At the
age of 30, he travelled to Bologna
where he received advanced
degrees in both civil and canon
law. Returning to Barcelona, he
was made a Canon of the archdiocese, but the desire to live
a life of quiet cloistered life
eventually led him to enter the
Dominicans at the age of 47.
Even though he was older and
much better educated than the
rest of the novices, he excelled
in humility and obedience, even
asking for extra penance from
his superiors in reparation for
wasting time earlier in life. His
superior responded by telling him
to write a guide for confessors. In
obedience, Raymond wrote the
Summa de Casibus Poentitentialibus,
a book for confessors containing doctrine and maxims on
Christian morality, the first of its
kind in the history of the Church.
After his ordination he labored
intensely, preaching, teaching
and hearing confessions, and
he earned the title of “excellent
Minister of the Sacrament of
Penance.”
He was then called to work
in an area that would involve
the rest of his priesthood: overcoming the Muslim invaders of
Spain. The Muslims had invaded
Spain 600 years previously and
suppressed much of the Catholic
faith. Churches were destroyed
and many Catholics were imprisoned as slaves. The Church need-
ed an inspired voice to help the
Spaniards reclaim their country.
As a Dominican preacher,
Raymond was commissioned to
preach the “Reconquista,” the
Spanish Crusade to retake their
country from the Muslim invaders. He enjoyed great success by
telling his Spanish flock that in
order to overcome their political
enemies they must first conquer
their spiritual enemies and subdue
sin within themselves. The exterior purification of their country
first required interior purification.
Raymond also asked his fellow Dominican, Friar Thomas
Aquinas, to write a book of
philosophical arguments against
the Muslims about the truths of
Christianity. This book eventually
became the famed Summa Contra
Gentiles, or Against the Gentiles.
Lastly, Raymond also founded
an order with St. Peter Nolasco
called Our Lady of Mercy for
the Ransom of Captives, or
Mercedarians, whose purpose
was to deliver captives from
the hands of Muslim tyrants.
Thousands of Catholic slaves
were freed due to the work of this
religious order.
Pope Gregory IX called Friar
Raymond to Rome in 1230 to
be his personal confessor and
assigned him the immense task of
compiling the scattered decrees
of popes and councils into an
orderly form of law. After three
years of intense work, he published his five volume Decretals
in 1234. This work was the primary text of Canon law for the
Church up until 1917, when the
first official Code of Canon Law
was published. For this reason
St. Raymond de Peñafort is the
patron saint of canon lawyers.
Titles and positions of influence were now being offered to
this simple Dominican Friar.
He barely escaped from being
appointed as the Archbishop
of Tarrogona. However, when
the superior of the Domincans,
Blessed Jordan of Saxony,
drowned in shipwreck returning from the Holy Land, Friar
Raymond was shocked to find
himself chosen as the new superior. He only maintained this
position for two years but he successfully revised the Constitutions
of the Dominican Order.
Although he enjoyed great
influence among the nobility of
his time, he spent much of the
rest of his life preaching and trying to convert the Jews and the
Moors. In 1256, he converted and
baptized 10,000 Muslims.
Never a stranger to the cross,
he instructed Catholics to recognize the danger of a comfortable
life, and the true fruit of suffering for Christ. “May you never
be numbered among those whose
house is peaceful, quiet, and free
from care; those on whom the
Lord’s chastisement does not
descend; those who live out
their days in prosperity, and in
the twinkling of an eye will go
down to hell.”
Sometimes St. Raymond is
SAINTLYLIVES
depicted sailing across the sea
in his black habit. The story is
that when his friend King James
refused to give up his mistress,
Friar Raymond refused to stay
on the island of Majorca with
him. However, the king refused
to allow him to leave. So St.
Raymond placed a staff on the
sea, stepped on the staff, and
then sailed by the wind in his
habit all the way back to the
mainland of Spain.
This miracle is remembered
in the opening collect of the
Extraordinary Form of the Mass:
“O God, who did choose blessed
Raymond to be eminent as a minister of the sacrament of penance
and didst lead him wondrously
across the waves of the sea; grant
that by his intercession we may be
able to bring forth worthy fruits of
penance, and to reach the port of
everlasting life.” Amen. n
BY ED WALDRON
30
Bits & Pieces
“TAPESTRY OF LIGHT:
A Celtic Christmas Celebration”
will be presented by Our Lady of
Fatima Parish Festival Choir on
Sun., Dec. 11, at 3 p.m. at Villa
Notre Dame, 345 Belden Hill Rd.
Wilton. It will feature the Adult
Choir, Children’s Choir and special accompanists. The featured
composition uses familiar Celtic
folktunes to tell the Nativity
story in the style of traditional
Lessons and Carols. For more
information, call the parish:
203.762.3928.
GAUDETE CONCERT of
Advent and Christ music with
organist Marie Lenox will be held
Sun., Dec. 11, at 3 p.m. in St.
Patrick Church, Bridgeport. Free
will offering will benefit the organ
restoration. For more information
call the parish: 203.335.0106.
ADVENT MISSION:
“Awakening Our Faith in
Challenging Times” with Fr.
Dan Lanahan, OFM, will be
held at St. Thomas Aquinas
Parish, Fairfield, Mon.-Wed.,
Dec. 12-14, at 7:30 p.m. For
more information, call the parish:
203.255.1097.
SERIES ON THE SAINTS
sponsored by the Catholic Forum
at St. Rose of Lima Parish,
Newtown, will feature “20th
Century Martyrs” with Carol
Pinard, diocesan director of religious education programs, on
Mon., Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m. and
“Mary, Queen of Saints” with
Fr. Peter John Cameron O.P.,
author of Mysteries of the Virgin
Mary: Living Our Lady’s Graces, on
Mon., Dec. 19, at 7:30 p.m. For
more information, call the parish:
CATHOLIC
PROFESSIONAL
NETWORK
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• TV PIPE INSPECTION
• AIR TESTING
• JET RODDING
• VACTOR SERVICE
Home PC & Mac Help
December 2011
203.426.1014.
ADVENT CONCERT: an
evening of music and Scripture
featuring In+Sight will be held
at St. James Parish, Stratford on
Tues., Dec. 13, from 7:30-8:30
p.m. For more information, call
the parish: 203.375.5887.
FREE AND LOW-COST
MAMMOGRAPHY will be
offered through St. Vincent’s
SWIM Women’s Imaging Center
for women age 35 and older
on Mon., Wed., Dec. 14, from
9 a.m.-1p.m., at St. Joseph’s
Manor, 6448 Main Street,
Trumbull. Mammograms are
free for those who do not have
health insurance, have financial
limitations and qualify for assistance, and discounted for those
who do not have insurance but
do not qualify for free services.
Appointments are necessary; a
physician order and insurance
card must be brought to the
appointment. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 203.576.5500.
FOOD DRIVE will be held
by the Knights of Columbus Park
City Council on Thurs., Dec. 15.
Drop off time: 6:45 at the Knights
Hall, 2540 Park Ave., Bridgeport.
Non-perishable food items
wanted, including canned soups
and veggies, pasta, rice, cereal,
and peanut butter. Monetary
donations welcome; make checks
payable to Knights of Columbus.
For more information, call Nick:
203.374.6202.
ZITI DINNER will be offered
at the Park City Council Knights
of Columbus Hall, 2540 Park
Ave. Bridgeport on Thurs., Dec.
15, at 6:45 p.m. Cost: $8/person
THE MASS for Christmas will be televised on the following
channels: THE NET Vigil Mass (formerly The Prayer Channel)
Time Warner, Channel 97; Cablevision, Channel 30, at 6 p.m.
on Sat., Dec. 24. Sun., Dec. 25, Christmas Day: WNYW,
Channel 5, 5:30 a.m.; ABC Family, 6 a.m., & 5:30 a.m. in CT;
WLNY, Channel 10/55, 9 a.m. Those channels will also televise
the New Year’s Day Mass (for the feast of Mary, Mother of God)
on the same schedule.
includes ziti meatballs, salad,
bread and butter, dessert and coffee. Proceeds benefit the seminarian fund. For more information,
call Nick: 203.374.6202
HANDEL’S MESSIAH
will be presented by the
Danbury Music Centre at the
First Congregational Church,
Danbury, on Fri., Dec. 16, at
7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:45
p.m. The church is located on the
corner of West St. and Deer Hill
Ave. Suggested donations is $10/
person; $15/family. For more
information, call the Danbury
Music Centre: 203.748.1716.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
will be held in St. Theresa
Church, Trumbull, on Sun., Dec.
18, at 4 p.m. Concert includes
selections from Handel’s Messiah
and other Christmas favorites.
Free will donation. For more
information, call the parish:
203.261.3676 or contact music
director Dr. Carolina Flores:
[email protected].
LITHUANIAN
CHRISTMAS EVE (traditional
“Kucios”) sponsored by the
Knights of Lithuania will be held
at St. George Parish, Bridgeport,
on Sun., Dec. 18, at 12 noon. For
more information and for reservations, call 203.878.0519.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
performed by the St. Raphael
Italian Choir will be held in St.
Raphael Church, Bridgeport, on
Triple S Fall 2011
NewComputer
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Arthur Christmas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-II (PG)
USCCB RATINGS:
A-I – General patronage
A-II – Adults & adolescents
A-III – Adults
L – Limited Adult Audience
O – Morally Offensive
Happy Feet Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-II (PG)
Hugo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-II (PG)
Immortals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O (R)
Jack and Jill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-III (PG)
The Descendants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L (R)
The Muppets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-I (PG)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1 . . . . . . A-III (PG-13)
31
December 2011
Bits & Pieces
Fri., Dec. 23, starting at 6 p.m.
Free admission; refreshments
served afterwards in the church
hall. For more information, call
Pia Ramadanovic: 203.400.5828.
CURSILLO ULTREYAS
are held at locations around the
diocese: Tues., Jan. 3, at the
Catholic Center, Bridgeport, at 7
p.m.; and Thurs., Jan. 19, at St.
Mary Parish, Bethel, at 7:30 p.m.
For more information, contact
Jim: [email protected].
BIBLE STUDY: “Women of
the Old Testament,” part of the
Little Rock Scripture Study courses, will be held at St. Catherine of
Siena Parish, Riverside on Mon.
evenings, starting Mon., Jan. 9,
thru Mon., Mar. 19, from 7:30-9
p.m. It will also run Tues. mornings starting Tues., Jan. 10-Mar.
20, from 10-11:30 a.m. $20 materials fee. For more information or
to register, call 203.637.3661 or
go to www.stcath.org.
MASSES OF HEALING
AND HOPE sponsored by the
Charismatic Renewal Office will
be offered Mon., Jan. 9, at 7:30
p.m. at Christ the King Parish,
Trumbull, with Fr. Larry Carew;
and Mon., Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m.
at St. Lawrence Parish, Shelton,
with Fr. Charles Allen. For more
information, call 203.268.8253.
GOSPEL OF LIFE
SOCIETY will meet at St.
Mary Parish, Norwalk, on Sat.,
Jan. 14, at 10 a.m. after the 9
a.m. Pro-Life Mass. Fr. Paul
Check will offer an update on
the Courage organization. For
more information, contact Eileen
Bianchini: 203.847.5727 or
[email protected].
PRAYER CENACLE offered
through the Magnificat Women’s
Ministry will be hosted at the
home of Roxane Angotta, 25
Maplewood Drive, Danbury.
Meetings will be held the third
Wed. of each month from 7:309:30 p.m., starting Wed., Jan.
18. For more information or to
tell her you’re coming, contact
Roxane: 203.778.3950 or e-mail
[email protected]
NATIONAL CATHOLIC
YOUTH CHOIR is accepting
applications now through Mar.
19, 2012, for the 13th season
camp and concert tour: June
12-27, 2012. Fr. Anthony Ruff,
OSB is the choir’s founding director and the choir is led by choral
conductor Dr. Axel Theimer.
Talented high school students
entering grades 10, 11, and 12
the fall of 2012 can download
application and audition forms at
www.CatholicYouthChoir.org.
REUNION II at St. Mary,
Stamford, will take place Fri.,
Apr. 13, at the Italian Center in
Stamford. To get on the mailing list, alums can e-mail Phyllis
Taylor: [email protected] or
mail contact information to St.
Mary’s Reunion, 566 Elm St.,
Stamford, CT 06902.
JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME
a 15-day pilgrimage to the
Holy Land, Cairo and Rome
will be hosted by St. Mary
and St. Benedict-Our Lady of
Montserrat parishes in Stamford
with Fr. Rolando Torres starting Sat., Feb. 11, 2013. Cost:
$4,023 includes transportation
and hotels, guides, a boat ride
on the Sea of Galilee, breakfast
and dinner, and tips. For more
information, contact Fr. Torres:
203.324.7321 or rolandomalak@
gmail.com.
“AN INTERFAITH
CANDLELIGHT SERVICE
OF REMEMBRANCE” will
be hosted by the “We Care”
Perinatal Grief Support Group
of St. Vincent’s Medical Center
on Wed., Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. in
the chapel on the main level.
The group is for those grieving the loss of a baby through
miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy,
stillborn, or newborn death. No
registration is required. For more
information, call Sister Arthur
Marie Donnelly: 203.576.5110. n
TRUMBULL – Students at St. Catherine of Siena School used newfound skills to make the Thomas Merton House in Bridgeport feel (and
smell and taste) a little more like home this month. The school participated
in the Life Skills Bread Baking Program, sponsored by King Arthur Flour.
As part of the program, King Arthur instructor Gina Ciancia visited the
school and taught about 160 students in third through eighth grades how
to bake a whole-grain loaf of bread. The students’ homework assignment
was to take their new skills, and supplies donated by King Arthur, and bake
two loaves of bread, one for their family and one to donate. Each student
received four pounds of flour to take home.
Shown here, Ciancia goes over the basics of baking with eighth graders
Joey Martino and Margaret Baik, explaining the role of yeast, why bread
rises and what gluten is. The program is a way to involve children with
the community and teach math, science and cultural traditions. “They’re
learning the value and the joy of giving something back to the community,” Cianca says. “Food pantries are delighted to have loaves of freshly
baked homemade bread to offer the people they serve.”
St. Catherine Principal Beth Hamilton says that the lessons have been taken
to heart. “The kids came in here the next morning and they were so excited
and proud of themselves,” she says. “And we had 160 loaves of bread to
donate.”
(Photo and text courtesy of Donald Eng/Trumbull Times)
St.
Camillus
R
&N
C
ehabilitation
ursing
enter
We provide rehab
& nursing services
for many needs
and conditions.
Some of these are:
Strokes
Total Joint
Replacements
Orthopedic
Disorders
Neurological
Disorders
Cardiopulmonary
Conditions
Fractures
Amputations
Muscular
Disorders
Post Surgical Care
Wound Care
IV Therapy
Short-Term Rehabilitation
Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapies
offered six days per week
Specialized Wound-Care Nurse
Nurse Practitioner Services
Cable television and telephone service
Private rooms available • Full recreation program
In-house Chapel/Daily Mass
Medicare • Medicaid • Private/Insurance Manage care
accepted • Long term + Hospice Care available.
Office: 203.517.1720 • Cell: 203.249.2756 • Fax: 203.325.0456
494 Elm Street • Stamford, Connecticut 06902
If you think grades
aren’t that important,
you probably don’t
have heart disease.
HealthGrades® 2012: A stellar report card for St. Vincent’s.
For the 10th year in a row, HealthGrades®, America’s most trusted, independent source of hospital
quality outcomes, has ranked St. Vincent’s Medical Center in the nation’s top 10% for coronary
interventional procedures. We are also honored to receive the 2012 HealthGrades® Coronary
Intervention Excellence Award™. In addition, our program received 5-star ratings for Coronary
Interventional Procedures and Treatment of Heart Attack, and HealthGrades® ranked us in the top 10 in
Connecticut for a variety of cardiac services.
For more information about St. Vincent’s Regional Heart and Vascular Center and our 2012 HealthGrades®
rankings, please visit our website at www.stvincents.org
2800 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT 06606
Call our Care Line at 1.877.255.SVHS
for more information.
Setting The Standard For Care You Can Trust