FORMED in Faith!

The Pastoral Staff has been looking for a resource for quite some time for our parishioners to use at home and for us to use in the course of our ministry in the school, in religious education, and other adult education programs. WE FOUND IT! It gives me great joy to share with you that our parish now has a subscription to FORMED, a premier online platform filled with over 4,000 Catholic studies, movies, audio dramas, talks, e-books, and even cartoons for our children. FORMED has content from over 60 apostolates, including Augustine Institute, Ignatius Press, and the Knights of Columbus, with material that is professionally produced, engaging, and solid in its catechism. BEST OF ALL, THIS MATERIAL IS FREE TO YOU! With the support of the Parish Finance Council, the Parish purchased a subscription to FORMED that provides any family in our parish FREE access to it as well.

Our parish Pastoral Staff will be using the material on FORMED to support our ministries and provide continuing education for staff members and parishioners, as well as outreach for our sick and homebound members. On FORMED you will find children’s programming, audio talks, e-books and more!

When you sign-up you will have easy access to all of the material on FORMED to support your own faith journey and that of your family members, for example:

· Are you hesitant to return to the Sacrament of Reconciliation after a long absence? Watch Forgiven: The Transforming Power of Confession.

· Would you like to be more confident in answering your teenagers’ questions about the validity of the Gospels? Watch Lectio: The Case for Jesus.

· Do you search for a reliable source of Catholic teaching on current issues? Tune in each week to The Augustine Institute Show with Dr. Tim Gray.

· Have you despaired of finding good movies that your family can enjoy together on a Friday night? Start with Mother Teresa, the story of the selfless saint who brought hope and love to the poorest of the poor.

· Have you struggled to find a movie you are comfortable leaving on the television for your children while you were running to do the dishes in the kitchen? Check out the Kids Movies section of FORMED and you won’t need to worry about content or inappropriate language.

You can enjoy FORMED on your computer or on your television with an inexpensive Roku device or Apple TV. You can even listen on your phone as you commute to work or do chores. My hope and prayer is that the content on FORMED will enrich, deepen, and inspire your faith.

To gain access to all of FORMED’s content, follow these simple steps:

· Go to https://signup.formed.org/

· Enter our parish’s zip code or name to select our parish

· Enter your name and your email address

That’s it! You’re in. Now you can get the free FORMED app for your phone by searching FORMED Catholic in your app store.

I cannot wait to hear from our parishioners how you are using FORMED in your homes and from our catechists and teachers how it is being used in the education of our young people!

Smart Boards…as I announced last weekend in preparing for the upcoming year of Religious Education classes in our parish family and NOW with FORMED as a resource our catechists can utilize, we need additional Smart Boards. We have all new Smart Boards in our school but for those classes held in the Education Wing at Saint Thomas Becket Campus we only have one Smart Board, which was donated in memory of Doreen Festa, who you may remember worked in our religious education department before her passing. We are grateful to her family for donating this Smart Board, which is a real gift to the many programs and events that are held at this Campus, which utilize the technology available.

We are looking for five families, we have one already from last weekend so we need four more, who might be willing to donate a Smart Board ($5,000 for Board and Cart) in memory of a loved one for each of the classrooms in the Education Wing. These Smart Boards would enable our catechists the ability to use more technology in teaching our young people the faith. I know our catechists are hopeful for this possibility. We would put a plaque similar to the one seen in the bulletin. If you are interested in donating one, please email me at frromans@cheshirecatholic.org.

THE PARISH PICNIC WAS AMAZING! THANK YOU ONE AND ALL for making the Parish Picnic such a memorable experience. The day that God gave us to celebrate as a parish family was truly a gift! The Parish Picnic was simply amazing thanks to the beautiful day, the organizers, the volunteers, and EACH AND EVERY parishioner who came to be together for a day of faith, food, fellowship, and fun!

It is probably my favorite day of the year and this year, after the pandemic, even more so! As your Pastor, it warms my heart to see our parishioners coming together in such large numbers, to see people enjoying the afternoon on our parish grounds, to witness firsthand old friendships renewed and new friendships made, and to see our young people so excited whether at the bouncy houses, playing in the cornhole tournament, playing in the new GAGA pit, or playing out on the field. I love seeing everyone enjoying themselves and building up our parish family! That is what it is all about!

Here are some comments from those who attended:

One parishioner told me the other night at another event, “Thank you Father for the Parish Picnic. You know I was so happy it was a beautiful day and so many came to be together. After the pandemic, we all needed it!”

One of our volunteers said “Everyone was so happy to be there. It was wonderful to be able to simply be together. It’s events like this that make me proud to be part of such a vibrant parish family.”

One of our more seasoned parishioners told me at Mass the next day that she sat behind the altar and as she looked out on the field she was filled with joy to see so many young families coming to Mass. She loved seeing so many kids enjoying the afternoon together.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and we were indeed blessed with this chance to finally be together and grow in our relationships with one another!

A huge thank you to Rebecca and Barry Berkowitz, Tracy and Vito Catalanotto, and Patty & Larry Richard our General Co-Chairs of this AMAZING Parish Picnic. I am sure I speak for all of us when I say THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK over the past months, your DEDICATION OF TIME, and your TREMENDOUS ORGANIZATION OF OUR PARISH PICNIC. It ran so smoothly. Words can never fully express our gratitude for all that you have done to organize such an amazing parish-building event, but THANK YOU!

Thank you to the countless volunteers who labored to make it all happen. Special shout out to Jeff Strange, our Chef Extraordinaire, and Patti Flynn-Harris who who organized a huge team of volunteers and worked so well all weekend chopping and dicing, as well as our Knights of Columbus, Rick Ciaburri our photographer, and so many others. You know who you are and I hope and pray you know my gratitude and that of our whole parish family!

Special Gratitude as well to our Musicians!!! Thank you to Mrs. Julia Atwood, our Director of Music, who coordinated such a large effort bringing together all musicians from our parish and school to make joyful song in praise of our Lord. Thanks to our cantor Laura Intravia, our instrumentalists, and our choir members from our Adult Choir, our Contemporary Choir, and our Children’s Choir who joined in offering the music for our outdoor Mass! It was such a special treat to see all the musicians working together to lead us in song. Your talents provided us with such a prayerful and powerful experience, thank you!

Finally, we offer profound thanks to the following individuals and companies whose generosity helped defray the cost of our picnic: Arisco Farms, Rebecca and Barry Berkowitz, Bozzuto’s, Tracy and Vito Catalanotto, CK Greenhouses, Jay Cunningham and Family at Holiday Hill, Hilzinger Farms, Napoli’s, Jeff Strange, AJ Wallinger of A.J. Waste Systems LLC, Powerstation, John LaRosa, Keith Erickson, Patty and Larry Richard, William and Sue DeVylder, Keith Erickson and AES Remedial Contracting, Dee Ferry and her team at Mad Tents, and the many parishioners who made special financial donations to assist the picnic as well. Thank you to each and every one of you!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the many, many people who assisted in any and every way that day to help make it a success! Your kindness and generosity made it all possible. Thank you!

As always, remember to pray for vocations, pray for our young people, pray for our parish families and ask God’s blessings as we strive to build His kingdom here. Please know that I am praying for you, and I ask for your prayers for me, that together through the intercession of Saint Bridget of Sweden, our Patroness, and united in the Eucharist, we will reflect the presence of Jesus to the world.

It's Picnic Time!

Dear Friends in Christ:

One of my favorite days of the year is here—the Saint Bridget of Sweden Annual Parish Picnic!!! I am even more excited this year than ever before since we were not able to gather together in 2020 for our Annual Parish Picnic.

The Parish Picnic provides us a relaxed setting to gather together, outside and as safely as possible, to come together as a family of faith and share a wonderful afternoon of food, fellowship, and fun. How excited I am to see our parishioners gather together for an outdoor Mass and then spend the afternoon enjoying our vast field whether relaxing with one another and catching up in small groups, playing in the Corn Hole Competition, or enjoying a variety of sports and other activities. Each year, during the picnic, I find myself spending a moment or two just looking out over the field and feeling such warmth as I witness our parishioners of all ages coming together and building relationships.

I pray that we may use this time to come to know one another better, to strengthen old friendships and create new ones, to share a meal together and build up our family of faith. I realize there still may be some apprehension about gathering together in such number but we do so outside and respecting the space of one another and the individual choice of whether to wear a mask or not since we are outside.

An event like the Parish Picnic really does build up our family of faith as we are able to come together whether it be for spiritual activities or social. Families need to be together, whether we are speaking of our particular families or our parish family. Families need time to “be” together, to spend time with one another, to encourage one another, to support one another, and to care for one another. It is indeed a joy to come together today as the family of Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish!

Each year this occasion gets me thinking about who we are as a parish family! In particular this year, as we continue to emerge from the pandemic and begin to slowly return to some “normalcy” in the day-to-day life of our parish family, I am thinking about the many ministries, programs, and events we have in our parish family. Think of the many ways we are growing together in faith through bible studies, book clubs, adult education programs, religious education classes, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and Theology on Tap. But we also have a very active Knights of Columbus Council, as well as, the Men’s Club, the Women’s Society, our Cheshire Catholic Youth Ministry (NGD—Next Generation of Disciples), our Parish Pro-Life Ministry. In addition, we also have the ministry of St. Bridget School that serves our parish family and those from surrounding towns. So many of our programs, which we strive to offer throughout the year, are aimed at helping us to know Jesus personally, to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ, and to grow in our understanding of the faith.

And even in the midst of a pandemic, we continued to GROW. During the months of the pandemic, our Young Adult Ministry i.d.9:16 was being formed together by Peter Burak and the staff of i.d.9:16 and Renewal Ministries. If you are in your 20’s through 50’s, whether you are married, single, with or without kids, i.d.9:16 invites you to join our community! i.d.9:16 exists to help men and women become intentional disciples of Jesus Christ. Meeting on a monthly basis, our young adults will grow deeper in faith and learn to live out the call to be followers of Christ. See their article in the bulletin for more information on when they gather and PLEASE consider joining them on this journey.

And we also saw in recent weeks the addition of another ministry for high school aged girls in our community. The Handmaids of the Lord is a new ministry in our parish family aimed at helping young woman talk about and learn more about what it means to be a daughter of Christ and how to live authentic Catholic femininity in this crazy world. They meet on the Second Friday of the month and any high school aged girl is invited to attend.

And in the coming weeks we will begin to see a new support group for divorced Catholics begin to meet on Mondays. We are also beginning a new weekly men’s group that is open to ALL Catholic men over 18 beginning on Saturday, October 2nd. This group will include a 12-episode DVD Series with small group discussions on Into the Breach. This video series seeks to answer the question of what it means to be a man and how to live as a man in today’s world covering topics such as, Masculinity, Brotherhood, Leadership, Fatherhood, Family, Life, Prayer, Suffering, Sacramental Life, Spiritual Warfare, Evangelization, and more.

We are also connecting with hundreds of people through our use of social media and the Parish App, as well as livestreaming Mass, devotions, and other events for those still not comfortable to return to in-person gatherings:

Parish Facebook Page @stbridgetofswedenparish. We are going LIVE every Tuesday morning with #beyondthebulletin and on Thursday morning with #apologetics101. We also post a picture of my dog Fenway every Friday helping out around the parish and school called #fenwayfriday! And currently we are doing a special program on Getting to Know our Heavenly Family and Hidden Miracles. Check out our page! Follow us!

We have a Parish Instagram Account @sboscheshire! We have begun to use Instagram in an effort to reach out to those not on Facebook. We send out motivational and scriptural messages periodically as a way to connect with our parishioners and their spiritual lives.

Parish App…If you haven’t signed up for the Parish App yet please do so TODAY! Text APP to phone number 88202. You will receive a link, click on it, open it in the store, download, search, and enter St. Bridget of Sweden and then click get started! It is that easy! It is a phenomenal source of information for the life and activity of our parish family and it offers resources helping us to grow in our faith as well.

While we do much to Grow in our faith we also do much to Live out that faith. We truly put our Faith into Action as a parish family as well! Together we work to reach out to those who are in need, we work with the Cheshire Community Food Pantry by donating items each week, harvesting the Garden at our South Campus, organizing our Stuff-a-Bus with St. Bridget School, and through our Advent Giving Tree Program. We serve at the Saint Vincent DePaul Mission in Waterbury through our cooking a meal once-a-month for the Shelter and through our Friends Feeding Friends at the Soup Kitchen. We also hold collections of items for Carolyn’s Place in Waterbury and do the Baby Bottle Boomerang collection to support their ministry and good works. We work together on the Sandwich Ministry, and we have ministries designed to meet particular needs in the lives of others such as our Ministry of Praying Hands and their prayer shawls, the Ministry of Hope and Healing and their bereavement programs and group, and the Parish Visiting Program and their outreach to the homebound. We truly strive to work together and find ways to meet the needs of others in our community and beyond. The opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others as a family of faith are endless.

Won’t you consider getting involved? There is something for people of all ages, and we hope and pray you will hear the Lord calling you to get active in the life of our parish as we grow together in faith! Where is God calling you to get involved?

You can watch the bulletin for information regarding all of our new organizations and ministries, or you can join their particular group on our parish App and keep informed that way. I invite, and encourage, every member of our parish family to become more involved in the ministries of our parish!

Visit our new and improved parish website and see all that is going on in our parish family. Check it out at www.cheshirecatholic.org. You can find all sorts of information about the day-to-day programs, events, and activities taking place in our parish on the events page as well as an updated calendar. It is my hope that you will find an event or numerous events to come to and join your fellow parishioners as we continue to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.

DON’T FORGET BEGINNING NEXT WEEKEND we have a NEW MASS SCHEDULE! As announced back in June of this year, the Parish Pastoral Council was asked to create a new Mass schedule that would be realistic and provide the chance for our parish to be a church characterized by spiritual vitality. I believe the Council discerned a way forward that is spiritually fruitful, vibrant, and sustainable for the near future. The New Schedule beginning next weekend will be:

Saturday

4PM in Saint Bridget Church

5:15PM in Saint Thomas Becket Church

Sunday

7:30AM, 9AM, and 10:30AM in Saint Bridget Church

4PM in Saint Bridget Church (9/26/2021-5/22/2022)

1. The 7:30AM will continue to be the “quiet Mass” without the use of music for that liturgy each Sunday.

2. Yes, it is correct that there will now only be one Mass in Saint Thomas Becket Church. The numbers prior to the pandemic just did not warrant having two Masses at our South Campus. Having the second Vigil will be one of the things continuing to be closely monitored. If people come in good number, we will keep it, otherwise we may not.

3. The same can be said for the 4PM on Sunday afternoons. We will be closely monitoring the attendance at this Mass as well. Prior to the pandemic, the numbers at this Mass fluctuated a great deal. While we have two priests here serving, we can continue to offer this option and see if the numbers increase. If they do not, or if we are reduced to be a one-priest parish, then this Mass will likely be the first removed.

What will this mean for intentions scheduled through December 31, 2021? Father, what about my intention for my mother for the 11AM Mass? Here is a chart to help you figure this out:

Intention from old Mass time New Mass Time

4PM, Saturday 4PM, Saturday

5:30PM, Saturday 5:15PM, Saturday

7:30AM, Sunday 7:30AM, Sunday

9AM, Sunday 9AM, Sunday

10AM, Sunday 10:30AM, Sunday

11AM, Sunday 4PM, Sunday

Smart Boards…last but not least, as we prepare for the upcoming year of Religious Education classes in our parish family, I am thinking about Smart Boards. We have all new Smart Boards in our school but for those classes held in the Education Wing at Saint Thomas Becket Campus we only have one Smart Board which was donated in memory of Doreen Festa who you may remember worked in our religious education department before her death. We are grateful to her family for donating this Smart Board, which is a real gift to the many programs and events that are held at this Campus, which utilize the technology available. We are looking for five families who might be willing to donate a Smart Board in memory of a loved one for each of the classrooms in the Education Wing. These Smart Boards would enable our catechists the ability to use more technology in teaching our young people the faith. I know our catechists are hopeful for this possibility. We would put a plaque similar to the one seen here. If you are interested in donating one, please email me at frromans@cheshirecatholic.org.

Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish is hiring for two positions:

1. Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish is still accepting applications for a NEW position in our Parish Office. We are seeking an individual to work a few hours on the weekend to be more accessible to our parishioners who are seeking Mass cards, sponsor certificates, or any other hosts of items. This is a Part-Time Position for Saturdays from 9:30a.m. until 12:30p.m. year-round. Applicants must be over the age of 18, have phenomenal interpersonal skills, basic computer skills, and have a desire to help others. Any interested persons are asked to email a resume to rectory@stbridgetcheshire.org. Applicants also must be comfortable with dogs since Fenway spends most of the day in the office.

2. Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish is also seeking applications for a Part-Time position in our Maintenance Department. A part-time position exists for a maintenance worker who will perform general cleaning and minor maintenance duties in maintaining the many facilities of our parish to a clean and orderly functional condition, under the direction of the Facilities and Grounds Coordinator. Duties include but are not limited to: cleaning of bathrooms, cleaning of churches, vacuuming and mopping floors, emptying trash receptacles, outside grounds maintenance, light painting, snow removal during the winter months, and other tasks as arise within the parish and school facilities. The position is 25 hours a week. Previous maintenance and/or custodial experience is preferred. Any candidate interested is asked to contact the parish office at rectory@stbridgetcheshire.org for a more detailed job description.

As always, remember to pray for vocations, pray for our young people, pray for our parish families and ask God’s blessings as we strive to build His kingdom here. Please know that I am praying for you, and I ask for your prayers for me, that together through the intercession of Saint Bridget of Sweden, our Patroness, and united in the Eucharist, we will reflect the presence of Jesus to the world.

Never Forget

Dear Friends in Christ:

Every now and then in history, something happens which creates a lasting memory. There are historic events that everyone remembers, along with exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard about them. These are events so powerful and impactful that the effect is obvious. My grandparents generation would remember where they were on Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1941, my parents would remember where they were on the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated or Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, and my generation will always remember where we were during the September 11th Terrorists Attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

I remember it well, almost like I have a camera picture in my mind of exactly where I was at the moment it was being reported on the news, though I wish it was never a memory. September 11, 2001, began as a typical Tuesday in Seminary. Yes I was still in Seminary on that date. We had morning Mass and breakfast as a community and I didn’t have classes until the afternoon on Tuesdays so I went for a haircut (I had a full head of hair back then). I left the Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, and traveled down Commonwealth Avenue to Newton Center to the barbershop. I was sitting in the chairs waiting my turn when the little television they had came on with Breaking News. It was one of those really small, like 13 inch, televisions that people would have had in their dorm rooms. It was being reported that a small prop plane smashed into the World Trade Center North Tower at 8:46AM. It was then my turn for a haircut and as we were finishing up again Breaking News that a second plane had now struck the South Tower at 9:03AM. This was not a coincidence, and later was determined to be commercial airline planes and not prop planes. As the older guys gathered around the little television I made my way back to the Seminary, but it would no longer be an ordinary day, it would be a horrific day of watching the news, the chaos unfold in Boston and elsewhere, and a look on President Bush’s face I can still see in my mind as he was informed what was happening.

Boston, New York, our great land was under attack and sadly two of the high-jacked planes came from Boston’s Logan Airport. We gathered as a community and watched the events unfold. Passengers evacuated from the airport, high-rise office buildings being evacuated with people in tears and fearful, barricades being set-up around the Navy Yard in nearby Charlestown, planes grounded throughout the country, people stranded in places they did not expect, federal agents investigating connections and leads in hotels near the airport in Boston, and, of course, the horrific images we watched of those Twin Towers being brought down to the ground as thousands of people died. Sadness, emptiness, shock, fear filled us all as we watched the days events unfold, and what could we do…simply pray.

We, as a Seminary community, gathered in prayer. People flocked to their local churches to light candles and pray. Parishes held prayer vigils. Thousands gathered on the plaza at Boston City Hall to attend an interfaith vigil of prayer and solidarity.

In the days, weeks, and months that followed many of us learned of people we knew who were in those buildings or on those planes, we learned the stories of countless people who that day for one reason or another did not go into work, we learned of the life of Father Mychal Judge who was a Franciscan Friar and Chaplain to the New York City Fire Department who died serving his fellow firemen. It seemed as if everyone, at least up here in the Northeast knew someone or a family that was directly impacted by the terrorist attacks. What could we do to comfort them? What could we say? No one seemed to know. But we did know one thing—that coming together in prayer was a way in which we could show our love and support during such a horrific experience. It was time, perhaps like no other, when Americans were united…no longer taking political sides, no longer liberal or conservative, no longer being separated by religious beliefs…we were Americans, and united we stood, as we faced this time of peril together.

So much has changed in these twenty years. So much now divides us, sadly. But I am convinced that the compassion of Americans for one another which we saw clearly in the days after 9/11 still lives in our hearts even if it has been obscured by layers of division, bad feelings, and the like.

How can I say this? Because we have seen it! The September 11th attacks were one kind of trauma — shocking, blunt, a blur of horror — during which we united together, took down barriers, and stood in solidarity with one another.

Well we have seen this again, recently last year, when we began to face the COVID-19 pandemic. Albeit a pandemic is a slow-moving catastrophe that seems unending, but nonetheless it was something that brought us back to be united with one another, to reveal the goodness that is in our hearts, and to seek ways to stand together and overcome this pandemic TOGETHER. If you look deep enough you will see that at the core of who we are is really a desire to be united…to show care and concern for one another. We see this in the First Responders, the Teachers, and all those on the front lines who dealt and deal with COVID-19 every day. We see this every time someone chooses to wear a mask or get vaccinated, showing by their actions care and concern for those around them.

As we remember the horrific and life-changing events of 9/11 on this the 20th Anniversary, let us seek ways to bring us back to this desire to show that we are a united people, that we are stronger together, and that we care and love one another as Jesus has loved us!

Let us pray…Heavenly Father, on this the 20th Anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11, we come before you with sorrow and apprehension. We lift to You in prayer all those who died in the Twin Towers, at the Pentagon, and on United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. We entrust them to Your loving care. Console their families, friends, and all who mourn this loss. We also pray for ourselves as we seek Your strength and guidance. We recall this tragedy and stand united in need of Your assistance. Enable us, Dear God, to put an end to fear by resolving to live lives that are based on respect for one another; care and concern for our neighbors regardless of ethnicity, race, or religion. Let us resolve that in the face of hatred, we will show love; that in times of despair, we will be voices of hope; and that in times of darkness, we will be sources of light. Today we honor the memory of nearly 3,000 individuals who died on September 11, 2001, and today we resolve with the help of your Grace to truly live in such a way that we mirror the love of Your Son, Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

On to Parish News…

Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish is hiring for two positions:

1. Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish is still accepting applications for a NEW position in our Parish Office. We are seeking an individual to work a few hours on the weekend to be more accessible to our parishioners who are seeking Mass cards, sponsor certificates, or any other hosts of items. This is a Part-Time Position for Saturdays from 9:30a.m. until 12:30p.m. year-round. Applicants must be over the age of 18, have phenomenal interpersonal skills, basic computer skills, and have a desire to help others. Any interested persons are asked to email a resume to rectory@stbridgetcheshire.org. Applicants also must be comfortable with dogs since Fenway spends most of the day in the office.

2. Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish is also seeking applications for a Part-Time position in our Maintenance Department. A part-time position exists for a maintenance worker who will perform general cleaning and minor maintenance duties in maintaining the many facilities of our parish to a clean and orderly functional condition, under the direction of the Facilities and Grounds Coordinator. Duties include but are not limited to: cleaning of bathrooms, cleaning of churches, vacuuming and mopping floors, emptying trash receptacles, outside grounds maintenance, light painting, snow removal during the winter months, and other tasks as arise within the parish and school facilities. The position is 25 hours a week. Previous maintenance and/or custodial experience is preferred. Any candidate interested is asked to contact the parish office at rectory@stbridgetcheshire.org for a more detailed job description.

PARISH PICNIC…Don’t forget our Parish Picnic is next SUNDAY! Picnic sign-ups continue this weekend. Sign-up to register yourself and/or your family by clicking this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b044fa9ac2eabff2-parish1. Signing-up helps to ensure we properly prepare. REMEMBER IT IS FREE TO ALL PARISHIONERS!!! The cost of the picnic falls in part to our parish budget, in part to in-kind donations of food, flowers, and other items from local businesses, and in part to the financial donations of generous parishioners. If you are able to help in any way to keep the costs of this picnic down by making a personal donation please contact me or simply put it in an envelope marked “Parish Picnic” at any Mass. Make sure to join us for this spectacular afternoon of faith, food, fun, and fellowship! If you wish to volunteer in any way to help make this Picnic a success for our parish family please click this link:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b044fa9ac2eabff2-parish2.

FAITH CELEBRATED DURING OUR OUTDOOR MASS…PLEASE join us for an outdoor Mass at 10:30AM on the patio with seating on the baseball field behind Saint Bridget School. We ask that you reserve the seats on the driveway behind the school near the altar area for the outdoor Mass for our “aging parishioners” and those who may not be able to make it down to the field. ALL are encouraged to bring your family blankets, and lawn chairs and set up on the field just in front of the patio area where Mass will be celebrated. At Communion time we will have volunteers with golf umbrellas accompanying those distributing Holy Communion.

FUN, FOOD, and FELLOWSHIP!!!

FUN— During the afternoon we will be entertained! Father Federico is even trying to plan a Cornhole Competition to take place during the Picnic. If you have a set of Cornhole Boards that we can use that day please call the Parish Office. We will also have a DJ, in addition to bounce houses for the children, various sports and activities on the field, and more!

FOOD— we will have hotdogs, hamburgers, barbecue chicken, pulled pork from two pigs that will be roasted on Church property!, peppers and onions, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, tomato and cucumber salad, various deserts, and water!

FELLOWSHIP—DON’T MISS OUT ON THE FUN AS WE GROW TOGETHER IN FAITH!!! What a great opportunity for parishioners of all ages to come together and get to know one another! IT REALLY IS AN AWESOME DAY, PLEASE COME!

Lastly, and most importantly please remember to pray! Pray for good weather that day and pray for all those who donate their time, talents, and treasure to making our picnic a tremendous success. Without them we could never have such an awesome event, I truly hope to see you and your family there!

As always, remember to pray for vocations, pray for our young people, pray for our parish families and ask God’s blessings as we strive to build His kingdom here. Please know that I am praying for you, and I ask for your prayers for me, that together through the intercession of Saint Bridget of Sweden, our Patroness, and united in the Eucharist, we will reflect the presence of Jesus to the world.