Fourth Sunday of Advent - December 22, 2019

Dear Friends in Christ:

Today we gather to celebrate the Fourth Sunday in Advent. As we light the last

candle of our Advent Wreath, and as we gather on the very heels of Christmas, our Gospel reading prepares us to witness Christ's birth by showing us how Jesus was recognized as Israel's long-awaited Messiah even before his birth.

Today the Gospel reading presents us with Saint Joseph as we contemplate the Incarnation. Joseph was a humble and obedient man, or better as the Gospel says “a righteous man.” Joseph spent his life providing for others, forsaking whatever dreams he might have had so that he could fulfill some greater dream, some greater calling. He

was human and flawed. He was probably, like us, prone to doubt. He likely experienced at some point in life the human conditions of selfishness, sin, and perhaps even anger. He spent a lot of his time, again like us, praying for patience. BUT Joseph also knew trust! And though he never uttered a word in the Gospels, he spoke eloquently with his very actions. He listened and responded to what he heard. He dared to believe the unbelievable and surrender to God’s plan. He took to heart the message of the angel in the Gospel today, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid.” He took a leap of faith trusting in God’s will and plan. And as a result of this trust, a family was formed, which we now call the Holy Family.

The reading today reminds us that we too are called to cooperate with God’s plan and His will. We too are called to fulfill a dream that is God’s dream for us. Doing so requires the hardest thing, namely, TRUST. May the intercession of Saint Joseph help us to place our Trust in God and His plan.

These final hours of Advent offer us an opportunity to make ourselves fully ready for God to enter our world. But Advent also asks us to do something more than prepare the way of the Lord. It asks us to do what Saint Joseph did: to prepare ourselves for God’s will for our lives.

Pray that we learn from Joseph’s example. Seize these days. Make them matter. Prepare. Get to confession. Find time for quiet reflection away from the noise and the distractions and the stress of the season. Listen. And, above all, trust.

Online Giving Increasing Every Week…I am so very pleased that more and more parishioners are choosing to utilize our online giving! Please consider joining this growing number of parishioners. WeShare can be accessed through our website www.stbridgetcheshire.org by clicking on the online giving button. WeShare is a secure web-based system that makes it easy for our parish staff to set up and manage collections and other events.

WeShare is certified PCI Level 1 Compliant as well as SSAE-16 SOC II Type II certified. Merchant of Record is managed by WeShare, not the parish, which eliminates the risk and exposure due to fraud and provides us with the highest level of data security.

I wish to express my profound gratitude to the 644 families who have contributed, as of December 17, 2019, to our Annual Family Commitment, a total of $175,040.00, which reflects the generosity of 20.8% of our families. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to our parish family.

As you are aware from my previous letters, this year we are hoping to continue to address the replacement of the roof over the Education Wing of Saint Thomas Becket Church and the roof on Saint Bridget Church as well. These are substantial projects that we could never accomplish without your generosity to the Annual Family Commitment. We need EVERY family in our parish family to make a commitment according to their means to help us reach this goal. Thank you for the deep love you have for our parish family.

Reminder that this Wednesday we celebrate Christmas. Here’s a little encouragement to welcome all who come to worship with us! Pope Francis has called us to “Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven. For with Christ joy is constantly born anew.” Our Parish Mission Statement reminds us that “we, the Family of Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish, Cheshire, Connecticut, building on our rich heritage of Catholic faith, center ourselves in the Eucharist, and honor God in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.” How we fulfill this mission is found in our Parish Vision Statement which reads, “Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish Family is a spiritual home and a center of missionary outreach where all may come to be nourished in the midst of their journey. All who come are welcomed with warmth, harmony, belonging and will know they are home.”

While we gather as a parish family this coming week to celebrate the great gift of God’s own Son, certainly cause for our hope and joy, let us heed these words and put them into practice in the parking lot as well as in the pew. Let us do what we can to ensure that ALL feel welcomed here at Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish.

You never know what effect a smile, a kind gesture, a simple hello, or a kindness in the parking lot can have in the life of the one to whom you extend this kindness. Many will come to be with us this coming week out of habit, whether they are regular parishioners or those who only come from time to time, we welcome them all. Among those who will join us we will find:

· Those who come seeking like the wise men…

· Those who come surprised like the shepherd…

· Those who come distracted like the innkeeper and his wife…

· Those who come kicking and screaming like Herod…

· Those who are searching for meaning in their lives…

· Those who are grieving the loss of their spouse, parent or child and are in need of the peace that only Jesus can give…

· Those who don’t believe that Jesus is for them…

· Those who are hurting and in pain, but are here to give Jesus another shot…

· Those who are not sure why they are here but they are…

Let us welcome them all, no matter what has brought them among us; they are here and deserve to be welcomed, and to know the joy, the peace, the hope, the love, and the mercy this Babe of Bethlehem brings into the world.

Please make an effort to welcome those around you at the Christmas Masses and let them know that our parish family is a place where they are welcomed and loved. You never know, your kindness may be the reason they come back next week. Let’s make that our hope and our prayer.

To all who are traveling for Christmas… On behalf of myself, Father Federico, Deacon Iadarola, Deacon Wilber, Sister Patricia, and the entire pastoral and parish staffs, I offer our prayers for a blessed Christmas for you and your family. We pray you have safe travels and enjoy time with family and friends. We offer our special prayers for all those who find these celebrations difficult, especially for those who have recently grieved the death of a loved one. Know you hold a special place in our prayers at this time and that we pray the Christ-child may grant you His comfort and His peace. To all we say Merry Christmas! Thank you for making Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish such a vibrant community of faith, and thank you for your love evidenced in so many ways throughout the year.

To all who will be with us for Christmas Masses…I will say Merry Christmas to you at the Masses! PLEASE do whatever you can to make those next to you in the pews feel welcomed.

Be on the lookout at Christmas Mass for a special bulletin. We are in the process of putting together a special bulletin for Christmas Day. Be sure to obtain your copy when you come to Christmas Mass!

As always, remember to pray for our parish family and ask God’s blessings as we 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.

Third Sunday of Advent - December 15th, 2019

Dear Friends in Christ:

The third Sunday of Advent is commonly referred to as Gaudete Sunday.

"Gaudete" is Latin for the first word in our introductory antiphon for this Mass, which is the word Rejoice.

The First Sunday of Advent we were instructed to “stay awake…you also must be prepared for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” The Second Sunday of Advent we were encouraged by Saint John the Baptist to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand…prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”

Now we come to the Third Sunday of Advent and the Church calls us, in the words of Saint Paul to “Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord always”. It highlights the fact that as we started our advent preparation two Sundays ago, conscious of the need to really prepare our hearts and souls for the coming of the Lord, we do so with great rejoicing because it is only in God that we find the deepest and most profound meaning of who we are and what we shall be. We rejoice this Sunday because we are already half way through our advent preparation, marked with interior reflection and conversion so that when Christmas comes our hearts and our whole being can be the new stables to welcome Christ.

Gaudete Sunday elevates the somber advent atmosphere into a more joyful expectation for the birth of Christ. So what is joy? And how is it different from happiness?

Happiness is what we feel when everything is going well and smooth. Happiness is more dependent on our outward situations – our health, our work situation, our family life, etc. But joy is being at peace with whatever situation we may face, whether it is a happy or sad situation. Joy is that assurance that though everything does not always go right, life still makes sense. It is not dependent on outward circumstances, but rather on our own relationship with God. So what am I saying? Perhaps the difference is best clarified in an example. A person who might be suffering from a chronic illness may understandably not feel happy, but he/she can still remain joyful because of the love and care of those people around him/her or because of his/her faith and trust in God.

Advent is not just looking back to the birth of Christ more than two thousand years ago, but rather it is a period of spiritual reflection on how that first birth of Christ has impacted our own lives today, here and now. That is what Advent is meant to do. These days of preparation are meant to awaken within us an awareness of what the birth of Christ and his coming as one like us really means for us every single day. Advent is meant to transform us not only in the preparation of our souls to welcome Christ, the Light of the World, but also in the way we live out our faith with clarity and boldness bringing His presence and His light into the world around us. The true spirit of Advent should transform us into being better disciples!

In the Gospel today, John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus with a question “are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Have we ever come to a certain point in our life when we found ourselves questioning if there was really a sense to everything that we do here in the Church? Have we ever asked God if this faith that we profess is the real thing or not, or should we look for another? I think over the course of life everyone has some doubts either about the faith or even God Himself. When horrible things happen in our lives or when unexpected and unexplainable things happen without any reason like sudden death, illness or tragic accidents, people can understandably question where God’s love fits in all of these. And like John the Baptist, when we question God if He is indeed for real or not, we always find an answer in the wonderful and great things that He has done in our life in the midst of our weaknesses and sinfulness. And this is where we find the reason to rejoice in God always: that in the midst of our brokenness and sometimes feeling unworthy, God does not abandon us. In fact, in the midst of our brokenness and in the midst of a sinful world in His great love for us He sends His Son, Jesus, as Emmanuel (God is with us), to show us the way to the Father, and that, my friends, is the best reason to rejoice! Happy Gaudete Sunday!

Perhaps I can suggest something we can all do today to mark this Gaudete Sunday? As individuals or as a family, reflect on what you are thankful for in life. Write down things in your life that cause you to rejoice. Then, thank God for those blessings!

Indeed we here at Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish have cause to rejoice this

Sunday! The Lord has heard our prayers and sent us an excellent candidate as our NEW YOUTH MINISTER. It is with joy that I am pleased to announce that I have recently hired Regis O'Neill, Jr., to be our Youth Minister. Recognize the last name? A fun fact is that Regis is Father O’Neill’s cousin!

Regis was born and raised in Middletown, and he comes to Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish fresh off a year of service running Catholic retreats and a youth group in Garrison, NY, with the Capuchin Youth & Family Ministry. A 2014 graduate of Xavier High School, his faith has always been an important part of his life (he thanks his parents for raising him right). Regis earned a BA in Communications, Media & Journalism from the University of Hartford prior to spending the year with the Capuchin Ministry. He loves sports, movies, and the Lord.

Regis is a dynamic Catholic man who will be a great youth leader and minister. We look forward to him creating an impactful youth ministry for our parish family! Regis will begin working in our parish this coming Monday. Keep an eye out for a Youth Ministry survey in the next couple of weeks! Welcome Regis to our parish family!

We also welcome Sarah Santone to our Parish Family as our New Facility Coordinator.

As I announced back in September with the amount of programs, events, and activities taking place in our parish each day we are in need of a Facility Coordinator to welcome people to the school building and direct them to where they need to go as well as be present should an emergency arise. Sarah Santone comes to us with an extensive background filled with a variety of experiences and an enthusiasm to serve the Church. She will be working Monday through Thursday from 5PM until 9PM as needed. Sarah and her family live in Southington. She is currently owner and creator of A More Organized World where she seeks to help with whole home organization. She also will begin with Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish this coming Monday! Welcome Sarah to our parish family!

Consecration to the Holy Family…As we did last year, together with the local council of the Knights of Columbus, Santa Fe Council 2978, I am very excited to announce we will be participating in the Consecration to the Holy Family. This initiative is meant to help strengthen the families within our Parish Family. Over the past few weeks in the bulletin and during the weeks prior to the Feast of the Holy Family we have been offering one practical way for your family to grow closer together. I hope these have been helpful to you! I especially liked seeing some parishioners posting their family mission statement on social media!

The Knights of Columbus, together with Father Federico and I, invite each family of our Parish to consecrate your family to the Holy Family and to devote yourselves to the ideal model of familial love set by Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Consecrating your family to the Holy Family provides you great intercessors to help you as a family to follow their model of living lives obedient to God’s Will, strong in faith, persevering in prayer, diligent in work, and generous towards those in need.

We will invite all families to consider standing up at Masses on the weekend of

December 28 & 29, the actual Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and to pray together the Prayer of Consecration to the Holy Family. Our local council has purchased prayer cards for each family to use during those Masses and take home with you which they will be handing out at the doors of the Church that weekend at ALL MASSES. If you are willing to consecrate your family to the Holy Family then I encourage you to do two things in the week prior (December 22-29):

1. Sit down as a family each evening and pray together asking that the Holy Family watch over your family and help you to radiate the presence of Christ to those around you.

2. Fast from something that would normally be consumed (food or beverage) or an activity that is regularly done (watching television or using social media perhaps). Fasting helps to discipline our minds and hearts and moves us to be more focused on God as we know from our annual Lenten fasts.

As always, remember to pray for our parish family and ask God’s blessings as we 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.

Second Sunday of Advent - December 8, 2019

Dear Friends in Christ:

Here we arrive for the Second Sunday of Advent! The days may be getting shorter, but our Advent wreath is getting brighter. The growing brightness of our Advent light indicates that we are drawing closer to the great feast of light, Christmas, the birthday of the One who declared, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’

With the birth of Jesus the light of God’s love shines over us in a special and wonderful way. So, as we continue this Advent journey, we are reminded of the theme for our parish Advent Longing for Light? Follow the Star!

What have you done to prepare for the coming of Jesus this past week? Did you spend more time in prayer? Did you attend a daily Mass? Did you look for opportunities to experience His presence in your life? Did you open your heart to seek to be His presence for others? Did you join me and Father Federico in reading a chapter of Luke’s Gospel each day? No matter what you did, or did not do, I encourage you to consider these questions this coming week of Advent as a way to prepare for His coming!

I am told that some people are just not feeling it for this year’s Advent due to temperament or circumstance or who knows what is holding them from fully entering this season of Advent. But that is precisely what Advent is for! Advent is a season of longing and waiting. It is a season set aside each year to help us realize that we are in need of deliverance from our current condition in life. Advent helps us to realize we need to prepare the way for the Lord.

This weekend we hear the shouts of John the Baptist in our Gospel: “Prepare the

Way of the Lord, make straight His paths.”

John the Baptist reminds us of the importance in preparing the way of the Lord in our lives. As we heard last weekend we do not know the day our Lord will come, so we must be ready at all times. We properly prepare the way for the Lord when we open our hearts to His presence, repent of those things we have done wrong, and have a change of heart turning it completely open to His grace.

We have to pay attention. We have to listen to the Lord in our prayer life. We have to put energy into seeing the signs and understanding the message we are hearing. We have to do all of this as a way to prepare for His coming.

John the Baptist and all the prophets, past and present are calling us to get ready, to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord, to prepare our hearts to receive the great gift that Jesus the Light of the World brings to us, the very presence of our Loving God. Yes that is the Good News! Yes that is what we are preparing to celebrate! Yes we who are longing for Light are excited to follow the Star that leads us to the Light of the World! May we be ready to receive Him when He comes.

Don’t forget these great Advent activities meant to help us prepare on this journey:

1. Stop by Saint Bridget Church during the day to spend some time in quiet prayer with Jesus in the Eucharist. The Church is open each day from 7AM until 4:30PM. Eucharistic Adoration is on Fridays from 1-4PM.

2. Come to daily Mass once, twice, or more each week. Come on your way to work. Daily Mass usually takes about 20-25 minutes (there is no music and the Liturgy of the Word is shorter) so see it as a great way to start your day!

3. Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation and be freed from the weight of sin. On Thursday, December 12th we will have the opportunity for Confessions from 6-7PM in Saint Thomas Becket Church.

4. Light an Advent wreath at your home each evening at dinner time.

5. Use the Little Blue Book. These are little blue prayer books, some remain available at the doors of church today, which contain short reflections for all the days of Advent based on the daily Gospels of Advent.

6. JOIN ME AND FATHER FEDERICO…we are asking you to join us in reading the Scriptures. WOW! So go home, get the family bible off the shelf, dust it off if need be (I hope not), and be ready to be spiritually renewed by God’s Word! JOIN US in reading one chapter of Luke’s Gospel each day of Advent! Use #lukeatsbos to post insights on social media or email any insights to rectory@stbridgetcheshire.org. We want to hear how the Scriptures are speaking to you during this journey.

7. TUNE IN EACH DAY…OUR OWN IN-HOUSE VIDEO SERIES…We are offering you a video series with reflections for every day of Advent. We will be hearing from a variety of people who make up the life of our parish family. Parishioners of all ages have been asked and are willing to help us reflect on this Advent Journey. We are very excited. We will post the videos on our parish Facebook page as well as on our website. Don’t miss hearing from fellow parishioners about their experience on this Advent Journey.

Advent is a good time to cleanse our souls from sin…we invite you to join us for a

celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation on THURSDAY, December 12th, from 6-7PM in Saint Thomas Becket Church. During this time we will have six priests available, including Father Federico and me, in each of the classrooms in the Education Wing for the celebration of individual confession. Stop by on your way home from work, or pick up the family and bring them all to experience the mercy of God on our Advent journey. What a great way to prepare for the coming of the Lord! We invite you to spend some time in prayer in the Church before and after experiencing the gift of God’s mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT…once again, the youth of our parish family are offering an opportunity for parents to have a night out. Youth ministry members will entertain children for the evening while parents enjoy a night out to shop, enjoy a meal together, or have fun. The night will include pizza, crafts, cookie decorating, and sports in the gym. Holiday movies will also be shown! Open to all children of the parish from age 3 and up. Admission is only a new unwrapped toy per child, or a cash donation of $30. All toys and proceeds will be donated to St. Vincent DePaul Shelter in Waterbury. For more information or to sign up email Donna Yatcko at DYatcko@StBridgetSchool.org. Thank you to our youth for providing this opportunity to our families!

THEOLOGY ON TAP will be held on Wednesday, December 18th…due to an increased schedule of activities here in the parish this month we have to move our Theology on Tap to Wednesday evening this month to fit it in the schedule. We are excited to welcome Sister Cecelia Marie Scaduto, ASCJ, who is serving as the Archbishop’s Delegate for Senior Priests in the Archdiocese of Hartford. Sister Cecelia is responsible for managing and coordinating the medical and non-medical needs of senior priests in the Archdiocese. The topic will be something like What Catholics should know about end of life issues! Living Wills, donation of organs, and other end of life issues will be addressed. Please join us in this relaxed atmosphere to continue to grow together in our knowledge of the faith!

I wish to express my profound gratitude to the 569 families who have contributed, as of December 2, 2019, (this bulletin went to print earlier than normal) to our Annual Family Commitment, a total of $154,170.00, which reflects the generosity of 18.45% of our families. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to our parish family.

As I am sure you are aware, the added expense of doing projects to your family home can be overwhelming. Now imagine the number of buildings and the size of the buildings we have to care for. It gets quite costly when major repairs need to be made. But as a family of faith we have a responsibility and an obligation to ensure our facilities are up-to-date and running efficiently. We need EVERY family in our parish family to make a commitment according to their means to help us reach this goal. Thank you for the deep love you have for our parish family.

As always, remember to pray for our parish family and ask God’s blessings as we 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.