Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time—November 10, 2019

Dear Friends in Christ:

Last weekend I received some very disheartening and sad news. At the recommendation of her doctors, Mrs. Szerszen stepped down as Principal of St. Bridget School. In her short time with us, Mrs. Szerszen has been an invaluable member of our leadership team, worked to make St. Bridget School even stronger, led us through the NEASC accreditation, and has made a lasting impact on our school family. We extend our deepest gratitude to her for her leadership and promise her our prayers going forward.

I along with our dedicated administration, faculty and staff will continue to be fully committed to making sure that there is a seamless transition in the months ahead for the students of St. Bridget School. We are committed to ensuring that the positive year we are having continues to be a success.

I have asked Mrs. Marilu Rochefort, Assistant Principal of Academics, to take on the role of Interim Principal until the next Principal is appointed. I am most grateful to her for her willingness to fill this role as we begin the search process immediately for a new Principal for our beloved parish school.

Dr. Marge Palmeri and I are reaching out to the Principal Search Committee and asking them to reconvene to begin the process. We will be working closely with Sister Mary Grace, Provost for Education of the Archdiocese, and the staff of the Office of Education, Evangelization, and Catechesis as we begin this search. I am confident with Sister Mary Grace’s assistance, guidance, and support we will find the best candidate possible to lead our parish school.

I ask that you join us in keeping in prayer Mrs. Szerszen and her family. Please also pray for Mrs. Rochefort, Mrs. Rowinski, and the administration, faculty, staff, and students during this time of transition. I also ask that you pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the work of the Search Committee. Thank you for your prayerful support.

As announced last weekend we are in the process of replacing all of the SMART Boards thanks to the generosity of the John G. Martin Foundation and the donors to the St. Bridget School Annual Fund. Here is a picture of one of the boards the day it was installed. This past week we installed the first 13 of the 23 that will be replaced this coming year. The school was filled with excitement as the students came in each morning to see where the new boards were installed. Here you see the PreK3 SMART Board prepared to teach them a song, and you see the third graders so excited to show Frank Loehmann how to use the SMART Board.

Thank you, once again, to Frank Loehmann and the Board of Directors of the John G. Martin Foundation as well as to the many who donated to the Annual Fund who have helped to make this possible. You have made a difference in the lives of our students and for that I am most grateful.

The Annual Mass of Remembrance was held on Sunday, November 3rd. I express a distinct word of gratitude to Sister Patricia, our Pastoral Associate, and Joan Roczynski, from our Ministry for Hope and Healing, for all of their efforts in coordinating this

year’s Mass of Remembrance. At this Mass we lit a candle for each of the deceased parishioners who have died in the past year. Each candle had a picture on it of the Lord embracing another with the parishioners name below the picture. After the Mass, the families who were present were given these candles as a token of remembrance, and as a reminder of our prayers for them as they continue to mourn the loss of their loved one. If you have a relative whose funeral Mass was celebrated here in our parish this past year and you were unable to be present for the Mass you can obtain the candle from Tony Ginnetti in the Sacristy after Mass at Saint Bridget Church or you can call the rectory to arrange picking it up during the week. Eternal Rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace. Amen.

All are invited to attend the Interfaith Thanksgiving Meal Project Assembly which will take place on Sunday November 17th from 2-4PM at the Cheshire Community Food Pantry at 175 Sandbank Road. Those present will form an assembly line and prepare the boxes for the clients of the Cheshire Community Food Pantry with the items collected from all the houses of worship in Cheshire.

Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish Family is responsible for collecting boxed mashed potatoes and canned fried onions. The baskets in front of the altar THIS WEEKEND are for the donation of such items; please help us help others! If you did not bring an item with you this weekend but would like to help out please drop it off at Saint Bridget Church on Monday. The Church is open 7AM until 4:30PM. Thank you for your generosity to the less fortunate.

JOIN US!!! Our "No Turkey Parish Thanksgiving Dinner" will be held on Saturday, November 23rd! Please sign up to join us by filling out the registration form on page 13 or by calling the rectory as soon as possible.

In addition to a delicious Italian dinner we will have activities for the children in the school gymnasium and entertainment for you to enjoy in the Parish Center. Please make an effort to come and join us as we gather as a parish family to give thanks to God for all His blessings.

Last year the children of the parish wrote essays about what they were grateful for, and a few were selected to be shared at the Parish Dinner. It was very well received so we are doing it again this year! We are asking all school aged children to write a paragraph or more about what they are grateful for this Thanksgiving. We will select a few of them to be read by the children at our No Turkey Parish Thanksgiving Dinner by the student authors themselves! Essays must be turned in by Thursday, November 14th, to be considered and children must be attending the dinner to be chosen. These can be turned in through the collection, dropped off at the rectory, emailed to office@stbridgetcheshire.org, or given to the school or religious education office.

Don’t forget this coming Saturday is the Saint Bridget of Sweden Women’s Society Shopper’s Delite in St. Bridget School from 9AM-3PM. Come and check out the many vendors who will be present! There will be over 50 vendors, a food truck for lunch, and a raffle of gift baskets throughout the day. You can get some of your Christmas shopping done early! Your participation assists the Women’s Society and their scholarship fund. Thank you for your support! Hope to see you there!

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.

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time—November 3, 2019

Dear Friends in Christ:

The Archdiocesan Synod 2020: Grow and Go meeting of delegates was last weekend and it was an amazing experience. I have asked our two delegates, Jill Hale and Shawn Simpson, to write about their experience for all to learn firsthand from our delegates. You can find their article on page 9 of this bulletin. It was a non-stop busy weekend of presentations, small group discussions, and prayer. As the Secretary of the Synod, it was a very powerful experience to see so many faithful and committed Catholics, younger and older, come together to discern a path forward for our local church.

The work now continues as the Synod Office is charged with collating all the materials from the many small groups, synthesizing the material, removing duplications, and then presenting the material to the Synod Preparatory Committee, the members of the Archbishop’s Cabinet, and, of course, to Archbishop Blair. After hearing the various members’ thoughts on the material it will then be in the hands of the Archbishop to write a Pastoral Letter outlining his thoughts and a path forward for our Archdiocesan family of faith. So keep those prayers coming! They are powerful, and they work!

Cheshire Town Wide Interfaith Thanksgiving Meal Project is HAPPENING NOW. As we have done for the last few years, all the houses of worship in the Cheshire community are working together to provide for the families served by the Cheshire Community Food Pantry in preparing their Thanksgiving Day meals.

Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish Family is responsible for collecting Boxed Mashed Potatoes and Canned Fried Onions. The baskets in front of the altar NEXT WEEKEND are for the donation of such items, please help us help others!

It is imperative that ALL ITEMS be brought back to either Saint Bridget Church or Saint Thomas Becket Church by next Sunday to enable the needed time for delivery and set-up of items for the putting together of the Thanksgiving Boxes at the Food Pantry.

JOIN US!!! Our "No Turkey Parish Thanksgiving Dinner" will be held on Saturday, November 23rd! Please sign up to join us by filling out the cutout on page 13 or by calling the rectory as soon as possible.

In addition to a delicious Italian dinner we will have activities for the children in the school gymnasium and entertainment for you to enjoy in the Parish Center. Please make an effort to come and join us as we gather as a parish family to give thanks to God for all His blessings.

Last year the children of the parish wrote essays about what they were grateful for, and a few were selected to be shared at the Parish Dinner. It was very well received so we are doing it again this year! We are asking all school aged children to write a paragraph or more about what they are grateful for this Thanksgiving.

We will select a few of them to be read by the children at our No Turkey Parish Thanksgiving Dinner by the student authors themselves! Essays must be turned in by Thursday, November 14th, to be considered, and children must be attending the dinner to be chosen. These can be turned in through the collection, dropped off at the rectory, emailed to office@stbridgetcheshire.org, or given to the school or religious education office.

Thank you to all those who contributed to the 2019 Annual Fund for St. Bridget School which took place over the summer. As you may remember the Annual Fund this year was designated to help us replace the aging SMART Boards in our parish school. With your generosity we were able to purchase 3 new SMART Boards. Thank you to all those who contributed to this campaign!

Realizing that replacing 23 SMART Boards was a huge undertaking and that our Annual Fund would only provide funding for a few at most, we applied for a grant! I am thrilled to announce that St. Bridget School received an $85,000 grant, payable over two years, to replace the remaining 20 SMART Boards!

THANK YOU to Mr. Frank M. Loehmann, Jr., and the Board of Directors of the John G. Martin Foundation for this amazing grant! This grant enables us to replace our outdated SMART Boards with new state-of-the-art SMART Boards that will certainly enhance the learning experience for all of our students in the days ahead! The first shipment of these new SMART Boards is being installed this coming week! We are so excited and SO GRATEFUL! Thank you Mr. Loehmann for all your guidance through this grant application process, and please thank the members of the John G. Martin Foundation for their amazing support of our parish school!

As we continue into the weeks of Fall please don’t miss the many spiritual and social opportunities we have as a parish family to grow together in faith. There is so much planned for the coming weeks! There is something for people of all ages! There are things that are spiritual and things that are social. A full list of activities and events can be found on our parish calendar on our website www.stbridgetcheshire.org, and on the calendar on our Parish App. Have you downloaded the myParish App yet?

DOWNLOAD THE APP TODAY! myParish App is being used already to communicate with our parishioners and NOW the various groups and ministries will begin utilizing the app as well. It will be a great way of communicating information to our parishioners and also a place to access daily Mass readings, confession and prayer reminders. It is certain to become your “go-to” app for Catholic parish life. You can download the app by texting 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!

A word of Congratulations to our Sante Fe Countil #2978 of the Knights of Columbus who are being honored this weekend with the Star Council Award! The Star Council Award recognizes outstanding achievement in membership, insurance and service program activities. We are super excited to have achieved this Award! Congratulations to our Grand Knight Ronald Painchaud and all our Knights on achieving this Award.

Recruiting new members is essential to the continued growth and well-being of any council and the Order as a whole. I am so grateful to all those who worked so hard last fraternal year to breathe new life into our Council and to bring new members into the Order. Offering a man membership in the Knights of Columbus gives him the opportunity to improve his own life and his community. Membership allows him to experience the fraternal bond that Knights share while growing closer to his family and his faith. If anyone would like more information about the Knights of Columbus please feel free to reach out to me, email Ron at ron12pain@gmail.com, or to check out our weekly column in the bulletin Knights Korner.

Finally, as always, please 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, and united in the Eucharist, we will reflect the presence of Jesus to the world.

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time—October 27, 2019

Dear Friends in Christ:

A special word of gratitude to all who attended the Oktoberfest last Friday evening…The weather was a bit chilly but it didn’t stop everyone from having a great time. In the words of one of our “more seasoned” parishioners “the evening was exceptional: the food, the people and the energy in the parish.” It was a fantastic evening to enjoy traditional German fare, a variety of beers and wine, and entertainment. What a great opportunity for our parish family to come together and get to know one another in a social setting while We Grow Together in Faith. It was so great to see so many interacting and enjoying the evening whether inside dancing to the music, outside chatting by the fire, or simply in between enjoying the fine selection of food and beverages. Thank you also to Alison and Matt O’Leary, and Aimee and Rich Uluski for coordinating a phenomenal event, to those who helped them, and to Becka Berkowitz and Jeff Strange for all they did in the kitchen. The evening was amazing! Thank you!

Halloween Trick or Treat at the Rectory…Father Federico and I will be answering the door at the rectory at Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish on Thursday evening, Halloween, October 31st to hand out candy to you and your children. Please come by the rectory door facing the Church building (sidewalk nearest the back of the rectory) and share in the excitement of the evening. We look forward to seeing all the costumes and welcoming you to our door. Please note due to the Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of All Saints we will begin distributing candy at 5:45PM. We hope you will stop by!

All Saints Day and All Souls’ Day…On All Saints Day, which is a Holy Day of Obligation, we will celebrate Masses at the following times and places:

Thursday, October 31—Saint Bridget Church—5PM

Friday, November 1st—Saint Bridget Church—7AM, 9AM

Friday, November 1st—Saint Thomas Becket Church—7PM

On All Souls’ Day we will have the normal daily Mass at 9AM at Saint Bridget Church and a Mass of Remembrance will be celebrated at the regularly scheduled 4PM Mass on Sunday, November 3, 2019 in Saint Bridget Church for all those from our parish family who died during the past year. All are welcome to attend!

A reminder…as we did last year, we as a parish family will be placing the All Souls’ Day envelopes (included in your offertory envelope package or additional ones available at the doors of the Churches) on the altar for the whole month of November at all the Masses. These envelopes allow you to list your loved ones names on the back so that their names will be remembered in a special way at all the Masses in this month.

This weekend the Archdiocesan Synod Grow and Go is taking place. As I have said before this is the culmination of almost two years of work for myself and many others who have worked on the Synod. After months of prayer, study, and formation for the delegate representatives from throughout the Archdiocese we are just days away from this historic event. Please join us in prayer as the delegates are meeting this weekend and discerning the Holy Spirit and praying that a new energy and zeal will be bestowed upon our local Church in the Archdiocese of Hartford.

SYNOD PRAYER…Lord Jesus Christ, in the Gospel we hear the voice of the Father telling us to listen to you. It is your voice that we heed. It is your way that we follow. It is your Spirit who leads us into all the truth. Look kindly upon your Church in the Archdiocese of Hartford and upon the work of our Archdiocesan Synod. We pray that through the Synod our souls may be stirred and our hearts set on fire in order to bring new energy and zeal to the mission of our local Church. May the Synod inspire us to missionary discipleship, so that filled with the faith and boldness of the Apostles and first Christians, we may draw others to you and to your body and bride, the Church. At Pentecost Mary your Mother joined the Apostles in imploring the gift of the Holy Spirit. By her prayers, and those of her spouse, Saint Joseph, our Patron, may the same Holy Spirit inspire and direct us and the work of our Synod. Through you, Lord Jesus, we give glory to the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Annual Family Commitment 2019…A quick update…as of, Wednesday, October 23, 2019, we have received pledges in the amount of $56,535.00 from 209 of our families representing participation from only 6.7% of our families.

Thank you to those families who have made a commitment to our parish family. Facing these major capital projects we need the help of every family! Your gift, no matter its size, makes a difference, and 100% of all funds collected will be used here in Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish. We need your help! If you have not given yet please prayerfully consider doing so. Thank you for what you do to make Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish such a phenomenal and vibrant family of faith.

Update on Father O’Neill…many have asked over the past few months why Father O’Neill’s name has not appeared in our Military Prayer List and I have had to explain that he went for basic training but since has come back to the Archdiocese and has been working at the Cathedral in Hartford for the past few weeks. He has finally received his official orders from the military and we will add his name to the Military Prayer List on November 4th as he heads to Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska to begin his service in the military as Chaplain. Keep him in your prayers and remember to pray for all those who are serving for the good of peace in our military.

Finally, as always, please 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, and united in the Eucharist, we will reflect the presence of Jesus to the world.