Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time—July 7, 2019

Dear Friends in Christ:

Welcome to your new home Father Anthony Federico! It is a joy, privilege, and honor to welcome you among us. As your brother priest and your first Pastor, I look forward to our time together working in the Lord’s vineyard serving the people of God entrusted to our care and bringing the love and light of Jesus into our community and beyond. I pray that your ministry will bear much fruit for the Lord.

Preparing to welcome Father Federico this past week, it dawned on me that he arrives this weekend when the Lord Jesus says “the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” YES! We need to do this daily! We as a parish family always pray at Mass for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life. We as a parish family offer our first hour of Eucharistic Adoration EVERY Friday for that very intention. We as a parish family also have the Vocations Prayer Chalice Program as well where one family each week signs up to take a chalice home and pray each day of that week as a family for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Interested sign up today at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044fa8aa2fa3f94-vocations. We also MUST as individuals make it part of our prayer to ask the Master of the harvest to send more laborers into his vineyard.

The call to the priesthood can come at different times in people’s lives. Young men hearing this call should never be afraid to explore it, even if it risks putting another career path, or even a close relationship, aside. Father Federico worked as a sports writer for ESPN before answering his call to the Priesthood. Father Gancarz, ordained with him two weeks ago and here last summer, studied engineering in college and worked for several years in that field before answering his call to study for the priesthood. It’s not at all unusual today for seminarians and priests to have studied for and worked in other careers and professions prior to entering the seminary. Deacon Jaime Maldonado, who is to be ordained next year, heard his call while working as a neuroscience researcher at Yale.

God has dreams for us all, and when we discover God’s dream for us and willingly choose to follow that path, we find great fulfillment and joy. But how does one hear God’s call amid the disharmony of modern life? I heard my call both through an inner desire to know the Lord better and the outward “confirmation” of that desire through the comments of other people in my life. I heard things like, “You know, you would make a great priest!” God doesn’t literally “call,” or instant message, or even text you. We don’t literally “hear a voice.” For someone to “hear” a call to priesthood, religious life, the diaconate or lay ministry in our Church, God needs to use our voices. Look around, do you notice a young person (or maybe even an established career person) who has that desire to grow closer to the Lord and be of service to others? Maybe that person is wrestling with a decision to enter religious life or priesthood. Maybe you saying something to them is the voice they need to hear to “confirm” the calling for them. It could be someone in our parish. It could be someone in our own family: a son, daughter, granddaughter, grandson, nephew or niece. Who is God asking you to reach out to and support in their call to service in the Church? Those discerning a call to the priesthood and religious life need to know we support them. We need to encourage our young people to hear His call and respond with courage. To answer such a call at this time in the life of the Church is both incredibly challenging requiring strong personal, intellectual and spiritual gifts, and, at the same time, incredibly satisfying and fulfilling.

On Corpus Christi Sunday I reminded you that without priests there is no Eucharist! For the Body and Blood of Christ to be available to us, it requires that some will answer a call to priesthood, and for some to have the courage to answer that call may require your voice of encouragement and support. We all have a role in “asking the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Ask yourself, am I doing all I can to fulfill that role? What is the Lord asking YOU to do?

Synod 2020 Grow and Go! The Archdiocesan Synod process is continuing with the preparation phase of instructing all the delegates on their responsibilities and providing background information which will help them in their role. I really hope you heeded the call I offered in this article a couple of weeks ago and visited the website www.growandgo.com to watch the video presentations. You will not regret taking the time to do so!

I am most grateful to our two parish delegates, Teallia Gorman and Shawn Simpson who are actively preparing for the upcoming Synod Meeting in October by prayer and study. I thank them for answering the call to serve the Church in this way and accepting the responsibility to participate in this momentous event in our Archdiocese. Please continue to pray for the success of the Synod. Prayer cards are available at all church entrances. For more information on the Synod, including the videos of preparatory sessions, please visit www.growandgo.com.

THERE IS STILL ROOM! Want to join us on our pilgrimage to ITALY? There are TWO SEATS LEFT!!! We are going October 1-10, 2019 to visit the Almalfi Coast and Rome! We will be seeing a lot during these days! We will visit the Floral Gardens of Caesar Augustus in Capri, the Saint Andrew Cathedral along the Amalfi Coast, the excavations in Pompeii, the sites of the life of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio). We will also visit Lanciano, a town most noted for the Eucharistic Miracle which became the foundation for the Feast of Corpus Christi. Finally, we will spend a couple of days in Rome, the Eternal City, where we will see the Vatican Museums, Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Catacombs, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and more including plans for the weekly Papal Audience on Wednesday in Saint Peter’s Square. This pilgrimage includes round-trip air from JFK, four-star hotels in Sorrento, San Giovanni Rotondo, and Rome, 6 dinners, breakfast daily, English-speaking licensed tour escort throughout, private motorcoach transportation, Daily Mass, and more. Cost per person in double occupancy is $3,779.00. Space is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Initial deposit of $500 is due at time of registration. To register, please call Candy at Elite Travel at 203-271-0623 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I hope you will join us!

The summer months are here and that means many are on vacation which each year means we see a drop in the offertory during these months each year. As you consider your commitment to regular, intentional giving to our parish, you may want to consider Online Giving in your plans. It simplifies giving (no checks to write), and it ensures that your gift is received even if you are away or cannot attend Mass on a particular Sunday. Online Giving provides multiple options and other features for your convenience.

• Donations can be made directly from your checking account or by using any major credit card - so you can earn "points" while giving!

• Donations can be scheduled for whatever frequency (weekly or monthly) you prefer (and if monthly, on whatever day is most convenient), or can be made on a one-time basis.

• You can designate donations for different purposes: weekly, monthly, and holy day collections, diocesan/national collections, Easter/Christmas flowers, even Religious Education registration!

• Your bank or credit card information is stored on secure servers contained behind firewalls and other defense systems to prevent unauthorized access. Parish staff cannot access your account information.

Want to learn more about Online Giving? Visit our website www.stbridgetcheshire.org and click the Donate button in the menu on our homepage.

As always, remember to pray for our parish families 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.

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time—June 30, 2019

Dear Friends in Christ:

It is a time of transition! This coming week is going to be a full one of welcoming two new members to our family of faith!

This week we will welcome our new priest Father Anthony Federico as he begins his ministry here. Father Federico was ordained a priest of Jesus Christ last Saturday, June 22, 2019, by Archbishop Blair at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford. Father Federico, just 35 years old, has a fascinating and extensive background for someone so young. Father is the oldest of five children of Anthony and Debra. He is a graduate of Notre Dame High School in West Haven and Providence College where he majored in Theology. Father Federico then worked at ESPN for a number of years beginning in the tape warehouse where his job was finding and shuttling vintage footage where it needed to go, then he moved to the ESPN “mobile group” working in the digital media division. Six years ago after soul searching Father Federico realized God was calling him to the priesthood and entered Seminary. Father completed his studies for the priesthood this past May at the Catholic University of America.

“I feel like I’ve been called to do something powerful and wonderful and it’s my honor to say yes to this,” Father Federico was quoted as saying prior to his ordination as a transitional deacon. He sees his ministry as “introducing Jesus to people, especially young people in a personal way. I think I’m an old soul in some ways and a millennial in other ways.” Father Federico said he still loves sports, especially the New York Yankees (we will have to agree to disagree on that topic), and loves to read and write. He’s working on his third novel.

I am beyond thrilled that Archbishop Blair has assigned Father Federico to us as our new Parochial Vicar for his first priestly assignment and look forward to working with him and watching him grow in his priesthood as he begins with us this week! Welcome Father Federico to your new home!

This week we will also welcome Mrs. Catherine Szerszen to our family of faith as our new Principal for Saint Bridget School. I know you will all join me in welcoming her among us. We look forward to witnessing in her leadership, her caring demeanor, her deep Catholic faith, and her commitment to education. I am also most confident that Mrs. Szerszen will help build upon the legacy of Saint Bridget School as we move forward seeking innovative ways to carry out our mission of attending “to the spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional, and physical needs of our students within a safe and nurturing environment based upon the Gospel message of Jesus to ‘love one another as I have loved you’ with the goal of empowering each of us to serve the parish and community and make a positive difference in the lives of others.”

I am overjoyed to welcome Mrs. Szerszen to Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish and our School Family! Welcome Mrs. Szerszen!!!

Don’t forget to attend Mass while on vacation this summer! I know many people travel during the summer, but please don’t forget to attend Sunday Mass wherever you are, or daily if you can, as part of your summer experience. If you are traveling a great tool is www.masstimes.org to help you locate a Mass near where you are.

Stay connected with us here while you travel with the use of our ParishApp, Facebook, and Instagram. See the cover of this bulletin for details on how to find us on social media. We want to stay connected with you these weeks of summer whether you are here or away enjoying some vacation time. My prayer for each of us throughout these coming weeks of summer is that we are rejuvenated physically and spiritually so that when the busyness of our Fall schedules starts up again we will have that strength we will need to persevere.

SAVE THE DATES!!!

1. Family Movie Night…please mark your calendars and plan to join us for an Annual Family Movie Night on Saturday, July 20, 2019! We will be holding an outdoor (weather permitting—if it rains it will take place in the gym) movie night near the field. You can bring your own food and beverages or arrange for us to order pizza. The movie will be Ralph Breaks The Internet. There will be plenty of time for socializing, and for games for our younger parishioners such as kickball or whiffle ball out on the ball field, and more prior to the movie time. Please save the date, plan to join us, and register soon. Forms for registering are at the doors of the Church or you can call the Parish Office.

2. Parish Picnic…The volunteers are hard at work coordinating our Annual Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish Picnic for Sunday, September 15, 2019. We will, once again, begin with an Outdoor Mass on the field at 11AM, and the picnic will follow. I hope you will ALL mark your calendars and plan to attend with your families. There are some new surprises coming to this year’s picnic, you won’t want to miss it!

R.C.I.A….This past Easter at the Great Vigil of Easter we celebrated one adult baptism and welcomed four additional adults into Full Communion with the Catholic Church. These individuals were part of our Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program, we call it R.C.I.A.

• The R.C.I.A., or the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, is the process by which adults who are not Catholic or even have not been baptized come to learn about the Catholic faith with a desire to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. Here are some highlights:

• It is more than simply a course of instruction.

• It is an immersion into a Christ-centered way of living.

• It is focused on guiding a person to be a believing, praying, and serving Catholic Christian.

• It is accomplished through Scripture study, and group discussions forming the members of the R.C.I.A. to be active and faithful members of the Roman Catholic community of believers.

The R.C.I.A. is a gradual process, for in the wisdom of the Church we have come to learn that conversion is not something to be rushed. A true conversion of mind and heart is only accomplished by the grace of God and through the witness of those who authentically are living out the Catholic faith in their own lives.

Who can join the R.C.I.A.?

1. Any unbaptized adults who wish to learn more about the Catholic faith with the possibility of becoming Catholic.

2. Those baptized Christians, from other denominations, who desire to learn more about the possibility of coming into full communion with the Catholic Church.

3. Those Catholics who were baptized, but have never received their First Holy Communion and have not been Confirmed.

It should be clearly noted that a person who enters the R.C.I.A. makes no obligation to formally join the Catholic Church at this time.

I personally invite anyone who is interested in learning more about the Catholic faith to contact Donna Yatcko in our Religious Education Office at 203-272-6504 or by email at dyatcko@stbridgetschool.org.

I encourage all parishioners to reach out to a family member or friend who might be interested and personally invite them to consider joining the R.C.I.A. process.

Looking for your input…the Pastoral Staff will continue to meet weekly during the summer to make plans for the coming months. We are looking for your input into NEW programs, events, and activities that you want to see here in our Parish Family. Is there a topic you wish we could have an adult education series on, or an evening discussion on? Is there a particular event you wish us to consider? Any and all ideas will be considered, in prayer, by the Pastoral Staff, as we make plans for the coming months. Please simply write your idea down and drop it in the collection in an envelope marked New Ideas or email your idea to rectory@stbridgetcheshire.org. Thank you!

As always, remember to pray for our parish families 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.

The Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ—June 23, 2019

Dear Friends in Christ:

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, otherwise known as Corpus Christi Sunday.

This Feast goes back to the 13th century, but it celebrates something far older: the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion at the Last Supper. It is the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ—which we celebrate each time we come together for Mass—that provides us the grace and strength we need to live as followers of Christ in our world. We know that during the persecutions of the early Church, the disciples would meet in the Catacombs to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because the Eucharist was the source of their strength to remain steadfast in their newfound faith.

And so for us today the Eucharist, the Mass, is the very center of our lives as Catholic Christians; it is the source and summit of our Christian life. At Mass we are fed with the Word of God and nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ so that we can go forth glorifying the Lord by our lives, and announcing the Gospel in our own words and deeds. Take away the Mass and we lose our identity—it is the source and summit of our lives as Catholic Christians. May we recognize the great gift the Eucharist is in our lives and may we always hunger for this food!

The Archdiocesan Synod is really moving full steam ahead. As you are aware, in addition to my duties as your Pastor I am also charged with being the Secretary for the Archdiocesan Synod. It has been ages since I have provided you with an update and so here it is. After months and months of listening sessions throughout the Archdiocese, the Synod Preparatory Commission finally established the main themes we will be addressing at the Synod meeting.

1. Encountering Christ—here will be addressed the personal conversion needed as followers of Christ. There will be a real focus on the Liturgy and devotional life as well.

2. Becoming Missionary Disciples—here will be addressed the need for formation as disciples. There will be a real focus on vocations, and faith formation of clergy and laity.

3. Sent on Mission—here will be addressed the topic of evangelization. There will be a real focus on the proclamation of the Gospel, using the tools of today for effectively communicating the Gospel, and the outreach ministry of the Church.

4. Collaborating in the local Church—here will be addressed a clear understanding of what it means to be members of the Church of the Archdiocese of Hartford. There will be a real focus on moving beyond parochialism, coordinating and collaborating ministries in the face of pastoral planning, and finding communion in our diversity.

We also were blessed with two extraordinary days of formation for all delegates which we hosted here in the parish. The talks were truly enlightening and engaging. On March 30th we hosted Father Steven Boguslawski, OP, who is Moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese and he spoke on what is a synod, why are we having a synod, and what is the role of a delegate. That day we also welcomed Dr. Joan Kelly, a professor in the Catholic Studies Department at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, and she spoke on Connecticut’s Catholic Roots. On June 8th we welcomed Mr. Peter Burak, director of i.d.9:16, a young adult outreach of Renewal Ministries in Michigan, who came to offer two talks; one on the Synod theme of Grow and Go and the other on Discerning the Holy Spirit. All the talks have been made available for you to watch and I recommend that you do! Visit our website at www.growandgo.com to see the videos, you won’t regret it.

As we prepare for the Synod meeting in October we are looking to establish propositions under each of these themes for how we can address these concepts in four ways: as an Archdiocese, as a parish, as a family, and as individuals. It is our hope that these propositions will be very real ways in which we can together Grow as a disciple and Go make disciples! Please pray for the success of this historic Synod!

Foodstock for Kids…The Cheshire Clergy Association is pleased to announce we will be holding our Second Foodstock for Kids on Friday, June 28th from 5-7PM on the Town Green to support the Cheshire Community Food Pantry! The association of clergy here in Cheshire realizes that during the summer months donations to the Cheshire Community Food Pantry decrease due to vacations etc. and so we have decided to host a Town-wide Foodstock for Kids to collect donations of items families will need in the summer while their students are home on vacation from school. We will have live music, games, and a bouncy house on the Town Green. We are looking to collect non-perishable donations of boxed potatoes, fruit snacks, fruit cups, bottled juice, granola bars, Gold Fish, Cheez-Its, sandwich crackers, paper towels, toilet paper, and Kleenex. Come help us FILL THE TRUCK! All are welcome to spend time together on the Green, or simply drive thru and drop off your donation. We appreciate your support!

On Monday evening, June 10th, we gathered together with the Saint Bridget of Sweden Women’s Society for the celebration of the Eucharist to give thanks to God for all that the Women’s Society has done this past year and to ask His guidance upon them in the coming years. We then went to The Watch Factory for a dinner with the membership. At this dinner they awarded two $1,500 scholarships to two of our parishioners, Jessica Mollin and Matthew Kaplita. Jessica and Matthew are extraordinary young people! After listening to all that they are involved with, I joked I am not sure how they have time for their studies. Jessica will be attending Endicott College majoring in marketing, and Matthew will be attending the University of Vermont majoring in civil engineering. We wish them both well. Following the scholarships, we inducted the slate of officers for the coming year. We congratulate and promise our prayers to Patti Flynn-Harris, President, to Gail Rogers, Vice-President, to Kathy Kirby, Secretary, and to Kathy Demers, Treasurer.

At the dinner the Women’s Society also made a substantial donation to the parish. I am most grateful to the members of the Women’s Society for this gift. We used part of it to purchase this new Tabor for the Monstrance. A Tabor is the stand on which the Monstrance is placed, named after Mount Tabor the mountain on which the Lord Jesus was transfigured before three of his closest apostles. The Tabor elevates Jesus in the Eucharist, as much as Mount Tabor did, and allows others to see the beauty and glory of God that shines forth from the Eucharistic host. We thank the Women’s Society for this gift and for all that they do! Thank you!

The Saint Bridget of Sweden Men’s Club also gave a scholarship to a parishioner graduating from Cheshire High School and going off to college. Happiest congratulations to Madison Rossi who is this year’s recipient. Again, with all that Madison has been involved with, including serving at Holy Mass almost every weekend, it is hard to imagine she had time to do her studies. But she did and she did extraordinary. We wish her the best of luck as she will be heading off to New Hampshire to attend Saint Anselm College in the Fall. My seminary classmate is a Benedictine monk at Saint Anselm College, in fact his name is Father Anselm, and I told Madison we will be keeping an eye on her through him. I am confident she will exceed in whatever she does. God’s blessings.

We are holding another poster contest! This time we are looking for students of all ages to design our parish Christmas card. We invite all school aged children to think of Christmas and send us their design. The winner’s artwork will be the cover of our parish Christmas card which is sent to all parishioners and friends of Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish. All artwork must be submitted to the rectory by June 30th for consideration! We look forward to many submissions!

As always, remember to pray for our parish families 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.