November 10, 2026

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November News from Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish

November 10, 2026

Daly November Notes

Dear Friends,

Jesus told his disciples this parable: A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one– to each according to his ability.

Matthew 25:14-15

The master in the parable entrusts his property to his servants before going on a journey. Everything we have—our faith, time, and resources are not possessions to be hidden away out of fear, but gifts entrusted to us as stewards.

Love teaches us the importance of serving others. The more we love others, the more brave we will be in helping them. If my heart breaks for those who go hungry, then I am going to do whatever I can to alleviate hunger.

If I love young people, then I will want to teach them about how much Jesus loves them. When we act out of love, we are willing to make any sacrifice. We are focused on the people we are serving rather than on our own limitations. In the process, we discover just how valuable our gifts are and just how much we have to offer.

In the end, we will all be judged on how we put to use the blessings God has given us. Did we use them to serve others out of love, or did we bury them out of fear? If we see the value of our talents and choose love over fear, we can be sure that God will take what we have and grow it so that it will enrich us and others.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Shawn

Haiti Benefit Concert Thank You!

Dear Parishioners,

I would like to take you behind the scenes to share how our Haiti Benefit Concert became such a success! While I have been producing fundraiser concerts every few years since the 2010 earthquake, I have never experienced the immense outpouring of volunteer support that I did this year.

So many volunteers worked tirelessly to manage advertising, coordinate the reception, and organize our 7th Grade Faith Formation students to serve as greeters. When I sent out a call for singers to my current choirs, former choir members from Tolland and West Hartford, my students, and my professional colleagues, 53 people enthusiastically said yes. We began rehearsals at the end of August! My new children’s choir jumped right into learning musical theater, and the adult choir tackled an array of musical styles and challenging repertoire, including In My Father’s House by Stopford and Nessun Dorma by Puccini.

I am completely overwhelmed by the turnout, we were bursting at the seams at St. James! Thanks to your incredible generosity, our collection for Haiti has already raised more than $20,000.00 for our sister parish and school—and donations are still coming in! Your enthusiasm for social justice and community building is truly inspiring. This parish is vibrant and alive, and I am honored to be a part of it.

Special thanks to Barbara Wysocki, Marianne Hogan, Carol Rizzo, Linda Spazian, Jerry Tucker, Lisa Orchen, Tom Dzimian, Bill Betterini, Fr. Shawn, and our office staff. Thank you also to my choir members, cantors, students and friends who worked so hard to create a magical musical experience—including my sister Nicole, our tenor soloist Daniel Juarez, and pianist Stephen Scarlato.

My heart is full of gratitude. Thank you all so very much.

Rochelle Bard
Director of Music Ministry

Enjoy a Full Gallery of Photos Here

Join Us For The Thirty-Third

Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 15, 2026

4:00 PM Vigil at St. James

9:00 AM at St. Elizabeth Seton

and livestreamed

11:30 AM at St. James

Congratulations to Our Newly Confirmed!

On Saturday, November 7, 47 young people from our parish received the Sacrament of Confirmation from Archbishop Coyne at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph. It was a joyful celebration, with one especially moving moment. Hunter Crawford was sponsored by his great-grandfather, Mr. Patrick Dotoli, who is 103 years old. Hunter chose Patrick as his Confirmation name, a name that holds deep meaning in his family. During the anointing, Archbishop Coyne came down from the altar so that Mr. Dotoli, seated in his wheelchair, could rest his hand on Hunter’s shoulder as Hunter was sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Another sponsor, at 95, offered the same quiet witness: faith is handed on, hand to shoulder, generation to generation. May the Holy Spirit strengthen and guide all our newly confirmed.

Join Us In Praying For Our Parish Youth

Our Faith Formation classes began in September and will run through April. We pray that our students in pre-kindergarten through Grade 9 have a year where their faith and relationship with God grow. Our parishioners have been so generous to our faith formation classes and outreach programs. Our youth face many challenges in their day to day life. They could be carrying stress in their personal life, navigating friendships, holding themselves to high expectations in academics and sports, caring about family, and more. We have asked each of our students to write intentions on how we, as a parish, could pray for them throughout the year. Prayer intention cards will be placed in the foyers at the end of each mass on the weekend of November 14-15, 2026. Please consider taking a card and holding that child in prayer throughout the year. Our students really poured their hearts into how we can best pray for them and are appreciative to have the support of a prayer team. Thank you!

Faith Sharing Group

All are welcome to join the Saint Josephine Bakhita Faith Sharing Group. Our November meetings are Tuesday, November 17, 1:00-2:30 PM and Tuesday, November 24 from 6:30-8:00 PM. Both meetings will be in person at Saint Elizabeth Seton Church in room B. We focus on prayer, a brief scripture review on the workings of the Holy Spirit, with a continued discernment in open discussion and personal prayer intentions. You are invited to come to one or both, we are using the same format but will have different members and discussions.

We also have a charismatic prayer group that is led by Kristie Bilcharz. This group meets on Zoom on the first Tuesday of the month from 7:00 – 8:30 PM. For additional information about any of these groups, please contact Michael Lonergan at 860-638-7080|Mikelonergan53108@sbcglobal.net. I will forward your information to Kristie regarding the charismatic prayer group and she will send you the Zoom link.

You are welcome to attend any of these faith sharing groups and feel free to invite friends or family members from our parish or not.

Annual Holiday Fair

Bake Sale & Cookie Walk

Donations of baked goods and cookies are needed for our annual Holiday Fair. We have many talented bakers in our parish and each year they donate delicious homemade baked goods for our very popular Holiday Fair Bake Sale & Cookie Walk. We can never have too much! Every last crumb sells! Please sign up to donate one or more items.

Bake for the Bake Sale

Bake for the Cookie Walk

Holiday Fair Volunteers Needed

Planning for our annual Holiday Fair is well underway. We need lots of volunteers to help make it all happen! Click the button below to sign up to help! If you prefer to talk to someone about volunteering, call Kathy Alexander at 860-563-5859 or Erica McKenzie at 724-713-7366.

Click Here to Volunteer at the Holiday Fair

Vendor Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek at six of just some of the talented crafters who will be at the Holiday Fair on Saturday, November 21:

Ally’s Soaps
Coming Around Again
“N” Joy by Dottie
Sage and Song
Shoreline Crafts
Tyler’s Pens
Walter White Creations

See what they have in store and start making your shopping list. Handmade gifts, local artisans, and a whole lot of parish joy will be there.

Early Access to Holiday Fair Items Available NOW!

Knit, Crochet and Sew Good Works has Holiday Fair items available again this year for early purchase, or to order. Come shop for Irish knit sweaters, table runners, quilts, cobbler aprons and more, including specially priced items not available at the Fair. Great Gift ideas! For more information or to make an appointment, contact Vivian Orsini at vorsini24@aol.com, or text 860-906-7433 and leave a message.

Thanksgiving Food Baskets &

Grocery Store Gift Certificates

Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish will be collecting Thanksgiving food baskets for families in our community on the weekend of November 21-22, 2026, so that they can be delivered before Thanksgiving. Rocky Hill Human Services needs baskets for families of four to six people.

If you would like to donate a basket, please bring it (any container is fine, as long as it looks nice) to the Rectory garage at Saint Elizabeth Seton or Fr. Shea Hall at Saint James on Saturday afternoon, November 21, or Sunday morning, November 22. A list of suggested items is available here to help with your shopping. Please do not include perishable foods. Families will receive gift certificates to purchase their turkey and fresh items.

We will also be collecting grocery store gift certificates that Rocky Hill Human Services will add to the baskets when they are distributed. Please bring gift certificates to Mass on November 21-22 and place them in the collection basket, or mail or drop them off at the church office so they arrive before the weekend.

Make Time For A Retreat in 2027

Peace, unity, and harmony are all things we desire in our lives, especially as we experience division in society, the Church, and our relationships. Our retreat theme for this season, With One Heart, will explore how our Christian faith calls us to resist division and to live as one in the love of God. The biblical image of being “of one heart” expresses a deep sense of harmony, shared purpose, and mutual belonging. It points to a way of life in which we move beyond our differences and seek the common good as members of one community. Through prayer, reflection, and dialogue, our retreat this season will guide us to live more fully With One Heart, uniting us to God and one another.

Considering giving a Holy Family Retreat to a loved one as a Christmas gift – one size truly fits all! Reach out to Holy Family via the contact info below and they will help you with a Gift Certificate.