April 15, 2025

Join Us for Easter at Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish

April 15, 2025

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish,

Many years ago, the famous film director Cecil B. DeMille was canoeing in Maine, when he noticed a swarm of water beetles swimming nearby. One of them crawled up the side of his canoe, but when it reached the top, it shuddered for a moment and then died. Before long, its shell turned dry and brittle in the sun. But then, as DeMille continued to watch, it split open. Something entirely new burst forth, a rainbow-colored dragonfly that soared into the sky.

The other beetles must have seen that dragonfly, but it was no longer a relation to them. So, they forgot about it until the surprise of their own resurrection. But DeMille did not forget. He asked himself, “Would God do that for a beetle, but not for a human being?” In his heart he knew the answer.

Deep down, our hearts know the answer as well. But life can wear us down and make us doubt: our world seems senselessly prone to war, hate, and violence, our bodies grow weak, our plans go awry, and the shortness of life is always before our eyes. “Is this all there is” we ask, “just a brief flash across the sky and then darkness forever?”

That is the fear that takes hold of us some days, but it is not the truth. Jesus’ resurrection proves that for all time. After three days stone cold dead in the tomb, he was raised up by our Father to a new kind of life, beyond all the limits of time and space.

But Jesus’ resurrection is not just about him. It is the promise and the guarantee that all whose hearts are joined to him will rise and soar with him. This is a promise not only held out for the future…but a promise to be embraced and lived NOW!!

May this truth rest in our hearts, especially for our troubled nation and world. Happy Easter!! He is Risen!! Alleluia!!

Fr. George Couturier

Deacon Mike's Palm Sunday Homily

Easter Greetings from Archbishop Coyne

Join Us For The Sacred Paschal Triduum

Holy Thursday

April 17, 2025

Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

7:00 PM ~ St James

Adoration until 10:00PM

Good Friday

April 18, 2025

Celebration of Our Lord’s Passion

3:00 PM ~ St. James

Tenebrae & Veneration

7:00PM ~ St. Elizabeth Seton

Holy Saturday

April 19, 2025

Blessing of Easter Foods

Noon ~ St. James

Easter Vigil

8:00 PM ~ St. Elizabeth Seton

Easter Sunday

April 20, 2025

9:00 AM ~ St. Elizabeth Seton (livestreamed)

9:00 AM ~ St. James

11:00 AM ~ St. James

Reconciliation Schedule

Tuesday, April 15

6:00 PM at St. James

Wednesday, April 16

6:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton

Click Here To See All We Have Planned for Holy Week at Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish!

Holy Week

Daily Mass

Mon-8:30AM @ Seton

Tues-8:00AM @ St. James

Evening Prayer

Fr. George leads evening prayer Monday - Friday at 5:00 PM on our parish Facebook Page. All are welcome!

Blessing of Easter Foods

Bring your Easter Foods to be blessed on Holy Saturday, April 19, at Noon at St. James Church!

Bring Your Bells

Bells are a sign of joy at the end of Lent when the GLORIA returns on Holy Thursday. The bells are silenced again until the Easter Vigil and Easter morning. Dust off your chimes and bells and bring them to ring during the singing of the Gloria!

Good Friday Evening

April 18, 2025

7:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton

Tenebrae – Service of Darkness – is an ancient tradition of the Church that recalls the last days of Jesus Christ through scripture readings and hymns. The church is darkened as candle light is extinguished after each reading. The community makes loud noises recalling the thunder and tumult at the reading that describes the death of Christ. The church remains quiet at the end of the service for prayer. Veneration of the Cross follows the service.

Bring Your Rice Bowls

Back to Church

Please bring back your rice bowl when churches are open for weekend masses. Kindly return them no later than the weekend after Easter (April 26 & 27). There will be greeters to accept your rice bowl donations.

Thank you for changing lives this Lent!

Thank you to all who so generously contributed to our annual Easter Basket and Gift Card Collection to benefit local Rocky Hill families in collaboration with Rocky Hill Human Services. Together we donated 12 beautiful Easter Food Baskets and $2400.00 in grocery store gift cards!

Bakhita Bible Camp is Back!

Mark your calendars now for Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish Vacation Bible Camp to be held Monday, June 23, 2025 - Friday, June 27, 2025 from 9:00 AM - Noon.

Bakhita Bible Camp welcomes campers entering Kindergarten through Grade 6.

Registration forthcoming for Teen Volunteers entering Grades 7-12 and Adult Volunteers of all ages.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about volunteering opportunities, please contact Lisa Torneo at biblecamp@sjbrh.org.

Scan the QR Code to Learn More and Register Campers for Bakhita Bible Camp

Click Here To Register Campers for Bakhita Bible Camp

Other Fun Tidbits

Pilgrimate to Fatima, Lourdes & Spain

April 28 - May 8, 2026

Deacon Michael and Krystyna Ward are pleased to announce that they will be leading a pilgrimage to Fatima in Portugal, Lourdes in France and notable sites in Spain along the way from April 28-May 8, 2026.

Arriving in Lisbon from New York and after a brief stop in Lisbon we will be moving on to our first major spiritual pilgrimage site visit at Fatima. From there we will stop in the Spanish cities of Salamanca, Valladolid and Burgos on our way to our second major pilgrimage site at Lourdes in southern France. At Lourdes we will visit the apparition site and related points of interest. Leaving Lourdes we will return to Spain visiting the mountaintop monastery at Montserrat before concluding our pilgrimage in Barcelona, visiting the famous Gaudi-designed Holy Family Church and other points, with some free time for exploring this beautiful city, before heading home!

We will be having an informational meeting on Wednesday April 30, 2025 at 7:30 PM at the St. James Parish Center (behind the church!) 767 Elm Street in Rocky Hill.

If you are at all thinking of going, or are just curious, please contact Deacon Michael at saintjmdeacon@gmail.com or call him at 860-836-8218.

Learn More Here

Giving Garden

Our garden at the Brook Street campus since 2017 has supplied the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen in Middletown with an average of 600+ pounds of fresh vegetables a year.

We are happy to welcome 3 new volunteers who are joining us this season, adding to the current team of 14.

We are still in need of a few one-time volunteer efforts:

Saturdays (April 25, May 10 or May 17 - weather permitting) to help fix our fencing and garden borders.
One more picker/team of pickers to help every two weeks (once harvesting time arrives in July and August.)

Anyone from high school age through seniors of all ages are welcome! We supply the tools, supplies and even gloves. If you have an interest in helping, please contact Bob Manzi at manzirj@sbcglobal.net or at 860 502-5097.

You can even visit the garden bench near the garden for a solitary prayer with nature anytime or meet the maintenance crew usually at 5pm Mondays, starting in June. If you have an interest in helping or in learning how to setup an organic garden, please contact Bob Manzi at manzirj@sbcglobal.net or at 860 502-5097.

Thank you to the parish families who have made a gift or pledge commitment to the 2025 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. If you have not yet had the opportunity, please consider prayerfully supporting the many “Good Works” of the Archdiocese. Every gift will be gratefully received and sincerely appreciated.