April 8, 2025

Join Us for Holy Week at Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish

April 8, 2025

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish,

The two Gospel readings at the Masses for this weekend of Palm/Passion Sunday present to us a stark contradiction (Matthew 21:1-11 and 26:14-27: 11-54). The readings underscore with brutal clarity a stunning reversal: Jesus was acclaimed as a hero and then executed as a heretic…all within hours. The thoughtless ease with which the crowd turned on him raises a stark question (for me at least): were they really worth dying for? Why didn’t Jesus just make swift about face and so home to a happy life?

The question becomes even more poignant when we look at the cynicism and fecklessness of our own day…even our own lives at times. Are we worth dying for? Though is may be hard to see why, Jesus thought we are. For he could see in us a faint yet real reflection of the goodness of God…a goodness that could grow. And none of the thoughtlessness and narcissism of his generation—or of ours—could deter him from pouring his whole self into giving us a chance at a real life.

How could Jesus bring himself to do all that? It is a mystery which only those who love deeply will ever begin to understand. We can only give thanks and let our gratitude flower into love that lasts.

Wishing you a blessed Holy Week!

Fr. George Couturier

Join Us on Palm Sunday

April 13, 2025

4:00 PM at St. James

9:00 AM at St. Elizabeth Seton

and livestreamed

11:00 AM at St. James

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

Lent Prayer & Devotions

Attend the Stations of the Cross

Friday Evening April 11, 2025

5:30 PM at St. James

7:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton

Daily Mass

Mon-8:30AM @ Seton

Tues-8:00AM @ St. James

Thur-8:00AM @ St. James

Fri-8:30AM @ Seton

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.

Easter Food Baskets

Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish will be collecting Easter food “baskets” for families within our community on the weekend of April 12-13 so that they can be delivered before Easter. Rocky Hill Human Services is asking for "generic" baskets for families of four to six people. If your family or group would like to donate a basket, please sign up on the sheet located in the Foyer of either church so we know how many to plan for. If we get enough, some will also be donated to Catholic Worker in Hartford.

Please bring your basket (any container is acceptable as long as it looks nice) to the Rectory garage at Saint Elizabeth Seton or Father Shea Hall at Saint James on Saturday afternoon, April 12 or Sunday morning, April 13. A list of suggested items is available here. Please do not include perishable foods. People will be given gift certificates to use for their fresh foods.

During this weekend we will also be collecting grocery store gift certificates which Rocky Hill Human Services will add to the baskets when they are distributed. Please bring the gift certificates to Mass April 12-13 and give them directly to Fr. George.

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!

Sacred Paschal Triduum Schedule

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

Sunday, April 13

6:00 PM at St. James

Monday, April 14

6:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton

Tuesday, April 15

6:00 PM at St. James

Wednesday, April 16

6:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton

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

Donate Blood In Memory of

Andrew Sorrentino

Andrew's Ohana Foundation was created in memory of Andrew Sorrentino who passed away on May 6, 2018 after a valiant 2-year battle with leukemia. The term "ohana" means "family" in the Hawaiian language and famously appeared in the Disney film, Lilo and Stitch. In the movie, Stitch says, "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." That phrase became the guiding principle of Andrew's Ohana Foundation. Through this foundation our mission is to support, celebrate and honor children - and their families - undergoing treatment for cancer or other serious illness. Our upcoming American Red Cross Blood Drive is in support of Andrew's Ohana Foundation at our Parish Center at St. James Church on Thursday, April 10, 2025 from 1PM-6PM. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS or go to www.redcrossblood.org to register to give. Use code Ohana and donors receive a $15 e-gift card plus a chance to win a $5000 prize.

Giving Garden

The Giving Garden of St. Josephine Bakhita has supplied the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen in Middletown with 460 to more than 900 pounds of fresh vegetables a year since 2017. The garden is on Brook Street, east of the rectory.

Our 14 volunteers manage the 20- x 30-foot plot as an organic, non-synthetic chemical garden.

This ministry is not hard work or a chore but a pleasure, where you work with and meet some very kind folks. But gardeners could use your help, either a one-time effort; once a week for an hour or so, or whatever you’re able to do. We’re looking for volunteers from high school age through seniors.

Some needs this year include:

One time efforts in April/May to improve the fencing and borders or shovel some mulch & wood chips.
Weekly plant & weed maintenance, limited to an hour per week, June - early October
One more picker/team of pickers for once every two weeks (once harvesting time arrives.)

If you have an interest in helping, please contact Bob Manzi at manzirj@sbcglobal.net or at 860 502-5097. You can even visit us anytime usually at 5 p.m. Mondays, starting in June.

Saint Josephine Bakhita Faith Sharing Group

All are welcome to join the Saint Josephine Bahkita Faith Sharing Group. We meet on the 4th Tuesday of the Month in the month of April, May and June. We meet from 10:00-11:30 AM at St. Elizabeth Seton Church. This group grew out of our parish Awakening retreat in November 2024. At our meetings we start with a presentation of a gift of the Holy Spirit and then we break into small groups to share how the Holy Spirit is working in our lives. A main focus is how we keep the Holy Spirit as an active component of our everyday life. For additional information, please contact Michael Lonergan at 860-638-7080 at Mikelonergan53108@sbcglobal.net.

It is important that when you give to any charitable organization, you are confident that the funds received are being used wisely. Be assured that your gift to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal supports the ministries and programs indicated in the 2025 Appeal literature! Organizations right here in our own town received funding from the Appeal’s Vicariate Outreach Program. Please visit the Appeal website at www.archdioceseofhartford.org to learn more and make your gift today.All funds contributed to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal are used exclusively for the purposes outlined in the Appeal literature, which can be found here. No Appeal funds are ever used for legal fees or settlements.