August 2, 2022

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be

August 2, 2022

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish,

Greetings and blessings!

This past weekend I briefly spoke of two essential ingredients to becoming a wise person: living in the now and gratitude. I would like to be in compliance with the Lord’s invitation to be wise by, at least, being grateful. And so, I want to express sincerest gratitude to all the volunteers, parents, and staff for making the BAKHITA BIBLE CAMP a massive success. Making such an event such a “bang up” event of faith for our young ones is no easy task. However, under the leadership of Ellen Lowrance and her awesome team…. a bit of a miracle occurred in spite of the constraints of resources, pandemic and ever-changing circumstances. Bravo to Ellen and friends!!!

This weekend’s Gospel (Luke 12:32-40) shares the words of Jesus, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” So, what is our treasure? I, like many folks, have a pre-recorded answer usually: my family, my friends, the Lord. But if I am honest with myself, I have to ask, “Is that always true?”

The patterns of our choices can tell us a lot about what we really treasure. How do we treat the folks we say are our treasures? Do they get the leftovers of our time and attention? And what does the Lord get from us? Maybe an occasional distracted Hail Mary from time to time? Most of us name what our treasures ought to be, but often quickly lose focus in the busyness of daily life.

We can do something about that by sprinkling moments of honest remembering through the day: “Lord, this day has not started well. Please stay close.” Or “Lord, someone needs special attention today. Help me to be there for him/her.” Or “Lord, what a sunset! Thank you!”

These tiny moments of remembering can keep us on track and change the tone of our day. Make them a regular part of our lives and discover the difference between traveling alone and having a real partner on the journey….and discover what our true treasures are.

I wish you and yours continued Blessings!!

Fr. George

The 19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 7, 2022

4 PM Vigil - St. James

9 AM - St. Elizabeth Seton & livestreamed

11 AM - St. James & livestreamed

*Masks are strongly encouraged in our worship spaces!*

*Join us for coffee after the 9 AM & 11 AM Masses*

Watch on Facebook

Watch on Our Website

Hospitality Sunday is Back!

First Sunday of the Month

August 7, 2022

Coffee, treats, visiting with friends - old and new - has returned to the first Sunday of the month. Parishioners who have volunteered to make this possible will serve treats after the 9:00 AM Mass at St. Elizabeth Seton and after the 11:00 AM Mass at St. James. Consider joining this ministry to keep this great social time going. A few teams of parishioners or families taking turns would keep this commitment feasible going forward. Contact Elizabeth@sjbrh.org or Joy@sjbrh.org to find out how you can help.

for

Faith Formation

Electronic registration and payment form all in one! Scan the QR code to access our easy to complete online registration form!

Please note, families must be registered as members of Saint Josephine Bakhita parish for their children to be enrolled and participate in the faith formation classes. Should you need to complete a parish registration form, Click Here.

It is important for your children to participate in all faith formation years, not just sacramental years. Participation, especially in grades 7 and 8 is a requirement for them to enter the Confirmation preparation program in 9th grade.

If you have any questions, please contact the faith formation office at reo@sjbrh.org or call us at 860-529-1274.

Did You Miss Confirmation the First Time Around?

We Can Help With That

It’s never too late. Even if you are way “past the age” or even a little ;-) ...and not yet Confirmed...you can be. You certainly are not alone. It happens for a variety of reasons. We will help you get “caught up.”

If you have not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation and would like to, contact Deacon Michael at dcnmichael@sjbrh.org (best) or by phone at 860-529-3222 Ext 14. Leave a message and we’ll get back to you.

Food & Cereal

For Our Local Pantries

Households who struggle with hunger need our help even more in the summer time. We continue to seek food and cereal donations for our monthly delivery to the Rocky Hill and Amazing Grace food pantries. Non-perishable food items and cereal boxes can be dropped off at either church location. Learn more here.

St. James Church: Father Shea Hall, Mon - Fri (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM) or before the masses at 4:00 or 11:00.

St. Elizabeth Seton Church: Bins are near the kitchen, Mon - Fri (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM) or before the Sunday mass at 9:00.

Questions? Contact Carl Bach at abcb1922@yahoo.com

Summer Clothing Collection

Our Parish Summer Clothing Collection continues through the coming weeks. We accept warm weather clothing in clean, good to excellent condition. Place donations in the collection bin in the front foyer of St. James Church (behind the divider). Unfortunately we are no longer able to accept household goods.

St. James Church: Father Shea Hall, Mon - Fri (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM) or before the masses at 4:00 or 11:00.

Questions? Contact Sandy Rokosz at sandyrokosz7@hotmail.com

Calling All HomeFront Volunteers!

Prior to COVID our combined parish has fielded a volunteer ministry to renovate local homes for over thirty years! Our most recent efforts have partnered with HomeFront Inc. to help low income households in our area remain in their home by making free, critical home repairs. The HomeFront work day is a very rewarding experience, offering the opportunity to work side by side with fellow parishioners and assist a family or individual by making their home “warm, safe and dry.” This effort embodies Christian stewardship - sharing our time, treasure and talent to benefit our extended community.

Typically our team of 30-35 volunteers with a variety of skills from painting, plumbing, carpentry, general repairs and gardening completed amazing renovations for very appreciative households over the course of 1 or 2 days. We are currently evaluating whether we can field a team either for October 2022 or Spring 2023. You may have been part of our wonderful team from the past decade or know someone who has participated. Everybody from age 16 and up are welcome to join us.

If you are part of our experienced team of over 30 men & women, we would love to hear from you as well. Please respond before the end of August to communicate your thoughts and assist in understanding what our skills/talent pool will look like going forward. If you are interested or need additional information, a sign-up sheet is available in the entrance of both churches. Or you can contact Bob Manzi by phone (860-502 5097) or email at mrjfiles@sbcglobal.net.

Do you need healing in your marriage? Do you feel disconnected, disappointed or disillusioned? Let Retrouvaille help you rediscover your love. Retrouvaillle means rediscovery in French. The program helps couples put their broken pieces back together and rediscover their love for each other! Retrouvaille’s next weekend in Connecticut for couples in struggling marriages is September 16-18, 2022. Learn more about it here.

Text-to-Give

Another easy way to manage your church giving is with our new Text-to-Give function that is fully integrated with our Online Giving. You can text an amount followed by the word ‘text’ to 860-821-7962. If your phone number is not recognized, you can associate your number with an existing account or follow the simple steps to create an account. To send a donation of $25.00, tour text would look like this: 25 text