February 28, 2023

February 28, 2023 Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish, Every year on the Second Sunday of Lent we remember the transfiguration of Jesus. Placing ourselves in the narrative on that high mountain, new details might be noticed that draw us into deeper layers of meaning. The readings leave three details for contemplation this week. First, whenever Jesus retreats to a mountain or quiet place in the Scriptures, he seeks prayer time with his Father. Second, this particular time of prayer between Jesus and his Father results in a theophany, an intense manifestation of God in visible form recognizable to the human eye. Jesus reveals his full divinity to Peter, James, and John, and subsequently to all of us through the written account. Finally, God boldly breaks into the encounter and speaks words of confirmation to the disciples and to us, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matthew 17:5).  During Lent the Church invites us to be even more intentional about stepping away from our normal activities to meet God in prayer. Our response to this invitation will not disappoint because prayer never leaves us unchanged. When we follow the example of Jesus, make time and space for prayer, and quiet ourselves into a listening posture, we give God the opportunity to speak the words we most need to hear. How does God speak with love to you today through Matthew’s portrayal of this pinnacle moment in Jesus’ life? Photo courtesy of Saint John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota. 2014. Click Here to See All We Have Planned for Lent March 5, 2023 4:00 PM at Saint James 9 AM at Saint Elizabeth Seton 11:00 AM at Saint James A Special Message from the Faith Formation Team: We pray for blessings for all of our families as we begin this Lenten journey in our parish community and in our homes.  We have many wonderful Lenten activities planned for the classroom as well as resources for you to celebrate Lent in your homes. The Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl Project is one of the ways that your family can participate in almsgiving during Lent. Children in grades 4-8 will be participating  in a friendly competition among the grades during the weeks of Lent. To learn more about this project, go to www.crsricebowl.org.  May this Lenten season be one of spiritual renewal and an opportunity to grow closer as a family as we journey together through this holy season.   Family Prayers for Lent One of the real challenges that we too often find in our busy lives is finding time to be together as a family. It is especially difficult to find opportunities to pray together. Here are a few possibilities for praying as a family during Lent or at any other time of the year. Prayer before Meals Meals are a natural time to pray as a family. We can begin by simply saying, "Let's pray," or "Let's pause for a minute to give thanks." This can be a brief prayer. Brief prayer doesn't have to be without substance or power. Praying at Other Times In the Morning: It can be quite transformative of our family bonds, in faith, to pause very briefly to pray together in the morning. This might be a spontaneous prayer, such as while we are lying in bed. When we are rushing around one another in the kitchen and grabbing breakfast, it can be wonderful to pause to pray and simply ask the Lord to be with each of us in what we are about to do. Other times: Such as cleaning up or in preparation for guests coming for dinner or for an overnight slumber party. We might share the responsibility for designing the family prayer for special occasions: birthdays, anniversaries, the beginning and end of a school year, the beginning of a new endeavor. Simple Rituals We can easily add gestures that bring powerful prayer to our family life. One of the simplest and most natural gestures is to trace a cross on a loved one's forehead. Praying for One Another The most important part of family prayer is perhaps the easiest to overlook: how we hold one another up to the Lord. Even when we are not physically together as a praying family, we want to pray for one another. May our Lord bless our praying, especially at home, in the community of our family, in these days of Lent. by Andy Alexander, SJ, Maureen McCann Waldron 8 Ways to Pray During Lent Lent Prayer & Devotions Pray the Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross invite us to use all our senses as we reflect prayerfully and walk intentionally with Jesus through his suffering, death on the cross and resurrection. Here are some of the ways available: Attend the Stations of the Cross Friday Evenings 5:30PM at St. James 7:00pm at St. Elizabeth Seton Pray The Stations of the Cross with Fr. George Virtually Available anytime on YouTube Lent Afternoon of Reflection Saturday, March 4 1:30 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton Praying with Mind, Body & Spirit Learn more & sign up here Lent Taizé Prayer Service Sunday, March 5 6:30 PM at St. James Learn more here Contemplative Dialogue Lenten Series Mondays March 6, 13, 20, 27 April 3, 10 Online via Zoom Our group will read Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton. Each week, participants will read a chapter and reflect on it with the practice of contemplative dialogue. Everyone is asked to listen to each other’s sharing without comment - to listen deeply is to cultivate inner silence. If you would like to participate, please sign up in either church foyer by February 25th to allow sufficient time to order the books before our initial session. For more information, contact Fran Mastro at 860-810-2403 or Fmed6@icloud.com. Lent Evening of Reflection for Couples Tuesday March 21 7:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton Navigating a Deeper Relationship Presented by Lil & Rick Baruffi Learn more & sign up here Charismatic Prayer Group Our Charismatic Prayer Group gives praise, honor, thanks and love to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Our gatherings include Christian music, charismatic prayer, discussion of biblical readings and sharing prayer petitions. We meet on first Tuesday of the month at St. Elizabeth Seton from 7:00-8:30 PM, both in person and online. Contact Kristie Witherspoon to learn more: kblicharz@gmail.com. Daily Mass Mon-8:30AM @ Seton Tues-8:00AM @ St. James Thur-8:00AM @ St. James Fri-8:30AM @ Seton Adoration First Thursdays 8:30AM @ St. James Every Thursday 3:00PM @ St. James Rosary Tues & Thurs 8:30AM @ St. James Saturdays 3:20PM @ St. James Lent Almsgiving Each Lent, Catholic households across the country unite to put their faith into action through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through the CRS Rice Bowl Program, we learn about how our sisters and brothers across the globe overcome hardships like hunger and malnutrition, and how through Lenten alms, we have the power to make the world a better place for all. Rice Bowls are available in both Church foyers. Fill them with your Lenten alms and return them at Easter time. Our parish will send all our collected donations to Catholic Relief Services. Learn more about the Rice Bowl Program, discover meatless recipes from around the world and watch weekly stories of hope at www.crsricebowl.org. Give Blood The American Red Cross has launched a Severe Blood Shortage Appeal. All eligible donors are encouraged to schedule appointments now. The next drive hosted at our Parish Center at St. James Church is scheduled for Wednesday, March 8, from 1PM-6PM. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS visit www.redcrossblood.org to register to give. Food & Cereal For Our Local Pantries 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, Click Here. Other Fun Tidbits St. Patrick's Day Dinner Join the Knights of Columbus for our annual St. Patrick's Day celebration featuring a traditional corned beef dinner with all the fixings and dessert. Saturday, March 18 4:00 - 7:00 PM Saint James Parish Center Tickets on sale Feb. 18 - Mar. 12. Learn more here. Palm Crosses for Sale The Knights of Columbus will be taking orders for palm crosses after every mass at the St. James and St. Elizabeth campuses for the following dates: February 25 - March 19. Palm crosses will be available for pick up after every mass on Palm Sunday. The cost of the palm crosses is $13. Please contact David Mikol at (860) 726-3585 with any questions. Hospitality Sunday is Back! First Sunday of the Month March 5, 2023 Coffee, treats, visiting with friends 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. The Souper Bowl of Caring was a Super Success! The Souper Bowl of Caring was “Game On” from the minute our Year I & II Confirmation Candidates walked thru the Parish Center doors with overflowing grocery bags that held over 1,400 items. They came to play as did the Parish in their overwhelming support of throwing donations in the soup pots the students held after Mass. It was an exciting finish to the Football Super Bowl but nothing in comparison to what we did as a Parish. Just as Carol Rizzo announced that the collection total was $20 short of making it to a record $4,000, a Confirmation Candidate stood up and asked if they could donate the $20 needed to close the gap. The room erupted in cheers as they ran over waving the $20 to get us over the goal line! Words cannot express the gratitude to such generous parishioners who made this the most successful Souper Bowl ever. So many will benefit from your generosity. Huge cheer of thanks to our awesome catechists who led the students thru the day’s activities as Year II had a repeat win in taking home the trophy but not without the help of their parents, many of whom volunteered to help! Faith Formation and Social Justice Committee will be working together to joyfully distribute the money and goods.  Enjoy a Gallery of Pictures of the Souper Bowl of Caring The 2023 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal is now underway in our parish. Our goal is to engage our entire parish family in this year’s Appeal and to pray for the success of the Appeal, both here in our parish and across the three counties of the Archdiocese. We hope you can help us meet our parish fundraising goal. If you would like to make a gift, please mail in your pledge card. You may also visit the Archdiocesan website at www.archdioceseofhartford.org or call the Appeal Office at (800) 781-2550. Keep in mind that an early pledge will allow you to best use the monthly payment plan. 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. Read the Parish Bulletin Visit our Website Parish Visitors Our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are available to bring Holy Communion to our homebound parishioners and those recuperating from surgery or illness. Please contact the parish office to request a visit: 860-529-8655. Stay Connected Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish l The Catholic Community of Rocky Hill

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