January 11, 2022
Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish,
I am happy to announce that Archbishop Leonard Blair has requested to preside at Mass at our parish at the St. Elizabeth Seton Campus this coming weekend January 16th at 9:00 a.m. Most certainly, as the pastoral leader of our Archdiocese, he is very welcome to come and lead us in Eucharist, breaking open the Word, prayer, song and fellowship. We look forward to his presence and the sharing of his wisdom, faith, and encouragement in these very challenging days.
You may already know that every parish in the Archdiocese is legally incorporated with the State of Connecticut. The Corporation of Saint Josephine Bakhita comprises the leadership of the Archbishop as President of the Corporation along with the Vicar general as vice president, the pastor as Treasurer and two lay trustees appointed from within the parish.
I am very happy to announce the appointment of Kathy Alexander as our new parish Trustee along with Sandy Ambrose. Kathy will be replacing Frank Scalise who graciously and generously served a term as Trustee and has decided to retire from that position. The role of Trustees involves the representation of the parishioners to the Board of the Corporation and involve themselves in the work of two primary councils of the parish: Finance Council and the Parish Pastoral Council. I am ever so grateful for their time, talent, and sincere desire to advise me and promote the mission and ministry of the parish.
Due to the sharp rise in COVID cases in the State of Connecticut and Rocky Hill we have been advised, by the Archbishop and the CDC that every precaution must be taken in the next several weeks. Therefore, masks and social distancing are once again required. We do this all, even though we are tired, so that we protect everyone especially the very young and the vulnerable. We do this so that we will not have to close the church like we did almost two years ago.
In an abundance of caution, we have decided to pause our Faith Formation classes this week and maybe into the several weeks ahead until the case numbers drop once again to a safer level. We need to protect our children, who are most vulnerable, and our volunteer catechists and staff.
Let us pray for a quick and orderly end to this pandemic and its consequences: physical, mental, and spiritual. The Catholic Church Universal asks that all our members be vaccinated and be the lamplighters to a way back into the light after this long darkness. This is a moral responsibility not only to our own personal well-being…but for the well-being of our families, neighbors and the entire community we live in.
Finally, a sincere word of gratitude to the Estate of Louise Clarke who has left our parish a legacy bequest of $33,000. Her remembrance of our parish in her estate has blessed the continuing work of our mission and ministry. May she be remembered by our prayers and gratitude now and forever!
Peace and blessings,
Fr. George Couturier
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Introducing Our New Parish Logo |
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As we transition to Ordinary Time we introduce our new parish logo. The view behind the altars in both our churches inspired the logo. Take some time to contemplate and note how features from both of our beautiful churches blend to create our new image.
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Welcome to Ordinary Time
On Monday of this week, our Church transitioned from the Christmas Season to Ordinary Time on our Liturgical Calendar. Ordinary Time is anything but "ordinary." When referring to Ordinary Time, the word "ordinary" means counted time. This coming Sunday is the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time and the Sunday after that is the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, and so on until we enter the Season of Lent on March 2nd. The liturgical color for the season is green as seen in the vestments Fr. George and Deacon Mike wear for Sunday Mass.
Prayer for Ordinary Time
God of Eternity,
As I walk the path of Ordinary Time,
help me to count the many ways you are present:
In the comings and goings of family, friends, coworkers and neighbors;
In the sounds of winter and the beauty of your magnificent creation;
In the daily routines and responsibilities that make up the rhythm of my days.
Make all time extra -ordinary as I seek to become
more attuned to your presence.
Amen.
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Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 16, 2022
4 PM Vigil - St. James
9 AM - St. Elizabeth Seton & livestreamed
11 AM - St. James & livestreamed
*Masks are required in our worship spaces!*
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All members of the Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish community are invited to join in the faith activity for the month of January. Engage in a service project to help people in our local community. Explore the following links for ideas to get you started. By engaging in service, children and adults alike live out the teachings of Jesus to love and serve one another, especially those most in need of our help. To learn more, Click Here. Please share a description and/or pictures of your service activity to the Faith Formation Office at reo@sjbrh.org.
“We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love, be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace.”
-Pope Francis
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Blood Donors Needed
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, January 12 from 1PM-6PM. Go to www.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to register to give.
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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:
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 located near the kitchen, Mon - Fri (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM) or before the Sunday mass at 9:00.
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Winter Clothing
Collection
The Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish Winter Clothing Collection continues through the coming weeks. We accept Winter 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.
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Our parish gave so generously to all of our Advent and Christmas Giving Collections. Thank you to everyone who participated in small and large ways. Enjoy this two minute digital story of what we were able to accomplish through teamwork: |
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Giving Garden Update
In November, the Giving Garden Ministry “put the garden to bed” for 2021. Our yield for this year was just under 600 lbs, all delivered to the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen in Middletown. We had good participation from the parish, with many volunteers for this ministry that runs over 9 months each year. There are many roles such as planting seeds and planting plants, maintaining the fencing and structure of the garden, weekly maintenance and picking and delivering the vegetables to the soup kitchen. In gratitude, here are those we need to thank for their amazing work on the garden:
Joe Amarante, Sue Amarante, Cindy Aylward, Jack Aylward, Carl Bach, Betty Catelli, Liz Chasse, Rich Dalidowitz, Michael D’Amore, Meg Doherty Penepent, Julie Gerace, Mary Ann Lauria, Bob Manzi, Denise Mazzamurro, Eileen Murphy, Janet Murphy, Mark Murphy, Mary Ellen Norton, Julie Rader, Dean Rametta, Marge Ruschau, James Szalkiewicz
After our plant sale this year, any extra plants were donated to the CT Department of Corrections in Cheshire so they could start a garden. Also, parishioner Michael D’Amore generously donated some of his own plants. We also had a donation of a large pot with herbs that the soup kitchen is now able to grow and harvest some of their own herbs on their roof .
We will start again with planting seeds late February. If you are interested in helping out next year, please contact Claire Dalidowitz by email at ckdalidowitz@snet.net.
p.s. Looking ahead to next year, if anyone would like to donate a free standing steel shelving unit to store our pots, fertilizer, etc. it would be most appreciated. We also gravel for the outside border of the garden to keep weeds down. We always need 1 gallon plastic bags with zip closures that we use for delivering our produce. Thanks for your support!
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Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish
767 Elm Street
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
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