June 11, 2024

Summer Happenings at Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish

June 11, 2024

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish,

In my humble opinion, I think God wants us to think big and to be big on the inside. And that is what we want too, I suspect: to be more, much more, to be filled full. Will this desire of ours ever be satisfied? Or are we destined for a lifetime of angst, ending in nowhere? Real eye-opening questions?

Jesus gives us the answer, I believe, in this Sunday’s Gospel (MT 4:26-34). “The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, the tiniest of seeds when its is planted. But it grows into the largest of shrubs, big enough for the birds to build nests!”

Our deepest longing, which sometimes has no name, will be fulfilled, God says. God will help us grow large. God will fill us full and transform us from the inside out. That is the destiny for which God made us; and it is a miracle. But the miracle happens only very slowly, and like the growing of a tiny seed deep in the earth, it is almost entirely invisible.

And there is the rub! Because the growth is so slow and so invisible, we find it hard to believe it is actually happening. Discouragement follows and often we walk away from the task at hand. And the growth that was happening may stop! Because God can’t build with us, if we have abandoned the building site!

When we pray the words of the Our Father, “Thy Kingdom come,” the Kingdom we are praying for is not just out there: Peace in the world and justice for all. It is first of all right inside us. God’s Kingdom can come to be inside, and it will come to be if we ask for it in faith, if we receive and take into ourselves the help God sends us in so many strange and unexpected ways, and if we persist, despite the lying darkness that tells us that nothing is happening.

God’s Kingdom will come to be. How long will it take? That depends, most of the time, on us.

Peace and blessings!

Fr. George Couturier

Join Us For The 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 16, 2024

4:00 PM Vigil at St. James

9:00 AM at St. Elizabeth Seton

and livestreamed

11:00 AM at St. James

We would like to congratulate all those young people in our parish who are graduating from middle school, high school and college!

We wish you blessings as you continue on your journey in life and be assured of our prayers from your faith community at Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish as you go forward.

Here is a special prayer to bless you on your way:

Other Fun Tidbits

Inviting all Sewers, Knitters & Crocheters

The Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish Knit, Crochet, Sew & Prayer Shawl Ministries serve our community in generous ways.

The Knit, Crochet & Sew Good Works Ministry meets every Wednesday in Fr. Shea Hall at St. James Church from 1pm – 4pm.

Contact: Sandy Rokosz at sandyrokosz7@hotmail.com

The Morning Prayer Shawl Ministry meets the forth Monday of each month at St. Elizabeth Seton Church at 9am.

Contact: Betty Catelli at catellib64@gmail.com

The Evening Prayer Shawl Ministry meets the first Monday of each month at St. Elizabeth Seton Church at 6:45pm.

Contact: Laura Pentland at lbpent57@gmail.com

We are open to anyone who has the skills to sew, knit or crochet or who would like to learn how. Whether you knit or crochet quickly or slowly, your help is welcome to fulfill the mission of spreading God’s love through our craft. It is our hope that those who receive our crafts will feel the love that goes into making each and every one of them. Our time together begins and ends with prayer and all creations are prayed over and blessed prior to being gifted.

A Grateful Thank You to All

Through our Parish Outreach Ministry your wonderful donations throughout the past year have enabled our parish to touch the lives of "thousands" of those less fortunate both locally and at St Anne in Haiti. The following is a listing of the organizations that have received donations from our parish over the course of the last 12 months because of your generosity and the efforts of our Outreach Ministry:

St. Anne Church, Saintard, Haiti; House of Bread; ImmaCare Shelter; Casa DeFrancisco; Mercy Housing; My Sister's Place; St. Elizabeth House; Catholic Worker Hartford; Friendship Service Center; Solnit Center; St. Vincent de Paul; Amazing Grace Food Pantry; Rocky Hill Food Pantry; South Park Inn, Apple Rehab.

Carl Bach, Outreach Ministries Coordinator

Sixth Annual Knights of Columbus

Golf Outing

Friday, September 20, 2024

Timberlin Golf Club, Berlin CT

Lunch/Registration at 11:00AM

Scramble Format ~ Shotgun Start at 12:30 PM ~ Buffet Dinner to follow

$150 per golfer includes 18 holes of golf w/cart, lunch and buffet dinner, cash prizes, raffle prizes.

$55 dinner only

For more information, contact Mike DiBattisto (860-713-9070) or Mike Lombardo (860-869-2231).

Learn More Here

Outdoor Places to Pray

at Saint Josephine Bakhita

Now that the warm weather has arrived, consider taking your preferred prayer style to a quiet place on the grounds of either church campus.

Saint James campus offers several outdoor spots: the Labyrinth behind the church/next to the parish center as well as the benches between the two buildings. Other prayerful spots include the statue of Christ behind the center as well as on the tree covered lawns near the church.

At Saint Elizabeth Seton campus, a garden devoted to Mary is a good spot for prayer and lies across from the church with benches (and has a lending library, too!). A sheltered gazebo sits in a shaded spot opposite the rectory. Benches on the church porch during the week offer quiet as well.

Inside or outside of either campus, there are peaceful places to pray. Visit our church properties and spend time with our Lord.