March 1, 2022
Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish,
Greetings and blessings!
We have planned some in-person Lenten activities and prayer times that may interest you and your family and friends:
Stations of the Cross: Every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m. at St. James and 7:00 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Seton.
Rosary: Tuesday and Thursday mornings after 8:00 a.m. Mass at St. James and every Saturday afternoon at St. James at 3:20 p.m. (prior to the 4:00 p.m. Mass).
Eucharistic Adoration: During Lent each Thursday after the 8:00 a.m. Mass (8:30-9:30 a.m.)
Sacrament of Reconciliation: Every Monday evening at 6:00-7:00 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Seton
I want to express sincerest gratitude to the entire staff for their diligent and awesome work in pulling together so many wonderful opportunities for prayer, reflection, study and giving during this Lenten Season. Keep your eye on the upcoming bulletins, newsletters, Facebook and website news for additional opportunities in the weeks ahead.
Please post to your refrigerator the schedule of the many opportunities that were mentioned on the purple handout this past weekend. You can also find it as a link below as well as on our new website. Finally, please consider your participation in two wonderful ways to participate in almsgiving during Lent: 1. The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal and 2. The Rice Bowl drive for Catholic Relief Services. (The Rice Bowl contributions will be due back to our churches or Faith Formation Office right after Easter)
Peace and Blessings in the Holy Season of Lent,
Peace and blessings,
Fr. George Couturier
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March 2, 2022
Ash Wednesday Mass
8am at St. Elizabeth Seton
& streamed on Facebook
Prayer Service & Ashes
Noon & 7 pm at St. James
Pray Ash Wednesday Virtually
Streamed on FaceBook at 8am & available all day
Hold an Ash Wednesday Prayer Service at Home
Ashes & Prayer ’to go’ kits available for pick up in the lobbies of both Churches starting Sunday, February 27.
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Sunday
March 6, 2022
4 PM Vigil - St. James
*Masks are strongly encouraged in our worship spaces!*
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Create a Prayer Space for Lent at Home |
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All members of the Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish community are invited to set up a special place for prayer time during the Lenten Season. Use the color purple, a sign of reflection and conversion, on a table or shelf. Include a simple cross and a Bible.
Blessing Prayer for Your Prayer Space
Blessed are you, O God of mercy and compassion.
Though we are but dust and ashes,
in baptism we die and rise with Christ.
As we ponder our lives and seek freedom from our sins,
assure us of your forgiveness and grace.
Nourish and sustain us on our Lenten journey,
that marked with the sign of the cross,
we may be arrive at Easter with hearts renewed.
Bless our prayer space and guide our prayer life
as we journey through these Lenten days.
We make this prayer in the name of Jesus
who is Lord forever and ever.
Amen.
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Pray The Stations of the Cross |
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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 Stations of the Cross
Fridays at 5:30pm at St. James
Fridays at 7:00pm at St. Elizabeth Seton
Pray The Stations of the Cross with Fr. George Virtually
Attend Stations of the Cross for
Children, Families & Everyone Virtually
Sunday, March 6
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March Faith Activity
All members of the Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish community are invited to join in the faith activity for the month of March: Fill your Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl. Rice Bowls are available in both church foyers and contain information on this project. Fill them with your Lenten monetary donations and return them at Easter time. Our faith formation students in 4th-8th grade along with our Confirmation students will be involved in a fun competition to see which class can raise the most money for this wonderful cause. All our collected donations will be sent to Catholic Relief services which includes relief to our brothers and sisters in the Ukraine. To learn more, visit www.crsricebowl.org.
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Our parish collection for the season of Lent will benefit My Sister’s Place, a local agency committed to ending homelessness by empowering women, families and others in Greater Hartford to achieve independence and stability in their community by providing housing and supportive services. Those served by My Sister’s Place are in great need of the following items:
Toilet paper, Baby wipes, Pull-Ups (size 4T & 5T)
Bars of soap, Body wash, Shampoo & Conditioner
Deodorant, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste
Mouthwash, Feminine products
Our parish Outreach Ministry has offered to coordinate our parish donations on their behalf. Donations 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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Catholic Relief Services Operation Rice Bowl
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.
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Our last installment of stories from Our Haitian Promise comes from Marisol Dátiz about her pilgrimage with our parish group in January of 2017. Our parish established a "twinned" relationship with the parish of Saint Anne in Saintard, Haiti in March, 2001. Saint Anne Church, established in 1958, is a parish of over 3000 people, located on the coast just north of Port-au-Prince.
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I had traveled to Haiti because I felt the calling from God to do so. I landed eager to help our brother and sisters from the Saintard Parish and found in this community the friendliest of people; mothers, fathers and children full of life and hope. Resilient human beings with an unbreakable spirit. Their continuous celebration for life and their great sense of community despite the challenges they faced daily to keep themselves afloat was mind-blowing to me and I was humbled. |
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Their beautiful smiles, open hearts, and willingness for progress captivated my spirit. That’s the Haiti that welcomed each and every one of us and that’s the Haiti that I have not ceased to believe in. On that night of Jan 24, I felt the strong presence of God. God’s teaching was all about how the simplest of things, like simply caring, can bring true meaning and change around us. When we serve others without seeking anything in return, we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and resilient to the abundant love that we are capable of sharing. From simple gestures is that the world conquers change and finds redemption.
I left Haiti feeling a great sense of accomplishment. Among the many purposes we had laid out in preparation for the trip, there was one that had been achieved with great success and it was showing our Haitian brothers and sisters that we genuinely cared, that they were being heard and valued and that our intent was to preserve the dignity they deserved. When saying goodbye, it never felt the end of a journey but rather the beginning of a hopeful road ahead.
-Marisol Dátiz
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Sunday, March 13 at 7 PM
Saint James Church
Imagine the scene. Silence. Church lights dim. In the sanctuary, dozens of candles flicker near icons. In pews, worshipers hold their own candles, long and slim, then light each others’ one by one until the church is alive with even more candlelight. They chant together, slowly repeating a single line over and over as they rise and carry candles toward the altar, adding their own flames to the ones already burning.
Returning to pews, worshipers then sit in silence just beholding this magical scene: small flames around the altar like a sunburst in shadowy darkness. There is no other light. There is no sound save the occasional cough. And nothing moves, save the flames, which dance.
This is a Taizé prayer service. Join us at Saint James Church on Sunday, March 13 to experience this moving form of prayer as part of our journey through Lent.
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Fr. George and our parish Directors of Music Ministry will lead Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer online through Lent.
Morning Prayer: Streamed on Facebook at 5:00 AM and available after
Evening Prayer: Streamed on Facebook at 5:00 PM and available after
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Daily Mass Schedule
Monday: 8:30am-St. Elizabeth Seton
Tuesday: 8:00am-St. James
Thursday: 8:00am-St. James
Friday: 8:30am-St. Elizabeth Seton
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Reconciliation
Fr. George welcomes all to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Monday evenings at 6:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton.
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Irish Knit Sweaters Available
Looking for an Irish Knit sweater for St. Patrick's Day? Knit, Crochet and Sew Good Works has some available. Contact Vivian Orsini at vorsini24@aol.com or text 860-906-7433. |
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This weekend marks the start of the 2022 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal in our parish. If you haven’t already, you will soon receive a letter from Archbishop Blair seeking your support. As Catholics in the Archdiocese of Hartford we have a profound impact on our local communities not only in the spiritual realm, but intimately connected to it, the realm of social services and many charities and outreach services performed by, or with help from, our Church.
To view some of the wonderful things accomplished through your generosity, the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal is launching a new web-series called, The Annual Appeal at Work. The premiere episode will be airing on Thursday, March 3, 2022 on all Archdiocesan Social Media sites as well as the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal webpage. New episodes will air the first week of each month, for the rest of 2022. Each episode will highlight the ministries supported by the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. Visit the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal Website, to find a link for each episode. Please tune in Thursday, March 3 for the premiere broadcast.
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Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish
767 Elm Street
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
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