March 15, 2022
Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish,
Greetings and blessings!
Have you ever taken a long road trip and you notice an awesome sight that you want your passenger to notice as well? We fly by the sight and the passenger misses the beauty and the opportunity is missed.
God is not like that. What do you think is the first thing God sees when God looks at us? It is exactly what any good parent sees, and that is all the good that is growing in his children and all the things we have already succeeded in getting right.
God sees all this and wants us to see it too. God wants us to see that in so many ways most of us really have been getting better. And why is it so important for us to see this? Because there is still a lot of work, a lot of growing yet to do.
God does not want us to lose heart. He wants us to know that, with God’s help, we can open the next door without being afraid of what we will find. Whatever we find we can work on together, just as we have in the past. That is the great opportunity of Lent. And so, Jesus urges us in today’s Gospel (Luke 13:1-9) to take a closer look at ourselves. “Repent,” he says, which means, “Rethink what you are about.”
He is not asking us to complete our whole life’s work in the remainder of Lent. He is saying that for each of us, there is a door that can be and needs to be opened. There is always something specific that is ready to be rethought, reformed, and reshaped.
If we pay attention, the Lord will show us what that is. And he will give us the wisdom and the courage to walk through the right door and to do what needs to be done.
Read about the opportunities for spiritual renewal this Lent below in this newsletter, on our new website, on our social media platforms, in our bulletin and the Lent takeaways we have set out for you in the foyers of our Churches.
Peace and Blessings in the Holy Season of Lent,
Fr. George Couturier
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Sunday
March 20, 2022
4 PM Vigil - St. James
*Masks are strongly encouraged in our worship spaces!*
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© 2022 Liturgy Training Publications. 800-933-1800. Text by Catherine Johnson and Mary Kay Kelley, ssj. Scripture quotations are from the New American Bible, revised edition. Permission to publish granted by the Archdiocese of Chicago |
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Lent Evenings of Reflection |
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Tuesday, March 22, 2022
7:00 PM
Saint Elizabeth Seton Church
*** and livestreamed ***
How a Pot of Soup Brought Me Closer to Jesus:
Practical Strategies for Everyday People to Encounter our Lord
Speaker: Kelly Henderschedt, Archdiocesan Director of Faith Formation
Life can be a constant state of motion. Schedules, obligations, stressors and expectations. Can we ever truly find inner peace when our minds, bodies and spirits are being pulled in so many directions? Yes! It is truly possible and this Lent is the perfect time to learn how to claim the promise of peace that Jesus offers each one of us. Special attention will be given to the practice of centering prayer as an effective way to experience this peace our souls crave. No registration required! Just come and enjoy! For more information, Click Here.
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Tuesday, April 5, 2022
7:00 PM
Saint Elizabeth Seton Church
Ignation Pause
Please join us for an hour long evening program first learning about and then praying St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Examen. This is a powerful prayer tool for discernment and to help us grow closer to God by pausing to examine the contours of our daily lives. Our session will be led by Laura Marcucio, a Spanish teacher at East Catholic High School in Manchester. Trained in spiritual direction and in Ignatian spirituality, Laura made the Spiritual Exercises for the first time as a student at the College of the Holy Cross. She has a Masters in Theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology. For more information, Click Here. |
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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
Pray the Stations of the Cross for
Children, Families & Everyone Virtually
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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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The Lenten Practice of Fasting & Abstinence
The Lenten practice of fasting is modeled on Jesus' forty days of fasting in the desert, the Gospel story always proclaimed on the First Sunday of Lent. Like Jesus, we fast during Lent as a reminder of our dependence on God. Through fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, we also align ourselves more closely with the needs of the hungry throughout our world. The tradition of abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and Lenten Fridays allows us to walk in the shoes of the poor who can seldom afford meat for meals. As a gesture of solidarity, plan very simple, home cooked meals and set aside the money normally spent for food and drink on Fridays to give as alms. For creative suggestions for Lenten fasting, Click here.
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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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Lifting Up Intercessory Prayer in Our Churches |
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Light a Candle
Along the back wall in St. James Church and in the Reservation Chapel at St. Elizabeth Church there are votive candle stations which represent our “Sacrifice of Praise.” The word “votive” comes from the Latin word "votum," which originally meant “expressing a desire.” So the next time you are in the chapel, feel free to light a votive candle as a sacrificial offering, expressing your desires and petitions to God.
Prayer Intention Books
Along the back wall of St. James and in the foyer of St. Elizabeth Seton, you can also find prayer intention books. These intentions are then prayed for during the celebration of Mass, and the rosary offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays following daily mass.
Prayer Walls
Additionally, during Lent, our parish Faith Formation Program has placed “Prayer Walls” in both of our churches. You are welcome to tie a ribbon on the wire “wall” to pray for family, friends, peace, or the church community. Ribbons are in the cups surrounding the “wall.”
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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: March 19-20 & 26-27. Palm crosses will be available for pick up after every mass on Palm Sunday. The cost of the palm crosses is $12. Please contact David Mikol at (860) 726-3585 with any questions.
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Lenten Rosary
Prayer time: 20 minutes.
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Adoration
Join our community for Adoration this Lent every Thursday at St. James Church from 8:30 - 9:30 AM immediately following the daily mass.
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Lent Daily Prayer
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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The 2022 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal is now underway in our parish. Your support of this year’s Appeal ensures that essential charitable, educational, and pastoral ministries of the Archdiocese of Hartford are carried forward.
For the sixth year in a row, in 2021, the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal Vicariate Outreach Program provided over $1,000,000 to over 180 local organizations in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties. Organizations right here in our own town received funding from the Appeal’s Vicariate Outreach Program that makes a difference in serving our neighbors.
We hope you can help us meet our parish goal. If you would like to make a gift, please mail in your pledge card. You may also visit the Archdiocesan website 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.
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Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish
767 Elm Street
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
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