March 19, 2024

Join Us for Holy Week at Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish

March 19, 2024

Join Us on Palm Sunday

March 24, 2024

4:00 PM at St. James

9:00 AM at St. Elizabeth Seton

and livestreamed

11:00 AM at St. James

Click Here To See All We Have Planned for Holy Week at Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish!

Lent Prayer & Devotions

Attend the Stations of the Cross

Friday Evening March 22, 2024

5:30 PM at St. James

7:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton

Daily Mass

Mon-8:30AM @ Seton

Tues-8:00AM @ St. James

Thur-8:00AM @ St. James

Fri-8:30AM @ Seton

Evening Prayer

Fr. George leads evening prayer Monday - Friday at 5:00 PM on our parish Facebook Page. All are welcome!

Blessing of Easter Foods

Bring your Easter Foods to be blessed on Holy Saturday, March 23, at Noon at St. James Church!

Bring Your Bells

Rejoice! The Gloria is sung again on Holy Thursday, Easter Vigil & Easter morning. Bring your bells from home to ring during the singing of this joyful hymn!

Good Friday Special Collection

Pope Francis has asked our parish to support the Pontifical Good Friday Collection, which helps Christians in the Holy Land. Join in solidarity with the Church in the Holy Land supporting Catholics there in parishes and schools, maintaining Christian shrines and caring for refugees in the Holy Land. Please be generous!

Good Friday Evening

March 29,2024

7:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton

Tenebrae – Service of Darkness – is an ancient tradition of the Church that recalls the last days of Jesus Christ through scripture readings and hymns. The church is darkened as candle light is extinguished after each reading. The community makes loud noises recalling the thunder and tumult at the reading that describes the death of Christ. The church remains quiet at the end of the service for prayer. Veneration of the Cross follows the service.

Easter Food Baskets

Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish will be collecting Easter food “baskets” for families within our community this coming weekend, March 23-24, so that they can be delivered before Easter. Rocky Hill Human Services is asking for "generic" baskets for families of four to six people. If your family or group would like to donate a basket, please sign up on the sheet located in the Foyer of either church so we know how many to plan for. If we get enough, some will also be donated to Catholic Worker in Hartford.

Please bring your basket (any container is acceptable as long as it looks nice) to the Rectory garage at Saint Elizabeth Seton or Father Shea Hall at Saint James on Saturday afternoon, March 23 or Sunday morning, March 24. A list of suggested items is available here. Please do not include perishable foods. People will be given gift certificates to use for their fresh foods.

During this weekend we will also be collecting grocery store gift certificates which Rocky Hill Human Services will add to the baskets when they are distributed. Please bring the gift certificates to Mass March 23-24 and give them directly to Fr. George.

Sacred Paschal Triduum Schedule

Holy Thursday

March 28, 2024

Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

7:00 PM ~ St. James (livestreamed)

Adoration until 10:00PM

Good Friday

March 29, 2024

Celebration of Our Lord’s Passion

3:00 PM ~ St. James (livestreamed)

Tenebrae & Veneration

7:00PM ~ St. Elizabeth Seton ((livestreamed)

Holy Saturday

March 30, 2024

Blessing of Easter Foods

Noon ~ St. James

Easter Vigil

8:00 PM ~ St. Elizabeth Seton (livestreamed)

Easter Sunday

March 31, 2024

9:00 AM ~ St. Elizabeth Seton (livestreamed)

9:00 AM ~ St. James

11:00 AM ~ St. James

Reconciliation Schedule

Monday, March 25

6:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton

Tuesday, March 26

6:00 PM at St. James

Wednesday March 27

6:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton

Other Fun Tidbits

Inviting Altar Servers

Our parish is bringing back the ministry of the Altar Server which was halted during the pandemic. Girls and Boys who are in, or above, grade 4, and have received their first Eucharist are invited to become a part of this important ministry. In addition to children, we invite teens and adults to join our ministry. Those who serve at Mass learn about the liturgy firsthand and assist in the action during the Mass. Most importantly, being an altar server teaches children from a young age to love, revere and praise God. Please contact Joy@sjbrh.org for more information or to sign up at either or both campuses.

Bereavement Support Group

A new Bereavement Support Group will begin in April under the leadership of Bill Pilkington. Bill recently retired from Hartford Healthcare where he served in Spiritual and Bereavement Services for over 30 years. The group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month at the St. James Rectory. Contact Fr. George at frgeorge@sjbrh.org to learn more and to sign up to attend.

The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal supports many important ministries and programs. Gifts are allocated towards faith formation programs, youth ministries, local charities, the education of our seminarians, our retired clergy, our Catholic schools, and the many ministries provided daily by the Archdiocese. If you have not made a gift, please prayerfully consider making a pledge or one-time gift. Join us, your parish community, and Do This in Memory of Me, by sharing your blessings with the less fortunate. 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.