May 3, 2022

May 3, 2022 Easter Greetings from the Faith Formation Team! We are so grateful to all of our students and the families in Faith formation who participated this year in all of our programs. It has been a pleasure to share our faith with your children during the year and are always so amazed by the simple faith and the love and understanding of God that they share with us. We also are grateful for all of the adult support we have including parents, catechists, and others who serve as examples of Christian living to our children every day. We would like to share with you some highlights of our programs this year starting with the youngest in our Early Childhood Program. Our catechists, Lori Gosselin and Elizabeth Cook-Asal focused on helping the children learn about Jesus and his unconditional love for us. They learned about what prayer is, different ways to pray and the importance of prayer in their lives as they continue to grow in their faith. One of the beautiful ways they learned to experience prayer this year is through music and movement. The children learned the song “Open My Eyes” which is often sung at Mass along with prayerful movements to accompany the song. They had the opportunity to share this prayer with the congregation during Mass and it was such a moving experience for all. One of our goals as part of faith formation is to connect with the greater congregation and in particular the parents and families. To this end, we had family sessions and receptions to enhance community building after Mass to share the prayers that the children had learned as well as providing a lesson and resources for the families to enrich their prayer lives in their homes. It was wonderful this year to come out of our COVID cocoons a little in a safe way and celebrate together again. Our program for those children primarily in second and third grade preparing for the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Eucharist is coordinated by Linda Sidote. Working with a great team of catechists, 33 children received the Sacrament of Reconciliation in March. We are continuing to work with our First Eucharist candidates as they prepare to receive this sacrament for the first time on May 21, 2022. The preparation throughout the year included in person and online education with the “Blessed” program through Dynamic Catholic. They also participated in service projects during Advent and Lent as well as our monthly family activities. The children participated in all day workshops that involved crafts and other activities that helped them to understand the meaning of the sacrament they were receiving as well as experiencing the awesome love of God for each of them and how unique and special they are in Gods eyes. We will continue our wrap up and synopsis of our faith formation program for our 4th-8th grade students and families as well as our two year Confirmation program in the next e-newsletter and bulletin. Monica Piombino, Carol Rizzo, Linda Sidote, Lori Gosselin, Beth Mulvey “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  -Matthew19: 14 Click Here to Explore the Faith Formation Website Fourth Sunday of Easter May 8, 2022 4 PM Vigil - St. James 9 AM - St. Elizabeth Seton & livestreamed 11 AM - St. James & livestreamed *Masks are strongly encouraged in our worship spaces!* Watch on Facebook Watch on Our Website Lectio Divina ~ Visio Divina A Two-Part Series on Praying With the Word & Praying with Images May 10 & 17 Saint James Parish Center 7:00 P.M. This May, Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish will be offering a two-part series on praying with the the Word and Images. For ages and ages the spoken and written word and images have been effective means of bringing us closer to God. This brief series will help us to see and use the word of God and visual art as a means of enabling a deeper prayer encounter with God, in a way that can prove useful to us in our own spiritual and prayer lives. The first session will explore Lectio Divina (prayer with Scripture) and the second session will explore Visio Divina (prayer with sacred images). The sessions are free and open to all members of the parish community and friends. Please email Deacon Michael at saintjmdeacon@gmail.com if you plan to attend to allow for an accurate count for materials and room set up. Charismatic Prayer Group Our Charismatic Prayer Group gives praise, honor, thanks and love to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Our gatherings include Christian music, charismatic prayer, discussion of biblical readings and sharing prayer petitions. We meet on first Tuesday of the month at St. Elizabeth Seton from 7:00-8:30 PM, both in person and online. Contact Mike Lonergan to learn more: Mikelonergan53108@sbcglobal.net Thank You For Supporting Our Parish Lent Giving Project Our Lenten Giving Project of adopting My Sister’s Place / Mercy Housing and Shelter was a huge success. Our parishioners once again stepped up their wonderful generosity as we were able to provide nearly $2,000 worth of assorted hygiene products to the women, children and families cared for by My Sister’s Place. A heart felt THANK YOU to all! 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 Thursday, May 12 from 1PM-6PM. Go to www.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to register to give. Pray Every Evening with Fr. George Fr. George leads Evening Prayer on Monday-Friday at 5:00 PM on both our Facebook Page and Parish website. The recordings remain available afterward on the Parish Facebook page. All are welcome! 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 Reconciliation Fr. George welcomes all to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Monday evenings at 6:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton. Seeking Help For the 2022 Holiday Fair The Holiday Fair Committee needs volunteers to contact potential donors for items for the Silent Auction. Now is the time to begin contacting the businesses, individuals and sports teams who have generously donated items in the past for the Fair in November. We have all the materials needed to make these contacts but need someone to manage the task. If you have been wondering how you can help with the Fair or help the Parish in general, here is your opportunity! Contact Jo-Ellen Vendetti at jtvendet@yahoo.com or 860-878-0432 if you are interested or if you would like more information. The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal provides help to those in need! Together, we can and do make a profound difference in the lives of many individuals and families, in a way that exceeds anything we could hope to achieve on our own. Please consider supporting this important initiative. Every gift makes a difference. Organizations right here in our own community receive funding from the Appeal’s Outreach Program. All donations 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. Donate to the Archbishop's Annual Appeal Read the Parish Bulletin Sign Up for Online Giving Receive This E-newsletter Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish 767 Elm Street Rocky Hill, CT 06067 www.saintjosephinebakhita.org Follow Us ‌ ‌ ‌