St. Francis Xavier Parish

Transcription

1 26 CHESTNUT LAND ROAD NEW MILFORD, CT Web Site: Office Hours: 9 A.M. - 5 P.M. Mon. - Thurs. (Closed on Friday) St. Francis Xavier Parish Parish Monthly Theme: May 3, 2015 Modesty Sunday in Ordinary Time PASTORAL TEAM Rev. Lawrence P. Parent, OFM Pastor FrLarry@sfxnewmilford.org Deacon Roland Miller DeaconRoland@sfxnewmilford.org SUPPORT STAFF Doreen Gray, Administrative Assistant DGray@sfxnewmilford.org Jocelyne Verrastro St. Francis Cemetery/Finance Office JVerrastro@sfxnewmilford.org Theresa Fugardi, Pastoral Assistant tfugardi@sfxnewmilford.org FAITH FORMATION Mary Vannucci, Coordinator Gr. K - 5 MVannucci@sfxnewmilford.org Sue Pullen, Coordinator Gr Edge (Gr. 6-8), LifeTeen (Gr. 9-12) & Confirmation SPullen@sfxnewmilford.org Chris Grenier, Administrative Assistant to Faith Formation CGrenier@sfxnewmilford.org HOLY INFANT NURSERY SCHOOL Marge Cooper, Director Mailing Address & Office Location 1 Elm Street New Milford, CT Fax # MASS SCHEDULE Saturday Vigil at 5:00 p.m. Sunday at 7:30, 10:00 a.m. & 5:00 p.m. (Life Teen) Wednesday, Friday at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 7:30 a.m. SACRAMENTS CONFESSIONS Saturdays 12:00 noon or by appointment BAPTISMS Call Parish Office MARRIAGES Contact the priest 1 year in advance. MINISTRY TO THE SICK The parish clergy and Ministers of Holy Communion visit New Milford Hospital, Candlewood Valley Health & Rehab, Village Crest Center for Health & Rehab and some homebound regularly. For other specific visits, please contact the Parish Office. WELCOME We are glad you are here. If you would like to join the parish, please call the parish office.

2 Page Two May 3, 2015 St. Francis sends a final farewell to our dearly departed: SATURDAY VIGIL - May 2 5:00 P.M. For the Special Intention of all Parents who have lost children Fifth Sunday of Easter SUNDAY - May 3 7:30 A.M. +Anthony Toranto Req. by His Family 10:00 A.M. +Gregorio Velez Req. by Paul, Rita, Michael & Nicholas Fitch 5:00 P.M. +For The People of St. Francis Xavier & The Immaculate Conception Province MONDAY - No Daily Mass - May 4 TUESDAY - May 5 7:30 A.M. +Nancy Hyland Req. by Her Family WEDNESDAY - May 6 6:30 P.M. +Fr. Pelligrino Req. by Carmen Carbo THURSDAY - May 7 7:30 A.M. +Erin Reynolds and deceased family members Req. by The Reynolds Family FRIDAY - May 8 6:30 P.M. +Luann Westerlund Req. by The Ballard Family SATURDAY - May 9 7:30 A.M. For the living and deceased members of the Shugrue and Brennan families Req. by Dan & Judy Shugrue VIGIL 5:00 P.M. +Antonio Dispensa Req. by His Children & Sisters SUNDAY - May 10 7:30 A.M. +Jeffrey Martin Req. by The Martin, Sipe and Zank Families 10:00 A.M. For All Mothers - Living and Deceased 5:00 P.M. +Helena Fernandes Req. by The Amaral Family Timothy A. Spada Anna Wells The Sanctuary Lamp for the week burns in memory of Smiley Iannuzzi (6th Anniversary) Requested with love from Her Husband, Giovanni YOUR VOICE COUNTS: Help to plan the future of our Archdiocese! Beginning May 9th, you will be asked to take an online pastoral planning survey. The results of this survey will help inform how we can best work together to reposition our Archdiocese in ways that will ensure the success of our mission, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. The link to the pastoral survey will be published in the parish bulletin in early May, and access to the survey will be available at: archdioceseofhartford.org. Paper copies will be offered at parishes for those who do not have online access. We ask that you take the time to fill out this 20-minute survey. If you recall, in a February letter to parishioners, Archbishop Leonard Blair indicated that:... pastoral planning is meant to be consultative and collaborative at every level, especially the local level. Together, we will thoughtfully and carefully seek to discern the will of God, and strengthen our Archdiocese for future generations. Catholic Communication Campaign May The national date for the Collection for the Catholic Communication Campaign is quickly approaching. The CCC supports projects throughout the world that develop the use of media for evangelization. The Collection for the CCC helps in this effort by providing grants that spread the faith through social media sites, podcasts, print media, radio and television. Please be as generous as possible for this important collection which accomplishes great work in spreading the Good News!

3 Page Three May 3, 2015 E.M. Training - If you are interested in serving our parish as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, please note the requirements below: Be a practicing Catholic, distinguished in their Christian life, faith and morals; Be at least 19 years old; Have received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist; Demonstrate a deep reverence for and devotion to Eucharist; Be an active registered member of our parish; If married, the marriage must be a valid Catholic marriage. Please call the Parish Office if you are interested in attending one of the following training sessions: July 12 at St. George in Guilford Aug. 23 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Waterbury Oct. 18 at St. Robert Bellarmine in Windsor Locks. ASCENSION THURSDAY MAY 14 Holy Day of Obligation Mass Schedule: Wednesday Vigil Mass, May 13 6:30 p.m. Thursday Masses, May 14 7:30 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. The Grotto Gift Shop located at the Shrine of Lourdes in Litchfield, 50 Montfort Rd., Rte. 118, Litchfield, has recently received a large selection of outdoor statues. They range in small, medium & large sizes and have natural, white, and painted finishes. Also new articles have been added to the existing stock. Come in and shop during our daily hours: Monday to Saturday, 10:30am until 4:30pm and on Sundays, 12:30pm until 4:30pm ; lourdesshrinect@gmail.com. ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SCHOLARSHIP 2015 All high school seniors attending college, community college, trade school, etc. in the Fall of 2015, who are active members of St. Francis Xavier Parish are invited to apply for the St. Francis Xavier Scholarship. Application forms and requirements are available in the Parish Office at 1 Elm Street, and must be completed and returned by May 14, If you have any questions, please call the Parish Office at CONFRATERNITY OF THE ROSARY UPCOMING EVENTS: St. Francis Confraternity of the Rosary invites you to Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, West Hartford on June 1st. Board bus at 7:30 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church Parking Lot, and return at 4:00 p.m. (26 Chestnut Land Road). Includes: Breakfast, Speaker, Mass, Lunch, Gift Shop, and Prayer Time. Bring a rosary. Send a non -refundable $40.00 check and phone number to: Joanne Lillis 44 Marwick Manor New Milford, CT Questions: Call Kathy Hyland at , or Sally Adams at , or Helen Manizza at Last day to register is Tuesday, May 26th. Please make checks payable to the Confraternity of the Rosary. The Confraternity of the Rosary will hold their monthly meeting on Monday, May 4 at 12 noon in the Church Hall. New members are always welcome. Our Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet on Tuesday, May 19 at 1:00 p.m. in the Church Hall. New members are welcome to join this ministry which knits/crochets prayer shawls for the homebound and infirm. OFFERTORY - April 26 = $5, ½ % CATHEDRATICUM = $ ½ % CATHOLIC SCHOOLS = $ ST. FRANCIS SHARE = $5, The next Women s Guild meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 12 at 7:00 p.m. in the Church Hall. New members are always welcome to attend.

4 Page Four May 3, 2015 LIFE TEEN MASS Every Sunday 5:00 P.M. SERVICE HOURS - 9th & 10th Grade: If your grade 9 or 10 student would like service hours, we have our annual Cemetery Clean Up on Saturday, May 16 th from 8:30am 1:30pm (weather permitting). If you are interested please call Sue Pullen. You will need to bring work gloves, a rake (if you have one) and to dress appropriately for the weather. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to demonstrate one of the Corporal Works of Mercy. SUMMER SPIRIT 2015 Celebrating 35 Years!!!! SUMMER SPIRIT 2015: will be held the week of July 6 th 10 th and REGISTRATION for it will take place on: Tues., May 19 th from 5:00 7 pm in the Church Hall (during Faith Formation Registration) and Saturday, May 30 following the 5 pm Mass, Sunday, May 31 following the 10 am Mass and Monday, June 1 from 9:30 am to 12 noon in the Parish Center. The Summer Spirit program is a fun filled and meaningful week long program (Mon. Thurs. 8:45 am 12 noon and Fri. 8:45 am 1 pm). It is open to children entering Kindergarten through and including grade 6. Our program includes classroom time, music art, outdoor play and Bible Story time. The Children s Mass is celebrated on Friday and each class will contribute and participate. The cost for this year is: $20 for one child; $30 for two children and $35 for three or more. This includes the Summer Spirit t-shirt, arts and crafts, snacks and drinks daily, the Friday cookout and special entertainment. The counselors must pay $10 and this includes their t-shirt, food and drink for the week. The counselors can use their Summer Spirit hours towards their service requirements for Faith Formation. If you have any questions, please call Lisa Stein at or Chris Grenier at FAITH FORMATION REMINDER: Our office is closed on Fridays; please leave your messages on the answering machine and we will return your call on Monday morning. Thanks. FIRST COMMUNION: Rehearsal for the May 9 th 10 am children will be held on Thursday, May 7 th at 4pm at the CHURCH. Please bring your completed butterfly. REGISTRATION letters for the Faith Formation year have gone out this past week in the mail. Registration will be held on Tuesday, May 19 th from 5-7 pm at the CHURCH OR Wednesday, May 20 th 9:30 am 12:30 pm and 1:30 3:30 pm at the Faith Formation Office. Please call us if you do not receive your information. CONFIRMATION IMPORTANT DATES Confirmation Rehearsals: Tues., May 19-7pm (for 10 am group) Wed., May 20-7pm (for 1 pm group) *A parent/guardian/sponsor must attend with you. * Confirmation Date: Saturday, May 23, :00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Bishop Christie Macaluso presiding. BOY SCOUTING... Calling all boys years old. Do you like camping, swimming, archery, climbing, fishing, boating, campfires and awesome meals? Boy Scout Troop 66, sponsored by St. Francis Xavier Church, has a few openings this summer to experience Camp Workcoeman on beautiful West Hill Pond in New Hartford, CT. We will be attending July If you are interested please call Scoutmaster Joe Vita today at (860) for more info. Your summer adventure begins with Troop 66. Invitations for our annual Volunteer Appreciation dinner have gone out. Our evening will be held on Wed., May 13 th. We will begin with Mass at 6:30pm followed by wine and cheese, a buffet dinner and desserts. We will end approximately 9:30pm. Please RSVP to Mary, Chris or Sue by May 5 th at We are praying all of you attend so we can show you our gratitude.

5 Page Five May 3, 2015 Defending Our Religious Liberty The federal health care mandate violates religious liberty because it forces conscientious objectors to actively go against their moral principles. It also deprives those objectors of the right (a right that others continue to exercise) to do what they see as morally required. If you haven t done so already, please voice your opposition to the federal health care mandate by calling U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell at Let her know that the mandate is in violation of our First Amendment right to religious freedom. Sponsored by our Knights of Columbus Every Monday night VFW Hall (Avery Road, New Milford) Doors open at 5:45 p.m. BINGO begins at 6:30 p.m. Mother's Day Plant Sale The Women s Guild will be sponsoring a Mother s Day Plant Sale the weekend of May 9 & 10, after the Saturday 5:00 p.m. Mass and the Sunday morning 7:30 & 10:00 a.m. Masses. Please stop by the Church Hall and bring home a lovely plant or hanging basket for Mom (or yourself!). If you have any questions, please call Adrienne Coppola at ITEMS FOR THE MISSIONS: If you have any of the following items: rosaries, prayer cards, medals, small religious books, Bibles, etc, to send to the missions, please contact Judy at ARCHBISHOP S ANNUAL APPEAL This month, after years of study, 3 men are being ordained to the priesthood. During their years of preparation for this vocation, they were supported by family and friends - and by everyone who made a gift to the Archbishop s Annual Appeal. When you make a gift to the Appeal, you help meet the cost of priestly formation and education. Please support our seminarians by making a gift to the Appeal today. Church Grounds ~ ~ ~ Clean-Up Day Saturday, May 16 9:00 a.m. (at the Church) Calling all hands - we will spend the day cleaning up the Church grounds. Some projects include: repairing the stone wall, moving wood, removing trash, etc. Invitation to Parishioners Fr. Dennis C.N. Gingras who was previously assigned to our parish will be celebrating his 25th anniversary of ordination and is cordially inviting parishioners to a Mass and reception. The Mass will take place at St. Ann Church in Bristol, CT on Saturday, May 16 at 4:00 p.m. A reception will follow the Mass. All are welcome to attend and join in the celebration of 25 years of priesthood. Congratulations to Fr. Dennis as he celebrates 25 years of priesthood!! You Can Change the Life of a Teen Dear Parishioners: The Steubenville Retreat is an amazing opportunity for a teen to grow in faith and encounter God in a large community of teens celebrating their Catholic Faith. There are professional speakers and several opportunities to receive God s love in the Sacraments and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Please pray about financially supporting our group that is traveling to St. John s University in New York to attend this Retreat in August. We are sending approximately 35 teens this year and we are looking for support to offset the cost of the bus and retreat. The total cost for one teen is $300 this year. God Bless you for all the many ways you have supported our endeavors already. We have several fund raising activities planned in the coming months, but we ll need additional funds to meet our goal. A donation in any amount to the Steubenville Retreat Fund is greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to St. Francis and write Steubenville on the memo line. You can put your donations in the collection basket or mail them to the Parish Office, 1 Elm Street, New Milford, CT Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!