The Church of the Incarnation 544 Prospect Street Wethersfield, CT 06109

Transcription

1 The Church of the Incarnation 544 Prospect Street Wethersfield, CT Rev. James M. Moran Pastor Mrs. Noranne Wamester Pastoral Associate Mrs. Maggie Seaver Coordinator of Middle School Faith Formation Youth Minister Mrs. Audrey Saharek Pastoral Assistant Mrs. Teri Aiudi Rectory Office Assistant Faith Formation Secretary Mrs. Theodora Niver Director of Music Vanessa Crowley Lorissa Heath Rosanne Sweeney Gowdy Andrew Russo Heather Picard Bonney Gianna Bielenda Cantors Toni Munoz Sacristan Marguerite Heinimann Rectory Assistant Mass Schedule Confessions on Saturdays from 3:45-4:30p.m. Vigil Mass: Saturday at 5:00p.m. Sunday Masses: 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. Daily Mass: (Mon. - Fri.) 9:00 a.m. Recitation of the Rosary before 9:00 a.m. daily Mass Sacrament of Baptism By previous appointment Sundays at 12:30 p.m. in the Baptistry of the Chapel. Weddings Please contact a priest 6-10 months prior. New Parishioners and Faith Formation Registration The Church of the Incarnation welcomes new parishioners. All forms are available at the main entrance of the church. Please mail or place in the collection basket. You may also visit our website for printable forms at: Rectory Hours 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Rectory Fax Church Faith Formation Website address: (860) (860) cincarnation@sbcglobal.net (860) gotellit@aol.com

2 Page Two Third Sunday in Ordinary Time..January 24, 2016 SATURDAY, JANUARY 23RD 5:00 pm Richard & Janet Drobot & John Drobot SUNDAY, JANUARY 24TH 8:30am Vincenzo Filippa 10:30am Frank & Vincenza Bulanti & Silvia Bulanti MONDAY, JANUARY 25TH 9:00am Lillian Vasquez TUESDAY, JANUARY 26TH 9:00am Hellmuth Heinimann WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27TH 9:00am Douglas Campbell THURSDAY, JANUARY 28TH 9:00am For all our parishioners FRIDAY, JANUARY 29TH 9:00am Hellmuth Heinimann SATURDAY, JANUARY 30TH 5:00pm Anthony Gulioso SUNDAY, JANUARY 31ST 8:30am Jennie Cusano 10:30am Joseph & Amelia Massed The Sanctuary Candle will burn from 1/25/2016 1/31/2016 in memory of Gerald N. & Selma W. Sciarra & James P. Ridolfo Jr. The Blessed Virgin Mary Candle will burn from 1/25/2016-1/31/2016 in memory of Elizabeth Carcia. The Second Collection this weekend is the Diocesan Catholic High Schools collection. The legacy of Catholic high school education is a rich one that has strengthened our church for 180 years in the Archdiocese of Hartford. Your support will help to sustain and enhance this important legacy. Thanks for investing in the ministry of Catholic high school education. House of Bread collection on Jan. 23rd/24th. Coffee & sugar are needed. Fourth & fifth grade boys & girls interested in becoming Altar Servers at Incarnation are invited to meet with Fr. Moran at 11am on Sat., Jan., 30th in the Church. The meeting will last one hour and will be the first of four consecutive sessions that will prepare those interested in serving at our Eucharistic celebrations. In honor of St. Blaise, we will bless throats next weekend during all of the Masses. This blessing is a sign of thanks for the gift of breathing, speech and taste. For the Season of Lent, the Holy Holy can be found on page 14 and the Lamb of God on page 28 in our missal.

3 Page Three Third Sunday in Ordinary Time..January 24, 2016 Children s Liturgy of the Word: Sun., 1/24, 10:30am mass. Join us for refreshments after in Fr. Crawford Hall. Youth Ministry: Sun., Jan. 24th, 6:30 8 pm. All high schoolers are welcome! Emerson-Williams Faith Formation Grades K-6 Sat., January 30th- 9am. Gr. 8: Faith Formation - Tues., Feb., 2nd & Gr. 7: Wed., February 3rd 6:30-8pm, Fr. Crawford Hall. Parish Family Home communities will meet at designated times. The Church of the Incarnation awards two scholarships annually for parishioners entering area Catholic High Schools. The deadline to submit applications is April 1st. Please call Noranne Wamester for more information or for an application at New Day Program Bereavement Support Group: If you are saddened by the loss of a loved one, then you need to give yourself time to work through the natural process of grieving. The New Day Program, the Journey from Grief to Healing begins Monday, Feb., 22nd at 1pm in Fr. Crawford Hall. This program will continue every Monday. It is an excellent program written by Sister Mauryeen O Brien. Noranne Wamester, M.A. Pastoral Associate, will facilitate the program. To participate call Noranne at (860) Attention all present 8 th graders 12 th graders: Don t miss out on an opportunity to experience a life-changing weekend with other peers this summer. Incarnation Youth Ministry will attend the Steubenville Catholic Youth Conference in Lowell, Massachusetts. This wkd. conference is July 15-17, This is a wonderful faith -filled inspiring wkd. of nationally known Catholic speakers, uplifting music, prayer, mass & adoration. Over the past 2 summers, 35 of our youth & chaperones have attended & were inspired & moved by the energy amongst their Catholic teenage peers. Registration is underway. Call Maggie Seaver at (860) or at seaver711@aol.com. You do not have to be attending Youth Ministry to participate in this weekend. All are welcome.

4 Page Four Third Sunday in Ordinary Time..January 24, 2016 A Weekly Bible Study 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Nehemiah 8:2-6, 8-10 Tucked away in the writings of the Hebrew Scriptures is a seldom-referenced book in Catholic liturgy, Nehemiah. It is a writing that today invites a closer look. The reformer, Nehemiah, and the priest, Ezra, set out to reestablish temple worship lost during the Babylonian captivity and subsequent destruction of the Jerusalem temple. Throughout today s reading we hear echoes of Catholic liturgical celebration, particularly that of the Liturgy of the Word. With ritual detail, Ezra opens the scroll and addresses a congregation of families gathered to hear the proclamation of the word. His posture and command of the crowd bespeak the importance of the message. The solemn response of the congregation acknowledges a deep reverence for the word that leads the group to weeping. Perhaps they are remembering the exile years when such celebration was lost; perhaps they are so overcome with joy in hearing the word of the Lord they can only cry out. The word has gripped their hearts, as it should. Ezra then invites them to partake in a kind of Eucharistic banquet. Some four hundred years later, Jesus will also open the sacred scroll upon which is written words of encouragement. He will solemnly read from the prophet Isaiah proclaiming his mission. He will stand before a congregation, much like Ezra s, much like our own. Today we meet that sacred word in Scripture and in liturgy. We are the congregation of Ezra who proclaim with our lives, Amen Amen as we listen to the word. We are the crowds sitting at the feet of Jesus, clinging to his every word. We are the community of Incarnation Parish gathered today to embrace that word with reverence, respond with joy and celebrate together in the Eucharistic banquet. Third Sunday in Ordinary Time January 24, 2016 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. Luke 4:18a

5 Page Five Third Sunday in Ordinary Time..January 24, 2016 MEN S RETREAT, FEB 26 28, 2016 The parish men s retreat at Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford will be February 26, 27, and 28, Retreat Theme: Into the Heart of Mercy - Join Holy Family and the Catholic community around the world as we celebrate the Year of Mercy as courageously proclaimed by Pope Francis. This retreat will examine the Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy and explore ways of cultivating mercy amid life's inevitable challenges, identifying practical ways of integrating mercy into our daily lives. The retreat includes: home-cooked meals, inspirational liturgies, uplifting music, free time, and workshops. The retreat begins with dinner at 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening and concludes with Sunday brunch at noon. For more info. or call Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, West Hartford, CT at for info. Women's Retreat Dates: Jan , Mar 4-6, Apr 22-24, June 3-5 The Lord is near! Am I able to read the signs of the times? What is God asking of me? He may be asking you to serve as a priest or religious. If you hear his voice, call Fr. Jeffrey Gubbiotti, Director of Vocations, Archdiocesan Center at Saint Thomas Seminary, Tel , vocations@aohct.org or visit the web at Join us the 1st Friday of the month at 9:30am, Church of the Incarnation Blessed Sacrament Chapel, for Vocations Holy Hour. If you have offered a Mass in memory of a loved one we invite you to carry the gifts up at Mass. Please notify the usher prior to Mass that you will be doing so. Thank you! We have a lost and found area in the Narthex near the magazine racks. SNOW CANCELLATIONS: will be announced on WFSB, WVIT & WTIC and also via our website. Please do not call the rectory regarding class cancellations. Also on Incarnation Facebook page and website. Thank you. Do you ever wonder if a Catholic School could be the right fit for your child? Corpus Christi School of Wethersfield, a 2012 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, will host an Open House on Wednesday, January 27 th at 8:30 a.m. at Corpus Christi School, 581 Silas Deane Highway, for prospective students and their families. Corpus Christi School offers an outstanding core curriculum in addition to Spanish, art, music, and band. All are invited to visit while classes are in session. Come and witness firsthand the Corpus Christi School difference!! Faculty, students and parents will be on hand to answer questions. The school encompasses Pre K through 8 th grade. For information call our school office at (860)

6 Page Six Third Sunday in Ordinary Time..January 24, 2016 LIVING AS THE BODY OF CHRIST Some of Saint Paul s best known and most beloved imagery is contained in the passages from First Corinthians that we have heard last week and this week: the many gifts granted by the one same Spirit and the many members making up the one Body of Christ. Few passages from sacred scripture more accurately sum up how Christian vocations work together. Unlike some of Paul s other writings, which are a product of the social and religious conventions of his time, these enable us to look at our own lives and the lives of those around us to discern what gifts, what vocations the Holy Spirit has given for the good of all. We can likewise know the joys and sorrows of the other members of the Body and share in them for the strengthening of the whole Body of Christ. \ TODAY S READINGS First Reading Ezra read from the book of the law of God to the assembled people. They understood and accepted the law (Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10). Psalm Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life (Psalm 19). Second Reading As the body with its many parts is still one body, so it is with Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-30 [12-14, 27]). Gospel While attending worship in the Nazarean synagogue, Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah and declares himself to be the fulfillment of the prophecy (Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21). READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Acts 22:3-16 or 9:1-22; Ps 117:1bc, 2; Mk 16:15-18 Tuesday: 2 Tm 1:1-18 or 9:1-22; Ps 24:7-10; Mk 3:31-35 Wednesday: 2 Sm 7:4-17; Ps 89:4-5, 27-30; Mk 4:1-20 Thursday: 2 Sm 7:18-19, 24-29; Ps 132:1-5, 11-14; Mk 4:21-25 Friday: 2 Sm 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17; Ps 51:3-7, 10-11; Mk 4:26-34 Saturday: 2 Sm 12:1-7a, 10-17; Ps 51:12-17; Mk 4:35-41 Sunday: Jer 1:4-5, 17-19; Ps 71:1-6, 15, 17; 1 Cor 12:31 13:13 [13:4-13]; Lk 4:21-30 SAINTS & SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Third Sunday in Ordinary Time; Catholic Schools Week Monday: The Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle; Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ends Tuesday: Ss. Timothy and Titus Wednesday: St. Angela Merici Thursday: St. Thomas Aquinas Saturday: Blessed Virgin Mary TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION As Roman Catholics, our marriage practices have their pedigree in ancient Rome. One of the major players in shaping our practices was the warfare involved in building an empire. Soldiers vanished and sometimes never returned. Women began to manage their lives and to make decisions. The old family values were replaced by patriotic ones, and religion was more attuned to the gore and glory of battle, a religion of the state, not of the family. Weddings were still family celebrations, but had a public face. The bride wore a white toga and a red veil and walked to her new home. There, she and her husband joined their right hands and gave consent to each other, not relying on her father to give consent for her. Religion was optional: a pagan priest might be invited or not, and even without the ceremony, society agreed by common law that a year of living together equaled marriage consent. By the same token, marriage by consent also meant divorce was on the same legal footing, and did not require the courts or civil declarations. This is the world-view the first Christians inherited, and it was up to them to determine what was good and to hold marriage up to the light of the gospel.

7 Page Seven Third Sunday in Ordinary Time..January 24, 2016 Please enjoy these beautiful writings from a Confirmation Candidate: The Angel Tree The Angel Tree was organized by the Carcia family 11 years ago, in honor and memory of their beloved daughter and sister. Elizabeth had an unfortunate death at an extremely young age. I volunteered for the angel tree on December 12th, A group of people, including me, picked up the delivered Angel Tree gifts from the narthex of the church and brought them to the stage in the back. We all worked as a team to sort the gifts to the organizations and cross the names off of the clients whose gifts we had fulfilled. Within a half hour, we were finished. I would love to volunteer more in the future, whether it is for the Angel Tree or for other organizations and opportunities. The Angel Tree gives the less fortunate the chance to have a nice Christmas, giving them things they need. I left the church feeling really good about myself and my actions and how I could have just made someone s Christmas a little brighter. I enjoyed helping Mrs. Carcia and the other volunteers move and sort the gifts. It was an honor and privilege to help out. Doing things like volunteering at the Angel Tree gives you a sense of accomplishment and gratitude. You realize how grateful you are for your life and all that you have, because some people out there may not be able to afford many Christmas presents, let alone something small like clothes, or a cheap teddy bear. Confirmation Name: Angelina My Nana was an immigrant from Italy. She was a major part of my childhood and an even bigger inspiration as a Catholic. She rarely could remember who I was, due to Alzheimer's. Despite that, she loved me and gave me candy and enjoyed her life until her unfortunate death at the age of 91. When she moved to the United States she changed her name to Helen in order to Americanize it. In honor of my great Grandmother, my Mother made my middle name Helena. We recently found out that her name was truly Angelina before she moved here. I am choosing the name Angelina as my confirmation name in order to honor her. There was also a Saint Angelina of Marciano. The name Angelina means "little angel" or "messenger" in Italian. After the death of both her mother and forced husband, she devoted her life to charity and works of piety. She aided the sick, the poor, the widows and orphans, and won sinners back to the path of righteousness. As a baby he first words were "Mary" and "Joseph," blessing her. Her attitude connected people to supporting virginity and nobility. Though she had been accused of many things, she managed to keep her faith and carry on, willing to die among coal in order to prove her innocence. This raised respect and honor to her, to be banished by the king for other people sneaking to find her. She ended her life proud and honorable. In honor of the Saint Angelina and in honor of my Nana, two very respected women, I am choosing Angelina as my confirmation name.

8 Page Eight Third Sunday in Ordinary Time..January 24, 2016 WEDDING BANNS TIMOTHY MURRAY & KATE LAGANA We are trying to close out our 2015 Mass Book. If you have any Mass Offerings that you wish to make for 2015, please send them in a.s.a.p. Thank you! If you are leaving Wethersfield for the winter, please notify the rectory so that we can place your envelopes on inactive. When you return, kindly call and we will reactivate them. Thank you. PRAYER FOR PEACE: Please join us in the Church 30 minutes prior to the 9am Daily Mass to pray for peace in all the troubled areas of our world. THANK YOU for your continued generosity to the 2015 Archbishop s Annual Appeal: Living the Joy of the Gospel. In 2015, our archdiocese set an all-time record by raising over $10,573,357 from 43,963 devoted individuals and families. This is $250,000 more than last year! In this great Jubilee Year of Mercy, let s continue to utilize the Archbishop s Annual Appeal as a way to open the doors of the Church to one another and our neighbors. In the upcoming months, please look for bulletin updates like this one or visit the archdiocesan website, Facebook, or Twitter pages for updates on projects funded by the appeal and the progress of the 2016 appeal.