The Church of the Incarnation

Transcription

1 The Church of the Incarnation 544 Prospect Street Wethersfield, CT Rev. James M. Moran Pastor Mrs. Noranne Wamester Pastoral Associate Mrs. Audrey Saharek Pastoral Assistant Mrs. Maggie Seaver Coordinator of Middle School Faith Formation Youth Minister 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 Gianna Bielenda Cantors Marguerite Heinimann Rectory Assistant Toni Munoz Sacristan 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 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.January 15, 2017 SATURDAY, JANUARY 14TH 5:00pm George & Sally D Esopo SUNDAY JANUARY 15TH 8:30am Tiberio Pace 10:30am Rose Airo Mangiafico MONDAY, JANUARY 16TH 9:00am Myles Connolly Sr. & Sarah Ann Marie Privitera TUESDAY, JANUARY 17TH 9:00am Deceased members of the Zurowski Family WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18TH 9:00am For all our parishioners THURSDAY, JANUARY 19TH 9:00am Deceased members of the Beaudoin & Meehan Families FRIDAY, JANUARY 20TH 9:00am Patricia Ann Lombardo SATURDAY, JANUARY 21ST 5:00pm Frank Mandile SUNDAY, JANUARY 22ND 8:30am Frank, Vincenza & Silvia Bulanti 10:30am Joseph Mitusina & Leonarda Rostkowski Employment Support Group: If you are searching for a job, call Ken Mendoza to make an appointment at (860) The Second collection next weekend will benefit the Archdiocesan High Schools. Our support will ensure the continuous formation of our faith for another generation of young adults. Prayer Shawl Ministry: No January or February meeting. If you know of a parishioner who was recently in the hospital or is grieving the loss of a loved one and would benefit from a prayer shawl please call Audrey at the rectory (860) We offer heartfelt thanks to all members of this wonderful ministry! House of Bread collection next wkd. Coffee & sugar are requested. Thank you! In honor of St. Blaise, we will bless throats the weekend of January 28th & 29th during all of the Masses. This blessing is a sign of thanks for the gift of breathing, speech and taste. The Sanctuary Candle will burn from 1/16/2017 1/22/2017 in memory of Virginia Warzocha. The Blessed Virgin Mary Candle will burn from 1//1617-1/22/2017 in memory of Fred & Joanne Lepore. Rectory closed on Monday, January 16th in Honor of Martin Luther King Day. Emergency calls only please. Thank you.

3 Page Three Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.January 15, 2017 Gr. 8: Faith Formation will be on Tues., January 17th & Gr. 7: will be held on Wed., January 18th 6:30-8pm, Fr. Crawford Hall. Emerson-Williams Faith Formation Grades K-6 Sat., January 21st from 9am 10:15am. Parish Family Home communities will meet at designated times. Mass and Pizza Social: On Saturday Jan. 21st, all 7th and 8th graders as well as High Schoolers are invited to come together to attend the 5:00 pm mass followed by a pizza dinner and game night in Father Crawford Hall. Please arrive at the hall at 4:45 so we can get a head count and order pizza accordingly. Join us for a great way to spend a few hours with your peers!! We will conclude at 8:00pm. Youth Ministry: Our next gathering will be on Sat. Jan. 21st for the 5:00 mass and a pizza social afterwards. Join us and feel free to bring a friend. Children s Liturgy of the Word: Our 2017 Winter/Spring session continues next Sunday, January 22nd at the 10:30am mass. We welcome Presiders: Emily Provost, Connie Morin, Mary & John Breton and our Catechists, Paula Gagliano and Aimee Giangrave and Jack and John Breton. Join us for refreshments in Fr. Crawford Hall after Mass. Thanks to the Paruta Family for hosting! Confirmation Retreat: There will be a retreat for all of our young women receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation in 2017 on Sunday, January 22nd from 12:30-3pm in Fr. Crawford Hall. The Confirmation Retreat for gentlemen has been rescheduled to Sun., Jan. 22nd, 3:30-6pm Fr. Crawford Hall. SNOW CANCELLATIONS: will be announced on WFSB, WVIT & WTIC and also via our website. Please do not call the rectory regarding cancellations. Thank you. Our Lady of Calvary Retreat Center is located in Farmington, Ct. It is a beautiful space for women to come and spend a weekend retreat or to come to partake in the many wonderful daily and evening programs that the Retreat Center offers. The weekend retreat theme is '" Embracing Joy; Learning to Bear the Beams of Love." Women of our parish, please go to their website at to discover their wonderful programs. East Catholic High School make-up entrance exam: Sat., January 21st at 8 a.m. to all eighth graders who were unable to take the preceding exams. The exam will be given at the school. Preregistration is recommended but not required. A non-refundable fee of $25 is required. Contact the Admissions Office at (860) x6238 or x6456. Northwest Catholic High School Entrance Exam for 8th & 9th graders: Jan., 23rd, 8:30am. Call (860)

4 Page Four Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.January 15, 2017 A Weekly Bible Study 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time John 1:29-34 Breathtaking tapestries representing the communion of saints and those blessed adorn the walls of Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles. Numbering 135 in all, these magnificent oversize figures face forward in a reverent silent gaze upon the altar. One visiting this sacred space is moved beyond description. The tapestry depicting Christ s baptism is most engaging. Located in the lower level baptistery, this rendering is fortyseven feet high and seven feet wide. It is overwhelming in size, but more so in its impact on the observer. One is drawn deeply into the figure of Jesus kneeling in humble submission to the will of the Father. A simple dove hovers above the hidden face of our Savior. Words escape the beholder of this artistic rendering. For one is standing in the presence of divine mystery. John the Baptist stood in the presence of divine mystery as he beheld the Lamb of God. Today s Gospel from the Evangelist John offers us not the usual detail of the Baptism of the Lord that we heard recently, but the theological truth it reveals. John the Baptist has seen and testified that Jesus is the Son of God. Today we choose not to ponder the words of Scripture.* Rather, we stand silently, reverently gazing into its sublime mystery. We allow our hearts to be immersed in the divine truths before us this day. The Incarnate Word humbly begins his mission to bring salvation to the world. And the world is forever changed. Bow before this mystery in all humility as Jesus bowed humbly before John, in the presence of the Father and Holy Spirit. *Part of Scripture study encompasses silence in its many forms. We can ponder quietly the Sacred Word, examining its many dimensions. We can also gaze with the eyes of the heart, in silent communion, upon the mystery before us. This is our invitation today. We received a lovely thank you note from Archbishop Leonard P. Blair thanking our parishioners for the generous response and support of the 2016 Archbishop s Annual Appeal. His letter can be found on the Narthex bulletin board.

5 Page Five Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.January 15, 2017 What treasures do you have to give to the Lord? Do you feel The Lord is calling you to be a priest, brother or sister? To explore call Fr. Jeffrey Gubbiotti, Director of Vocations, Archdiocesan Center at St. Thomas Seminary, Tel. (860) , or contact him via at: vocations@aohct.org or visit the web at Join us at The Church of the Incarnation the First Friday of the month at 9:30am, Blessed Sacrament Chapel, for Vocations Holy Hour. PRAYER FOR PEACE: Join us at Incarnation Church 30 minutes prior to 9am Daily Mass to pray for peace in the troubled areas of our world. Do you ever wonder if a Catholic School could be the right fit for your child? Corpus Christi School of Wethersfield, a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, will host two Open Houses for your convenience. Please join us Sunday, January 29 th from 11:30 am 1pm or Tuesday evening, January 31 st from 6 7:30pm at Corpus Christi School, 581 Silas Deane Highway. Prospective students and their families are welcome to attend. Corpus Christi School offers an outstanding core curriculum in addition to Spanish, art, music, and band. Students are performing in the top tier of standardized testing in the Archdiocese. Our graduates are attending and earning scholarships to the most competitive high schools in the region. 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 the school office at (860) A school representative will speak at the masses on January 21st at 5pm & January 22 at 10:30am. Join The Wethersfield Knights of Columbus for Dinner at Bertucci's restaurant on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington. Pick up a Flyer & Coupon at the exits of the Church to enjoy a good family meal and help raise money for the Knights of Columbus's local charities. This is an on going event on the last Tuesday of each month. Thank you for your Annual Collection donations! Due to the generosity of so many parishioners, we have exceeded our goal! Any donations will continue to be graciously accepted. Wethersfield UNICO Macaroni Dinner Save the Date: Wethersfield UNICO s 38th Annual World Famous Macaroni Dinner will be held on Sunday, February 12th at the Wethersfield Community Center, Greenfield Street. More information will follow. Please come and join UNICO, your family and friends for a delicious dinner of pasta with home made sauce and meatballs, garlic bread, and more. This is UNICO s primary fundraiser for all the charitable activities that we do year round, including our College Scholarships for residents of Wethersfield and Rocky Hill. For more information about our scholarship program and an application please visit our web site at

6 Page Six Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.January 15, 2017 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time January 15, 2017 I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. Isaiah 49:6b Church of the Incarnation MEN S RETREAT: The parish men s retreat at Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford will be February 24, 25, & 26, Join Holy Family s retreat team for a weekend of peace and reflection in an exploration of simplicity. In an age of stress, distraction, and technology, we ll explore the simple and transformative message at the heart of Jesus teaching. Discover how simplicity can shine a light on what is really essential and important in our lives. We ll explore what it means to live a simple life so that we can discover true freedom and joy. Be renewed and inspired by the paradox of simplicity and the gift of faith. For more information call John Ewaski at or Bill Carroll at or visit Holy Family s web site at: Members of the Men s Association will speak at the masses this weekend about the retreat. We received a lovely thank you note from Sister Maureen & Sister Theresa, Co-Directors of the House of Bread Kid s Café in Hartford. They would like to thank all of our Faith Formation and Youth Ministry classes for the Goodie Bag donations. The children who received them were so very grateful! Annual Bus Trip to Washington, DC for the March For Life: Thurs., Jan. 26th Friday, January 27th. Buses will depart from Cromwell and Norwich. See the Narthex bulletin board for more information. Sponsored by The CT. Right to Life Corp. Padre Pio Holy Hour Group: Saturday, February 4th at the 10am Mass, Holy Apostles College & Seminary Chapel in Cromwell. All are welcome! BAPTISM Fourth & fifth grade boys & girls interested in becoming Altar Servers at Incarnation are invited to meet with Fr. Moran at 11am on Saturday, February 4th in the Church. The meeting will last one hour and will be the first of three consecutive sessions that will prepare those interested in serving at our Eucharistic celebrations. PETER JAMES MIKULEC

7 Page Seven Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.January 15, 2017 THREE MISSIONS Today we begin with one of the servant songs from the book of Isaiah, a song prophetic of Jesus ministry of service. Isaiah s mission is not only to bring back the children of Jacob to gather in Israel; it is also to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6). Jesus Christ, as servant, will be the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy and the basis of the new. This Sunday we begin a series of readings from Paul s letter to the Corinthians. Here Paul is identified by his mission: he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. The church at Corinth to whom he addresses this letter is also identified: it is part of the universal church of God. The Corinthians are called to holiness, as are all Christians. Though the feast of the Baptism of the Lord was celebrated last Monday, today s Gospel also alludes to the importance of that event. The reading emphasizes that Jesus outranks John: his baptism in the Spirit will eradicate sin. Jesus accepts John s baptism, even though it is he himself who is the Lamb of God. TODAY S READINGS First Reading The glory of the Lord shows through Israel, a light to all nations, that salvation may reach to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:3, 5-6). Psalm Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will (Psalm 40). Second Reading All those who call upon the name of the Lord are called to be holy (1 Corinthians 1:1-3). Gospel John the Baptist testifies: The one who comes after me, on whom the Spirit comes down and remains, is the Son of God (John 1:29-34).. READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Heb 5:1-10; Ps 110:1-4; Mk 2:18-22 Tuesday: Heb 6:10-20; Ps 111:1-2, 4-5, 9, 10c; Mk 2:23-28 Wednesday: Heb 7:1-3, 15-17; Ps 110:1-4; Mk 3:1-6 Thursday: Heb 7:25 8:6; Ps 40:7-10, 17; Mk 3:7-12 Friday: Heb 8:6-13; Ps 85:8, 10-14; Mk 3:13-19 Saturday: Heb 9:2-3, 11-14; Ps 47:2-3, 6-9; Mk 3:20-21 Sunday: Is 8:23 9:3; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17; Mt 4:12-23 [12-17] SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Tuesday: St. Anthony Wednesday: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins Thursday: Julian Calendar Theophany (Epiphany) Friday: St. Fabian; St. Sebastian Saturday: St. Agnes TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION As soon as Christmas ends, people begin planning for Easter! Originally, the source of our Paschal Triduum was but a single liturgy extending from Saturday sundown to sunrise on Easter Sunday. The two days leading up to the liturgy were days of fast, not only for the elect, but for the church preparing to baptize them. A fifthcentury pope explained that the church imitated the apostles, who were in hiding with their grief from the arrest of Jesus, and therefore sacraments, even penance, were forbidden. Inevitably, though, people wanted to come together, and so eventually a Liturgy of the Word developed for Good Friday. This was the first step toward today s shape of the Triduum, and gradually new ideas were embraced, including the veneration of the cross and a simple Communion service. Interestingly, the Word remained central, since we know that in those days the pope did not receive Communion at this liturgy, even though the faithful had that option. In the other churches of Rome, priests and people received Communion under both species. Although the custom of Communion on Good Friday took hold, it did not endure past the Middle Ages. The central liturgies of the year slowly unraveled and disappeared from parish life. Remember that there were no seminaries in those days, and books were a rare luxury. Most priests could only manage to celebrate a simple low Mass, and few parishes could afford the ritual books that would guide a priest through the complex forms. Holy Week remained important in private devotion, but for a time the liturgies virtually disappeared. Rev. James Field, Copyright J. S. Paluch Co.

8 Page Eight Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.January 15, 2017 OUR YOUTH CORNER When preparing for my confirmation I was asked to pick a saint s name that I wanted to become my own through my confirmation journey. I looked all over and finally decided to pick saint Catherine. St. Catherine of Siena was born in Siena, Italy. Catherine was almost forced to marry her sister's husband after the sudden passing of her sister, but Catherine was strong and decided that it is was not what she wanted. She was brave and decided not to go through with what her parents expected of her. She was so generous and even gave away her family's food and clothing to families and people in need of help. Catherine would even get people together and go to hospitals to help the poor and the sick. She is one of the most influential and popular saints in the church, because of her work establishing a monastery for women outside of Siena, the letters she wrote, her dialogue which is her definitive work, and her prayers. Saint Catherine of Siena died on April 29, 1380 followed by a long period of prolonged illness and fasting. Saint Catherine is the patroness against fire, illness, the United States, Italy, miscarriages, people ridiculed for their faith, sexual temptation, and nurses. I chose Saint Catherine of Siena to be my confirmation Saint name for many different reasons. The first reason being that Catherine is a family name on my mom's side of the family. I never had the opportunity to meet some of the great relatives I had so I decided that this would be a great opportunity to keep the family name. Also Saint Catherine was born in Siena Italy, and that is where my family is from. We are very big Italian people, so I decided to honor my heritage by choosing a saint born from the same heritage as me. When reading about saint Catherine I couldn t help but notice how generous and nice she was. She gave people in need of help the necessities that they couldn t have on their own. I try to be a giving, and nice person as much as I can, so I had to have a saint who was just as kind hearted. She also seemed very strong minded and independent when I read about her. She was supposed to get married to her late sister's husband, but instead she was strong minded and decided that that's not what she wanted to do with her life. So she devoted herself to being a Catholic and married the Lord instead. I overall believed Saint Catherine of Siena was so giving and strong minded and gave me a connection to my family that I had to pick Catherine for my confirmation saint name.