ST. JEROME CHURCH 23 Half Mile Road Norwalk, CT ~

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1 ST. JEROME CHURCH 23 Half Mile Road Norwalk, CT ~

2 THIRTY FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME OCTOBER 30, 2016 MISSION STATEMENT We the people of St. Jerome Parish, a Roman Catholic community, proclaim our belief in the message and mission of Jesus Christ. As disciples of Jesus we are called to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to work for its values in the local community and beyond. We are committed to: worship, religious education, shared faith and service. We welcome all people with respect, acceptance and support. SABBATH MASSES Saturday 4:00 PM E.S.T. & 4:30 PM D.S.T. Sunday 8:00 AM 9:15 AM Young Children's Mass 11:00 AM 6:00 PM Teen Mass DAYS OF OBLIGATION Vigil 7:00 PM Holy Day 9:00 AM, 7:00 PM WEEKDAY MASSES Mon-Sat 9:00 AM HOW TO FIND US Parish Website: Parish norwalkstjerome@cs.com REACH reachstjerome@optonline.net Parish Facebook: St. Jerome Norwalk REACH & TOTAL Facebook: REACH St.Jerome Parish REACH & TOTAL Instagram: reach.total.stjerome Parish Staff PASTORAL STAFF Rev. David Blanchfield, Pastor Rev. Rojin Zacharias K.M., Parochial Vicar Rev. Michael Hoag, S.J., Weekend Assistant Deacon Dean Finch deacon.dean.finch@gmail.com PARISH OFFICE Mrs. Pat Florio, Secretary Office Hours, Mon-Fri 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (REACH) Mrs. Kathy Coyne, DRE Mrs. Natalie Raduazzo Mrs. Kathy Rohr YOUTH MINISTRY (TOTAL) Joe and Daniela OʼCallaghan jocallaghan@optonline.net danielaoc@optonline.net MUSIC MINISTRY Mr. Donald Nelson Mrs. Joan McFarland PARISH COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON Robert Yap FINANCE COUNCIL Jerry Holdridge ALL SAINTS CATHOLIC SCHOOL Pre K Grade West Rocks Road Norwalk, CT Mrs. Linda Dunn, Principal FAITH DIRECT ONLINE GIVING Sign up using our church code: CT46, or by mailing a paper enrollment form available in the parish office. Also available on our website at

3 10/29 9:00 am Deceased Children VIGIL FOR SUNDAY 4:30 pm Joan Howe (Cindy Lane Families) THIRTY FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 10/30 8:00 am Sue Chappa (Pat Chocas) 9:15 am Michael Chuba, Sr. (Chuba family) 11:00 am Mark A. Harris, Sr. (Nancy & Kenneth Craw) 6:00 pm Joseph Scalisi (1st Ann.) (wife, Kitty) 10/31 9:00 am Ralph Holmes (son, Peter) VIGIL FOR HOLY DAY 7:00 pm for our Parish family ALL SAINTS DAY (Holy Day of Obligation) 11/1 9:00 am Donald Kelly (Florence & Dan Kelly) 7:00 pm for our Parish family ALL SOULS DAY 11/2 9:00 am Giuseppe Giglio (wife & family) 7:00 pm All Souls 11/3 9:00 am for the people 11/4 9:00 am Michael Errico 11/5 9:00 am Cora & Bill Brea (15th Ann.) VIGIL FOR SUNDAY 4:30 pm Kay Young (Domenica & Peter Gioiella) THIRTY SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 11/6 8:00 am Angela Monarchie 9:15 am Frank Carpano (Pisacrita family) 11:00 am Vincent Iannacone, Jr. 6:00 pm Elizabeth Ford (Donna Santorella) Altar Flowers November 5/6 in memory of Elizabeth Ford given by Donna Santorella. Altar Flowers may be memorialized for a donation of $50. Please call the Parish Office several months prior to your desired date. Adoration & Silent Prayer Every day between 4:00PM and 5:00PM. Contemplative Prayer Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM. Come spend some quiet time with the Lord. Widows Support Group Meets at 9:30AM on the second Thursday of the month in the Kevin Eidt Youth Room. Perpetual Novena Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal takes place each Monday following morning Mass Rosary & Divine Mercy Prayers Monday through Saturday after daily Mass Baptisms Every fourth Sunday at 12:15. Please call the parish office to schedule. Required Pre-Baptism Please contact Deacon Dean Finch at to arrange. Class is required for the first child baptized at St. Jerome. Reconciliation One hour before vigil on Saturday. Also anytime by appointment. Marriages Please contact the Rectory at least six months in advance. Anointing of the Sick takes place on the first Wednesday of each month, immediately following the 9:00 AM Mass, in the sanctuary. Anyone with an ongoing medical condition or who is seriously ill, anticipating a medical procedure or operation, is welcome to come. Gluten Free Hosts are available at all Masses. If you require a gluten-free host, please see the officiating priest before Mass.

4 We had our second Mass count weekend, and I was disappointed to see that in both weeks we dropped below the last three years. Remember that in 2013 our average was 800, in 2014 it was 960, and last year it came in at 900. This year we averaged 735 each Sunday. That is cause for concern. I will be bringing this to the attention of the Pastoral Council to get their input. In general, here is what is happening. The Saturday vigil has been dropping in attendance since 2013, we are down about 20 to 25 people. This is an older population, and sadly people have been dying and moving away. The 8 AM on Sunday is steady at about 90 people per week, although in 2014 our average was 100. When we look at 9:15, this year the average was 245 which is down from a high of 270 in The 11 AM averaged 100 this year and so showed a significant drop from past years when it averaged about 125 a Sunday, but the biggest challenge is the 6 PM. This year we averaged 184 at this Mass, whereas in the last two years we averaged about 280 people. This trend is present throughout the diocese, but needs to be turned around if we are to stay viable pastorally and financially. Don t forget November 1 st and 2 nd, All Saints and All Souls, are times for us to remember our deep connection to all those who have gone before us, both the saints and the great majority who did their best to walk in the company of the children of God, all of us Baptized into the Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. On Wednesday, November 2 nd, the Feast of All Souls, we will have a special liturgy at 7 PM that night to remember all our beloved dead, but especially those who have died in the past year. If you have a loved one who was not buried from our Church this past year, place his or her name on the list at the Church entrance and we will pray for your loved one at that Mass. Anyone buried from our Church will automatically be remembered. Finally, our thanks to all those who made donations to Education and Hope and the work of Julie Coyne in Guatemala. The parish itself made a gift of $4500 and parishioners and visitors brought the total gift to over $23,000 and still climbing. Thank you all for supporting this good work. THIS WEEK AT ST. JEROME. Sunday 10/30 REACH Grades 1-6 meet in the morning REACH grade 7-8 meet in the evening TOTAL meets in the evening Monday 10/31 Women s Scripture & Prayer 9:30 AM Tuesday 11/1 Bible Study 9:30 AM Wednesday 11/2 All Souls Day Mass 7:00 PM Contemplative Prayer 7:00 PM Women s Scripture & Prayer 7:30 PM Thursday 11/3 Friday 11/4 Saturday 11/5 Men s Ministry 7:00 AM

5 WEEKLY OFFERTORY SUMMARY October 16, 2016 $4,593 October offertory to date $42,092 October offertory budget $41,000 As always, thank you for your generous support of our parish. Catholic School Info Corner HIGH SCHOOLS... Entrance Exam Dates. Trinity 11/19 8 AM St. Joseph 11/19 7:30 AM Notre Dame 11/19 8 AM Fairfield Prep 11/5 8:30 AM Please contact the individual school to register for the exams or to schedule a shadow date. Trinity Catholic High School (Stamford) will be hosting it s Annual Memorial Mass for Deceased Grads, faculty, and staff Wed., 11/2 at 7:00 PM in the school auditorium. St Joseph High School, Trumbull will be holding their Maroon & Gold Gala on Saturday, November 19, 2016 at 6pm at the Waterview in Monroe. All proceeds from this event will benefit their Scholarship Endowment. For more details and to purchase tickets, sponsorships, program ads or to donate, please visit Notre Dame High School (Boy's and Girls) Class of 1966 is planning a 50th Reunion for the spring, If you are interested in working on the Class of 1966 Reunion committee or would like more information, please contact tmarzik@notredame.org or x 242. Join us for the first All Saints Catholic School Alumni Reunion for the Classes of at O'Neills Irish Pub on 11/17 at 7PM. We will be raising funds to create a Memorial Scholarship fund in honor of all of our deceased alumni. (Must be 21 years old to attend.) Tickets are $30 which includes two drinks and appetizers. Payment will be taken at the door on the night of the event...follow all of the news of this event on our Facebook page. Can't attend but would like to donate to the fund? Visit allsaintsnorwalk.com. Questions?? Contact Eileen D'Andrea or mrs.dandrea@ascs.net. HELPING HANDS PLASTIC BAGS NEEDED Person To Person is continually in need of plastic bags, which are used by their clients to take home their weekly food items. If you have any recyclable plastic bags, please bring them to church and place them in the cardboard box located behind the burgundy curtain in the church hallway. Thank you very much for helping. AFTER SCHOOL CHILD CARE NEEDED Looking for someone to help a family who needs reliable person available on Mon - Tues Wed afternoons from 2:15pm - 3:30pm at their home to meet a child getting home on the school bus. This help is needed ASAP since the previous arrangement is no longer available. Anyone who is interested in more detail, please call Barbara Bagnato at Yankee Candle Fundraiser The Annual St. Jerome Yankee Candle Fundraiser is underway!!! Orders will be accepted until 11/13/16. Yankee Candle brochures and order forms are on the tables at each of the entrances to the church. If you plan to buy a Christmas candle, or give one as a gift this year, please buy from the parish. Candles will be delivered approximately three weeks after the order is placed. TWEETS OF THE We are disciples, but also missionaries, bringing Christ wherever he asks us to be Left on our own, we may not be able to overcome all temptations but with His help, we Gospel: Leave each day knowing that God cares how you treat people. A God who didn t judge would be a God who didn't care how we acted.

6 October 30 GRADES 1-6 meet at the 9:15 Mass followed by class. Grades 7-8 meet after the 6:00 Mass Mark your calendars!! NIGHT IN A BOX is coming soon. The TOTAL teens will participate in an overnight homelessness awareness project on November Donations will be accepted for the Open Door Shelter. All teens are invited to participate. More info to follow. Reminder: If you are receiving the sacrament of Confirmation on December 4th, make sure you have submitted an Official Parish Registry, Sponsor Certificate, TOTAL registration, and a record of your service hours to Daniela or Joe by the end of October. A mandatory rehearsal is scheduled for November 29 at 7:00pm. All Candidates and sponsors (or parent sub) must attend. Lectors are needed at the 6:00 Mass. Please contact Daniela or Joe if you are interested in becoming a lector. Thank you to those who have responded to our call for lectors. Snacks are always needed at TOTAL. Please send individually wrapped snacks and/or large bottles of juice, water, and soda. Baked goods are always welcome as well. A special Mass of Remembrance for all of our loved ones that have passed away in the last year, will be celebrated on All Souls Day, Tuesday, November 2, at 7:00 PM. All those buried from St. Jerome in the previous year will be remembered at this Mass. If a loved one was buried from a church other than St. Jerome, please place their name in the book in the rear of the church so we can include them as well.