16 Burland honored FIND THE CARE YOU NEED WHEN AND HOW YOU NEED IT. Inside this issue. ACA supports Catholic Charities Outreach

Transcription

1 Iside this issue 4 ACA supports Catholic Charities Outreach 16 Burlad hoored for servig special eeds youth FIND THE CARE YOU NEED WHEN AND HOW YOU NEED IT. plamycare.com

2 2 April 2018 Easter brig us the Light of Christ The Lord is Rise, Alleluia! Holy Week is the most sacred ad profoud momet i the life of the diocese as tes of thousads participate i the Triduum liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday ad Easter to celebrate the deepest mysteries of our faith. More tha 1,000 tured out for the Good Friday processio through the streets of Stamford ad thousads more walked the Way of the Cross i a public witess of faith ad humility i other cities throughout the diocese. May more prayed the Statios of the Cross i their parishes ad took advatage of Recociliatio Moday to begi Holy Week. At the Chrism Mass o Wedesday of Holy Week, more tha 200 Priests reewed their Priestly Promises before the bishop, who cosecrated the holy oils used i the sacramets throughout the year. Bishop Frak J.Caggiao welcomed ewcomers to the Church durig the Easter Vigil at St. Augustie Cathedral ad may more Catechumes ad Cadidates were welcomed ito full commuio with the Church i their parishes. The great gift of Christiaity is Christ ad the hope that comes from Easter, the bishop said. May the ew life offered by our Rise Lord abudatly bless you with joy, hope ad peace of mid ad heart. ON THE COVER CONTENTS 5 WHITE MASS FOR HEALTHCARE Explorig Faith ad Sciece 7 LIVING FULLY WHILE DYING Father Thomas Lych co-authors book 8 CONVERSION STORIES Otis Shelto of New Fairfield 11 COLUMNIST MATT HENNESSEY The Girl Who Cried Moose Iside this issue 4 ACA supports Catholic Charities Outreach 16 Burlad hoored for servig special eeds youth EASTER VIGIL Youg people from the Cathedral Parish joied hudreds who atteded the Easter Vigil celebrated by Bishop Caggiao. The Mass welcomed may ew Catholics to the Church 12 GREENWICH CATHOLIC SCHOOL New Goverace model aouced 14 CATHOLIC SERVICE CORPS Teachig the Gospel message of service 17 CHAMPSIONSHIP WEEKENDS Diocesa schools domiate sports i state OBITUARIES Two beloved priests pass away FIND THE CARE YOU NEED WHEN AND HOW YOU NEED IT. plamycare.com (Photos by Amy Mortese)

3 April Latest News Msgr. Powers to be hoored at Rector s Dier STAMFORD Msgr. Thomas Powers, vicar geeral of the Diocese of Bridgeport, will be hoored at the St. Joh Fisher Semiary First Aual Rector s Dier o Saturday, April 28, at 6 pm at Triity Catholic High School, 926 Newfield Ave., Stamford. Tickets for the eveig are sold out. A gatherig of almost 300 people is expected to lauch the first Rector s Dier sposored by the semiary. Bishop Frak J. Caggiao ad Father Paul Check, rector of the semiary, are hostig the eveig. We re lookig forward to this very special eveig that will beefit St. Joh Fisher Semiary ad hoor Msgr. Powers, said Bishop Caggiao. I am deeply grateful for his leadership ad his priestly example. Msgr. Powers has iflueced may semiarias ad we are blessed to hoor him i this iaugural evet. Bishop Caggiao said that Msgr. Powers discered his vocatio at St. Joh Fisher i 1992, ad later served as Spiritual Director at the diocesa semiary, which was established by Bishop Edward M. Ega i 1989 to ecourage ad urture local Thousads tured out for Recociliatio Moday By BRIAN D. WALLACE Thousads across the diocese ad the greater New York City area tured out o March 26 for Recociliatio Moday. Bishop Frak J. Caggiao called for participatio i Recociliatio Moday to ecourage people to experiece the healig ad blessig of the Sacramet of Recociliatio or Cofessio ad to be recociled to the Lord i advace of Easter. This year the Diocese of Bridgeport joied the Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Brookly ad Diocese of Rockville Cetre i the observace, which may have brought more tha 100,000 people i the Metropolita area to the sacramet. The ivitatio to participate MSGR. THOMAS POWERS, vicar geeral of the Diocese of Bridgeport, will the hoored at the iaugural Rector s Dier later this moth i Stamford. The fud raiser to support vocatios is sold out. vocatios. Priestly formatio requires the support ad ecouragemet of may. St. Joh Fisher Semiary has bee a strog presece i the Stamford commuity ad I am grateful for the support of so may people, the bishop said. Formig Fishers of Me is the theme of the eveig to beefit the semiary. To date, 92 me who resided at St. Joh Fisher have bee ordaied to the priesthood. The semiary is udergo- i Recociliatio Moday was created i the joyful spirit of Pope Fracis who said, Now is the time to be recociled with God. Stayig o the path of evil is oly a source of sadess. ig a 30-moth reovatio project to improve ad expad facilities for future use. St. Joh Fisher Semiary is a iitiative of the Diocese of Bridgeport to prepare college-aged me ad youg adults for etrace ito major semiary ad evetual ordiatio to the priesthood. Semiarias are able to pursue their udergraduate degrees at Sacred Heart Uiversity or Fairfield Uiversity while livig i commuity ad discerig their vocatios. Priests from 27 churches throughout the Diocese of Bridgeport heard cofessios that day from 3-9 pm. While this is a ew spiritual practice i our diocese, St. Joh Fisher Dier Committee chairs iclude: Mary ad Paul Giordao, Mauree ad Bria Huter, Jeifer Igalliera, Bridget ad Thomas MacDougall, Michael Marchetti, Kathry ad Michael Predergast, Deaco William Satulli, Joae Satulli, Carol ad Richard Stockley, Theresa ad Fibar Sulliva, Kathry ad Steve Tafuro, Susa ad Frak Trotta ad Terry Wilmot Msgr. Thomas Powers was raised i Newtow with his three sisters ad oe brother. He atteded St. Rose of Lima School i Newtow ad Immaculate High School i Dabury ad graduated from the Uiversity of Notre Dame i 1987 with a B.A. i ecoomics. After graduatio, he worked as a fiacial cosultat with Aderse Cosultig i New York, ad i 1991, spet oe year performig voluteer work i Puerto Rico through the Ceter for Social Cocers of the Uiversity of Notre Dame. I 1992, he etered St. Joh Fisher, the located i Trumbull, ad i 1993, was set to the Potifical North America College where he eared a bachelor s degree i Sacred Theology the observace of Recociliatio Moday has become a traditio i the dioceses adjacet to us for may years. It has grow i popularity i part because every Catholic kows that Sacramet of Recociliatio is available i every Catholic Church, said the bishop, who thaked the priests ad all those who participated. May people took to diocesa social media to express gratitude for the idea ad to share their ethusiastic respose to Bishop Caggiao s call for extra Cofessio hours durig Holy Week. Louise Du of Stamford, from the Potifical Gregoria Uiversity ad a licetiate from the Joh Paul II Istitute for Studies o Marriage ad Family. Msgr. Powers was ordaied o May 24, 1997, at St. Augustie Cathedral. After servig as parochial vicar at St. Theresa Parish i Trumbull ad as the spiritual director of St. Joh Fisher Semiary ad chaplai of Triity Catholic High School i Stamford, he was assiged as a official i the Cogregatio for Bishops i Vatica City from Durig that time, he lived at ad served as a spiritual director at the Potifical North America College. While i Rome, he was also tapped to be the Eglishlaguage voice of the Vatica durig Christmas Midight Mass i St. Peter s Basilica. I 2015, Bishop Caggiao called Msgr. Powers back to the diocese to serve as vicar geeral, ad to reside at St. Joh Fisher Semiary so that he could cotiue to play a role i the formatio of semiarias. (To lear more about St. Joh Fisher Semiary, visit who joied may others who came to St. Cecelia Church i Stamford, reported that more tha 30 people were i lie for cofessios whe she arrived, but it was oe lie people did t mid waitig i. She was happy to see so may other people eager to participate i the Sacramet of Recociliatio at 4:30 i the afteroo. Thak you for the idea ad for the priests who made the idea work, she said. The Sacramet of Peace ad Recociliatio provides a profoud opportuity to be freed from our persoal sis ad to experiece the healig love of Christ for you ad me, said Bishop Caggiao. I terms of spiritual healig, we must ever forget that this precious gift is always available, simply for the askig.

4 4 April 2018 Aual Catholic Appeal ACA supports programs of Catholic Charities By ELLEN McGINNESS Amog the may programs ad miistries it supports, the 2018 Aual Catholic Appeal, Joy i Christ, Our Gift to Share, assists Catholic Charities, the largest o-govermet provider of social services i Fairfield Couty. Rooted i the Catholic philosophy of faith i actio, Catholic Charities of Fairfield Couty (CCFC) has fed the hugry, sheltered the homeless, stregtheed families, ad empowered the vulerable by providig a broad spectrum of social services to the exteded Fairfield Couty commuity. Last year, CCFC served over 10,000 people throughout twety-three tows i the couty. That s 10,000 people who may ever have received the help they eeded were it ot for Catholic Charities. As you most likely kow, the govermet has bee reducig fudig for almost all oprofits Catholic Charities beig o exceptio. Whe you give to the Aual Catholic Appeal, you are supportig all of Catholic Charities programs. That meas your doatio is helpig house the homeless, you are helpig educate preschoolers from lower icome families, you are helpig immigrats fid the way to documetatio ad you are helpig feed the hugry. For the hugry, CCFC s food programs provide over 1.3 millio meals aually through its soup kitches, food patries, Morig Glory breakfast program ad Seior Nutritio Program. The Thomas Merto Ceter i Bridgeport ad New Coveat Ceter i Stamford provide ot oly meals but food patries as well. Last year, these two patries welcomed over 2,600 idividuals to shop for utritious groceries for their families. These ceters are ot oly about food. Thomas Merto Ceter (TMC) offers support groups to help idividuals address issues like abusive relatioships or addictio problems, which might be impedig their road to self-sufficiecy. TMC also provides case maagemet to assist guests with payig ret, budgetig their fiaces, ad obtaiig state ad federal beefits. New Coveat Ceter offers a shower, a laudry room ad barber services. NCC also collaborates with other local programs to trai idividuals i the skills eeded to fid better jobs ad fiacial idepedece. We have may former ad curret cliets who also voluteer here as their way of sayig thak you to New Coveat Ceter, said Joh Gutma, the executive director. Oe of those is Charo, who came to us from Ecuador may years ago to eat a daily meal. Oce Charo leared to become a hair stylist, she retured to New Coveat Ceter but ot for food. She came back to offer free haircuts to our guests, which she does about 15 times a moth. The 2018 Aual Catholic Appeal miistries ad programs give help ad hope to people i eed ad carry out Christ s missio i the Diocese of Bridgeport. Catholic Charities Seior Nutritio Program, Meals o Wheels provided 65,000 meals last year. Your gift to the Aual Catholic Appeal assists the Meals o Wheels program ad satisfies the utritioal eeds of the homeboud elderly ad disabled by providig a well-balaced meal ad safety check. Please make your gift the 2018 Aual Catholic Appeal, Joy i Christ, Our Gift to Share today ad provide for those i eed. I deliver to cliets that are homeboud ad those who are ot able to take care of themselves ad make meals. Beig a Meals o Wheels driver allows me to make sure that each cliet is eatig ad they re gettig the utritio they eed. Shameeka Shavers, Voluteer Meals o Wheels. It s a tremedous service ad I do t kow what I d do without it. Caroly Adams, Meals o Wheels cliet. To make your gift or for more iformatio, please visit 2018ACAbridgeport.com, call , or text SHARING to Catholic Charities Homeless Outreach Team is always o the move, leadig Norther Fairfield Couty s iitiatives for those experiecig homelessess. It is the oly program searchig the woods, uder bridges ad i the commuity for the homeless i the greater Dabury area. The team liks these idividuals to metal health ad substace abuse services, health care access ad housig opportuities. Whe we are able to lik someoe to housig ad watch them walk ito their apartmet for the first time, it is a very emotioal experiece because we kow that we have assisted a perso with obtaiig stability ad eabled him or her to lauch ito a ew phase of their life, said Regioal Director Michele Coderio. What if you came to this coutry with the hopes of makig a better life for your family, but you did ot kow how to avigate our immigratio system? Catholic Charities Immigratio Services is a welcomig place to tur to for those i eed of affordable couselig ad legal assistace with issues ivolvig family reuificatio, documetatio, U.S Citizeship ad protectio of status. We help ewcomers ad the foreig-bor populatio, regardless of race, religio, sex, creed or ecoomic status, explaied Immigratio Couselor Alex Arevalo. Our missio is to promote the digity, self-sufficiecy ad huma potetial of these ewcomers to our couty. Last year aloe, CCFC s Immigratio Services coducted almost 400 cosultatios ad assisted 22 idividuals with obtaiig U.S. citizeship. Imagie if you were a paret who could t afford the cost of a preschool educatio for your childre, but wated them to have a solid foudatio before they etered kidergarte. What would you do? You could tur to Catholic Charities Room to Grow Preschools (RTG) to meet your eeds. Parets pay tuitio o a rate based o their icome. RTG is ot oly a preschool for childre ages 3-5, but also a daycare for parets who work. Mothers ca help support their families, cofidet that their childre are i a urturig eviromet. Supportig Catholic Charities through the Aual Catholic Appeal is crucial to providig services to those i eed ad for the most vulerable, said Bill McLea, chief developmet officer of the Diocese of Bridgeport. I additio, may compaies will match a appeal gift for Catholic Charities, so the impact ca be doubled or tripled ad more people ca be helped. Catholic Charities puts faith ito actio. Supportig Catholic Charities through the Aual Catholic Appeal what better way to put your ow faith ito actio. (To doate to the Aual Catholic Appeal, cotact Pam Rittma: prittma@diobpt.org or You may make your gift olie at:

5 April White Mass for Healthcare Workers Faith ad sciece fid shared life force By BRIAN D. WALLACE Never walk i a patiet s room ad leave half of yourself at the door. They eed the other half, said orthopedic surgeo ad author Dr. Joseph Dutkowsky at the 25th Aual White Mass Breakfast at Woodway Coutry Club i Darie. Dr. Dutkowsky, who has dedicated much of his practice to carig for patiets with cerebral palsy ad other special eeds, said every healthcare practitioer has the obligatio to kow the latest i sciece ad medicie, but also to recogize the role of faith ad spirit i healig. Dr. Dutkowsky is a attedig orthopedic surgeo at Bassett Medical Ceter i upstate New York ad a associate cliical professor of orthopedic surgery at Columbia Uiversity College of Physicias. He is presidet of the America Academy for Cerebral Palsy ad Developmetal Medicie. I oe of the most profoud ad prayerful White Mass talks, Dr. Dutkowsky said that the sacredess of huma life ad the shared life force have the power to coect faith ad sciece ad create a ew sese of reverece for life. Reflectig o the cotemporary chasm betwee faith ad sciece, Dr. Dutkowsky said, The metaphysical dimesio of health care is as preset as the physical. The oted medical scietist said that faith ad sciece are differet ad reasoable ways of kowig ad that both pathways ca coect to brig a ew uderstadig of the huma coditio. Dr. Dutkowsky told the breakfast gatherig of more tha 200 me ad wome that for him the greatest cohesio of faith ad sciece is foud i the Eucharist, where the body ad blood of Christ eter the body, brigig God s love ad mercy his livig presece to us. He said 1999 was a difficult year for him ad also provided a trasformatioal momet i his life ad practice. He foud himself discouraged, almost despodet about the busiess of healthcare with its red tape, isuraces ad balace sheets, whe a ecouter with a elderly patiet brought his faith ad BISHOP FRANK J. CAGGIANO, keyote speaker Dr. Joseph Dutkowsky ad Dr. Thomas Fly at the White Mass breakfast held at Woodway Coutry Club. medical practice together. He was workig the emergecy rotatio whe he was told that a 85-year old woma from a rural tow about 45 miutes away eeded surgery for a broke wrist. It took her ad her husbad, who suffered from memory loss ad cofusio, almost three hours to get to the hospital, ad whe Dr. Dutkowsky first met her, she was discosolate ot for herself but over her husbad. I m afraid I ve lost Gordo, she told him, otig that he probably was lost i the parkig lot. Dr. Dutkowsky asked security to look for him, ad i a short time the couple, who were married 63 years, were reuited at her hospital bed. As Dr. Dutkowsky was about to begi the procedure the patiet said to her husbad, Gordo, come here ad hold me tight. That simple huma gesture ad their love for each other that trasceded age ad forgetfuless powerfully affected Dr. Dutkowsky. My soul melted at that momet ad somethig woderfully profoud chaged i me, he recalled. For two decades I had worked tirelessly to develop the skills to treat her, but sesig her full humaity ad spirit brought him to experiece faith i the presece of God. Faith ad sciece collided ad formed somethig ew i his psyche ad i his practice, Dr. Dutkowsky said. They combied to form some ew elemet to witess the glory of God. I will ever get over that experiece. Speakig directly to the healthcare professioals i the audiece, Dr. Dutkowsky said, You brig the image ad likeess of a lovig God to patiets through faith ad sciece. Durig the breakfast Bishop Frak J. Caggiao preseted the 2018 Father Rufi Compassioate Care Awards to Dr. Patrick Cahill ad healthcare voluteer Nathaiel Beckles. Dr. Cahill, a Stamford obstetricia ad gyecologist, was hoored for his missio service servig Hodura wome ad for his outreach to low-icome families i the Stamford area. Nathaiel Beckles was recogized for his service as a voluteer at St. Camillus Health Ceter i Stamford. He ofte leads the Rosary for patiets i the chapel. The bishop also preseted a hoorary award to Dr. Thomas Fly of New Caaa who approached Bishop Edward Ega twety-five years ago with the idea of brigig his colleagues together for a White Mass to celebrate their faith ad role as healers i the commuity. Dr. Fly is a pre-emiet physicia ad a ma of great faith who has healed by his skills, his presece ad his accompaimet of those who are sick ad sufferig, the bishop said. The day bega whe more tha 300 gathered for Mass for at St. Aloysius Church i New Caaa for the White Mass co-celebrated by Bishop Caggiao ad several priests, icludig those who serve i healthcare settigs throughout the diocese. Durig his homily, Bishop Caggiao said that may people feel abadoed by God whe a loved oe is sick or sufferig, ad we feel helpless. The bishop said that i the face of sufferig, we must lear the mystery of surreder of ourselves to the preset momet, to thigs we ca chage ad thigs we caot. We must do what we ca to heal ad the accept. I both cases God is preset to us. He thaked all healthcare workers for their sese of miistry as they face the mystery of sufferig everyday ad become vehicles of God s presece i their work to brig physical ad spiritual healig. For a trascript of Dr. Joseph Dutkowsky s talk visit: Golf Classic hoors Caruso By ELLEN McGINNESS The Catholic Charities/ Aeta Golf Classic will take place Moday, Jue 4, at the Patterso Club i Fairfield. Last year, the evet raised $100,000 for Catholic Charities of Fairfield Couty (CCFC), makig it a pricipal fudraiser for the agecy. This year, the Aeta Golf Classic will hoor the late Judge Da Caruso, a logtime fried ad supporter of CCFC. We thought it was fittig to hoor Judge Caruso with the Catholic Charities Service Award, said Jo Vaccarella, who is chair of the CCFC Board of Directors as well as co-chair of the evet with Bill Tommis. Da was a ma dedicated to his faith as well as to servig others, which made him a perfect choice for this award, Vaccarella explaied. As a probate judge i Fairfield Court, Judge Caruso presided over all adoptios. Catholic Charities Director of Family Directios Amy Zajac, recalled a touchig story about the well-liked judge. Whe there was a adoptio that ivolved a family with older sibligs, Da would allow the sibligs to tap his gavel, symbolizig the completio of the adoptio, Zajac recouted. While this might ot seem like aythig major to the commo observer, it was everythig to those older childre. It brought them ito the process ad allowed them to feel importat at a time whe their ew baby brother or sister was the star. The Golf Classic begis with a luch at 11am, followed by a shotgu start at 12:30 pm. All moies raised will beefit the 30 programs of Catholic Charities, oe of the largest private social services agecies i the couty. CCFC s programs iclude soup kitches ad food patries, immigratio services, a food program for the elderly ad homeboud, homeless outreach ad preschools to educate childre of lower-icome families. While this year s evet will be bittersweet with the passig of Judge Caruso, Catholic Charities Presidet Al Barber remiisced this way, Da orgaized a huge food drive for the agecy which really made a differece to our food programs. He was welcomig to hudreds of doors ad voluteers, makig them feel appreciated ad recogized for their participatio. We wat to do the same for Da by recogizig his support of the agecy at this year s Aeta Golf Classic. He took o credit for the service he gave to Catholic Charities ad the commuity at large, but we feel it s importat to give Da credit ow. (For more iformatio or sposorship details, cotact Amy Zajac: or azajac@ccfc-ct. org.)

6 6 April 2018 Local News Studets meet doors at Foudatios receptio BRIDGEPORT Bishop Frak J. Caggiao ad Foudatios i Educatio recetly hosted the Iaugural Leaders of Tomorrow Breakfast Receptio at the Catholic Ceter i Bridgeport. More tha 160 tured out to hoor the 49 youg studets who were selected as Leaders of Tomorrow. Leaders of Tomorrow is a uique program of the Bishop s Scholarship Fud that provides eed-based scholarships to studets i Catholic elemetary schools who were idetified by their pricipals as studets of strog academic stadig ad good character who possess leadership potetial. Doors to the program trasform the lives of childre through the gift of Catholic educatio. The receptio brought together sor of 10 Leaders of Tomorrow, shared her motivatio for doatig to Foudatios i Educatio: I Matthew 19, Jesus said Let the little childre come to me, studets, their families ad pricipals, ad the doors who sposor a portio of their tuitios. I her opeig remarks, Barbara Ripp, the geerous spoad do ot hider them, for the Kigdom of Heave belogs to such as these. He is speakig to all of us i that verse. My husbad Peter ad I have chose to help fulfill that commad. Amog the scholarship recipiets was Igor Decastro Carvalho, a third grader at St. Joseph School i Dabury, who was accompaied by his mother, Daiela, ad his pricipal, Lisa Lai. I sicerely treasured the opportuity to meet the people that make my so s educatio possible as well as celebrate my so s achievemet, said Daiela. The geerosity of our Catholic commuity is truly a blessig. Pricipal Lai added, Because of the geerosity of doors to Foudatios i Educatio, my studets are able to further their studies ad be The begiig of a difficult coversatio By BRIAN D. WALLACE At a recet workshop sposored by the Leadership Istitute, the Diocese of Bridgeport bega a importat coversatio about miisterig to youg people with questio about their ow sexual idetity ad other challeges that may have separated them from the Church. We believe this is the first step i uderstadig the struggle of our youg people. To differetiate oe s body from oe s persohood is a otio that is atithetical to our faith traditio, said Patrick Doova, executive director of the diocesa Leadership Istitute. Doova said the workshop explored may issues facig tees while also focusig o authetic Catholic Teachig. What exactly does the Church teach ad why? As those who work with our youg people, we caot share the truth uless we kow the truth ourselves, he said. The workshop, which drew almost 100 me ad wome who work with youg people aroud the diocese, was held at the Catholic Ceter. Bishop Frak J. Caggiao led the gatherig i prayer ad participated i coversatio about difficult issues ad STRONG ACADEMIC STANDING, good character ad leadership potetial these traits, amply demostrated by studet Igor Decastro Carvalho of St. Joseph School i Dabury, idetify studets who qualify for the Leaders of Tomorrow program. Here Igor is joied Executive Director Holly Doherty-Lemoie, sposor Tom McIerey, Pricipal Lisa Lai ad Bishop Frak J. Caggiao pastoral care challeges. Roy Petitfils, a therapist, author ad iteratioally recogized expert i uderstadig ad raisig teeagers, was the keyote speaker. A therapist at Pax Reewal Ceter i Lafayette, Louisiaa, he has authored a umber of popular volumes icludig God Wears Ruig Shoes: Spiritual Reflectios for Those Miisterig to Youg People (2009). Other paelists icluded Father Paul Check, rector of St. Joh Fisher Semiary ad former leader of the iteratioal Courage miistry for people with same-sex attractio; Jeae Hosiski, MD, a graduate from Tufts Medical School ad primary healthcare provider; ad Joah, a member of Courage sice Fairfield Couty Catholic spoke with Roy Petitfils followig his presetatio: I your talk you metioed that tees suffer from great axiety. Ca you explai that a little more? Axiety rates have doubled i the last te years for youg people. We have a axiety epidemic i our coutry, ad the axiety is drivig depressio. The questio is, how do we as a Church meet ad address the THERAPIST AND AUTHOR Roy Petitfils leads recet workshop at the Catholic Ceter spike i adverse metal health issues that families are facig today? Pastoral care also has to respod to the alarmig suicide rate amog youg people who are at heighteed risk. What s goig o? The culture is shiftig so quickly, movig so rapidly i this coutry. We re beig discoected from so may of our tools ad traditioal supports. Is it the result of pressure from social ad atioal media? The level of tolerace i our culture is so high that we have created a opportuity for youg people to questio thigs adults just ever questioed. There are fewer boudaries o where we allow our lives to wader. We ve got a lot of youg people who, because it s o the table, are pickig it up ad tryig it o. Maybe it s a way for them to stad out or fit i. How do you provide pastoral care to tees aroud geder issues? I may ways, we are still afraid to have the coversatio, ad it s easy to get ito murky situatios. The questio for our rewarded for their coscietious attitudes ad givig spirits. There are curretly 27 doors sposorig 49 studets i the program who might otherwise be uable to atted Catholic schools. Foudatios i Educatio is a o-profit iitiative created to assist the Diocese of Bridgeport s ogoig missio to support Catholic educatio i Fairfield Couty by supportig iovatio i academic ad extra-curricular programs, fosterig opportuities for the professioal developmet of school leaders ad providig tuitio assistace to families i eed. (To lear more about Foudatios i Educatio or to lear how your gift ca help trasform the lives of Catholic school studets, visit the Foudatios i Educatio website: schools ad parishes is, how ca we work with youg people so they feel safe to ask these difficult questios ad they trust that our resposes will ot be critical? We must kow the truth to be able to speak the truth ad we must be willig to liste first, the teach, ot criticize. Oftetimes, people cofuse listeig with agreeig or codoig. It s ot. It s listeig to youg people tell their stories. It s our opportuity ad resposibility as Catholics to fid a place at the table we ca cotribute to this coversatio. We must have the ability to liste to other viewpoits. Otherwise, youg people walk away. Why the eed to talk about same-sex attractio? The topic is comig up i schools i classrooms ad persoal coversatios. We eed to empower parets to have the awkward coversatio about sex. It s hard work, but it has to be doe. May people coclude the Church hates gay people. We eed to share our viewpoit withi a pastoral respose. The truth is we have a lot of youg people who idetify as LGBT ad they do t feel wel- cotiued o page 12

7 April Livig Fully While Dyig After the Diagosis By JOE PISANI Almost 50 years ago, whe Father Thomas Lych bega his life as a priest, his first assigmet was to visit a elderly parishioer who was dyig a ma who was agry with God, agry with life ad agry with the priest. He had several days of stubble o his face whe he hobbled to the door to meet Father ad grumbled, If you ve come here to give me ay of your pious c, do t waste your breath. Ad their meetig seemed to go dowhill from there. He was bitter because his prayers had t bee aswered, ad there was o time left. Father Lych realized it would be uproductive to tell him about God s iscrutable will ad the redemptive power of sufferig. But he clearly wated somethig from me, he recalled. It was t theology. It was t sympathy or false optimism. Ad it was t formal prayer. He eeded to kow where God was i all of this. Father Lych listeed to his story, aoited him ad said he would pray for him, but left feelig that he had t doe eough. The ma died shortly afterward, ad oly later did Father Lych realize what he wated was someoe to be able to walk i his shoes ad to uderstad what his difficult jourey was like. He eeded to talk about what death meat ad fid meaig i his sufferig ad his life. It was a lesso that would chage how Father Lych miistered to the sufferig ad dyig throughout his priesthood. Sice that time, the logtime pastor of St. James Parish i Stratford has helped several thousad people who were sick ad dyig ad cofused. He has officiated at more tha 1,500 fuerals ad couseled ot oly the dyig, but also the grief-stricke ad caregivers. Ad he has captured the wisdom ad spiritual isights he gaied over the past 46 years i a book titled After the Diagosis: A Guide for Livig, which he ad award-wiig author Barbara Maricoda co-wrote. I realized that i order to miister i a meaigful way to the sick ad dyig, I eeded to eter ito ad really strive to uderstad their world, so I took every opportuity to sped time, talk ad be real with them, he said. As I walked with parishioers, family members ad frieds, this Path of Sufferig became more ad more familiar to me. His experieces led to a uderstadig of the trasformative power of love, especially durig sickess ad dyig. Maricoda, who has writte may books for adults, youg adults ad childre, said, I the 21st cetury, dyig is more ofte tha ot a elogated process that may stretch out for may years. Sice all of us will evetually die, the questio is how do we live well while dyig? How ca we avoid beig bullied by the obsessive ier voices of axiety ad fear that leave us self-absorbed ad discoected from the very life we hope to save? The book, which took seve years to write, icludes cases of me ad wome who were trasformed by love durig the process of dyig, ad it offers practical ad spiritual advice for patiets, families, frieds ad caregivers. Most importatly, it ceters o the fudametal promise so cotrary to what our society believes that a perso ca live joyfully ad lovigly despite challeges like sickess, dyig ad death. I a culture where death is see as the ultimate failure, where sufferig is to be avoided at all costs ad assisted suicide is icreasigly the aswer, what is there left to say about ed of life issues? Ad what s love got to do with it? Maricoda asks. Oce we recogize that love, sufferig, forgiveess ad dyig emerge from the same ier place, a place of radical surrederig of self, we ca begi to view ed of life issues differetly. If we lear to suffer well, we ll lear to love well, to forgive others ad live. Ad whe we do these thigs well, we ll die a joyful death. For too may people, the process of dyig starts with deial The questio is how do we live well while dyig If we lear to suffer well, we ll lear to love well. ad eds with resigatio, whe it should cotiue through to acceptace ad trasformatio. Father Lych says that a slice of heave ca be foud o this side of the grave ad there s a place beyod acceptace. A place of trasformatio i which we ca realize i the fullest, purest way what our life s purpose has bee ad what a amazig gift we ca etrust to those we ll leave behid. We ca lear to embrace mystery, to uderstad that our sufferig ca be trasformative. Our legacy ca become oe of love pure, powerful ad eteral. The book goes beyod a discussio of sickess ad dyig. It s really about livig ad lovig alog the etire jourey, he said. Most importatly, it s about realizig that we ca choose the way we live ad the way we love through every stage of livig, sickess, dyig ad death. Father Lych, who is a family ad marriage couselor, told the story of Phil, a middle-age ma diagosed with gallbladder cacer, which spread to his liver. I four moths, his life chaged drastically ad he was spedig After the Diagosis... a Guide for Livig The Trasformative Power of Love Durig Sickess, Dyig, ad Death By Revered Thomas F. Lych ad Barbara Maricoda I highly recommed this book for ayoe who has received a diagosis of serious illess ad wishes to seek healig ad hope. I also commed it to ayoe who desires to lear how to live life fully, oe day at a time. Most Revered Frak Caggiao, Bishop, Diocese of Bridgeport A GUIDE FOR LIVING Father Thomas Lych, Pastor of St. James Parish i Stratford ad writer Barbara Maricoda have co-authored, After the Diagosis, a book that explores livig fully with illess. They will host book sigigs o April at the parish. his fial weeks at Memorial Sloa Ketterig i a hospital bed. Father Lych would visit him, ad o oe occasio eve brought him a porterhouse steak ad gave him a taste of scotch to lift his spirits. Despite his sufferig ad seemigly hopeless case, Phil was a ispiratio to so may others. He made it a poit to reach out to everyoe i the spirit of love, Father Lych recalled. Whe his urses, doctors ad caregivers etered the room, Phil would smile, egage them i coversatio, ask how their day was goig, lear their ames ad iquire about their families. Whe there was othig more that could be doe, he was released from the hospital ad a crowd gathered to say goodbye for the last time. His was a example of a perso who ca trasced pai ad sufferig, illess ad dyig ad touch coutless lives i the process. For more iformatio go to: I may ways, Phil had tilled the fertile field of God s boudless love, Father Lych said. He was able to access the livig ad lovig presece of God that was i the field of his heart durig his fial ordeal. Whe the ambulace arrived at his home, the driver said to his wife, Your husbad must be a famous ma I ve ever see that kid of sed-off. Father Lych said that so may people who are sufferig ad dyig are lookig for God eve though God is always with them. They have to be give the opportuity to surreder ad be trasformed by his divie presece ad savig love. The greatest lesso is that God is with you ad will ever abado you, he said, ad that he wats to help you stad i the brokeess ad frailty of life. (For more iformatio, to order the book or to dowload a free sample, visit joureyofthesoulbooks.com.) Have you or someoe you love received a serious diagosis? Are you a caregiver for a loved oe dealig with a serious illess? The challeges of these situatios ca become overwhelmig, the axieties ad pressures a heavy burde to bear. Father Thomas Lych ad co-author Barbara Maricoda have spet the last seve years addressig these issues i their soo-to-be released critically acclaimed book: After the Diagosis a Guide for Livig. Fr. Tom ad Barbara share with you the practical strategies ad isights that ca trasform this phase of life that all of us will evetually face. Joi them at their Book Lauch Sigig, ad Q&A Sessio. St. James Parish Hall 2110 Mai Street Stratford BOOK SIGNINGS Saturday, April 28th 1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Saturday, April 28th 6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Suday, April 29th 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. Refreshmets will be served

8 8 April 2018 Coversio Stories The Holy Spirit iterveed By JOE PISANI Otis Shelto was raised i a small tow ear Victoria, Texas, i a segregated commuity with two Souther Baptist churches oe for white folks ad oe for blacks. This was the world Otis kew as a child growig up durig the 1950s. He received a rigorous Christia educatio that icluded Suday school from 9:30 to 11am, followed by church services util 2 pm. I had to go to church every Suday, he recalls. There was o pushback o that. I foud very positive role models i my parets ad the church elders. Most of our families were tryig their best to make it i a difficult world. They worked hard to support themselves, so there was t much time to relax ad o such thig as a vacatio. May of his eighbors i the close-kit black commuity worked o local raches ad picked cotto durig the summer. Their Christia faith assured them that despite this difficult life, Jesus is with us ad aswers our prayers. Otis first heard the Word of God from what he calls old-time preachers who would get fired up ad start preachig about our siful ways ad tell us we would go to hell if we did t chage. As a youg perso, I listeed ad leared ad somehow that message stuck. Durig his early tees, his family moved 12 miles away, ad he bega attedig a differet church whose pastor had a subtler maer of preachig that disillusioed him. I listeed for a upliftig message, but there was oe, ad I d walk away askig myself what his message was, he recalled. Otis stepfather, Willie, was o the police force ad became the first black sergeat i the state, where a black officer was t allowed to arrest a white perso. He would later be iducted ito the Texas Ragers Hall of Fame. A ma who lived his priciples, Willie was disillusioed whe church elders got ivolved i compromisig situatios so he left the Baptist church ad bega attedig Mass at St. Mary s parish, which was ot segregated. Otis said his stepfather s example, the priciples he lived by ad his Catholic faith had a lifelog ifluece o him. However, whe he left home to study chemical egieerig at the Uiversity of Housto, his religious bearigs bega to crumble. I the early days at the Shepherds is lookig for a few good metors! Could it be YOU? Shepherds has bee chagig the lives of studets i Coecticut for 20 years by providig metors ad fiacial sposors to deservig high school studets eterig Kolbe Cathedral High School i Bridgeport ad Notre Dame High School i West Have. This fall, we eed 20 metors. Our studets eed YOU! Sig up by April 30th. Visit or cotact Da McAuliffe, Executive Director at dmcauliffe@shepherdsmetors.org or at LIVING THE GOSEPL Retired corporate executive Otis Shelto of New Fairfield shares his story of coversio to the Catholic faith. The Holy Spirit was reachig out to me, says the ative of Victoria, Texas. He ad his wife Phyllis are members of St. Edward the Cofessor Parish i New Fairfield. uiversity, I started really questioig my beliefs, he recalled. Oe of the philosophers I read was Voltaire, who had a egative ifluece o me, ad slowly I tured ito a agostic. He bega questioig everythig he had bee taught about the Christia faith. The, the Holy Spirit iterveed. Whe Otis was a seior, a classmate who was Catholic itroduced him to a differet way. Otis met his family ad was impressed with the values they professed ad practiced. As Catholics, they were livig the Gospel message that other people oly talked about. Otis would joi them for Mass at St. Nicholas Church i Housto, which was a itegrated parish. There I foud the messages I had bee lookig for, which ecouraged me to live life accordig to my Christia values. The Holy Spirit was reachig out to me. I was very impressed with the Catholic Church because it was addressig poverty ad educatio ad doig missioary work aroud the world. He evetually joied the RCIA process ad after six moths received the sacramets of iitiatio ad became a Catholic at 22 years old. I have bee a practicig Catholic over 50 years, he said. My wife, Phyllis, was a Methodist ad she coverted shortly after we got married at St. Mary Church i Housto. While he was i college, Otis worked summers for Uio Carbide chemical plats i Texas. Evetually, he joied that compay ad worked for it from 1967 to 1991, movig to Dabury i From 1992 to 2013 he was employed by the ewly formed Praxair as director of Compliace ad Operatioal Assessmet. He ad Phyllis ow live i New Fairfield ad atted St. Edward the Cofessor Church. They have three childre ad six gradchildre. Whe we moved from Texas to New Fairfield, we were accepted with ope arms at St. Edward the Cofessor, he recalled. Racism was ever a issue ad that s very importat to me. He has bee a member of the parish sice Over the years, he has bee active i the me s miistry ad Kights of Columbus. He served as Grad Kight of the parish coucil ad curretly is its chacellor. He is ispired by the history of the Kights i combatig racism i America ad helpig the disadvataged. Catholics put their faith i actio locally ad aroud the world, he says. Otis, who is also a member of the Strategic Plaig Commissio that came out of the Fourth Diocesa Syod, atteds daily Mass ad is a Eucharistic miister. I strogly believe i the real presece of the Body ad Blood of Christ, he said. It is a very importat part of my faith. He says, reflectig o his dearly-held faith, The Catholic Church is ot just a buildig, but every oe of us together. Whe we gather each Suday, I ca feel the grace i the church. I strogly believe that we, Christia me ad wome, through our miistries will make our families, commuities ad atio a better place. (A SERIES ON CONVERSION The above profile is the first i a series o coversio writte by Joseph Pisai. Over the comig moths, the writer will explore the spiritual path to Catholicism take by may who experieced profoud chages i their lives.)

9 April New Coveat Ceter 60 Miutes producer highlights celebrity breakfast DARIEN 60 Miutes has succeeded because it treats ews as public service, ot simply as a busiess decisio, said CBS News chairma ad 60 Miutes executive producer Jeff Fager at the New Coveat Ceter Celebrity Breakfast o April 4. More tha 200 tured out at Woodway Coutry Club i Darie to celebrate the 40th aiversary of New Coveat Ceter (NCC), which provides more tha 600,000 meals yearly to the workig poor, elderly ad homeless of the greater Stamford area. The evet raised $120,000 to support the NCC missio. Sposored by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Bridgeport, the ier-city soup kitche relies o hudreds of iterfaith voluteers, alog with its small professioal staff, to provide utritio ad social services. I his keyote talk, Fager praised New Covet Ceter staff ad voluteers for the public service they provide ad said that the ews media also provide a public service i a democracy. Fager shared some of the groud rules that have made 60 Miutes oe of the most edurig ad trusted ews shows i TV history. He said the producers ad reporters ever talk dow to a audiece, ad they do t rely o audiece research to determie topics. Rather, they look to the editors ad reporters to tell compellig stories. That may ot be what the audiece wats to see, but it s what is importat i their lives as Americas. Fager, who is the author of the book 50 years of 60 Miutes, said the stories are chose ot because they re iterestig, but because they shed light o a larger issue. He wared that labelig ews as fake ews is corrosive to a democracy ad eables people to read or believe oly what makes them comfortable or cofirms their opiios. We must be careful ot to fall ito the trap of labelig ews we disagree with as fake ews, Fager said. Durig the meetig, J. Rady Salvatore of New Caaa, chief executive of the Stamford-based RMS Compaies, was preseted the Fouder s Award for his cotributio of pro boo costructio maagemet services durig costructio of NCC s ew ad expaded buildig. This award was preseted i appreciatio to Rady Salvatore for helpig to make our dream a reality for our curret ad future geeratios, said Joh Gutma, NCC executive director. The 8,200 square-foot ceter, completed i 2015, eabled NCC to expad its diig ad patry services, create bath ad shower facilities for homeless guests, ad also iclude space for a laudry room, barber services, job skills traiig ad social programs provided at the soup kitche to help people become more idepedet Gutma thaked all those who tured out for the breakfast celebratig the 40th aiversary of the Stamford soup kitche, ad said he was optimistic because of the geerosity of people ad the ivolvemet of youth. He said the ew Social Night of Service program has egaged youg adults ito the multi-geeratioal work of feedig the poor. Rabbi Jay TelRav of Temple Siai delivered the ivocatio ad Msgr. Thomas Powers, vicar geeral of the Diocese of Bridgeport, gave the fial beedictio. (New Coveat Ceter is located at 174 Richmod Hill Ave. i Stamford. Visit olie at: Aswer the call. It s time. Pastoral Miistry Religious Educatio Pastoral Couselig Pastoral Care Spirituality ad more fordham.edu/gre Courses offered olie ad o our Brox campus. Fiacial aid is available.

10 10 EDITORIAL Easter Challege I his Easter message this year, Bishop Frak J. Caggiao remided us that o Easter Suday, we celebrate Christ s victory over si ad death. It is the victory of God s love over all that wishes to destroy huma life, he said as he emphasized that we must come to Easter by Way of Cross. As we cotiue to celebrate the Easter Seaso, we should reflect o the bishop s words: Easter challeges us to live lovigly with oe aother with our families, our eighbors, ad with all those who share our commo bod of humaity. We must revitalize our commuities of faith so that o oe will suffer aloe. No oe should carry their cross aloe. Pope Fracis has challeged the whole Church to make our commuities, big ad small, more credible precisely by growig i love ad mercy. Our Easter faith challeges us to put faith i actio, ad make our witess credible. The gift of eteral life that was wo o the cross ad that we celebrate o Easter is a gift that Jesus wishes to offer to everyoe who is willig to accept it. His love is for everyoe. His forgiveess is offered to all who tur to him. Our challege is clear. We eed to surreder to God s love every day ad to recogize that we are ot ultimately i charge of our destiy, he is. We are to embrace everyoe as he did ad love as geerously ad radically as Jesus does. We eed to embrace our sufferigs bore for the sake of love ad help our eighbor to do the same. Thakig Our Priests Easter brigs parish families together i a very special way, ad has the power to uite geeratios through the depth ad richess of its liturgies. It is perhaps also a time whe we are most aware of the gift ad sacrifices of our priests all the more poigat for two diocesa parishes that experieced the loss of their pastors as we etered Holy Week this year. Father Joh Bara, pastor of St. Athoy of Padua i Fairfield, ad Father Adrew Marus, pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Parish i Stratford, succumbed after leadig lives of priestly service ad courageously facig their illesses. The losses devastated parishioers, but comig as they did durig the celebratio of Christ s Passio ad Resurrectio, they also deeply immersed people i the mystery of sufferig ad our hope i Christ as commuities of faith. I the reewal of priestly promises at the Chrism Mass the bishop asks priests, Beloved sos, o the aiversary of that day whe Christ our Lord coferred his priesthood o his Apostles ad o us, are you resolved to reew, i the presece of God s holy people, the promises you oce made? I am, aswer the 200 priests who stad before him. Now it s our tur to affirm ad support their priestly promises. Our priests give sacrificially throughout the year to brig us the sacramets ad create vital parish commuities. They add immeasurably to our lives i good times ad times of loss ad sufferig. I the light ad hope of Easter, let us remember to pray for them ad offers thaks for the blessigs they brig to our lives. April Galas With the good weather returig, April is shapig up as a busy ad excitig moth aroud the diocese. O April 19, at Woodway Coutry Club i Darie, Foudatios i Educatio will host its aual gala. I a short time, FIE has doe a remarkable job to raise fuds for studet scholarships, professioal educatio ad ogoig iovatio i our schools. Frieds of Triity Catholic High School will celebrate at their ow gala o Friday April 27 at Giovai s Water s Edge i Darie, where, amog others, Msgr. Walter Orlowski will be hoored. The followig ight, Msgr. Thomas Powers, vicar geeral of the diocese, will be recogized at the first Rector s Dier at Triity Catholic High School. Ad Suday, April 29, is shapig up as a very special kid of celebratio whe married couples throughout the diocese celebrate at the Weddig Jubilee Mass at St. Theresa Parish i Trumbull. The 3 pm Mass will be followed by the Sprig Cocert of the Diocesa Youth Choir. For further iformatio o these ad other evets, visit the caledar at Parochial Admiistrator FATHER MICHAEL A. BOCCACCIO, to temporary Parochial Admiistrator of Sait Athoy of Padua Parish, Fairfield. Effective date was March 19. Father Boccaccio will remai Director of the Potifical Missio Societies Office for the Diocese of Bridgeport. Parochial Vicar FATHER OTONIEL LIZCANO, from part-time Parochial Vicar, Sait Joseph Parish, Norwalk ad part-time Parochial Vicar, Sait Ladislaus Parish, Norwalk to fulltime Parochial Vicar, Sait Joseph Parish, Norwalk. Effective date was April 2. Residece FATHER MARIUSZ M. EDITOR S CHOICE Matt Helfrich remembers his father with a special gift Each day Foudatios i Educatio is blessed by a visit from the Catholic Ceter mail supervisor, Matt Helfrich. Matt has worked at the Catholic Ceter for 34 years ad is kow for his depedable mail delivery ad the daily joke which he delivers with equal aplomb. Matt also works at a area Stop & Shop, where he has bee for 32 years. Oe recet afteroo, Matt made a special delivery to Foudatios i the form of a persoal doatio i memory of his father, former superitedet of diocesa Catholic schools, Berard Berie Helfrich. Mr. Helfrich served as superitedet for 23 years. Matt takes delight i his usolicited cotributio to Foudatios i Educatio explaiig, Catholic educatio is very importat to me. I had a little extra moey set aside, so here s my check. Matt s work ethic, great sese of humor ad commitmet to Catholic educatio are treasured gifts to Foudatios i Educatio. Office of Commuicatios Diocese of Bridgeport 238 Jewett Aveue Bridgeport, Coecticut telephoe fax fcc@diobpt.org Web Facebook BridgeportDiocese USPS o.: Periodical postage paid at Bridgeport, CT 06601, ad additioal mailig offices. CLERGYAPPOINTMENTS The Most Revered Frak J. Caggiao, Bishop of Bridgeport, has made the followig clergy appoitmets i the Diocese of Bridgeport: OLBRYS, from residig at Sait Charles Borromeo Rectory, Bridgeport, to reside at Holy Name of Jesus Rectory, Stratford. Effective date was April 2. Father Olbrys will remai Parochial Admiistrator of Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Stratford. FATHER CHURCHILL PENN, from residig at Sait Charles Borromeo Rectory, Bridgeport, to reside at Holy Name of Jesus Rectory, Stratford. Effective date was April 2. Father Pe will remai part-time Parochial Vicar of Sait Charles Borromeo Parish, Bridgeport, ad Assistat Chaplai to Bridgeport Hospital. Retiremet DEACON GERALD F. SABOL, from diacoal miistry at Notre Most Revered Frak J. Caggiao Publisher Bria D. Wallace Executive Editor bdwallace@diobpt.org Pat Heessy Maagig Editor pheessy@diobpt.org Reée Stamatis Art Director rstamatis@diobpt.org Ralph Lazzaro Advertisig Maager rlazzaro@diobpt.org Bria A. Wallace Graphic Desiger bwallace@diobpt.org Joh Grosso Social Media Leader jgrosso@diobpt.org Roie Lazzaro Copy Editor (Cosultat) April 2018 Dame of Easto Parish, Easto, to retiremet. Effective date was April 16. Presbyteral Coucil FATHER JOSEPH A. MARCELLO, Pastor of Sait Catherie of Siea Parish, Trumbull, ad Vicar for Clergy, has bee appoited to serve o the Presbyteral Coucil. Effective date was March 16. Diacoal Coucil FATHER JOSEPH A. MARCELLO, Pastor of Sait Catherie of Siea Parish, Trumbull, ad Vicar for Clergy, has bee appoited to serve o the Diacoal Coucil. Effective date was March 16. Father Joseph A. Marcello Vicar for Clergy, April, 2018 Advertise To place a ad, cotact Ralph Lazzaro: Circulatio Every registered Catholic household i Fairfield Couty is etitled to a subscriptio. To cacel, chage or add a address, please fcc@diobpt.org Aual Subscriptio Price $20 (withi diocese) $50 (outside diocese) Postmaster sed address chages to: Fairfield Couty Catholic 238 Jewett Aveue Bridgeport, Coecticut Copyright 2018, Diocese of Bridgeport

11 April Editorial Resurrectio Momets T There s always here s a resurrectio, Father Tom said. a resurrectio. Years ago, he delivered this hopeful message at a Good Friday service. Now I kow what he meat. Back the, I eeded a resurrectio. Log after the death of my youger brother, I remaied New Hampshire, as my mother-i-law told me recetly, has five seasos: summer, witer, fall, sprig ad mud. The tourists come i October, to see the leaves chage color. They come agai i February, to ski the White Moutais. The Heesseys come i early April to see the mud. April is off seaso i the Graite State. The slopes are meltig, the trees are leafless, ad the lakes ice-boud, but the mud is i full bloom. If you ejoy boots that sik to the akles ad splatter marks up the back of your pat leg, come to New Hampshire aroud Easter. Spedig time with my mother-i-law is, of course, the real reaso for our visits. She ad my late father-i-law moved up from New York City 15 years A Woma s Voice By Debra Tomaselli Debra Tomaselli writes from Altamote Sprigs, Florida. She ca be reached at dtomaselli@cfl.rr.com etombed i darkess, sadess ad depressio. It s just how it was. Whe a fried suggested I get help, I bristled. Why was she tryig to fix me? She had o idea what I was goig through. She d ever had a death i her family. What did she kow? Udauted, she mailed a copy of the book, The Courage to Grieve, by Judy Tatelbaum, to me. What was she thikig? I threw it The Girl Who Cried Moose A Dad s View By Matthew Heessey Matthew Heessey ad his family are parishioers of St. Joh the Evagelist Parish i Stamford. ago, before ay gradchildre came alog. They built a beautiful, sturdy house i the woodsy shadow of Mt. Kearsarge. It s a great spot. It s also really remote. Rafters of wild turkeys block traffic, such as it is, o partially paved back roads. Black bears sometimes amble through the yard, lookig to ibble o the buried cotets of gradma s compost heap. Ad the there is the mud. Thick, deep, ad of exceedigly high quality, this ai t rai-shower garde mud. This is mud for real. Primordial. Wild. The Heesseys are ot rural people. The rhythms of life are out of syc with our urba-suburba heartbeats. I like the fresh air, but the quiet makes me ervous. I like to see the stars at ight, but I could lose the oppressive solitude. Some people thik death ad across the room. But somethig made me pick it up ad start readig. As I read about ager, ad the pivotal role it plays i grief, I felt smug. Nope, I did t idetify with ay of those emotios. I m right, I thought. I m ot agry at the deceased. I do t eed help. I really was t agry. How could ayoe harbor ager agaist my youger brother, Jim, who did t have a ouce of aggressio i his body? Later, I kept readig. If you ca t idetify with ager, the author recommeds addressig the deceased with this phrase, I wish. Immediately, a torret of regrets gushed forth. I wish you had t died so youg. I wish you had bee healthy. I wish you had a job, a wife, a family, a car, a driver s licese. I wish I did t miss you so much It was as if someoe had ulocked the dark tomb of misery iside me, allowig it to begi to escape. Sobs racked my body. Fially, the book said that you kow you re recoverig from grief whe you ca begi to see somethig good come out of the tragedy. That souds crazy, I thought. It took time, but the resurrectio came. Evetually, istead of seekig sympathy for my loss, I helped others strugglig with a sigificat death, offerig uderstadig ad cosolatio. Istead of regrettig lost opportuities with Jim, I discovered simple, fu ways of expressig my love for my family ad frieds. Istead of questioig God, I worked to alleviate the sufferig of those aroud me, by feedig the homeless, doatig household items, meace lurk dow dark ier-city alleyways. I feel my mortality most keely whe I m aloe i the piey woods, surrouded ad spied o by who-kows-who with who-kows-what o its mid. I these momets, I ca t resist composig my ow obituary. He died doig what he hated: slidig dow a deep ravie. My mother-i-law has goe ative. She says ot to be afraid of black bears. She says they are highstrug ad a little dumb. Also, she says, they ca t see aythig that is t right i frot of their oses. She says that they re more afraid of us tha we are of them. She ca speak for herself. I ve heard that the way to behave aroud a black bear is to make yourself appear as big as possible. Put your hads above your head ad make a growlig oise. That way the short-sighted bear will thik you are a meaer, bigger, badder old bear ad skedaddle back to his de. I d like to speak with someoe who s actually experimeted with this techique i the field. I have a feelig it s oe of those theories that looks good o paper. Less so whe you re kee deep i high-quality mud ad your lizard brai is commadig you to ru for your life. For what it s worth, the correct strategy for dealig with a grizzly bear is the exact opposite. You are supposed to play dead. That way the fish-ad-berry fed grizz, who oly maims humas for the sport of it, will tire of scrapig your face with his fiveich razor claws ad bumble o about his busiess. I m dumb ad a little highstrug myself, so I ca easily imagie gettig the bear busiess backward i the heat of the momet. Easter i New Hampshire is ot so bad if the su shies. Whe the su dips behid a cloud or the late witer sky throws dow a slushy mix of rai ad sow, our Graite State getaways become iterior affairs. We play every card game, board game, ad head game we ca fid. Our Sally, who is five, has lately bee experimetig with the made you look game. She picked it up from her older brother, who is far more sophisticated tha she whe it comes to the timeless art of siblig maipulatio. Try as she might, she just ca t get him or ayoe else to take the bait. Oh o, here comes a alie! she says, poitig over your shoulder. You feel bad for the child, so you play alog. Where? you say, lookig up from your ewspaper with mock alarm. ad makig charitable cotributios. A icreased prayer life, alog with efforts to exhibit kidess ad geerosity, became my first priorities. With the help of God, my sorrow tured to joy. The more I shared, the better I felt. The more I sought Jesus presece i my life, the more I leared to trust i his ways. Love, peace, hope, ad happiess replaced axiety, frustratio ad sadess. Ideed, thakfuless cosumes me for the God who made a way to reveal that his peace trasceds eve the icomprehesible circumstaces of this world. We re ot so far from the evets that took place some two thousad years ago. Some circumstaces are difficult to uderstad. Sorrow may surroud us, but there s a resurrectio. There s always a resurrectio. Made you look, she says. Yes you did, you clever child you. You sure made me look. The, oe eveig, while you are chattig with your wife at gradma s kitche table, Sally comes rushig i. There s a moose i the yard! she yelps, poitig to the widow overlookig the driveway. Oh my goodess, really? you reply, tryig desperately to mask the cyicism ad detachmet that years of urba sophisticatio have imprited o your soul. Oly whe you hear your mother-i-law exhale i alarm ad say Oh my goodess with just a little more vocal woder tha she could possibly fake do you yourself rise ad rush to the widow. There, i the driveway, stads the most amazig creature, a youg female moose i a wilderess face-off with your parked Hoda Odyssey. The whole family gapes i woder for a sustaied momet before the moose turs ad galumphs back ito the forest. The ext morig gradma ad Sally pull o their boots ad go had-i-had to look for the moose s footprits i the mud ad you remember, as if you could possibly forget, exactly why you come to New Hampshire durig the off seaso.

12 12 April 2018 Greewich Catholic New goverace model GREENWICH Greewich Catholic School is pleased to aouce its trasitio to a ew goverace structure. Kow as a academy model, the ew goverace formatio will foster greater egagemet to esure the vitality ad viability of Greewich Catholic School (GCS) for geeratios to come. This step forward is i aligmet with the Diocese of Bridgeport Catholic Schools recetly published strategic pla. Bishop Frak J. Caggiao stated, Oe of the cetral teets of the Strategic Pla for Catholic Schools: Trasformig Our Future, is the empowermet of laity o school boards ad greater owership i the ruig of schools by local school commuities. I share this visio for Catholic educatio i our diocese ad am eager to witess Greewich Catholic School s bright future ufold. As a academy, GCS will remai uder the auspices of the Diocese of Bridgeport. Goverace is assumed by a two-tiered board comprised of members ad directors who work together i cocert to stregthe ad advace the school s missio. The bishop ad his appoited clergy serve as the members. They esure the Catholic idetity of the school remais paramout ad appoit the directors. The Board of Directors cosists of laity ad has official authority ad fiduciary cotrol, which will allow GCS to determie its Although the ew goverace model represets a major chage relative to the authority of the board, the board will cotiue to demostrate a commitmet to the Catholic faith. strategic directio ad allocatio of resources. The Board of Directors, who will be appoited by the bishop, will assume their ew level of resposibility for Greewich Catholic School o July 1, Pricipal Patrice Kopas explaied, GCS will beefit from the ew goverace structure by drawig upo commuity members expertise i the areas of fiace, facilities, marketig, ad educatio. I cotiued partership with the Diocese of Bridgeport ad the ew Board of Directors, I will remai focused o curriculum ad istructio, ad settig our studets o a path to success. Kopas wet o to promise, Greewich Catholic School will remai rooted i faith, surrouded by commuity ad committed to excellece. Although the ew goverace model represets a major chage relative to the authority of the board, the board will cotiue to demostrate a commitmet to the Catholic faith. The chair of the Strategic Plaig committee of the curret School Advisory Board, Mario Gaztambide, said, GCS ow has the distictio of beig the first established diocesa elemetary school to move from the School Advisory Board TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE Empowerig the laity ad the school boards they serve o is oe of the major goals of the diocesa Strategic Pla for educatio. format to that of a academy model. Trasitioig to the ew model will allow GCS to retai ad attract highly qualified ad taleted educators who will live the missio ad guide studets to achieve their full potetial. Uder the ew structure, the diocese will reserve certai privileges, such as approval of the members of the Board of Directors, guardiaship of the school s Catholic missio ad owership of the property. The Difficult Coversatio from page 6 come by the Church. Do we wat to hear them or ot? Do we wat to welcome them or ot? These youg people will ever kow the truth of God s love if we dismiss them. What do we eed to kow about tees ad geder? Adolescece is a time of emergig idetity. There is also more geder fluidity. It s ot ucommo for youg people to experiece same-sex attractio, but for most of them it s a phase; 80 percet of childre who preset with geder dysphoria (idetity) will resolve the issue. They will go back to their God-give geder ad allow puberty to work itself out. That s why it s importat that we have this coversatio. I fact, there may be may differet coversatios based o the developmet of the idividual. The reality is they chage. We kow the brai is chagig. They just do t have the capacity. That s why we ask them to hold the idetity getly. This is importat for parets, too. Liste. Talk to professioals. Try ot to react to a situatio that is so fluid. More youg people are Board of Directors will moitor ad evaluate the operatio of the school ad evaluate, approve ad revise as eeded school policies ad esure the policies are implemeted i accordace with GCS s missio ad the policies of the Diocese of Bridgeport. (GCS is a co-educatioal Catholic school servig studets i Grades Pre- K 8 ad is located o a 38-acre campus at 471 North St. i Greewich. For more iformatio or to schedule a tour, visit gcsct.org.) idetifyig as Noes whe asked about their faith. What is the impact? There is a correlatio betwee the rise i disaffiliatio ad i metal health. The sacramets, religious belief ad spirituality are affective copig mechaisms for metal health. Prayer ad havig a purpose are icredibly helpful. So may people have jettisoed it. It s very fair to say we have a crisis of spirituality. Existetial depressio is escalatig with tees, ad it s a logical cosequece of people i crisis who ca t fid a way to believe i God. They eed to kow that they come from someoe ad are destied to be i a relatioship with him for eterity. (I October ad November 2017, Bishop Caggiao met with catechists from parishes throughout the diocese. He spoke about the tough issues facig youg people today, icludig the rise of axiety. A trascript ad video of the bishop s presetatio ca be foud at org/a-catechist-coversatio-2/.) (The Leadership Istitute will be hostig a series of webiars with Roy Petitfils o May 2 ad 9. For more iformatio ad to joi i the discussio, visit

13 April St. Joseph School, Brookfield Parets support ew school model By BRIAN D. WALLACE More tha 80 studets have registered to atted St. Joseph School Brookfield i the fall, accordig to Dr. Steve Cheesema, diocesa superitedet of schools. We re very ecouraged by the respose ad the affirmatio parets have give to the ew school model that the bishop itroduced, he said. Dr. Cheesema expects the umber of studets to grow as parets cotiue to register their childre for Pre-K through 8th grade. The bishop charged us with creatig a school that is authetically Catholic, academically excellet, ad fiacially viable, Dr. Cheesema said. Ad we believe this model does all three. The ew model will chage the ame of the school to St. Joseph Catholic Academy of Brookfield, cosistet with other school reorgaizatios i the diocese. The ew goverace model will iclude a Board of Directors, a Head of School ad Director of Educatio, Dr. Cheesema said. Immaculate High School Presidet Mary Maloey has agreed to serve as Head of School. She will also cotiue to lead the high school. Curret plas call for eight fulltime teachers ad ie part-time teachig aides ad other employees to serve the estimated studets who will retur i the fall. After weeks of itese study ad plaig, Dr. Cheesema ad St. Joseph School Taskforce members uveiled plas for the ew school model at a meetig atteded by parets ad educators o March 8 at St. Joseph Parish i Brookfield. Throughout the eveig, taskforce members offered presetatios o all aspects of the pla, icludig classroom orgaizatio, techology, fiaces ad other activities. This group of people has worked icredibly hard, givig coutless hours over the last five weeks, Dr. Cheesema said as he thaked members for their ethusiasm ad passio for the project, which will give the school a fresh start. Dr. Cheesema told parets that the multi-age pla is ot experimetal, ad that it has bee gradually takig hold i may private ad public schools, icludig schools i the area, sice the 1990s. It will also be adopted i other schools throughout the diocese. Bishop Frak J. Caggiao had itroduced the pla for the trasitio of St. Joseph School ito the ew bleded learig ad multi-age model at a meetig cocerig the future of the school CATHOLIC PROFESSIONAL NETWORK Law Office of James M. Hughes Elder Law/TITLE 19/MEDICAID-Plaig Vetera s Beefits - Aid & Attedace Estates/Probate/Real Estate 1432 Post Road, Fairfield, Coecticut hughes_james@sbcglobal.et PARISH WEB DESIGN PACKAGES Mobile Friedly Maagemet Tools Visit: Magtype.com special pricig for o-profits held o Jauary 18. At that time, the bishop said that parets would play a key role i the process ad the diocese would be trasparet i its commuicatios. Sice that time a taskforce of parets ad educators, assisted by sub-committees of parets, bega studyig the multi-age model, visitig other schools ad workig to shape it to the eeds of St. Joseph studets. Rather tha traditioal classrooms, the multi-age model calls for groupigs of four or five studets ito larger bads. Bad sizes will ot exceed 24 studets. The ew groupig, as determied by the leadership taskforce, calls for Pre-K (ages 3 ad 4); K-2; grades 3-4; grades 5-6; ad grades 7-8. Dr. Cheesema said that while the school will itroduce a ew educatio model, it would also ehace ad stregthe its Catholic idetity. Dr. Cheesema said that by adoptig the ew model, the school will beefit from a balaced budget. A door commitmet of $250,000 for the ext two years has bee offered to assist us with movig forward with supportig the eeds of the ew academic model ad for marketig ad admissios Accept Doatios SEO Ready activities, he told the parets. A Five-Year Strategic Pla is i the process of beig developed ad will be shared with the school commuity i September The taskforce set the ew RESIDENTIAL EMERGENCY DRAIN CLEANING MUNICIPAL COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE LICENSED & INSURED CATCH BASIN CLEANING HIGH VELOCITY WATER JETTING LARGE DIAMETER POWER RODDING or Office: 534 Surf Aveue Stratford Tuitio ad Fee Schedule K through 8 studets at $5, 895 per studet. New family registratio bega o April 1. (For more iformatio, visit TV PIPE INSPECTION AIR TESTING JET RODDING VACTOR SERVICE

14 14 April 2018 Catholic Service Corps Teachig youg people Gospel message of service By JOE PISANI Jessica Nayde, program coordiator for the diocesa Catholic Service Corps, still remembers the summer she led a group of youg people o a missio to Everett, Massachusetts, to work o a home that had falle ito disrepair. The task seemed to be a simple oe scrape the deck, replace broke wood ad apply geerous coats of pait. But what at first looked like a routie project took the group a lot loger tha they aticipated because they ra ito a uexpected twist ad it had othig to do with home repair. It had to do with huma repair. The ower, Regia, was i her 80s ad suffered from what St. Mother Teresa called the most terrible poverty of our age she was loely. Paitig the deck became secodary to somethig more importat. It was almost impossible to do work at her house because she wated so much to tell youg people about herself ad hear about their lives, Nayde recalled. Each day, we spet hours just talkig. Ad that was a good thig. As part of their activities with the Catholic Heart Work Camp, whose motto is Love, Serve, Coect, there was prayer ad discussio at luch that cetered o the questio, Where did you see God today? Regia wated to take part i that discussio. The peculiar thig, they realized, is that oce you start to look, Christ keeps poppig up everywhere i likely ad ulikely places. Nayde, 30, emphasizes the eed for Catholic service to ceter o prayer ad reflectio, ad as coordiator of the Catholic Service Corps, she uderstads the importace of brigig Christ to the eedy... ad fidig Christ i the eedy. The missio of the corps, which was formed as a result of the Diocesa Syod, is to foster Catholic idetity by uitig youg people to be the face of Christ i service to others. It is the same Christ, who after washig the disciples feet o Holy Thursday, said, I have give you a model to follow, so that as I have doe for you, you should also do. The corps is ope to youg people i the diocese, who are urged to participate i evets ad service projects ad prayerfully reflect o them. As part of the Office of Faith Formatio, the corps offers resources ad opportuities to parishes, schools ad idividuals. So may people do t kow what the Catholic Church does to help people, Nayde says. They do t kow the good thigs the Church is doig, ad they do t kow the good thigs that youg people are doig. As coordiator, she works with youth miisters, pastors, directors of religious educatio, ad schools. Her work has icluded overseeig the distributio of rice bowls for Catholic Relief Services, helpig to collect food ad toys for Al s Agels ad orgaizig the Diocesa Service Challege last October, which ivolved a day of service. Eleve differet groups, icludig St. Catherie of Siea JESSICA NAYDEN, COORDINATOR of the Catholic Service Corps (with husbad Rob ad baby Leo) May people do t kow the good thigs the Church is doig ad they do t kow the good thigs that youth are doig. School i Trumbull, Notre Dame High School i Fairfield ad St. Adrew Parish i Bridgeport, udertook service projects i their commuities. We re servig as part of our faith, she says. It is t just about feelig good; it s about seeig Christ i a perso ad beig Christ to that perso. She is quick to poit out that service work does t always come with a emotioal high. Sometimes it ca be difficult ad ucomfortable. While she was a teacher at St. Joseph High School, she chaperoed a group of studets o a Appalachia service project that required them to do bathroom ad porch repairs o a decrepit home. The woma who lived there was a hoarder, ad for the studets it was like Whoa, we ve ever see aythig like this before. Youg people ofte ca be thrust ito ufamiliar circumstaces that require adaptig ad patiece. Istead of havig a great experiece ad leavig with happy photos, you sometimes leave woderig, Did I make a differece at all? she said. For example, i the Midight Rus to New York City, you ofte have to give that perso to God ad do what you believe Christ wats you to do, whether it s providig a meal or a smile. Oe of the primary purposes of service, Nayde says, is to affirm the digity of the perso you are helpig, eve those who are hoarders, homeless or suffer some other ifirmity or coditio. Everyoe deserves to be treated as a beloved so or daughter of God, regardless of their circumstaces, she says. Youg people are aturally draw to service, ad may do so as part of their requiremets for Cofirmatio, college applicatios or high school groups. There are opportuities to do voluteer work at soup kitches ad food patries, clothig ad book drives, visits to seior ceters, metorig childre, helpig the homeless, walkathos ad Bible camps. The upcomig Catholic Relief Services FoodFast will take place May 6 from 11 am to 8 pm at St. Joseph High School i Trumbull to help youg Catholics uderstad the reality of world huger by goig hugry ad lear about how they ca take a stad agaist global poverty. For more iformatio, visit The corps has a caledar of evets ad some 30 opportuities i which youg people may participate. It also helps parishes ad schools throughout the diocese with the work they re doig, ad has partered with St. Joseph High School, St. Philip Parish i Norwalk ad Sacred Heart Parish i Greewich, where a filmmakig class developed promotioal videos for the corps. Nayde also cited the work of the St. Aloysius Parish, New Caaa, youth group, which is committed to helpig childre ad seiors. Members traveled to Ketucky ad brought Christmas stockigs to people aroud the holiday. It s eye-opeig to see that kid of poverty i our coutry, she said, ad it makes you feel blessed for what you have, especially whe you see the joy little kids get just to receive a toothbrush. Nayde grew up i Brookfield ad was a member of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Parish, where she was itroduced to commuity service by assistig i Vacatio Bible School ad parish evets. I kew I wated to serve the Church i some way, she said. After graduatig from Brookfield High School, she etered Fracisca Uiversity of Steubeville, Ohio, where she studied theology ad Eglish. Her experieces workig with youg people have led her to appreciate the importace of service i brigig them to Christ. Oce that happes, they ca brig Christ to others, oe perso at a time.

15 April Catholic Schools Diocese hoors outstadig teachers FAIRFIELD O March 11, Bishop Frak J. Caggiao ad Superitedet of Schools Dr. Steve Cheesema hosted a celebratory Mass ad breakfast for Catholic school educators, givig special hoor to those who have give 20, 30 ad 40+ years. The educators ad admiistrators all joied to celebrate Mass at the Ega Chapel at Fairfield Uiversity, followed by a receptio i the Dogwood Room. Teachers ad pricipals ejoyed breakfast together, followed by a presetatio of service awards. Both Bishop Caggiao ad Dr. Cheesema gave cogratulatory remarks, ad were grateful for the opportuity to thak the educators i perso. Without you, our missio of Catholic educatio is ot possible, said Dr. Cheesema. Your dedicatio ad service i aswerig Christ s call makes a differece i every oe of our studet s lives. The followig were awarded for 20, 30 ad 40+ years of service: 20 Years St. Peter School, Valerie Boyle; Triity Catholic HS, Joh Casey; Notre Dame HS, Radley Mazo; St. Raphael Academy, Maida Mayerick; Notre Dame HS, Susa McGowa; Immaculate HS, Marie Proverb; St. Joseph, Brookfield, Diae Thompso; St. Joseph HS, Joseph Tyszkiewicz; Notre Dame HS, Michael Wikler 30 Years St. James, Caroly Agoglia; The Catholic Academy of Stamford, Michelle DeRubeis; St. Thomas Aquias, Joa Driggs; St. Joseph, Dabury, Joae Kimmel; St. Peter, Jo A Lousbury; St. Thomas Aquias, Joae Parrella; Immaculate HS, Naci Stockma CONGRATULATIONS! Alog with Bishop Caggiao, (l-r) Superitedet Dr. Steve Cheesema ad Triity Catholic Assistat Pricipal Christie Wager cogratulate the logest-servig hooree, 49 Years, Erie Bourcier of Triity Catholic High School. 40 Years St. Joseph HS, Thomas Collis; Immaculate HS, Kevi Duleavy; Immaculate HS, Joseph Muchaski; Triity Catholic HS, Tracy Nichols; Kolbe Cathedral HS, Debbie Pietras; Notre Dame HS, Sherrie Zembrzuski Over 40 Years The Catholic Academy Stamford Upper School, Mauree Belford, 41 years; All Saits, Katharie Simoes, 41 years; Kolbe Cathedral HS, Joae Jakab, 42 years; St. Theresa School, Agela Licursi, 43 years; St. Joseph HS, Patrick Pardee, 43 years; St. Theresa School, Doa Gombar, 44 years; St. Joseph HS, Patricia Hayes, 44 years; St. Joseph HS, Karl Valois, 44 years; St. Theresa School, Mariaa Hutvager, 45 years; Triity Catholic HS, Thomas Kriz, 45 years; Triity Catholic HS, William McAdrews, 45 Years; Triity Catholic HS, Erie Bourcier, 49 years SHU Horizos FAIRFIELD Horizos at Sacred Heart Uiversity has received a grat of $25,000 from Fairfield Couty s Commuity Foudatio (FCCF) to support developmet of its year-roud STEM ad readig curriculums. Horizos at SHU helps uderprivileged childre from Bridgeport overcome the pheomeo kow as summer learig loss, i which studets who have fewer opportuities for erichmet ad itellectual stimulatio each summer retai less of what they leared i school tha their peers whose families ca afford such activities. Childre comig ito the program already are readig below grade level. With a 4-to-1 studet-teacher ratio, Horizos teaches them skills for academic success ad empowers them to reach their full potetial. Horizos is so grateful for the support of the Fairfield Couty s Commuity Foudatio. This support eables Horizos at SHU to cotiue to serve more tha 150 yougsters with opportuities to develop their readig ad math skills, their social ad emotioal itelligece, ad their cofidece. Through active ad egaged learig, the program helps yougsters avoid a summer slide i literacy ad umeratio skills, gai cofidece as swimmers ad i other physical activities, ad i artistic pursuits. The yougsters thrive, grow ad become better selves thaks to this support, says Tom Forget, faculty liaiso for the Horizos at SHU program. Fairfield Couty s Commuity Foudatio promotes philathropy as a meas to create chage i Fairfield Couty, focusig o iovative ad collaborative solutios to critical issues affectig the regio. (For more iformatio o the Horizos affiliate at Sacred Heart, visit For more o Fairfield Coutry s Commuity Foudatio, visit

16 16 April 2018 St. Catherie Academy Hele Burlad receives McGivey award PLANTSVILLE The Forty-Third Aual Coecticut State Coucil of the Kights of Columbus Veerable Father Michael McGivey Award was preseted to Hele Burlad, executive director of St. Catherie Ceter for Special Needs o March 25 at the AquaTurf Club i Platsville. Established i 1975 by the Coecticut State Coucil to hoor the ideals of the Kight s fouder, Veerable Father McGivey, this award recogizes idividuals who throughout their lives have made sigificat humaitaria, civic ad social cotributios to their state, Church or coutry. Kights Coucils from all over the state were represeted at this aual evet. Archbishop Daiel Croi, Archbishop Emeritus of Hartford, offered the ivocatio as Kights ad their guests, totalig over 400, gathered i fellowship. Steve Baco, State Deputy itro- duced Burlad as a champio for people with disabilities ad ackowledged her leadership i the establishmet of St. Catherie Ceter for Special Needs ad cotiued growth of St. Catherie Academy. The eed to provide quality programmig for the most vulerable amog us is easy to overlook. Burlad ad her team are committed to this ad is a remider to all of us that this is a importat missio. Although Bishop Frak J. Caggiao was uable to atted, he set his ackowledgemet for Burlad. I give thaks to God for your log ad dedicated service to the idividuals that you provide service for ad their families, he said i his message. I her acceptace, Burlad thaked the Kights for their support of the missio of St. Catherie Academy ad St. Catherie Ceter. You were with A CHAMPION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES Hele Burlad, executive director of St. Catherie Ceter for Special Needs, received the Father Michael McGivey Award, give aually to a perso who has made sigificat cotributios to their state, Church or coutry. us from the start, she commeted. You set up a edowmet scholarship to help i the early years assistig families who wated their childre with disabilities to have access to a faith based educatio. You serve o our board; you have led committees; you have bee there year after year with proceeds from Tootsie Roll Drives that fud music ad art, commuity activities ad service projects. You have paited our halls ad classrooms, raked our leaves, cleaed out our gutters; ad every year, you have come with a sack full of Christmas gifts, dressed as Sata, brigig cheer ad hope to our studets ad families. We have see the trasformative power of service at St. Catherie s every day. Burlad shared commets from Pat Gorma, a curret staff member who is also a active Kight i his parish coucil. My employmet experiece at St. Catherie s has bee a jourey of accompayig youg adults with disabilities. I thought iitially that I was goig to do for them; but istead I discovered that I am doig with them. I have foud this job has give me daily momets of charity. The youg people that I serve teach me daily about hoesty, patiece ad cotiued o page 20 SHU JOURNEY A six-day o-campus summer experiece of faith educatio, self-discovery ad ejoymet for high school youth Lear more at

17 April Sports For diocesa teams, it was champioship weeked By DON HARRISON The third weeked of March 2018 became a high-water mark for high school athletics i the Diocese of Bridgeport. No fewer tha three teams from area Catholic schools Notre Dame-Fairfield, Kolbe Cathedral ad Immaculate captured state basketball titles, while a fourth, Fairfield Prep, claimed a state champioship i hockey. Notre Dame, sparked by two All-State players, seiors Tyler Boure ad Noreaga Davis, put a exclamatio poit o the Lacers first udefeated (27-0) ad state champioship seaso by upedig Sacred Heart of Waterbury, 65-60, i the CIAC Divisio I title game at Mohega Su Area i Ucasville o March 18. We had a group of focused kids who lived i the momet, said Chris Watts, who has amassed a 52-2 record i two seasos as Notre Dame coach. I told them we re writig a historical book. Every day you are writig school history. After we got to 20-ad-0, we bega to write state history. The 5-foot-8 Boure, who was selected State Player of the Year by the New Have Register, scored 30 poits agaist the defedig state champio Hearts, 21 of which came i the decisive secod half. Boure averaged 25.2 poits i four state touramet games. Davis supplied 14 poits ad took dow 12 rebouds agaist Sacred Heart. Earlier that Suday, Kolbe Cathedral put the fiishig touches o its trasformatio from doormat to champio by defeatig Rocky Hill, 55-40, i the Divisio IV state fial. Oe day earlier Immaculate of Dabury eared its secod state title i three years by overwhelmig Amity Regioal, 53-34, i Divisio II. O the ice, top-seeded Fairfield Prep rallied with three goals i the fial period to stu secod-seeded Greewich, 4-2, i the CIAC Divisio I champioship game o March 17 before a capacity crowd at Yale s Igalls Rik. It was Prep s 17th state hockey title the last 10 comig durig curret head coach Matt Sather s teure. Notre Dame s rich athletic history embraces a multitude of state champioships i baseball, ice hockey, football ad girls soccer, but ot i boys basketball util this seaso. The Lacers, coached by the late Alvi Clikscales, took a udefeated record ito the Class L state title game but came up short agaist ubeate Hillhouse, This year s champioship team, coached by Watts, came oh-so-close to fallig short i its quest for the state title. Agaist Dabury i the quarter-fials, the Lacers etered the fourth quarter trailig by 21 poits. Yes, a seemigly isurmoutable 21 poits. Somehow, Notre Dame regaied its poise, came roarig back to tie the game ad prevailed i overtime, Huge hearts. Nobody quit, a emotioal Watts said. We had a poit guard who s battlig a akle sprai step up big. Guys just stepped up big for each other. The coach was alludig to Boure, who scored 26 of his seaso-high 32 poits durig the fial quarter ad overtime. Josh Reaves, who will be the loe returig starter ext seaso, matched his teammate with a memorable 32-poit ight. Kolbe Cathedral, oce a smallschool basketball powerhouse, had falle to the depths followig Joh Pfohl s resigatio as coach i I made the decisio that it was time to watch my three girls ad so play basketball, he said. To me, that was more importat tha coachig. He retured to the helm this witer o the heels of a 1-19 seaso ad guided the Cougars to a 21-6 record ad their third state title uder his reig. Athoy Seior, a Divisio IV All-State guard whose class year is idetical to his surame, was the pacesetter for the turaroud most of the seaso. He scored a game-high 18 poits agaist Rocky Hill. Nelso Migachos, the coach behid Immaculate of Dabury s recet state champioships i boys basketball ad girls soccer, directed the Mustags to their third state title across the past seve seasos. Despite a udersized lieup o starter taller tha 5-11 the Mustags assembled a 22-5 record. Juior Qui Guth coected o four of five three-poiters e route to a team-high 18 poits i the victory over Amity, but o other ights, Isaiah Payto, Jack Woods, Roa Doherty or Mike Basile would provide much of the scorig. Basile, a 5-11 seior, was selected to the Divisio II All-State secod team. Fairfield Prep has bee a domiat force i Coecticut high school hockey sice the late 1970s. Sather s squad raks amog the school s best, wiig 22 games versus oe tie ad two losses. No fewer tha three Jesuit seiors, goalie Joh McGee, defesema Cole Casl ad forward Skyler Celotto, were chose to the Divisio I All-State team. Sather, who was a sophomore member of Prep s state champs, recalls woderig about this seaso s evetual state champios: Do they wat to be superstars or do they wat to be team players? By Jauary, these I told them we re writig a historical book. Every day you are writig school history. guys did t eve blik. They were motivated. IMMACULATE HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATES its 2018 CIAC Divisio II state basketball title. KOLBE CATHEDRAL CELEBRATES its third CIAC state basketball title uder coach Joh Pfohl. NOTRE DAME-FAIRFIELD CELEBRATES its first CIAC state basketball champioship ad udefeated seaso. FAIRFIELD PREP CELEBRATES its 2018 CIAC Divisio I hockey champioship. NOTRE DAME-FAIRFIELD ALL-STATE GUARD Tyler Boure scored a game-high 30 poits i the Lacers Divisio I title game victory over Sacred Heart-Waterbury at the Mohega Su Area.

18 18 April 2018 St. Athoy of Padua Father Joh Bara, 59 Father Joh P. Bara, 59, pastor of St. Athoy of Padua Parish i Fairfield, died ad etered eteral life o March 24 i Bridgeport Hospital just before the begiig of Holy Week. Hudreds filled the church o a Wedesday afteroo to celebrate his life ad pray for the soul of Father Bara, who served as pastor of St. Athoy of Padua sice I a movig homily at the Mass of Christia Burial, Bishop Frak J. Caggiao said that i his fial sufferig Father Bara sought to fid Christ aew i the cracks of life ad i ufamiliar ad difficult places. The bishop described his bedside visit to Father Bara as a uexpected momet of great FUNERAL GUIDE NEIL F. HARDING Director/Ower Hardig FUNERAL HOME 203/ FAX 203/ POST ROAD EAST WESTPORT, CT grace ad a glimpse ito Father Joh s courage ad isight as a homilist. He tured to me ad said, Bishop, why is it that we wat to fid God where he was ad fid it so hard to fid him i the preset where he is ow? Notig there was much sorrow ad much grief i the parish, the bishop said we all must lear to surreder to sufferig. Father Joh kew our lives are ot about us, but about Jesus, ad we must lear to surreder them every day. Christ will ot abado us. Joh Bara was bor i Derby, grew up i Shelto, ad was a graduate of St. Joseph High School i Trumbull. He received his bachelor s degree from Fairfield Uiversity ad Collis Fueral Home 92 East Aveue Norwalk William A. Skidd William R. Kelley Quiet Digity Without Extravagace Affordable Direct Crematio Title XIX Welcome Z Family owed for three geeratios Z Call for free iformative brochure Z or completed his theological studies at St. Joh s Semiary i Brighto, Mass. He served as a trasitioal deaco at St. Joseph Parish i South Norwalk, ad was ordaied to the priesthood o Jue 30, 1984, by Bishop Walter W. Curtis i St. Augustie Cathedral. He was parochial vicar at St. Joseph s from ad at Our Lady of the Assumptio Parish i Fairfield from He was a good listeer, with a quick wit ad a mischievous twikle i his eye, brigig humor to situatios that might ot have bee bearable without it, said Eleaor Sauers, director of religious educatio at St. Athoy, i a tribute at his William G. Lahey, Jr. William P. Skidd Adrew D. Skidd Family owed for four geeratios Pre-eed Fueral Plaig Matthew K. Murphy, Fueral Director 267 Greewich Aveue Greewich, CT Z Hadlig every detail Z I home arragemets Z Memorial service facility fueral Mass. To those of us who were privileged to share Joh s last days, he became a ico of the sufferig Christ, a persoificatio of the Paschal Mystery. His sufferig was profoud, as were the isights ad the wisdom that sufferig elicited. Joh Bara taught us how to live with truth, with passio, with joy ad laughter, ad with a kee sese of the somethig more beeath it all. Ad he taught us how to die April Deceased Clergy of the Diocese of Bridgeport: April 15 May Rev. Edwi F. Agois, O.F.M.Cov Rev. Robert J. Useza Rev. Joh E. Haig Rev. Philip J. O Farrell Rev. Marti J. O Coor Rev. Vicet P. Bodar Msgr. William A. Nagle Rev. Joseph F. Cleary May valiatly, heroically resistig util the time whe surreder to the Mystery who is our God becomes ievitable, ad i fact desirable. Father Bara was received ito St. Athoy o March 27, where a Taizé Prayer Service was held at 7:30 pm. A Mass of Christia Burial was celebrated o March 28. Bishop Caggiao was the pricipal celebrat ad homilist. Itermet followed at Gate of Heave Cemetery i Trumbull. Rev. Adrew Dube Rev. Austi R. Sauders Rev. Gregory J. Humiski Msgr. James F. Murphy Msgr. Michael J. Caricke, P.A Rev. Joh B. Foseca Rev. Robert J. Hyl Rev. Alfred J. Bietighofer Rev. Miroslav L. Sultus Msgr. Charles B. Ratajczak, O.F.M Rev. William H. Sulliva

19 April Holy Name of Jesus Father Adrew Marus, 72 Father Adrew G. Marus, pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Parish i Stratford, died o March 26, at New York Commuity Hospital i Brookly at the age of 72. A ative of Bridgeport, Father Marus atteded St. Joh Nepomucee School i Bridgeport ad Notre Dame High School i Fairfield. He graduated from St. Mary Semiary i Baltimore i He was ordaied by Bishop Walter W. Curtis o May 15, 1971, at St. Augustie Cathedral i Bridgeport. Father Marus served first as parochial vicar at St. Peter Parish i Dabury from , ad the at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish i Norwalk from He was a member of the faculty at St. Joseph High School i Trumbull from He also served as parochial vicar at St. Lawrece Parish i Shelto ad St. Adrew Parish i Bridgeport, becomig temporary admiistrator at St. Adrew i Father Marus was amed pastor of St. Patrick Parish i Bridgeport i Whe he came i, the first thig people asked of him was Fix our church! recalled Deaco Bill Bissede, who Oe of his favorite topics was the lives of the saits. He d pick the sait of the day ad start talkig with ethusiasm. had bee ordaied a deaco ad bega servig at St. Patrick s the previous year. The veerable church, completed i 1913, had suffered a fire i 1954 with extesive damage to the lower church. A leak i the roof weakeed the plaster, which was crumblig from the walls ad ceilig. Father Marus was up to the challege. He raised fuds, hired cotractors ad ecouraged parishioers to pitch i. Together they restored St. Patrick Church to its former glory. The work was completed at a perfect time. The ewly-reovated church welcomed Bishop William E. Lori for the Vesper Service o March 18 before his istallatio as Fourth Bishop of Bridgeport o March 19, Eve more importat to parishioers was Father Marus ope, friedly maer ad sese of humor. He had a ope luch time, said Deaco Bissede. Coffee was always o ad people could stop i for coversatio. Oe of his favorite topics was the lives of the saits. He d pick the sait of the day ad start talkig with ethusiasm. His secretary, Barbara, would roll her eyes like Oh, here we go agai! Father Marus was appoited pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Father Adrew G. Marus Parish i Stratford o August 2, More tha simply a appoitmet, it was a homecomig of sorts; his parets had bee log-time parishioers at Holy Name. He was happy to call it his home, too. Father Marus had spet a oeyear sabbatical at the Uiversity of Notre Dame. He had become a avid fa of ND football ad traveled aually to games. He also was a fa of the NY Giats ad Yakees. His love of travel icluded aual trips to Walt Disey World. His survivors iclude his sister, Mary A Marus of Stratford, ad his cousi Mariae Chedister ad her husbad, James, of Trumbull. The body of Father Marus was received ito Holy Name Church o April 2. The Mass of Christia Burial was celebrated by Bishop Frak J. Caggiao, who also gave the homily. Itermet followed at Gate of Heave Cemetery i Trumbull. Creatig memories sice 1920 Family owed & operated Ope Sudays Post Road, Fairfield (203) Catholic Pilgrimage to Irelad Joi Father Russell Keedy Pastor of St. Fracis of Assisi Parish, Middletow, Coecticut Jue days $ per perso, roud trip from JFK For more iformatio, please call Fr. Keedy at

20 20 April 2018 Colum: Thomas Hicks Better tha a gold mie You may have tagible wealth utold; Caskets of jewels ad coffers of gold. Richer tha I you ca ever be I had a Mother who read to me. (Stricklad Gillia, The Readig Mother ) There is the magic hour whe a child first kows it ca read prited words. Hopefully, books become the child s frieds. However, these days oe ca see may kids strug out o seve hours of TV a day, who ca hardly read, ad look o readig as some sort of borig assigmet. Oe of the most dramatic ad frighteig chages i studets from the time I was i college is that ot may of them read for Potpourri By Thomas H. Hicks Thomas Hicks is a member of St. Theresa Parish i Trumbull. ejoymet or for their ow iterest. Readig is o loger oe of the ways they sped leisure time. Studets brought up with a facility for electroic media have a distaste for readig. Techology has made studets more kowledgeable, but less wellread. Now they kow a lot, but they do t have wiser kowledge. I a age of short attetio spas, literary appreciatio is a luxury that the majority of studets seem to feel they ca live without. Literary critic, writer ad teacher Harold Bloom has see the erosio of readig. He writes: A childhood spet watchig televisio yields to a adolescece with a computer ad iphoe readig falls apart. Readig has falle upo hard Proud priters of Fairfield Couty Catholic times. There is a bleak assessmet of the state of readig i America. Overall, there is the shrikig pool of America readers. Some critics go so far as to suggest there is somethig i the America character these days that is eve hostile to the act of readig. Americas prize sociability ad commuity. Ay turig away from huma cotact is suspect. Readig is a solo activity. For a reader, solitude ad a good book are regarded as amog the best of all. Other people are a distractio. It is probably true to say that famous writers do t mea a thig to ie-teths of the populatio. Fi Murphy, a log-haul trucker ad avid reader, who wrote a book titled Log Haul, states that from his work he ca tell that readers are a dwidlig miority. He writes that: Back i earlier days every house would have 50 to 100 book cartos to move ow there are two. It s a huge cultural chage Des do t have those built i bookcases aymore ad there are 72 ich screes where there used to be paitigs hagig. A great Eglish teacher foud me whe I was a teeager. There was the part he played i my teeage collusio with writer Thomas Wolfe. The impact of Wolfe s writig o me was so visceral that I mark the readig of Look Homeward Agel as oe of pivotal evets of my life the beauty of the laguage. With that Eglish teacher as a guide, I developed a passio for the power of carefully crafted words. It is the oe fire of youth that ever wet out. The first teacher who makes the arragemet of words o a page a excitig affair is givig a studet a better gift tha a gold mie. I ca still react with astoishmet before the woder of word order i Cervates ad Updike; so much so that I ca relate to somethig Aa Quidle wrote i her book How Readig Chaged My Life: Why should ayoe aspire to be presidet of the Uited States or of Geeral Motors if they could write like D.H. Lawrece istead? (p.57). I the same book Quidle also writes eve ow I like readig a book more tha I like lookig after my ow childre. It still seems to me that books are the supreme decoratio of a room. Ad somethig Pat Coroy wrote seems true: Readig ad prayer are both acts of worship to me (My Readig Life, p.320). For me, oe of life s great blessigs is to settle dow with a book o a witry eveig, or to read o a covered porch with the soud of rai comig dow o the porch roof. Oe ca be trasformed by laguage. There is the power of words to make thigs happe the right words i the right rhythms. There was a time whe we were ivigorated by words: othig to fear but fear itself, othig to offer but blood, sweat, tears, ad toil, that govermet of the people, for the people, ad by the people shall ot perish from the earth. Now we are urged to actio (or iactio) by political polls, employmet figures, the Dow Joes averages, the trillios of atioal debt, etc. I thik Walker Percy was probably right whe he said that the role of literature at the preset time, its success or failure, may be more critical tha the combied efforts of NASA, Cal Tech, ad MIT (Sigposts i a Strage Lad, p. 306). Hele Burlad from page 16 love. God has truly blessed this Christia commuity. I her closig commets, Burlad ivited the audiece to become egaged; cosider metorig a perso with a disability i the commuity; help your parish become welcomig to all; lead your coucil to adopt a area group home or voluteer with Best Buddies or Special Olympics. She remided the audiece that you eed o special traiig; o special talet; all you eed is a ope mid ad heart. We are ordiary people doig extraordiary thigs. (For more iformatio about St. Catherie Ceter, visit ad Please cotact us for a FREE cosultatio, prit samples & quote. We also offer a simple olie quote request form. 205 Sprig Hill Road, Trumbull CT Newspapers Publicatios Shoppers Catalogs Magazies Directories Coupo Books College Course Catalogs Free Stadig Iserts Busiess ad Fiacial Periodicals Advertisig Supplemets

21 April Colum: Joe Pisai Topic: Life everlastig... i Hollywood? Iwas watchig a sciece fictio movie recetly about a alie from a faraway plaet, who supposedly kew more tha we earthligs. He was tryig to cosole a little boy whose father died, so he mustered as much sympathy as creatures from outer space ca muster like Dr. Spock, he had o emotios ad told the boy ot to feel bad because othig is wasted i the uiverse. This, I suppose, meat his father would get recycled i a cosmic way like plastic bottles ad mixed paper. We live, we die, we become compost, ad all those vitamis, mierals ad utriets help a patch of ragweed grow big ad strog ad cause allergy problems for coutless sufferers. Is that a cosolatio? Crazy as it souds, the idea that the uiverse uses ad reuses us is oe that secularists ad scietists ofte embrace istead of the Christia cocept of immortality. I prefer the traditioalist view: We live, we die, we live forever i heave. We re created i the image ad likeess of God, so we re more tha fertilizer for the uiverse s greehouse. The movie upset me, but ot as much as a frighteig article Swimmig Upstream By Joe Pisai Joe Pisai has bee a writer ad editor for 30 years. i Natioal Geographic that had othig to do with meltig ice caps or killer asteroids. The headlie said, Trashumaists believe i a future of huma immortality. The story told about 56 dead people who were freeze-dried ad hagig upside dow i liquid itroge i a Russia warehouse, where they ll stay util techology is developed that will revive them so they ca relive forever... o Earth. There are also cats, dogs, a chichilla ad a few huma heads i storage. The idea is as tragic as cloig. Cryoics, as this pseudo-sciece is called, has become a hit with celebrities like Larry Kig, Paris Hilto ad Simo Cowell, who pla to have their bodies preserved so they ca be defrosted decades from ow. As my late mother, who ever got a degree from MIT, ofte said: They re so smart they re stupid. They do t believe i God ad everlastig life, but they believe i the preposterous pursuit of eteral life i Hollywood ad St. Barts. It remided me of Ray Bradbury s ovella, Somewhere a Bad Is Playig, about a ewspaper reporter who leaves behid his fiacée ad frieds to joi his ew lover ad her colleagues, who are hudreds of years old ad livig peacefully i a secret Arizoa locatio. I suppose aythig is believable i a society that puts more credece i the Twilight vampire series ad the Livig Dead zombie apocalypse tha i the Christia teachig o life after death. Here s my persoal, uscietific theory: We were made i the image ad likeess of God with immortal souls. The earth, which is a temporary residece, is passig away. We were made to sped eterity with God i heave. We were made to achieve salvatio ad help as may other souls as possible achieve salvatio... so let s get dow to busiess. I his ecyclical Spe Salvi, ( Saved i Hope ), Pope Beedict XVI put his figer o the problem: The questio arises: Do we really wat to live eterally? Perhaps may people do ot fid the prospect of eteral life attractive. What they desire is ot eteral life at all, but this preset life, for which faith i eteral life seems somethig of a impedimet. To cotiue livig forever edlessly appears more like a curse tha a gift. Death, admittedly, oe would wish to postpoe for as log as possible. But to live always, without ed this ca oly be mootoous ad ultimately ubearable. The term eteral life is frighteig, Beedict says, because it suggests the itermiable ad makes us thik of the life that very ofte brigs more toil tha satisfactio, so that while o the oe had we desire it, o the other had we do ot wat it. However, eterity is ot a uedig successio of days o the caledar, he says, but somethig more like the supreme momet of satisfactio, i which totality embraces us ad we embrace totality. It would be like plugig ito the ocea of ifiite love ad joy, a momet i which time the before ad after o loger exists. OK, that s a little deep for me. I suppose we ll ever fully grasp eterity util we experiece it, but it s certaily worth livig (ad dyig) for... ad it s ifiitely better tha beig freeze-dried ad stored i a warehouse. The truth is that heave, ot earth, is our true home, where every sacrifice ad all our sufferig will be rewarded. This is the message of Christ s life, death ad resurrectio. It s the message of Easter. You see, the trashumaists do t realize death has already bee coquered.

22 22 April 2018 Nuestra Voz Sacerdotes colombiaos hace labor pastoral Por MARICARMEN GODOY Casi persoas hispaas acude semaalmete a ua de las tres misas e español de los casi feligreses que está registrados e la Parroquia de Sait Mary, ubicada e 51 Elm Street, que aglutia a parroquiaos aglosajoes, afro-americaos e hispaos de Stamford y sus alrededores que tambié acude a la Parroquia de St. Beedict- Nuestra Señora de Motserrat. Para ateder a la feligresía, e PLEASE JOIN US! THOMAS MERTON CENTER CELEBRITY BREAKFAST Wedesday, May 23, :30am - 9:00am Holiday I Bridgeport Keyote Speaker: Bob Wright, former Vice Chairma of Geeral Electric ad Presidet of NBC If you are iterested i sposorig a table or attedig the evet, please cotact Sabie Kuczo at or skuczo@ccfc-ct.org. By su mayoría latia, existe tres sacerdotes ativos de Colombia que hace la labor pastoral, el Padre Gustavo Falla, el Padre Motoya y hace uos meses después de haber sido ordeado, el Padre Abelardo Vásquez, que además es uo de los más jóvees sacerdotes de la Diócesis de Bridgeport. Gladys Villeda, ua de las mujeres líderes y comprometidas, corrobora que el trabajo de los sacerdotes es imejorable y que le da a su parroquia u setido de perteecia y uas gaas Bob Wright imesas de colaborar e todo. Acudo a todo lo que la parroquia me ecesita. Al grupo de Oració, al Miisterio de Bieveida, a la Hermadad del Señor de Esquipulas, patroo de Guatemala y veerado e uestra iglesia, dice la Señora Villeda, vecia de la parroquia y feligrés de Sata María desde hace casi 20 años desde que llegó juto co su familia desde su atal Guatemala. E la homilía del domigo a las siete de la oche después de comemorar la Pascual, el Padre Abelardo Vásquez predicó sobre el perdó de los pecados y la ifiita misericordia de Dios, impuesto e su visita a los apóstoles después de su Resurrecció. Este pasaje del Evagelio de Sa Jua, aalizado por el sacerdote, puso e sus feligreses a prueba su fe porque reflexioó sobre la reacció del Apóstol Tomás que o estuvo presete e la primera aparició de Jesús y o creyó e el misterio de la Resurrecció. A abordó tambié sobre el miedo que causó los Apóstoles retirar de la vista ate el veido del Espíritu Sata a Petecostés. Por eso, el sacerdote se refirió al papel de la iglesia de fometar la espiritualidad au cuado la esperaza desfallesca. Nuestro papel es acompañar a uestra comuidad a través de la fe a todos los que os ecesita, icluyedo a los que sufre por ser imigrates, dijo, refiriédose a cómo e estos mometos está siedo tratados por parte del ICE los Soñadores, los que FATHER JOSÉ ABELARDO VÁSQUEZ, ORDAINED to the priesthood last year, is oe of three Colombia priests servig St. Mary ad St. Beedict-Our Lady of Motserrat parish i Stamford. The combied parishes, home to a ethically diverse populatio, offer the largest umber of Spaish-laguages Masses i the Stamford area. tiee orde de deportació y los que busca ua oportuidad para legalizar su estatus migratorio. El Padre Vásquez idicó setirse acogido, a igual que sus otros hermaos, por la Diócesis de Bridgeport, que ate el aumeto de la imigració latioamericaa la iglesia abrió las puertas a ua ueva ola de sacerdotes, particularmete de Colombia. El Obispo Caggiao ha acogido a persoales iteracioales como osotros por ecesidades pastorales, expresó. Por eso, como trabajo de la pastoral hispaa, el Padre Gustavo Falla que es el director de Asutos Hispaos de la Diócesis y el pastor de esta parroquia, está trabajado diariamete co sus feligreses y sus hermaos sacerdotes e el V Ecuetro, u espacio de reflexió local y acioal para tratar los próximos pasos de la pastoral hispaa e los Estados Uidos. El Padre Vásquez es el ecargado de la educació católica de sus feligreses, por eso como parte de los mesajes a la comuidad durate la misa, dijo a sus fieles que ecesita el apoyo de los padres de familia porque para termiar el año quiere lograr 40 moaguillos más para que haya u total de 100. E ivitó a los jóvees a que se iscriba al grupo parroquial que por el mometo tiee 50 miembros, pero iteta aumetar el úmero, a igual que el de los grupos de oració, los miisterios de bieveida, de música y de liturgia. Trabajamos y oramos por uestros feligreses y compartimos uestras celebracioes. Hacemos lo que podamos acompañarlos e la fe, los apoyamos. Oramos por ellos, esa es uestra labor. ONE OF CT S LARGEST VOLUME HONDA DEALERS CT S FIRST ESTABLISHED HONDA DEALER APRIL 1973 Ope All Day Saturday for Service & Parts Seior Citize Discout 333 Bridgeport Ave Shelto M-Th 9am-9pm Fri 9am-6pm Sat 9am-5pm CALL CURTISS RYAN AT NEW & USED VEHIICLES SALES SERVIICE PARTS BODY SHOP

23 April Bits ad Pieces WOMEN S GROUP at Christ the Kig Parish, Trumbull, will meet Mo., April 16, at 10 am i the parish hall. Attorey Matthew Realle will speak o Estate Plaig, a commo sese guide for the future. All are welcome. For more ifo, call Esther: LECTIO DIVINA WORKSHOP sposored by the Ceterig Prayer Group of St. Paul Parish, Greewich, will be preseted by Diae Harki, Wed., April 18, from 7-9 pm. Registratio opes at 6:30 pm. Coffee, tea ad cookies will be served. Doatio: $20. For more ifo or to register, Moica Leci: mleci@aol.com MOMs+DADs prayer/support group for those with Dow Sydrome, their family ad frieds meets the third Thurs. of every moth (April 19), at 7:30 pm at St. Mary Parish, Norwalk. For more ifo, cotact strapostolate@optimum.et. A dial-i umber coects those who ca t make it persoally. Dial , access code COME AND SEE if you are beig called to a vocatio i the Secular Fracisca Order. The Secular Fracisca Holy Spirit Fraterity ivites everyoe to St. Athoy of Padua Church, Fairfield, o Sat., April 21, at 9:30 am to celebrate Mass with Msgr. Erest Esposito ad Sat., May 19, at 9:30 am with Fr. Norm Guilbert, Jr. Social ad meetig follow. For more ifo, call Pat Heile, OFS: , or pheile5713@aol.com. BEREAVEMENT MINISTRY support group meets at St. Lawrece Parish, Shelto. Next sessio is Su., April 22, at 11 am, cotiuig o the secod Su. of each moth (May 13, Jue 10). For more ifo, call PRAYER BREAKFAST: Magificat, a Miistry to Catholic Wome, ivites you to a prayer breakfast Sat., May 5, from 9:30 am-12:30 pm at Tashua Kolls Golf Club, Trumbull. Guest speaker Fr. Jeffrey Couture will speak o Walkig with the Lord, a Youg Ma s Jourey to Priesthood Cost $25; pre-register by Sat., April 21. No tickets will be sold at the door. For more ifo, call Fra Hood: , or magificatthmi@gmail. Ivitatio available o diocesa website uder Woma s Miistry. MASSES OF HEALING AND HOPE: Charismatic Reewal Services aouces Masses of Healig ad Hope: Mo., April 23, at 7 pm at Our Lady of Assumptio Church, Fairfield, with Fr. Larry Carew; Wed., May 16, at 7 pm at St. Marguerite Church, Brookfield, with Fr. Carew; ad Mo., May 21, at 7:30 pm at St. Lawrece Church, Shelto, with Fr. Carew. For more ifo, call the Charismatic Reewal Office: PILGRIMAGE TO QUEBEC CITY ad the Shrie of Saite-Ae-de-Beaupré for her feast day will be led by Fr. Peter Smolik, pastor of Star of the Sea Parish i Stamford. The pilgrimage, held July 24-27, will iclude a tour of Quebec City, a St. Lawrece River Cruise ad Feast Day Mass ad cadlelight processio at the Shrie. Cost: $1056/pp double occupacy. Motorcoach departs Our Lady, Star of the Sea. Deposit: $400 eeded by Tues., April 24; fial paymet by Tues., Jue 5. For reservatios, cotact Mary Sabato: or maryts0718@gmail.com. DAY WITH MARY: held by the Fracisca Friars of the Immaculate at St. Theresa Parish, Trumbull, Sat., April 28, from 8:30 am-3 pm. Talks, Cofessio, Adoratio ad Mass. For more ifo, cotact Emily Florio: TAG SALE will be held at St. Mary Parish, Stamford, Sat., April 28, from 9 am-3 pm. Household goods, law items, tools, costume jewelry. New religious articles; bake sale. For more ifo, cotact Sharo Mackight: smackight@optolilie.et or CATHOLIC YOUNG ADULTS of Greater Dabury (18-35) will gather o Tues., May 1, at 6:45 pm for a Praise ad Worship Holy Hour at Sacred Heart Parish, Dabury, followed by a social at a local eatery. For more ifo, check their Facebook page or catholic.ya.dabury@gmail.com. MERCY LEARNING CENTER i Bridgeport, a literacy ceter for wome, offers the Natioal Exteral Diploma Program, (NEDP), a web-based high school diploma that is flexible, self-directed ad rigorous, preparig you for work or college. Mothly iformatio sessios are held the first Friday of each moth (May 4; Jue 1), at 11 am, at the Mercy Learig Ceter, 637 Park Ave., Bridgeport. These sessios outlie the criteria eeded to eter the program, a geeral overview of the NEDP ad the ext steps to erollmet. For more ifo, call Ly Davies: GOSPEL OF LIFE SOCIETY meets at St. Mary Parish, Norwalk, the secod Sat. of each moth (May 12) at 10 am followig the 9 am Respect Life Mass. For more ifo, cotact Joh Juhasz: , or juhaszjw@optolie.et. RETREAT DAY for Busy Wome: Lord I Believe, Help My Lack of Trust. Sat., Jue 2, 9 am-3:30 pm, at the Covet of St. Birgitta, 4 Rukehage Rd., Darie. Directed by Fra Fraleigh Karpiej, OFS, of Sharig Christ Miistry. Cost: $60; icludes hot luch served by the Birgittie Sisters. Registratio required before Sat., May 19. For more ifo or to register, Mass for the Ubor Rededicatio of Memorial to the Ubor Gate of Heave Cemetery Daiel s Farm Road, Trumbull, Coecticut Saturday May 5th at 9:00 am Please joi Msgr. Dariusz Zieloka ad the Kights of Columbus i prayig for the Souls of the Ubor cotact Fra: paxjc@aol.com or GOLF OUTING sposored by St. Mary Parish, Bethel, will be held o Wed., May 23, at Richter Park, Dabury, with a 12 oo shotgu start with luch ad beverages, followed immediately by dier at the Cafe o the Gree. Fee: $175; icludes two meals ad prizes. For more ifo ad reservatios, cotact Tim Lavelle: ST. ANTHONY FEAST at St. Margaret Shrie, 2523 Park Ave., Bridgeport starts Fri., Jue 8, from 6-11 pm, ad cotiues Sat., Jue 9, 2-11 pm ad Su., Jue 10, from 12 oo-10 pm. Joi us for delicious Italia food ad family friedly fu. Daily etertaimet, rides ad a raffle. O Su., Jue 10, we will have our Special Outdoor Mass at 11 am followed by a processio i hoor of St. Athoy. For more ifo, cotact the Shrie: SPIRITUAL JOURNEY to Jorda, the Holy Lad ad Dubai with Fr. Marcel Sait Jea: Su., Sept. 23-Sat., Oct. 6. Price: $3,899 icludes airlie tickets, all taxes, hotels, breakfast ad dier daily, sightseeig, tips for guides ad trasportatio to JFK. For more ifo ad for reservatios, cotact Fr. Marcel Sait Jea at Christ the Kig Parish, Trumbull: , or , or marcelsaitjea@gmail.com.

24 Do't let pai slow you dow this summer Get outside ad get back i the game St. Vicet s Heria Ceter Miimally ivasive repair Be see quickly No hospital stay Faster recovery, less dow-time Less pai, smaller scars Call to schedule or lear more: