The Church of the Incarnation 544 Prospect Street Wethersfield, CT 06109 Rev. James M. Moran Pastor Mrs. Noranne Wamester Pastoral Associate Mrs. Maggie Seaver Coordinator of Middle School Faith Formation Youth Minister Mrs. Audrey Saharek Pastoral Assistant Mrs. Teri Aiudi Rectory Office Assistant Faith Formation Secretary Mrs. Theodora Niver Director of Music Vanessa Crowley Lorissa Heath Rosanne Sweeney Gowdy Andrew Russo Heather Picard Bonney Gianna Bielenda Cantors Toni Munoz Sacristan Marguerite Heinimann Rectory Assistant Mass Schedule Confessions on Saturdays from 3:45-4:30p.m. Vigil Mass: Saturday at 5:00p.m. Sunday Masses: 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. Daily Mass: (Mon. - Fri.) 9:00 a.m. Recitation of the Rosary before 9:00 a.m. daily Mass Sacrament of Baptism By previous appointment Sundays at 12:30 p.m. in the Baptistry of the Chapel. Weddings Please contact a priest 6-10 months prior. New Parishioners and Faith Formation Registration The Church of the Incarnation welcomes new parishioners. All forms are available at the main entrance of the church. Please mail or place in the collection basket. You may also visit our website for printable forms at: www.thechurchoftheincarnation.com Rectory Hours 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Rectory Fax Church E-Mail Faith Formation Website address: (860) 529-2533 (860) 721-6595 cincarnation@sbcglobal.net (860) 529-6765 www.thechurchoftheincarnation.com gotellit@aol.com
Page Two Fourth Sunday of Easter..April 26, 2015 SATURDAY, APRIL 25TH 5pm Scott Hatje SUNDAY, APRIL 26TH 8:30pm Deceased members of the Christadore & Amodio Families & Christopher Barnoski 10:30am Lucy Reale Leone MONDAY, APRIL 27TH 9:00am For all our parishioners TUESDAY, APRIL 28TH 9:00am Lucille Miano WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29TH 9:00am Frank C. Garber Jr. THURSDAY, APRIL 30TH 9:00am Marion Dellafera FRIDAY, MAY 1ST 9:00am Pauline Dolge SATURDAY, MAY 2ND 5:00pm Vincenzo Filippa SUNDAY, MAY 3RD 8:30am Deceased members of the Sabatini Family 10:30am Antonietta & Giuseppe Leone The Sanctuary Candle will burn from 4/27/2015 5/3/2015 in memory of Mary & Peter Gawle. The Blessed Virgin Mary Candle will burn from 4/27/2015-5/3/2015 in memory of Mike Orsini & Nico Filippa. Catholic Relief Services Thank you for you warm welcome to Rev. Msgr. Paul Knauer last weekend. Thank you to the Women s Club for hosting the PARISH COMMUNION SUPPER. The Social Action Committee of the Incarnation Parish Council is sponsoring their Spring Food Drive to benefit The Town of Wethersfield Social Services this weekend April 25th & 26th after all masses. Collection point is the Fr. Crawford Hall. Please bring your items in bags. Requested items: Cereal, (no oatmeal), peanut butter & jelly/jams, canned fruit, tuna fish & canned meats, canned pasta, pasta sauce and large plastic bottles of 100% fruit juice. No canned vegetables needed at this time. Toothpaste & deodorant are always needed. Thank you so much for caring!! Men s Assoc. mtg. this Wednesday, April 29th at 7pm in Fr. Crawford Hall. Refreshments will be served. Friday is the first Friday in May. Mass will be held at 9am with Vocations Holy Hour at 9:30am in the Chapel. There will be a Project Baby Love collection next wkd. Disposable diapers & wipes needed. Please place your donations in the baskets at the Chapel entrance.
Page Three Fourth Sunday of Easter...April 26, 2015 Join the HomeFront Team C.L.W. will be held on April 26th at the 10:30am Mass and May 3rd at the 10:30am Mass. The May Crowning will be held on May 3rd at 10:30 mass. All children are invited to process in our annual May Crowning for our Blessed Mother. Children are asked to wear dressy church attire. Youth Ministry will be held Sunday, April 26th and Sunday, May 3rd from 6:30-8pm in Fr. Crawford Hall. All Faith Formation communities are in summer recess. Have a safe & peaceful summer! Faith Formation Registration letters for 2015/2016 season were mailed out. Please send in one form for each child. The 7th Annual Archdiocesan Blue Mass will be held on Sunday, May 3rd at 11am at the Cathedral of St. Joseph. At this liturgy we remember the sacrifice that our police officers, fire fighters, & other safety personnel make each day for the good of our communities. See the bulletin boards for info. HomeFront Day is Saturday, May 2nd, when our parish, along with other parishes around the state, rehab the homes of low income people. Once again, we will be joining efforts with Sacred Heart Church and Corpus Christi Church to do much needed repairs on a home in Wethersfield, located in Old Wethersfield near Standish Park. We can use your help! We need a lot of workers. Even just 1 hour of your time would be very much appreciated. You should be at least 14 years of age, but young people ages 14 to 17 may work with a signed release from their parents, & parent supervision. Please complete the sign-up below and drop it in the collection basket next weekend. If you have questions, please call Pat McGovern at 563-7773 or Tim Nixon at 860-558-4575, or email Timothy.Nixon@gmail.com. Many Incarnation teens will participate. I would like to volunteer for HomeFront: Name Address Phone: (home) (work) (cell) Age of child volunteering (if 14-17, signed release from a parent is needed) Times available from 8am -4pm: Project clean-up 3-5pm I have skills in I am a professional in the following area I am not skilled, but want to help with: (please circle): Painting Yard Cleanup Project Cleanup Food for volunteers
Page Four Fourth Sunday of Easter...April 26, 2015 The Women s Club sponsors. Tea Time with White House Floral Designer: Ruth Loiseau Saturday, May 2nd in Fr. Crawford Hall. Doors open at 1pm with program beginning promptly at 1:30pm. A very special event has been planned. We will be having a fabulous floral arrangement demonstration and slide presentation. Ruth is a master floral designer who is nationally known. She has worked with several presidents at the White House for special events. After the demonstration her arrangements will be raffled off. In addition we will have tea, coffee & assorted desserts. The cost of this event is $20 p.p. Reservations will be limited to 125 people. Checks can be made payable to The Church of the Incarnation and mailed to Ann Hock, 5 Robeth Lane, Wethersfield. See Bi-Lines for information. National Shrine of The Divine Mercy Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge, MA An Incarnation Church Pilgrimage bus trip to the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy is planned for Thursday, June 4, 2015. The Shrine is staffed by the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and promotes the message of The Divine Mercy. The Shrine offers Confessions, Eucharistic Adoration, Rosary for Life, Holy Mass, Chaplet of The Divine Mercy and Benediction. Blessing of religious articles and opportunity to venerate a first class relic of St. Faustina are also offered. You may visit the gift shop and the Stations of the Cross on the grounds. Lunch is included at Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge. Cost is $63.00. Bus departs from church parking lot. Call Paula Melillo for reservations and further details at 860-563-9506. STEAK NIGHT 2015 will be held for all men of the parish on Wednesday, May 20, 2015. This year s Guest Speaker will be John Zubretsky who will speak on real estate in Connecticut. For reservations call Bill Carroll at: (860) 604-6793 by Tuesday, May 19, 2015. $25.00 per person, pay at the door. Fr. William will once again offer a Healing Service on Friday, May 1st at 6pm at Sacred Heart Church in Old Wethersfield. BAPTISM GIULIANNA LISA TULISANO
Page Five Fourth Sunday of Easter..April 26, 2015 A Weekly Bible Study 4 th Sunday of Easter John 10:11-18 The Lord is my shepherd opens what is perhaps the best known and cherished of all the psalms. The comforting verses of Psalm 23 come easily to mind as we consider today s Gospel. We may easily recall the treasured verses of this beloved psalm, but how well do we know the shepherd? Shepherding was a common practice in rural Palestine. Jesus draws from its very familiar ways to highlight characteristics of a caring shepherd. He is not merely engaging in casual story-telling as he contrasts a good shepherd with a hired man. His words are a stern indictment of the self-serving Pharisees who lord it over their subjects without having any real concern for their wellbeing. Jesus tells us that a good shepherd knows his sheep individually and intimately, taking care to search for the lost and gather them to himself. Calling his sheep by name, a caring shepherd looks after his flock as they follow him. They recognize his voice when summoned. A good shepherd provides for his sheep. Always on the lookout for verdant pasture, the shepherd ensures their sustenance and takes care to protect them from danger. If we look closely at today s passage, we note that these characteristics are sandwiched between the most important of all: a good shepherd gives his life for his sheep. I know my sheep and mine know me says the Lord. How well do we know our shepherd? The intimacy with which he knows us compels us to know the Lord just as deeply and follow him unreservedly. We listen for his voice and not for the seductive voices around us. We return his love and concern to others just as tenderly as he embraces us. We seek out the lost, the forgotten and marginalized to gather them into his fold. We receive our shepherd s Eucharistic sustenance to be refreshed and renewed. We seek to die to self in giving our lives to the Lord and to others. The Lord is our shepherd, we belong to him. What more could we want?
Page Six Fourth Sunday of Easter...April 26, 2015 THE GOOD SHEPHERD This Fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally referred to as Good Shepherd Sunday. Today we listen to the words of the Lord as he refers to himself as the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. It is sometimes so difficult for us to grasp the reality that anyone would lay down his or her own life for the sake of someone else. This is especially true in a society that places high value on power and personal advancement, often at the cost of trampling on other people in order to climb the ladder. Today s scriptures point to the one we are called to emulate the one who lays down his life for his sheep. Today s scriptures challenge us to discover ways to bring life to those around us to build up rather than to tear down. TODAY S READINGS First Reading There is no salvation through anyone else (Acts 4:8-12). Psalm The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone (Psalm 118). Second Reading See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God (1 John 3:1-2). Gospel The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11-18). READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Acts 11:1-18; Ps 42:2-3; 43:3, 4; Jn 10:1-10 Tuesday: Acts 11:19-26; Ps 87:1b-7; Jn 10:22-30 Wednesday: Acts 12:24 13:5a; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Jn 12:44-50 Thursday: Acts 13:13-25: Ps 89:2-3, 21-22, 25, 27; Jn 13:16-20 Friday: Acts 13:26-33; Ps 2:6-11ab; Jn 14:1-6 or (for the memorial) Gn 1:26 2:3 or Col 3:14-15, 17, 23-24; Ps 90:2-4, 12-14, 16; Mt 13:54-58 Saturday: Acts 13:44-52; Ps 98:1-4; Jn 14:7-14 Sunday: Acts 9:26-31; Ps 22:26-28, 30-32; 1 Jn 3:18-24; Jn 15:1-8 SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Fourth Sunday of Easter; World Day of Prayer for Vocations Tuesday: St. Peter Chanel; St. Louis Grignion de Montfort Wednesday: St. Catherine of Siena Thursday: St. Pius V Friday: St. Joseph the Worker; First Friday Saturday: St. Athanasius; First Saturday TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION Many of our customs surrounding critical illness come from antiquity, and yet attitudes have certainly changed. Death was an alltoo-familiar presence then, and people tended to see it as a natural and unavoidable part of life, not a personal catastrophe. People tried to review their lives, settle their affairs, say farewell to their dear ones, and welcome the deathbed vigils and prayers that assured them of God s love and forgiveness. What people most feared was sudden death. It was dreaded and never discussed. The faithful filled the catacombs with consoling images of the good shepherd carrying the sheep to safe pasture, or the faithful in glory seated at banquet tables. The prayer texts from the time are consoling and positive, and many inspired our modern prayers. The care of the dying flowed directly from Roman pagan practice; it was homebased and familycentered. Pagans didn t especially fear death, but they were terrified by the dead. Christians, on the other hand, consoled their sick with psalms of joy and faith in the Resurrection. The goal was to assure the sick person of God s love, and that the ties that bind the dead and the living would endure. Fourth Sunday of Easter April 26, 2015 See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. 1 John 3:1
Page Seven Fourth Sunday of Easter..April 26, 2015 Saint John Paul II/Pope John Paul II/Holy Cross Catholic School in New Britain Special Mass and Open House for Friends and Alumni Thursday May 28th, 2015 For the past 60 years, graduates of Saint John Paul II School and Holy Cross School have lived the values and spread the messages acquired in this community of Faith and friendship. Our graduates have made an impact on the community of New Britain as well as the communities in which they now live. This year Saint John Paul II School announced that it will be closing its doors forever at the end of this academic year in June of 2015. We are saddened to bring a close to this book, but joyfully will celebrate it by having an Open House on Thursday May 28, 2015. Open House will start that night with a Mass of Special Intention at the Holy Cross Church at 6:00 pm, then a Reception and Open House will follow at 7:00 pm in the Gym before we close its doors forever. We invite all of our supporters and Alumni to attend and to come one last time to tour the school, see old photos and yearbooks, and to share memories and to enjoy light refreshments with others whose lives have been shaped at SJP2. Please spread the word! On this Good Shepherd Sunday we celebrate World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Please pray for an increase in vocations to priesthood, diaconate, and religious life. May God raise up good shepherds in our midst.. If you are being called to serve as a priest or religious call Fr. Anthony Smith, Director of Vocations, Archdiocesan Center at St. Thomas Seminary, (860) 761-7456 or e-mail him at: vocations@stseminary.org or visit the web at ww.vocationshartford.org. Join us the 1st Friday of the month at 9:30am, Blessed Sacrament Chapel for Vocations Holy Hour. Easter Communion Regulation: Catholics are obliged to receive Communion at least once between the First Sunday of Lent and Trinity Sunday. We continue the 2015 Archbishop s Annual Appeal in our parish. The A.A.A. helps provide the critical funding needed to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, counsel those in despair, offer much-needed assistance to the unemployed, and make medical care available to those without health insurance. Your gift to the 2015 Appeal will help continue these and other vital ministries, services, & programs that reach out to so many in need. The Archdiocese of Hartford will offer a three-day pilgrimage to Philadelphia to attend a Papal Mass celebrated by Pope Francis from September 25-27th. See the bulletin boards for more information.
Page Eight Fourth Sunday of Easter...April 26, 2015 Dear Parishioners: The writings of our Confirmation candidates 2015 are now being included in our weekly bulletin. It is very evident through their words that it takes a community of believers to raise a child in the faith. Thank you grandparents, parents, godparents, sponsors, catechists, aunts & uncles and mentors for witnessing your faith. Their essays are just an amazing testimony to the beautiful faith and spirituality that resides in each and every heart of our teens. We as adults, can learn so much from them. Let us keep passing on this wonderful gift of faith. God Bless, Noranne S. Wamester, Pastoral Associate Confirmation Name Essay For confirmation, I have chosen Saint Angela Merici. Saint Angela has a noticeably sad start in her life, that eventually got positive. She was born on March 21, 1474 in a small town in Lombardy, Italy. At the age of 15, she and her sister became orphans. Taken in by their uncle, they were able to live in peace for a while. Suddenly, Angela's sister died, all before her last sacraments. Because of this, Angela became very distressed and increased her prayers. She prayed for her sister's soul, and soon got a vision from God that her sister was peacefully in heaven. She joined the Third Order of Saint Francis to be closer to prayer. Again, death strikes and her uncle passes away. She moves back to her parental home, where she sees that many young girls have no education. She turns her house into a school and starts gathering girls to teach Christianity. Again she receives a vision that she would devote her life to found an organization of virgins that would teach young girls religion. Soon she establishes a similar school in a neighboring town. Later on, she travels to the Holy Land. On the Greek island of Crete, tragedy strikes again as she suddenly becomes blind. However, she continues on to the Holy Places. On her way back, she prays at a crucifix in the same place she becomes blind, and her sight was restored. Back at home, Pope Clement VII asked her to stay in Rome as he was pleased with her religious work. She says no to him and stays with her schools. At age 57, she gathers 12 virgins and sets up the Ursulines group in a church. Soon this group starts to grow, and they all start teaching girls about religion. She successfully created the first teaching order of women. I am choosing Angela as my name for many reasons. This saint spent a lifetime just to help others less fortunate. This means a lot to me. I always say to myself that I will and can always help. I want to be able to be a part of something big. I think Angela's hard working attitude and complete dedication are things to live by. Also, her independence is so clear. She went out and started a school even though girls weren't supposed to be educated. She was not afraid of change. Her actions are inspiring and should be noted. She wanted something simple, and it turned into a big thing. Her closeness to God is also to be seen all throughout her lifetime. I hope that I can always aim to be like Angela. I believe actions are truly louder than words. I hope that I can refer to her story through my life to find inspiration to change and make a difference. I hope that I can also be close with God in the way that she was. I can look to her and see her compassion for God and all her faith. Her strength to get past so many things is also what I wish to have. She saw God as her way through life and she never got distracted from him, and this is what makes her story speak volumes.