January 29, 2017 St. Paul Church ROMAN CATHOLIC 170 Rope Ferry Rd., Waterford, CT 06385 Phone: 860-443-5587 Fax: 860-442-9308 Staff Directory: Pastor Rev. Joseph B. Whittel frwhittelstpaul@sbcglobal.net Director of Religious Education Mrs. Roseann Ward drestpaulwtfd@yahoo.com Youth Ministry Coordinator Mrs. Rebecca Holmes holymartyrsyouthministry@gmail.com Phone: 860-739-5208, ext. 214 Administrative Assistant Mrs. JoHanna Polcaro stpaulwtfd@sbcglobal.net ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Reconciliation: Saturday, 3:45pm - 4:15pm or call the Rectory for appointment. Baptism: Please call the Rectory to register your child for Baptism. Marriage: Anyone considering marriage needs to contact the Parish Office and meet with a priest at least one year in advance of your anticipated marriage date. Anointing of the Sick: Anointing of the Sick (previously referred to as Last Rites or Extreme Unction ) is not restricted to the end of life but rather those who are gravely ill or about to have surgery. This sacrament is best when received when the candidate is alive, conscious and able to participate and should not be delayed. Anyone seriously ill, anticipating surgery or weakened due to illness or advanced age, homebound or in a nursing home, is encouraged to receive this sacrament as soon as possible. Holy Orders: Please call Fr. Greg Galvin at the Norwich Chancery Office 860-887-9294. Parish Office Hours: 9:00am -12:30pm Monday through Friday Website: www.stpaulchurchwaterfordct.org
St. Paul Waterford HOLY MARTYRS CLUSTER MASS SCHEDULES St. Paul - Waterford Saturday Vigil - 4:30 pm Sunday at 8 & 10 am Daily: M, T, W & F 8 am St. Agnes - Niantic Saturday Vigil - 5 pm Sunday at 7, 9 & 11 am Daily: M, T, Th, F 9 am & S 8 am St. Matthias - East Lyme Saturday Vigil - 5 pm Sunday at 7:30, 9 & 11 am Daily: W, Th & F 9 am If you are unable to attend one of our Masses, we hope you consider joining another Mass at one of the Parishes in our cluster. EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP - RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS Sometimes I wonder what this world will look like when my children get to be my age. Everything seems to be changing so rapidly and much of that change doesn't seem to be for the good. I do think in some ways the Church is experiencing resurgence and a strengthening, but it will have to in the face of an increasing culture of atheism and selfishness. Of course, I bet my parents wondered the same thing when I was a child. As much as things change, they remain the same. When Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount, I would guess some parents there were having the same kind of worries. But Jesus proposed a way of life in the beatitudes that was countercultural then and is countercultural now. In his book, "Life of Christ," Fulton Sheen said this: "The Sermon on the Mount is so much at variance with all that our world holds dear that the world will crucify anyone who tries to live up to its values." Living a stewardship way of life means bringing the beatitudes into our daily lives in a profound way. However, it also means living in a way that others may not understand or they may even turn away from us because of it. But with the reward in the end being the kingdom of heaven, the choice is really a matter of life and death, eternally speaking. Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS Saturday, January 28th 4:30pm John Hinchey Requested by Family Sunday, January 29th 8:00am Janet Silvestri Requested by The Silvestri Family 10:00am Lisa DiMaggio Requested by The DiMaggio Family ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Monday, January 30th 8:00am For The People Tuesday, January 31st 8:00am Intention of the Celebrant Wednesday, February 1st 8:00am Intention of the Celebrant Thursday, February 2nd 8:00am NO MASS Friday, February 3rd 8:00am Intention of the Celebrant ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Saturday, February 4th 4:30pm Katherine Nash Requested by Family Sunday, February 5th 8:00am Intention of the Celebrant 10:00am Stephanie Turowski Requested by The Seltzer Family Pray for our Priests Sunday... Rev. Frank McKenna... Rev. Leo Almendra Monday... Rev. Paul Ramen... Msgr. Anthony Rosaforte Tuesday... Rev. William McCarthy MSA... Rev. Robert Washabaugh Wednesday... Rev. Joseph DeCosta... Rev. Tomasz Albrecht Thursday....All Priests Friday... Msgr. Henry Archambault... Rev. John Antonelle Saturday... Rev. Juan A. Palacio... Msgr. Richard LaRocque The Sanctuary Lamp will burn this week for: Janet Silvestri Requested by The Silvestri Family
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time January 29, 2017 Religious Education On January 29, 2017, the confirmation students from St. Agnes and St. Paul will meet at St. Ann Melkite church located on 41 Cross Road in Waterford. We will begin at 9:30 a.m. starting with a speaker, Jayne Brothers, a member of St. Agnes church, will give the students an overview of the Eastern Rite church. Father Gregory Mullaney, pastor at St. Agnes will be the celebrant, the Mass will begin at 10:30am for the students and the congregation of St. Ann. After the Mass, until around noon, the students can ask questions they have. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Our Sixth grade students will attend the Service at Temple Emanu-El in Waterford on Friday, February 3rd. The Service starts at 7:00pm. After the Service, Rabbi Ekstrand will speak with the parents and students. Families are welcome. Holy Martyrs Youth Ministry Friday, February 3 rd : Candy Crush Fundraising! Open to 6 th 12 th graders! It s time to crush some candy again! The HMYM will be making delicious candies for our February fundraiser to sell to our parish community for Valentine s Day! We will be accepting donations throughout the month of January to prepare! We are looking for: Semi Sweet, Milk Chocolate, and White Chocolate Morsels, a variety of assorted Melting Chocolates, Chocolate Almond Bark, White Chocolate Almond Bark, Strawberries, Peanut Butter, Oreos, Courants, Unsalted Dry Roasted Peanuts, Pecans, Saltine Crackers, Sugar, Confectioners Sugar, and Pretzel Rods. Please drop off donations by February 3 rd to your respective parish main office. Thank you so much! Time: 5:00pm 8:00pm Location: St. Matthias Parish Center Candy Sales: Next Weekend! Rev. Richard Roughan Scholarship In August of 2010, The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Norwich received a bequest from the estate of Rev. Richard F. Roughan, former Pastor of St. Paul Church in Waterford, Connecticut. The bequest stipulated that the funds be managed and distributed by The Catholic Foundation on behalf of St. Paul Church with specific instructions that the funds be distributed in the form of two annual scholarships. The Rev. Richard F. Roughan Scholarship Fund is available to parishioners of St. Paul Church, Waterford, Connecticut. The Fund will provide a $5,000 grant to a parishioner who will be entering college/university in the Fall of 2017 and a $5,000 grant for a parishioner of St. Paul Church who is currently enrolled in a college/university and will be entering the Sophomore, Junior or Senior year in 2017. This Scholarship is only available to registered parishioners who became members of St. Paul Church prior to December 31, 2016. Interested parties may obtain an application from the St. Paul Parish Office. The deadline for the submission of the application is March 6, 2017 and it is to be sent or delivered to The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Norwich, 197 Broadway, Norwich, CT 06360. St. Paul Church Fundraiser Our parish is planning a major fund raiser tag sale on Saturday, April 29, 2017. We are looking for volunteers to help plan and organize, and also to participate on the day of the sale. The name of the event will be "Twice Blessed: trinkets and treasures". In combination with having a major tag sale, there will be a bake sale, and a basket raffle. The kitchen also will be open for lunch and snacks. We are seeking donations of gently used household goods, linens, clothing, toys, jewelry and unwanted gifts. Please no big appliances or large furniture. We would also like to have an antique/vintage table for the collectors. Please start saving your surplus or unwanted items. We will have drop off hours posted in the near future. Please save your items until these dates are announced. Our next planning meeting will be held Friday evening, February 17, at 6:30pm. For more information, please call Elaine Lisitano, 860-287-3985, or Joan Dreger at 860-442-4902. Bible Study at St. Matthias The Passion and Resurrection Narratives of Jesus On Wednesday s beginning February 22nd, Bible Study will resume at St. Matthias Parish Center for 7 weeks through lent. The morning study group will meet at 10:00 AM and the evening study group at 7:00 PM, sessions usually lasting about 2 hours. The passion and resurrection of Christ are at the core of Christian faith and form the capstone of each of the four gospels. This study opens Matthew, Mark, Luke and John individually to reveal the special insights each has preserved. Examining the passion and resurrection will challenge you to incorporate both the pain of the cross and the hope of the resurrection into daily living. Many Scripture study groups have found this study to be ideal for Lenten/Easter study. Each session will include prayer, discussion of answers to given questions and a short video presentation. A study guide will be provided. All are welcome to join us. If you have any questions contact Deacon Jerry Shaw at 860 739-0049, Jackie Soper at 570-574-3068 or Chuck Parke at 860 739-2065. The cost will be $18 per person. Parish Support Week of 1/22/2017 107 Envelope Donations... $2,670.00 Loose Donations... $881.00 WeShare Donations... $125.00 Offertory Received... $3,676.00 Thank you for your generosity.
St. Paul Waterford Pro-Life Mass The monthly Diocesan Pro-Life Mass will take place at the Cathedral of St. Patrick in Norwich on Saturday, February 4 at 8:30 A.M. Please join our celebrant Rev. Brian Romanowski at Mass as we pray to end abortion and for the healing for those who have had an abortion. Following the Mass, the Rosary will be prayed both at the Cathedral and Planned Parenthood. A brunch in the Cathedral Hall will follow the Rosary this month. Outreach to Haiti Trip The Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti is planning an immersion trip experience to Haiti from March 1 to March 8th. There are still openings. If you are interested please contact Sue Petruzzi - sue.petruzzi@outreachtohaiti.org - as soon as possible. The cost of the trip is approximately $1200 depending on the price of your plane fare at the time of booking. Please join us for an experience like no other! Marriage Encounter Weekend By offering married couples the beautiful experience of a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend, the Catholic Church is affirming and supporting you in your chosen vocation Marriage. Take advantage of this great gift to enhance your relationship and enjoy a love-filled weekend away together. For more information or to register for the March 3-5 weekend in Manchester, call 860-376-0440 or visit www.wwmect.org. Defending Religious Liberty The Catholic Church invests in the common good. It runs and operates schools, hospitals, universities, charities and social services. Our government and society have long relied on them for help and taken advantage of the vast network that churches and religious institutions provide to aid people in need and to help form good citizens. But, when we are told we ve got to stop being who we are, to put aside our beliefs, or plainly go against our conscience in order to be allowed to contribute to the common good, we must speak out. If you haven t done so already, please voice your opposition to the federal health care mandate by calling U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell at 202-205-5445, and your elected representatives. Let them know that the mandate is in violation of our First Amendment right to religious freedom. Letter from the Bishop MOST REVEREND MICHAEL R. COTE, D.D. My dear friends in Christ, Diocese of Norwich Office of the Bishop 201 Broadway Norwich, Connecticut 06360 (860) 887-9294 January 12, 2017 Catholic Schools week is an annual national celebration of Catholic schools. This year this special week will be held from January 29 - February 4, 2017. Catholic schools in our diocese and across the country schedule special open houses and events, which emphasize the value Catholic education provides and its contribution to our church, communities, and our country. The theme for Catholic Schools Week 2017 is Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service. I would like to expound upon this theme as it relates to the schools in the Diocese of Norwich. Faith: Our schools begin and end each school day with prayer. Moral values, honesty, humility, and respect are woven into class time and social time. It is who we are as Christians, how we want to prepare our children for life. Though we are Catholic schools, not all of our students are Catholic. This inclusiveness stems from the belief that there is one loving God. It is our mission to teach and reinforce the faith-based values that Christians hold dear. It is not uncommon for conversions to Catholicism to take place in families as a direct result of our Catholic schools. In many instances, evangelization of parents through the children also occurs. Knowledge: A high quality Catholic education is critically important for our schools, where high academic standards are combined with equally high moral values. Our strong teachers and administrators bring experience, discipline, and understanding into the classroom, and strive for nothing less than high achievement. Our goal is to inspire our children to be all that they can be. Service: We believe that teaching religious faith is not enough without demonstrating how to put our faith into action. Our students perform community service on the local and global level. They raise money, goods, and awareness for the poor in our neighborhoods and internationally. A very important community service that often gets overlooked is prayer. Every day, our schools pray for all special intentions for those who need prayers and those who have nobody to pray for them. Thank you for supporting our Catholic schools. Please spread the word about the important ministry of Catholic education in the Diocese of Norwich and pray for our children and all involved in nurturing them. They give us much hope for a future inspired by the Gospel of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. With every best wish, I am Sincerely yours in Christ, Bishop of Norwich
Saint Joseph School 25 Squire Street New London, CT sjsnl.com 860-442-1720 Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Please join us for Open House for Classroom Visits January 31, 2017 9-11:30am February 1, 2017 9-11:30am and 1-2pm Registrations for 2017-2018 are currently being taken. Please call the office for appointments to begin the application process.