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 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time..August 23, 2015 SATURDAY, AUGUST 22ND 5:00 pm Sally & George D Esopo SUNDAY, AUGUST 23RD 8:30pm Elvira Hughes 10:30am Shirley Carrier MONDAY, AUGUST 24TH 9:00am Deceased members of the Orsini Family TUESDAY, AUGUST 25TH 9:00am Marge Courneen WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26TH 9:00am For all our parishioners THURSDAY, AUGUST 27TH 9:00am Rautio Casale & the deceased members of the Castagna Families FRIDAY, AUGUST 28TH 9:00am James, Katherine, John & Kevin Shea SATURDAY, AUGUST 29TH 5:00pm Joseph & Anna Maria Pedemonti SUNDAY, AUGUST 30TH 8:30am Rose & Armando Barbieri 10:30am Kevin J. Vaughan The Sanctuary Candle will burn from 8/24/2015 8/30/2015 in memory of Elvira Hughes. House of Bread collection this weekend. Coffee & sugar are requested. Prayer Shawl Meeting on Wed., Sept. 9th in Fr. Crawford Hall at 9:30am. If you need yarn during the summer call Audrey at the rectory 529-2533. SAVE THE DATE - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 TH 1:00 4:00 PM The Men s Association will again be hosting the Incarnation Parish Picnic. Food will include hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, desserts, soda & water. Cost is $10 per adult or $25 per family. Tickets will be available the day of the event. Call John Ewaski at (860) 563-3887. Please see flyers at the entrances, return the tear-off portion and place it in the collection basket. $10 per person or $25 per family. Pay at the door. Looking forward to seeing you at the picnic! The Blessed Virgin Mary Candle will burn from 8/24/2015-8/30/2015 in memory of Judith Skinner Curcio & Robert J. Skinner..
Page Three 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time...August 23, 2015 There will be a catechist orientation gathering on Wednesday, September 9th at 7pm in Father Crawford Hall. This gathering will include all catechists from Grades K-8. Noranne Wamester and Maggie Seaver will lead the evening. Please know that Parish Family Home communities are available ONLY if a team of two catechists join our team. If there is no availability then children from 1-6 will attend Emerson-Williams School on Saturday mornings. The Sacrament of Confirmation will be administered at Incarnation on Sunday, November 8th at 2pm with a Mass. The Most Reverend Peter A. Rosazza D.D., Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus will be the celebrant. All Faith Formation communities are in summer recess. Have a safe & peaceful summer! We are in need of catechists at the following levels: Two Grade 2 classes for Emerson- Williams. One parish family home TEAM for Grade 4. Two parish family home TEAMS for Grade One. Consider becoming a catechist in our religious education program. It is a wonderful way to be a transmitter of our beautiful faith to our children. Please put this request to prayer and see what the Lord has to tell you. If you are inspired, please call Noranne at (860) 529-6765.
Page Four 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time..August 23, 2015 A Weekly Bible Study 21 st Sunday in Ordinary Time Ephesians 5:21-32 Bible Study often invites us to slow down. It encourages us to stop and ponder each line as we move deliberately through the text. This process also bids us to stand back and see the whole, not to miss the forest for the trees. This is often not the case as we encounter today s second reading. This passage is often controversial and misunderstood because we fail to stop and ponder the first two lines. We hear wives be submissive to your husbands and we close our minds to the rest. The first two lines put the remainder of this passage in its proper perspective. Before we are wives and husbands we are brothers and sisters in Christ, subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. As with much of historical writing, there are cultural considerations. In Paul s day women did not play a dominant role in society. It was common in the first century Greco-Roman world to develop household codes that defined the proper roles and conduct between masters and slaves, children and parents, and even husbands and wives. What we often miss within this passage is that Paul actually elevates this household code to a higher spiritual level. He places this code within the context of Christ as Bridegroom and the Church as Bride. Thus, mutual love and service are expected of everyone. This is evident by the beautiful image Paul creates of how Christ loves, redeems and sanctifies his Church. In Paul s view, subordination or superiority had no place within the Christian community. The Church was to be a model of mutual love and responsibility, always leading to the affirmation of human dignity. Let us continue our efforts to appreciate this sacred image of Bride and Bridegroom and to foster, by our mutual love and service, the great ideal upon which our Church is founded.
Page Five 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time...August 23, 2015 Gerard s Center for Life Laps for Life 2015 FAMILIES, YOUTH GROUPS, & PARISHIONERS COME ONE, COME ALL! The honor of your presence is requested at the first annual St. Gerard s Center for Life Laps for Life event! Join our pregnancy resource center for a day of walking, family fun, vendors, and fellowship! Saturday, September 26th, 9a.m. 12:30p.m. East Catholic High School, Manchester, CT ENTRY FREE: $25.00 per person (This earns each walker entry into the event, a morning donut, a hot dog and refreshments, fun with friends and family, dancing with DJ music, face-painting, silent auction, and more!! Every walker will also receive a 2015 Laps for Life Travel Tumbler!) FUNDRAISING GOAL: While there is not a minimum requirement for each walker to raise funds, an incentive of a 2015 Laps for Life t- shirt will be given to every walker who raises $100 or more! (The entry fee is not included in the total fundraising goal.) **All proceeds will directly benefit the efforts and continued programming at St. Gerard s Center for Life in Hartford! **This is an exciting opportunity to earn community service hours for students, to learn about the incredible programs that St. Gerard s offers to its mothers and families, and to become a very special partner in our mission to continue to celebrate the dignity of every human life! VISIT OUR WEBSITE (www.lapsforlifehartford.net ) OR FACE- BOOK PAGE (https://www.facebook.com/ st.gerards.hartford ) TO REGISTER TODAY! OR, CALL OUR OFFICE TO REQUEST REGISTRATION PAPERWORK! 860-257- 1021 Corporate sponsors are encouraged to contact us for more information about making a significant impact on our event! Married couples observing their 25th, 50th, 60th & other special wedding anniversaries in 2015 are invited to attend the Archdiocesan Anniversary Mass on Sun., October 25th, 2pm at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford. Archbishop Blair will be the main celebrant. Mass will include the renewal of marriage vows, followed by a reception & photo with Archbishop Blair. Family/friends are invited. Call Audrey (860) 529-2533 to register. Corpus Christi Women s Club is offering some bus trips and our parishioners are invited to attend. These bus trips are not fund-raisers, they charge what the bus company charges them. Trips are planned so women, men & families all feel welcomed. These are community building trips. See the bulletin board. Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time August 23, 2015 As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15b
Page Six 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time..August 23, 2015 KEEPING OUR COMMITMENTS In the musical Fiddler on the Roof, the husband, Tevye, whose marriage was arranged years and years before, wants to know if his wife really loves him. Was their marriage just an arrangement, a deal? Did his wife, after all these years, ever love him? Does she still? We need to know if our loving commitments stick. We need to be reminded and reaffirmed. In the first reading, Joshua, Moses successor, needed to know if the people would remain faithful to their covenant with the Lord. Joshua was going to lead them to a new life a settled life. Would they be faithful? Jesus, who identified himself as the very life of his disciples life, needed to know: Will you also go away or will you stay? We do not often see Jesus this vulnerable. Peter and the apostles chose to stay. What will we do? TODAY S READINGS First Reading Joshua challenges the Israelites to serve either the Lord or other gods. They choose the Lord (Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b). Psalm Taste and see the goodness of the Lord (Psalm 34). Second Reading Paul reflects on how husbands and wives should reverence and love each other (Ephesians 5:21-32 [2a, 25-32]). Gospel Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6:60-69). READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Rv 21:9b-14; Ps 145:10-13, 17-18; Jn 1:45-51 Tuesday: 1 Thes 2:1-8; Ps 139:1-6; Mt 23:23-26 Wednesday: 1 Thes 2:9-13; Ps 139:7-12ab; Mt 23:27-32 Thursday: 1 Thes 3:7-13; Ps 90:3-5a, 12-14, 17; Mt 24:42-51 Friday: 1 Thes 4:1-8; Ps 97:1, 2b, 5-6, 10-12; Mt 25:1-13 Saturday: 1 Thes 4:9-11; Ps 98:1, 7-9; Mk 6:17-29 Sunday: Dt 4:1-2, 6-8; Ps 15:2-5; Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27; Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday: St. Bartholomew Tuesday: St. Louis; St. Joseph Calasanz Thursday: St. Monica Friday: St. Augustine Saturday: The Passion of St. John the Baptist TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION The ministry of permanent deacons has become an essential part of our parish life today, yet for centuries until 1967, this deeply traditional ministry had virtually disappeared. Every priest had first to be ordained a deacon, but the notion that one could actually embrace a permanent vocation to the diaconate was lost. The primary ministry of the deacon is to the welfare of the community, especially its poor, and his role in sacraments and preaching flows from that. His principal role is to animate and promote the ministry of all the faithful. Ninety percent of permanent deacons are married, although the discipline of celibacy for clerics means that if a deacon is widowed, normally he cannot remarry, nor can an unmarried deacon marry once ordained. The deacon does not preside at Mass nor may he absolve sins. Nor, since anointing of the sick is linked theologically to penance, may he anoint. Sometimes we are slow to engage with a tradition: Trent approved permanent deacons in the 1560s, but nothing was done until the 1960s. The vitality of the longdelayed restoration has greatly enriched the Church, particularly in the United States, where the majority of the deacons in the world serve. THE WAY It s hard to train a child in a way the parents don t go themselves. Anonymous BLESSED If you have sight, you are blessed. If you have insight, you are a thousand times blessed.
Page Seven 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time..August 23, 2015 The Town of Wethersfield Social & Youth Services will collect & distribute school supplies to any families in Wethersfield who can document residency and who need help getting their children ready for school. Families will come in to shop for what they need based on the ages & grades of their children. We will have the event in the Town Council chambers from 2:00 to 5:00 pm on Thursday, August 27 th Please return your dona ons by August 25th to Social & Youth Services in the Town Hall. Thanks! SCHOOL SUPPLIES 3 Subject Notebooks Filler Paper 1 ½ to 3 Ring Binders 3x5 Index Cards Highlighters 3x3 Post-It Notes Erasable Markers Pencil Boxes Subject Dividers Pocket Subject Folders Please note: If you have reserved a Mass for a loved one, and would like to bring up the gifts, we ask that you notify an usher PRIOR to Mass. Please follow the cross bearer down the center aisle during the reading of the prayers of the faithful. A 10 Day Pilgrimage to The Holy Land will be lead by Fr. Dave Baranowski, Pastor of St. James Church in Rocky Hill beginning on January 25th February 3rd, 2016. See the bulletin boards. Yeast which a woman kneaded...say thanks today to that special woman who has kneaded the yeast of God s love into your life. Pray God s blessing on all people who bring leaven and light. May many of your people choose to serve you by becoming priests, brothers, and sisters. Please pray for an increase in vocations to priesthood, diaconate, and religious life. If you are being called to serve as a priest or religious call the Archdiocesan Center at St. Thomas Seminary, (860) 761-7456 or e-mail 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. Are you interested in joining either The Incarnation Men s Association or The Knights of Columbus: Call Mike White at (860) 667-2099. We received a lovely thank you note from The Catholic Mission Aid Society thanking us for our generous donation of $3,080.00 to help the Maryknoll Missionaries care for God s poor and needy people. Please see the bulletin boards for the Open House and Entrance Exam at Mercy High School in Middletown, CT., on November 1st.
Page Eight 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time...August 23, 2015 Incarnation Youth Celebrate Faith At Steubenville NYC Conference This past weekend, Aug. 7th 9th, members of our Youth Ministry Team along with their chaperones joined 1,900 others to celebrate their faith at the Steubenville Catholic Youth Conference at St. John s University in NYC. What a transformational weekend for our teens as well as the adults! The weekend was full of powerful talks, workshops, and uplifting music. At the heart of the weekend were the sacraments, through which our teens experienced God s loving mercy, forgiveness, and his presence amongst them as they worshipped and proclaimed their love for our God. This was a powerful experience to see Christ fully alive and present in our Catholic faith. Thank you to our parish family for all of their prayers and continued support of our youth programs at Incarnation. A quote by one of our youth ministry team: Had an amazing weekend at Steubenville NYC with absolutely amazing people. Truly blessed to have experienced the power and love of God with the best youth ministry group around!