The Men’s Ministry (MM) has a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 23rd at 6:30 pm which will have a brief meeting and update on future plans. I hope that men of all ages—from early 20s and up—will attend and learn about ways to be involved in a new ministry that aims to deepen our Christian lives and spirituality as well as present opportunities to become involved in the parish and local community.

Understanding the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul This Sunday’s solemnity celebrates the most foundational and most important apostles in Christianity. Let’s take a look at their meaning and significance in our own faith lives:

Our parish is in desperate need of ushers, both lead ushers and ushers to help with the weekend collections. And you know what they say, the more hands, the lighter the work. So what am I asking you to do?

The solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity in the Catholic Church is an opportunity for every Catholic practitioner to consider the profound mystery of God’s nature—and invites each of us—to deepen and expand our own relationship with God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It also enables us, with this understanding, to conform our own relationships in love, community and unity.

This Sunday we close out the Easter Season (50 days) with the celebration of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Happy birthday, Catholic Church! Our liturgical colors are red, white and even yellow or gold. This is also the weekend in many dioceses, no longer in Hartford, when seminarians are ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ.

Well, it is less about meetings and more about doing and being. We will meet every other month and communicate by email or text, depending on your preferred method. Our Men’s Ministry is a combination of building a men’s community in our parish, deepening our own understanding of faith and the role of a Christian man

If you are unwell in the hospital, nursing home or just at home recovering and haven’t been able to receive the Holy Eucharist, this can be a great loss for the faithful and for those who are feeling alone in their illness. Reception of Holy Communion is not just a comfort for many, it is part of the spiritual and physical healing process.

Last Tuesday night about 35 men from our parish met and discussed renewal of the Men’s Ministry. A good mix of both the seasoned and our more youthful men came forward—as well as a number of the younger men who could not make Tuesday night but did let me know that they wanted to learn more about the Men’s Ministry’s future. In the vein, I offer the following to ALL of the men of St. Catherine of Siena Parish:

The Roman government obliterated the city of Jerusalem in 78 AD, and then destroyed the place of Jesus’ death and resurrection. But, the followers of Christ were able to recall and venerate this locale even with the destruction. Our second reading this Sunday from Revelation (21:1-5a) begins with some very powerful words and beautiful passage of eternal hope

A Pope’s Name: Spiritual Symbolism, Regal Name Kendrick Lamar once said, "If I’m gonna tell a real story, I’m gonna start with my name." It's a long way from hip hop to the Holy See, but that sentiment is something both realms have in common: Names matter, and they can help tell a person's story.

Join us on May 20th at 6 p.m. at the St. Catherine of Siena fire pit and become part of the renewed Men’s Ministry of our parish, a special invite to our newer and younger men or anyone who is interested in developing a closer relationship with Christ through growing a deeper faith life and by way of the inspired actions—good works—of a faithful Catholic man

When a Pope Dies: The Process, Traditions, and the Next Steps for the Future of the Church. When the death of the vicar of Christ, the pope, happens it marks a solemn yet highly organized and ritualistic transition in the Roman Catholic Church. While each pontiff can put their own imprint or modifications on the funeral itself, certain centuries-old traditions largely dictate the entire process until the Conclave and the selection of a new pope

As we enter into the Sacred Triduum this Holy Thursday and through Easter Vigil and then Sunday Masses, we celebrate the Victory of Christ over sin and death; we celebrate the gift of Eternal Life in God, given to us in Agape or Divine Love, which He then calls us to share in our human lives in the here-and-now. Our sharing of His Agape manifests in the choices we make: selfishness or generosity; choosing Christ or choosing the self; attending to Faith in God or establishing other “gods” in our lives and the practice of those “rituals” as a priority of life. As the old saying goes—and because of His Love for us, which is Free Will—the choice is indeed ours.

Holy Week, The Sacred Triduum As we enter into Holy Week this Palm Sunday, we are called to celebrate fully the suffering, Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ—full participation in the liturgies of the Church means more than just attending the Masses and other liturgies, it means to enter into them with mind, body and soul.

Archbishop’s Annual Appeal (AAA) is off to a good start as Catholics from across the archdiocese help in caring for and feeding the poor, healing the sick, educating the ignorant and caring for our retired priests as well as training new seminarians for the future of the Church of Hartford.

THIS Monday night, at 7 p.m., we will host a penance service at St. Catherine of Siena Parish for your Easter duty. Three priests, Fr. John Melnick, rector of the Cathedral of St. Joseph, Monsignor Thomas Barry, pastor emeritus of St. Patrick Church in Farmington, and I will hear confessions.

2025 Boston Mission Trip – Report to the Parishes Take this journey with us – As the bus pulled up, a sense of quiet and anxiety surrounded us as we prepared for our journey to Boston. We arrived at Hillside Community Church in Medford, unloaded our belongings and got right to work. Each evening, we reflected on our day, the high and low points of the day,

Contrition, Forgiveness & Mercy leads to Action, which Produces Conversion and Transformation The Third Sunday of Lent calls us to understand contrition, which is built upon repentance, forgiveness and mercy that lead us to a conversion of heart and a transformation of life.

Lent is a season for the conversion of the human heart; to place our hearts of a trajectory toward the Will of God. This conversion of heart is certainly a time of reflection, of penance and of almsgiving—yes; but, it is also a time of action, or movement toward the Good of the God. A time to see with eyes of the faith God’s Will for us, and then to put that action into Habitus, as St. Thomas Aquinas would say, practice.

During Lent, Catholics in the USA abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays of Lent. They fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. To abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent means not to eat meat on those days. It does not intend the omission of eggs or dairy products. CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS...