I believe it was Abigail Van Buren, aka Dear Abby, who said “Put a smile on your face and eventually you will be happy.” It is all about perspective—and I think that’s why Father Terry Kristofak talks the two options in life when faced by a challenge—“You can choose to be better or to be bitter” much of how we handle life is “up to us.” And part of the response we have to life’s blessings and challenges comes from our gratitude or lack thereof.

I want to begin this bulletin with some real,genuine gratitude: first and foremost to all of our
parishioners who bring to life in our parish the Holy Spirit of God by the way so many respond to the call of the Church to worship God and to serve Him in one of our many ministries or programs. This love of helping others is in fact a symbol of your gratitude for the blessings God bestows upon you and your families, and I thank you for being such wonderful and generous people. I would also like to thank everyone who helped with their gifts and talents in making all our Lenten programs, Holy Week liturgies as well as Paschal Triduum Masses and liturgies and Easter Sunday celebrations so inspiring and sacred.

I would like to thank Tina Yablonski and Sherry Cordani for all of their planning, interfacing, and executing of our Lenten Mercy Project which raised large amounts of supplies and donations for so many worthy organizations and causes—from Avon’s Gifts of Love to Enfield’s Little Sisters of the Poor to Rocky Hill’s American Veterans and even Hartford’s Families In Crisis—making Connecticut a “kinder, gentler” State. In addition to this parish-wide project, thanks to the children in our Religious Education program who joined-in with the Lenten Mercy Project and raised over $509 from the pocket change (couch cushions, backpacks and car seats) and donated it to Covenant to Care. This is an annual and wonderful sign of connecting with others in need from the youngest
members of our faith community.

I would like to thank our many choir members—Children’s Choir, Adult Choir and Contemporary Choir—and Susan Zybert, our music director, for all of the hard work at many practices and for the talent shared with the whole community during the Lenten, Holy Week and Easter seasons. While all of the work and their voices are spectacular, I want to highlight one night in particular, Good Friday’s Seven Last Words of Christ. I have never received so many positive comments on anything musical that we’ve done in the Church as I have for that night. It was holy, it was sacred, and it was inspiring! If you missed it, then I would highly recommend putting it on your next year’s calendar.

I would like to thank the Liturgy Committee who help months and months ago to plan not only the
decorations of the Church for each season and event, but planned what kinds of events and liturgies we would have. Much planning and thought goes into our liturgies, even though they are repetitive year-after-year, they still require a great deal of work.

I would like to thank the youth of our parish—from our religious education catechists to our youth
ministry mission trip ambassadors—who served as our Twelve Apostles for the Mandatum Ritual (Washing of the Feet) at Holy Thursday’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Sometimes it is hard to get adults to “sign up” for this ritual and yet our teenagers were not only happy to participate they seemed genuinely pleased to be asked. This was done to acknowledge the amazing amount of work that our youth do in our parish and how much life they bring to our faith community. As I hear other priests’ or ministry leaders’ talk about inaction by many Christians, I can honestly say that I am confident that God is still working in and through many, many people and especially in the youth of the Catholic Church today. We are blessed!

I want to thank all who designed and decorated the Church for both Lent, the Triduum and Easter. I would be lost without Kathy Moore who designs and sews all the material for the Sanctuary wall, the altar, ambo and tabernacle table. These banners are also loaded with theological meaning in both color and number (ten banners for the Ten Commandments which are made of pure love from God to direct and guide us in being fully human, and the colors symbolic of Mary’s blue and white—purity and devotion; the yellow of the Risen Christ, and the pastel colors of Easter). And then she, along with Dennis Hannon and Mike Grappone and Mike Daly stay till the wee hours of the morning on Holy Saturday to hang and arrange everything. Thanks to Janet Fischer and Marlene
Snecinski for their expertise and talents in designing, ordering and arranging the flowers in the sanctuary. The colors, textures and symbolism are all part of the liturgical celebration and have such meaning: from the Lilies and Tulips which mean joy, hope and life, to Wheatgrass which symbolizes “the bread of life”, to the California Wax flower which reminds us of royalty and kingship in its color purple, to the Misty Blue Limonium which stands for faithfulness and loyalty, to the yellow Alstromeria meaning friendship and devotion, to the Belles of Ireland which are loaded with tiny thorns—appropriate for the crowning of Christ (and just because their Irish!), and lastly the orange Carnations which has a story behind them that they first appeared on earth formed from Mary’s tears, thus becoming a symbol of a mother’s undying love.

And thanks to our altar servers, lectors,Eucharistic ministers and ushers who all make the Masses move so smoothly and welcome their brothers and sisters to the celebration of the liturgy. They are dedicated and always so willing to serve—making my job as pastor so easy and pleasurable!
Finally, thanks to the staff of Saint Catherine of Siena (Kathi Bonner, Susan Zybert, Judy Pluta, Mike Grappone, Lisa Cerchia, Nicole Poirier and LoriAnn Ruiz) who from their dedication and concern make everything happen on schedule. Thanks!