This Sunday, the 19th week in Ordinary Time, the readings again continue the theme of the last few weeks regarding our priorities and preparation for the coming Kingdom and we continue that journey with this weekend’s readings but rather than in faraway lands we take on the perspective of our own local pilgrimage.

I hear you, far too often when I mention the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal (AAA) I get a glazed look from the person to whom I am speaking. Sometimes I imagine a “bubble” over them proclaiming: “Here we go again, money, money, and money.” And yes, the Catholic Church does ask for money. Yes, the Catholic Church does extend itself into the culture with a wide-ranging helping hand. Guilty as charge!

Scripture scholars remind us that the parables of Jesus are meant to jolt us out of the ordinary, everyday view of life—they are meant to shock us into another reality—to change our perspective on things. In today’s gospel, Sr. Barbara looks to the scholar of the law in this Lukan reading who asks Jesus the question, “Who is my neighbor? “To find the answer to that question in our own lives— who is our neighbor?— Sr. Barbara asks us to look at the situation at hand from a “view from the ditch.” Meaning, to step outside of our comfort zone—our normal reality—and to see the situation from the point of view of the other

Our readings for this 14th week of Ordinary Time provides us with the key themes of comfort from Isaiah, St. Paul‘s letter to the Galatians notes we bear the marks of Jesus, if we are truly His disciples, and no one shall make troubles for us; that we are we safe in the Lord. And from Luke we hear “that the Kingdom of God is at hand…” and know this: "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Our Parish Community would like to thank all the families that participated in our 2019 Shipwrecked Vacations Bible Camp. Camp Closing Mass at 11a.m. on Sunday, June 30th was tremendous! What a wonderful way to give thanks to Our Lord by celebrating Mass together and signing praise with our favorite VBS~Never Let Go. We would like to give a special thanks to the many youth and adult volunteers that provided the most wonderful uncharted island adventure for a castaways

In this weekend’s first reading from First Kings, and summarize in some four minutes, the prophet Elijah is going to retire and has been told by God to anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah, as his successor as the new prophet of God. In this “retirement” ceremony—Elijah throws his mantle, his cloak, over Elisha making him the new prophet of God—the cloak is the sign of the prophet. All this is accomplished while they were out in the fields plowing with oxen

This Monday, July 1st at 7 p.m., Jim Smith the chairman of Webster Bank and the Hartford Bishops’ Foundation will speak to you and answer your questions about our current Forward with Faith campaign. The goal of this joint campaign is to reinvigorate and grow both our parish and to reposition our Catholic faith’s relevance in our modern world.

On this solemnity of the Catholic Church we celebrate the real presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. We do so in hearing—and in understanding—the context of the Gospel of Luke and the account of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. What does the Catholic Church teach about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic meal?

Forward with Faith will provide much-needed financial support to parishes; ensure access to a high-quality Catholic education; invest in faith formation and campus infrastructure; and minister to the needy in our region by providing vital human services. All 129 parishes in our archdiocese will be conducting Forward with Faith; and St. Catherine of Siena is included with a block of parishes that has launched its parish campaign this month. Learn about our Spiritual, Programmatic and Structural goals!

My name is Stephanie Sickinger, and I am a lifelong parishioner of St. Catherine of Siena, as well as recent graduate of Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Ever since I can remember, my parents encouraged me to deepen my faith through the spirit of giving back. This was demonstrated through Saturday mornings at St. Elizabeth’s House and annual Mission Trips to Boston through Youth Group. My experiences with St. Catherine of Siena were the seeds to my understanding of service and set the stage for my life now.

Our Archdiocese encompasses a vibrant region filled with an extraordinary group of people. We are blessed with more than 530,000 faith-filled, industrious, and committed Catholics of all ages from Litchfield, Hartford, and New Haven counties who represent the diversity of God’s human family and our greater Church. We are here to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, to offer sacrifice and praise, and to reach out to those in need

This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost: the coming of the Holy Spirit sent by the Father to continue, fulfill and extend the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ through you and me—all of us—in the way we accept the Holy Spirit into our lives and allow God to dwell within us and transform us into Disciples of Christ. And today’s account of the first Pentecost lays it all out for us.

At the Vatican in Rome last February, at the request of Archbishop Leonard Blair, Pope Francis conferred Papal Honors on fourteen people from the Archdiocese of Hartford, in recognition of their service to the Church . These papal honors were bestowed by the Holy Father on the occasion and in recognition of the 175th anniversary of the creation of the (Arch)Diocese of Hartford. Mr. Robert J. O’Hara and Mr. Jean-Pierre van Rooy, both from Saint Catherine of Siena Parish, were two of the fourteen honorees upon whom the Holy Father bestowed these papal honors, both received the Knighthood of the Order of St. Gregory the Great.

Stenciled on the back sanctuary walls of Saint Catherine of Siena church are the Beatitudes—which are considered the blueprint for the Christian life. In fact, they represent the spiritual and corporal works of mercy that each one of us, as baptized believers, are called to support and promote in-and-through our daily lives of discipleship. One of those ongoing humanitarian aspects of the Catholic Church here in Hartford is the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal (AAA) which provides financial resources to Catholics and non-Catholics alike

As pastor I am reaching out to all our Mass attendees and I am asking for your assistance. Our parish is in need of additional ushers and lead ushers at our Masses. What does a Lead usher do? A lead usher arrives early before the Mass begins and organizers those who will help take up the collection, locates and confirms the family who will bring up the bread and wine in the offertory as well as welcomes people to Mass and offers them assistance to a pew 

A growing trend among some Roman Catholic families is to not have a funeral Mass for their deceased family members. Rather, they choose to have a “service” at the funeral home – sometimes with a priest and prayers, sometimes without. What is the cause of this growing trend? I am sure there are many answers to that question. However, one unsettling trend appears to be the feeling that the death of an individual and their religious preferences are less about the deceased and more about the remaining family members of the deceased

The Triduum—Holy Week—in the explanation of the Passion, death and Resurrection of Christ was all about the unconditional love of God for all of us, through His Son Jesus. Today we hear of Christ’s focus on love once again—but this love, which is again meant for us all, comes in a restoring act of Peter through God’s mercy. Today’s gospel has some pretty interesting parts to it—parts that are meant to make us ponder what Christ is asking of us and how we are going to respond to being both loved and challenged in our own faith lives…if we truly wish to be Christ’s disciples.

Our Youth Ministry is working on another mission trip. This time instead of urban Boston they will travel to upstate New York and work with people in rural setting. There will be yard work, house repairs and other manual labor. They will have opportunities to see how it feels to be of service to another. Christ gave us the perfect example of caring: He encountered the poor and the sick and the disadvantaged and He did not remove them from His sight but rather engaged them and entered into their lives.