This weekend we hear again from the Gospel of Mark whom we have been listening to for a good part of the past year—and as we soon end this current Liturgical Year (with the coming of Advent) we will say goodbye to the Markan Gospel. Today we hear about a poor widow who put into the Temple Treasury the equivalent of about two (2) cents while other, more well-to-do members gave larger sums of money. And yet, the Lord considers the widows gift to be of greater value than “the larger sums.” Why?

The process of “becoming Catholic,” known in the Church as the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), calls for the “whetting the appetite,” if you will, for someone on a journey to a deeper relationship with God. RCIA is not meant to be a credited course in theology nor is it meant to answer every question one has about the Roman Catholic faith. Rather, it is meant to open one up to come closer to God via faith in the Church: her sacramental life, theology and the lived-experience of being Catholic in the community.

Thanks to the generosity of our parishioners in the monthly Repair and Refurbishment collection, Saint Catherine of Siena Parish is able to maintain and improve our parish facilities. While no one likes to do all these projects, it is certainly better to “keep up with things” then to play “catchup.” Current projects underway are:

In the Catholic tradition our eternal hope is to join the Communion of Saints. Our Christian goal is to align our individual wills to the Will of God—and seek the gift of eternal life. Clearly we do not “earn” or “merit” eternal life for it is a gift given freely by God—because of His unfathomable love for each of us. Our role it to make life decisions that lead us to accomplishing God’s Will by way of our words and deeds

In every age the Church must come to understand the kind of leadership she needs to carry out the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ. As noted a few weeks ago in the homily, we are a Church that is both human and Divine. We are comprised of human beings, both clergy and laity, who administer the Church’s offices, ministries, parishes and agencies—the human side of the Church. We are also created by God, founded by Christ, and now guided by the Holy Spirit in-and-through human cooperation/discipleship—thus the magisterium of the Church. Indeed we are both human and Divine.

Catholic education seeks excellence in academic formation—in math, science, languages and art and more—which is then rounded out with the excellence of moral teachings. This moral understanding of the human condition, not just in the “why” God commands us to be a moral people but also how that moral standard is meant to be applied in everyday living.

Hy-per-bo-le (noun) “exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.” More detail is given in the words from the Thesaurus.com including: amplification, exaggeration, overkill, embellishment and (in poetry) purple prose. Today’s Gospel of Mark employs hyperbole, as do other areas of the Bible particularly when Jesus teaches His disciples. In Matthew (5:30) Jesus says: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea

In our Catholic Christian faith, corporal works of mercy are a “big thing.” Jesus not only spoke about service, or corporal works of mercy, He actually did them—giving new meaning to “actions speak louder than words.” In fact, the mission and ministry of Jesus came to be known as “the Suffering Servant” by Scripture scholars and Christ Himself said, “Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (MT: 30:28, MK 10:45 and John 13:1-7)

K-10 begin on Sunday, September 16th at Henry James Memorial School,9:30-10:30 am. Confirmation I & II Classes at HJMS begin at 9:15 am and end at 10:30 am. The evening classes meet at the church, Confirmation I (Grade 9) from 6 pm-7:15 pm and Confirmation II (Grade 10) from 7:15 pm-8:30 pm. Class lists will be posted on our website the first week of September.

What a timely question for today’s secular culture and for our Church. This weekend’s readings speak to the interrelationship between morality and truth and our lived lives—as well as the building block of Truth and its inherent limitations. If something is an absolute truth, it is by its definition, limited in scope. A truth cannot be multiple things or be comprised of different hues of truth. Specifically, let us look to the second reading from the Letter of James where we hear that “All good living and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.”

For those present in Church last weekend when I read a letter from Archbishop Blair and preached on the topic of sexual abuse and the Church, I wish to briefly address again the issue on everyone’s mind: this scandal in the Church. As a priest, this is very embarrassing and very sad. It is beyond my comprehension that anyone—clergy or lay person—could look at a child and see anything other than a child of God, innocent and precious

Archbishop Blair has directed all pastors to hold “listening sessions” in every parish during the summer months. This is to hear from the lay faithful and to enlist their experiences and their knowledge of the parish in which they practice their faith and the interrelationship with the AOH. In fact, the Archbishop asks us to consider three (3) questions during these listening sessions: (1) What are we (as an Archdiocese) doing well? (2) What are we (as an Archdiocese) not doing so well? (3) What are we (as an Archdiocese) not doing that we should be doing?

I am very happy to announce that Manuela Hanshaw has been selected as our parish’s new director of Youth Ministry. Manuela has worked as an assistant to Judy Pluta for two years and has developed a strong working relationship with those teens already involved in our Youth Ministry Program. CLICK TO READ MORE...

In partnership with the Archdiocese of Hartford, we are now embarking on Forward with Faith, a landmark campaign, and the first ever in our 175-year history, being led by the Hartford Bishops’ Foundation, through which every par-ish will be asked to participate. This effort should not be mistaken for the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, which is used to maintain the day-to-day operations of the Archdiocese.

Today the Catholic Church—like all faith institutions—lives in a very different and ever-changing American culture. Gone are the days when Sunday Masses were not just packed but was the priority of the day—over sports, work and other scheduled items—for everyone. Holy Days of Obligation were actually obligatory, and Catholic sports teams and musical bands were part of a town’s everyday life.

Signs, to be effective, must be clear and understandable. To make this point, just think of a time you were at the DMV and couldn’t figure out the correct line to stand in all day…or maybe traveling in a foreign airport where you didn’t speak the language and the signs were “as clear as mud.” That feeling of not-knowing is unsettling to say the least. Today’s gospel is another example of the importance of understanding signs—CLICK TO READ MORE!

Many Catholics today might wonder whatexactly is the relationship between a parish and a (arch) diocese. Is the latter just another level ofadministration, bureaucracy or authority--or is there a more relevant and uniquely empowering connection?

In this weekend’s gospel, Mark chapter 6, versus 30-34, we hear of a difficult and very active missionary trip which the apostles just completed and are told that “they were so busy they didn't even have time to eat.” Later on in this same gospel Jesus invites His apostles to spend some time alone--to refresh themselves, to take a little time off to refresh and Regroup.

Superheroes, faith and miracles—Oh My! While it may be a wee bit dangerous to equate modern-day superheroes with Jesus, theologically speaking—this weekend’s Gospel of Mark (6: 1-6) does make you wonder why Jesus “was not able to perform any mighty deed in His hometown, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He mentions their “lack of faith.” Was that faithlessness a form of “kryptonite” that prevented Him from His miraculous deeds? It seems, from Jesus’ own words, it was?

Last year the Presbyteral Council, a council of priests who advise the Archbishop, was asked by Archbishop Blair for discussion on the need and role of an archdiocesan synod at this time here in the Archdiocese of Hartford (AOH), as part of our ongoing Pastoral Planning efforts. In preparation for our AOH Synod in 2020, the Archbishop has met with all his priests at their respective Deanery Meetings to hear their desires and concerns for the AOH as she continues to meet the spiritual and corporal needs of the Church in the modern world.