Holy Week is the celebration of our Christian faith acknowledging our belief and hope in the suffering, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ who in this great offering of Himself on the Cross gives us the gift of everlasting and glorious life. This is accomplished to remake us—transform us—into the Divine Presence of God by way of sharing in Christ’s suffering and pas-sion in this world so that we may share also in His Resurrection...CLICK TO READ MORE..

Some time ago, a mother was talking to me about the struggles she was having raising children—especially teenagers: finances, attitudes, the culture in which Catholic parents are challenged to raise their children in, and more. After the conversation, I went immediately to the church and kneeled in the pew and thanked God for the easy life I have as a priest! Seriously, life can be very difficult—difficult for very good people who have good kids and who are trying to do what is right for their children (or other family members). To quote a wise person, “It ain’t easy!”...CLICK TO READ MORE..

So, what is Laetare Sunday? Answer: Laetare Sunday is the popular name for the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Laetare means "Rejoice" in Latin, and the Introit (entrance antiphon) in both the Traditional Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo (the Mass we celebrate in English) is Isaiah 66:10-11, which begins "Laetare, Jerusalem" ("Rejoice, O Jerusalem")...CLICK TO READ MORE...

Longtime parishioners Colleen and Tom Tighe were nominated by me to receive the 2015 Archdiocesan St. Joseph Medal of Appreciation. St. Joseph is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Hartford which is why our Cathedral in Hartford bears his name as well as this Award. The annual award given by the Archbishop of Hartford in a ceremony at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph recognizes either one parishioner or a married couple for their outstanding service over a long period of time to their parish...CLICK TO READ MORE...

John’s Gospel (2:13-25) today shows us that indeed Jesus was fully human. We see Jesus consumed with the human emotion of anger. I guess we could say that on this day in the Temple, Jesus had a “bad day.” We’ve all had “bad days” and we have all lost our temper. For most of us, we were taught that anger is a negative emotion and we should not exhibit it. But there are times when anger is justified - CLICK TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE

The Real Legislative discussion should be on palliative care, modern pain management, and eliminating fears about death.The Connecticut Legislature’s Judiciary Committee has proposed a bill that, if enacted, would allow Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) in our State. The proponents of the bill—as well as its title—want us to assume that the bill is all about “death with dignity” or “compassionate care.” It is not that I don’t believe the intentions of the proponents of the legislation that they think the bill offers compassion, but rather that their suppositions are based on falsehoods and misinformation. CLICK FOR MORE INFO...

This tough winter with its regular weekend snow storms has had a big impact on our parish and its ministries. Understandable low Mass attendance impacts not only the weekly collections which pay our electric, plowing and heating bills as well as staff salaries, BUT also impacts in a negative way our ministerial outreach. For example, when fewer people are able to attend church then the donations to our Lenten Mercy Project are down and the benefits to organizations such as Avon’s Gifts of Love or the Little Sisters of the Poor in Enfield to name two are negatively impacted. PLEASE CLICK TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE...