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!