I extend these invitations to all parishioners and also to those who have joined us from St Bernard Church--we are happy to encourage you to share your gifts and talents here at St Catherine of Siena.
A few months ago I was invited by Archbishop Blair to join him as part of a 25-member Hartford delegation to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s (USCCB) Convocation of Catholic Leaders in Orlando, Florida. The Convocation’s goal was to unite Catholic leaders across the nation in a new and far-reaching effort to re-evangelize former and fallen away Catholics and to bring to faith the unbaptized, the "Nones,"—those who are non-affiliated by way of religion, and all the other children of God so that they may come to know the depth and breadth of His love for them.
Our parish could really use your help. We are looking for people—men and women—who would like to join our Ushers Ministry. This ministry helps welcome people to Mass, especially visitors, assists Fr. Whyte with the taking up of the collection, and generally become a welcoming face of our parish. AND the great thing about this ministry is that there are few, if any, meetings. AND you serve while you are at Mass
Mrs. Agnes (Kurt) Dickenson was nominated and has been accepted by Archbishop Leonard P. Blair to receive the Archdiocese of Hartford’s Saint Joseph Medal of Appreciation Award for 2017. The award ceremony comprises a Liturgy of the Word at 3 p.m. on Sunday March 19th at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph and all are invited
On Sunday, December 4 at the 11 a.m. Mass our parish will experience the Roman Bishop’s Ceremonial Ritual of the consecration of our new altar, which was designed and built specifically for St. Catherine of Siena Parish. And you are invited to watch this unusual and most beautiful ritual happen.
Just a reminder that our Advent Giving Tree program is under-way until the end of the month. We are collecting donations for the Neighbors In Need program that supports assistance to local Simsbury-area families and individuals who are in the midst of struggles. Your support can help buy fuel for the home, food, offer assistance with repairs for automobiles so that people can get to work and continue to care for their families
I wish to offer a special gift to each and every registered Parish family here at St. Catherine of Siena. From the weekend after Christmas forward there will be in the atrium a table set up with books on it entitled, Rediscover Jesus, by Matthew Kelly. There is one book for each Parish family and I ask you to collect one each (per family) over the next week or two.
In this most Merciful year—from 8 December 2015 through 22 November 2016—Pope Francis wants the Catholic Church to highlight the essence of our lived-out Catholic faith, which is mercy and forgiveness combined with compassion and hope, to show the world what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. This “showing” of our Christ-like way is meant not only in a theological or abstract way, but also in a very practical way—a day-in, day-out sort of way—that will change a person’s life or daily existence in a meaningful way, so that they feel the presence and power of Christ in and through others.
This weekend’s first and gospel readings are apocalyptic and are tied to the end of the Church liturgical year, with the New (liturgical) Year (Advent) nearby. Apocalyptic writings are a message of hope, written in symbolic language about Jesus Christ’s victory over sin and evil, and with the Church on earth working out the details, if you will. Apocalyptic writings are not about future—about-to-happen events—but rather are about what has already happened and is now unfolding or taking place around us. Jesus Christ has died and is risen, overcoming sin and evil. This literature teaches us how evil and Christianity “coexists”—and our role in this “battle.”
Pope Francis’ recent visit was a media-love-affair. It seemed like everyone reporting it was "Catholic" and the Holy Father’s message of love and peace was well received. Some commentators focused on this first-ever pontifical speech to a Joint Session of Congress, others attempted to analyze his United Nations address, still more highlighted the pope’s break-a-way-from-security-forces to kiss a child or bless an elderly person that put fear into the hearts of the Secret Service, but the real message was one of Evangelization.
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...
For some who promote the idea of legalizing physician assisted suicide (PAS) the main idea of their selling point or marketing tool is a confusion of the idea of “choice of compassionate care.” An argument by proponents of assisted suicide is that this is a compassionate thing to do, but the reality is far different. In the words of the U.S. bishops: “True compassion alleviates suffering while maintaining solidarity with those who suffer. It does not put lethal drugs into their hands and abandon them to their suicidal impulses, or to the self-serving motives of others who may want them dead.” CLICK TO READ MORE...
Many of us have lots of questions about “how to pray” and “what we should pray for.” Some might even have questions about their “power to pray” or if God even “listens to me”. Some wonder to whom I should pray: God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary, and Joseph, another saint or nana. First, God does hear our prayers! Prayer is dialogue with God, and He wants to talk with us. CLICK TO LEARN MORE...
Just a gentle reminder that we are putting together a few new ministries (that have been requested by parishioners) over the summer and we want to hit the ground running in the fall…so if you have an interest in the following areas, please email the parish @ stcathy@comcast.net to learn more information when the time arrives. Click the title to read more...