Moral Considerations Regarding COVID-19 Vaccines
Should Catholics receive Covid-19 vaccines connected to aborted fetal cells?
The answer to the above question was provided to Connecticut Catholics in a statement from the state's Catholic Bishops on March 4, 2021, as potential vaccines began to be distributed. A time when people would spend days trying to schedule an appointment to receive a vaccination shot. This statement was in line with similar guidance from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Vatican. The simple answer is "yes". However, the Church still calls upon scientists to make every effort to create vaccines that do not use aborted cell lines.
Statement by Connecticut Catholic Bishops
"People should feel free in good conscience to receive any of the vaccines currently available (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson) for the sake of their own health and the common good, which requires the prompt vaccination of as many people as possible. This guidance is in accord with what has been stated by both the U.S. Conference of Bishops and the Holy See in Rome. At the same time the Church continues to advocate for the creation of vaccines that do not rely on cell lines derived, even remotely, from abortion".
Although the availability of various vaccines has improved in our state, the guidance given by the Connecticut Catholic Bishops, in accord with the Holy See, still stands. What has changed, in some circumstances, is the ability of a person to select what brand of vaccine they receive. Catholics can send a message to drug providers through the selection of a vaccine that does not contain aborted cell lines and that these cells should not be used in the production of vaccines and other medications. To assist Catholics in making a proper chose, the National Catholic Bioethics Center has examined the most common vaccines being distributed and rated them in terms of compliance with Catholic moral and ethical teachings. The four most common are shown below.
To read more detailed information from the National Catholic Bioethics Center and other sources on this issue click on the links below.
Precious Blood Parish in Milford's Bereavement Support Group will be meeting again beginning at the end of the summer. This 10 Week Program will meet on Thursdays from 1:00PM - 3:00PM in Fr. Cronin Hall at St. Mary Church (70 Gulf Street, Milford). It will meet from August 5th - October 7th.
Anyone coping with the loss of a loved one, whether recent or years ago, is welcome. Since 2008, this group has gathered together to help people dealing with grief. For more information or to register (required ahead of time) call Ellen S. at (203) 283-1934. www.preciousbloodparishmilford.org
On June 29, 2017 it became official - St. Agnes and St. Mary Parishes merged to become Precious Blood Parish. The coming together of the parishes has been a successful one and they now look forward to welcoming the parishioners of Christ the Redeemer into their parish community.
Want to be a part of this ever growing vibrant parish? Visit https://www.preciousbloodparishmilford.org/ to see all their ministries and to sign up to become a parishioner.
The Knights of Columbus Santa Maria Council #14546, serving St. Mary Church presented St. Mary School in Milford with their annual Father Cronin Memorial Tuition Assistance Scholarship for $2,000 and $400 in Dennis Uniform gift cards. Grand Knight Gordon “Butch” Parmalee and Treasurer Brian Burgh presented the gifts to incoming Assistant Principal Missy Dubin before their general meeting on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. The school is always so grateful for the support they receive from the Knights of Columbus every year.
Support Precious Blood Parish's Ladies Guild by enjoying breakfast, lunch or dinner (DINE IN OR TAKE OUT) at Pop’s Family Restaurant on Thursday, May 6th.
Be sure to mention Precious Blood Ladies Guild and 20% of your check will be donated to the Guild. Funds raised that day will support their various children’s events and annual scholarships.
Pop's Restaurant is located at 134 Old Gate Lane in Milford.
Hope to see you there!
The John Rigely Food Pantry at St. Mary Church is hosting a drive through food drive on Saturday, April 10th from 9am-12pm in the church parking lot. The need is great, and donations of non perishable items help restock the shelves of the pantry. Families can drive up, pop their trunk, and volunteers will take the donations, so there is no need to get out of the car. Before leaving the clergy will give all cars a blessing. You can also support the food pantry with grocery cards, or monetary support, and can give online at www.preciousbloodparishmilford.com/giving,
On Saturday, December 19, 2020 join us at St. Agnes Church campus for a Christmas Drive-Thru event. As you pass by some holiday scenes, you will slow down and collect some treats or crafts to enjoy at home.
Give a big wave to Santa as you pass him at his workshop.
The event will run from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
This event is free, however we ask that you register so that we’ll know how many children to expect. Please request a ticket for each child who will attend.
If you’re not online, please call 203-430-5107 and leave your name and number of children to attend.
Saturday, November 21st 8:00AM - 12:00PM
St. Mary Church 70 Gulf Street, Milford
The John Rigely Food Pantry of Precious Blood Parish is ready to replenish it's shelves and continue helping our neighbors in need. Items most needed at this time are soup, hot or cold cereal, coffee, hot chocolate, tuna, mac & cheese, cookies, crackers, granola bars, canned chicken, and mayonnaise. Always welcome are monetary donations, gift cards, and checks (made out to Precious Blood Parish - memo line: John Rigely Food Pantry).
In order to stay socially distanced, follow the signs and cones behind St. Mary Church hall, STAY IN YOUR CAR, open your trunk, and a volunteer will remove your donation. Then, if you like, you can drive to a blessing station to have your car and everyone in it blessed by the clergy (please you stay in your car.) You can also support the food pantry by giving online at www.preciousbloodparishmilford.org/giving
Dear Parishioners:
Archbishop Blair has announced that weekend Masses may resume the weekend of July 4-5. On that weekend, we will be celebrating Masses according to our regular schedule, namely:
at St. Mary Church at
4:30 PM Saturday, 8:30, 10:00, 11:30 AM, and 4:30 PM Sunday
and at St. Agnes Church at
5:00 PM Saturday, 7:30 and 10:30 AM Sunday.
Please note that we are limited to no more than 100 persons at any one Mass in either church. If you are elderly, infirm in any way, or if you care for someone who is elderly or infirm, you should refrain from returning to Mass at this time. If you are nervous or frightened in any way, you should also refrain from coming. Please note that the Archbishop has extended the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass to every Catholic in the Archdiocese through September 6.
All who attend Masses must wear cloth facial coverings (masks). If you cannot wear a face covering, it is advisable to refrain from attending Mass at this time. The pews will be marked off by tape to assist in maintaining social distancing, but members of the same family who live together may sit in the same pew.
At the first Masses when we return, we will be providing guidance regarding how to receive Communion, and for the near future only the priests and deacons will be distributing Holy Communion. Gloves should not be worn at all. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) discourages the use of gloves by anyone but medical personnel. The church will be cleaned and sanitized appropriately after each Mass.
While we can not be sure how many of you may want to return, we nevertheless cannot allow either church to have more than the regulated capacity of 100 persons. We suggest that some may wish to consider, for now, coming every other weekend. This is new to all of us, and we must all cooperate to make it work. Daily Mass is available at 7:00 AM on Monday through Friday (and at 7:30 AM on Saturday) at St. Mary and at 9:00 AM Monday through Friday at St. Agnes. Neither of these has proven to be overcrowded and may be an option for some to consider.
Know that we are grateful to all of you for your prayers and for the very generous ongoing financial support of the parish during the months we have been out of church through now. At weekend Masses, there will be no formal collection, but baskets will be available for you to drop your envelopes or donations into on your way out of church.
We ask God’s blessings on all of us as we return to weekend Mass!
The John Rigely Food Pantry at St. Mary Church held a drive through food drive last weekend. Families donated food and money to restock the dwindling shelves of the pantry. Families drove up, popped open their trunk, and volunteers took the donation so you didn't even have to get out of the car. Before leaving the clergy of the parish then gave all cars a blessing. You can support the food pantry and give online at www.preciousbloodparishmilford.com/giving.
Dear Parishioners:
I hope this letter finds you and those you love well. I write because Archbishop Blair has issued guidelines for the reopening of churches in the Archdiocese of Hartford. I want to share with you the most important points of those guidelines.
While our churches here at Precious Blood Parish have been open every day since the closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have not been able to celebrate Mass or the other sacraments. That is about to change.
Beginning Monday, June 8, we will once again be celebrating Mass at both churches. For the time being, only weekday Masses will be celebrated. The obligation to attend Sunday Mass is suspended for all Catholics of the Archdiocese through September 6, 2020. Those who are over the age of 65 and those with existing health concerns are encouraged not to attend Mass. There will be no public Sunday Masses celebrated for the immediate future.
The weekday Masses will be celebrated at their usual times, that is, 7:00 AM at St. Mary Church with a 7:30 AM Mass on Saturday, and 9:00 AM at St. Agnes Church Monday through Friday. In line with the mandate of Governor Lamont, no more than 100 people can be in attendance at any one Mass. If more than 100 people come, some will have to be asked to leave. Both churches have the pews set off by blue tape indicating safe social distancing. Please sit only in pews that are not taped off and please be sure to maintain a six-foot distance from others around you, unless those close to you are family members. This may well mean that you will not be able to sit in your usually preferred seat.
While we will endeavor to be sure that hand sanitizer is available at the entrances of both churches, you are strongly encouraged to bring your own, chiefly as a means to conserve the supply, which at present is somewhat challenging to maintain. All those coming into the church are required to wear facial masks, unless a medical condition prevents them from doing so. If that is the case, we encourage you to remain at home, or at the very least, maintain proper, safe social distancing.
For the reception of Holy Communion, you are asked to come forward, one by one, maintaining social distancing in the center of the aisle, with your mask on. All are strongly encouraged to receive Holy Communion in the hand for the time being. You are asked not to wear gloves for the reception of Holy Communion or in the church at all. Indeed, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) does not recommend the use of gloves by anyone except medical personnel in professional settings. When you have received Communion in your hand, step aside, move your mask aside, and consume the Host, and then replace your mask before proceeding to your seat.
Once the Mass has ended, you are asked to leave the church and not congregate at the entrances. Of course, should you wish to interact with other parishioners outside the church, please do so with masks on and at a safe social distance. We would also ask that, for the immediate future, all would recite the Rosary in private, preferably at home, and not as a group in church either before or after Mass.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) will resume at the regular times beginning on Monday, June 8, as well. Confessions are heard at St. Mary Church on Mondays from 6:00 to 7:00 PM and at St. Agnes Church on Saturdays from 3:30 to 4:30 PM. Confessions at St. Agnes will be heard for the immediate future in the cry room, located to the left of the sanctuary just beyond the doors leading into the parish hall. Penitents are required to wear a mask and to sit in a chair (no kneeler will be provided). Please use hand sanitizer on entering the penance room and on leaving. You will also be asked to do whatever penance is imposed in your car, at home, or somewhere else on leaving the church.
For the immediate future, the Monday evening Novena of the Miraculous Medal as well as Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is suspended. We will resume that devotion when it can be celebrated properly, that is, with music and hymns.
In an effort to make communication with you even better, we need your email address, which will enable us to reach you more quickly and far more inexpensively. We hope to publish a monthly e-newsletter as well. We ask EVERYONE to go to the parish website and click the Add Your Email button under Our Locations and submit your email address. Here you will enter your email(s), name, address, and envelope number (if you have one). This will help us match the email address with the correct person as we have many families with the same last name.
Like you, I too, look forward to the day when our lives will return to some semblance of normalcy. Until then, let us all cooperate for the common good.
Thank you and I hope to see many of you soon!
The Reverend Aidan N. Donahue
Pastor
The PBP Ladies Guild scholarship/grant applications are available for girls until 5/25/20. The applications relative to a scholarship are available for any 8th grade girl that will be attending a Catholic High School. The application for a grant is available for any 8th grade girl OR any girl presently attending a Catholic High School. Each applicant must be an immediate member of a family registered in Precious Blood Parish. The scholarship and/or grant will be awarded on the basis of scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities and need. To request an application and/or further information, please contact Mary Jane Robbins at 203-878-8492.
Sock Hop Tickets will go on sale starting Saturday February 1 and Sunday February 2 and Saturday February 8 and Sunday February 9 at both Saint Agnes and Saint Mary Churches. They will continue to be sold at the Saint Mary’s Rectory during the 2 weeks leading up to the Sock Hop.
Last day for ticket sales will be Wednesday February 12 and will NOT be sold at the door
The Snow Date will be on Friday February 21, 2020.
The Sock Hop committee will provide ice, water, coffee and…, as well as plates, utensils, cups and napkins.
Please feel free to bring your own drinks and food to the dance.
There will be a 50/50 Raffle and Door Prizes throughout the evening.
Parties of 8 or more are welcome to reserve a table. Please see a ticket seller to reserve a table.**You are more than welcome to save a table for under 8, but we ask that one person in your party arrive early to hold a table. Please see a ticket seller for any questions you may have.
If the Sock Hop is delayed due to weather or if the Snow Date of the event is cancelled, please check this website for those updates.
If the Snow Date of the event is cancelled we will refund all tickets by doing a ticket exchange after the masses on February 22 and February 23 at both Saint Agnes and Saint Mary’s Churches. Please bring your ticket(s) and we will refund your money for EACH ticket we receive.
The DJ will be playing songs of the late 50s and early 60s AND will be taking requests throughout the night for songs within the 1950s and 1960s.
