Dear Friends,
This Thursday, October 18, marks an historic day in the Archdiocese of Hartford. At 2:00 PM in the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Father Juan Miguel Betancourt, SEMV, will be ordained as a bishop by Archbishop Blair and begin service as Auxiliary Bishop of Hartford. Bishop-elect Betancourt is a member of the Servants of the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary, an order based in Puerto Rico. He is a native of Puerto Rico, forty-eight years old, and was ordained as a priest in 2001. He is trained in Biblical studies, has served as a pastor in the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, and has also served as Vice Dean of St. Paul Seminary, also in the St. Paul- Minneapolis archdiocese. We welcome him to the Archdiocese of Hartford. Please keep Bishop Betancourt in your prayers this week.
We are preparing to begin RCIA (The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) once again. If you know of anyone who is interested in exploring the possibility of becoming Catholic, please invite them to consider joining us. Contact Deacon John Hoffman for more information.
As the month of October unfolds, once again all registered households will be receiving a letter from me in the mail requesting your support of the Annual Collection. I hope that you will take the time to read the letter and consider making a gift to this collection. Its proceeds are vitally important for the financial health of our parish as well as our efforts to maintain and improve our beautiful parish buildings and grounds.
You may have noticed an envelope in your packet for All Souls’ Day. Each year, during the month of November, the Church prays in a special and fervent way for all the faithful departed. It is the custom in many parishes for the faithful to make an offering and include on the envelope the names of loved ones they would like to remember. So please consider making an offering and dropping your envelope into the basket anytime during this month. These envelopes will be collected and placed on the altars both at St. Mary’s and St. Agnes’ for the entirety of the month of November and all those whose names are recorded there will be remembered in a special way at every Mass throughout the month.
Have a wonderful week!
