Dear Friends,
We are now in the middle of September and schools all across the country have reopened and, by and large, in spite of everything, things have gone well. I have taken note of how local school board meetings across the country have become somewhat tense as parents come to the meetings and raise questions, as is their right, about what their children are being taught in the public schools. As the Church teaches, parents are the primary teachers of their children, including in the areas of faith and morals. Schools and teachers, be they public, Catholic, or private, are meant to support the parents in this important role and never supplant them.
Our own St. Mary School, which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary, is an institution of which all of us can be proud. Deacon Dominic Corraro, the principal, as well as the faculty and staff, welcomed well over three hundred children back to school late in August. Thus far, all has gone smoothly. Our school has as its motto “ LIVE THE MESSAGE OF JESUS” and as I like to say, Jesus is the actual Head of our school, for we seek to help all our students grow in their knowledge of Jesus, their love for him, and their faithfulness to the way of life he taught. Our curriculum is solid and what we teach in the school is, first and foremost, rooted in the Gospel and the teachings of the Catholic Church, the wisdom that the Church has accrued and taught through the ages. There is no place in our school for politically-correct “wokeism” as it is called, nor are teachers in any way permitted to express their personal political opinions. It is the task of parents alone to form their children politically, not the place of educators.
We as a parish have launched into our participation in the Forward in Faith campaign connected with The Hartford Bishops’ Foundation. Some parishioners have received a letter from me asking for a small amount of time to meet with them and ask them to consider making a gift to the campaign. Others will be receiving letters in this regard in the future.
It is my hope that our parish campaign will be completed either before, or shortly after Christmas. There will be no parish Annual Collection taken this year.
The annual Mass of Remembrance for the Deceased who were buried from our parish in the past year will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 9 at 7:30 PM at St. Agnes Church. Families and loved ones will be receiving a letter of invitation to this Mass sometime in the next few weeks.
Finally, by way of reminder, starting Monday, January 3, 2022 the daily Mass at St. Mary’s will be celebrated at 8:00 AM from Monday through Saturday.
Have a good week!