October 16, 2022

Dear Friends:

This past Tuesday, October 11, marked the sixtieth anniversary of a landmark event in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. On that day, at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Pope John XXIII presided over the opening of what is officially known as the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican (more popularly, Vatican II). On that day, over two thousand bishops from everywhere in the world convened in response to the call of John XXIII for an aggiornamento (Italian for “updating”). The times were turbulent after the conclusion of the Second World War, the advent of the nuclear age, and the spread of totalitarianism, among other things. There was need for the Church to meet the challenges of modern times, to offer her perspective on the moral questions of our time, and also, for the Church to take a good, long and hard look at herself from within.

Vatican II spanned four years in all, with four sessions in each of the fall seasons of 1962 to 1965, concluding on December 8, 1965. Pope John XXIII died in June of 1963 and was succeeded by Pope Paul VI who pledged to continue the council, bring it to conclusion, and implement its decrees. The council issued sixteen documents in all, still worthy of reading and study after six decades. These documents deal with a range of concerns, from the liturgy, to an understanding of the Church, and an understanding of Scripture, among other topics. The council also issued a document on religious freedom (unheard of at the time) and a significant document on social and moral issues of the time, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, which discussed issues ranging from marriage and the family, to war and peace, and economic concerns.

We are even now, all these years later, in the Vatican II Church. We are bound by what the council decreed and over these past six decades, a succession of popes ranging from John Paul II to Francis, has issued directives and teachings based on the council. Though there are some who would like to turn back the clock, there can be no doing so.

As we move forward in our efforts to implement the national Eucharistic Revival mandated by our bishops, we will be posting selections from decrees of Vatican II as well as other sources to help all of us deepen our reverence for and appreciation of the wonderful gift of the Eucharist, the final legacy the Lord left to us all on the night before he died. I hope you will read them carefully and pray with them.

I have noticed, with some consternation, that there are more than a few who come to Mass, on weekends and even weekdays, much too late. Please try to be on time. If you come late to Mass and miss the Liturgy of the Word (the readings, the psalm and the Gospel, along with the homily), an essential part of the Mass, you should really refrain from receiving Communion. The Vatican Council called for the full, active and conscious participation of the people in the liturgy. One cannot be said to have participated fully, actively and consciously if they arrive for Mass fifteen or twenty minutes after it has started. A simple remedy is to take note of the parish schedule and plan accordingly. If I seem harsh, so be it. There is a place for the pastor as shepherd of the parish to issue warnings and rebukes when such are necessary. There may be rare occasions when one may, through no fault of one’s own, be late, but it should not be a regular habit.

Have a good week!

Spetmber 25, 2022

Last weekend, our parish hosted not one, but two events that were well-received, another sign of things returning to normal after the upheaval caused by the pandemic. Saturday afternoon on the grounds at St. Mary’s, a “Fun Day” was held offering the children of the parish the opportunity to “touch a truck.” A number of vehicles were parked in the lot. We had a fire engine, ambulances, a police vehicle as well as a police motorcycle, several tow trucks, a garbage truck (maybe we should call it a refuse collection vehicle), and even a school bus. The children who came seemed to have a good time. On Sunday afternoon on the grounds of St. Agnes, we held the first parish picnic since before the pandemic hit. Approximately two hundred people came and enjoyed time together, with good food catered by Lasse’s and good weather as well. It was a great success.

I want to thank all those who worked so hard to plan and organize these events. I will not name anyone specifically lest I forget or omit someone.

Looking forward to the near future, this coming Saturday, October 1, we will be holding our annual Blessing of the Animals in connection with the celebration of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4. The blessing will take place outdoors at St. Mary’s near the statue of St. Francis. Please have dogs on leashes or in crates if you cannot hold them. Cats often do much better if they are crated.

The Ladies’ Guild will be holding its annual Fall Auction and Dinner in Father Callahan Hall at St. Agnes on Saturday,
October 29. Tickets will soon be available. There are also plans to have a Family Movie Night sometime in October behind St. Mary’s School. Details on that will be forthcoming.

Have a good week!

September 4, 2022

Dear Friends:

Schools have opened and life is now returning to normal, and this year at St. Mary’s School we are delighted to welcome well over 360 children from the three-year olds in our prekindergarten program through to those in the eighth grade, some of whom will have been in our school, when all is said and done, for eleven years in all. We have welcomed some new faculty and staff, and the school, under the direction of Deacon Dominic Corraro, the principal, is in good hands. I am confident that the children entrusted to our care who will be formed in our Catholic faith will profit from their experiences in our school. As pastor, and as a product of Catholic education myself, I am fully committed to our parish school. I want it to succeed, to be as excellent as possible, and to grow even more. I am of the opinion that St. Mary’s School is the best in the Archdiocese. It is a credit to our parish, and its contributions to the life and vitality of our parish are inestimable.

That being said, I will reiterate some words of caution that I wrote in the bulletin several months ago regarding public education here in Milford as well as elsewhere. Not everyone chooses to send their children to a Catholic school, and some find it difficult to afford. Nonetheless, I urge parents of children enrolled in the public schools to monitor carefully what their children are being taught. There are reports of public schools teaching CRT (Critical Race Theory, which is in many ways contrary to the teachings of the Church) as well as promoting or tolerating fluidity in gender identity. My point is simple: parents of children enrolled in public schools should take an active, regular and consistent interest in what their children are being taught. There can be no place for indoctrination of any kind. Parents are the primary teachers of their children. This includes formation in faith and spiritual matters as well as politics and social issues. Let your voices be heard at the Milford Board of Education meetings if you have any concerns.

We are now preparing to resume regular meetings of the Pastoral Council (what was once called the Parish Council) after the disruption due to the pandemic. This body meets five times a year to review various dimensions of parish life. Each meeting is topically focused. The Pastoral Council is not deliberative in nature, that is, it does not make final decisions. It exists to advise the pastor on all matters of parish life, and as the current pastor, I take the advice of the Pastoral Council with the utmost seriousness. If you would like to be considered for appointment to the Pastoral Council, please let either myself or Deacon John know. You may also call the parish office at (203) 878-3571.

The weekend of September 10-11 we will be holding a drive in support of the Deacon John Rigely Food Pantry. Monetary donations or donations of food are most appreciated. Given the dire state of the economy in this country at present, the needs are greater than ever.

Have a good week!

August 21, 2022

Dear Friends:

One of the most beautiful and most misunderstood sacraments of the Church is the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Referred to as “Extreme Unction” (or the anointing given in the last moments of life) before Vatican II, the name was changed by Vatican II to reflect a new understanding of this sacrament. It is a sacrament for the sick, for those who are seriously ill, as well as for those who suffer from age-related weakness or even mental illness. It is not primarily a sacrament for the dying. In the mind of the Church, this sacrament should be celebrated normally when the sick person is conscious and able to take part in the celebration, which can also include the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) and the reception of Holy Communion. The purpose of the sacrament is to bring peace, serenity, a deeper trust in God and a deepened hope. It can also heal, but in most cases the healing is spiritual in nature. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is a continuation of the ministry Jesus extended to those who were sick and Jesus himself commissioned his Church to care for the sick.

All of this being said, some points are in order:

1. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick can be administered only by a validly ordained Catholic Priest. It cannot be given by deacons, nurses, physicians or even hospice chaplains. It is, therefore, crucial that provision be made that a priest be called to give the sacrament once a person’s medical condition has become serious, where death seems possible. Once a person is admitted into hospice care, the priest should be called so that, again, the sick person may participate fully in the celebration. It is not wise to wait until the point of death for two reasons. First, there may not be a priest readily available, and second, the sick person may not be able to participate as he or she should.

2. The Priests of this parish are responsible for visiting the sick at home, in nursing facilities, and at the Milford campus of Bridgeport
   Hospital. We cover the hospital five of the seven days each week. The proper procedure, if in the hospital, is to arrange for the nurse or the pastoral care minister to call the rectory for one of the priests to come. Given the lingering effects of the pandemic, it is not always easy to get into health care facilities. If a loved one is in Bridgeport Hospital itself, Yale New Haven Hospital or the St. Vincent’s Medical Center, it is the duty of the priest chaplain in those facilities to anoint patients, not parish priests. If a loved one is in a nursing facility in Fairfield County, anywhere across the Housatonic River, then a priest from that locale should be called, as it is outside the Archdiocese of Hartford and the priests of our parish do not have faculties to minister there, nor do we have a letter of suitability required by the bishops in connection with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults.

3. Once the sacrament is celebrated, it need not be repeated unless the sick person recovers and then later experiences a sharp decline in his or her health. The late Father Thomas Gaffney, a much loved priest who served at St. Mary’s for many years and also served as a hospital chap-lain, once told me that, as a general rule, the Sarament of the Anointing of the Sick was considered in effect for a three-month period. In any case, should you feel a need to celebrate the sacrament, contact one of the priests and we will do whatever we can.

4. Finally, if anyone is going into the hospital for major surgery or has received a diagnosis of serious illness, such as cancer, heart disease, and dementia to name a few, please do not hesitate to call and ask for the sacraments. We will be glad to come to your home, to meet you in the rectory, or to celebrate them with you after any Mass. If you wait until you go into the hospital, especially with same-day surgery, a priest may not be available.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to speak with me.

August 7, 2022

Dear Friends:

In this message, I would like to set down some suggestions and reminders about attendance at Mass, or better still, participation at Mass. Of course, all Catholics are obliged to be at Mass each weekend and only for the gravest of reasons may they absent themselves. This is not merely a matter of Church law, but a clear message about the centrality of the Eucharist in our spiritual lives. We cannot live without the Bread of Life and we should never try to go it alone, by remaining absent or distant from the Lord or from the assembly of fellow believers.

Given the importance of the Mass in our lives, it seems reasonable to express the following points for us all to consider:

1. Be on time for Mass and remain until the end. On many weekends, I notice people coming into church as late as the reading of the Gospel and many leave on receiving Communion. We should be present for the opening hymn and depart after the priest leaves the altar at the end of Mass. There might be serious reasons to leave early, but they should be rare.

2. Dress appropriately. When we come to Mass, we come to encounter the Lord himself. The way we dress says something about our understanding of and our attitude toward the Mass. While it is not necessary to dress in a suit and tie or a dress or skirt, what one wears to church should be at the very least what we call “smart casual” and modest. There is no place for tank tops, flip-flops, or very short shorts in church. What one wears to the beach one should not wear to church.

3. When arriving in church, spend a few minutes to quiet yourself, to prepare for the Mass, to prepare to meet the Lord. When we come to church, we must separate ourselves from the noisy world outside. That means we do not talk to others in church and we certainly make no use of cell phones. At the end of the Mass, talk to fellow parishioners and friends outside of the church so that others who need time and silence for prayer in the church may have it.

4. When coming to receive Communion, walk in line up to the minister of Holy Communion and when you approach to receive the Eucharist, make a slight bow of the body (genuflection should not be done), and have both hands extended, one on top of the other. When the minister says to you “The Body of Christ,” respond audibly so the minister may hear you, “Amen.” Then receive the host, step aside, take your bottom hand and pick up the host from the palm of your other hand, and consume it. If you receive on the tongue, please extend your tongue sufficiently so that the minster may easily place the host on it after you respond, “Amen.” Then return to your seat and make some act of thanksgiving for the gift you have received.

Two points need to be made in addition to the above. First, one should not be concerned with receiving Communion from a specific minister, such as a priest, rather than from a deacon or an extraordinary minister. Our focus should be always on the One whom we are receiving and not on the person from whom we receive the Eucharist. Second, the bishops of the United States have determined that the proper bodily gesture for the reception of Communion is a slight bow of the body. Genuflection disrupts the procession and as a rule is required of the laity only two times at Mass. Genuflect to the tabernacle when you come into church before taking your seat, and genuflect to the tabernacle at the end of Mass before you leave. No other gestures or postures are mandated.

I offer these thoughts with the hope that our celebration of the Mass will always be worthy, reverent, and orderly.

Have a good week!

July 31, 2022

Dear Friends,

As has been the custom, each year every parish in the Archdiocese of Hartford is assigned a religious order that sponsors missionary efforts, usually outside the United States. The religious order sends a delegate who speaks at all (or most of ) the Masses on a given weekend and then a special collection is taken up, the proceeds of which goes to the religious order to help them continue its missionary work.

This year, our parish has been asked to host a representative who will speak on behalf of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, an order with which I am quite familiar since five brothers lived within the boundaries of my previous parish, Sacred Heart in Bloomfield. Several of them worked for the parish. The Brothers of the Sacred Heart sponsor missions in Africa, especially Zimbabwe. From all that I know about them, they do excellent work on behalf of the Gospel and they are worthy of our prayers and support.

Next weekend, Mr. Thomas Indelicato will be with us to speak at most of the Masses at St. Mary’s Church. Deacon John will read the presentation prepared by Mr. Indelicato at all Masses at St. Agnes. Mr Indelicato has been a teacher at Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, New Hampshire, for twenty-two years and he and his wife have sponsored a mission trip with some of the students from Bishop Guertin High School to the missions sponsored by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Zimbabwe. Thus, he has seen first-hand the work that the Brothers do in Africa. By way of additional information, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart operate nine high schools in the United States, Bishop Guertin being one of them.

Next weekend, at all Masses in both churches, a second collection will be taken to assist the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in the work they do in Africa. Please be generous as you always are, and by way of reminder, one of the precepts of the Church is that we are to pray for and financially assist to the best of our ability the missionary efforts of the Church.

By way of advance notice, we will be having a Parish Picnic on Sunday, September 18, on the grounds of St. Agnes Church. More information will be forthcoming.

Have a good week!

July 24, 2022

Dear Friends,

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently introduced a new initiative aimed at deepening our understanding of the Eucharist, its centrality in the life of the Church and our own lives. This initiative, called the National Eucharistic Revival, rose, in part, out of concerns that emerged from recent polls that indicate that numbers of Catholics do not believe what the Church believes and teaches about the Eucharist, namely that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Christ. When we receive the Eucharist, we are receiving Jesus himself, body, blood, soul and divinity. It is not a symbol and it is not some meaningless ritual.

The Second Vatican Council (Vatican II), in its document on the liturgy issued in December of 1963, refers to the Eucharist as “the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the fount from which all her power flows.” This tells us just how crucial, how important the Eucharist is and should be to us. The Eucharist stands at the head of all the sacraments, and it is around the altar, the Eucharistic table, that the Church is most fully manifested and pre- sent. Thus, because the Eucharist is of such centrality and importance, no faithful Catholic would absent himself or herself willfully from the Sunday Eucharistic celebration.

The Eucharistic Revival will unfold in a number of stages. The first, just underway now, runs through June 11, 2023. It focuses on the Archdiocesan level and invites the staff of the Archdiocese as well as its clergy to reflect on the gift of the Eucharist as a source of blessing for ministry so as to prepare them to introduce the second stage, the parish revival running from June 2023 to July 2024. During that year, we will focus on the reverent celebration of the Mass, Eucharistic adoration, a parish mission centered on the Eucharist and formation in Eucharistic faith. The third stage is the National Eucharistic Congress which will be held in Indianapolis from July 17-21, 2024. At this event, over 80,000 Catholics from around the country will gather for presentations on the Eucharist and the life of the Church, Eucharistic
adoration, and several Masses. The National Eucharistic Revival’s final stage will be a year of “going on mission” to share our faith in the Eucharistic Lord with others, fallen away Catholics included. This will run from July 2024 and conclude on Pentecost 2025.

I share this with you for purposes of information. As the year of parish Eucharistic renewal approaches, we will be planning some events and celebrations. It goes without saying that, since we are one of the few parishes in the Archdiocese specifically dedicated by name to the Eucharist, we should make some effort in connection with the National Eucharistic Revival.

Have a good week!

June 26, 2022

Dear Friends,

This Wednesday, June 29, marks the fifth anniversary of the merger of the former St. Mary Parish and the former St. Agnes Parish into what is known now as Precious Blood Parish. While the merger did not go seamlessly, for change is difficult for most of us, I look back in amazement at how you, the people of the parish, have adjusted and adapted to a new situation. I am pleased to see that many of you feel quite free in going to Mass at either of the two churches in the parish, even though in your hearts there will always be a special affection for your own church. We must remember that we are Precious Blood Parish and that we are fortunate to have for our use two very beautiful parish plants. We must also remember that, just over a year ago now, we welcomed the people of Christ the Redeemer Parish and we are also fortunate to have that beautiful facility available to us, at least for the near future. No decision has been made regarding the property at Christ the Redeemer, although a committee has been formed to discuss options. We will be meeting again as a committee in the near future.

During the past five years, we commended Father Callahan to the Lord as he passed from this life in January of 2020, just shy of ninety-five years old and in his seventy-first year as a priest, half of those years serving as pastor of St. Agnes. We welcomed Father Sam and Father Deny in June of 2017. Father Deny left us to take up studies in Rome in 2019 and Father Lijo came to us in November of that year. Father Lee Hellwig came to us in November of 2021 when Father Sam was reassigned to West Hartford. Father Moncy joined us earlier this month and Father Hellwig was reassigned to Hamden. Seven priests in all have served in some capacity since the formation of the new parish.

What will the future hold? The Archdiocese continues the process of pastoral planning and the model that is being implemented widely is what is known as the “municipal model,” whereby each town, at least optimally, should be served by a single parish. In some cases, several smaller towns may come together in a single parish. No decisions have been made regarding Milford, but at some point, we might well see something develop. For now, all remains as it is. We continue to worship God together, seek to spread the Gospel through faith formation and social outreach, and grow in our faith. That is what a parish is for. We are doing quite well, but we can always be better and improve.

I want to thank all of you for your cooperation, your flexibility and your understanding. I would be remiss if I did not, at the same time, thank you for your wonderful generosity. Your giving of your time, talent, and your financial support make all the difference in the world.

May God bless you all!

June 5, 2022

Dear Friends,

Our celebration of Pentecost this weekend brings to a close our fifty-day celebration of Easter. During these days we have meditated upon the significance of the Resurrection of the Lord, what it means for us as we live our lives here and now and well as what it holds out to us in hope as we look forward to eternal life after passing through death itself. During the weeks of the Easter season, we read through the Acts of the Apostles as well as much of the Gospel of John, significant passages that are meant to assure us of the truth of the Resurrection and the truth of the Risen Lord’s abiding presence among us, which we experience when we read the Scriptures and celebrate the sacraments, most importantly the Eucharist. We have been reminded of the Lord’s wish for us to have peace and his command that we love one another as he has loved us. While this was the focus of the Easter Season, it has much to bring to bear on our lives throughout the year.

With the horror of the massacre at Sandy Hook almost ten years ago still with us, we heard of yet another senseless school shooting at Uvalde, Texas that cost nineteen children and two adults their lives. In the days since the massacre, we have all read and heard from those in political office with their opinions on gun control, for it or against it, as is typically the case. In all honesty, however, there are other issues that come to bear on these terrible events, issues such as the state of mental health in this nation and how we deal with the mentally ill, the state of family life, broken marriages, the absence of fathers in the lives of their children, especially their sons. There is the problem of drug abuse, the increasing polarization taking place in our society, the lack of civility in public discourse, even the fixation on violence that is wrought by video games. To that we can add the decline in religious faith and practice, the outward hostility toward religious faith, the rise of secularism, the pushing of God and the moral law to the fringes of societal discourse if not out of the picture altogether. All of these are certainly contributing factors to the decline of morality, civility and good order in our society. There is a sickness of the heart, a sickness of the soul in so many that cries out for healing, and that healing can come only from God. That healing is readily available, if we would but turn again to God, asking for his blessing, asking him to be part of our lives, asking him to help us live as he wants us to live. That, and only that, in the end will lead to true happiness and lasting peace. That is something for which to pray every day.

I congratulate the twenty-three young men and women who graduated from St. Mary School this Friday evening, as well as all those who have received their college degrees or high school diplomas this spring. We wish them all much success and every blessing in their futures.

Have a good week!

May 8, 2022

Dear Friends,

As today is Mother’s Day, I want to salute all the mothers of the parish for all that they have done for their children and all that they continue to do for their children (and grandchildren as well). It has been said that there is perhaps no nobler calling in life than to be a mother, for a mother participates in the most direct way with God in bringing new life into the world, nurturing it and caring for it, even as children grow older and become adults. We also salute women who, though they do not have children of their own, act as mothers and caregivers. We remember, too, all deceased mothers.

Of course, since it is the month of May, a month traditionally dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God and also the Mother of the Church, as declared by the Second Vatican Council, we encourage all to foster a devotion to Mary, for her closeness to her Son places her in a unique position as an advocate for us. There are many worthy prayers and devotions within the treasury of the Church that are dedicated to Mary, chief among them being the Rosary, perhaps the most powerful of all prayers apart from the Mass itself and the other sacraments. It is edifying to me to see a steady number of people in the parish who pray the Rosary faithfully and fervently after Masses both at St. Mary and at St. Agnes. In addition to the Rosary, there are devotions to Mary under various titles, such as novena prayers dedicated to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal or Our Lady, Untier of Knots (a devotion promoted by none other than Pope Francis himself). I would encourage you to look into those as well. I also encourage you to consider participating in the weekly Novena of the Miraculous Medal which is prayed Monday evenings at St. Mary’s at 7:30. That service of prayer includes not only the novena prayers but also the recitation of the Rosary as well as the Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. There is also time for quiet prayer.

I wish to clarify what was announced regarding the practice of saying the Prayer to St. Michael. I have nothing against the prayer or against devotion to St. Michael. To the contrary, I warmly encourage personal prayer and pious practices of whatever kind as long as they are sound and in keeping with the tradition and teachings of the Church. The principle behind my decision to discontinue reciting the Prayer to St. Michael after Mass is grounded in an important distinction between liturgical prayer and private prayer. Liturgical prayer is the public, formal and most powerful prayer that the Church can offer and it reaches its zenith in the Mass, the most perfect and all-sufficient of prayers, needing nothing added to it, or, God forbid, taken from it. We are obligated to participate in liturgical prayer if we are practicing Catholics. Private prayer is just that, private, personal, and it has numerous options. In deciding to discontinue the Prayer to St. Michael after Mass, I in no way am banning it. As with other prayers and pious practices, I encourage it and welcome those who wish to recite the prayer, even in a group, to do so after Mass, once the final hymn has been completed. Those who do not wish to do so have the option of leaving. This practice more effectively stresses the importance of the Mass in itself and still allows everyone to make a choice regarding what other prayers they may like to pray.

A matter of housekeeping is in order. Next weekend, I am happy to say, the St. Mary School Carnival returns after a two-year hiatus. With that in mind, those who usually attend the 4:30 Mass on Saturday at St. Mary’s might well consider going to St. Agnes at 5:00 next week as there will likely be a limit on parking here on Gulf Street.

March 20, 2022

Dear Friends,

We have arrived at the Third Sunday of Lent, almost half-way through our observance of this time of repentance and spiritual renewal. It is my hope that these days of Lent have been observed differently, that what we have done by way of change, reformation and renunciation have been of profit to us spiritually. If you have not made much, or even no progress, there is still time and the Scriptures this weekend issue a clarion call to all of us in that regard.

The Gospel, taken from the first verses of the thirteenth chapter of Luke, starkly calls us to take seriously the need for personal repentance. There is a reference to a heinous action committed by Pontius Pilate, the procurator of Judea (who would soon enough condemn Jesus to death by crucifixion), his mingling of the blood of Galileans with their sacrifices (not only murder but grievous sacrilege). Was it their sinfulness, their guilt before God that led to their sudden and horrific death? There is also mention of an inexplicable tragedy, the death of eighteen people one day when a tower fell upon them, snuffing out their existence. Did they die that day as punishment for their sins? As a background to this passage, it was quite common among the people of the time to try to explain tragic or horrific death to be the result of some sin on the part of the one who died or was killed as well as the sin of the perpetrator (if there was one).

It is quite important to note that to the questions Jesus raised rhetorically in both instances, namely, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?” and “Do you think that [those who died in the collapse of the tower] were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?” Jesus never gives a response. Quite to the contrary, he issues a stark warning to all of us, a warning that urges us to pay more attention to our own sinfulness, our own need of repentance, than we often pay to the sins and the faults of others. In both instances, he says, rather sharply in words that we would do well to heed, that “if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”

We have only so much time, and one day, when the moment of death comes, our time will run out and it will be too late. As St. Paul said so eloquently to us on Ash Wednesday, we should not receive the grace of God in vain. In this Lenten season, each of us has been given an opportunity. Now is the acceptable time! Now is the time to take stock of our lives, to call our minds and hearts to our personal need for repentance, and do whatever is necessary, begging the grace of God as help, to change the direction of our lives and move ever more directly toward God.

The parish offers opportunities to make that a reality: opportunities for prayer, privately or devotionally, celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation with multiple opportunities for confession, fasting from food or something else that might tend to keep us focused more on
ourselves than on God and others, and sharing with those in need such as supporting the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal or our parish twinning ministry with St. Therese in Marbial, Haiti through the Healing Tree initiative. May God bless our endeavors to make this Lent fruitful for us all!

March 6, 2022

Dear Friends,

In his message to the Church for this Lenten season, Pope Francis bases his reflections on a line taken from St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, which reads as follows: “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all” (Galatians 6:9-10). The use of the word “opportunity” resonates well with what we heard on Ash Wednesday in another text also from St. Paul, taken from his Second Letter to the Corinthians where he writes, “We appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For [God] says: ‘In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.’ Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:1b-2). Lent is a uniquely graced time of year, an opportunity for us to turn our lives over to God, to ask the Lord to help us turn our lives toward him, an opportune time to do good.

In his reflection, Pope Francis focuses on our not growing tired of doing good, and his first point centers on not growing tired of praying. Jesus teaches us to “pray always without becoming weary” (Luke 18:1). Prayer focuses us on our need for God. If we think we do not need God, that we need nothing but ourselves, we are living a life of illusion that will end in disaster. We need God and in light of that, we need to make room for God, make time for God in our daily lives through regular, consistent and fervent prayer. Prayer is not optional for one who believes. It is, in fact, an essential lifeline, without which we will find our lives drifting, more and more filled with

meaninglessness and less and less with direction and purpose. Lent is a good time for us to begin to pray if we are not in the habit of doing so, or to pray more fervently if we are. Time spent before the Blessed Sacrament is time well spent, as is the regular meditative recitation of the Rosary, as is quiet and meditative reading of the Scriptures.

The Holy Father then urges us not to grow tired of uprooting evil from our lives. We are all sinners, and anyone who thinks that he/she is not is either very good at rationalization or not very good at taking a long and serious look at how she/he lives. We all have “beams” in our own eyes that we tend to ignore, not see, or rationalize away. We can be self-centered, smug, self-righteous, arrogant, and condescending, and the list of sins and faults can go on at great length. It almost goes without saying that any proper Lenten observance includes a worthy celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a good confession. Interestingly, the Pope singles out our ever-increasing use (and misuse) of the digital media, which tends to impoverish human relationships. A good penance this Lent might be for us to put the cell phones down and seek to encounter others more integrally, as Pope Francis says, through “authentic encounters” face-to-face and in person.

Finally, the Holy Father urges us not to grow tired of doing good in active charity towards our neighbors. We are living in stressful times, emerging from a two-year pandemic and now faced with possible global conflict as well as economic hardship. The temptation is to withdraw from being charitable, to save more and more for ourselves and to give less to others. One of the “legs” of traditional Lenten observance is sharing with those in need, almsgiving. We can and should give something from our abundance (even if the abundance is not as large as it was a few months ago) to help those in need. We have local charities we can support such as the John Rigely Food Pantry, our parish twinning ministry with St. Therese Parish in Haiti (through the Lenten Healing Tree Initiative), as well as the Beth-El Shelter. We can also make a gift or a pledge to the 2022 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, which is now getting underway.

Pope Francis gives us all some serious food for thought so that we can make the most of this opportune time of grace, Lent of 2022. May God bless our Lenten observance this year!

February 6, 2022

Dear Friends,

The Gospel for this weekend is in itself a remarkable story, the encounter between Jesus and Simon the fisherman on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is Luke’s version of the call of Simon (who would become Peter) to discipleship. As the story goes, Jesus was teaching a great crowd on the shore, and the people, in their eagerness to hear Jesus, were pressing in on Jesus. Needing some personal space, Jesus asks to use a boat belonging to Simon. He asks to be put out a little on the water, and then goes on teaching. There is no indication that Simon was listening to what Jesus was saying, but he was in the boat all along, probably cleaning his nets after a long and unsuccessful night on the sea.

Then Jesus does something remarkable. He invites Simon to go out into deeper water and lower his nets for a catch. Simon tries to object, but to his credit, he does so, and in an instant, because he was willing to go the extra mile, to take a chance, to do what Jesus asked, his long night of failure at fishing on the sea turned into a marvelous success.

Simon’s response is curious. Luke uses the word “astonishment.” It may have been a sense of “holy fear.” The clue is found in how Simon reacts and what he says to Jesus after the sudden and abundant catch of fish. He must have become aware of the fact that he was in the presence of someone very special, the Holy One himself. The word that he uses to address Jesus, “Lord,” indicates as such. His awareness of being in the presence of the Holy One filled him with a sense of fear, unworthiness, and inadequacy. He begs Jesus to leave him, for he is sinful.

Jesus’ response is also amazing. He heard Simon’s plea to leave him, his attempt to beg off because he was sinful and felt unworthy and inadequate, but he disregarded it. Why was that? It had to be because Jesus was able to see beneath the rough, imperfect, sinful exterior of Simon and there see the great potential that was within him. And what he saw led him to call him to follow him for he will be catching men (not a slight against women, but surely a play on his being a fisherman). To his credit, Simon as well as his fishing partners, James and John, leave everything and follow Jesus. Thus, the story begins, and it is our story as well.

This story speaks to all of us. Too often, we cower in fear, afraid of stepping out into deeper waters, afraid to take risks, to try to do what we think we cannot do. Nonetheless, Jesus consistently invites you and me to go out to the edges of our safety zones and to take risks on his behalf as his disciples of today. While there may well be experiences of failure and rejection, there will just as surely be moments of success when we gather others into the net of the Church. We should also never let our sense of personal sinfulness or unworthiness stand in the way. God knows all too well that we are sinners, but he loves us still, in spite of what we have or have not done, and he sees through all of our sins and weaknesses and takes good note of the real potential within each of us. God can and will do great things in and through us, if we would allow him to do that.

Have a good week!

January 16, 2022

Dear Friends,

We have taken down the decorations for Christmas and stowed them away for yet another year. Life has returned to its ordinary, everyday pace, even with the ongoing concerns surrounding COVID-19. We do not live our life is a perpetual spirit of holiday and feasting. Holidays and celebrations are occasional in nature and that keeps them from becoming hum-drum and boring. Most of our lives are lived on the everyday, ordinary level, and the same held true for Jesus.

In the Church’s calendar, we have concluded the Christmas Season and now return to a stretch of weeks, seven in all this year, that are called Ordinary Time, or perhaps more precisely, winter Ordinary Time, the time between the end of the Christmas Season and the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. During these weeks, we will be walking along with Jesus as he begins his public ministry, gathers disciples to himself, and proclaims the message, the standards of living day to day life as his disciples, as citizens of the Kingdom of God.

The Gospel today, taken from the second chapter of John, tells of the wonder that Jesus worked while a guest at a wedding celebration in Cana in Galilee. The wine ran out, a source of major embarrassment for the host family, and the celebration was jeopardized. Mary, a guest at the wedding, comes to Jesus and informs him of the situation, implying that he can and should do something about it. Jesus tries to beg off, but Mary is insistent. Her words to the waiters that day, I think, give us all good advice as we live our daily lives. “Do whatever he tells you.” That sums up in a mere five words what it means to be a disciple of Christ, a Christian. Do whatever Jesus tells you. How can we know what Jesus is telling us to do? We have means at our disposal to help us: our own conscience, which should always be followed, the Scriptures, the teaching of the Church, advice from spiritual masters. As we begin this stretch of Ordinary Time, may we take those simple words of Mary, who knew Jesus better than anyone, to heart: “Do whatever he tells you.”

This Friday, January 21, is the memorial of St. Agnes, a virgin-martyr who has been revered in the Church since the earliest centuries. Her name is mentioned in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I). Since the Church permits us to do so, next weekend at St. Agnes Church we will celebrate the Mass in honor of St. Agnes. The readings, however, will be those of the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Next Monday, January 17, is the national holiday in honor of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The parish office will be closed and confessions will not be heard that evening at St. Mary’s even though the regular novena service will be held. That day might be a good opportunity for us to reflect on the sin of racism and exclusivity, and ask the Lord to help us overcome whatever bias or prejudice might be keeping us from coming together with others.

Finally, a word of thanks to all who sent in cakes, cookies, or other food items to the rectory during the holidays. Your thoughtfulness was much appreciated and the goodies were enjoyed by all.

Have a nice week!

December 12, 2021

Dear Friends,

This Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally referred to as “Gaudete Sunday.” The word gaudete is a Latin word which means “rejoice” and it comes from the entrance antiphon for the Third Sunday of Advent, taken from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, which reads, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.” We are fortunate this year that the second reading for this Sunday’s Mass consists of a fuller quotation from the Letter of the Philippians containing this line.

What does it mean to rejoice? To rejoice means to find joy in life. But what is joy and how are we to understand it in terms of our faith in Christ? The Greek word for “joy” is chara, and it is used to describe a feeling of inner gladness, delight or rejoicing. In the New Testament, real joy is not to be found in “things” but in spiritual realities. We find joy in God, God’s closeness to us, and our closeness to God. The circumstances of life are not necessarily or even primarily our source of joy. When things are going well, and all seems harmonious and in order in our lives, we can be joyful, feel joyful. But when the circumstances of life become challenging, difficult, or out of sorts, we can still be joyful even in the midst of it all, even if we do not feel it. Why is that? It is because of our faith in God, our absolute trust in God’s goodness and love, and our willingness to accept whatever God wills for us, knowing in the depths of our being that all will, as St. Paul says in his Letter to the Romans, “work out for good.”

If we confine ourselves to looking around at the world of today with its multiple challenges, there is much reason for not being joyful, much reason for allowing ourselves to become consumed by fear, bitterness, and lethargy. The increasing tensions with China and Russia. The economic problems at home with rising inflation, concerns about supply lines. The ongoing concerns about COVID-19 and its ever-evolving variants. These are just to name a few and do not even begin to touch on the uniquely stressful circumstances of each of our own lives.

The words of St. Paul today are needed more than ever. We are to rejoice in the Lord in spite of it all. We do our best as we can, given the circumstances of our lives, but we leave the rest to God, and God will not fail us. In due time and in ways perhaps that may be very surprising to us, God’s plan is being worked out. We ask God to grant us the patience to per-severe, the strength to go on living our lives each day, fully, well, and prudently. We ask God to deepen our faith and trust in him and to renew and strengthen our hope so that we may truly be able to rejoice in the Lord, no matter what may come.

Have a good week!

November 28, 2021

Dear Friends,

This weekend we begin the season of Advent and a new liturgical year, and so, I guess I can wish all of you a Happy New Year! This new Year of Grace 2022, as we call the liturgical year, will feature on most Sundays passages from the Gospel of Luke. Luke is a Gospel that has much for us on which to meditate. Luke emphasizes, among other things, the plan of God that has been unfolding across time through the ages of history even until the present, a plan that will reach fulfillment when all time ends and Christ returns in glory. God has not abandoned us, even if we at times feel that he has. God continues to work in and through history to accomplish his purpose and his plan. Luke also emphasizes the importance of prayer, the place of women in the life and ministry of Jesus (and therefore in the Church, which Pope Francis has been stressing as well), the importance of reaching out to and caring for the poor, and the importance of striving to bring back to the fold those who have strayed, those who have been lost, and those who have been forgotten or pushed to the peripheries of society. Luke, rightly so, has been called the “Gospel of Inclusion” and it offers us much to reflect and meditate upon as we make our way through these next twelve months.

Advent is a season that is grounded in the virtue of hope, often called the “forgotten” or “neglected” of the three theological virtues, the other two being faith and charity (love). As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches (cf. ¶ 1817), “hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.” Within each one of us, God himself has placed an “aspiration to happiness” that shapes and molds our everyday lives, inspiring and purifying all of our actions so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven, to what God wills. Hope, properly nurtured, preserves us from discouragement, sustains us in times when we feel abandoned, and opens our hearts to expect eternal, everlasting happiness.

Hope helps to keep us from selfishness and leads us to love God and others, thus finding that happiness in this life that God wills and leading
us ultimately to everlasting happiness and fulfillment.

During these next four weeks, amid all of the hustle and bustle of this time of year, take time to sit quietly in prayer, asking God to deepen and strengthen within you that gift, that virtue of hope that God wills for all of us. We have, all of us, been through some trying times. We have survived the challenges of the past twenty months. We have done so because God has been with us, sustaining us, bolstering us in hope. May God continue to bless us with the greatest of all gifts, as St. Paul calls them, “faith, hope, and charity.”

Have a good week!

November 14, 2021

Dear Friends,

By way of reminder, next Sunday Father Sam John, now assigned to St. Thomas the Apostle and St. Timothy Parishes in West Hartford, will be back with us. He is scheduled to celebrate the 10:30 AM Mass at St. Agnes and a reception in his honor will follow the Mass in Father Callahan Hall, ending at 2:00 PM. I hope that as many of you as possible will stop by to thank Father Sam and wish him well.

The recent news surrounding COVID-19 has been encouraging, to say the least. With that in mind, I am happy to announce further steps to our return to normalcy here in our parish, all of which will go into effect for the First Sunday of Advent, November 27-28.

The Book of Prayer and Remembrance, which before the pandemic was placed in the side alcoves on the right of both churches, will once again be made available for parishioners to write the names of those whom they wish to remember in a special way. For the time being, however, no pen will be available. You are asked to use your own writing instruments.

We will once again have holy water available in the fonts at the doors of both churches. The risk of contracting COVID-19 from the use of holy water is minimal to non-existent. As they say, “Follow the science.” That being said, there is no requirement to use holy water. It is entirely optional. By way of reminder, too, holy water should be used only on entering the church and never on leaving, as holy water serves as a concrete reminder of the waters of baptism which gained us entrance into the Church as members of the Body of Christ.

We will resume the bringing forth of the gifts of bread and wine for the Eucharist. If you would like to bring the gifts forward, let one of the ushers know or speak to one of the priests or deacons. Finally, at all Masses with a deacon, we will resume the use of the Book of the Gospels,
which will be carried solemnly in procession, placed on the altar, and then brought to the pulpit (ambo) by the deacon, who will proclaim the text of the Gospel reading from it.

Looking ahead, as things stand now, we are planning for a normal Advent and Christmas schedule, unlike that of last year, which had to be greatly curtailed due to restrictions on numbers in church. As Advent approaches, we will be keeping you informed.

Have a good week!

October 31, 2021

Dear Friends,

By now, most of you have heard that Father Sam John, who has served as parochial vicar (what was once called a curate or assistant pastor) since June of 2017, will be leaving us this week. He has been reassigned by Archbishop Blair to serve as parochial vicar at both St. Timothy Parish and St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in West Hartford. He will be working under the direction of and in collaboration with Father Alvin LeBlanc, the pastor, who I know to be a kind and gentle man and a very effective pastor. He leaves us this Monday, November 1.

Without question, we will all miss Father Sam. His ministry and his presence among us have been blessings for us all. I thank him for all of the good work that he did here at Precious Blood, the selfless and complete cooperation that he showed to me from the day of his arrival. Our loss here is most certainly West Hartford’s gain.

The Archbishop has assigned Father Lee Hellwig, like me a member of the ordination class of 1986, to serve on a temporary basis as parochial vicar for the next few months until a more permanent replacement for Father Sam can be assigned. Father Lee is a quiet, kind, and gentle man, actually a native of Milford and a graduate of the old Milford High School. Among his assignments, Father Lee spent a number of years as a military chaplain. We welcome him warmly.

We will be hosting a reception for Father Sam on Sunday, November 21. Father Sam will celebrate the 10:30 AM Mass at St. Agnes and then be available in Father Callahan Hall until 2:00 PM. Please plan to stop by, thank him, and wish him well.

A reminder that this Tuesday, November 2, is Election Day. It is the serious duty of every citizen to vote. This year we vote for local officials, including the mayor, members of the Board of Aldermen and the Board of Education, among other positions. While local elections do not garner the attention that state and national elections do, they are no less important. Our vote on Tuesday will have significant ramifications for tax rates, zoning issues, and the education of the students in public schools. Please make the time to go to the polls on Tuesday.

Have a good week!

October 24, 2021

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As your pastor, I’d like to announce to the parish about an archdiocesan-wide campaign entitled “Forward with Faith” being conducted by The Hartford Bishops’ Foundation. The campaign focuses on strengthening parishes, as well as Archdiocesan, schools, and other Catholic ministries. All parishes benefit from the campaign, and all parishes participate.

Forward with Faith began two years ago, with 84 parishes already having conducted or, are currently in the process of conducting their local parish campaign.

To date over $30 million has been raised in pledges and gifts, with more than $7 million being released throughout our archdiocese. Primarily to parishes.

You will hear more about Forward with Faith over the coming months. We will post information in our bulletin, the website as well as announcements at Mass.

Future mailings will invite you the opportunity to hear more about the campaign and how it will directly help our parish, as well as grow our Catholic community throughout our archdiocese.

For more information please visit www.hartfordbishopsfoundation.org the link is in our bulletin and website.

October 17, 2021

Dear Friends,

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a wide and, likely, lasting effect on children. The months of isolation from friends, the lack of in-person education, the general tenor of fear, all of these and more have had a serious and quite negative impact on the good of our children.

The news of the last several weeks has raised some concerns regarding the role of parents in the education of their children. The Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, who comes from Connecticut, at a recent Senate committee hearing, stopped short of saying that parents should be in charge of their children’s education as the primary stakeholders. Cardona stated that educators also have a role in the process, which is true, but the question remains to what extent. As I noted in my comments several weeks ago, praising the increasing interest that parents, both here in Milford as well as across the country, have shown in what is being taught to their children in public schools, this is a positive development. However, the Department of Justice may think otherwise. A recent memorandum from Merrick Garland, the current Attorney General, directs the FBI to investigate “violent threats against school officials and teachers.” While in no way can anyone condone violence, this memo has been widely perceived to aimed at intimidating parents who speak out forcefully at local school board meetings against the “woke” agenda of the times which include CRT (“Critical Race Theory”, which in many ways is inimical to Catholic teaching) as well as transgenderism and matters pertaining to sexual identity and morality which really are the right and responsibility of parents vis a vis their children. When it comes to speaking out against an educational agenda that is contrary to what they feel is best for their children, it is the parents’ right and duty to do so.

I say this not to immerse myself into political matters. The teaching of the Church regarding the role of parents in the education of their children is quite clear. The Second Vatican Council in 1965 issued Gravissimum Educationis, the “Declaration on Christian Education.” This important Church document says the following regarding parents and their duty concerning the education of their children: “As it is the parents who have given life to their children, on them lies the gravest obligation of educating their family. They must therefore be recognized as being primarily and principally responsible for their education. The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute.”

In more recent times, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has spoken on this topic. In an address at his General Audience of May 20, 2015, the Pope said, “If family education regains its prominence, many things will change for the better. It’s time for fathers and mothers to return from their exile—they have exiled themselves from educating their children—and slowly reassume their educative role.” In that same audience, the Pope harshly criticized “intellectual critics” who have silenced parents in order to defend younger generations from real or imagined harm, and he lamented how schools are often more influential than families in shaping the thinking and values of children. Furthermore, the Pope went on to say that, “in our days the educational partnership is in crisis. It’s broken. On the one part, there are tensions and distrust between parents and educators; on the other hand, there are more and more ‘experts’ who pretend to occupy the role of parents, who are relegated to second place.”

These words of Pope Francis, spoken six years ago, are quite prescient. They, along with the teaching of Vatican II, deserve to be taken to heart and acted upon. Parents must involve themselves with what their children are being taught. It is their solemn duty and obligation to do so. Pay attention to what your children are studying in school, and if there are concerns, make them known to the administration of your child’s school and to the Board of Education. Our children deserve nothing less. Have a good week!