June 25, 2023

Dear Friends:

As you read these words, our Archdiocese is celebrating the ordination of two new priests. Yesterday, June 24, at the Cathedral in Hartford, Archbishop Blair ordained Sean Yates and Andres Galeano for service as priests. You may remember Sean, as he was with us in the summer of 2019, just a few months before the pandemic turned the world upside down. He completed his studies for the priesthood at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit and has been assigned as a parochial vicar, assistant to the pastor, at St. Bridget of Sweden Parish in Cheshire. Father Galeano has been assigned as parochial vicar at Todos Los Santos (All Saints) Parish in Waterbury. We wish both Fr. Yates and Fr. Galeano well as they begin their ministry.

It is a matter of ongoing concern that the number of priestly vocations has fallen off. Gone are the days when fifteen or twenty men or more would be ordained priests in a single year. We are fortunate to have received the vocations we have by the grace of God. It is imperative for us to pray fervently for more men to respond to the call to the priesthood. I am convinced that God is calling good candidates to serve as his priests, but his call is not being heard or even considered. We can also do our part to invite any young man we may know who shows signs of a priestly vocation to consider the possibility. I have heard of more than one priest who said that he considered the priesthood only after being asked or encouraged to do so. While I am at it, we should also pray that more men and women may consider the call to the consecrated religious life as brothers, religious priests, sisters and nuns. The decline in numbers among consecrated religious has also been a great loss to the Church, posing a significant challenge to her mission of preaching Christ to the nations.

You probably have read the story about the combining all of the parishes in New Haven into one parish, effective July 1. This is a part of the ongoing pastoral plan for the Archdiocese of Hartford, a response to the declining numbers of priests and the equally concerning declining numbers of people who are going to church. It is envisioned that, for many communities within the Archdiocese, there will be eventually one parish with a pastor assisted by one or more parochial vicars. I write this just to keep you informed. The pastoral planning process continues to unfold and more developments will come as the years ahead unfold. We should not think that Milford in any way will be exempt.

For now, I will say that I am grateful to the Archbishop for appointing me to a second six-year term as pastor here at Precious Blood. This is a wonderful parish, a complex parish, a parish with great strengths and much potential. Looking forward to the next six years, God willing, it is my hope that we will undertake some kind of parish renewal process. We will also be taking a long, hard look at our religious education program. That will include the hiring of a full time director of religious education as well as the hiring of a full time pastoral associate to oversee youth and young adult ministry. The children and young people are the future of our church. We must do all that we can to invite them to participate in the life of our parish, and most importantly, help them develop a solid living relationship with God, something that will really help them and strengthen them as they face life in this increasingly unnerving and uncertain world.

Have a good week!

June 11, 2023

I received word this past week from Archbishop Blair, that, in response to my request, he has appointed me as pastor of Precious Blood Parish for another term of six years, effective June 29, 2023 through June 29, 2029. I am happy to have received this news and I am delighted to have the privilege of leading this parish for at least the next six years.

June 4, 2023

Dear Friends:

Next Sunday, June 11, is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, an annual liturgical celebration of the Eucharist which is referred to commonly as Corpus Christi. The bishops of the United States are, rightly so, concerned that true faith in the mystery of the Eucharist, which is central to our faith, needs to be bolstered and encouraged among all Catholics. That is why, in part, that we have had a petition in the Prayer of the Faithful every weekend for months now, asking the Lord to increase our reverence of his presence among us, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity under the forms of bread and wine.

Archbishop Blair has asked that every parish make some effort to celebrate with more solemnity the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. In particular, he has encouraged that every parish hold a procession with the Blessed Sacrament. As we are one of only a very few parishes in the Archdiocese dedicated to the Eucharist, it seems only right that we hold some special celebration of this most important feast.

I have asked Fr. Lijo to organize this. The celebration will take place on the grounds of St. Agnes after the 10:30 Sunday Mass. After the closing prayer, the Blessed Sacrament will be placed in the monstrance and a procession will take place with it around the outside of St. Agnes Church. The procession being completed, the Blessed Sacrament will be placed in the monstrance on the altar and there will be various prayers and devotions. The Rosary will be recited at 12:30 PM, followed by silent prayer and adoration until 1:25, at which time there will be a brief reading and short reflection by one of the priests. The Divine Mercy devotion will follow and then, at approximately 1:45, there will be solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The ceremonies will conclude at approximately 2:00 PM.

I encourage as many as possible to join in some or all of these devotions to the Blessed Sacrament on the principal day in the Church year devoted to this most sacred and marvelous mystery of our faith. You may come for all or just part of the devotions, but remember that any time spent with our Eucharistic Lord is time well-spent. If you have family or other obligations, you can still be at them if but a bit later.

Have a good week.

May 28, 2023

Dear Friends:

As a parish community we rejoice in the upcoming ordination to the Order of the Diaconate of one of our own, Louis Santiago. He will be ordained as a permanent deacon by Archbishop Blair in solemn ceremonies at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford this coming Saturday, June 3, at 11:00 AM. Any and all of our parishioners who would like to attend the ceremony are more than welcome.

Louis has come to this important day in his spiritual life after a lengthy process of formation, formation that involved academic work, spiritual exercises, pastoral training and human development. It was my privilege to recommend the admission of Louis, along with his seven classmates to the formation program for the diaconate when I was at the end of my time serving as Director of Diaconate Formation. I will say that the ensuing years have had more than their challenges for this class of very fine and able men. The formation program was revamped, and in the middle of it all, the pandemic came upon us, wreaking its havoc. Nonetheless, they have persevered and are now ready to proceed to ordination as deacons. We congratulate Louis, his wife, Giuliana, and his daughters. We wish him well as he embarks on a life of service to God’s people in the Church, wherever the Archbishop assigns him, which, at this writing, has not been announced formally.

Next Sunday, June 4, Trinity Sunday, Louis will assist at his first Mass as a deacon at St. Mary’s at 10:00 AM. He will be delivering his first homily at that Mass. After the Mass, in Father Cronin Hall, there will be a simple reception for purposes of greeting Deacon Santiago, congratulating him, and wishing him well. I hope that many of you will make an effort to be at that Mass next Sunday.

The following Sunday, June 11, is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the patronal feast of our parish. We will be celebrating this important day by having a solemn procession with the Blessed Sacrament on the grounds of St. Agnes’ Church after the 10:30 AM Mass, followed by time for silent prayer and adoration along with devotional prayers and reflections, and concluding with Benediction at 2:00 PM. Come to part of it or all of it as your schedule permits. Any time spent with our Eucharistic Lord is time well-spent. More details will be made available in next Sunday’s bulletin.

Have a good week!

May 14, 2023

Dear Friends:

As you read these words, our parish will have completed the celebration of the reception of First Communion for over one hundred children. We congratulate them on this important milestone in their lives as Catholics, and we pray that they will receive the Eucharist regularly and often. It is incumbent upon parents to see that their children, all of them precious gifts of God, are properly formed in their faith. In our time, the proper observance of Sunday has been eroded. One clear sign of this is that children today are much more likely to be brought to soccer, baseball, or football games or dance lessons and gymnastics classes on Sunday than they are brought to Mass. This is to be deplored. While playing team sports or attending dance lessons or gymnastics classes is not evil in itself, it is no substitute at all for an active life of faith. As we all know as adults, life will get tough at times and when the winds blow and storms erupt, we will need something to hold fast to, and a soccer ball, a baseball, a football, or dancing and gymnastics shoes will not be enough. Our children will need to have a living faith, a vibrant relationship with the living God. They need to be taught that God remains with them always and will see them through anything and everything that life throws their way. Of great assistance in this is their being taught to pray regularly (and by that, I mean daily), their receiving the sacraments regularly (and by that I mean weekly Mass and reception of Communion as well as confession several times a year). Not to be overlooked, of course, is the good example that parents and grandparents and all of us can give.

The Easter Season is beginning to wane as we now approach its conclusion with the celebration of Pentecost on May 28. A clear sign of this is the celebration of the Solemnity of the Ascension on this Thursday, May 18. There will be four Masses celebrated in our parish for the holy day. Please be sure to take a bulletin by way of reminder. You always can, of course, check for the bulletin on the parish website.

Have a good week.

April 23, 2023

Dear Friends:

At long last, I share with you some very good news. I have received word that we will be welcoming a new parochial vicar (what used to be called in my early days as a priest, an “assistant pastor”) this coming week. On Friday, April 28, Father Alen Shaji Mathew, a priest from the Diocese of Pathanamhitta, in the State of Kerala, from where Father Deny, Father Sam, Father Lijo and Father Moncy hail, will be arriving to serve at Precious Blood Parish. I welcome him and look forward to his presence in our parish and the help that he will give me.

Father Alen is a young priest, just thirty-one years old. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 28, 2019 and has served in a parish in his diocese, as an assistant director of a school in his diocese, and as secretary to the Bishop-emeritus (the retired Bishop of his diocese). I hope you will welcome him when you meet him and I know that our parish will benefit greatly from his presence and his ministry among us. I am happy that Fr. Lijo, who has a superb assistant to me since his arrival just before the pandemic and especially in these past eight months since Fr. Moncy returned home, will have a house mate in the rectory at St. Agnes on Merwin Avenue.

Father Moncy, by the way, has returned to the United States and to the Archdiocese of Hartford. His health has improved and he has been assigned to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury as parochial vicar. His address is:

Rev. Moncy Varughese
Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
74 West Main Street
P.O. Box 1670
Waterbury, Connecticut 06721-1670.

I will also note that another priest from the same diocese in India will be staying at St. Agnes for a few weeks before he takes up an assignment in the Archdiocese. He is Father Ajiesh Oriseph. You may see him at Masses in either church in the next several weeks. I know you will welcome him warmly as I do.

As I reflect on everything, I am amazed that I have been assigned seven parochial vicars to assist me as pastor in my time here, first at St. Mary’s and now at Precious Blood. All of them have been of immense help to me, and each of them has made a significant contribution to the life of our parish. I name them now and thank them: Fr. Chacko Kumplam, Fr. Sam John, Fr. Deny Varghese, Fr. Lijo Thomas, Fr. Moncy Varughese, Fr. Lee Hellwig, and now, Fr. Alen Mathew. Given the ongoing shortage of priests, I am all the more grateful to have had the assistance of these good and capable men. I hope you are as grateful as I am.

Next weekend, from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, the annual St. Mary School Carnival will be held on the grounds at Gulf Street. Pray for good weather, especially for the fireworks on Saturday night. Come and support this major fundraiser for our school. By way of forewarning, those who come to the vigil Mass at St. Mary’s on Saturday might well consider going to St. Agnes next week or coming on Sunday morning as parking will be somewhat limited.

Have a good week!

April 16, 2023

Dear Friends:

Now that Lent and Holy Week have concluded, looking back on those six weeks, the number attending daily Masses as well as the numbers participating in the celebrations of Holy Week, I want to commend all of you for making the effort to make this Lent and Holy Week special. In the years I have been in Milford, eleven-plus in all, the numbers attending Holy Week celebrations and the Easter Masses have never been greater than they were this year.

I might make a simple suggestion. Why not try to continue some of the practices you built into your observance of Lent into the
rest of the year? Why not set aside more time for prayer and for silent reflection before God? Why not try to come to daily Mass several times a week? Why not try to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) more frequently? Why not practice the discipline of fasting throughout the year? Might I suggest something? Why not set aside your cell phones and check in on them less frequently? None of these will hurt you. They may help you, and do so immensely.

This Sunday, by decree of Pope St. John Paul II, is designated as Divine Mercy Sunday, a response to the visions and revelations made to a Polish nun, Sr. Faustina in the early part of the last century. The Gospel today, the traditional Gospel reading for the Sunday after Easter, tells the story of how the Lord instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Breathing on the disciples, he said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven. Whose sins you retain, they are retained.” The Sacrament of Reconciliation is not meant to be an experience of torture and shame. Quite to the contrary, it is meant to be an encounter between us, who are sinful, weak and imperfect, with the Lord, who is gracious and merciful, always ready and willing to forgive. The traditional Divine Mercy Devotions will be prayed at St. Agnes at 2:00 PM this Sunday afternoon.

As of this writing, our parish has already pledged just shy of $90,000 toward our goal for the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. I thank those who have responded thus far. If you have not yet made a gift or a pledge, please consider doing so. Our generosity assists the Archbishop in meeting so many and varied needs across the three counties that comprise the Archdiocese of Hartford.

Have a good week!

April 2, 2023

Dear Friends,

We have just about completed our Lenten observance, and how quickly these weeks have passed! We now come to the high point of the liturgical year, the week we call “Holy.” It begins with our remembrance of the Lord’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, as Jesus was acclaimed by the throngs that day as “the Son of David” and “the Messiah.” Their acclaim would be short-lived, very short-lived indeed. In a matter of days, many if not most of those who acclaimed Jesus as king and Messiah would be calling for his condemnation and death by crucifixion. How fickle they were! But lest we be too harsh and judgmental, we, too, can be fickle, lukewarm, indifferent, and even traitorous in the way we live, the choices we make. That’s the bad news.

But there is good news. The Lord loves us nonetheless, and God knows us better than we know ourselves. God looks at every single human person and the first thing he notices is not our sins and failings. He sees the image of himself reflected back at him. Yes, because of our sinfulness, our weakness and our failures, we can “muddy up” that image. We can cloud it over or even hide it. But the image is there nonetheless, waiting to be brought out from the shadows in which we often hide it. That is possible only through repentance, recognizing our failures, confessing our sins, but most of all, trusting in God’s boundless goodness, mercy and love. As Easter approaches, there is still an opportunity for you to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We have three hours of confessions scheduled this week. The usual hour on Monday evening from 6:00-7:00 at St. Mary’s and two hours on Saturday morning from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon at St. Agnes.

Please take a copy of the bulletin with you and plan to come and participate at one or more of the various services that mark Holy Week. We begin with Tenebrae on Wednesday evening at St. Mary’s, a service of light, praying psalms, and hearing the almost mystical chanting of the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah. Tenebrae is a beautifully moving service that closes our parish observance of Lent. As there will be no morning Masses on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, we will be instead offering Morning Prayer at 8:00 AM at St. Mary’s. The solemn services of Holy Week will be celebrated beginning with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper at St. Agnes on Thursday at 7:30 PM, the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Friday at St. Mary’s at 3:00 PM, and the Easter Vigil on Saturday at 8:00 PM at St. Mary’s.

Please note that there is no 4:30 PM Vigil Mass at St. Mary’s or 5:00 PM Vigil Mass at St. Agnes next Saturday. The only Mass will be the Easter Vigil at St. Mary’s at 8:00 PM. The Easter Sunday schedule will be the usual Sunday schedule, with one exception. There will be no 4:30 PM Sunday afternoon Mass at St. Mary’s.

I wish all of you a blessed Holy Week as we enter into the most profound mysteries of our faith.

March 26, 2023

Dear Friends,

The days of Lent are passing very quickly. As we enter this fifth week of Lent, the week before Holy Week, you will notice something rather striking, rather stark, in our churches. The statues have been veiled in purple cloth. They have been hidden from our sight. This custom was quite common in the Church of yesterday, when on Passion Sunday (what we now call the Fifth Sunday of Lent), the traditional Gospel reading told of a confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish religious authorities centered on the question of who Jesus is. At the end of the story, his opponents we are told “picked up rocks to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.” This reference to Jesus hiding himself is an allusion to the fact that, as the Gospels tell us, during most of his final days on earth before his death, Jesus remained out of sight away from the crowds.

For us, this veiling of the statues should signal that something important is on the horizon. Something significant is about to be revealed to us, and that is to be found ironically in Christ crucified. As the preface prayed at Mass during this week proclaims, “For through the saving Passion of your Son the whole world has received a heart to confess the infinite power of your majesty, since by the wondrous power of the Cross, your judgment on the world is now revealed and the authority of Christ crucified.” We veil images of saints, but leave the crucifix unveiled to direct our focus where it properly should be in these next days of Lent: on the Cross of Christ, an instrument of suffering, death and shame in the eyes of the world, but for us, the ultimate sign of God’s goodness, power, and love for us all. This is made all the clearer when we reflect on the prayer we use at the Stations of the Cross: “We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, for by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.” May we take some time during these waning days of Lent to meditate on the Cross of Christ, which represents the price of our salvation and the ength to which God would go to save us all.

Fr. Lijo and I are making ourselves particularly available in these next two weeks to visit those who are homebound and unable to get out to church. We would be happy to hear confessions, offer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and bring Communion. Please contact the rectory so that we can set up a time to come for a visit.

Finally, one of the essential parts of a worthy celebration of Lent is to take the time to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. To that end, I remind everyone that we are available to hear confessions for two hours each week and that there are two additional hours for confessions scheduled for Holy Saturday morning at St. Agnes. Of course, either Fr. Lijo or myself would be most happy to hear confessions by appointment if the regularly scheduled hours do not work with you. Just call the rectory (203) 878-3571 to make an appointment with either one of us.

Have a good week!

March 5, 2023

Dear Friends:

Now that the pandemic is all but in the past, it is time to reconstitute the Parish Pastoral Council, an important body that serves to advise the pastor on the state of the parish and offer ideas on where the parish may improve its life and outreach. As pastor, I consider the Parish Pastoral Council to be of the utmost importance. It is my hope that the membership is taken from a cross-section of the parish, which now includes three combined former parish communities.

The By-Laws of the Precious Blood Parish Pastoral Council call for twelve members to be appointed by the pastor for three- year terms. At this point it seems advisable to have six members chosen by lot for a three-year term and the other six for a two-year term. This allows a healthy measure of turnover, which allows for new points of view and new ideas.

The Parish Pastoral Council meets five times each year: in September, November, January, March and May. Each meeting is topic-focused so as to avoid the tedium of reading committee reports. The September meeting focuses on social activities, the November meeting on the school and religious education, the January meeting on the liturgical and spiritual life of the parish, the March meeting on parish finances, and the May meeting on parish outreach activities. Of course, as issues arise they may be added to the agenda of any particular meeting. The meetings last for an hour, but if there is an important issue on the agenda, it could go for an hour and a half, but no more. This has yet to occur under the revised By -Laws of the Council.

If you are interested in serving on the Parish Pastoral Council, please let either myself, Fr. Lijo, Deacon John or Deacon Nick know and your name will be considered. It is the prerogative of the pastor to appoint members to the Council. I hope that there will be sufficient interest as we all hope that we can make this great parish, one with so much potential, even better. It is my hope to appoint members to the Council by the middle of May and to convene a brief meeting in June to have everyone meet, select officers, and do some basic housekeeping activities.

Looking forward, we will be needing twelve persons to volunteer for the foot-washing rite at the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper which will be celebrated April 7 at 7:30 at St. Agnes. Sign-up sheets are available in the sacristies.

Have a good week

February 19, 2023

ASH WEDNESDAY AND LENT

This Wednesday, February 22, is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. Please refer to the schedule included with this bulletin for the times when Masses will be celebrated with the imposition of ashes at both churches.

In keeping with what we have done the past several years, due to ongoing concerns about health, we will be imposing ashes on the crown (top) of the head instead of on the forehead of each individual. This eliminates skin to skin contact and allays any health concerns. Please bow when approaching the minister so that the ashes may be imposed properly. Given what Jesus tells us in the Gospel on Ash Wednesday about grooming our hair and washing our face so that no one sees that we are fasting except the Father in heaven, this practice seems much more proper than placing ashes on the forehead and leaving them there all day. Please note that, given the directives of the Church, ashes may be given only within Mass or within the context of a Liturgy of the Word and prayer.

With the approach of Lent, a reminder of the regulations regarding fast and abstinence is in order. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of universal fast and abstinence. The Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence. Abstinence, which is required of all Catholics from the age of fourteen onward, means that no meat is consumed. Dairy products and eggs (if you can afford them these days) are allowed. Fasting, which is required of all Catholics between the ages of 14 and 59, means that only one full meal is eaten during the day, with two lighter meals allowed (both of which should not equal a full meal if they were to be taken together). Furthermore, nothing may be taken between meals, except water. Of course, those with serious health concerns are dispensed from these regulations.

January 29, 2023

Dear Friends:

This week in January each year is celebrated as Catholic Schools Week, a time to note the contributions of Catholic schools both to the Church and to the wider community. Our parish is blessed to be able to sponsor a vibrant, healthy, and excellent school. With an enrollment of over 360 students ranging from pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade, our school is currently among the largest parish schools in the Archdiocese of Hartford. Now in its sixty-first year of existence, St. Mary School has made vast contributions both to the life of the parish and the Church as well as the Milford community and beyond.

The students who come to St. Mary School are entrusted to us by their parents for their academic education and their spiritual formation. Under the direction of Deacon Dominic Corraro, the school principal, St. Mary School has flourished. Enrollment has increased, academic programs have been strengthened, and the spiritual life of the school has been greatly enhanced. The faculty is composed of dedicated and excellent teachers who do all that they can to insure that their students not only succeed, but thrive. The administrative and custodial staff of the school do their part to make sure that the school runs smoothly and remains clean and sanitary.

You, the people of our parish, should rightly be proud of our school. As pastor, I thank you for the support that you give to the school, be it financially, spiritually in your prayers, or just by promoting it to prospective students and families. As a product of twelve years of Catholic elementary and secondary education (not counting my years in the seminary), I can attest to the excellent academic and spiritual formation I received. Even now, almost fifty years after graduation from elementary school, I still make regular and good use of the skills I learned from my years at SS. Peter & Paul School in Waterbury. The same holds true for my years at Sacred Heart High School, also in Waterbury.

As a parish, we congratulate Louis Santiago, a candidate for the Order of Deacons, who is now in the final months of his preparation for the ministry. Last Saturday, January 21, he was instituted into the Ministry of Acolyte by Bishop Bettancourt in the chapel of St. Thomas at the Pastoral Center in Bloomfield. Keep Louis, his wife and his daughters, in your prayers as he now moves toward ordination as a deacon, which is scheduled for June 3 at the Cathedral in Hartford.

By way of advance notice, the parish schedule for the upcoming season of Lent as well as Holy Week will be posted on social media and the parish website this week. It will also be in the bulletin as we approach Ash Wednesday, which falls on February 22.

Have a good week!

January 22, 2023

This Monday, January 23, we note that it has been fifty years since the infamous Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, that legalized the “right” to abortion in the United States. For over five decades, countless Catholics and others who value all human life, especially the life of the unborn and the most vulnerable, prayed and protested and fought to have that ill-decided Supreme Court decision overturned. The efforts over those years were not without fruit, for the Supreme Court, in its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, issued on June 24 of last year, overturned Roe v. Wade and in so doing, declared that the Constitution does not provide for any right to abortion and that the question of the legality of abortion belongs properly, under the dictates of the tenth amendment to the Constitution, to the states to decide.

The Dobbs decision, while a step in the right direction, does not in any way prohibit abortion. The question of whether abortion is legal or not is now left to the states, many of which have taken steps to severely curtail or outlaw abortion. Other states, including Connecticut, are seeking to enshrine the “right” to abortion in their state constitutions. The battle is not yet over and there is much work to be done.

The teaching of the Church has been consistent from ancient times. Direct abortion, the deliberate killing of a fetus, is a grave sin, a crime against the law of God. There are no exceptions to this proscription on abortion, even in cases of rape or where the life of the mother is in danger. A child conceived by rape is not in any way responsible for the circumstances of conception. It is unjust to terminate the child’s life, even if the circumstances are tragic. In the case of where the life of the mother is in danger, it is never acceptable to terminate the life of the fetus directly so as to save the life of the mother. Every effort must be made to save both lives, but if the fetus or the mother dies, it is a regrettable reality. The story of St. Gianna Molla, who died in 1962 rather than terminate her pregnancy due to health concerns, stands as a model for us all.

I am saddened to announce that on January 3, Pat Piroh, an employee of our parish for the past ten years, died unexpectedly. Some of you may know her from her work as evening receptionist in the parish office. She was buried from St. Mary’s Church on Thursday, January 12. We will miss her. May she rest in peace. As of this writing, the parish office will be open from Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. After hours, please call and leave a message or contact the parish secretary, Danielle Hogan, via email through the parish website. We will evaluate staffing needs regarding evening or weekend office hours as we go forward.

Have a good week!

January 15 2023

Last weekend, I had included in the bulletin the text of the Epiphany Proclamation, which is the formal announcement of the dates of the major liturgical feasts of the coming year. Unfortunately, due to my error, part of the text was left out. I include it here as follows:

Know, dear brothers and sisters, that, as we have rejoiced at the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, so by leave of God’s mercy we announce to you also the joy of his Resurrection, who is our Savior.

On the 22nd day of February will fall Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of thefast of the most sacred Lenten season.

On the 9th day of April you will celebrate with joy Easter Day, the Paschal Feast of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On the 18th day of May will be the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On the 28th day of May, the feast of Pentecost.

On the 11th day of June, the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

On the 3rd day of December, the First Sunday of the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom is honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

January 1, 2023

THE TRADITIONAL EPIPHANY PROCLAMATION

In ancient times before calendars were common, most people did not know the dates for the upcoming liturgical year. On Epiphany Sunday, it was traditional to proclaim the dates of the major feasts of the coming liturgical year after the Gospel. For the year 2023, it is as follows:

Dear brothers and sisters, the glory of the Lord
has shone upon us, and shall ever be manifest among us,
until the day of his return.
Through the rhythms of times and seasons,
let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation.
Let us recall the year’s culmination,
the Easter Triduum of the Lord:
his last supper, his crucifixion, his burial,
and his rising celebrated
between the evening of the sixth of April
and the evening of the ninth of April.
EASTER SUNDAY being on the ninth of April.
Each Easter—as on each Sunday—
the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed
by which Christ has forever conquered sin and death.
From Easter are reckoned all the days we keep holy.
ASH WEDNESDAY, the beginning of Lent,
will occur on the twenty-second day of February.
The ASCENSION OF THE LORD will be commemorated on
Thursday, the eighteenth day of May.

December 25, 2022

THE CHRISTMAS PROCLAMATION
from the Roman Martyrology

The Twenty-fifth Day of December,
when ages beyond number had run their course
from the creation of the world,
when God in the beginning created heaven and earth
and formed man in his own likeness;
when century upon century had passed
since the Almighty set his bow in the clouds after the Great Flood,
as a sign of covenant and peace;
in the twenty-first century since Abraham, our father in faith,
came out of the Ur of the Chaldees;
in the thirteenth century since the People of Israel
were led by Moses in the Exodus from Egypt;
around the thousandth year since David was anointed King;
in the sixty-fifth week of the prophecy of Daniel;
in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
in the year seven hundred and fifty-two
since the foundation of the City of Rome;
in the forty-second year of the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus;
the whole world being at peace,
JESUS CHRIST, eternal God and Son of the Eternal Father,
desiring to consecrate the world by his most loving presence,
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and when nine months had passed since his conception,
was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Judah,
and was made man:
The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

A Blessed Christmas filled with peace and a New Year filled with much happiness and many blessings to all!

December 4, 2022

Dear Friends,

This Thursday, December 8, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a holy day of obligation. There will be four Masses celebrated for the holy day: at 7:00 AM and 12:05 PM at St. Mary’s and at 9:00 AM and 5:30 PM at St. Agnes. The holy day celebrates a special grace granted to the Virgin Mary whereby she was conceived without the stain of original sin in view of her role, as predestined by God from all eternity, as Mother of God. The United States has adopted the Virgin Mary, under her title as the Immaculately Conceived Mother of God, as our patroness. Please be sure to take a bulletin with you by way of reminder for the holy day Masses.

This year, owing to the return of Father Moncy to India for reasons of health and as we wait for a replacement, we have been forced to curtail the Christmas Eve Mass schedule. The lack of a third priest prevents us from having an overflow Mass in the school gym, as has been our custom. The churches will fill quite early for both 4:00 PM Masses. Therefore, it is imperative to try to arrive early if you would like a seat. Furthermore, the lack of numbers of parishioners attending the 10:00 PM Mass at St. Agnes last year led to my decision to have only one Mass at 10:00 PM this year and to celebrate it at St. Mary’s. Out of fairness, and with deference to a sense of balance, I opted at the same time to move the 6:00 PM Mass from St. Mary’s to St. Agnes.

Since there will be no overflow Mass in the school gym this year, we will not be having a Christmas pageant as has been the custom for a number of years. I have thought about the Christmas pageant and the practice of having it within a Mass on Christmas Eve and I think that the time has come to discontinue it altogether. The Mass itself is a pageant and there is no need for augmentation of any kind by acting out the Christmas story. The Gospels speak sufficiently for themselves and need no amplification. Going forward, we will be offering instead a “Children’s Mass” at one of the Christmas Eve celebrations. This will entail calling the children up and presenting the Christmas story at a level that they can understand and allow them to participate more actively. This is much more in keeping with the thinking of the Church regarding the liturgy.

As for a Christmas pageant of some kind, I think it might be better organized within the St. Mary School community, making use of the music program and religion classes. There is also the possibility of involving children from the parish who do not attend the school. Such a pageant can be presented on a Sunday afternoon in either of our churches, perhaps the Sunday after January 1, when we celebrate the Epiphany, which is often overlooked and underappreciated in our culture.

Have a good week!

November 13, 2022

Dear Friends,

Now that we are at the mid-point of November, it is time to turn our attention to Christmas, just six weeks or so away. This year, we have one less priest available to us and this will have an impact by necessity on the usual Christmas schedule. Taking into account the attendance at Christmas Masses in both churches last year also is of great help in shaping a schedule that will supply sufficient opportunities for you to come to Mass while not overly taxing the priests.

That being said, Christmas this year falls on a Sunday. We will not be using the regular Sunday schedule Christmas weekend, but will instead use the typical Christmas schedule that we have had but with some changes. The schedule will be as follows:

CONFESSIONS

The usual confession schedule of an hour on Saturdays and an hour on Mondays will be in effect through Advent but we will offer two additional hours of confessions on Christmas Eve morning from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon at St. Agnes.

CHRISTMAS MASSES

Christmas Eve, Saturday, December 24 4:00 PM and 10:00 PM at St. Mary’s
(No 4:15 PM in the school gym and no 6:00 PM Mass at St. Mary’s)
4:00 PM and 6:00 PM at St. Agnes’
(No 10:00 PM Mass at St. Agnes’).

Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25
8:30 AM and 10:30 AM at St. Mary’s
10:00 AM at St. Agnes’

As of this writing, the status of the Christmas Pageant, which normally was part of the 4:15 PM Mass in the school gym, has not been determined. We will announce something when a decision has been made. The schedule for the New Year’s weekend, New Year’s also falling on Sunday, will be the typical Sunday
schedule but with no 4:30 PM Mass Sunday afternoon, January 1, at St. Mary’s. Please post this on your refrigerator or wherever you keep such things by way of reminder.

Have a good week!

November 6, 2022

Dear Friends:

For the month of October, as I mentioned in a previous bulletin, you may have noticed the ushers at every Mass going up the side aisles with a “clicker” as we call it. The purpose was to take the annual “October Count” as mandated by the Archdiocese. This has been done every year for time immemorial, it seems, and its purpose is to supply the Chancery (and the Archbishop) with a “snapshot” of the state of the parishes in the Archdiocese. One gauge of a healthy parish is found in the number of people who come to Mass each weekend. It is not the only gauge of a healthy parish, but obviously, a parish which has few to none attending Sunday Mass cannot be said to be healthy.

That being said, our overall number for this year of those who come to Mass in Precious Blood Parish stands at just about 1600 people. I am grateful to all of you who make the effort to be with us in person week in and week out. Our faith is grounded in a personal encounter with the Lord in the context of a community of believers and one essential part of our Catholic faith is the necessity of receiving the sacraments,
especially the Eucharist. This cannot be done in any way virtually. It requires our personal presence. While I am grateful to those parishioners who come to Mass each weekend, I am also somewhat disheartened. Prior to the pandemic, our weekend Mass attendance hovered around 2000. Where have the four hundred people who came then now gone? Some may have died, others may have become sick and home bound, others may have moved away. There are some however who have not returned. If you know of someone, make an effort to reach out to them and invite them back. It is safe to come to church, and anyone who wishes to wear a mask is welcomed to do so. As Jesus said in the Gospel, “Fear is useless; what is needed is faith.”

That being said, we are in need of readers, ushers, and altar servers. A parish of our size should have an abundance of people ready and willing to serve the community in those capacities. Please think about these vital ministries and, if you are interested in any way, please speak to me, to Father Lijo, or to Deacon John. Training is provided and we will be happy to answer any and all questions. Parents of children of sufficient age are encouraged to speak to their children about serving at Mass. It is a good way for them to be involved and to learn more about their faith. Again, training will be provided. I thank all those who serve currently as readers, ushers, and altar servers.

Finally, this Tuesday, November 8, is Election Day and it is, as the pundits put it, a “consequential” election. There are numerous issues, pressing problems facing our nation and our society. The candidates for whom we vote may have a significant impact, for good or ill, on the future direction of our nation and our state. Party loyalty is a good thing, but it cannot supercede loyalty to the good of our nation and to its founding principles.

As Catholics, we are bound by the Fourth Commandment to vote and to be good citizens, and for the benefit of all, I quote what the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the duties of citizens, specifically from #2240, where it says: “Submission to authority and co responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one’s country.”

Have a good week, and go out and vote!

October 23, 2022

Dear Friends:

For the past several weekends, you may have noticed the ushers going up the side aisles, watching and clicking. This is part of an annual ritual in the Archdiocese of Hartford known as the “October Count.” It is the annual counting of the number of people who attend Mass in every parish as well as the number of those receiving Communion. This is important as one, but hardly the only, dimension of what makes for a healthy parish. Our parish remains one of the larger parishes in the Archdiocese, with the average weekly Mass attendance standing between 1800 and 2000 people in all, and with over 4000 families registered as belonging to the parish. We are not quite where we were before the pandemic but we are within range. What all of us can do is to encourage anyone we know who still is afraid to return to church to do so. Gathering with others who share a common faith in Christ, hearing the word of God proclaimed and preached, and receiving the Eucharist are indispensable for Catholics. There is no need to be afraid. Invite them to come back, and if they must, they may wear a mask.

While our Mass attendance has not quite returned to pre-pandemic numbers, our parish finances are in very good shape. The current, year-to-date numbers are encouraging. We are now at parish support levels that
were the case in the year 2018, before the pandemic. I want to thank all of you for your generous, ongoing support of the parish. Know that we are being vigilant and careful in managing parish finances. In light of that, and given the strains on all of our checkbooks due to the current poor state of the economy, with rising costs for fuel and food, I have decided to dispense this year with the Annual Collection. This is a small gesture, but I hope a meaningful one, expressing our appreciation for all that you have contributed thus far this year.

The month of November is fast-approaching. It is the month when we make a special effort to remember our loved ones taken from us in death. The annual Mass for the Deceased will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Church on the evening of All Souls’ Day, November 2, at 7:30 PM. All are invited, with a special invitation to those who have lost loved ones in the past year. As a further means of remembering the deceased, in your envelope packets you will find one for All Souls’ Day. You are invited to record the names of those you wish to remember, enclose an offering of your choice, and place it in the basket on any Sunday. Those envelopes will be collected and half of them will be placed on the altar of each of our churches and those whose names are recorded will be remembered in a special way throughout the month of November. If you do not receive envelopes or have misplaced yours, envelopes for All Souls’ remembrances are available at the doors of both churches.

The 2022 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal is nearing its conclusion. Our parish has been generous in its support of the Appeal. If you have not made a gift or pledge, I encourage you to do so as soon as possible. All funds gained through the Appeal support not only the offices and agencies of the Archdiocese, but also a sizeable number of local charities throughout the Archdiocese, including a number here in Milford.

Have a good week!