Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

As a member of the High School Apostles, I still picture my earliest days within the group. Like with any new experience, the most difficult action is to simply step through the door on that first meeting. I approached the Fraternas’ house, took a deep breath, and opened the door. I did so, thank goodness, and I experienced a community more welcoming and loving than any other group. Never had I experienced such a great sense of community and fellowship. The friends I made concreted my faith within others. Before HSA, my faith experience stressed words without actions. However, with friends that pushed me to become a stronger disciple of Christ, I could not only speak my faith but live it. One of my best experiences from HSA stems from life-changing confirmation retreats that I led for the best two years. I am so grateful for the opportunity to experience such a loving and vibrant community, and I hope others in the Diocese can come to know this beautiful group of disciples.

By: Teddy Whiteman, High School Apostle

I was from Catholic family and attended Catholic elementary school.  My friends and I would dress “like nuns” when we played school. The sisters who taught us were mostly junior professed and fun. I joined their vocation club, but meetings just served to let us hang out with our teachers after school. When I went to Catholic high school I cannot say I thought much about entering the convent (I was having too much social life.) until senior year when I was confronted with life choices and realized maybe I should consider being a sister. I knew they had a balanced life, time for prayer, time with community, and a helping profession. As I approached graduation the idea started being in the back of my mind.

One day, one of the sisters asked me if I thought I had a religious vocation. I had never dreamed anyone thought I was “convent material”. Maybe God did want me! I started to cry and retreated to the restroom until I could dry out. I decided that if I were serious I would enter the community at the high school because they were more of a cultural fit. I also greatly admired our principal who was battling cancer, heroically coming down once a day from her sickbed on the convent side to teach Latin IV to us.

Mom, who would have preferred me taking the regular route, marriage, had to be convinced. But after all these years, I have to say it’s been a wonderful life.

Sr. Nancy Strillacci A.S.C.J.

Program Director Delegate for Religious

It is hard to find a place where you can express your faith in high school; let alone find friends that have the same faith you. At youth group you’re able to do both of those. I go to youth group at Saint Catherine’s of Siena. Youth group gives me an opportunity to make friends, study Scripture, play games, and most importantly encounter Christ every Sunday. This is a beautiful chance to see that Catholicism is much more than just mass on Sundays. It is a relationship that we find through other people. I recommend youth group to anyone who wants to discover what their faith is truly about.

By: Sierra O’Keefe, senior at Notre Dame High School and member of St. Catherine of Siena youth group.  

On October 12, 2017, three of my classmates and I went on a pilgrimage to Fatima for the 100^th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun. After classes on Thursday we began the journey the Fatima where we arrived at the Shrine of Fatima for the end of the candlelit procession. Looking out the square was filled with thousands of people holding candles as the statue of Our Lady of Fatima was processed through the crowds followed by an international mass. It was in these moments that I expected Our Mother to reveal herself to me, but rather she revealed herself to me on the walk back to where we were staying. One of my classmates and I had stayed at the shrine to find adoration and stations of the cross. It was not until two-thirty in the morning that we decided it was time to get some sleep. The house was only a short ten-minute taxi ride back, and our host had pointed out a parking lot where they would be. The parking lot was now empty with no taxis in sight. My friend and I then began the hour and a half walk back where I was asked to completely trust God. We blindly followed google maps with our phones flashlight’s sometimes as the only source of visible light. However, once I trusted in God I saw Him as the only light I needed to guide me back to where we were staying. One of my dear friends told me that holding a rosary in your hand is like holding Mary’s hand and can get you through almost anything. I pulled my rosary bracelet of my wrist and clung to it as I began praying a decade of the rosary. In that moment, Mary was revealed to me as my Mother not through the sun, but through the power of the rosary with her holding my hand to bring me back safely.

By: Lauren Revay, Sophomore at Catholic University

When I was asked to accompany our Diocesan trip to Ethiopia with Catholic Relief Services and Turning Wine into Water, I thought the theme of the trip was going to be “For I was thirsty, and you gave me drink.” In fairness to me, we were going to see an inauguration of a clean water project!

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In August 2016, I was fortunate enough to travel to Poland with my church. On that trip, I encountered people who truly changed my life. My roommate, and now best friend, taught me that you don’t need to always be with someone to know them fully. At this time, I went to New Canaan High School, the public school where I lived. While many others from school also attended my parish, I did not have that true Christ-like connection with anyone.

Halfway through the trip in Poland, my roommate and I sat on our windowsill at four o’clock in the morning. The peace of watching the sun rise through those hours calmed me in a way I have never felt before. Fully at peace, and fully aware of everything I needed to be. Later that night, our Bridgeport group attended adoration in an arena of 20,000 English speaking people. When the Blessed Sacrament came near, the power and force that we felt caused us to fall down, clutching each other in our sobs of emotion. In my seventeen years, I had never felt such emotion of ease or calm, or knowing that was loved by a God who was never going to leave my side.

After we came home from the trip, I began to prepare for the new school year, as it was already the end of August: one week until school started. The same feeling from adoration came over me as I realized that I wanted to have Christ with me always. After meeting so many other teenagers from Bridgeport on the trip, I started looking into diocesan private Catholic schools. My heart pulled me towards St. Josephs, where I will graduate in 2018. The experience and emotion of knowing God is something everyone should feel.

By: Clare Wagner

High School Apostle, Parishioner of St. Aloysius Parish, Student of St. Joseph High School

Strong faith in high school is beautiful and sometimes rare.  Joining a parish youth group or an organization like High School Apostles has been a way to meet more teenagers who are involved in their faith. Having a group of active faith members inspires me to live out my faith more fully. I know that I always have my faith to turn to, no matter what life throws at me.

Senior year is an especially stressful time with college applications, but it is comforting to have Jesus to guide me. My faith uplifts and fills me with determination, confidence, and joy. Going into senior year, I am able to be a light of Christ because He has instilled His Spirit within me. I love joining together with my fellow apostles to lead confirmation retreats or talk about our personal faith journeys. It is awesome to know that so many teens are excited about their faith. It is not common to be so immersed in faith at this age, so it is special to meet others with the same fire in their hearts. It is exciting to be able to share faith with people in my grade who may be just beginning their faith journey. Being an older teenage member in the Church comes with a special responsibility. We truly lead the Church; we are the active hands of God.

By: Isabella Iazzetta

High School Apostles, Senior at St. Joseph High School, Parishioner of St. Mary in Bethel

In 8th grade, I was preparing to make my confirmation, and as every other kid in the Diocese would, I had to complete service hours. To fulfill some of my service hours, I would go to Eucharistic Adoration in order to receive the hours I needed.  It was in those hours of silence, stillness, and solitude that I first encountered Jesus Christ. I remember sitting in a dimly lit church at 3 am completely lost in prayer. Amidst my pain and suffering, I heard Christ speak to me. He said, “I love you.” Hearing Christ speaks these words to my heart gave me great comfort, peace, and joy. Before this illuminating encounter, my struggle with self-identity was ongoing for years until I realized that it was rooted in Christ and is inseparable from our human nature.

My encounter with our Creator felt like he saw into all the depths of my heart which no one else, not even I, had seen. This is a beautiful thing because Jesus saw who I truly was and loved me all the same. It’s in these moments where we see his promises such as “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28) become true. I was only able to listen to Him because I made the sincere effort to open up my heart and listen. That day, as I left Eucharistic Adoration, I was reminded of the words spoken clearly in scripture, “Go and sin no more.”

By Daniel De Menezes
St. Mary Parish, Norwalk

Last week, I had the opportunity to welcome over 850 of our teachers and administrators back to school at our 2017 Diocesan Convocation for Catholic School Educators.  In my address to those in attendance, I talked about the interwoven nature of our Catholic Identity and Academics.  There was such great excitement in the room as we looked at the direction in which our Catholic schools are heading that I thought I would share some of my reflections.

People often talk about academic excellence and Catholic identity as if they are separate and mutually exclusive ideals.  In our schools, however, academic excellence cannot be discussed apart from our Catholic identity.  Because we believe that every child is created in the image and likeness of God and because we believe that it is our responsibility to help each of God’s children reach their fullest potential, academic excellence is a necessity to fulfill our mission in Catholic education.  This mission challenges us to create educated and articulate global citizens who use their Catholic identity as the lens through which they see the world.

When we keep that as our focus, we realize that we cannot have a “one-size fits all” education.  We must begin to create opportunities for learning that are much more personal.  We must move from teacher centered to student centered classrooms and we must build learning experiences rather than just lesson plans.  Personalized learning opens a host of possibilities for what teachers can do for a child and allows them to meet the needs of each child no matter where he/she is, no matter what his/her strengths, and no matter what his/her ability.

As we move forward in the coming years, our goal is to create innovative and inclusive learning environments in which students acquire knowledge and skills, where they collaborate with each other, where they create together, and where they communicate their learning and discuss its relation with real world issues.

We do not want our Catholic schools to be public schools with a religion class.  We can be so much more than that and because of what we believe about God and His creation, we have to be.

By: Steve Cheeseman

Superintendent, Diocese of Bridgeport Catholic Schools

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with this time of the year. On the one hand, I love the crispness of the air, the coolness of the nights, pumpkin spice flavored things, apple picking, and college football. On the other, I always hated that summer was ending, because that meant it was time to go back to school, and thus, back to responsibilities.

Now that I am older and out of school, I still feel a similar way. I am always sad to see my siblings go back to school (remembering that feeling myself), and I am especially sad to see the energy and excitement of summer wain until the quiet preparation of autumn.

These days, I find this time of year to be exciting and full of hope. As people are returning to work and school in the Diocese of Bridgeport, and summer vacations are ending, we’re preparing for some of the most exciting work we’ve done yet here in the Catholic Center. As I was planning the next few weeks on our Diocesan Social Media, I was in awe of the many ministries, events, and opportunities that my coworkers have created for the faithful here in the Diocese.

Wherever I go in the Diocese, visiting parishes or covering events, there seems to be a pervasive excitement swelling in our communities. And it is contagious! Now, instead of drifting into the melancholy that the end of summer often brings, I cannot help but feel that same excitement. Bring on the autumn!

By: John Grosso

Social Media Leader

Diocese of Bridgeport

“Who do you say that I am?”  Such a powerful question coming from Our Lord today in the Gospel.  Met with confusion over who this Jesus is, many people murmured about Him.  So Christ asked His closest followers who the crowds said He was, He asked what people were saying about Him.  “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets,” they responded.  “But who do you say that I am?” Jesus responded.

As He asked the apostles thousands of years ago, so He asks us today.  Who do we say that He is?  Some of us may say He is God, Lord, Savior, Redeemer, or King.  Some may say He is justice, mercy, love, or compassion.  Some may say He is friend, brother, or mentor.  But who do we say that He is?  Who is Jesus Christ for us?  What is our personal relationship with Him like?

On the flip side, there’s another question worth asking: who does Jesus say that we are?  We spend a lot of time describing ourselves to other people in plenty of different ways and these things are not bad whatsoever.  But the more important description is the one Our Lord has for us, so we are led to ask who does Jesus say that I am?  If we know what Our Lord thinks of us, then no other contradictory opinion matters, for we know who we really are in His eyes.

So I encourage you to ask yourselves these questions today and in the days to come.  Who do you say that He is?  Who does He say that you are?  Bring those questions to the Lord in prayer, too, and see if He can help you figure them out, for flesh and blood will not reveal these answers to us, but only our Heavenly Father.  Ask the Lord these questions; the answers might just astound you.

The first Sundays of my life were spent in the pews of Saint Joseph’s Church in Brookfield. It was here that I first saw Jesus, in the coloring pages of our children’s booklets. And as I started CCD, I heard His name in Christian songs. And as I was anointed with oil on my confirmation, I felt my heart yearning to learn even more about Him. So, I chose to leave the public school system and pursue Jesus in my education at Immaculate High School. It was here that I understood His life while reading the scriptures in our rigorous religion classes.

All of these spiritual seeds were planted by our wonderful diocese and prepared me to then encounter Jesus in everything else I did. I began fully encountering His forgiving love as I attended youth retreats at Saint Rose in Newtown, and felt His hospitality as I joined David Roman at the Saint Joseph’s Danbury youth group. I encountered His patience in Father Jeff Couture who constantly ministered to dozens of IHS students, including myself, at such a pivotal time in our lives. I am forever grateful for this because I have been able to sprout those seeds on my own and bring the love of Jesus outside of our diocesan borders and to my college in New York and in my global mission trip travels.

By: Jillian Mitchell

St. Joseph Church, Brookfield

A mother, out of love for her daughter, goes out of her way to find her daughter help, for she is tormented by demons, the Gospel tells us.  Met with dismissiveness from the Apostles, she begs the Lord to intervene in her daughter’s life, humbling herself to the ground and simply asking for the “scraps from the table.”  And the Lord rewards this humility, for He always “lifts up the lowly” (Lk 1:52).

It is through this woman’s humble faith that the Lord works and this teaches us a lesson today.  Knowing that the Lord loves us and knowing that He is present with us brings us to a point where we know that we can approach Him and ask anything of Him, as He himself tells us in the Gospel.  But the key to that relationship is humility: knowing who we are in reality, accepting that graciously, and serving there quietly.

This humility helps us realize that Christ is God and we are not, which allows us to give Him the reigns.  In humility, we realize that we are sinners who by no means deserve God’s love, mercy, or forgiveness, but yet we have them completely by the free gift of God Himself.  And through this realization, we receive the grace to appreciate these incredible gifts for what they are: free, undeserved, and unconditional.

Let’s pray for the gift of humility this week, then, so that we may start to see God as He is and ourselves as we are in His eyes.  Let’s pray for the gift of humility so that we can appreciate more fully those gifts of love, mercy, and forgiveness that the Lord is so ready to pour out upon us.

The most powerful thing about the Camino de Santiago is what it teaches you about yourself. Along this ancient route, pilgrims walk to the city of Compostela in northwestern Spain where the bones of the apostle St. James are buried. As I walked The Way with eight of my brother seminarians and one of our priest faculty members, I learned a particular lesson, one that we all must come to grips with, whatever road we walk: how do we deal with adversity, with the inevitable mountains that we must climb.

It was only our second day, but it had already proved that it would be the toughest of our nine-day journey. After walking 12 miles, we still had another 5 to go. And a mountain was staring us in the face. Our destination: the very top. I struggled every step of that climb. Still, I had no choice but to keep going. Where did I find the strength to make it to the top of the mountain? Certainly, in my brothers who were walking with me, side by side. But, more importantly, I found it in the hands of Mary.

As I walked up the mountain that day, and all the difficult parts in the days to follow, I clung to Mary. Through the Rosary, when I could find the strength to say it, and even just by calling Her name when that was all I could manage. As the beautiful Memorare teaches us, never has it been known that anyone who has sought Mary’s help has been left unaided. I know that Mary’s hand guided me to the top of that mountain and, days later, into the Cathedral at Compostela. And, in life’s difficult moments, I know She will always be there to guide me along The Way – wherever it may lead.