Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

VATICAN CITY —The leaders of an international movement seeking to have the Catholic Church formally set aside its long-held teachings on just war theory are praising Pope Francis’ new encyclical Fratelli Tutti, which said it is “very difficult” to invoke the theory today because of the brutality of modern combat.

Former and current presidents of Pax Christi International, which has co-hosted two conferences with the Vatican over the past four years focused on helping the church move away from the just war tradition, say the pope’s document makes substantial progress toward their goal.

“I feel like what he was doing was moving the just war tradition further and further into the background, to put it on the shelf, where it belongs,” said Marie Dennis, who served as a co-president of Pax Christi from 2007 to 2019. “It was progress in a very real way.”

Dennis, who organized the 2016 and 2019 conferences in conjunction with the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, told NCR that she thinks Francis is laying the ground for the church to eventually remove all support for the just war theory.

Loreto Sr. Teresia Wamuyu Wachira, a current Pax Christi co-president, called the pope’s words in Fratelli Tutti “a shift to a new way of thinking.” Wachira, a Kenyan who attended both of the Vatican conferences, said the pontiff is saying simply that “war has failed.”

“For me, he’s not mincing his words,” said Wachira, a member of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “He’s kind of inviting us to think different and to act differently.”

Others who took part in the Vatican events spoke even more bluntly.

“It is certainly a strong negative statement on the viability of the just war theory in our day and age,” said Terrence Rynne, a theologian who took part in both conferences and is also an NCR board member. “He throws it, to all intents and purposes, in the ash can.”

San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy, who took part in the 2019 conference, noted that Francis gave a fairly lengthy reflection on issues of war in peace in Fratelli Tutti but never gave an instance where war might be justifiable.

“Given this reality, in tandem with the teachings of Pope Benedict, it is hard not to conclude that the church is abandoning the just war framework and seeking to construct a new moral framework that has not yet emerged,” McElroy told NCR.

“A comprehensive dedication to international norms and the power of nonviolence to achieve peace with justice will no doubt be central to this framework,” said the bishop.

Francis’ encyclical lays out the pope’s comprehensive vision for how the world should change after the coronavirus pandemic and was released Oct. 4.

The just war theory was first referred to by fourth-century bishop St. Augustine of Hippo and uses a series of criteria to evaluate whether use of violence can be considered morally justifiable.

In Fratelli Tutti, Francis says that nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and new technological combat systems “have granted war an uncontrollable destructive power over great numbers of innocent civilians.”

“We can no longer think of war as a solution, because its risks will probably always be greater than its supposed benefits,” states the pontiff. “In view of this, it is very difficult nowadays to invoke the rational criteria elaborated in earlier centuries to speak of the possibility of a ‘just war.’ ”

In a footnote to the above paragraph, the pontiff appears to go a bit further, stating that Augustine “forged a concept of ‘just war’ that we no longer uphold in our own day.”

Dennis and others said they were unsure how to interpret that footnote, as it could appear that Francis means that the church no longer supports use of the just war theory at all, or that the theory has just not been well applied to current conflicts.

Daniel Cosacchi, a religious studies professor at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania, suggested that the footnote could be used by a future pope to further move the church away from the just war theory.

Cosacchi compared it to a footnote in Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which suggested that Catholics who have been divorced and remarried without obtaining annulments might be able to receive Communion in certain cases.

“It’s going to garner less attention, I’m aware of that,” said the theologian. “But just like the footnote in Amoris Laetitia can open the door to future teachings, I think that this footnote [in Fratelli Tutti] can open the door to future teachings, also, whether it be from Francis or his successors.”

Dennis suggested another way for how the church’s teaching on just war theory could change, pointing to the model of the church’s recent development of teaching on the death penalty.

In his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II had said the death penalty could be necessary in “very rare” cases to protect society from a violent criminal. Francis updated that teaching in 2018, changing the Catechism of the Catholic Church to say that the death penalty was “inadmissible.”

“It just seems to me that it narrows it down farther and farther and farther, which is exactly what he did with the death penalty,” Dennis said of Francis’ approach. “I feel like that’s where he’s going with this.”

Wachira said she thought Pax Christi’s efforts to have the church change its teaching on just war theory were “bearing fruit” as part of a “continuous dialogue” with the Vatican.

“I believe that as we continue moving in this dialogue, we will continue building a better world,” said the Kenyan sister. “I would say this is not the last encyclical of this pope. And we are praying that he lives long to write more and to keep engaging, and advancing this particular way.”

Dennis offered a similar sentiment.

“We absolutely still hope that there will be additional magisterial teaching on nonviolence and just peace,” she said. “This is a beautiful encyclical. And we think another encyclical would be very appropriate, to build on this.”

by Joshua J. McElwee | National Catholic Reporter

BRIDGEPORT— The hard work of discipleship requires us to climb the mountain of faith, but the feast of eternal life awaits those who walk with Christ, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano said in his online Mass for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

In his homily the bishop reflected on readings from – Isaiah ( 25: 6-10)6 “On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines,” and on the Gospel of Matthew’s (22:1-14) parable about the King and the wedding guests, “Many are invited but few are chosen.”

The bishop said the two readings come together in the concept of a feast that follows a journey whether to a mountain top or as a wedding guest.

“There is a lesson to be learned that the Lord reminds us of today. The unprepared man was not ready to do what was necessary to enter the feast, to walk the mountain… And so that’s where the challenge lies for you and me. We are called to scale that mountain in discipleship with Christ as our companion.”

The bishop, who grew up in Brooklyn, said the first time he saw a mountain was as a little boy when his parents took him back to their ancestral Italian village on the foothills of the Apennines. He was overwhelmed by their power and majesty, and immediately wanted to climb them.

Describing mountains “as the place where heaven and earth meet,” the bishop said we all have mountains to climb in order to be faithful disciples of Jesus, and we will not falter if we turn to him for his power strength and grace.

“We too are asked to climb the mountain and its end will be feast He promises us because He entered first in His death and resurrection.”

The bishop said the hard work of discipleship involves many steps “first and foremost to become lifetime learners of our own faith” and to fully explore the teachings and rich tradition of the faith that Christ has given us through his Mystical Body.

The hard work also requires “fruitful prayer” and preparation for the sacraments, and the time to reflect after the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Likewise, scaling the mountain of faith calls us to acts of kindness, charity, accompaniment and works of justice.

“We must climb the mountain to root out racist attitudes and to fight against structures that allow people around the world to spend a day without food, water, a home or security,” the bishop said.

The Bishop concluded his homily by noting that it’s unlikely that he’ll will ever climb a mountain, but noted that “you and I have a far more important mountain to climb.”

“Ask yourself, What is the next step of the mountain you need to take and pray for the grace to take it, mindful of the feast that await us. The Lord is inviting us to the feast. He nourishes us with his word and sacraments along the way and promises us a place at the top of mountain in a feast that will never end.”

In brief remarks before the Final Blessing, the bishop asked people around the diocese to join in the weekly online Family Rosary and to take care of one another, particularly in a time of uncertainty.

“Let us re-double our efforts to reach out to our neighbors and friends in circumstances that may become more challenged as the virus spikes… Let us revolve not to leave anyone behind, so they know someone out there cares for them and has them in mind.”

For more information on the Sunday Family Rosary, visit: https://formationreimagined.org/sundayfamilyrosary/

Bishop’s Online Mass: The Bishop’s Sunday Mass is released online every Sunday morning at 8 a.m. and available for replay throughout the day. To view the Bishop’s Sunday Mass, recorded and published weekly, click this link or visit the YouTube Mass Playlist.

TRUMBULL—Last Sunday, October 4, was the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, merchants and ecology and the occasion of a beloved tradition at St. Catherine of Siena Parish.

Father Joseph Marcello, pastor of St. Catherine’s greeted dozens of the parish’s pets for a prayer and a special blessing.

Every kind of pet was accounted for—from a singing parakeet to an 100-pound turtle, who was a big hit with the crowd.

The beautiful October weather allowed parishioners and pets to gather safely outside.

The Parish of Saint Catherine of Siena warmly welcomes anyone who is new to the area, anyone who is searching for the truth, or anyone who is looking for a spiritual home.

“We are joyfully and faithfully Roman Catholic in belief and practice—a community of faith, worship, service, and formation—and with open hearts we invite all our brothers and sisters into a living and saving friendship with the Lord Jesus Christ, in the communion of His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church,” said Father Marcello.

St. Catherine of Siena Parish is located at 220 Shelton Road in the Nichols area of Trumbull.

Photos by Amy Mortensen

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—People who think politics is sinking to new lows may find comfort in knowing Pope Francis also is concerned about the debasement of what church teaching has described as a “lofty vocation.”

“Political life no longer has to do with healthy debates about long-term plans to improve people’s lives and to advance the common good, but only with slick marketing techniques primarily aimed at discrediting others. In this craven exchange of charges and countercharges, debate degenerates into a permanent state of disagreement and confrontation,” the pope wrote in his new encyclical.

The encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship,” was published Oct. 4 and urges Christians and all people of goodwill to recognize the equal dignity of all people and to work together to build a world where people love and care for one another as brothers and sisters.

Building that world, he insisted, requires “encounter and dialogue,” processes that allow people to speak from their experience and culture, to listen to one another, learn from one another and find ways to work together for the common good.

“Today, in many countries, hyperbole, extremism and polarization have become political tools,” the pope wrote. “Employing a strategy of ridicule, suspicion and relentless criticism, in a variety of ways, one denies the right of others to exist or to have an opinion.”

The “social aggression” often found on social media has spilled over into mainstream political discourse, he said. “Things that until a few years ago could not be said by anyone without risking the loss of universal respect can now be said with impunity, and in the crudest of terms, even by some political figures.”

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement that “in analyzing conditions in the world today, the Holy Father provides us with a powerful and urgent vision for the moral renewal of politics and political and economic institutions from the local level to the global level, calling us to build a common future that truly serves the good of the human person.”

“For the church,” he added, “the pope is challenging us to overcome the individualism in our culture and to serve our neighbors in love, seeing Jesus Christ in every person, and seeking a society of justice and mercy, compassion and mutual concern.”

In the encyclical Pope Francis had particularly harsh words for politicians who have “fomented and exploited” fear over immigration, ignoring the fact that migrants and refugees “possess the same intrinsic dignity as any person.”

“No one will ever openly deny that they are human beings,” he said, “yet in practice, by our decisions and the way we treat them, we can show that we consider them less worthy, less important, less human. For Christians, this way of thinking and acting is unacceptable, since it sets certain political preferences above deep convictions of our faith: the inalienable dignity of each human person regardless of origin, race or religion.”

Pope Francis often has insisted that he is not calling for open borders and unregulated migration and, in the document, he again insists on the right of people not to be forced to migrate.

International aid to help people overcome extreme poverty in their homelands is essential, he said, but if such development takes too long, people do have the right to migrate to ensure the good of their families.

“Certain populist political regimes, as well as certain liberal economic approaches, maintain that an influx of migrants is to be prevented at all costs,” he wrote. “One fails to realize that behind such statements, abstract and hard to support, great numbers of lives are at stake.”

For Christians, he said, the answer cannot be to simply bow out of political engagement. Instead, they must act at a local level to build relationships of trust and assistance and support politicians and political platforms that promote the common good.

“Whereas individuals can help others in need, when they join together in initiating social processes of fraternity and justice for all, they enter the ‘field of charity at its most vast, namely political charity,’” he said.

Getting practical, Pope Francis explained that “if someone helps an elderly person cross a river, that is a fine act of charity. The politician, on the other hand, builds a bridge, and that too is an act of charity” but on a larger scale.

By Cindy Wooden | Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY—Bringing the Vatican official in charge of translations with him, Pope Francis signed his new encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship,” at the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi, source of the document’s title and inspiration.

After celebrating Mass at St. Francis’ tomb October 3, the eve of the saint’s feast day, the pope called up Msgr. Paolo Braida and explained to the small congregation that the monsignor is in charge of “translations and the speeches of the pope” in the Vatican Secretariat of State.

“He watches over everything and that’s why I wanted him to be here today,” the pope said. He also brought with him the Spanish official who oversaw the accuracy of the various translations and the official who translated the text from Spanish into Portuguese.

Pope Francis set the text on the altar under the tomb of St. Francis and signed it.

The encyclical was scheduled to be released to the public October 4 just after midday.

Pope Francis arrived late for the Mass in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Francis after making a brief stop in Assisi at the Basilica of St. Clare, which houses the tomb of the close follower of St. Francis and founder of the Poor Clares.

The pope did not give a homily during the Mass, simply praying silently for several minutes after the reading of the Gospel. The text was that prescribed for the feast of St. Francis, Matthew 11:25-30, which begins, “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.”

Because of measures designed to contain the coronavirus pandemic, the Mass was described as “private.” Only about two dozen people were in the small crypt chapel; they sat socially distanced, one person in each pew, and wore masks.

Several Franciscan sisters were present, as were the ministers general of the main Franciscan orders of men: Father Michael Perry, minister general of the Franciscans; Father Roberto Genuin, minister general of the Capuchins; and Father Amando Trujillo Cano, minister general of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.

By Cindy Wooden   I   Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY—Professing faith in God as the creator of all human beings, or even simply recognizing that all people possess an inherent dignity, has concrete consequences for how people should treat one another and make decisions in politics, economics and social life, Pope Francis wrote.

“Human beings have the same inviolable dignity in every age of history and no one can consider himself or herself authorized by particular situations to deny this conviction or to act against it,” the pope wrote in his encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship.”

Pope Francis signed the encyclical October 3 after celebrating Mass at the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi, and the Vatican released the more than 40,000-word text the next day.

The pope had been rumored to be writing an encyclical on nonviolence; and, once the COVID-19 pandemic struck, many expected a document exploring in depth his repeated pleas for the world to recognize the inequalities and injustices laid bare by the pandemic and adopt corrective economic, political and social policies.

“Fratelli Tutti” combines those two elements but does so in the framework set by the document on human fraternity and interreligious dialogue that he and Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Egypt, signed in 2019.

In fact, in the new document Pope Francis wrote that he was “encouraged” by his dialogue with the Muslim leader and by their joint statement that “God has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and has called them to live together as brothers and sisters.”

The encyclical takes its title from St. Francis of Assisi and is inspired by his “fraternal openness,” which, the pope said, calls on people “to acknowledge, appreciate and love each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives.”

The title, which literally means “all brothers and sisters” or “all brothers,” are the words with which St. Francis “addressed his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavor of the Gospel,” the pope wrote.

That flavor, explained throughout the document, involves welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry, listening to and giving a hand up to the poor, defending the rights of all and ensuring that each person, at every stage of life, is valued and invited to contribute to the community, he said. It also means supporting public policies that do so on a larger scale.

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, welcomed the encyclical as “an important contribution to the church’s rich tradition of social doctrine.”

“Pope Francis’ teaching here is profound and beautiful: God our father has created every human being with equal sanctity and dignity, equal rights and duties, and our creator calls us to form a single human family in which we live as brothers and sisters,” the archbishop said in a statement. “God’s plan for humanity, the pope reminds us, has implications for every aspect of our lives—from how we treat one another in our personal relationships, to how we organize and operate our societies and economies.”

Building on the social teachings of his predecessors, Pope Francis’ document once again strongly condemns the death penalty and makes an initial approach to declaring that the conditions once used to accept a “just war” no longer exist because of the indiscriminately lethal power of modern weapons.

St. John Paul II in “The Gospel of Life,” published in 1995, cast doubt on whether any nation needed to resort to capital punishment today to protect its people; developing that teaching, Pope Francis in 2018 authorized a change to the Catechism of the Catholic Church to make clear that “the death penalty is inadmissible.”

Signaling the start of a similar effort to respond to the current reality of warfare, Pope Francis in the new encyclical raised the question of “whether the development of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and the enormous and growing possibilities offered by new technologies, have granted war an uncontrollable destructive power over great numbers of innocent civilians.”

“We can no longer think of war as a solution because its risks will probably always be greater than its supposed benefits,” one of the main criteria of just-war theory, he said. “In view of this, it is very difficult nowadays to invoke the rational criteria elaborated in earlier centuries to speak of the possibility of a ‘just war.’ Never again war!”

At the heart of the new encyclical’s appeal to Catholics is a meditation on Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan and particularly on how Jesus takes a legal scholar’s question, “Who is my neighbor,” and turns it into a lesson on being called not to identify one’s neighbors but to become a neighbor to all, especially those most in need of aid.

“The parable eloquently presents the basic decision we need to make in order to rebuild our wounded world. In the face of so much pain and suffering, our only course is to imitate the good Samaritan,” the pope said. “Any other decision would make us either one of the robbers or one of those who walked by without showing compassion for the sufferings of the man on the roadside.”

“The parable,” he continued, “shows us how a community can be rebuilt by men and women who identify with the vulnerability of others, who reject the creation of a society of exclusion, and act instead as neighbors, lifting up and rehabilitating the fallen for the sake of the common good.”

Pope Francis used the encyclical “to consider certain trends in our world that hinder the development of universal fraternity” and acting as a neighbor to one another, including racism, extremism, “aggressive nationalism,” closing borders to migrants and refugees, polarization, politics as a power grab rather than a service to the common good, mistreatment of women, modern slavery and economic policies that allow the rich to get richer but do not create jobs and do not help the poor.

“The pain, uncertainty and fear, and the realization of our own limitations, brought on by the pandemic have only made it all the more urgent that we rethink our styles of life, our relationships, the organization of our societies and, above all, the meaning of our existence,” he said.

Anna Rowlands, a British theologian invited to help present the document at the Vatican, told Catholic News Service the text’s “golden thread” is about discerning “what gives life” and helps everyone to develop their full potential and flourish.

“The whole theme of the document is about the way in which we’re called to attend to the world as Christ attended to the world,” paying attention to reality rather than “evading it and avoiding it,” and praying for the grace to respond as Jesus would.

When people ask, “Who is my neighbor?” often what they really want to know is “Who is not my neighbor?” or “Who can I legitimately say is not my responsibility,” Rowlands said.

Pope Francis called for catechesis and preaching that “speak more directly and clearly about the social meaning of existence, the fraternal dimension of spirituality, our conviction of the inalienable dignity of each person and our reasons for loving and accepting all our brothers and sisters.”

He also used the encyclical to strongly reassert a traditional tenet of Catholic social teaching: “the universal destination of goods” or “the common use of created goods,” which asserts, as St. John Paul said, that “God gave the earth to the whole human race for the sustenance of all its members, without excluding or favoring anyone.”

The right to private property, and the benefits to individuals and society of protecting that right, Pope Francis wrote, “can only be considered a secondary natural right.”

“The right of some to free enterprise or market freedom cannot supersede the rights of peoples and the dignity of the poor, or, for that matter, respect for the natural environment,” the pope said. “Business abilities, which are a gift from God, should always be clearly directed to the development of others and to eliminating poverty,” especially through the creation of jobs that pay a living wage.

Pope Francis, Rowlands said, “wants to rehabilitate this idea of social friendship and social peace in the face of an all-pervasive social violence, which he sees running through the economy, running increasingly through politics, running through social media.”

The pope is not despairing, she said, but realistic. “He wants to offer a vision of how you begin from the most local, most every day and most concrete realities to build a culture of peace at every level.”

By Cindy Wooden   I   Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY—People who think politics is sinking to new lows may find comfort in knowing Pope Francis also is concerned about the debasement of what church teaching has described as a “lofty vocation.”

“Political life no longer has to do with healthy debates about long-term plans to improve people’s lives and to advance the common good, but only with slick marketing techniques primarily aimed at discrediting others. In this craven exchange of charges and countercharges, debate degenerates into a permanent state of disagreement and confrontation,” the pope wrote in his new encyclical.

The encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship,” was published October 4 and urges Christians and all people of goodwill to recognize the equal dignity of all people and to work together to build a world where people love and care for one another as brothers and sisters.

Building that world, he insisted, requires “encounter and dialogue,” processes that allow people to speak from their experience and culture, to listen to one another, learn from one another and find ways to work together for the common good.

“Today, in many countries, hyperbole, extremism and polarization have become political tools,” the pope wrote. “Employing a strategy of ridicule, suspicion and relentless criticism, in a variety of ways, one denies the right of others to exist or to have an opinion.”

The “social aggression” often found on social media has spilled over into mainstream political discourse, he said. “Things that until a few years ago could not be said by anyone without risking the loss of universal respect can now be said with impunity, and in the crudest of terms, even by some political figures.”

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement that “in analyzing conditions in the world today, the Holy Father provides us with a powerful and urgent vision for the moral renewal of politics and political and economic institutions from the local level to the global level, calling us to build a common future that truly serves the good of the human person.”

“For the church,” he added, “the pope is challenging us to overcome the individualism in our culture and to serve our neighbors in love, seeing Jesus Christ in every person, and seeking a society of justice and mercy, compassion and mutual concern.”

In the encyclical Pope Francis had particularly harsh words for politicians who have “fomented and exploited” fear over immigration, ignoring the fact that migrants and refugees “possess the same intrinsic dignity as any person.”

“No one will ever openly deny that they are human beings,” he said, “yet in practice, by our decisions and the way we treat them, we can show that we consider them less worthy, less important, less human. For Christians, this way of thinking and acting is unacceptable, since it sets certain political preferences above deep convictions of our faith: the inalienable dignity of each human person regardless of origin, race or religion.”

Pope Francis often has insisted that he is not calling for open borders and unregulated migration and, in the document, he again insists on the right of people not to be forced to migrate.

International aid to help people overcome extreme poverty in their homelands is essential, he said, but if such development takes too long, people do have the right to migrate to ensure the good of their families.

“Certain populist political regimes, as well as certain liberal economic approaches, maintain that an influx of migrants is to be prevented at all costs,” he wrote. “One fails to realize that behind such statements, abstract and hard to support, great numbers of lives are at stake.”

For Christians, he said, the answer cannot be to simply bow out of political engagement. Instead, they must act at a local level to build relationships of trust and assistance and support politicians and political platforms that promote the common good.

“Whereas individuals can help others in need, when they join together in initiating social processes of fraternity and justice for all, they enter the ‘field of charity at its most vast, namely political charity,’” he said.

Getting practical, Pope Francis explained that “if someone helps an elderly person cross a river, that is a fine act of charity. The politician, on the other hand, builds a bridge, and that too is an act of charity” but on a larger scale.

By Cindy Wooden   I   Catholic News Service

BRIDGEPORT— The image of pruning a vine is key to understanding our essential lifetime task as disciples of Christ, Bishop Caggiano said during his online Mass on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi and the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Reflecting on the parable of the vineyard owner and ungrateful tenants from the Gospel of Matthew (21:33-43) the bishop said that the same God who plants us in his soil and nourishes us also requires that we undergo pruning “in order to bear lasting fruit.”

The bishop cautioned that while most of us understand the need to remove sin from our lives, we are often unaware of the need for another deeper level of pruning that “goes to the core and is more difficult to endure.”

“We must prune away opinions, ego, agendas—things we may make out to be good but that also make the vineyard wild and won’t produce fruit as we are designed to do in Christ.”

“Dying to ourselves so that Christ can live in us and shine through us to the world is a lifetime project of grace and spirit that requires fortitude and perseverance from you and me,” he said.

This radical pruning is possible because Lord give us his teachings and even his forgiveness if we ask, the bishop said.

He began his homily by noting that Fall was his favorite season as a boy, not simply because of the beautiful foliage but also because it was a time of family ritual.

At home in Brooklyn, he and his mother prepared and filled 250 bottles of tomato sauce, while his father made wine for the coming year and pruned the grapevines in late October.

However, the image that really stayed with him was the backyard vineyard of a boyhood friend and how radically the boy’s father pruned the vines.

The bishop said he was struck by the seasonal ritual and “the excessive, even savage pruning” that left only the stem and a few branches.

“All the rest was cut away leaving a boy to wonder if he went too far, if the vine was dead.”

Noting that Sunday was also the Feast of his patron, St. Francis of Assisi, Bishop Caggiano said that St. Francis joyfully underwent radical pruning in order to find more fulness in the life of Christ.

Describing St. Francis as the man “ who perhaps next to Paul had the greatest impact on the life of the Church since the Ascension of our Lord into heaven,” the bishop said Francis was born into a life of pleasure and privilege as the son of a wealthy merchant.

“Yet he renounced all he had and allowed himself to be pruned of everything, even his clothing so that he could stand naked before the Lord.”

The spiritual journey of St. Francis has captured the imagination of religious people across the world and he has become a symbol of one who was “voluntarily and joyfully pruned by the Lord,” he said.

“While it may seem that Francis had nothing left, the truth is he had everything,” the bishop said. “What was left was not a shell but a shining example. Francis’s ego had given way to Christ who is master of all things, even death itself.”

The bishop said we all struggle at times and think that we can’t give everything up, but it will come back to us one hundred fold because we will become the vineyard that bears fruit.

“The spiritual challenge for you and me is to place ourselves at the feet of the Master who has come to prune us and give us life.”

At the end of Mass Bishop Caggiano invited all people throughout the diocese to join in the Sunday Family Rosary at 7:30 pm. He said the Rosary “is designed to gather families together, strengthen their faith, and offer their intentions together throughout our diocese and beyond.”

For more information on the Sunday Family Rosary, visit: https://formationreimagined.org/sundayfamilyrosary/

BRIDGEPORT—Foundations in Faith has announced it is accepting applications for the second year of its popular St. John Paul II “Youth in Action Grants.”

“We have expanded our reach based upon the tremendous success of the first-year projects and the enthusiasm of young people throughout our Diocese,” said Kelly Weldon, Director of Foundations in Faith.

“Project ideas are by youth and for youth to enhance their Catholic faith Formation experiences,” said Weldon, “We invite Catholic youth and young adults to apply for this innovative opportunity to deepen their faith and share the Good News with others.”

Weldon said project design should incorporate two or three elements including Evangelization, Collaboration, and Justice and Equity initiatives to dismantle discrimination.

• The 2021 Grant Application is now live. All applications must be submitted online and by November 13th, 2020.
• The grants are open to young Catholics in the Diocese of Bridgeport representing: 1) Catholic High Schools 2) Parish high school Youth Groups and 3) Young Adult (ages 20-35) Catholic Youth Groups working with Diocesan Priest or a sponsoring Parish
• Each project can apply for up to $5000 in funding.
• The projects that receive grant funding will run from January-December 2021

Youth in Action Application

Youth in Action Budget template

View Only—Youth in Action Application (Applications must be submitted online. No hard copy or print outs of the “view only application” will be accepted)

A dedicated group of volunteers on the Foundations in Faith Grant Committee will review grant requests and make recommendations for funding to the Board of Trustees in early December.

Please contact Kelly Weldon for further information.

TRUMBULL—A full Day of Prayer for the Cause of Life and for Peace in our Country will be held on Wednesday, October 7, from 8 am to 7 pm at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Trumbull.

The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for Adoration immediately following morning Mass and will remain so until 7 pm. The church will be open throughout the day, and everyone is welcome to drop in for prayer and reflection.

“It is no secret that our country and our community continue to face very serious challenges with public health, community peace, and personal safety. Yet, even in these unusual and difficult circumstances, we are reminded that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and that He alone will guide us through,” said Father Joseph Marcello, Pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish..

Father Marcello said that “prayer is our best tool to help us through any challenging period,” and that during the course of the day he will lead devotions every hour on the hour.

Additionally, the parish will livestream the entire day on our Parish Website (www.stcathtrumbull.com) so people can join from the safety of their own home, at their convenience.

Click here to view the flyer.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will host a virtual rosary event on October 7, the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the USCCB has called for this moment of prayer with the intention of uniting Catholics across the country at this time when there is much unrest and uncertainty.

Archbishop Gomez has invited several bishops, representing the various geographical regions of the United States, to pray a part of the rosary and it will premiere on the USCCB’s YouTube channel and Facebook page on Wednesday, October 7 at 3 pm ET (12 pm PT).

The faithful are encouraged to join in this prayerful moment of unity for our country, to seek healing and to ask Our Lady, on her feast, to pray for us and help lead us to Jesus, and encouraged to share where they are praying from, to post a photo of their rosary, and to leave a prayer intention for our country. The USCCB will be using the hashtag #RosaryForAmerica on its social media.

USCCB article

BRIDGEPORT—Foundations in Education, a non-profit organization established to support Catholic education in Fairfield County, was forced to cancel its 2020 gala due to the COVID pandemic and the potential risk. The Board of Trustees with the Development Committee’s urging determined it best to forgo the event in order to ensure the safety of honorees, committee, staff, volunteers and guests.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined 2020 as a year like no other,” said Foundations in Education Executive Director Holly Doherty-Lemoine. “Life’s experience has taught us to buckle down, take the necessary action, and do what needs to be done to survive the challenge before us.”

The challenge before Foundations now is to secure additional funds that were budgeted to be raised at the gala. The annual gala is Foundations in Education’s premier fundraising event.

Last year the gala raised over $1 million, which allowed Bishop’s Scholarship Fund to award 1,456 students tuition assistance so they may experience a transformational education based on Christian values and character formation at Catholic elementary schools throughout the Diocese of Bridgeport. Foundations also funded grants to educators for innovative and leadership initiatives within Diocesan Catholic schools which foster creative instruction and support faculty and administrative leadership.

This year, in light of the pandemic, several donors and sponsors who had already committed their support to the gala converted their gifts to straight contributions. Many more stepped forward to “raise the paddle” from home and gave to our Leaders of Tomorrow campaign, where gifts support a scholarship for a student at a full, half, or quarter tuition. Additional support to help fill the gap is welcome. Please contact Foundations in Education by phone at 203.416.1671 or make a donation online at www.foundationsineducation.org.

Foundations will return to the annual gala on Thursday, May 6, 2021, honoring Lynn and Francis X. Mara of the New York Football Giants, Inc. and Dr. Julia M. McNamara, President Emerita Albertus Magnus College.

Please save the date and join us May 6, 2021 for the Foundations in Education Gala as we celebrate a night of academic excellence, faith formation and enrollment in Catholic Schools.

For more information on the gala, or to make a contribution today, please contact Megan Quinn at 203.416.1671 or mquinn@foundationsineducation.org.