Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

FAIRFIELD—The 8th Annual Golf Classic to benefit the Catholic Academy of Bridgeport was held at the Country Club of Fairfield on Monday, August 10. Clear blue skies, mild breezes, and midsummer sunshine provided donors and supporters with a perfect setting for an afternoon of golf, a cocktail reception, and a lively auction that raised over $260,000 for scholarships.

Despite some limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was sold out with 21 foursomes for golf and 100 guests for cocktails, all held outdoors on the shores of Long Island Sound to meet social distancing protocol. Though each of the Academy’s fundraisers are important in providing scholarships for their inner-city students, CAB’s Executive Director Angela Pohlen said this one was especially vital due to a cancelled event in March, increased requests for financial aid, and the need for an additional $178,000 to cover the schools’ reopening and to meet standards for COVID-19 cleansing.

“This is a critical fundraiser for us,” said Pohlen. “Catholic schools are the hope to a weary world, and we need to be ever more present now.”

With close to 850 students among the four campuses of St. Andrew, St. Ann, St. Augustine, and St. Raphael, the Catholic Academy of Bridgeport will provide tuition assistance to approximately 90% of its population this school year. Pohlen commented on the great sacrifice parents make to send their children to the Academy, especially during these challenging times. “It’s harder now, so we work harder,” she said. “The more kids we can serve, the better.”

Pohlen added that everyone in attendance, from the generous donors to the committed staff of educators and personnel, all remain focused on the mission of CAB in preparing students for “a successful life of leadership and service,” evidenced through the powerful speeches shared throughout the afternoon.

During the cocktail reception, alumnus Janelle Rosales ’16 spoke about the financial burden so many families face in educating their children and thanked the donors “for providing this opportunity to future generations. My teachers gave me a future, a voice, and spirituality.” A 2020 graduate of Notre Dame of Fairfield in the top 20 of her class with over 200 hours of community service, Rosales will attend Quinnipiac University in the fall to simultaneously pursue both a B.A. and an M.B.A.

Those opportunities are made possible by such donors as Jim and Judy Bailey, two of this year’s honorees. As Board Chair from 2009-2014, Jim co-founded the Annual Golf Classic and along with his wife have sponsored multiple students over the years through the Leaders of Tomorrow program. In his speech introducing Jim, current Board Chair Brad Evans quoted the Baileys’ oldest daughter, Elizabeth, who remembers her parents instilling in her the values of compassion, commitment, and confidence.

Also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award was Ann Marie Donnelly, who retired from the Catholic Academy of Bridgeport in June after 37 years in education. Former students Michael Jones ’06 and Onyinyechukwu Nnodum ’13 praised Donnelly for her commitment to students and the difference she made in their lives.

“Mrs. Donnelly didn’t let me fall by the wayside,” said Jones, now a third-year Master of Divinity candidate at Howard University who also works full time at a technology company in Washington, D.C. In describing Donnelly as a “hero,” Jones said, “She stood up for all her students and made sure they all succeeded. She resuscitated students through her acts of kindness and gave her life to something bigger than herself.”

“She made me who I am,” added Nnodum, a rising senior at Cornell University who is studying Industrial and Labor Relations. “Mrs. Donnelly was a teacher, mentor, and friend.”

Success stories such as these, made possible by those most committed to the Catholic Academy of Bridgeport, will continue on due to the generosity displayed at the Golf Classic.

“We are unique,” said Pohlen. “Where others see obstacles, we see potential. This is our moment in history, and when people look back to ask how we served so well, I look around and am reminded of John 13:35—‘they will know us by our love.’”

By Emily Clark

NEW HAVEN—The more than 200 members of the Albertus Magnus College incoming class will begin moving into residence halls on Tuesday, August 25, commencing the College’s historic 95th Anniversary Year. However, instead of the usual festive support of the College’s mascot Frankie Falcon’s Move-in Crew, led by President Marc M. Camille, Ed.D., students will have assigned move-in times over the course of a few days to promote appropriate social distancing and safety precautions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. All students will receive Albertus-branded PPE kits including masks and hand sanitizer, supporting the College’s commitment that all students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus wear masks and adhere to the latest State of Connecticut guidelines.

“These are truly unprecedented times,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing Andrea Kovacs. “We look forward to welcoming our students to our beautiful campus with safety as our top priority. By bringing our students back safely, our Fearless Falcons will be able to soar— especially in this milestone year that is marked by courage as much as celebration.”

Following last fall’s largest ever incoming class, the 200 first-year and transfer students enrolling at Albertus this fall were part of a record total of more than 1,750 applicants, an increase of 15-percent over the previous year’s then record total. Nearly 60 percent of the Class of 2024 elected to live on campus with 82 percent coming from Connecticut, eight-percent being international students, and several of the newest Fearless Falcons hailing from New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. The class includes high achievers, with 11 percent having earned invitations to the College’s Honors Program and 76 percent receiving $15,000 or more in merit scholarships. Of the incoming class, 40 percent are receiving Federal Pell Grants and 65-percent are first generation students. Albertus Magnus College’s continued commitment to equity and diversity is reflected in the class consisting of approximately 53 percent students of color.

Move-in will be followed by a robust schedule of orientation events and activities for new resident and commuting students before traditional undergraduate classes begin on August 31, including face-to-face, hybrid and online learning options all designed to adhere to guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), the State of Connecticut and local health departments.

For the College’s Traditional Undergraduate program, face-to-face classes will continue through Friday, November 20, at which time residential students will return home for the Thanksgiving break. To help mitigate possible Coronavirus exposure and spread, students will then complete classes, projects, and final exams remotely for the remainder of the fall semester, before returning in January for the spring 2021 semester.

Additional information, details, and updates will be posted on the College’s Return to Campus section on the Albertus website.

RIVERSIDE—The Parish of St. Catherine of Siena and St. Agnes in Riverside announces its first-ever online silent auction!

The auction will offer everything from fishing lessons for kids to golf at Winged Foot, a weekend in the Berkshires to lunch with Father Platt, skiing at Thunder Ridge, Bill Baker’s voice on your answering machine, nutrition coaching, yoga, gift cards and much more.

Check out all of the unique offerings posted on the parish website thru Q-Giv. Bid early and bid often.

The auction will be going “live” by Aug. 30. Spread the word!

 

BRIDGEPORT—Foundations in Education, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Trustees. Joining the board are Lisa Ferraro Martino and Barbara Ripp.

“We are delighted Lisa and Barbara are joining our board. They bring a level of expertise and a great deal of heart that will significantly aid us in our mission to support students and teachers,” remarked Holly Doherty-Lemoine, executive director to Foundations in Education.

Lisa Ferraro Martino has served on the gala committee for Foundations in Education for the last two years. Lisa currently serves on the visiting committee for Pediatric Oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and as an ambassador with the Parents Leadership Council of Fairfield University. Lisa has worked on a variety of committees to raise money for schools through annual fund campaigns and fundraising events. Her volunteer work for the Catholic Church has included translating documents for the Martyrs Project and serving as a catechist for 11 years. Lisa earned her Juris Doctor from Duke Law School and holds a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in writing from Fairfield University.

Barbara Ripp has served on the Board of Malta House for six years and has been involved in all aspects of this home for homeless pregnant women and women with young children. As a member of the Order of Malta, she participated in prison ministry and as a mentor in the Shepherds program. Barbara is proud to report her mentee graduated from college in 2020, after four years at Kolbe Cathedral High School. Barbara also volunteers with Walking with Purpose at St. Michael’s Parish in Greenwich and has been a group facilitator for the past five years. With her husband, Peter, Barbara co-sponsored the Christopher Ripp Early Learning Program, which provides after school programming for preschool children and their parents at St. Peter School, Danbury. Retired from her career in social services, Barbara earned her Master’s degree from Kean University and graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and early childhood education.

Foundations in Education is the realization of Bishop Frank J. Caggiano’s vision to support the Diocese of Bridgeport’s ongoing mission to advance Catholic education in Fairfield County. The primary purpose of this non-profit initiative is to support Catholic education by providing tuition assistance for elementary school students and Innovation and Leadership grants for teachers and administrators that promote classroom innovation and professional leadership development and other education-based programs.

Board of Trustees Chair Tom McInerney, remarked, “We are honored that Lisa and Barbara have joined the board and appreciate all they bring to the table in helping to transform thousands of students’ lives in our Catholic schools.”

The two new members join the existing Board of Trustees: Chair Tom McInerney, David Cappiello, George Coleman, R. Bradford Evans, Tim FitzPatrick, Michael Hanlon, Lawrence Kudlow, Leslie Lopez, Andrea Maldon, Anne McCrory, Dr. Julia McNamara, Michele Mitola, Joseph Purcell, Bernard Reidy, Gerard Robilotti, Robert Scinto, Michael Shea, Jennifer St. Victor-de Pinho, Sr. Mary Grace Walsh, and Holly Doherty-Lemoine, ex officio. 

(Click here for more information about Foundations in Education)

FAIRFIELD—James was just another young person thinking about his future. At 21, he had his entire life ahead of him, and he was considering the possibilities, while lying on the sofa in his parents’ Westchester home.

As he saw it, there were three options: suicide, dying from drugs and alcohol…or sobriety. He chose sobriety.

That was four years ago. Today, James Cafran is the coordinator of the Sacred Heart University Collegiate Recovery Program, which began operations last fall and is among a growing number of college programs in the country.

A lounge in the Main Academic Building provides a place for 12-Step meetings along with yoga and meditation classes. The area is available to any students struggling with addiction or related issues so they can gather and talk.

“This lounge makes people know they are not alone,” Cafran said. “It’s where students can meet other students in similar situations. They can just hang out and talk. It’s all about knowing someone who has been through, or who is going through, what you are. Whether they’re talking about being sober or whatever, it’s about having that bond and feeling comfortable.”

Cafran, who has been in recovery since 2016, is available to talk with students facing similar challenges. “Everything is confidential. They can contact me to inquire about the program, and I will maintain their anonymity,” he said.

“We have people who have problems with drugs, alcohol and life and are discontent with themselves—and that is all really the same thing,” he said. “These students are helping me with my own sobriety, whether they know it or not. I’m grateful for the people who come here and let me tell my story, and if they get something out of it, it’s a better high than anything.”

In addition to 12-Step meetings, there are all-inclusive recovery sessions for young people who may not be in a program but are seeking some type of recovery in their lifestyle or who are dealing with friends or family members struggling with substance abuse.

“We have every possible resource that anyone would need,” he said. In order to be part of the program, students must have a desire to stop using drugs or alcohol through an abstinence-based lifestyle.

The mission of the program, Cafran said, is “to create a safe and supportive educational environment where students in recovery from substance use disorders can be the best version of themselves and live to their best academic potential, and to give every student the best possible chance at achieving success through physical, mental and spiritual growth.”

Sacred Heart also has a partnership with Progressive Institute, a counseling organization in Shelton that treats people with mental health and substance abuse issues and provides clinical services for students who suffer from addiction.

Liz Modugno, the clinical director at Progressive Institute, said, “We’ll be able to assess each student to see what their needs are…and work with Sacred Heart to offer individual therapy, group therapy and other services that promote wellness and recovery.”

By next September, the university plans to create a sober living space at the Scholars Common for four students in recovery, Cafran said. A graduate assistant will share their living arrangements in the apartment. To be eligible, students will be required to have some type of grounding, whether a 12-Step sponsor, a recovery coach or participation in a program.

Larry Wielk, dean of students, said the program has been extremely well received by the Sacred Heart community. “When we send a global out to the community, promoting an activity sponsored by the Collegiate Recovery Program, we always get a response with someone telling us their personal story or the story of a friend or loved one. This program seems to touch a lot of folks on campus,” he said.

“It’s all about second, and third and maybe even fourth chances,” Wielk said. “These are strong students who suffer from a disease that they are fighting back against. And for us, it is a chance to partner with them to successfully complete this part of their journey and give them the tools and structure they need, as well as to make sure they are an integral part of the campus community.”

Bill Mitchell, a trustee of Sacred Heart since 2002 and Vice Chairman of Mitchell Family Stores, was the driving force behind the program.

Mitchell, who has been in recovery 29 years, approached the school’s president, Dr. John J. Petillo with the idea and received an overwhelmingly positive response.

“Recovery saved my life, and it gave me a life,” said Mitchell, who provided a significant gift to the university to start the program.

He also traveled around the country to see what other colleges were doing and visited the University of Alabama, which has one of the leading programs in the nation. When Sacred Heart began developing the program, it turned to Caron Treatment Centers, an internationally recognized not-for-profit organization that specializes in addiction and behavioral healthcare treatment.

“What family do you know that doesn’t have someone suffering addiction?” Mitchell said. “We stepped up to the plate and did what we did as a Catholic school. People want their kids to come to Sacred Heart because of the character of the school. We are a school that believes in Catholic education, and we support a culture of hard work, faith, honesty, niceness, kindness … and now we have recovery.”

Over the years, Mitchell has helped many individuals in recovery and has been a friend and mentor to several Sacred Heart students striving to live clean and sober. James Cafran was one of them. “I could not have gotten this done without James,” Mitchell said. “I took him before the board of trustees, and James told his story. You could hear a pin drop. Then, the board voted approval.”

Cafran’s message to students is one of hope and encouragement. It’s also a simple message: “If you get sober now, at such a young age, you will have your whole life ahead of you. I’m super grateful I got sober at a young age,” he said “But it is just for today.”

(For more information about the recovery program, contact James Cafran, Recovery Coordinator, at 914.849.8590 or cafranj@sacredheart.edu.)

By Joe Pisani

WILTON—Bright skies shined down on Saturday morning’s meaningful dedication of the new Philip Tai Lauria Memorial Prayer Garden at Our Lady of Fatima Church, as a group of parishioners joined Bishop Frank Caggiano and Father Reggie Norman to bless the space meant to remember and honor deceased loved ones.

The stone structure in the shape of a cross lying horizontally at the center of a circle will bear the names of those memorialized. It’s surrounded by a lush landscaped area and offers two benches for anyone who wants to pay respects, meditate or simply sit in the solemnity of the spot.

Having a memorial prayer garden was a project that Father Norman and church leaders had on the drawing board for over five years.

“When I first got here seven years ago, we had the beautiful 9/11 Memorial in the back. But it was for [memorializing] parishioners. Only a lot of our family members lost other members who weren’t parishioners, and I don’t think we ever did a proper job in acknowledging them. So I said, one day, we want a place to acknowledge them,” he explained.

Church members Phil Lauria and Elaine Tai-Lauria were significant benefactors who made the project possible. The garden is named in honor of their son, Philip, who died two years ago after battling neuroendocrine cancer. Philip attended Our Lady of Fatima School from kindergarten through 8th grade and was an altar boy and devoted volunteer to the church as he got older.

“He spent so many hours there. While he was at Fairfield Prep, they would have social projects that they would do. And I remember when the nuns lived in the house on the hill behind the church, he went over on one of his social work projects to help her with her gardening,” his mother Elaine recalled, adding that there’s a lovely connection to now having a garden that bears her son’s name. “There’s so much of the property that he was a part of.”

Their involvement, she believes, was something Philip prompted the couple to do.

“In life, this one is inspired. Sometimes you don’t know where a thought comes from when it happens and it feels right, when you know it’s the right thing to do. When Father told me about this prayer garden and I saw the sketch, I thought it was a wonderful idea. When he showed me for some reason, I said, ‘We’ll do it, Father.’ It just felt right. I think I got the message,” Tai Lauria said.

Also at the dedication were several other OLF members who helped make the garden possible with contributions to memorialize their family members. Norman purposefully kept the gathering small, only inviting primarily those families so that social distancing could be maintained as well as to let those who supported the project have a very personal experience.

During the service, as the name of each remembered individual was read aloud, their family members were called up to receive a flower from the arrangement that adorned the memorial.

Bishop Caggiano praised the OLF members for creating the garden.

“My thanks for all that you do as a community of faith. This is just a small sign of what you do. In our troubled times to have a community that is dedicated to the things that really matter, it is a great gift. Thank you for erecting this memorial, this garden, this shrine precisely because it is a public act. There’s going to be many people driving up and down Danbury Road. here who will see it and in very unconscious, and perhaps in sometimes even conscious ways, have seeds planted in their hearts, seeds to come to recognize the greater meanings of life, which will point them to God,” he said.

After the dedication’s conclusion, several attendees walked around the cross, some tenderly touching the stones inscribed with a name, some sitting on a bench comforted by surrounding family members.

It’s something Tai Lauria wanted to create by being part of bringing the memorial garden to life.

“What I think is beautiful is it’s bringing together families we have interacted with over the years, bringing us in a space to continue sharing memories of our loved ones. I saw so many names of families who we met at OLF school, on memory plaques, and that’s special. I look at this and it’s the circle of life,” she said.

Norman acknowledged how meaningful the Laurias’ gesture is.

“I give them credit. They have survived what I don’t think I could survive. And of course, it still hurts, but they haven’t stopped doing for other people throughout this all. That’s what amazes me,” he said. “It fits right into who they are. They give back in a meaningful way, that affects a lot of people, and it’s always done right. That’s them. That’s what I love about them.

Philip’s father is grateful for the opportunity to let his son continue to give back to the community, even after he’s gone.

“We’re so happy to help get this done,” Lauria said. “Philip was a gift to us, and this is a gift to Wilton and to the OLF parish. He loved the town and Our Lady of Fatima School and the parish. And even when he would come back, at 30 years old, living out in Chicago, he’d come back, but he still just loved it here. So a piece of him is here, it will live on.”

By Heather Borden Herve, GMW Editor

BETHEL—The commemoration of the Assumption of Mary was particularly meaningful for St. Mary church in Bethel this year, as it celebrated the rededication of the newly renovated house of worship.

Bishop Frank J. Caggiano presided over the Saturday noon Mass and commended the leadership and great care that was taken to breathe new life into the church.

Bishop Caggiano said he was grateful for the “remarkable work as a parish family, to take a church which was worthy and beautiful in its own right and uplift it in ever greater elegance and beauty—renovated so that it can become in the next chapter of its life an enduring place where many generations to come will come here to meet God.”

At the beginning of mass, Bishop Caggiano walked around sprinkling holy water throughout the church and on members of the congregation attending the Mass in person.

The church on Dodgington Road underwent an extensive nine-month renovation and recently opened to limited public masses in June.

“A church is a building unlike anything else human beings will put their hands to create,” Caggiano said. “It is a sacred meeting place to encounter the living spirit of God. This is holy ground; unlike any other ground you and I will walk upon.”

Significant changes were made to the church including elevating the altar, installing marble throughout the church with meaningful color choices to reflect Catholic heritage as well as updated heating, cooling and light and sound systems.

“When we come to this sacred place, we are invited to find the compass of our life,” said Bishop Caggiano, encouraging parishioners to not only bring what they experience in church to others in their everyday lives but to also invite others to come to church to experience it for themselves.

“Come here with your family and friends and with your neighbors and with those of whom you share your life here in Bethel and beyond. Come here to be refreshed and healed, freed and renewed and help me to bring the world to Jesus,” Bishop Caggiano said.

During the Mass, Bishop Caggiano poured and rubbed Chrism, a consecrated mixture of oil and balsam, on the altar. A vessel was also placed on the altar, filled with incense and burned.

“As your house is filled with a pleasing fragrance, so let your church be fragrant with the aroma of Christ,” Bishop Caggiano said.

The altar was then dressed with an altar cloth, adorned with candles and flowers before the Mass continued, punctuated with the sounds of a beautiful music ministry.

At the end of Mass, Pastor Father Corey Piccinino thanked everyone for their prayers, dedication and contributions to help make the church renovation a reality. “We (now) have this timeless beautiful church to praise All Mighty God,” he said.

A sentiment that was echoed by many parishioners.

“It’s incredible,” parishioner Susan Barr said after the Mass. “We’re home.”

Parishioner Michael Urban, also of Bethel said he remembers attending the original church on Greenwood Avenue, where standing-room only became routine before this church was built in 1995.

Details and the significance of all the changes in the church are documented in a book written by Father Robert Wolfe, who was deeply involved in seeing the project to completion. A copy of the book was given to all in attendance and is available through the parish.

“Being a part of something that is and always will be bigger than myself is wonderful,” Urban said. “I hope that this will continue for generations to come.”

Bishop Caggiano offered these words of wisdom on the anniversary of the Assumption of Mary.

“Every time you and I have doubts or fears…run to Our Lady. She will bring us to Him like a good mother will always, always be at our side,” Caggiano said. “May Our Lady keep you close to her wrap you in the mantle of her love and see us all safely to the journey our heart desires; what this sacred place teaches us, that our destination is not the ordinariness of life, it is eternal life.”

By Kathy Ann Gobin

BRIDGEPORT— The great revelation of Christianity is that God’s love is available to all, but we as Christians must work to live up to that understanding in our church, our community and in our own lives, said Bishop Frank J. Caggiano in his Mass for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

“God’s mercy knows no bounds and is not afraid to go into the shadows of this world. Twenty-one centuries later, no one among would dispute this revelation of Christian faith; Christ is the savior of all people, all humanity. God’s love is offered to all.”

However, while we have an understanding of words, we have not always taken them to heart, the bishop said, noting that Christians must work to root out racism, self-righteousness and division that exclude others.

The bishop’s homily was based on Matthew’s account of the Canaanite woman (15:21-28) who asks the Jesus to heal her daughter even though she is a Gentile, and Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Rom 11:13-25, 29-32), celebrating God’s love for all, “For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.”

The bishop noted that after much suffering and struggle, St. Paul, who was formerly zealous to follow the law, came to a larger understanding that God’s love was open to all.

“Through the revelation of Christ in his life, St. Paul was coming to understand what the Lord was actually doing by reaching out to the woman who was not Jewish in an area that was pagan,” he said. “ St. Paul came to the truth that God’s love and mercy are destined for every person made in his image and likeness.”

The bishop said Paul was chosen to be a vessel to invite all people- even the Gentiles of his time and those thought to be outside of the covenant or of salvation—into “the Joyful , liberating, intoxicating, message,” of God’s love, and that we as followers of Christ have same responsibility.

“We are his instrument to invite all children to encounter him, fall in love with him, and respond to him,” he said.

The bishop said the power of the scripture is a challenge for us to be honest with ourselves; not only to understand the message but to live it in our hearts as we deal with social justice issues.

“We as nation and as people of faith continue the journey to confront the evil of racism in our midst,” he said, noting that racism holds people back and denies opportunity based on the color of someone’s skin or their country of origin.

Even those with the best of intentions to heal and reform the Church must guard against “a growing self-righteousness in the Church in which people are dividing themselves into groups and camps based on preference or their understanding of the tradition,” he said.

He said that such thinking “Sometimes overtly, sometimes more subtly, creates divisions that restrict God’s generous love and creates ‘have’s and have-nots.’”

The danger of thinking that there is only one way forward is that someone chooses “ another portion of tradition, another way to pray, or another language,” that somehow they may become part of the have-nots” who are not welcome or equal, he said.

“In God’s eyes, that’s a lie. In God’s eyes, we are all loved wildly, generously, irrevocably,” he said.

The bishop began his homily by noting that as a young man he had little interest or understanding of history, but that over the past ten years he has developed a great interest in the story of the past.

“History is the narrative of the human experience, the expose of the human heart and its challenges, triumphs and sufferings.”

The bishop said that when he looks into the eyes of his grandnephew and niece–three and five-years old respectively– he wonders when they reach the age of 61, as he is now, what they’ll read about the history of our own generation in light of the challenges we face and the teaching of the gospel.

“Faced with this basic revelation and truth, when the history is written of my life and yours is written, what will they read?” he asked.

In brief remarks following Mass the Bishop invited all to join in the ongoing “Conversation about Race” webinar series sponsored by the Leadership Institute, and he said now is the time to confront vestiges of racism in the Church

“As we admit and face clear-sightedly the sins of the past and those that endure in our midst, can we dare to hope that we can write a new chapter of history in which all God’s children are treated equally and lovingly and united together to offer the message of salvation to a waiting world. I pray that it is a reality through you and me.”

Conversations about Race: The webinar series, features talks by teachers and pastoral ministers, began on July 30 will run through September 3. The talks are live-streamed at 1 pm each Thursday and then rebroadcast at 7 pm each evening, with a question and answer sessions moderated by a member of the diocesan ad hoc committee against racism. (To view a recording of previous webinars, visit this page and click “previous webinars: https://formationreimagined.org/events-home/.)

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.

The Catholic Academy of Stamford is beginning construction on three outdoor classroom spaces to use when students return.

Organizers say this new space will be critical in keeping children 6 feet apart and allowing them to breathe fresh air.

K&J Tree service donated wood chips from storm cleanup after Isaias, and some volunteers offered trees and stumps from their yard.

Video courtesy of connecticut.news12.com

Join us in praying the Rosary for our nation.

As we approach August 15, the Sisters of Life, Dominican Friars, Servants of the Lord and the Virgin Matara, Archdiocesan seminarians, and the international Aleteia community again invite you to join us in praying the 4 sets of mysteries of the Rosary on behalf of our nation.

The Rosary video will be available at the links below on Aug. 15. Feel free to pray with the video, or on your own, anytime during the day!

Visit ROSARY on Aleteia.org

BRIDGEPORT—Online Masses have given thousands of people the opportunity to not only worship together but also the ability to experience a variety of liturgical music to hear the word of God.

Lyndy Toole is one of many musicians who have accompanied Bishop Frank J. Caggiano during his Sunday online masses from the chapel at the Catholic Center in Bridgeport.

“It is a wonderful gift to me to be able to do this,” Lyndy said. “I get so much out of it,” she said adding that selecting the music for the masses is an honor.

“Each song is important to me,” she said. “Sometimes I’ll mull it over for a long period of time and sometimes it’s a spur of the moment selection but always with the intention to be connected to the liturgy, easy on the ear and easy to sing for the congregation. I’m hoping people are singing at home along with me.”

The diocese has made it easier for people to do just that by scrolling the words of the songs on the screen during Mass. “By putting the words on the screen, we give the folks at home the chance to participate more fully in the liturgical experience and I think it becomes a richer experience for them,” said Dr. Patrick Donovan, director of the Diocesan Leadership Institute.

Lyndy says she selects songs that help make the liturgical passages memorable. “I want people to walk away thinking, “I like that song and words out of the second reading or the homily. There’s always a connection from the songs to the liturgy. I feel it and I want other people to feel it too.”

She said she specifically tries to choose songs for communion that are not overpowering and that have a recognizable melody.

“Music should connect to the liturgy and enhance, not detract from it,” she said. “I am there to encourage others to participate in the mass through the music.”

Collecting liturgical music, referencing annual liturgical planning magazines and attending liturgical conferences, including a virtual conference earlier this month, helps Lyndy to keep abreast of what composers are working on and any new music books that are coming out.

“I like to incorporate all different styles, from traditional to more contemporary because we are all different,” she said.

Lyndy, who grew up listening to rock and roll music, the Beatles and U2, also listened to Irish and classical music and studied piano.

A self-taught guitarist, her skills flourished during her college years at the University of Notre Dame where all students were encouraged to not only listen to but participate in liturgical music. There was even a waiting list to participate in the dormitory folk choir.

The demand was so great she didn’t get to actively participate in her own dorm choir until her senior year. Undeterred, her passion for music led her to play guitar in other dorms and as fate would have it, she met her husband Deacon Patrick Toole, episcopal delegate for administration of the Diocese of Bridgeport. The retired IBM executive also shares her love of music and enjoys the cello, organ and clarinet.

Married two and a half years after meeting, they lived in North Carolina before moving to Connecticut and raising five children. Their children attended St. Thomas Aquinas in Fairfield where Lyndy spent five years as a volunteer developing and teaching music programs before being hired by the school where she continued to guide her musical charges for the next five years.

The musical legacy continues in some of the couple’s children and respective families (they now have two grandchildren) but mostly through her teaching at schools and summer camps which unfortunately have been suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

A music minister at St. Luke Parish in Westport, she welcomed the extraordinary opportunity to play during some of the bishop’s online Masses on Sunday.

“It gives me so much joy when the bishop sings with me. People need to see that he is singing along as well. What it has made me do is connect more to the actual music the musicality of the piece and the words.”

“I love that the bishop is trying to bring as much diverse forms of Catholic liturgical music to the general public,” she said. Music from other artists including Dr. Bill Atwood, David Harris and Jane Lambert, reflects the many musical styles of the congregations in the diocese.

“All of the musicians bring such great passion to the small chapel where we gather,” Donovan said. “As Bishop Caggiano often says, the music they provide offers, ‘a bridge to the Beautiful One.’”

Reaching the entire congregation through music is important and it is especially important to get teens involved to encourage the next generation to actively participate in Mass, Lyndy said.

Her own journey with music started at a young age. Although trained classically to sing and play the piano, when she was 10, she tried her hand at the flute before choosing to focus on the guitar which her father brought home after playing the instrument while serving in Vietnam.

When the family moved to Hawaii, her beloved piano and coach stayed behind and she picked up the guitar in earnest. This time, the lesson books were her coach and the nuns at St. Francis in Honolulu became her ardent supporters.

“The nuns were trying to get girls who were proficient, to play at mass. I said, ‘I’ll try,’ and I just loved it.”

Traditional music is important but Lyndy tends to favor the more upbeat contemporary music selections. “Traditional melodies have been handed down through the years but by taking traditional hymns and playing them with different instruments you can breathe a more contemporary life into them,” she said.

She enjoys the musical treasure hunt.

“I try to find songs that I’m not familiar with and listen to them,” Lyndy said. “I also want to present music in such a way people want to listen to it and seek it out.”

Music and music selection permeate all aspects of her life. As a kickboxing instructor at a local gym, she knows her music choices can help inspire and focus her class or distract from the task at hand. Understanding not everyone is going to appreciate all music styles, she is pleased to be a part of the bishop’s mission to showcase a variety of musicians and liturgical music during the online Masses.

“I have been so grateful for the way the musicians plan and hours they put into this small celebration,” Donovan said. “They know that for many, this is the only opportunity to celebrate Mass with their bishop and so great care is taken to include music that both adds to the beauty of the Eucharistic celebrations and engages those at home who miss going to Mass in their parishes.”

Lyndy said she’s adjusted to not playing in the company of a large congregation. The most challenging aspect of that she said was not audibly participating in the congregational responses during the Mass.

“Music is an expression of how you are feeling,” she said. “The joy you get from participating is wonderful. It’s isolating for everyone right now. You have to find joy somewhere else. This gives me a purpose and joy. This is fun.”

BRIDGEPORT—Danielle Brown was the presenter of the second of several webinars being hosted by The Leadership Institute, the diocesan Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism and the Apostolate for Black Catholics.

Danielle Brown is the associate director for the Ad hoc Committee Against Racism of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

During the webinar, Brown discussed “Open Wide Our Hearts,” the USCCB document in which, “the bishops say that racism arises when, either consciously or unconsciously, a person holds that his or her own race or ethnicity is superior and judges other people of other races or ethnicity as inferior or unworthy of equal regard.”

The document addresses many points, including that racism is a sin, especially when it excludes, mistreats or discriminates against people of another race.

Brown explained that the letter was the response to rising societal racial and ethnic hostility prevalent in 2014/15. “It was really the election of Barack Obama that sparked a lot of nationalist ideologies and xenophobic rhetoric,” explained Brown.

“Open Wide Our Hearts” specifically rejects organizations formed out of racist ideology, calling participation in them or fostering them sinful.

In the letter, the bishops call for a conversion of heart. They discuss racism and systems of racism, identify groups particularly impacted by both and a call to action and conversion.

The bishops reiterated that racist acts are a failure to acknowledge another person as a brother or sister created in the image of God.

Brown explained that the letter also calls out the “sin of omission,” which occurs when individuals, communities and even churches fail to speak out against racial injustice. They also condemn institutional racism in all its forms.

The letter touches on the Native American, African American and Hispanic American historical and contemporary experiences.

Brown shared that the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism has been tasked to promote justice, and to facilitate ongoing national dialogue and reconciliation by holding listening sessions and providing resources for parishes, schools, college campuses and catechetical.

“We need to recondition ourselves to see people really based on the content of their character…to see people for who they are and for their souls and how their culture informs that,” Brown said.

The USCCB letter issues a call to action, calling for dioceses to aid communities of color with struggling schools and parishes, provide catechetical training resources, youth ministry programs and support for families. The bishops also call each other to self-education through cultural and learning institution visits, and by presenting and preaching the entire Christian doctrine on racism.

“One of the biggest pronouncements that the bishops make is that racism is a life issue,” said Brown. “It’s unfortunate that many Black people had to die in front of our faces and we had to watch them die over and over again on our screens for us to realize that people having biases can affect the life-span of people of color and does on a daily basis.”

Brown explained the importance of looking at how health care disparities are affecting people of color and how health outcomes tell a story of how true this disparity is.

“Implementation has changed, most certainly, over the last two or three months,” Brown explained that many bishops are putting together committees and beginning to pay more attention to the issue of racism.

During the Q&A session, Danielle Brown encouraged listeners to be advocates for anti-racism within their own parishes and communities, by having conversations with their priests about things they would like to see and hear.

Brown explained the importance of doing what we can within our diocese to reach the people in our communities.

“Only love can draw out hate,” said Brown, “conversion as it relates to any sin is the same as converting to the person of Jesus Christ. It takes somewhere between 30 and 60 times until someone becomes open to the idea.” She explained that for people to get to the place where you are there needs to be a conversation that is digestible, coming from a place of love.

About Danielle Brown
Danielle M. Brown, associate director of the ad hoc Committee Against Racism at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), was born and raised in the Archdiocese of Detroit. She is a lawyer licensed in the State of Michigan. Before coming to the USCCB in May 2018, she served on several boards, commissions, and ministries in Lansing, Michigan, including co-founding and leading one of Renewal Ministries’s first young adult discipleship chapters, I.D.916, now known simply as I.D. She was also a diocesan delegate at the USCCB Convocation of Catholic Leaders and the National Black Catholic Congress in 2017. Previously, she was a three-time governor appointed appellate administrative law judge in the State of Michigan, and an assistant deputy legal counsel to the Governor of the State of Michigan.

(For a recording of this webinar, along with all resources mentioned, the previous webinar recording, or to sign up for future webinars, visit formationreimagined.org).

BRIDGEPORT—Gloria Purvis was the presenter of the third of several webinars being hosted by The Leadership Institute, the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism and the Apostolate for Black Catholics.

“So much of the conversation on race has been politicized, said Purvis. “As Catholics, we have to remember that we fight against racism because it is a sin. It contradicts the very word of God—that every person is created with dignity and respect.”

“As Catholics, we believe that we should live in a community where we share the common good—where I would not want to see my neighbor be deprived of anything,” explained Purvis.

Gloria discussed how racism is not only an ideology, it is a system, prevalent in practices, policies, institutions that began with slavery. “Once we let slavery into our country that was the beginning of the need for us to realize that we must have a spiritual response to the evil.”

“We abolished slavery but what happened to freed blacks after that? What we saw was a concerted effort to keep blacks subjugated,” said Purvis. “Our country has a history that I don’t think we have really dealt with or admitted on a spiritual level—a history that is contrary to the Gospel.”

Gloria explained that the sin still is there and can infect even those who claim to preach the Gospel.

“We need to have a real come to Jesus moment as a Church,” she said.

Purvis said that she noticed that the values of people who claimed to be pro-life completely went away when it came to George Floyd. “His past did not make him any less a child of God,” said Purvis. The same way people dehumanize infants in the womb, people dehumanized George Floyd.

“There is a difference between a criminal committing a crime within a community,” Purvis explained. “There is not as great a violation of the public trust as a police officer who is paid to protect the people they serve using violence. To say we can have one or the other is a way to deflect from police brutality and the gross injustice inflicted on the Black community.”

“It is okay if you don’t like that organization (referring to Black Lives Matter) but what are you doing in the cause for racial justice?” Purvis raised the question. She said that her response to those people would be, “Your issue isn’t with the organization it is that you haven’t been able to find a place for you in the racial justice movement—let me invite you to do so.”

Gloria explained that we have to help people understand that we are missing a conversion of heart on a massive level. She suggested we name it, apologize to God for it, and do some type of reparations and reconciliation for it. 

“There seems to be an idea that if there is to be some kind of recompense toward descendants of slaves that it would somehow take away from or punish white people…that justice to our neighbor is some kind of punishment to white people—they must not believe that there has been some kind of injustice on Black people as a whole.”

Gloria explained that if we understand that racism is a sin we would not be surprised that it still exists. It deforms their humanness and puts a wedge in the human family.

“Imagine what would happen if Catholics really got involved in the fight for racial justice and for police reform…,” Gloria addressed the listeners. “Imagine what would happen if we expected people to be treated a certain way—if we demanded criminal justice reform and health care that would care for the poor properly. If we could come in with this vision as Catholics.” 

Purvis discussed that racism is a life issue because it deals with the dignity of the human person. “The answer is to bring the full Gospel to bear,” she said.

“As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to change the world, to expel evil and not be so wedded to political parties,” Purvis said. “The only person you should be worried about offending is Jesus Christ. You are making the Gospel too small and being false in your witness.”

Bishop Frank J. Caggiano thanked Gloria, “for an inspiring and honest conversation.” Purvis commended the bishop for making these webinars available, stating, “you are truly a shepherd to your flock.”

About Gloria Purvis

Gloria Purvis is a graduate of Cornell University and she worked for nearly two decades in the mortgage industry before becoming a risk management director at a major financial services company. She served on the National Black Catholic Congress’ Leadership Commission on Social Justice, and as an Advisory Board Member on the Maryland Catholic Conference’s Respect for Life Department as well as the Archdiocese of Washington’s Pastoral Council. Gloria is the co-host of EWTN’s Morning Glory.

(To view a recording of yesterday‘s webinar and to see previous webinars, visit this page and click “previous webinars: https://formationreimagined.org/events-home/.)

DANBURY—Shortly after Father Lawrence Carew was ordained and assigned to St. Peter Church in Danbury in 1967, he learned that an 8-year-old altar server was sick with no hope of recovery.

“After I heard the news, it stayed with me that I had to pray for his healing,” he recalls. “I went to my room and spent a lot of time praying for him, and then at lunch I prayed for another hour.”

At 2 pm he went to see the boy in the hospital.

“He looked like a living skeleton,” Father said. “He had been diagnosed with diabetes and had such severe dehydration that by the time they discovered it, too much damage had been done, and they gave him no hope to live.”

He asked the boy’s mother if he could anoint him, but she said that a priest friend would give the boy the sacrament at the time of death. Nevertheless, Father walked over to the boy, prayed for his healing and anointed him.

When he returned to the hospital at 7 p.m., the boy was totally restored. The doctor, a non-Christian, said there was no explanation for his recovery and that it had to be a miracle.

The encounter taught Father an enduring lesson. The Sacrament of the Sick should be administered not just as a last rite or for those in danger of dying, but for anyone afflicted with illness.

The Second Vatican Council had recently concluded, and there was a new emphasis on the Sacrament of the Sick and healing prayer. In three different documents, the Council said the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today and should be used not just by clergy but also laypeople.

“That became a whole new lens through which I viewed my priesthood,” he said. “Simply by being a priest, I have gifts that I’m supposed to use. I prayed to receive the gifts that Jesus wanted to give me for healing. All priests have them, especially connected to the Sacrament of the Sick.”

Healing prayer has undergone a real change since the Second Vatican Council, Father said: “It has become more popular in the Catholic Church and beyond. It is a powerful adventure to bring people into a relationship with our Lord and give them healings and freedom from past hurts.”

Several years later, when he came into the Charismatic Renewal, Father found a movement where people were already praying for each other.

“The healing ministry of Jesus, which he exercised during his three years of ministry and also in the early Church with the apostles and missionaries, was always meant to be a central part of the mission of the Church,” Father Carew said. “From time to time, healing prayer gets lost in Church tradition, but then it gets renewed and revived. We live in a period when it is getting renewed and revived.”

This means that Jesus continues to heal people of what are considered hopeless illnesses and spiritual wounds.

Father Carew, who has a healing ministry in the prison system, has been active in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal since 1971 and was named spiritual adviser to the renewal in 1997. He has also served in several leadership positions in the national Catholic Charismatic Renewal. He is the author of several books and healing workshops, including “Six Simple Steps Into Healing Prayer.”

“Through healing prayer, we invite Christ to the places inside of us that are in pain, physically, emotionally and spiritually,” Father says. “It is based on a trust that the Lord cares about those things and that there can be a solution through our relationship with him. I wrote ‘Six Simple Steps’ for use in parishes to bring people to authentic conversions. The purpose of the retreat is to bring evangelization to parishioners and get Catholics into a personal encounter with the Lord as Savior.”

Even though he wrote it as a Catholic priest, other Christians can use the retreat.

“I discovered after years of healing Masses that a lot of people come into powerful experiences, and even if they don’t get the physical healing, they know Jesus is there, touching them and giving them comfort.”

“Six Simple Steps” is based on Father’s 53-year ministry in healing prayer. The program includes teachings that help Christians reach healing of body, mind and spirit.

“There still remains widespread ignorance among many Christians, from a variety of backgrounds, of the availability and fruitfulness of this kind of prayer,” Father says. “Skeptical Christian believers and even non-believers have opened themselves to healing surprises when they have taken the risk of giving healing prayer a try. Christ, the source of such healing, is so often experienced as being truly close and really present. Such good news invites folks to take up the journey and be further evangelized.”

Father tells the story of a man who was suffering from severe lung cancer and came to a healing Mass at St. Joseph Church in Danbury 23 years ago at the suggestion of his niece. He had no religious formation, but told Father, “I’ll try anything.”

“Although he was agnostic, he knew from that Mass that the Lord was real,” Father recalled. “We prayed with him, and he had an awareness that Christ was there, loving him and forgiving him.”

Several months later, the man returned and even though his physical condition had not improved, he wanted to receive more blessings. After Mass, he told Father, “I probably won’t be living much longer, but would you baptize me and bring me into the Church?”

After several weeks, Father baptized and confirmed him and gave him his first Communion.

A year later, Father learned that the man had been healed of his cancer. Twenty-three years later, he discovered that not only had the man been healed but that he lived out the rest of his life giving witness to Christ.

“I was stunned to learn from his niece that there was so much more to his story,” Father said. “She overflowed with joy and shared examples of how his conversion to Christ had not only blessed him with many more years of healthy life, but also with many more years of his giving bold and unashamed witness of what Our Lord had done for him.”

The man’s message was simple and yet profound: “I didn’t know whether God was real or not. Loaded with lung cancer, I saw no reason why I shouldn’t give healing prayer a try. Jesus then not only let me know that he loved me, he also wanted to fill me with his love. He then went on to completely heal my lung cancer. He’s not just up there in Heaven. I now know, as well, that he’s really down here too, ready to bless us with blessings beyond imagination. Don’t miss out on it!”

Father said, “When people of faith and compassion cry out to Jesus on behalf of brothers and sisters who are in real need or in deep pain, Jesus shows up. Broken hearts get mended. Sinful hearts get cleansed. Tormented souls know peace. Wounds that seemed so permanent and unhealable just shrink and even disappear.”

“Six Simple Steps Into Healing Prayer” can be done individually or with a group. It offers presentations that discuss healing prayer through biblical wisdom and testimonies of Christ’s healing activity in lives today. At the end of each talk, there are prayers that people are encouraged to say.

“The deepest healing of all,” Father says, “is spiritual healing and coming to know we are loved by God and are children of God … and knowing this in a deep spiritual sense.”

To obtain copies of the “Six Simple Steps Into Healing Prayer” retreat, on DVD or the printed version, visit www.communityofthecross.com.

Father Carew is available to give healing retreats and Masses at parishes, and he will do follow-up with people to offer counseling and prayer at the Community of the Cross chapel in Danbury. For more information, call the Catholic Charismatic Renewal office at 203.456.5610.