Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

DANBURY—Two Immaculate High School teachers recently received Innovation Grants from Foundations in Education that will enhance student opportunities in the Fine Arts and STEAM programs at the school.

Art teacher Leslie Quinn received a $5,700 grant for a Pop-Up Art Program. She plans to use the grant monies to have a “pop-up” display to exhibit artwork both in and out of the school. “These modular pop-up towers will allow the school and general communities to see what wonderful work is being created by our Fine Arts students. With these towers, students can set up displays at local events, venues and fundraisers,” Mrs. Quinn said. “Our AP Portfolio students will also use these as a mini gallery to display and talk about their work,” she added.

Mrs. Quinn will also use the Pop-Up Art Program to prepare students for the college level, and help them to articulate their ideas and respond to viewers. The display will consist of six display towers, two portable screens and two document cameras with microphones. The cameras will allow for large demonstrations of real-time techniques projected on a screen for drawing and watercolor techniques and instructional learning.

Math and Engineering teacher Jeanine Antonios received a $3,000 grant to purchase a 3D printer for use in her Introduction to Engineering Design and Principles of Engineering courses and for the school’s award-winning Engineering Club. In those classes, students advance from completing structured activities to solving open-ended projects and real-world design problems that require planning, documentation and technical drawings. They use Autodesk Inventor to create technical drawings, and the 3D printer will help them to not only have the opportunity to design and invent, but also permit them to build their prototype using the 3D printer and then evaluate their solution, which is an important step in the design process.

“The 3D printer will also provide students an additional opportunity to develop college-level project skills and students will be able to have access to a wider variety of projects that are meaningful for engineering students, the school’s cross-curricular STEAM programs and the local community,” said Mrs. Antonios. “For example, they could create an automata toy project on Autodesk Inventor and, using the 3D printer, build the toys and then donate them to local social service organizations,” she noted.  Additionally, the 3D printer will be adopted as a “cross curricular” tool, helping in the implementation of Immaculate’s STEAM curriculum.

Foundations in Education is a non-profit initiative that “promotes excellence in the Diocese of Bridgeport by providing educators with grant opportunities that fund innovation in classroom teaching and provide support for professional development and leadership formation.”  The Innovation Grants Program promotes innovation in Catholic school education by supporting a teacher’s creative project or initiative for the classroom or school. Grants through this program are intended for innovative projects or initiatives that benefit multiple grade levels and have a long-term impact on student learning.

Immaculate High School encourages students to find success in academics, athletics, fine arts and clubs and is ranked in the top ten of all Catholic high schools in the State of Connecticut by NICHE. One of the more affordable private high schools, Immaculate High School is also among the highest ranked Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Bridgeport and continues to attain the highest SAT scores in the Diocese. Immaculate High School students, a representation of area public, private and Catholic schools, seek academic challenges, discover leadership and engage in progressive learning opportunities and have high success rates: 100% of the Class of 2019 were accepted to choice colleges and universities and were awarded college scholarships and grants totaling $27 million.

In addition to a college-preparatory academic program that offers over 33 Advanced Placement classes and a STEAM curriculum featuring advanced technology, a CISCO certification program, renovated science labs and engineering classes and a Certified Nursing Associate program, Immaculate High School has an award-winning Fine Arts program, a student career internship program, athletic teams that have won SWC and State Championships, 44 clubs and a Campus Ministry and community service program that instills faith, compassion and reverence for others. Immaculate High School, founded in 1962, is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York.

STRATFORD—On the morning of Ash Wednesday, Father Peter Adamski, pastor of St. James Parish in Stratford, distributed ashes to those on their way to work at the Stratford Train Station.

Father Adamski also visited the Stratford police station, fire house and EMTs to distribute ashes to first responders.

Catholics around the world receive ashes on this day, marking the beginning of the Lenten season, which will last for the next 40 days until Easter.

Parishes around the diocese offered multiple opportunities for faithful to receive ashes, including morning Masses, services during lunchtime and in the evening.

St. Matthew Parish in Norwalk was once again on the road distributing ashes in a wide variety of locations throughout Norwalk, Darien and Stamford.

Speaking before more than 50 employees of the Diocese of Bridgeport who gathered for Mass and the imposition of ashes, Bishop Caggiano urged all to reflect on the duality of their witness when it comings to loving Jesus and our neighbor.

The bishop said that Lent “should be a wake-up call once a year to repent and believe in the Gospel because Jesus is the truth and the light and the way to eternal life.”

Click here to read the bishop’s full Ash Wednesday homily.

Father Peter Adamski, pastor of St. James Parish in Stratford, distributed ashes
Photos by Amy Mortensen

Father Philip at St. Augustine Cathedral
Photos by Amy Mortensen

BRIDGEPORT—“Are you willing to look into the mirror and see a divided face and divided heart?” Bishop Frank J. Caggiano asked during his homily at the Ash Wednesday Mass at the Catholic Center.

Speaking before more than 50 employees who gathered for Mass and the imposition of ashes, Bishop Caggiano urged all to reflect on the duality of their witness when it comings to loving Jesus and our neighbor.

“Lent is the season to look in the mirror and ask if we have a divided heart. Do we say one thing and do another, and they never match?” he said, urging all to develop a “single heartedness and pray for each other.”

The bishop said that Lent “should be a wake-up call once a year to repent and believe in the Gospel because Jesus is the truth and the light and the way to eternal life.”

The bishop said that being unable to fully commit to others and to the Lord is “a manifestation of the heart not fully healed. Lent is all about metonia, a Greek word meaning change of the heart, turning our face from one direction to another, so that we are devoted to Christ despite the cost.”

“The 40 days of Lent are not meant as a walk in the park. They are a time of true introspection, to stand before Christ and ask for the grace to be healed,” he said.

The bishop said that when people come forward to receive their ashes today, they will hear the words, “Remember that dust you are and dust you shall return.”

“The words hit you in the face as you stand before God and ask for healing of a broken heart one step at a time.”

After Mass the bishop blessed the Lenten “Loaves and Fishes” envelopes that have been distributed around the diocese to support Catholic Charities programs serving the poor, homeless, hungry and needy of all faiths in the area.

As newly named Chairman of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the bishop also called attention to CRS Rice Bowl, the Lenten collection of international poverty relief that touches the lives of 127 million people by working to alleviate hunger and poverty.

The bishop said that in the past month CRS workers have been murdered in ambushes in Haiti and South Sudan as they brought food and other supplies to the people. He said that “they are on the front line” in their witness to the gospel.

Thousand in the diocese will be receiving ashes throughout the day in parishes and schools. Some parishes such as St. James Parish in Stratford and St. Matthew Parish in Norwalk are also bringing ashes out into businesses and other public places in the community.

BRIDGEPORT—This Lent, why not let us do the heavy lifting and provide you with a plethora of resources from across the web to make your Lenten load a little lighter?

The diocesan Leadership Institute provides a helpful compilation of resources including: customs and traditions, liturgical resources, prayers, devotions and reflections. Resources range from videos, websites, readings and audio offerings.

Also available is the 2020 Lenten Poster, offering 40 ways to “be” this Lent—”Allow Lent 2020 to be a season of emptying, opening, and decluttering of schedules, minds, and hearts to make room for what God has in store for us through the fruits of the Holy Spirit—which is always immeasurably more.”

Click here for all these resources and more.

STAMFORD—Father John Connaughton assured his parishioners that “crying babies in church are music to a pastor’s ears”…so they blessed him with a symphony.

There was crying from one side of the church to the other on Sunday as the recently merged Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel observed the annual “Baptism Anniversary Celebration” with 40 children on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

Eighteen children who were baptized in 2019, along with 22 who marked the fifth anniversary of their baptism, came together with their families for the Mass and to renew baptismal vows during the annual celebration, which honors and encourages the parents and lets the parish pray together for them.

“It’s important for people to remember that the Church is their family, and this kind of event reminds them how important baptism is…and also how much we need a community to help us to get to know God,” Father Connaughton said.

In his homily, he talked about the challenges and wonders of parenthood, along with the spiritual development and opportunity for discipleship that it offers.

“There’s almost nothing that changes a person as much as becoming a parent does,” he said. “When that baby arrives, it comes with no instructions, and it’s up to the parents to take that baby home and keep it alive. Witnessing that among my sisters and my friends, it’s amazing to see how, before long, they’re able to do things like change diapers and wipe noses that they would have been completely repulsed by not long before.”

With parenthood comes countless teaching opportunities and occasions for growth, for child and mother and father, alike.

“If there’s something that people discover through the experience of having children, it’s that we have very little control over things in life, but giving themselves over to that of lack of control and having to figure things out has a remarkable effect,” Father said. “When people look back on their lives, they often marvel how much being a mom and dad has changed them. They are amazed at how different they have become from the totally self-absorbed and self-centered creature they had been; how hard it was to undergo the change, but also because they loved their child so much, it was kind of easy at the same time.”

A child coming into the life of a mother and father transforms them, just as the presence of the infant Jesus did to Mary and Joseph, particularly during the presentation in the Temple when Simeon prophesied that Jesus would be “a sign that would be contradicted,” Father said.

And just as parents must commit to giving their “whole selves to the care of their child,” becoming a disciple of Christ requires giving your entire self to him without hesitation or reservation.

“I said that almost nothing changes us more than parenthood,” Father said. “One thing that does change us more is discipleship. Our relationship with Christ as a member of his family, the Church, transforms us most of all.”

Gina Denner, who with her husband Charlie organized the event with a team of volunteers, has been involved with it since it began 11 years ago. “This is the most wonderful experience I have ever had in a ministry,” she said. “Our message to parents is to bring your children. We want them in church. We welcome them at St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel Parish.”

They are, she said, the future of the Catholic Church and should be a part of the faith community from the time of their baptism. While 18 infants attended the celebration, a total of 30 children were baptized last year in the parish.

The event began during Father Dave Riley’s tenure as pastor of St. Cecilia’s, Father Connaughton said, and “showed real pastoral insight on his part.”

“I think we’ve lost the sense of how important the sacrament of baptism is. It’s really the turning point in our lives with God and each other,” Father Connaughton said. “When we pass through the waters of Baptism, we go from being a creature beloved by God but alienated from him by Original Sin to being his adopted children. And because we are God’s children through Christ, we are also truly brothers and sisters in Christ. That’s what the Church is. It’s God’s family, which we are born into at baptism. Hopefully, this event helps people understand better the precious gift we’ve received in our baptism.”

Babies celebrating a 2019 baptism were: Thomas Christopher DelVecchio, Enrico Anthony DeMatt, Isabella Marie Evanko, Michele Timothy Fanelli, Katherine Shea Forde, Luke Christopher Geller, Clara June Hoelderlin, Gabriel Robert Kornhaas, Robert Kelly Lynch, Warren Charles Maucere, Brigitta Lisa Nastasi, Hudson Alexander Noel, Edem Gabriel Obro, Lily Florence Orbegoso, Sofia Maria Puggi, Annalise Joy Siemers, Henry William Smith and Joseph Jack Womack.

Children celebrating a 5-year anniversary were: Hailey Jane Albrecht, Adelina Maria Agiurgioaei-Boie, Grace Mackenzie Bridenbaker, Dante Charles Bruno, Matthew Colin DelMazzio, Luke Louis DelVecchio, Matteo Antonio Dudics, Anna Margaret Faugno, Madeleine Faith Fogarty, Valentina Giannone, Ryan Anthony Heigel, Callie Gwyneth Hoelderlin, Henley Sage Kursar, Samantha Jo Lewis, Emily Claire Mathias, Parker James Moore, Claudio Ninivaggi, Jesse Patrick Ortiz, Annie Kathleen Sansone, Mia Rose Torkamani, John Christopher Walsh, and Corrine Grace Whitbread.

The anniversary committee included Tammy Comstock, Theresa and Bill Lowe, Agnes Cannon, Ray and Nayr Champ, Antonietta Siciliano, Mary Buscemi, Sara Epperlein, Charlie and Gina Denner. They were assisted by Mark and Carolyn Browning, Maureen Ronan, Vicki Alton, Linda Bova, Donna Napolitano, MaryJo and Luke Pittoni, Linda Kuehn, Morgan Comstock, Andrea Tropea, Catherine Rogers and Ella Buscemi.

NORWALK—The doors of St. Matthew Church, 216 Scribner Avenue, Norwalk, will be open from 6 am-9 pm on Ash Wednesday.

“I know people are busy with work, school, after-school activities,” said Msgr. Walter C. Orlowski, pastor. “So we welcome all to come in and receive ashes throughout the day at the top of the following hours: 6 am; 8 am; 10 am; 11 am; 1 pm; 2 pm; 3 pm; 5 pm; 6 pm; 7 pm; 9pm or at one of the five Masses: 7 am; 9 am; 12:10 pm; 4 pm; 7:30 pm. We will have a table in the vestibule of free Lenten resources for children and adults to help you on your 40-day journey to Easter.”

The St. Matthew Ash Wednesday Bus will be on the road Wednesday, February 26 from 10 am-3 pm at the locations in Norwalk, Darien, Southport and Stamford. Anyone who is in the vicinity during the times listed can stop by to receive ashes (we try to keep the schedule moving, but please be aware that times are approximate due to traffic/crowds). The Mobile Ashes-On-the-Move Bus began five years ago as a response to Pope Francis’ call to “meet people wherever they are, outside of the pews in church.”

VATICAN CITY—Lent is a time for deeper dialogue with God through prayer, for renewed gratitude for God’s mercy and for increased compassion for people whose lives are under attack, Pope Francis said.

Also, people must not only show generosity through charitable giving, but they should also work for a real structural change to today’s “economic life,” the pope said in his annual message for Lent, which begins February 26 for Latin-rite Catholics.

The text of the pope’s message was released by the Vatican February 24.

Contemplating the great mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus and putting it at the center of one’s life “means feeling compassion toward the wounds of the crucified Christ present in the many innocent victims of wars, in attacks on life from that of the unborn to that of the elderly, and various forms of violence,” the pope said in his message.

These wounds are “likewise present in environmental disasters, the unequal distribution of the earth’s goods, human trafficking in all its forms and the unbridled thirst for profit, which is a form of idolatry,” he said.

Not only are Christians called to generously share the richness of the Gospel and gifts from God, “today, too, there is a need to appeal to men and women of goodwill to share, by almsgiving, their goods with those most in need, as a means of personally participating in the building of a better world,” he said.

“Charitable giving makes us more human, whereas hoarding risks making us less human, imprisoned by our own selfishness,” he said.

“We can and must go even further, and consider the structural aspects of our economic life,” he said.

That is why, the pope said, he called for a meeting during Lent with “young economists, entrepreneurs and change-makers with the aim of shaping a more just and inclusive economy.” The meeting was set to take place in Assisi March 26-28.

The theme of the pope’s message, “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God,” was taken from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (5:20), which reflects the invitation to return to God through constant conversion and reconciliation, and experience new life in Christ.

“Life is born of the love of God our father, from his desire to grant us life in abundance,” Pope Francis wrote.

“If we listen instead to the tempting voice of the ‘father of lies,’ we risk sinking into the abyss of absurdity, and experiencing hell here on earth, as all too many tragic events in the personal and collective human experience sadly bear witness,” he said.

“Despite the sometimes tragic presence of evil in our lives and in the life of the church and the world,” he wrote, “this opportunity to change our course expresses God’s unwavering will not to interrupt his dialogue of salvation with us” and his desire that people also engage in fruitful dialogue with each other.

God’s dialogue with humanity “has nothing to do with empty chatter,” which “characterizes worldliness in every age; in our own day, it can also result in improper use of the media,” he said.

At a news conference to present the message, Cardinal Peter Turkson further elaborated on what an improper use of media would look like.

The head of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development told reporters that different forms of communication can either promote content that is “empty” or “rich” in that it helps build up human character and society or fosters new ideas.

For example, he said, when media outlets cover certain tragic events, like the coronavirus or wars and conflict, they might actually be setting up a kind of “barrier” between the event and the people hearing about it.

“You see something is happening but at the same time you can see that you are not involved,” as if the person is above it all and untouched by others’ circumstances, the cardinal said.

Instead what is needed is a situation where after seeing and hearing about such events, people feel inspired or driven to try to get involved or do something useful to help the situation, he said.

Pope Francis asked in his message that the Lenten season lead to people opening their hearts “to hear God’s call to be reconciled to himself, to fix our gaze on the paschal mystery, and to be converted to an open and sincere dialogue with him” so that everyone become “what Christ asks his disciples to be: the salt of the earth and the light of the world.”

Click here for the text of the pope’s message in English

Click here for the text of the pope’s message in Spanish

By Carol Glatz  I  Catholic News Service

BOSTON—The extra day we get approximately once every four years is a way to adapt the calendar year to the astronomical year.

But did you know the present system of calculating the leap years was designed around fixing the date of Easter?

While the concept of the leap year has been around since ancient times, the current calendar year has its origins in the Catholic Church.

According to the Rev. James Weiss, associate professor of church history at Boston College, in 1582 Pope Gregory XIII set about adjusting the calendar to bring the celebration of Easter to the time of year it was celebrated when it was introduced by the early church.

The Julian calendar—used by the Roman Empire and named after Julius Caesar—had followed the ancient Egyptian calendar and added an extra day every four years. However, Rev. Weiss explained, that was not in keeping with the astronomical calendar.

“Once every four years proved to be too many leap years, and over time, the calendar year did not match the astronomical year,” he told The Pilot, newspaper of the Boston Archdiocese.

Pope Gregory determined the calendar was out of sync with the spring equinox by 10 days. This was significant to the church because the date of Easter was set by the Council of Nicaea in 325 as the Sunday after the first full moon of spring, and the start of spring was fixed as March 21. Without adjustment, the date of Easter would eventually drift into the summer.

So, on February 24, 1582, Pope Gregory issued a papal bull titled “Inter gravissimas” in which he set about to correct the error. The new calendar—which would be called the Gregorian calendar—added an extra day to February every four years, unless the year is divisible by 100. Those years do not have a leap year. The exception to that rule is if the year is divisible by 400. So, following this rule, 1900 was not a leap year, but 2000 was.

Although this mathematically corrected the problem, Rev. Weiss continued, there was the problem of the 10 days that were “out of sync.” Catholic countries such as Italy, Spain and Poland, he said, altered their calendars during the month of October, so that when people went to sleep October 4, they awoke on what was then October 15.

“To complicate matters, not all of Europe followed the Gregorian calendar,” Rev. Weiss continued. “There was a huge confusion for a very long time with regards to the date, which introduced a kind of chaos into European dating.”

Over the next 200 years, most European nations adopted the Gregorian calendar, he continued. The final country to switch to the Gregorian calendar was Turkey, which finally adopted the calendar in 1927.

Today, most of the world uses the Gregorian calendar. Some exceptions, such as Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Afghanistan still use their traditional calendars to mark the years. Others, such as India, Bangladesh and Israel use both the Gregorian and their traditional calendars to mark the passage of time.

By Donis Tracy   I  Catholic News Service
Tracy is a contributor to The Pilot, archdiocesan newspaper of Boston.

TRUMBULL—“40 Years of Courage: A Legacy of Hope”, is the theme of Courage International’s upcoming conference, celebrating four decades of pastoral care for men and women who experience same-sex attractions (SSA).

The Courage and EnCourage conference, which is held annually, will take place at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake (also known as Mundelein Seminary) in Mundelein, IL from July 23-26, 2020.

All this year, Courage is celebrating the 40^th anniversary of its first meeting, which took place in New York City in September 1980, under the direction of founding director, Father John Harvey, OSFS.

Celebrations for the 40^th anniversary of the Courage apostolate will be the central focus of the 2020 gathering.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, this year’s conference will feature a testimony by Gary H., one of the original Courage members, and a fine artist whose paintings have been featured in connection with the apostolate, including “Our Lady of Courage” and a recent portrait of founding director, Father John Harvey.

Fr. Sean Kilcawley, director of the office for Family Life for the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebr., will deliver the keynote address, while Father Glenn Sudano, CFR will deliver one of the plenary session talks.

Other speakers will include Father Thomas Aquinas Pickett, O.P. Parochial Vicar and director of Faith Formation and Evangelization at Blessed Sacrament parish in Seattle, Wash., and Deacon Patrick Lappert, MD, plastic surgeon.

The event will also include a prayer service, which will be led by Father James Livingston, of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

The event will include daily Mass, an evening of all-night Eucharistic Adoration, and opportunities to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Simultaneous translations from English to Spanish will be made available.

(Additional information and updates will be available at the event page: https://couragerc.org/event/annualconference2020/.)

Background on Courage International and EnCourage  

Courage International, Inc. is an apostolate of the Catholic Church which offers support to persons experiencing SSA who have chosen to live a chaste life. It was founded by Fr. John Harvey, OSFS at the request of the late Cardinal Terence Cooke. The first Courage chapter meeting was held in New York City in 1980, and it was this initial group which developed the Five Goals of Courage: Chastity, prayer and dedication, fellowship, support, and good example/role model. Fr. Harvey was succeeded as executive director by Fr. Paul Check, who held the position from 2008-2016. Fr. Check was then succeeded by Fr. Philip Bochanski in January, 2017. Today, Courage has more than 150 chapters in eighteen countries. Courage and EnCourage received canonical status in the Roman Catholic Church as a diocesan clerical public association of the faithful on November 28, 2016.   

EnCourage is an apostolate under the Courage umbrella which provides support for families and friends of persons who identify as LGBT, and aims to teach them how to reach out to their loved ones with compassion and understanding. The group was first formed in 1987 by families in search of guidance for supporting their loved ones who experience SSA. In 1992, this group adopted the name EnCourage. Currently, they have more than seventy-five chapters in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Italy, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

(For additional information, please visit our website at www.couragerc.org.)

NORWALK—St. Philip Church recently hosted its annual Food Fast to help raise awareness for world hunger, in collaboration with local parishes and Catholic Relief Services.

Youth and volunteers fasted for 24 hours in solidarity with those who suffer from food insecurity in the world.

Father Sudhir, pastor of St. Philip’s said the parish has been advocating for this cause for more than 18 years. The St. Philip community is passionate about the issue of world hunger and they have worked hard to raise over $360,000 through their efforts over the years.

In a video shown to participants and adult volunteers at the beginning of the event, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano addressed the teens, “I can think of no better way to start Lent than to enter into the sacrifice of the season, and that is exactly what you’re doing—sacrificing of yourself so that someone else may have greater life.”

The bishop promised to pray for the participants and thanked them for their efforts.

Mayor Rilling and Senator Duff joined the group at St. Philip’s to support the effort, and participants heard from guest speaker Dale Williams from the Midnight Run Organization.

“Always very proud of the kids who fast for 30 hours to bring awareness to hunger in our area and around the world. A pleasure to support them every year,” Senator Duff posted on his Facebook page.

“If you are just speaking about hunger, people won’t understand. It is only when you experience being hungry that you can more fully know the pain of others, of people your own age, of people all over the world,” says Dsouza.

Money raised from the event is benefiting the Catholic Relief Service Program, which provides aid to those in need overseas.

(Donations can be made by visiting the parish website at: www.stphilipnorwalk.org.)

Teresian Towers and Carmel Ridge is an independent senior living community, owned and managed by the Diocese of Bridgeport.  Located on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Center in Trumbull, residents age 60 and older enjoy the convenience, privacy, and peace of mind knowing maintenance is taken care of.

In addition, this unique community allows residents to attend daily Mass at the chapel on-site, within the same building as Teresian Towers.  The Dining Room at St. Joseph’s is also available to residents, as is their Salon, Manor Mart, Lounge, and activities such as BINGO and live music.

Weekly trips to the grocery store are provided, as well as many social activities such as monthly birthday and special occasion parties, games, speakers, and occasionally a craft event.  Residents have implemented some of their own activities as well such as a lunch club and gathering for Pinnacle or Rummikub.  Management will also resume occasional local outings for shopping, ice cream, the movie theater and the like.

Teresian Towers consists of 48 apartment homes, 20 one-bedroom units and 28 studio units. Carmel Ridge is comprised of 36 one and two-bedroom cottage-style homes, each with a bath and a half, an attached garage and patio.

All units in Teresian Towers and Carmel Ridge are for rent only.  A one year lease is offered initially, then becomes a month-to-month lease after the first year of residency.  This community is a market-rate community and is not subsidized.  St. Joseph’s Center is not owned by the Diocese, they are owned by Genesis Health Care.

If you would like to tour or learn more about Teresian Towers or Carmel Ridge, please contact the Management Office at 203-261-2229.  Hours are Monday – Friday, 8 – 4:30 pm.  Visit their website at www.teresianandcarmel.org.