Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

BRIDGEPORT- Sister Christina Murphy, a School Sister of Notre Dame, died at The Watermark, Bridgeport,  on August 16. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, on September 6, 1940.

After pronouncing her vows in 1961, Sister Christina taught at schools in New York, at St. Mary, East Islip, and St. Joseph, 87th Street; in New Jersey, at Immaculate Conception, Secaucus; and in Connecticut at St. John School, Watertown, where she later was Parish Pastoral Minister. She also served as Chaplain at St. Mary Hospital, Waterbury. In her retirement she resided at Villa Notre Dame, Wilton, Connecticut, and The Watermark, Bridgeport.

Sister Christina is survived by her brother Gerry

Wake Services at 10:30 am, followed by a prayer service at 11 am and Funeral Liturgy at 11:30 am will be celebrated on Saturday, September 30, 2023 at St. Andrew Parish, 435 Anton Street in Bridgeport. Burial will follow at St. Mary Cemetery in Bethel.

Memorial contributions may be made to the School Sisters of Notre Development Office, 345 Belden Hill Road, Wilton, CT 06897. Online condolences can be made at www.abriola.com

By Brian D. Wallace

BRIDGEPORT–The Annual Diocesan Blue Mass honoring Fire, Police and First Responders will be held on Sunday, September 10 at 10 am at St. Augustine Cathedral, 399 Washington Ave.in Bridgeport.  A reception immediately following Mass will be held in the Kolbe Cathedral High School gym on the parish grounds.

Bishop Frank J. Caggiano will be the main celebrant along with diocesan priests who serve as police and fire chaplains in Fairfield County. The Mass will commemorate the 22nd Anniversary of  the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.

Law Enforcement, Fire and Emergency Medical Service personnel of all faiths in Fairfield County, along with members of the general public, are invited to attend the Mass and reception.

The Fairfield County Councils and Assemblies of the Knights of Columbus are co-sponsoring the Mass along with the Diocese of Bridgeport.  Deacon George Kain, Chaplain of the Ridgefield Police Department, is coordinating the event.

Norwalk Police Officer Keith Torreso with 1-year-old Eloise, whose life he saved last year. Torreso will be honored at this year’s Blue Mass on Sunday, September 10.

While the Mass honors all first responders for acts of heroism and public service, the bishop will present a special award to Norwalk Police Officer Keith Torreso.  On July 25, 2022, Officer Torreso was dispatched to a 911 call of a birth of a child and that the newborn was not breathing.

“Officer Torreso rushed to the location to attend to the mother and infant.  The infant was unresponsive. Officer Torreso quickly provided chest compressions and was able to successfully resuscitate the infant. Due to his quick actions, training and calm demeanor Officer Torreso saved the life of the newborn baby,” said Deacon Kain.

This past July Officer Torreso was recently reunited with the family at their request and met with the 1-year-old  Eloise he had saved in 2022.

The Blue Mass takes its name from the blue uniforms worn by police, fire and emergency services personnel.  Founded by then-Bishop William E. Lori, the Blue Mass was initiated to celebrate the life and heroism of those who died during the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D. C.

For further information, please contact Deacon George Kain dnkain@diobpt.org. Phone: 203-994-7807.

By Joe Pisani

Jenine Berardesca, Family Services Director for Catholic Cemeteries, sees her work as a ministry for people who have lost loved ones.

Last year, she began the Tree of Remembrance celebration at St. Mary/Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich, and several hundred people showed up to put photos of their deceased family members and friends on a 10-foot-tall spruce.

But Berardesca’s work goes beyond providing services and assistance to families who are grieving. It also involves her personal prayers.

“I realized very early in my career while driving through the cemetery, that monuments became reminders of the families I had come to know and care about,” she says. “I would ride past and found myself asking God to bless them or comfort them. My prayers were nothing elaborate, just short and sweet heartfelt words to God. Simple prayers, which over the years have become part of my everyday prayer life.”

Several years ago, while attending the All Souls Mass at St Mary/Putnam, she realized how simple it would be to include prayers for souls in purgatory. “Now, I make sure that I do,” she says. “If I don’t have a specific name to pray for, I pray by cemetery section. I don’t have a long time to pray, but fortunately I pass a lot of sections in my work.”

Her approach is simple. “When someone comes to your mind, consider it an invitation from the Holy Spirit to say a little prayer for them,” she says. “God will hear you. You don’t need a monument. Anything can be a reminder — a billboard, a song, a flower — and I highly recommend it.”

At Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Jenine is not alone in her approach to work.

She is joined by Jean Leitz, whose mother Ann died a little over a year ago. For many months, Jean was her 24/7 caregiver after she suffered a stroke. Her mother was an inspiration in Jean’s work at St. Peter Cemetery in Danbury, where as a Footstone Specialist, she takes great pride in making the cemetery look the best it can be for families who have loved ones buried there.

When she was alive, her mother taught Jean the importance of honoring their family plot, which has six graves — with one remaining for Leitz.

“I always took pride in our family plot and tried hard to make the area look good,” she says. “I learned that from my mom. She set a wonderful example. She took care of my dad when he was alive … and when he died.”

Leitz extends that same care and concern to all the graves in St. Peter’s.

“Working in the cemetery, I can show my love and respect to my mom and my dad Alfred,” she said. “Not everyone is blessed to have visitors. Some [of the deceased] have no one to visit, and I take pride in caring for their individual stones — as if their family members were present. When I make things look nice that’s me expressing my care for everyone buried there, and for their families, even though I might not meet them.

Leitz assists with burials in the field and in the mausoleums, but her specialty is caring for foot stones, which can sometimes sink in the ground or get covered with grass and need to be cleaned and lifted.

“I’m learning so much from my boss Rich and my coworker Vito, who have been very supportive,” she says. “I truly enjoy my job and love coming to work every day. After a long hard day’s work, I can look out and see the fruits of my labor.”

Her colleague Johanna Ordonez believes it was God’s providence that led to her job as a Family Advisor at St. Peter Cemetery. After 18 years working as a pharmacy technician, she left Walgreen’s, and that very same day, a priest at St. Peter Church told her about an opening at the cemetery. Although the work is totally different from her previous job, it lets her do what is most important to her — help people who are dealing with a tragedy.

“God put me here for a reason, the Colombia native said. “I never thought before what it would be like working in a cemetery, but when you work here, you meet families that need your help. It is a very important job. It is a ministry.”

Ordonez is always available to assist families with filling out paperwork and helping them make decisions on what she says is often “the worst day of their lives, when they just lost their mom, their dad, a brother or sister or child.”

“My first family was a young couple who just lost a baby,” she sadly recalls. It was very difficult, but she assisted them, offered consolation and prayed for them. Sometimes family members are upset because their belief in God can be shaken after losing a loved one, she said.

Her Catholic faith is fundamental to Ordonez. She has volunteered at her parish for more than 18 years, and her husband Jorge is studying for the permanent diaconate. She is also a member of a prayer group that meets Monday nights, and she uses it as an opportunity to pray for people who have died, along with their families.

In addition, she often finds herself explaining the importance of Catholic funeral rites to her friends and people she meets. (For more information, visit ctcemeteries.org )

“Every day we try to do our best,” Ordonez says. “When people come through that door, I introduce myself, and they become part of my family. I know why God put me in this place.”

Have you ever been swept away inside the rhythms and sounds of a piece of music that expresses what words cannot? Have the sounds of a great singer ever seemed to rise like incense as s/he sang? There are times that have a timeless quality of human existence. There are some times of sensing the “deep down of things,” as Gerard Manley Hopkins put it. There is the “more” to life than meets the ordinary eye. Behind all the ordinary stuff there are some “ultimate realities.” It is in music, art, literature that we come to respond to aspects of these realities (the word “art” is commonly used for all aspects of creative work, including, e.g., sculpture and architecture).

There are the creative persons, the creative minds, who bring sparks of enlightenment scattered through the darkness of the world. There are the creative titans: Mozart and Bach, Handel and Brahms, Shakespeare and Tolstoy, etc. who awaken us. Their names are associated with creativity and genius.

I believe we can listen to God through great music, paintings, literature, and art. We glorify God who has given such artistic gifts to human beings. Great artists are revealing God to us. As Goethe said of one of his own writings, it contains more than the author himself knew. All true art is revelation.

Great art, great paintings, sculpture, music, literature, film, poems, and other works can be marvelous aids in our journey to God. Pope Benedict XVI wrote that beautiful art is an important way to experience God.

From creative musicians, artists, painters, writers, we can experience new levels of reality, have an awareness of a deeper sense of being alive, learn to live life more fully.

Where does the creativity come from? Interestingly, creativity has traditionally been called inspiration, a word that implies a touch of divinity. There’s a beautiful Norwegian legend that before some souls are put into a body, the soul is kissed by God, and during all of its life on earth, the soul retains a memory of that kiss and relates everything to it (cf. The Holy Longing, Ronald Rolheiser, p.15). Artistic ability is a God-given blessing we marvel at.

Creativity is a lonely affair. It generally involves those who are willing to take on solitude. Creativity, such as writing, is done alone. There is the solitude and loneliness that surrounds the act of writing. Creativity is also hard work. Ernest Hemingway stated that he rewrote the concluding pages of A Farewell to Arms 70 times. He also stated that he thought it appropriate to do 100 rewrites of The Old Man and the Sea. There is often the sheer labor involved in creativity. With writing, a huge amount of time and effort may be expended on a single word or phrase. There is the power of carefully crafted words. The best plays, with their immortal lines, can evoke the big questions of our lives.

Poetry can have very important parts to play in life, and in the spiritual life. The reading of poetry is an excellent preparation for prayer. With the best poetry, the moment may come when the eyes of the blind are opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. There are the moments when a poet captures an emotion perfectly.

We need creative people in our lives: poets, painters, writers, actors, etc.—such gifted people are a precious gift. They give God a way of coming to expression. For example, Flemish painters do many paintings of home interiors, especially the way light moves about Dutch rooms. They make us see the domestic scenes with a sense of revelation—life is enhanced. Art is life-enhancing. It enables us to participate more fully in life. Plato believed that children should be taught music before anything else; in learning to pay attention to graceful rhythms and harmonies their whole consciousness would be magnified.

Most Catholics are deficient in a rudimentary appreciation of literature and the arts. In the late 19th century, Cardinal Henry Newman had to defend having literature courses in Catholic Universities.

The purpose of education and preaching is to highlight and make people more sensitive to the fact that we can listen to God through great music and art and literature. One tries to help people sense the beauty in art, music, paintings, poetry, the beauties of language. There is the power of great literature and music to change our lives. Words and music don’t merely say something, they do something. There is their awesome power. A handful of words, artfully arranged can be a magical thing. They can enable us to participate more fully in life.

Every gifted artist is a mouthpiece of God. Even great plays reveal God to us. When we read and study literature at its best, incorporate into our lives the best of creative artists, we glorify God who has given such gifts to human beings. Life is lived more intensely. There is more to life than surviving, thriving, and dying. Great art is the helpmate of religion. Gifted artists enlighten us. They can bring us face to face with some real, true reality. There is the artist’s gift of seeing things in their beauty and truth and weaving them into melodies that other people can understand. Great art evokes moods as well as ideas. So much of the common world, the hum and bustle of ordinary life, receives spiritual expression by painters, musicians, writers, etc. There are some words from Hopkins again: “For I greet him the days I meet him, and bless when I understand.” There are moments when the eyes of the blind are opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

It was a typical Monday morning Mass with the usual suspects—seniors, retirees, homemakers and nonagenarians—when suddenly five minutes before starting time, a grandmother, her daughter and her daughter’s five kids, from 2 to 14, came through the door, followed in short order by another mother and her 7-year-old son, a father and his 3-year-old daughter, and a woman with her 4-year-old-niece.

The mood in church changed immediately. It could have been a screening of “Bluey,” the popular cartoon show about a Blue Heeler puppy, who lives with her family and gets into all kinds of situations.

Of course, it’s tough to have that many youngsters in one place at the same time and avoid pandemonium, and it was obvious all the adults were trying their hardest to keep the situation under control, until the youngest member of the entourage—a feisty 2-year-old, wearing blue spectacles, shorts and a T-shirt—decided to take the law into his own hands. While his 10-year-old sister held him, he started to do what 2-year-olds do best: perform.

He had no concern for social propriety or the fact that Father had just begun his homily about the Gospel story, where the mother of the Sons of Thunder, James and John, asks Jesus to let her boys sit on his left and his right when he comes into his glory.

The louder Father talked, the louder the young tyke squealed to the consternation of his mother and grandmother. The boy’s sibling caretaker hastily carried him to the back of the church to minimize the disruptions, so Father could finish his sermon and to avoid scandalizing the other adults who hadn’t seen this much excitement at Mass since the children’s choir was allowed back after the COVID restrictions ended.

The 2-year-old managed to arouse attention with his laughing and squealing and toddler hysterics, which only intensified when he broke away from his sister and started running between the pews with her in hot pursuit.

For every kid in church, his performance was more entertaining than Father’s homily. To a child, they were all focused on the back of the church to witness his lively antics. And the little guy didn’t disappoint. For someone who didn’t even know the English language, he was masterful at creating comical mayhem.

My normal grouchy grandfather reaction would have been, “Get that kid under control!” But as I watched all the kids giggling at this spectacle, I couldn’t help but smile and watch him entertain them.

I’m from that era when kids were immediately shuttled out of church at the slightest sign of commotion, and I’ve done that a lot myself over the years. However, now I’m inclined to advocate bringing all the kids in and not getting uptight if they act like kids.

How does that hymn go? “All are welcome, all are welcome in.”

As I was watching this toddler trying his hardest to get laughs, I thought of that popular saying, “What would Jesus do?”

Do you remember that encounter Jesus had with children, which is recounted in Matthew 19?

“Then, children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray,” the Gospel account says.

“The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.’” The disciples were the ones who were uptight when the kids came to Jesus. But Jesus had an entirely different attitude. He welcomed them, he wanted them to come. And you can be sure that he didn’t have any rules for good behavior when they came to him. I’m convinced he didn’t say, “Now, children, stand erect, be quiet, pay attention, be polite, don’t act goofy, and don’t act like children.”

I’m sure he loved when they acted like children, rather than children being forced to act like adults.

And so, what would Jesus do? As I watched the little boy, whose name I later learned was Patrick, having a grand old time entertaining everyone, I asked the question WWJD and immediately a thought came into my head. Jesus would be joining the kids because he loves children and he loves joy and he loves a good laugh or two.

“Did you know that in 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted for 12 hours?” asked Nathan, tugging at my sleeve.

“That’s so interesting,” I replied, guiding him toward his seat. “Let’s sit down now.”

“But I still have to tell you about the alien movie I watched last night!” He clearly did not want to sit.

“Maybe later on when class ends,” I said, hoping that would settle him. It did – for a moment.

“Why can’t I sit over there?” he continued. “It’s too cold near the window . . .”

This was the scene that often played out before religious ed class began eight years ago, when Nathan was in fourth grade and I had volunteered to teach nineyear-olds about the Old Testament and the parables—not ancient Europe, and certainly not aliens.

The students, including sandy-haired Nathan, were really a special group: inquisitive and kind, but this young boy’s autism made it difficult for him to remain seated and attentive. It was not unusual for him to ask random questions, wander the room during prayer, and tell me that Adoration was boring one week, then kneel before the Blessed Sacrament and tell me that he had just met God the next. Class was sometimes a challenge, but even when his attention was brief, I knew his faith was strong. In time, I prayed that it would flourish.

Those students and I bonded that year, so we chose to remain together in my Wednesday evening class as they moved into middle school and Confirmation prep. Soon, I watched as they all, including Nathan, were sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Some I continued to see at Mass, the grocery store, or a high school event, but not Nathan. Until one Sunday in late summer.

During the sign of peace, I glanced toward another section of the church, and there, next to his mother, stood Nathan, with that same sandy hair, but seemingly twice as tall as I remembered. After Mass, I walked toward them, hoping to say hello, and found him not in the pew but kneeling at Mary’s altar, head bowed. The boy who had trouble sitting through 10 minutes of Adoration now continued to pray long after Mass ended. When he rose and blessed himself, a smile spread across his face, and he opened his arms to me. Still full of questions, Nathan asked this time about my family and our summer travels, then shared his plans for senior year and a new part-time job.

Though I saw glimpses of that nine-year-old wandering through the classroom, this was now a young man I hardly recognized. It’s not that he just grew up. The faith he held as a child, though somewhat concealed by distractions and frustrations, flourished with an understanding of God’s love I rarely witnessed in others his age. I saw it in his eyes, in the way he spoke, in his gestures toward the altar and the reverence he displayed.

“I’ve changed a lot,” Nathan said, though that’s never what I had wanted.

“Not too much, I hope.” “Don’t worry,” he replied with a half-smile.

“I still like aliens.”

In his homily during Sunday Mass in Ulaanbaatar, Pope Francis reflects on “the thirst” within every human being and “the love that quenches that thirst.”

Mongolia, an “immense” country, “rich in history and culture”, is yet “marked by the aridity of the steppes and the desert” – an apt metaphor for the thirst for happiness and love that is found in the heart of every human being.

In his homily during Mass on Sunday in Ulaanbaatar’s Steppe Arena, Pope Francis dwelt on this “thirst within us” and “the love that quenches it,” taking his inspiration from the day’s responsorial Psalm: “O God… my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

Only Christ can quench our thirst

This verse invites us first “to acknowledge the thirst within us.” The Psalmist’s words “have a particular resonance in a land like Mongolia, with its traditional nomadic culture,” the Pope explained, adding, “All of us are ‘God’s nomads,’ pilgrims in search of happiness, wayfarers searching for love.”

“Dear brothers and sisters,” Pope Francis said, “the Christian faith is the answer to this thirst… For in this thirst lies the great mystery of our humanity: it opens our hearts to the living God, the God of love, who comes to meet us and to make us his children, brothers and sisters to one another.”

The Holy Father said, “This is the heart of the Christian faith: God, who is love, has drawn near to you in His Son Jesus, and wants to share in your life, your work, your dreams, and your thirst for happiness.”
If at times in our lives we “experience the desert of loneliness, fatigue, and emptiness,” the Pope said, citing St Augustine, God refreshes us with “the dew of His Word… He has opened for us a highway in the desert, Our Lord Jesus Christ.” God offers us consolation in the preachers of the word, and water in the desert “by filling those preachers with the Holy Spirit.”

The heart of our faith

This Word, Pope Francis said, “always brings us back to the very heart of our faith: allowing ourselves to be loved by God and in turn to make our lives an offering of love. For love alone truly quenches our thirst.”

Turning to the Gospel, which speaks of Peter’s inability to accept Jesus’ Passion and Cross, Pope Francis said the worldliness exemplified by Peter “leads nowhere; indeed, it leaves us thirstier than before.” Only by denying ourselves and taking up our crosses, as Jesus did, will we be able to satisfy the thirst in our lives.

This, the Pope said, “is the truth that Jesus wants us to discover, the truth He wants to reveal to all of you and to this land of Mongolia: You need not be famous, rich, or powerful to be happy. Only love satisfies our hearts’ thirst, only love heals our wounds, only love brings us true joy.”

Pope Francis called on all of us to take to heart the Lord’s words to Peter, to become disciples of Jesus, to walk in his footsteps and stop thinking as the world does.

“If we do this,” the Pope said, “we will be able, with the grace of Christ and the Holy Spirit, to journey along the path of love… when we lose our lives for the sake of the Gospel, the Lord gives them back to us abundantly, in the fulness of love and joy for all eternity.”

By Christopher Wells @ vaticannews.va

FAIRFIELD- On Friday, August 25, Notre Dame welcomed the Class of 2027 and kicked off the
2023-24 academic year which marks the 50th anniversary of co-education. While Notre
Dame welcomed its first students in 1957, two separate schools (Notre Dame Boys and
Notre Dame Girls) existed until the schools merged into the present Notre Dame High School
in 1973. As the Lancers open their doors to a new cohort of students this fall, ND faculty
prepare for a year of learning, service, spiritual growth and community – building upon the
strong traditions of the past six decades.

“As we celebrate a milestone anniversary, we identified gratitude as our 2023-24 theme,
as there is so much to be thankful for,” Principal Dr. Christopher Cipriano said. “We are
continuing a trend of healthy enrollment – enrollment is up again 5% – just advanced one of
our priority capital improvement projects, and developed new initiatives to further infuse
service-learning and entrepreneurship activities into our program. These efforts, when
coupled with our continued progress to launch an International Baccalaureate program in
2024, will elevate our curriculum to match the needs of a modern learner. The Class of 2027
is joining the Lancer family at a pivotal time, and I look forward to seeing how they will
flourish over the next four years.”

Kicking off the year-long celebration, the ND family will gather in celebration of alumni,
faculty and parents who have made a profound impact within their communities at the
Lancer Legacy Gala on September 21.

“The Lancer Gala is our purest expression of gratitude, and it is only fitting that our 2023 honorees are an exceptional roster of individuals,” commented Advancement Director Julie Davis ‘90. “Since 1961, Notre Dame has fulfilled its mission of forming young people in character, faith and intellect. The gala offers an annual opportunity to celebrate the incredible impact our school’s mission has on the broader world. The event is an inspiring evening that allows us to recognize the leadership and compassion that has long existed within our Lancer family.”

Learn more about the Gala at:
tinyurl.com/LancerGala23

FAIRFIELD—Fairfield University has been awarded a $1 million grant from long-time partner Bank of America to support its new Fairfield Bellarmine program. The program offers two-year associate’s degrees to students from the Greater Bridgeport region to support their pursuit of a bachelors degree, or as a pathway to enter the workforce. The investment is Bank of America’s largest grant to date in Southern Connecticut.

“We are most thankful for Bank of America’s continued investment in Fairfield University,” said President Mark R. Nemec, PhD. “Over the years, our University programming—from guest speaker series, to career advancement, and engaging community events—has been greatly enhanced by the generosity and support of Bank of America. Building on the momentum of our longstanding partnership, we will continue to work together with optimism and hope to positively impact our shared community through education and workforce development.”

Fairfield Bellarmine’s inaugural class and families were recently welcomed for Orientation Weekend held in July at the North Benson Road campus in Fairfield, Conn., where students also attended month-long summer courses in history and the arts. Renovations to the new Bellarmine Campus, located on Boston Ave. in Bridgeport, Conn., will be completed in time for fall classes to begin there on Sept. 5, when the first cohort of up to 100 students will be welcomed for the 2023-24 academic year.

Bank of America has been committed to working with community partners across Southern Connecticut for many years, helping to drive economic opportunity and upward mobility. Partnering with Fairfield Bellarmine to advance economic and social progress through education, job skills readiness and workforce development is one of the key ways in which Bank of America supports long-term, sustainable growth in local communities.

“As lead philanthropic corporate partner, we are continuing our decades-long partnership with Fairfield University to help Fairfield Bellarmine and its students address barriers to employment through career training and workforce pathways,” said Bill Tommins, President, Bank of America Southern Connecticut. “Cross-sector partnerships are critical to building a thriving community, and we look forward to seeing the impact that Fairfield Bellarmine will make here in Southern Connecticut’s workforce and economy.”

Bank of America will also offer career exploration events as well as mentorship and paid employment opportunities for students of Fairfield Bellarmine who are interested in pursuing career pathways from retail banking to wealth management.

Fairfield University and Bank of America’s collaborative partnership spans six decades and has included student mentorship and professional development opportunities, support of key programs and initiatives in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, and programming at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, such as the Open VISIONS Forum “Women and Leadership” series.

Bank of America also serves as the primary operating bank of Fairfield University with ATM services available throughout campus. Over 300 members of the Fairfield University community are currently employed by Bank of America or one of its subsidiaries.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

By Kathy-Ann Gobin

NEWTOWN – Thousands of people are expected to line the streets for the only Labor Day Parade in the state and greet Grand Marshal Monsignor Robert E. Weiss as he leads the 61st parade through Newtown.

This year the theme of the parade is, “Deeply Rooted in our Community.” The parade steps off at 10 am from the War Memorial, processing down Main Street, Glover Avenue and ending on Queen Street in front of the judging stand.

“It was time to honor a man who has deep roots in our community,” said Melissa Kopcik, Vice-President and Participant Coordinator of the Newtown Labor Day Parade. “He has always been steadfast in his commitment to the residents of Newtown and beyond.”

Typically, clerics and politicians are not considered for the role of Grand Marshal but Monsignor Weiss, who recently celebrated 50 years as a priest – 24 of those years at St. Rose of Lima Parish on Church Hill Road – exemplifies the meaning of true community spirit.

“It’s a great honor because they always pick someone who has contributed to the community and I am humbled and honored by it to be sure,” Monsignor Weiss said.

Affectionately known as Monsignor Bob, he is a familiar face around town often seen frequenting town shops or the grocery store and always willing to stop and chat, Kopcik said.

St. Rose of Lima Parish is deeply rooted in the community under the leadership of Monsignor Weiss, the parish hosts a food pantry for the town, engages in fundraising for various charities in the town and Msgr. Weiss has shepherded the town for healing following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.

“He’s a pillar of the community,” Kopcik said. “He is a faithful navigator who is true to himself and the people of this town and surrounding towns.”

Weiss is no stranger to the parade, having participated in the town’s parades since he arrived in Newtown more than two decades ago. One of his favorite parade memories was celebrating the town’s tercentennial in 2005.

“We had 300 parishioners dressed up as presents walk down Main Street,” Monsignor Weiss said. “It was a birthday party, we had to have gifts! We won a lot of awards that year.”

This year has special significance as well since Monsignor Weiss will be retiring. He will be surrounded by the community he so selflessly serves especially his parish family, as the St. Rose float will be adorned with 16-inch red foam roses with parish family names on them. Each family could purchase a foam rose to adorn the float. The idea was so well-received they sold out of foam roses to build the rose garden float reflective of the parade theme.

“We wanted to have a way for as many St. Rose parishioners be a part of the parade as possible,” Monsignor Weiss said.

The Labor Day Parade will feature the town’s fire departments, high school band and pep squads. The Shriners, pipers, drum corps, clowns and much more will also be a part of the parade.

Weiss is expected to be riding in a 1914 steamer car decorated in roses, escorted by the Knights of Columbus Honor Guard.

Much like the theme of the parade, this community event is rooted in Newtown’s history.

“It’s wonderful to see the smiles on the spectators faces as the parade processes on Main Street,” Kopcik said. “It’s nice to see the joy this event brings to the community and how it brings the community together.”

Photograph courtesy of the Connecticut Post

Back in October 2021, Knights of Columbus Bishop Fenwick Assembly 100 (4th Degree) Faithful Navigator George Ribellino invited Carol May from House of Heroes to speak to the 4th Degree Knights at their monthly meeting. Ribellino saw a project that HOH was working on and felt this was something that Assembly 100 should be doing,

“Since the main principle of the 4th Degree in the Knights of Columbus is patriotism, what better way to show our patriotism is by assisting a local veteran in need,” said Ribellino.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Assembly voted on raising the money to sponsor a project in the local area. This would be the first project for House of Heroes Connecticut in Fairfield County. The Assembly raised the funds with various fundraising projects and support from the local councils.

The Assembly worked on its first project on Saturday, August 27, 2022, for a WWII U.S. Navy Vet in Darien. More than 30 Knights and friends did extensive yardwork, deck repairs and staining and other repairs, including making a bathroom safer and more accessible. In addition, Assembly 100 member Jimmy Connors, a plumber, installed a new faucet and member AJ Cossuto, owner of AJ’s Landscaping, donated the mulch to spruce up the garden beds.

The membership loved the mission and the work from the project last year, so they decided to host their annual Patriot Dinner to raise funds for another project in 2023. The Patriot Dinner, held in April 2023, raised enough funds to sponsor another project.

“I received such overwhelming positive response from the project in Darien, that the membership was all in favor of doing a fundraiser to host another project,” said Ribellino.

House of Heroes Executive Director Carol May brought two projects on Saturday, August 26, 2023 to the Knights of Columbus Bishop Fenwick Assembly in Norwalk as they assisted next-door neighbors Richard Zanvettor, a Vietnam Army veteran, and Ann Geter, the widow of long-time Norwalk Fire Department Engine Company 4 firefighter Ralph Geter, who lost a battle with cancer in 2021. As part of the work that was done, Zanvettor’s home was outfitted with a brand-new basement access door donated by The BILCO Company.

The volunteers did a major yard clean-up on both houses. In addition, the crew repaired the front porch, hung a new front door, and fixed the walkway to the house for Ann Jeter.

“It is a special privilege to collaborate with the Knights of Columbus to honor and serve these most deserving veterans, who have given so much to our nation and their communities,” said May.

“I want to thank my great crew of 25 Brother Knights and families by putting their faith in action by helping those in need,” Ribellino said.

House of Heroes Connecticut is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that recognizes, honors, and serves military and public safety veterans and/or their surviving spouses in need for their sacrificial service to America. Part of a national organization founded in Columbus, Georgia in 2000, the organization provides one-day, no-cost home improvements with a priority placed on safety and accessibility. For more information, visit www.hohct.org.

This year’s Women’s Golf Classic will be held on Monday, October 23, 2023 at Race Brook Country Club in Orange, CT. Major sponsors are available for $5,000, with special location sponsors available from $1,500 to $5,000. Hole sponsors are $400. All proceeds from this Classic benefit the After School & Saturday Program at the Center.

We hope that you join us this year for a great day of golf, a Lunch-N-Learn clinic, auctions, prizes, dinner, the Trisha Lind Migliore Commitment Award, and more! Thank you to all of our sponsors, players, and supporters – your continued support is instrumental to our success!

For more information, and to reserve your spot, please contact Lorraine Gibbons at 203-336-4468

By Joe Pisani

 

BRIDGEPORT — When Maire Close was growing up in Northern Ireland, she was a typical rebellious teenager, questioning the meaning of life and the existence of God. One night before going to the pub, where she performed with her tin whistle and accordion, she gave him a challenge: “If you really exist, you need to show yourself to me.”

God didn’t waste any time. He took her up on the challenge, and as she recalls, “I had this ineffable experience of God’s love for me that was so powerful, I knew in that moment I was unconditionally loved by him.” In fact, it was so powerful, she eventually left her boyfriend and entered the religious life.

Twenty years later, through her work with the Koinonia John the Baptist, a Catholic fellowship that supports the New Evangelization, she had another experience that changed her completely. She had an encounter with the living Jesus that far surpassed her intellectual understanding of him. It was, she says, an encounter that is available to us all.

“I always knew Jesus died on the cross for us, but I knew it academically,” Sister Maire said. “But to have a life-changing experience of the salvific love of Jesus turned my life upside down.”

Today, she works with Koinonia John the Baptist in Bridgeport, which promotes the New Evangelization through activities, training programs and community, so the faithful can have a living experience of Jesus and his personal love for them.

“I always understood in my head that God is love, but your heart has to be open to that experience,” she said. “We have to help people open their hearts so they can really be able to say, ‘I know I’m not worthy but the Lord is worthy.’”

The Koinonia is all about helping people experience firsthand the personal love of the Risen Jesus. Koinonia is a Greek word that means “fellowship, sharing in common and communion.”

“I realized I had to offer my life completely to Jesus in my unworthiness and acknowledge that he had died for me personally, which is something no one ever told me,” she said.

Koinonia John the Baptist at the Our Lady of Good Counsel Quasi-Parish, at 163 Ortega Ave., offers a School of Evangelization and House of Prayer Course. Sister Maire works with Father Adriano Biccheri, the priest moderator of the parish, Brother Michael, Sister Letizia, Sister Aide and Sister Katka to create “an oasis of prayer” in the diocese.

This summer, with the help of a grant from Foundations in Faith, they sponsored a Summer School of Evangelization in conjunction with Father Claudio Antecini and the Koinonia community at the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Brooklyn. Over four days, 36 people participated in the John Course in Discipleship Formation, which promotes discipleship and leads participants to a deeper commitment to prayer, service within the community, a willingness to proclaim the Gospel, and the experience of fraternity.

They conducted the House of Prayer Course at the Catholic Center in Bridgeport, which teaches participants how to welcome people into their home, convey the message of the Gospel and support one another in evangelization.

“Our goal is to establish Houses of Prayer throughout Bridgeport and Connecticut and to form evangelizers who are on fire for Jesus,” Sister Maire said. “Working together in faith and with a vision for a new springtime in the Church, we are committed to New Evangelization and are striving to take every opportunity possible to ensure this becomes a reality.”

The New Evangelization, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “calls each of us to deepen our faith, believe in the Gospel message and go forth to proclaim the Gospel … In a special way, the New Evangelization is focused on ‘re-proposing’ the Gospel to those who have experienced a crisis of faith.”

Sister expressed her appreciation to Bishop Frank J. Caggiano and Foundations in Faith for their assistance and encouragement.

Carol Incarnacao-Schirm, Grants Manager of Foundation in Faith, said, “It’s been a joy to get to know Sister Maire and Father Biccheri. Awarding the Federation Koinonia John the Baptist a grant recognizes the importance of their evangelization and faith formation work in our diocese. We were glad when they came to Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish because it meant they could apply, along with all other diocesan parishes, for a grant through our St. John Paul II Fund for Faith Formation.”

For further information about their courses in English and Spanish, call 347.858.5634 or 805.300.6913.

Sister Maire believes many Catholics have not had a true experience of Jesus’ unconditional love.

“We need to engage them so their hearts can be transformed by having a lived experience of Jesus—not just a head knowledge but a heart experience,” she said.

A House of Prayer has already been formed at Our Lady of Good Counsel to encourage people to do the same thing in their homes and invite their family, friends and neighbors for one hour a week of reading the Word of God, praying and furthering the fundamental mission of Koinonia, which is to draw people back to the Church.

The Koinonia School of Evangelization offers courses to help people grow in the Lord and share their faith with others. There is also a “Philip Retreat,” offered in Spanish and English, which is inspired by the story in Acts of the Apostles when St. Philip baptized the Ethiopian. The longest program is the “Paul Course,” named after St. Paul, which lasts 15 days and teaches people how to evangelize.

Koinonia began in 1979 after Father Ricardo Arganaraz had a powerful experience of the Holy Spirit. The priest from Argentina was on track to become a papal nuncio but left the Vatican because he realized the Lord was calling him to something different. He withdrew to a secluded mountain area in Italy with three others to pursue a life of prayer, work and study.

During those early years, while living in solitude, they laid the foundation for what would become a worldwide association. As the community increased so did its evangelization efforts, attracting larger numbers of the faithful, who were hungry for a life of prayer, sharing and evangelization in the tradition of St. John the Baptist.

Guided by the Holy Spirit, the apostolate spread through Northern Italy to Europe and Asia and North America. The worldwide community of 15,000 people includes families, consecrated brothers and sisters, and priests.

Originally reported by Cindy Wooden of the National Catholic Reporter

Christians must stand firm in their faith but that is not the same as being rigid and unwilling to bend out of compassion for another, Pope Francis said.

God is love and “the one who loves does not remain rigid. Yes, they stand firm, but not rigid; they do not remain rigid in their own positions, but allow themselves to be moved and touched,” the pope said Aug. 20 before reciting the midday Angelus prayer with an estimated 10,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Among the crowd were 29 seminarians who had just arrived to begin their studies at the Pontifical North American College, the U.S. seminary in Rome. Pope Francis gave them a shoutout and wished them “a good formation journey.”

In his main talk, Pope Francis commented on the day’s Gospel reading, Mt 15:21-28, which tells the story of the Canaanite woman who asked Jesus to heal her daughter. At first, Jesus brushes her off since she is not Jewish. But he sees her persistent faith and grants her request.

“Later,” the pope said, “the Holy Spirit would push the church to the ends of the world,” but at that point Jesus was preaching to the Jews.

“Faced with her concrete case, he becomes even more sympathetic and compassionate,” the pope said. “This is what God is like: he is love, and the one who loves does not remain rigid.”

“Love is creative,” he said. “And we Christians who want to imitate Christ, we are invited to be open to change.”

In the life of faith and in relationships with others, the pope said, people need to pay attention and to be willing “to soften up in the name of compassion and the good of others, like Jesus did with the Canaanite woman.”

Of course, he said, another aspect of the story is the woman’s strong and insistent faith that Jesus could heal her daughter.

The woman “probably had little or no awareness of the laws and religious precepts” of Judaism, but she draws near to Jesus, prostrates herself and has a “frank dialogue” with him, the pope said.

“This is the concreteness of faith, which is not a religious label but is a personal relationship with the Lord,” he said.

Francis asked people to consider whether they show the compassion and flexibility of Jesus and the bold faith of the Canaanite woman.

”

Do I know how to be understanding and do I know how to be compassionate, or do I remain rigid in my position?” he suggested they ask. “Is there some rigidity in my heart, which is not firmness? Rigidity is bad, but firmness is good.”

“Do I know how to dialogue with the Lord? Do I know how to insist with him? Or am I content to recite beautiful formulas?” he continued.

Francis also drew attention to the ongoing conflict in Niger where a military coup overthrew the president in late July and where the bishops have opposed the idea of other countries in the region using their military to restore democracy.

“I join the bishops’ appeal in favor of peace in the country and for stability in the Sahel region,” the pope said. “I accompany with my prayers the efforts of the international community to find a peaceful solution as soon as possible for everyone’s benefit.”

“Let us pray for the dear people of Niger and let us also pray for peace for all populations wounded by war and violence,” he said. “Let us especially pray for Ukraine, which has been suffering for some time.”

FAIRFIELD—Sacred Heart University has appointed Miguel Martinez-Saenz to fill the newly established role of senior vice president for student engagement. He will oversee student life, health and wellness, residential life and athletics.

“We are thrilled to welcome Miguel to our administration,” said John J. Petillo, Sacred Heart University president. “He has done a fantastic job of prioritizing students and enhancing their overall experiences in his past positions at other universities, and I know he will do the same here at SHU.”

Martinez-Saenz is a Fulbright Scholar who participated in the Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Program. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of South Florida.

Previously, Martinez-Saenz served as president at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY. There, he established the mission, ministry and interfaith dialogue office, developed a comprehensive plan for internationalization and expanded a scholarship program for first-generation and low-income students. He also served as provost of Otterbein University in Westerville, OH.

In a question-and-answer interview, Martinez-Saenz discussed his plans to continue enhancing SHU students’ experiences while keeping up with the University’s tremendous growth.

How do you think your experience as president of St. Francis College will aid you in your new role as senior vice president for student engagement?

My role at St. Francis enabled me to appreciate more fully how everything we do must put the students at the center. It is not always clear the ways in which a decision in one area impacts another area, thereby impacting students. It is critical that decisions are made collaboratively, with the underlying and fundamental focus on how the student is impacted.

Being that this is a new position, what will some of your responsibilities be and how do you think this role will benefit the University?

There has been tremendous growth at the University. I think my experience will enable us to continue to enhance the student experience and continue to leverage everything that is going well. Additionally, with record growth at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and most notably in the international student community, we need to ensure that we attend to the students so they each continue to feel like they matter at Sacred Heart.

You were president of St. Francis College over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. In what ways did this challenge you? How do you think you grew professionally and personally through this experience?

The biggest challenge was to create the types of relationships that foster trust and community. Zoom is not a substitute for being in person, though virtual learning continues to improve and enables us to do creative pedagogy. I realized, most notably, that I needed to rely on many more people, some of whom were much more technologically astute than I am. And, also important, I had to cede some control and empower more folks, since we were not meeting in person all the time.

What was it that made you take this position at Sacred Heart? Do you have any specific goals as you begin this role?

I believe Sacred Heart has been doing some great things and can really become a trendsetter in Catholic higher education. That is what inspires me. I hope I can make a significant contribution in creating conditions to ensure that students and staff thrive. I want people to feel my presence in a way that allows them to see that being part of a community is fundamental to who I am as a person.