Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

WESTON—Calming piano music filled the church of St. Francis of Assisi in Weston on a beautiful spring Saturday morning, making a perfect atmosphere of healing for those who gathered at the Healing and Anointing Mass, seeking to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

“This morning we gather as a people of faith to pray for our sisters and brothers who are gathered here who will be asking for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick,” said Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, who was the main celebrant of the Mass, concelebrated by Father Jeffrey Couture, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi parish. “They come here to seek healing, to ask God’s grace of consolation to help them to bear the suffering, physical, mental or whatever it may be that the Spirit can help them to do,” said the bishop.

The bishop reflected on his trip to Lourdes, France last year with the Order of Malta, saying, “All of us coming to Lourdes were in some way seeking healing, for we were all, in some way, seeking healing…from the hurts that come from perhaps the inability to attend to someone we love in his or her hour of suffering, or the hurts that we afflict upon ourselves, the suffering from our own sinfulness, which is a sickness of spirit, which differs from the sickness of the body or the mind…but we were all seeking, in some way, healing.”

Each reading at the Mass was centered on healing, of which the bishop said, “Recall the miracles that we just heard in the Gospel. Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and even raised the dead as a sign of a truly healed life which we will not have in this earthly existence. They were signs of the inbreaking of the body of grace, as a foretaste of a life which is promised to us by His death and resurrection, where every tear is wiped away, every disease is cured, every brokenness made whole and every sin forgiven.”

The bishop addressed the gathering, saying, “healing will come to everyone in this church who seeks it as the Lord wishes to give it, not as we wish to have it for ourselves.”

To those being anointed, the bishop said, “God will touch you mightily. He will come to you, He will lighten your burden in ways seen and unseen, but He will never abandon you.”

“We will all be invited to be healed,” the bishop said, “May we dilate our hearts to be surprised by the ways that grace will change our life so that we may carry this burden for a purpose that only God may know…so that we may all leave this church this morning better and more fully healed in His infinite and merciful grace.”

After the homily began the liturgy of anointing. Those who were being anointed were asked to stand and the bishop walked from pew to pew to administer the sacrament to each of them, first the laying on of hands and then the anointing with chrism oil.

Instrumentals of Amazing Grace, the St. Francis Prayer and other beautiful melodies played in the background as those seeking healing received the Anointing of the Sick.

At the closing of the Mass, the bishop reminded the gathering, “He is the Divine Physician and He has come to each of us today.” After announcing that the Healing and Anointing Mass would now be an annual event, the bishop left the congregation with one last reminder, saying, “Never forget, my friends, that in your greatest hour of suffering, the Lord is never more close to you than that. As difficult as whatever burden you carry do not be afraid, the Lord is with you every step of the way.”

The bishop then personally greeted each of those who received the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick outside after Mass.

This Mass was organized by the Office of Faith Formation. The goal of the Office of Faith Formation is to foster, guide and support the endeavor of life-long formation in the teachings of Christ and all aspects of the Catholic Faith on both the parish and diocesan levels.

Under the direction of the bishop, chief catechist of the diocese, the Office of Faith Formation strives to accomplish this goal of catechesis and evangelization for all ages.

(For more information visit the Office of Faith Formation website at: www.bridgeportdiocese.org/faith-formation. For any questions call: 203.416.1670 or email: officeoffaithformation@diobpt.org.)

Photos by Amy Mortensen

SHELTON—The Holy Trinity Catholic Academy JV sixth grade boys’ basketball team from Shelton finished its 2018-19 campaign by winning the 2019 New England CYO Tournament in the JV division.

The team fought off an impressive slate of teams in single elimination format — St. John Evangelist from Fall River, Massachusetts, St. Christopher from Manchester, NH (state champs) — and in the championship game beat previously undefeated St. Peter and Paul from Waterbury.

Other teams in the division were from Boston, Providence, Worcester (Mass.), Manchester (N.H.) and Norwich.

Holy Trinity was representing the Diocese of Bridgeport, where they were back–to–back champions of the JV Division. Last year they lost in the semifinal game of the same tournament.

This season, Holy Trinity also won the Tyler Ugolyn Memorial Tournament at Our Lady of Fatima in Wilton and the St. Mary Tournament in Milford.

Holy Trinity sixth grade junior varsity team members (pictured, front row) are: Michael Spadaccino and Connor Fahey; (second row) Colin Scali, Joey Bouchard, Adam Chaves, Jeremy Benton, Jackson Aube and Thomas Perrotta. Coaches were Mike Spadaccino, John Fahey and Daryl Bouchard

APRIL 5, 2019 BY SHELTON HERALD

BRIDGEPORT—Bishop Caggiano will celebrate two Healing Masses this weekend:
On Saturday, April 6, 11 am at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Weston, the Bishop will be the main celebrant at a special Healing and Anointing Mass for all who are suffering all who are looking for healing.

On Sunday, April 7th, 2019 at 2 pm at St. Joseph Church 8 Robinson Avenue, Danbury, the Bishop will serve as main celebrant at the Mass of Hope, Healing and Reconciliation for all those who have been sexually abuse or affected by abuse.

All throughout the diocese are invited and encouraged to attend. Please see stories below for more details.

Mass of Healing and Anointing

WESTON—”Christ alone is the Divine Physician who can truly heal us with His love. It is Christ who is the face of Mercy Himself,” said Bishop Frank J. Caggiano at October’s Synod on young people, the faith and vocational discernment in Rome.

On Saturday, April 6 all who are looking for healing are welcome to a special Healing and Anointing Mass at St. Francis of Assisi in Weston at 11 am. Bishop Caggiano will be the main celebrant.

All readings for the Mass will be centered on the topic of healing. After the homily, those wishing to receive the Sacrament of Anointing will be asked to come forward for Bishop Caggiano to anoint their forehead and hands and the Mass will continue.

“This Mass is especially for anyone who is looking to receive the Sacrament of Anointing and we welcome anyone who might be in need of healing,” said Rose Talbot-Babey, coordinator of religious education.

This event is being run by the Office of Faith Formation. The goal of the Office of Faith Formation is to foster, guide and support the endeavor of life-long formation in the teachings of Christ and all aspects of the Catholic Faith on both the parish and diocesan levels.

Under the direction of the bishop, chief catechist of the diocese, the Office of Faith Formation strives to accomplish this goal of catechesis and evangelization for all ages.

(For more information visit the Office of Faith Formation website at: www.bridgeportdiocese.org/faith-formation. For any questions call: 203.416.1670 or email: officeoffaithformation@diobpt.org.)

Mass of Hope, Healing and Reconciliation

DANBURY—The Most Rev. Frank Caggiano, together with a planning committee of Survivors of Sexual Abuse as Minors by Priests, will hold a very special Mass for anyone who has been sexually abused as a minor and for others who have been impacted.

The Mass will be held on Sunday, April 7th, 2019 at 2 pm at St. Joseph Church 8 Robinson Avenue, Danbury CT. Light Refreshments will be served immediately following the Mass.

Fr. Lawrence F. Carew will serve as homilist and members of the Survivor’s Group will deliver the readings and offer brief reflections. Peggy Fry will handle the welcome . Readings will be delivered by Tim Murphy and Joseph Cann, Sr.. David D’Andrea will deliver a post-Communion reflection and Peter Philipp will offer thanks at the end of the Mass.

A special message from a mother of a victim of abuse by a priest

“I would like to invite you to join us at the Hope and Healing Mass on Sunday, April 7th at St. Josephs RC Church in Danbury. The Mass is at 2 pm. Its focus is on healing those who were victims of sexual abuse by clergy and also for those who were sexually abused by others, such as family members, neighbors, friends of the family, teachers, coaches, caregivers, and others. There will be survivors of abuse in attendance, counselors as well as parents of victims and family members of victims. If you know of anyone who may benefit from this Mass, please, please encourage them to join us. Our son was a victim of sexual abuse when he was only 11. Please also join us for refreshments immediately following the Mass. God Bless you all.”

There are regularly scheduled gatherings for any person who has been sexually abused as a minor to meet with the victim assistance coordinators and fellow survivors of sexual abuse for friendship, prayer and peer support. For more information, please contact Erin Neil: Eneil@diobpt.org.

If you are an adult survivor of sexual abuse as a minor or a family member of a survivor and you would like to learn more about the Mass, the upcoming meetings and other resources that are available in our Diocese, please contact one of our Victim Assistance Coordinators, Erin Neil, L.C.S.W., 203.650.3265 or Michael Tintrup, L.C.S.W. 203.241.0987. We hope to hear from you, you are very important to us.

STAMFORD—Nineteen city students were recently honored for their history-based writing in the Stamford Daughters of the American Revolution American Essay Contest.

“We want to promote history, education of kids and patriotism,” said Katie Sumner, DAR chapter regent and contest judge. “The quality of the essays were nice.”

The students, in grades five through nine, received a certificate and first-place winners read samples of their essays at a ceremony this week at the Harry Bennett Library. Students in fifth through eighth grades shared essays written about remembering World War I, told from the imagined first-person perspective of someone who lived through it. The high school students wrote about Christopher Columbus as part of the Knights of Columbus sponsored portion of the contest.

Jack Boyle, 12, placed first among sixth-graders after earning second place last year. He wrote about the effects of advances in technology leading to an increase in unemployment after World War I.

“I wanted something that could bring the reader into my story,” said Boyle, a student at Catholic Academy of Stamford. “In my stories I write, I always like making details. I just tried to picture myself in the ‘20s and tried to imagine what would life be like for a kid my age.”

Stamford High’s Vishnu Ramesh earned first place in the 10th-grade essay portion, while the first- and second-place winners for the 11th-grade portion attend Westhill.

The essays were judged by two members of the DAR Stamford chapter as well as a member of the Stamford Historical Society.

By Erin Kayata  |  Stamford Advocate

(In the photo) Front row left: Mariza Klimala, grade 8 – Robby Grande, grade 8 – Jack Boyle, grade 7

Middle back row: 5th grader – Hannah Reyna.

Back row left:  Olivia Cieciwa, grade 6 – Penelope Shannon, grade 6

Top row right: John Thomas, grade 5

STAMFORD—Trinity Catholic High School has named interim Athletic Director Frank Fedak as Director of Athletics. The move comes three months after joining Trinity as interim athletic director following the departure of its former AD in late-December 2018.

“When I arrived here in January, we were immediately immersed in filling coaching vacancies in football, softball, baseball and lacrosse”, states Fedak. We have accomplished this and have seen a surprising number of student athletes come out for all of these sports. Fedak adds: “I’m excited about the promise of these programs under the bright, young coaches we have in place.”

Trinity was experiencing flux in both its enrollment numbers and coaching staffs since building was completed on its $2.8M turfed, multi-use athletic complex back in 2016. That same fall, long-tenured athletic director, Tracy Nichols retired. But this year, girls’ softball and JV basketball returned following hiatus’ in 2018. Trinity’s Lady Crusaders Basketball team won the Class S CT State Championship last month.

Pat Brady, Head of School for both Trinity Catholic High and The Catholic Academy of Stamford, Trinity’s PreK-grade 8 sister school, observes “Frank recognizes the athletic traditions here at Trinity and exactly where we are in building the department back from several years of change.” Brady adds: “We’ll be looking to have Frank run a successful program here at Trinity, one that draws student athletes to the school and that fields three-five solid sports per season, with full rosters.

Scott Smith, Principal of Trinity, adds: “Frank stepped right in and hit the ground running. He has a tremendous work ethic that will prove invaluable to the program here at Trinity.” He adds: “ Our students, parents and coaches have responded well to his approach and we are looking very forward to the future of the program under his leadership.”

Fedak is well-known within the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference. He brings over twenty years’ coaching and officiating experience on the high school, collegiate and professional levels, with experience at Weston High School, Northeast Baseball School, Notre Dame High School, Sacred Heart University and the Bridgeport Bluefish respectively.

Fedak is a graduate of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield with a Bachelor of Science Degree. He is a graduate of Fairfield Prep High School in Fairfield as well.

Fedak’ s appointment is effective immediately.

Trinity Catholic High School is Lower Fairfield County’s educational center for Catholic identity and education. It’s 40-acre campus in the quaint, rural Newfield area of Stamford is easily-accessible for families in lower Fairfield County and northeastern Westchester County, New York. Trinity offers a safe, nurturing environment of authentic Catholic education; academic, college-preparatory excellence, technologically-enabled personalized learning with virtual high school course electives. Trinity has a long tradition of athletic excellence and a strong community for all students, families and alumni.

For additional insight, please feel free to contact Scott Smith, Principal, Trinity Catholic, or Michael Macari, Director of Communications at 203.322.3401.

VATICAN CITY—No one should be afraid that God has allowed there to be different religions in the world, Pope Francis said.

“But we should be frightened if we are not doing the work of fraternity, of walking together in life” as brothers and sisters of one human family, he said.

As is customary, at his general audience April 3, the first after his March 30-31 trip to Morocco, Pope Francis reviewed his visit.

“People might ask themselves, ‘Why is it the pope visits Muslims and not just Catholics?'” the pope said.

Catholics and Muslims are both “descendants of the same father, Abraham,” he said, and the trip was another step on a journey of “dialogue and encounter with (our) Muslim brothers and sisters.”

The pope said he wanted to follow in the footsteps of two great saints: St. Francis of Assisi, who brought a “message of peace and fraternity” to Sultan al-Malik al-Kami 800 years ago, and St. John Paul II, who visited Morocco in 1985.

Pope Francis said people also may wonder why God allows there to be so many different religions in the world.

Some theologians say it is part of God’s “permissive will,” allowing “this reality of many religions. Some emerge from the culture, but they always look toward heaven and God,” the pope said.

“What God wants is fraternity among us,” he said, which is why “we must not be frightened by difference. God has allowed this.” But it is right to be worried when people are not working toward a more fraternal world, he added.

The pope’s comment about God’s “voluntas permissiva” or “permissive will” clarified a controversy that erupted during the pope’s trip in February to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

He and Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb—a leading authority for many Sunni Muslims, signed a document on human fraternity that said, “The pluralism and the diversity of religions, color, sex, race and language are willed by God in his wisdom, through which he created human beings.”

In his audience talk April 3, the pope clarified that God did not create religious diversity, but rather allows it to happen, as he created human beings who possess free will.

During the general audience, the pope also spoke about the many encounters and events during the two-day trip, making special mention of his visit with migrants—some of whom told him how their lives only became “human” again when they found a community that welcomed them as human beings.

“This is key,” the pope said.

The Vatican supported the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which was adopted by the majority of U.N. member states at a conference in Morocco in December, so that the international community could strengthen an approach that focused on welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants.

“It’s not about assistance programs coming down from ‘on-high'” but about everyone working together “to build cities and countries that, even preserving their respective cultural and religious identities, are open to differences and know how to see their value” as part of a sign of human fraternity.

Reading from his prepared text about the church’s work with migrants, the pope looked up at the people in the square and said that, in all honesty, “I do not like to say, ‘migrants,'” preferring to say, “people who migrate.”

“We have fallen into a culture of adjectives. We use so many adjectives and sometimes we forget the substantive,” that is, the noun or “the substance,” he said.

When talking about people, it is better to remember the adjective should always go with a noun, “a person,” he said.

“That way there is respect and no falling into this culture of adjectives that is too fluid, too airy” and lacking substance, he said.

By Carol Glatz  |  Catholic News Service

CNS photo by Paul Haring

FAIRFIELD—If asked to name the most urgent challenges facing the survival of humankind and the flourishing of our planet, what would our responses be? The answers to this critical question will be the focus of Rev. Andrea Vicini, S.J.’s remarks when he delivers the 2019 Bellarmine Lecture in Fairfield University’s Barone Campus Center, in the Dogwood Room on Tuesday, April 16.

Fr. Vicini is both a pediatrician and a member of the Society of Jesus—roles which have shaped his strong opinions about how theological bioethics can support healthcare professionals, activists, political leaders, and believers in the pursuit of global public health and environmental sustainability. In his lecture, Fr. Vicini will explore how our failure to address today’s most pressing societal challenges could lead to dire consequences for our common home—the Earth—and for our ability to live on it.

An associate professor of moral theology at Boston College, Fr. Vicini is also the director of the Sacred Theology Doctorate (STD) program at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. Specializing in fundamental moral theology, bioethics, sexuality, medical ethics, and environmental issues, he has published numerous articles and book chapters.

In 2015, Fr. Vicini co-edited two collections: Just Sustainability: Technology, Ecology, and Resource Extraction (with Christiana Z. Peppard) and The Legacy of Vatican II (with Massimo Faggioli). Forthcoming are his volume Emerging Issues in Theological Bioethics: Global Health, Regenerative Medicine, Neuroscience, Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology, and essays on sustainability, the common good, and ethical issues in global health. During the academic year 2015-2016, Fr. Vicini was a fellow at the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, N.J., where his research focused on the societal implications of astrobiology.

Sponsored by the Center for Catholic Studies at Fairfield University, Fr. Vicini’s “Saving the Earth: Ethics, Health Care, and the Common Good” lecture is free and open to the public. It will take place on Tuesday, April 16 at 7:30 pm in the Dogwood Room of the Barone Campus Center at Fairfield University, located at 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824. For more information, visit fairfield.edu/cs.

DANBURY—Immaculate High School’s Athletic Department scored another win when Field Hockey coaches Shannon Horosky and Matthew Ariniello were named Coaches of the Year for Field Hockey by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association. They were chosen for their accomplishments in the sport and with the IHS program.

The coaches are no strangers to honors…they were voted Coaches of the Year by the Field Hockey Coaches Association twice (2012, 2015). This time they will be honored as part of 25 Coaches of the Year with coaches from other sports at a special banquet at Kay’s Pier at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington on May 9 at 7pm.

“I feel that this award really belongs to the team, not to Matt and I. The CHSCA is recognizing the years of hard work and dedication from the players in our program,” said Coach Shannon Horosky, a Danbury resident. “When I came to Immaculate, the team had not had more than four wins a season in the previous four years. We have turned the program around and have been contenders in both the SWC and the State Tournaments for the past nine years. This senior class has been a part of so many firsts: our first undefeated regular season their freshmen year, our first SWC Championship last year, our first 20-win season this year, and of course our first State Championship this past season,” she noted.

The field hockey team finished an amazing Fall 2018 season by winning the Class S State Championship, the first time field hockey won the State title in school history. They defeated #1 seed Granby Memorial in a 3-0 shutout in the final game after entering the Class S Tournament as the #3 seed and finishing first in the SWC Patriot Division. After a tough loss to Pomperaug in the SWC Championship, the girls avenged their loss by capturing the State title. The team was led by their All-State award winners Madison Halas ‘19, Lauren Oskam ‘20, Kristen Cirone ‘19 and Celia Preveza ‘21. Celia, Madison and Lauren also were awarded All-SWC honors as well. The field hockey team also had four All-Patriot Division award winners in Kristine Cirone, Molly Coyle ‘20, Mackenzy Garden ‘19 and Stephanie Faria ‘19.

“I am humbled and honored to receive this award from the CT High School Coaches Association and our colleagues. It has been amazing to see the support of not only our families and the Immaculate community, but also our extended family of countless IHS field hockey alumni whose connection to the program they grew up in remains strong and their support unwavering,” said Coach Matthew Ariniello, also a Danbury resident. “The transformation of this program has been amazing and it continues to thrive. Reaching the State championship and battling off teams that have had a stronghold in our class and large youth programs that support them was just amazing.”

Coach Ariniello believes that the program has been successful for the past decade due to many factors, including supportive families, community and administrators; player buy-in to the system and “a plethora of mentors consisting of long-time high school and college coaches who have supported our program.”

“I have been so blessed to have worked with individuals who have not only succeeded in sport but also in life; our objective is to not only grow these kids as student-athletes but as contributing members of society. Coaching at Immaculate has been an amazing experience and I look forward to continued success,” said Coach Ariniello.

Coach Horosky feels the same way: “It has been an incredibly rewarding nine years working with all of the student-athletes that have come through our program,” she said. “I always tell the student-athletes when they come in that I am not their friend, I am their coach. At our banquet this year, I said that the seniors still weren’t my friends; they had become my family. That is what this program is; one big, mushy family!”

Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School allows students to focus on academic excellence, spiritual development, personal commitments and service to others. Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s parochial school system.

STRATFORD—The St. James School’s junior varsity girls basketball team has won the 2019 New England Catholic Youth Organization championship.

The tournament was hosted by the Manchester Diocese of New Hampshire over the weekend. The St. James team won the Bridgeport Diocesan tournament last month.

In the first two rounds Saturday the team beat St. John Evangelist of the Fall River Diocese in the first round 47-37 and St. Leo’s of the Worcester Diocese 34-14.

In Sunday’s championship game St. James beat St. Raphael’s of the Boston Diocese by a score of 31-21.

The team made it to the tournament last year but was knocked out in the first round.

“It was an incredible weekend spent with family and friends who came up to support the team,” Lela Castaneda, the team’s head coach, said.

Click here for the Connecticut Post story.

BRIDGEPORT—Located in a former church on Madison Avenue in Bridgeport, just a few blocks from St. Augustine Cathedral, you will find a fully functioning soup kitchen that has been feeding the hungry and the homeless Monday through Saturday for the past 45 years. On May 22, 2019, The Thomas Merton Center will host its 25th Annual Celebrity Breakfast at the Holiday Inn in Bridgeport. This event has been a longtime staple to the program and has featured such “celebrity” guests as Paul Miller, Bob Wright and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo. Anticipating the excitement surrounding the Silver Anniversary of the event, the Thomas Merton Center Board decided to feature two guest speakers this year—Jim Koplik and Howard Saffan.

Jim Koplik is currently the President of Live Nation Connecticut and a concert promoter who produces over 150 shows a year. Some of his prior productions include shows by The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, REO Speedwagon, Madonna, Billy Joel, and Elton John. Howard Saffan is a developer and CEO of Amphitheater, LLC. Saffan is a co-owner of Sports Center of Connecticut and The Rinks at Shelton in Shelton, CT. He is also the former President of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders.

The Thomas Merton Center’s mission is to provide a loving, safe and hope-filled community atmosphere, which responds to the needs of its guests. The Thomas Merton Center helps those who cannot help themselves. Guests come to the program because of their invisibility to other social services. In addition to its soup kitchen which provides both breakfast and lunch to approximately 350 people per day, the services provided by The Thomas Merton Center include: a food pantry, support groups, case management, educational assistance, a shower program, health services, and a mail program.

According to Al Barber, President of Catholic Charities, “Thomas Merton said it best, ‘We do not exist for ourselves.’ Those words reflect the efforts, energy and contributions that support The Thomas Merton Center. The 25th Annual Celebrity Breakfast significantly supports the programs annual budget to provide meals and services to the most vulnerable population in Bridgeport.”

To register for the event or sponsor a table, please visit the event webpage at www.themertoncenter.org/events. For more information, contact Sabine Kuczo at skuczo@ccfc-ct.org or 203.367.9036 ext. 15.

Click here for a pdf of a flyer for the event.

STAMFORD- Bishop Frank J. Caggiano has announced a new scholarship opportunity to make Catholic high school education at Trinity Catholic High School in Stamford more affordable, and available to more families in Lower Fairfield County.

The new Bishop’s Scholarship Initiative for 2019, will award a total of $12,000 ($3,000 for each of four years) to any Catholic student who is currently an 8th-grade student in good standing at one of the five Catholic elementary and middle schools in the area.

An additional scholarship of up to $8,000 ($2,000 for each of 4 years) is available to any student who qualifies for the incoming 9th-grade scholarship and has a sibling currently enrolled in any Diocese of Bridgeport Catholic elementary or high school.

“The scholarship initiative is another step forward in our efforts to create a new energy and vision for Catholic education on the Trinity High School campus,” said the bishop.  “Along with the new governance model and major renovations to the campus, we are redesigning Trinity as a center for Catholic education in lower Fairfield County. I am grateful to the board, the staff and all those who are contributing to the overall transformation of Catholic education in Stamford.”

Students in the following schools will be eligible for scholarship assistance to Trinity Catholic: The Catholic Academy of Stamford, All Saints Catholic School in Norwalk, Greenwich Catholic School, St. Aloysius School in New Canaan and Regina Pacis in Norwalk.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for 8^th graders making the transition to high school this fall”, states Pat Brady, Head of School at Trinity Catholic. The Bishop is committed to making a four-year Trinity Catholic high school experience available to every Catholic student in our Catholic schools here in lower Fairfield County.”

“A $12,000 to $20,000 in tuition reduction is substantial, especially in that it will follow a student for all four years of high school,” she added.

This month Trinity Catholic completed a two-year, $5M renovation project including extensive renovations to the school’s media center, classrooms, offices, labs and guidance wings, which were completed in late 2018.

Earlier this year, the diocese approved a new governance model for Trinity Catholic. Under the governance model, the diocese will continue to sponsor the school and provide global vision, and a new nine-person local board of directors will provide oversight and decision-making authority, to both institutions, on a day-to-day basis.

“As a result of the Bishop’s leadership and the commitment of the new governing board, Trinity Catholic High School has a master plan that is already bringing new energy, investment, and innovation to the campus,” said Dr. Steven Cheeseman, Superintendent of Catholic Schools.

The 40-acre campus will also include the Catholic Academy of Stamford upper schools (grades 6-8), which is scheduled to move into a newly renovated space in the Trinity building this fall 2019-20 school year.

Trinity Catholic High School is Lower Fairfield County’s educational center for Catholic identity and education. Its 40-acre campus in the quaint, rural Newfield area of Stamford is easily-accessible for families in lower Fairfield County and northeastern Westchester County, New York. Trinity offers a safe, nurturing environment of authentic Catholic education; academic, college-preparatory excellence, technologically-enabled personalized learning with virtual high school course electives.

To schedule a tour or visit or for more information on The Bishop’s Scholarship and application procedures including easy online application at Trinity, please contact Mrs. Cindy Willette, Director of Admissions, via email at cwillette@trinitycatholic.org.

ROME—During the flight bringing Pope Francis back to Rome after his two-day apostolic visit to Morocco, Francis spent over half an hour chatting to reporters and answering questions on different subjects.

Christian-Muslim Dialogue

Asked what he thinks the consequences of this visit will be for world peace and dialogue between different cultures, Pope Francis said,  “I will say that now there are flowers, the fruits will come later”.

He expressed satisfaction for having been able to talk about peace, unity and fraternity during the visit to Morocco and also during the previous one to Abu Dhabi, during which he recalled the important Document on Human Fraternity that he signed together with the Grand Iman of Al-Ahzar.

He upheld the religious freedom he witnessed in Morocco and the respect with which all brothers and sisters are welcomed.

“This is a beautiful flower of coexistence that promises to bear fruit. We must not give up!” he said.

The Pope acknowledged there are still difficulties because, he said, “In every religion there is always a fundamentalist group that does not want to go ahead and lives on bitter memories, on the struggles of the past, looking for more war and also sowing fear”.

But he reiterated the need to continue to work for fraternal dialogue, pointing out that dialogue can only flourish when there is a human relationship at various levels.

“If it is human, it is with the mind, the heart and the hands, thus agreements are signed,” he said.

And he referred to the signing in Rabat of the common appeal for Jerusalem, which he said, was “a step forward made not by an authority of Morocco and by an authority of the Vatican, but by brother believers who suffer to see that this city of hope is still not as universal as we all want it to be: Jews, Muslims and Christians”.

“We are all citizens of Jerusalem, all believers,” he said.

Build bridges, not walls

Speaking of those who prefer to build walls instead of bridges he said “they will end up imprisoned by the walls they have built” while those who build bridges will go a long way.

Pope Francis conceded that building bridges takes a great deal of effort.  He revealed he has always been touched by a phrase from Ivo Andrich’s novel “The Bridge on the Drina” in which he says that the bridge is made by God with the wings of angels so that men can communicate… “.

Instead, walls, he said, are against communication, they are for isolation and those who build them will become prisoners.

Freedom of worship and of conscience

Regarding the question of Muslims who convert to Christianity and who are not safe in all countries, the Pope noted that the Catholic Church removed the death penalty for heretics from the Catechism 300 years ago, because, he said, the Church has grown in consciousness and in the capacity to understand its own faith which in turn promotes respect for the person and for religious freedom.

Acknowledging that in some countries there continues to be a problem of conversion he upheld the example of Morocco where, he said,   people of all faiths are protected.

But he also highlighted limitations of freedom of conscience in some Christian countries where, for example, some doctors are deprived of the right to conscientious objection when it comes to euthanasia.

“How has it happened?” he asked, “that the Church has gone forward and Christian countries are going backwards?”

Today, we Christians, the Pope added, are in danger of some governments taking away from us the freedom of conscience: that is the first step towards freedom of worship.

Cardinal Barbarin

Regarding the situation of French Cardinal Barbarin who is under investigation in France for allegedly covering up clerical sexual abuse, Pope Francis reiterated the juridical principle that at present there is the presumption of innocence and the case is open.

He invited the journalists to think twice before issuing a media condemnation until the Court gives the final judgement.

Migrants

Underscoring Pope Francis’s repeated appeals to policy-makers and government leaders to protect and help migrants, one journalist highlighted the fact that European politics are going in the exact opposite direction and that populist policies reflect the opinion of mostly Christian voters.  “How do you feel about this sad situation?” she said.

“I see that so many people of good will, not only Catholics, (…) appear to be gripped by fear” that is the fodder of populism, he said.

Fear, the Pope continued, is the beginning of dictatorships.

He recalled the fall of the Weimar Republic and the birth of Nazi Germany and expressed his belief that we must not forget the lessons of history.

“To sow fear is to make a collection of cruelty, of closures and also of sterility. Think of the demographic winter in Europe. Even we who live in Italy are below zero” he said.

The Pope decried the lack of historical memory pointing out that Europe “was made” by migrations and this is its wealth.

He noted that European nations sell weapons to Yemen to kill children, calling on it to be consistent as it continues to preach the need for “safety”.

“I say this as an example, but Europe sells weapons,” he said.

“Then there is the problem of hunger and thirst. If Europe wants to be mother Europe and not grandmother Europe, it must invest; it must intelligently try to help growth through education, through investment”.

You cannot prevent emigration by force but by generosity, education and economic investment, he said.

And reflecting on how to receive and distribute migrants who come to Europe, the Pope  said that it is true that a single country can’t receive everyone, “but there’s all of Europe to distribute migrants” and he reiterated that the reception must be with “an open heart, that accompanies, promotes and integrates.”

By Linda Bordoni | Vatican News

NEW YORK CITY—On Friday and Saturday, March 29 and 30, a joint delegation of 13 students from St. Joseph Catholic Academy in Brookfield and St. Rose of Lima in Newtown took part in the Global Classrooms International Middle School Model UN Conference in New York City.

The delegates represented the country of Latvia and came up with plans to tackle global issues such as cybercrime, cholera, preparedness for chemical weapons attacks, use of nuclear technology to support developing countries, rights of migrant workers, illegal antiquities trading and adjusting agricultural techniques with climate change.

1,700 middle school students from approximately 30 countries participated in the conference. The conference closing ceremony was held at the United Nations General Assembly Hall and the students got to sit in the same seats as the real UN diplomats from around the world. 

Join us in applauding the efforts of these St. Rose students who participated in the conference: Julia Bryan, Ava Canlas, Thomas Setear, Anthony Guirguis, Eva Carey, Deirdre Dwyer, Marco Dias, Jonathan Voscov, and Rohan Carey and advisors Mrs. Carey and Mrs. Doane.

Join us in applauding the efforts of these St. Joseph’s students who participated in the conference: Faith Bargellini, Chloe Hallock, Michael Spaziante and Sania Toprani.  And a special thank you to the chaperones: Charlotte Hallock, Anne Marie Spaziante and advisor Susann Varano.

FAIRFIELD—St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School revealed its “Greatest School” video on Saturday, March 30, to hundreds of parents, faculty and supporters gathered for the school’s annual auction fundraiser at the Pequot Library. The theme of this year’s auction was the circus, based on the 2018 motion picture “The Greatest Showman” inspired by Connecticut native, P.T. Barnum and the birth of show business.

The video opens with a duet by St. Thomas eighth-graders, Catherine Bosse and Nell Kiernan, singing the first movement of movie’s Oscar-nominated power anthem “This is me”. Mr. David Harris, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish Music Director, accompanied on piano.  It then features video vignettes of St. Thomas student life: classroom images, clubs & sports teams, assemblies & pep rallies, school play & talent shows; together with teachers and students from pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade lip-syncing to “The Greatest Show”. Like the song says, “This is where you wanna be.” Watch the video on here: https://youtu.be/QW4kZ9NalXo

The video was professionally produced by Reed Gidez of the Gabriele Group www.gabrielegroup.com, uncle to a number of St. Thomas current and past students.  The video also featured many St. Thomas students and faculty, in particular, fifth-grade teacher, Paul Piorek, as P.T. Barnum.

About St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and recognized as an award-winning Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.  For nearly 100 years in the heart of downtown Fairfield, we have served a critical role in Fairfield County by providing a strong foundation for students in faith and knowledge at an affordable cost for students in pre-k 3-eighth grade.

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is conveniently located at 1719 Post Road, Fairfield.

(For additional information please contact Barbara Turner, Director of Admissions, at 203.255.0556 x.225 or Barbara.turner@stasonline.net.)