Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

TRUMBULL—As Lent begins, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano will welcome approximately 250 men and women who are on the journey toward full communion with the Catholic Church. The Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, the next formal step on that journey, will take place Sunday, March 10 at Saint Theresa Church in Trumbull.

This liturgical rite, traditionally held on the first Sunday of Lent, is part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process. It closes the period of formation and marks the beginning of the period of final preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation at Easter.

There are 36 parishes that have participants currently taking part in the Rite of Election Ceremony. St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bridgeport has the highest number of people enrolled in its RCIA program: 47 candidates and 17 catechumens.

The parishes welcoming candidates and catechumens include:

Church of the Assumption Parish, Westport: 1 candidate
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Danbury: 21 candidates, 4 catechumens
Our Lady of Peace, Stratford: 1 candidate
Our Lady of the Assumption, Fairfield: 6 candidates
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Danbury: 3 candidates
Sacred Heart, Georgetown: 1 catechumen
Sacred Heart, Stamford: 17 candidates, 1 catechumen
Saint Aloysius Parish, New Canaan: 2 candidates
Saint Andrew Parish, Bridgeport: 6 candidates
Saint Augustine Cathedral, Bridgeport: 3 candidates, 4 catechumens
Saint Cecilia Parish, Stamford: 3 candidates, 1 catechumen
Saint Charles Borromeo Parish, Bridgeport: 47 candidates, 17 catechumens
Saint Edward the Confessor Parish, New Fairfield: 2 candidates, 1 catechumen
Saint Emery Parish, Fairfield: 2 candidates
Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Weston: 1 candidate
Saint George Parish, Bridgeport: 6 catechumens
Saint James Parish, Stratford: 1 candidate, 2 catechumens
Saint John Parish, Darien: 2 candidates
Saint Joseph Parish, Norwalk: 2 catechumens
Saint Joseph Parish, Shelton: 11 candidates, 3 catechumens
Saint Jude Parish, Monroe: 2 candidates
Saint Ladislaus Parish, Norwalk: 4 candidates
Saint Mark Parish, Stratford: 1 candidate
Saint Mary-St. Benedict/Our Lady of Montserrat Parish, Stamford: 17 candidates, 3 catechumens
Saint Mary Parish, Bethel: 2 candidates, 2 catechumens
Saint Mary Parish, Bridgeport: 8 candidates, 3 catechumens
Saint Mary Parish, Ridgefield: 3 candidates
Saint Matthew Parish, Norwalk: 7 candidates
Saint Michael the Archangel Parish, Greenwich: 2 candidates
Saint Paul Parish, Greenwich: 1 candidate
Saint Peter Church, Bridgeport: 4 candidates, 13 catechumens
Saint Peter Church, Danbury: 3 candidates
Saint Theresa Parish, Trumbull: 10 candidates, 1 catechumen
Saint Thomas More Parish, Darien: 1 candidate, 1 catechumen
Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish, Norwalk: 1 candidate

(For more information regarding RCIA and Adult Formation, contact Rose Talbot-Babey, Coordinator of Religious Education: 203.416.1648 or rtalbotbabey@diobpt.org.)

BRIDGEPORT—Bishop Frank J. Caggiano and Foundations in Education will host their 4^th annual gala on Thursday, April 11, 2019 at Woodway Country Club in Darien. They will be joined this year by professional auctioneer, Patrick Tully. Mr. Tully’s clients include LSA Family Health Service, Petra Nemcova’s Happy Hearts Fund, Russell Simmons Diamond Empowerment Fund, The Shaun O’Hara Foundation, the New York Giants and the US Ski Team.

Foundations in Education, through the generosity of its donors and volunteers, is excited to feature a marvelous variety of unique items for its live auction. Featured is an exclusive Mass and Brunch with Bishop Caggiano for twenty people!

Other select live auction items include: an all-expense-paid trip for six people to Lido Key, Fla., which includes lodging at a magnificent 12,000 square-foot, six-bedroom mansion on the coast, a Lake George getaway for fourteen people boasting a guest cottage, direct waterfront access and dock space,  the ultimate New York Giants experience for two fans featuring travel with the team aboard the Giants charter plane for an away game to Chicago during the 2019 season, a paid summer internship for a young college student considering a career in Wall Street finance at the prominent BluffPoint Associates private equity firm in Westport, Conn., dinner for twelve guests at the historic Stonebrook House in Weston, Conn., an amazing Broadway Theater package and a private Long Island Sound boat cruise, including dinner and ice cream for twelve people!

All gala proceeds support the mission of Foundations in Education, including tuition assistance for more than 1,300 students through the Bishop’s Scholarship Fund as well as innovation and leadership grants for teachers.

(For more information about the gala, including honorees, live auction items and sponsorship opportunities, please visit: www.foundationsineducation.org or contact Austin Ryan at: 203.416.1671 or austin.ryan@foundationsineducation.org.)

BRIDGEPORT—“Much of what the world considers to be glory will end up in ashes,” Bishop Frank J. Caggiano said in his Ash Wednesday homily today at St. Augustine Cathedral.

Hundreds filled the Cathedral for the noontime Mass and distribution of ashes, which mark the formal beginning of the Lenten observance.

On Ash Wednesday, the ashes, made from palm branches blessed the previous year on Palm Sunday, are placed on the heads of the faithful, along with a short Scriptural exhortation, either “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19), or “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15).

“We’ve come here in the beginning of this time of penance to be reminded of the same thing. We enter into the desert for forty days and forty nights so that we may come to the cross of Jesus Christ renewed with our minds and hearts clear that we do not place our trust in the glory of mundi but in the glory of Christi and that our dreams, our hopes, our desires and our longings will find their answer in Christ—the one who freely gave his life so that you and I might have eternal life,” said the bishop.

The bishop told the gathering that during Lent, it is important find the time in our busy lives “to do less talking and more listening, to allow Jesus to speak to us, to caress us, to love us and to forgive us. It is to do fasting and abstinence, so that we may go hungry, not for the things of the world but the gifts only Christ.”

“We begin Lent mindful that we have all at times chosen the glory of this world over the will of God. Let us be resolved to end Lent not being afraid of the words sic transit Gloria mundi, because we will have already left the glories of the world behind to embrace the one who is our glory, our hope and our salvation,” he said.

(Click to read Bishop Frank J. Caggiano’s homily from Mass on Ash Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at St. Augustine Cathedral in Bridgeport.)

Photos by Amy Mortensen

NEWTOWN—The St. Rose Boys’ Varsity finished up a strong season on Tuesday night. The Rams went 13-5 on the season and made it to the Championship Game of the Parochial League Tournament. The team improved with each game and practice and it was nice to watch their development as the season went on.

To start the season, the Rams played in the Harvest Tournament in Brookfield. The Rams won opening round games vs. St. Martin and St. Mary’s of Bethel. The Rams lost a tough game in the semi-finals to St. Gregory of Danbury 53-49. These games helped prepare the team for the upcoming league season.

The Boys’ Varsity played very well in league play going 9-3. The Rams won both league games against St. Mary’s, Faith Prep, St. Peter’s, and St. Gregory’s. The Rams lost both league games to St. Joseph of Danbury and split with St. Joseph Academy of Brookfield. The second game vs. St. Joseph Academy was eighth-grade night and the gym was filled excitement. The Rams went on to win the game and secure the number 2 seed in the playoffs.

The playoffs started on February 23^rd and the Rams won their semi-final game vs. St. Joseph Academy of Brookfield 57-49. With the win, St. Rose advanced to the finals against St. Joseph of Danbury. The Rams played a really tough game, but lost on Tuesday night 57-46 and finished second in the league tournament. Patrick McKenzie and Owen McAloon made the All-tournament Team. The season concludes on Thursday night with the All-Star game. Owen McAloon, Patrick McKenzie, Braden Murphy and Henry Reichenbach were chosen to represent St. Rose.

St. Rose got strong play this year from seventh-graders Josh Schumacher, Kaelen Schmidt, Rohan Carey, James Doering, and Jonathon Voskov. The Rams were led by eighth-graders Jack Cappiello, Jack Markowitz, Owen McAloon, Patrick McKenzie, Braden Murphy and Henry Reichenbach.

St. Rose of Lima Catholic School is a Christ-centered community committed to academic excellence in an atmosphere that nurtures the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical and moral development of each child. The dedicated staff partners with families to prepare students to be responsible leaders in a global society by fostering integrity, service and respect. By creating a sense of family where all are welcome, they encourage each child to develop his/her gifts and to become Christ’s compassionate heart and hands in the world. They center their community of learning around the four core values of respect, integrity, academic excellence and service. Their spirituality is fostered through their close connection with St. Rose of Lima church. Students attend weekly Mass and are blessed by the continual presence of Msgr. Robert Weiss and the other parish priests.

(For more information on St. Rose of Lima school, visit their website at: www.stroseschool.com.)

FAIRFIELD—In a school-wide assembly today, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School unveiled this year’s One School, One Book™ title, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by award-winning author-illustrator, Grace Lin. The reveal was accompanied by live goldfish, an elaborate hand-made dragon sculpture, posters and other decorations throughout the hallways celebrating the story’s main characters. The One School, One Book™ festivities conclude with the author’s visit on Tuesday, March 26.

St. Thomas’ school librarian, Adrienne Wilson, introduced the all-school book club as a creative means to encourage family reading.  “Reading together is a fun, worthwhile activity.  We have selected a title that can be followed, understood and enjoyed by younger children, but will still captivate and stimulate an older audience.”  Older students are encouraged to read to their younger siblings.  Keeping up with the reading schedule is important, as students are incentivized to be prepared for daily contest, games, activities and book trivia questions.

Mrs. Wilson has been a fan of Grace Lin for many years, saying “Grace Lin’s writing appeals to so many age groups from picture books like The Ugly Vegetables; early readers, Ling & Ting, Not Exactly the Same!; to novels, including Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, which is the first of an engaging 3-book series that is part folk-lore, part fantasy.”

Principal, Jo Mathieson commented “Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Spring, our Literacy Specialist, chose this book because not only is it a delightful story that is beautifully written and illustrated, but has important overarching themes of faith and love. Our patron, St. Thomas Aquinas taught that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend. Minli, the protagonist, sacrificed her own mission for the benefit of her friend, the dragon.  She performed the truest act of friendship, by putting a friend ahead of herself.  Themes of this book are especially poignant as we enter the liturgical season of Lent.  Lent is a journey, similar to the journey taken by Minli. When faced with challenges that test our faith, we do not retreat in defeat.”

Grace Lin will visit St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School on Tuesday, March 26^th.   All local preschoolers and their caretakers are invited to a special story time event at 8:45 am.  Ms. Lin will present her newest Caldecott Honor book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star.  Contact Julie Wallace, JuWallace@stasonline.net by 3/22 to register.

Advance copies of her books for signing may be ordered through the Fairfield University Bookstore, 1499 Post Road, Fairfield.

About St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, pre-k3-8th grade, has been conveniently located in the heart of downtown Fairfield at 1719 Post Road for nearly 100 years.  For additional information please contact Barbara Turner, Director of Admissions, at 203.255.0556 x.225 or Barbara.turner@stasonline.net

FAIRFIELD—The Sacred Heart University wind ensemble will present “A Celebration of Women Composers” featuring the work of well-known and up-and-coming women composers, including Jennifer Higdon, Julie Giroux, Chen Yi and Kimberly Archer. The University’s choir will join the band to perform music from Ethel Smyth and Christin Hablewitz.

The event will take place at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Sacred Heart University, 5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield on Monday, March 25 at 7 pm. The event is free and open to the public!

About Sacred Heart University

As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus, which is located about an hour from Manhattan and 2.5 hours from Boston. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland. More than 8,500 students attend the University’s eight colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business; Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, yet at the same time develops students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives and professions and in their communities. A spirit of service, entrepreneurship and social justice is the essence of who we are and can be seen inside and outside the classroom as students learn how to make a difference far beyond Fairfield. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 384 Colleges–2019 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 267 Business Schools–2018 Edition. It also placed SHU on its lists for “Happiest Students” and “Most Engaged in Community Service,” each of which comprises only 20 U.S. schools. Sacred Heart has a Division I athletics program. www.sacredheart.edu

FAIRFIELD—Award-winning author-illustrator, Grace Lin, will visit St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School on Tuesday, March 26. All local preschoolers and their caretakers are invited to a special story time and book signing from 8:45 to 9:30 am in the Parish Center. Ms. Lin will present her 2019 Caldecott Honor book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star. The event is for children up to six years old. A story-related craft activity will follow the reading.

The event is free, but space is limited. Please contact Julie Wallace, JuWallace@stasonline.net by 3/22 to register.

Advance copies of her books for signing may be ordered through the Fairfield University Bookstore, 1499 Post Road, Fairfield.

About Grace Lin

Grace Lin, a NY Times bestselling author/ illustrator, won the Newbery Honor for “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” and the Theodor Geisel Honor for “Ling and Ting.” Her most recent novel “When the Sea Turned to Silver” was a National Book Award Finalist and her most recent picture book, “A Big Mooncake for Little Star” was awarded the Caldecott Honor. Grace is also a commentator for New England Public Radio, a reviewer for the NY Times, a video essayist for PBS NewsHour, and the speaker of the popular TEDx talk, “The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf.” In 2016, Grace’s art was displayed at the White House where Grace, herself, was recognized by President Obama’s office as a Champion of Change for Asian American and Pacific Islander Art and Storytelling.

GREENWICH—Back in the 1950s, when Alan Detscher was an altar boy at Sacred Heart Church in Byram, he missed two Masses…and the pastor “fired” him. It could have been an inauspicious start for a young man who was destined to the priesthood, but he took it in stride and pursued his vocation, which over 47 years took him from Greenwich to Rome and Washington and back again.

Msgr. Alan Detscher is retiring after 23 years at St. Catherine of Siena church in Riverside, which during his tenure as pastor has seen major renovations, the creation of new ministries and a restructuring of religious education and faith formation programs.

Monsignor, who has worked in different national and diocesan offices, holds degrees in sacred liturgy, a topic on which he has written numerous books and articles. He is particularly proud of the American edition of the Book of Blessings, which includes many prayers he wrote.

He still recalls the time he was rushed to a hospital in Washington with a perforated colon. “I was in agony, I couldn’t sit, I couldn’t stand and the chaplain came in and wanted to anoint me,” he said. “As he began the rite, I realized he was using a prayer that I wrote.” It moved him to think of the far-reaching effect his words could have.

Commenting on his lifelong love of liturgy, Monsignor said, “For me, the liturgy has been the bond that has helped me to understand what the Church is. If I have done anything in my 47 years of being a priest, if I have helped and encouraged people to celebrate the liturgy well, then I have done something good for the Church.”

Much of Monsignor’s life has centered on Greenwich, where he was born on May 13, 1945. The son of Elizabeth Fuhr and Francis Detscher Sr., he attended Byram Elementary School and Greenwich High. His name was well known to people in town because of the family-owned Detscher’s Bakery.

When he entered Georgetown University, his original intention was to pursue a career in medicine, but then the Holy Spirit intervened.

“I was from a diocesan parish and that was my image of the priesthood,” he says, proudly noting that Sacred Heart has had more vocations than any other parish. For much of his young life, he was around priests, and their example proved to be an inspiration.

“I served Mass all through high school, and also for the Jesuit residents at Georgetown,” he recalled.

He credits his mother Elizabeth, a non-Catholic, with his early faith formation — she made sure he and his brother and sister went to Mass.

Because she was a Methodist, his parents were married in the rectory and not the church, he notes sadly. “She also had to promise that she would raise me as a Catholic. My parents were willing to do what the Church required,” he said. “When they were married 50 years, I got to go to Sacred Heart and renew their vows…in the church.”

One of the most precious memories of his priesthood occurred three weeks before his mother died when, he says, “I received her into the Church and gave her her first and last Communion.”

“She was always very proud of me,” he recalls, “and would introduce me by saying, ‘This is my son, the priest.’”

His mother Elizabeth was a teller at Byram National Bank and did all the bookkeeping for the family bakery. His father, Francis, was a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Notre Dame, who taught English and social studies at Greenwich High and eventually left teaching to work full-time at the bakery.

In his sophomore year, Monsignor left Georgetown and went to Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton, Mass., earning a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and one in Divinity. He also attended Woodstock College of Theology, receiving a master’s of sacred theology in liturgy. He later earned a license in sacred liturgy, summa cum laude, and a doctorate in sacred liturgy, summa cum laude, from the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome.

He was ordained by Bishop Walter W. Curtis on May 15, 1971 and his first assignment was at St. Patrick’s Church in Bridgeport. Monsignor has held numerous diocesan and national positions, including Secretary to Bishop Curtis, diocesan director of liturgy, director of the diocesan office for ecumenical and interreligious affairs, and executive director of the secretariat for liturgy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

He fondly recalls Bishop Walter Curtis and says he was like a father: “He transformed the diocese and helped transform me too.”

While he was a deacon, he spent a year at St. Roch’s in Byram, where the pastor let him preach every other day.

“Preaching became important to me,” he says. “He let me preach, and it helped me.” He said his time at St. Roch’s also provided him with an immersion in the Italian culture, noting that parishioners were often outside the church after Mass, joyfully hugging and kissing.

One of his closest friends is Deacon Renato Berzolla, who has known him 25 years. When he describes Monsignor, Deacon Berzolla uses the Italian word for faith —“fede,” whose letters are representative of Monsignor’s faithfulness, empathy, availability and example.

“This best describes Monsignor because he is a real man of faith,” Deacon Berzolla said. “He was always faithful to his superiors, the Church and everyone in the parish. And to do that, you have to be an acrobat.”

“He not only preached the Gospel, but lived the Gospel,” Deacon Berzolla said. “He was like an old-fashioned priest that people felt they could go to with their problems.” He is convinced that if any of his 14 grandchildren had something that bothered them, they would go to Monsignor without hesitation.

Reflecting on his 47 years as a priest, Msgr. Detscher said, “St. Catherine’s has been my home for almost 23 years. As my family has gotten smaller and smaller, people here have become my family. They are a part of my life, and I give thanks for that and for the priests I have worked with who helped me in many ways. Father Platt and Father D’Silva have been good colleagues and friends. I wish Father Platt the best as the new pastor. I know he will continue many practices and do new things. We often need the challenge of someone else doing things another way.”

BRIDGEPORT—The Call: In February of 2018 the St. John Paul II Fund was launched to seek applications from parishes and diocesan organizations to find innovative approaches to invigorating religious education and youth ministry. Bishop Frank J. Caggiano emphasized the importance of “thinking outside the box,” as we approach ways to reimagine lifelong faith formation. Recognizing that we are at a crossroads, it is essential that we as a faith community find new and creative ways to engage our youth and our faithful.

The St. John Paul II Fund has proven to be successful in meeting this challenge. The theme of Reimaging Faith Formation is worthy of building on and the momentum established is compelling!

The Response: The two words that best describe the response from our diocesan Catholic community—diverse and dedicated. Some parishes are thriving, some are struggling. The requests for funding focused on faith formation for the very young, the old and for the teens in between. No matter the age group, efforts prioritized welcoming in the whole family and underserved groups. A few parishes asked for the bare necessities: paint, technology and bookshelves for folks to use for meetings and prayer space. Other parishes dug deep with the challenge and created programs for single parents or for those who have given up on their Catholic faith altogether. All in all, because of the St. John Paul II Fund, parishioners of all ages are enthusiastically recommitting and those who felt marginalized or left the church are coming back. It seems that the St. John Paul II Fund has created a movement. Many people who were seemingly apathetic are now excited about their faith and involved in their church.

“The future is in your hearts and in your hands. God is entrusting to you the task, at once difficult and uplifting, of working with Him in the building of the civilization of love.” -Pope Saint John Paul II

The Numbers: 48 grants were submitted for funding in 2018. The total amount requested was $219,500. Upon careful review, 32 grants were approved and $115,000 was distributed. We are currently at the mid-year mark of the projects and the reports submitted from the funded projects indicate meaningful impact.

Board of Directors & Staff: The St. John Paul II Fund falls under the oversight of Foundations in Faith. The board is a strong, talented and committed group. In January 2019, three new board members joined to grow the total to twelve members. Additionally, Kelly Weldon was hired in January as a part-time employee to manage the grant process of the funds and assist with communications and marketing.

(Please visit www.foundationsinfaith.org for details on the funds and the Foundations in Faith board members.)

The Stories: Just a few highlights
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Church in Shelton received $8000 and invested in training for their adult youth ministers working with the middle and high school youth. Training included a weekend retreat, weekly meetings utilizing the LifeTeen program, attendance at the fall LifeTeen’s Genesis Conference in Texas to name a few. Additionally, funding has provided opportunities to the teens to attend events that the group could not previously afford, such as the Steubenville East retreat and a local retreat with the theme “Worth” and with guest speaker Brian Mercier.

“The grant has injected a spark into the group that has been missing for some time. It’s rejuvenated the youth ministers’ passion for ministry; it’s reinvigorated the youth enthusiasm for Jesus and the community; it’s given the youth ministers’ space to dream about how to empower our future leaders with their faith”

“This has translated into a 50 percent increase in weekly meeting attendance”

“We have more kids coming and taking part… I can see a future for the youth – I haven’t been able to see that for a long time…this grant has changed the course of this group”

St. Andrew Church in Bridgeport received $2,000 and invested in serving single-parent families by waiving fees for religious education, creating monthly family workshops, providing children/adult books and bibles for free and opportunities to attend conferences including NCYC, Convivio and the middle-school conference, BRAVE and more. Numerous family service projects have created a community welcoming to our single-parent families.

“We have 21 students enrolled in the 7th-grade formation class and 11 of these students have not been to formation since they made their First Communion”

“We have begun to minister one by one to our single-parent families…. this community has unique challenges. We have listened and are responding”

“I am overwhelmed with learning and ministry to our single parent homes and partnering teens. This is not an understatement. I am both inspired and humbled by these families, who have more determination than most people I know. I have laughed with them, cried with them…I am witnessing transformations in the family unit…I have seen single parents come back to the Church”

“I felt like God turned away from me. I felt that I couldn’t turn to a place to help me with my beliefs, until I found St. Andrew’s. I was welcomed with open arms…I go to Mass on Sundays and I feel every word the priest says in my heart… God is listening…my belief is stronger than ever”

St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown received $1000 used to launch the Alpha program. The program was uniquely designed to reach those who do not attend church or who may not have an active faith with God. The Alpha program is an 11-week program that explores basic questions of the Christian faith. It consists of a shared meal, a 30-minute film series episode (solidly based on Scripture), followed by a 30-minute group discussion.

“Between 15-20 people have attended each week. Five of those attending did not previously attend church; of those, four have continued regular attendance at Alpha through the entire program”

“One guest who came with his wife was not a churchgoer or believer, prayed to ask the Lord into his life at the retreat and had begun to read the Bible daily…another man who did not attend church and mostly listened at the start of the program now regularly participates in the table conversations about faith”

St. Theresa Parish in Trumbull received $4,900 and a LifeTeen subscription. Their focus was to launch a new ministry designed to meet the needs of teens. They engaged youth by inviting them to lead with the youth ministers and co-design a program based on fellowship and community service. The projects started out simply with “Box of Joy,” which led to making blankets for the poor. Momentum grew when the youth established a group of 12 committed teens formally recognized by St. Theresa Church as STAY (St. Theresa Apostolate for Youth). They reached out to their families with fun ways to engage the community: “Talk and Tacos,” Teen Holy Hour with monthly Teen Adoration Night and more. Future plans include Rosary Reflection, Bible on the Beach, attending Fan the Fire and more.

“Teens have an innate desire to be radical in their thinking and actions. We want to channel that energy towards their faith, harness their creativity and apply it to service, all while nurturing their relationship with Christ”

“I would not have been able to fathom the impact of influence that it would have on me, our church and the community at large. I – along with the other kids my age…. have seen the profound impact that giving has on others. I look forward to the future of our youth group”

Future 2019: Reimaging Faith Formation 2.0 – Bishop Caggiano is excited to announce his commitment to build upon the momentum established with the JPII Fund grant awards in 2018 by raising the bar with a deeper focus on Reimaging Faith Formation. According to Bishop Caggiano, we will actively seek religious education and youth ministry programs that create “innovation so great we will be compelled to replicate it in other parishes.”

Criteria: Grants may be used for projects in parishes within the Diocese of Bridgeport that
Creatively energize faith formation
Engage individuals/groups that have been underserved
Enhance ministry to include extended family members
Reflect and embrace the tenants of An Invitation to Lifelong Formation published 9.19.17

(For more information visit the website at: foundationsinfaith.org.)

VATICAN CITY—Declaring that the Catholic Church is unafraid of history, Pope Francis announced that documents in the Vatican Secret Archives relating to the wartime pontificate of Pope Pius XII will be open to scholars in 2020.

Researchers, particularly those interested in Catholic-Jewish relations, have pressed the Vatican to open the archives and allow a full study of Pope Pius’ actions during the war, including what he did or failed to do for Jews during the Holocaust.

“The church is not afraid of history, on the contrary, she loves it and would like to love it more and better, just as she loves God. Therefore, with the same confidence as my predecessors, I open and entrust to researchers” this wealth of documents, Pope Francis said.

The pope met March 4 with supervisors, staff members and assistants working at the Vatican Secret Archives during an audience to mark the 80th anniversary of Pope Pius XII’s election March 2, 1939.

Staff at the Vatican Secret Archives, which holds the bulk of the documents related to the wartime pope, have been working for the past 13 years to get the material organized, catalogued and accessible to researchers.

Bishop Sergio Pagano, prefect of the archives, said the years of work were necessary to pull together and catalogue material previously held in a variety of Vatican offices; this includes documents from the Vatican Secretariat of State, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, records from Vatican nunciatures around the world and thousands of notes regarding Pope Pius’ charitable activity in Italy and abroad.

Pope Pius, who guided the universal church during World War II, already has been a subject of intense study and discussion, “even criticized—one could say with some bias or exaggeration,” Pope Francis said.

While a small portion of some material produced during the pontificate of Pope Pius has been made available, all documents in the archives from his election in 1939 to his death in 1958 will be made available to researchers starting March 2, 2020.

Pope Francis said he made the decision in consultation with trusted advisers and was confident that “serious and objective historical research will know how to evaluate in the right light, with suitable criticism, moments of praise of that pope and, without doubt, also moments of serious difficulties, tormented decisions, of human and Christian prudence, which to some could look like reticence.”

Instead those moments of prudence were attempts—at times tormented attempts—to keep, “during periods of the greatest darkness and cruelty, the small flame lit of humanitarian initiatives, of hidden but active diplomacy, of the hopes of the possible positive opening of hearts,” he said.

The pope thanked the staff for their work, their assistance to the world’s researchers and for the future publication of important sources related to the late pope.

The normal Vatican practice is to catalog and open all the archival material from an entire pontificate at the same time. In 2006 Pope Benedict XVI authorized the archives to make available to researchers all the documentation from the pre-World War II pontificate of Pope Pius XI up until 1939.

In 1965 St. Paul VI ordered the scholars to search the archives for evidence to rebut claims about his predecessor’s allegedly negligent conduct during the war. The claims were made by Rolf Hochhuth, a German and author of a 1963 play called “The Deputy,” in which Pope Pius was depicted as a coward who did not stand up to Adolf Hitler.

The scholars, working from 1965 to 1981, gathered documents that were published in 12 volumes under the title “Acts and Documents of the Holy See Relating to the Second World War.”

The volumes were digitized with the help of the Pave the Way Foundation, whose president, Gary Krupp, seeks to redress what he says are serious misunderstandings about Pope Pius’ role during the war. Krupp says the documents show that the pope did much to help Jews, acting often quietly behind the scenes to avoid reprisals by the Nazis against Jews.

By Carol Glatz  |  Catholic News Service

BRIDGEPORT—The Saint John Paull II Fund has provided a grant award in 2018 to The Leadership Institute of the Diocese of Bridgeport to launch The Family Bible Challenge for Lent.

This innovative program is both an invitation and a challenge to young and old to spend time this Lent engaging with Sacred Scripture as a family.  Some people “give up” something for Lent when you can pick up the Bible and learn for Lent.

“I welcome all our families to join in this great adventure to deepen your understanding of and appreciation for God’s Word,” the Bishop said in announcing the Challenge.

According to Patrick Donovan, executive director of The Leadership Institute, the diocese is looking for 1,000 families to take part in the first season of the Challenge during Lent 2019.

“Every family that participates will receive up to two Bibles as a gift. Bibles are available in English and Spanish and are being printed especially for our diocese, including a welcome letter from Bishop Caggiano,” Donovan said. Bibles will be available at the Catholic Center.

Families of any size can participant and are welcome to register online at the Institute’s website.

Each Sunday, families will receive a Scripture passage via email and will be challenged to take the time to read the passage together, study, and use the reflection questions as a guide for discussion.

To make the Family Bible Challenge more engaging, families will receive an invitation each Wednesday to participate in online trivia about Scripture and the Catholic faith. While there are not any prizes, the names of families who participate will be listed online. In addition, families will be encouraged to spread the word about the challenge in their parishes and schools.

The Family Bible Challenge, Donovan said, has been about a year in the planning. The American Bible Society is providing the Bibles at no cost, the website and resources are developed with funds from the St. John Paul II Grant, and the videos are developed through a partnership with The Bible Project, an online consortium of theologians dedicated to encouraging others to read the Bible.

The Family Bible Challenge will become a seasonal event, taking place online during Lent, Summer, and the Fall. On the off-season, the Institute will host trivia nights throughout the diocese to promote the Challenge and encourage families to play and pray together.

To learn more or to register for The Family Bible Challenge, visit the official website of The Leadership Institute.