DANBURY—Tong Lilly Zeng ’19 of Danbury and Sophia Pilla ‘19 of Ridgefield recently won Scholastic Arts Awards for their original artwork produced in their art portfolio and graphics design classes at Immaculate High School.

Tong won a Silver Key Award for her painting “Redemption” and Sophia won a Gold Key Award and the Jerry’s Artarama of CT Best in Design award for her graphic design piece “Detroit.” Sophia’s Gold Key award entitles her piece to be entered into the National Scholastic Art Competition this Spring.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12, encouraging young artists, writers and filmmakers since 1923. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a nonprofit organization “whose mission is to identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent and present their remarkable work to the world through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.” Through the Awards, students receive opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication and scholarships. Students across America submitted nearly 350,000 original works this year in 29 different categories of art and writing.

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.

The student in each of us must always be ready to learn – in our homes, with our friends, and most certainly on our spiritual journey with God. As a mother and a teacher, I am made humble each time I step into a classroom or talk with my teenage daughters, realizing how much we can learn when listening more intently to the children in our lives. My most insightful realization came, however, from a quite unexpected source: an autistic 11-year-old boy.

My religious education students are an endearing but rambunctious group. To keep these sixth graders engaged on a recent Tuesday evening, I decided we would venture across the parking lot to our church’s Adoration Chapel for quiet prayer. Now, one may think that “sixth graders” and “quiet prayer” could not be uttered in the same sentence, but I thought optimistically: maybe they’ll enjoy it, maybe they’ll learn something. Never did I imagine it would be me doing the learning.

One of my students, Nathan, has autism. After knowing him for three years and coming to appreciate what makes him so special, I was not surprised by his round of questions from the typical “Why do we have to go?” to the difficult “How do I know God is there?” Feeling a bit anxious about his ability to sit quietly and pray for ten minutes, I entered the chapel with my class. After some adolescent poking and forgetting to bless themselves, the other students paired up in the small pews, while Nathan settled himself next to me in a chair toward the back. Hmm, this may work, I thought as he and the others knelt with praying hands. Moments later, however, Nathan whispered loudly, “Can I walk up there?” gesturing toward the altar, seemingly enthralled by the majestic gold monstrance.

“Yes, but don’t go past the railing,” I cautioned. “Kneel down for a moment and then come back.”

Nathan nodded and sauntered up the side aisle, glancing around. He didn’t go past the railing, but he didn’t kneel either, just paced for a few moments in front of the altar and gazed at the crucifix. Watching him, I contemplated what he might be thinking, what he might be wondering. When he returned to his seat beside me, he leaned over and whispered, more quietly this time, “Guess what?”

“What?” I replied.

Nodding his head toward the altar with a knowing smile, Nathan said, “I just met God.”

That genuine, honest truth struck me so unexpectedly like no other comment from a child or adult ever had. Nathan was right; he did meet God in the purest and most open form. How many of us, I thought, is able to state such a realization as confidently as this 11-year-old boy with challenges and insights the rest of us will never fully grasp? I was reminded that evening that the virtue and acceptance of a child can never be underestimated, for when Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these,” he was calling all of His children, including all of the “Nathans” to meet Him, recognize Him, understand Him. At that moment, Nathan truly did know that God was there – and like any other 11-year-old, he also knew when ten minutes had passed.

“Can we go now?” he asked, nudging me. Yes, I thought, that was enough for today.

The students filed out of the chapel, with Nathan walking beside me, not full of questions this time but seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Continuing this journey together guided by the love of God, I recognize again and again the student – and teacher – in each of us, as we open ourselves to learn from all of His children.

By: Emily Clark

DENVER—When most people think about street preaching, they picture tent revivals, or the fiery Protestant minister with King James Bible in hand shouting about being saved, or the apocalyptic firebrand imploring repentance. Few likely think of the Catholic Church.

But there are a number of organizations that are specializing in just that: getting the truth of the Catholic faith out there into people’s hands and hearts on the street. Following in the footsteps of great organizations such as the Catholic Evidence Guild, newer groups have accepted the call to be street evangelizers by sharing the Gospel in everyday places.

While it may seem cliché, it is true that we all have been commanded by Jesus to go out and preach the Gospel. He told his disciples, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). The command is not simply to believe, not simply to worship, but to spread the word.

There are many different forms of street evangelization, exemplified by different Catholic organizations. In some cases, individuals set up shop in a public place to preach the Gospel and to speak of the truths of the Catholic faith. In other cases, it is more about being available to answer questions or just to talk or pray with passersby. Still other organizations are pounding the pavement, reaching out to teens or the homeless, bringing the Gospel to them, giving them somewhere safe to be for a few evenings a week. All of these follow in the footsteps of great figures from throughout Christian history.

Christ in the City

In 2009, Jonathan Reyes recognized a stark division within the Church between those who focused on evangelization and those who were dedicated to serving the poor. He decided something needed to be done to bridge this gap. Reyes wanted young people to dedicate a year or two to living in the city, serving the poor, preaching the Gospel, studying the Catholic social tradition and developing a life of prayer. This would become Christ in the City, based out of Denver. Officially begun in 2011 with 15 missionaries, Christ in the City is now in its eighth year with 27 missionaries.

“When St. John Paul II visited Denver for World Youth Day in 1993, he sparked a movement of young people who wanted to become apostles of the New Evangelization, to spread the Gospel in their everyday lives,” said André Escaleira Jr., a first-year missionary for Christ in the City. Escaleira is one of these young people.

One of the things that sets Christ in the City apart is that the missionaries live in community together. They develop strong relationships this way, with a life structured around prayer, fixated on Jesus and united in mission, purpose and identity. The missionaries are in the streets four times a week, “striving to form intentional, authentic relationships with those that we encounter,” Escaleira said. “These friendships take time to develop, because it takes time to build trust with our homeless friends on the street.” When the missionaries go out, they walk the same route each time to help foster the building of relationships. Their consistent presence helps show their dedication and love for those on the streets.

Escaleira said it is of the utmost importance to be “out there, putting our faith into action, being Christ’s hands and feet in the world.” It is so important, he said, that the Mass concludes with the charge for us to go forth and preach the Gospel.

Putting faith into action is a beautiful way to fully learn what it is they believe, he said. “It no longer becomes theoretical, but practical. As we hit the streets, we see incarnated the Lord’s love and mercy. We can’t help but realize that if we love our friends on the street as much as we do, how much more the Father must love them!”

As he walks his routes through the city searching for his friends on the street, Escaleira lives the parable of the lost sheep, leaving the 99 and going after the one, he said.

“Through our ministry, through our ‘getting out there,’ the Lord convicts us ever more in our own faith, calling us deeper.

“By going out and striving to live the Gospel in every area of our lives, we hope to lead others to Christ, who alone is the answer to every human longing,” Escaleira added. “Whether those others are our friends on the street or any of the numerous college students who come to serve with us throughout the year on mission trips, we strive to proclaim Christ to all those we meet, many of whom may not know him personally.”

It is about action, rather than merely an intellectual exercise. With the day anchored in prayer and the missionaries’ own relationships with God, everything they do throughout the day flows from that.

In addition to their work in the streets with their friends, as Escaleira calls them, Christ in the City also seeks to transform the larger culture.

“In this we hope to facilitate a conversion of hearts away from harmful, hurtful or judgmental preconceptions about those experiencing homelessness, and toward mercy, empathy and authentic Christian love,” he said. “This goal of transforming culture, along with missionary formation (forming young adults to be lifelong missionaries) and homeless outreach (knowing, loving and serving the poor), is an integral piece of Christ in the City’s mission.”

Vagabond Ministries

Vagabond Ministries was founded by Bob Lesnefsky more than 10 years ago. According to its website, its mission is to go after the lost, “not waiting for them to come to us.”

“Vagabond missionaries meet teens where they are, build relationships, mentor and introduce them to Jesus. Our world is broken, teens in poverty know this well.” Vagabond Ministries seeks to bring the joy and peace of the Gospel into the lives of these young people.

Based out of Steubenville, Ohio, Vagabond Ministries currently has five missions around the country. In addition to its headquarters, they can be found in Pittsburgh; Wichita, Kansas; and Greenville, North Carolina.

Vagabond Ministries combines, in a way, traditional street evangelization with youth ministry, reaching out specifically to troubled youth in poor areas and bringing the Gospel to them.

Andy Lesnefsky, president, has worked full-time with the organization for two years, and served as a youth minister for 15 years prior.

“A friend of mine used to say that the mark of how healthy youth ministry is in the city isn’t necessarily the number of kids you’re reaching, but if you’re reaching the kids who are furthest out, on the fringes,” Lesnefsky said. “That’s kind of become our anthem.”

Everyone at Vagabond Ministries is involved hands-on in the missionary work. Even the executive team is out there with the kids doing hands-on ministry.

This is important, according to Lesnefsky, because there isn’t really anyone who is there for these kids.

“We know that there are so many kids and neighborhoods and families that, unless we go out there, they’ll never hear the Gospel,” he said.

Lesnefsky tells a story about a young person from one of their outreach nights who walked into a church and, looking up at the illuminated cross, asked the missionaries, “Who is that?”

“He had never seen a crucifix in his life,” Lesnefsky said. “So we got to share the story of the cross with him that night. … Too often we think people who don’t know anything about Jesus are a world away, but we forget that there are plenty of people right around the corner who have no idea about Jesus,” he added.

Tiana DeLorge is a missionary with Vagabond Ministries. As a student at Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2015, DeLorge encountered the ministry at a school fair. She thought working with inner-city teens sounded fun and challenging, so she started volunteering in the fall of 2016. “God made it very clear that it’s where he wanted me to be,” she said. She soon became a part-time employee, and now works for Vagabond Ministries full time.

Every day is different, but typically DeLorge and Will, her missionary partner, do a range of things. The most important, DeLorge said, is directly spending time with teens.

There are two main programs throughout the week. One is an outreach night, with the goal of reaching those on the peripheries. This is “the kid that’s never heard of Jesus, that doesn’t have a relationship with him, the kid that’s in a gang or been to jail, that acts up in school, that kid that most people ignore or want to write off — we want them,” DeLorge said. “We want them to come to outreach night, to have their best night of the whole week where they can hang out, have fun and just be a kid — where they can be seen, known and loved by us and our core team, and then we want to share just the most basic Gospel message with them.”

Another night each week involves a deeper dive into the Faith and the message of the Gospel. This is for teens who have been coming to Vagabond Ministries for some time; they know who Jesus is, but they want to get to know him more. The nights kick off with some praise and worship, followed by a talk or meditation focusing on a Scripture passage. After this, they split up into small discussion groups. This allows for more of an engagement with the Faith for those who are ready for it.

Additionally, Vagabond Ministries runs what they call Jesus Class, which is their Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults program for teens who will be coming into the Church. They meet one day a week after school. This year, DeLorge and her cohorts are preparing three teens to be received into the Church. Part of this preparation involves Mass and brunch every Sunday, along with other teens.

“We want to be a light in the darkness and a beacon of hope in the inner city,” DeLorge said. “We firmly believe in transforming cities, one kid at a time, and we want them to know that this cycle of hopelessness that is often present in the inner city can be broken. There is always hope for them and their lives and their communities, and that hope is found firmly in Jesus Christ.”

According to DeLorge, the large majority of the teens they work with are not Catholic and don’t really know anything about the Catholic Church. In many cases, they do not even know who Jesus is, and they may not have any religious background at all.

“Through our ministry,” she said, “our hope is that each teen can come to know Christ, to know who he is, how much he loves them and how he has a great, big, beautiful plan for their life.”

Quoting St. Teresa of Calcutta, DeLorge said she is “just hoping to be ‘a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.’”

St. Paul Evangelization

“We are called to evangelize,” said Steve Dawson, founder and president of St. Paul Street Evangelization. This organization is now all over the world, with speakers and apologists seemingly everywhere answering questions, handing out medals and rosaries and prayer cards, and spreading the truth of the Gospel.

Though many people do not associate the Catholic Church with street evangelization, it was “only in the last couple hundred years or so that Catholics have forgotten how to do public evangelization,” Dawson said.

He points out that John the Baptist essentially was a street evangelist, as were the prophets of the Old Testament in many cases. Jesus preached in public constantly, including during the Sermon on the Mount. On Pentecost, the apostles went into the streets to proclaim Christ crucified and risen.
“All throughout Church history it has been a part of our tradition,” he said.

When Dawson was living in Portland, Oregon, before starting St. Paul Street Evangelization, he would ask his friends when they had last seen Catholics out evangelizing. They would invariably say that they had never seen such a thing. He knew something had to be done.

The street teams of St. Paul Street Evangelization are dedicated to responding to the mandate of Jesus to preach the Gospel to all nations by taking the Catholic faith to the streets.

“We do this in a nonconfrontational way, allowing the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts of those who witness our public Catholic presence,” the website states. “St. Paul Street Evangelization provides an avenue for you to share the Person of Jesus Christ and the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith with a hungry culture. … In order to build a civilization of love, we must first create a culture of evangelization.”

They do not see themselves as an apologetics ministry, defending the Faith from attacks. Rather, “We build bridges of trust with our communities and help people encounter Jesus Christ and his Church through listening, friendship, prayer and proclamation,” the website states.

There are more than 300 St. Paul teams across the United States and the world. Canada, Honduras, Mexico, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom all host teams from St. Paul Street Evangelization.

The teams provide rosaries and strike up conversations with passersby. Street evangelization is about offering a listening ear, sharing in a conversation about Jesus Christ and praying with those who so choose.

The idea of going out into public to preach the Gospel seems like a suicide mission for many. But, Dawson said, “it’s easier than you would expect.

“You don’t have to be a perfect evangelist or a super apologist or anything like that to be successful at street evangelization,” he said.

Furthermore, it is critically important that Catholics go out and preach the Gospel. “The reason Jesus commands us to preach the Gospel is for the salvation of souls,” Dawson said.

He draws the analogy of a scientist who discovers a cure for cancer but doesn’t share it with anybody.

“We would think he is either a wicked man, or he doesn’t know what he’s got,” Dawson said. “The Gospel is the cure for eternal death, it is infinitely of more value. So if we who have the fullness of truth and the fullness of the Gospel choose to keep it to ourselves and not share it with the world, there’s some sort of problem there.

“Our world is in trouble, our world is dying,” he said. “How are we going to save it if we don’t go outside the church walls?”

By Paul Senz  |  OSV Newsweekly

FAIRFIELD—(The following is the message that Dr. Eleanor Sauers read to the congregation of St. Anthony of Padua in Fairfield on Sunday, February 17, when Dr. Sauers was installed as Parish Life Coordinator of St. Anthony of Padua Parish by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano.)

Bishop Caggiano, the parish of St. Anthony will be forever grateful to you for your faith in our community. We are so blessed by your presence here today.

Thank you all for being here today to celebrate with our parish.  Many thanks to the members of the Jesuit Community, our partners in this venture, the other members of the clergy who are with us today, Betsy Browne representing the Town of Fairfield, my friends, many of whom have traveled great distances, and my family…my daughters Colleen and Megan, their spouses Bill and Dave, my grandchildren Liam, Caelan and Dylan, and most especially my husband Bob…you are the wind beneath my wings.

I stand before you today, humbled and honored to be in this new position of Parish Life Coordinator of the wonderful community of St. Anthony of Padua Parish. The journey to this day has been a circuitous one, led I believe by the Holy Spirit and Fr. John, and paved with so many experiences that seemed unconnected at first glance but in retrospect were threads woven into the tapestry of my life and the life of this parish.  Seventeen years ago this week, I came to this parish to help my friend Fr. John Baran as he began his tenure here.  Neither of us could have predicted how the parish and our lives would unfold from that point, but what we both knew was that the people perish without a vision, and that they would be looking to him, and eventually to our parish team, for that leadership and direction.  It is in that vision that our parish team, Frank Macari, Beth Paris and I, are firmly rooted, aided capably by those with whom we work most closely.

We chose the icon of the Trinity by Andre Rublev as the root metaphor for the parish, imagining a place that would reflect the qualities modeled in that icon, the qualities of respect, equality, mutuality, listing attentively to God, to one another and to ourselves.  We sought to create an environment where all would be welcome, where people would be treated as adults, with dignity, and respect for their individual spiritual journeys. Through well-planned liturgies (complete with beautiful music) meaningful preaching, educational, service and social opportunities, we tried to provide hospitable spaces where people might be encouraged to develop and grow into the whole, and holy, persons God created them to be, people who could find meaning in their lives and contribute to the healing of the world.

It is this Christ-centered legacy that continues today in this parish, and to which I remain committed.  The community that is St. Anthony’s Parish is rooted in the mission and ministry of Jesus as outlined in the Gospel.  Coretta Scott King said that “the greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”  I can vouch for the compassion of this parish, toward one another and toward the greater community and the world.

In the time since my appointment was announced, back in December, I have been overwhelmed by the offers of help I have received.  The energy and excitement about being the first parish of its kind in this diocese is palpable, and has generated a great outpouring of offers to help in whatever way possible to contribute to the flourishing of the community.  This is no surprise as this parish is noted for the enthusiastic involvement of its parishioners in whatever endeavor we undertake.

When thinking of the parish as a whole, the question becomes, as Vincent Harding has posited, how do we work together and talk together in ways that will open up our best capacities and our best gifts, in the service of God and one another.  In this matter, it is the icon of the Trinity that provides a roadmap for how to proceed.  The icon invites us to model our human living on the relationships depicted within it.  The attentive listening and deference shown among the three figures evokes a sense of collaboration and collegiality.  The difference in their dress shows the diversity among them, yet the bond of love that keeps them in the circle together unites them.  They are not threatened by their differences,  but made stronger and healthier by embracing them.  It would seem that a parish based on this model might foster the growth and potential of each individual and the community.

St. Anthony Parish is unique in many ways, and that uniqueness has brought us to this point in history.  We have been forged together as a community through times of rejoicing and sadness, through baptisms and funerals, through picnics and soup suppers, and have emerged to be who we are today…a community of people who are journeying together toward the Lord, bound up in our love of the Lord and of this parish, nourished by Word and Sacrament, active and conscious participants in our liturgies and in our world, and determined to become the people we were created to be, harbingers of hope to a world in need, and playing our part in the unfolding of the reign of God.

Today is a celebration of who you are, who we are together.  May we continue to hear the Good News together, to live the Good News together and become the Good News to others, together.

On behalf of the parish I would like to thank all those who made this day possible, certainly my team of Frank and Beth, Joe Milone, the many friends who have come to help, Fr. Michael Boccaccio, Fr. Michael Callaghan, and our Jesuit partners who have helped keep this parish moving forward. Thank you to all who helped organize the events today.  We thank the choir, the instrumentalists, and our special guest Dan Schutte for the beautiful music.  May we go forward together, rooted in our past, but moving toward our future with faith, hope and love.

Thank you!

Click here for a full account of Dr. Eleanor Sauers’ installation. 

DANBURY—For over 50 years, Catholic Charities of Fairfield County (CCFC) has provided affordable and accessible mental health services to individuals and families from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The program, called Behavioral Health Services, is one of the only providers of subsidized mental health services in the region.

Since Behavioral Health Services keeps two medical physicians on staff, the program is able to run a medication management group. Therefore, any clients who are prescribed medication by one of the doctors must attend monthly meetings so that a clinician can monitor them and make sure they are taking the medication properly. Having both clinicians and physicians on the staff is impactful for the clients because it provides full circle care.

Another large sector of Behavioral Health Services is individual therapy for adults. Two major areas are treating women who are victims of violence and helping parolees reintegrate into society. The program has a strong nexus with the Women’s Center of Danbury, an organization that seeks to end violence against women and children. The Women’s Center refers females who are in abusive relationships to CCFC’s Behavioral Health Services for treatment. In terms of parolees, the state requires that they attend regular treatment sessions when they are released from prison, which Behavioral Health Services provides.

The program also treats adults with anxiety or depression. This was the case with Brian, who is currently a 24-year-old aspiring medical student. When he was in high school, Brian was bullied and physically abused as well as threatened with a gun by an employer. After being referred to Behavioral Health Services, Brian has been a client for more than three years. His clinician, Jennifer McNamara, is helping him work through the anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression he struggles with due to his childhood experiences. McNamara has been impressed with Brian’s commitment to his health saying, “Brian is an enthusiastic participant and will work hard for his recovery.”

Every year, CCFC’s Behavioral Health Services provides about 15,000 counseling sessions to children and adults. But since about 90 percent of the clients are Medicaid or Medicare recipients, it is always difficult to cover the costs.

Brian, for one, could not be more grateful that Behavioral Health Services exists. “Through my treatment, I have learned so much about myself and what I can do with my life,” he explained. “If you need help, you should come to Behavioral Health Services. It has been one of the best experiences of my life.”

(Behavioral Health Services is accredited by the Council on Accreditation and licensed by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Department of Children and Families. To learn more about this program, contact Richard Madwid at rmadwid@ccfc-ct.org or 203.743.4412, ext. 226.)

FAIRFIELD—The fifth-grade of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School visited the television studio at Sacred Heart University’s Communications Center to broadcast their own news show. Fifth-grade teachers, Colleen Fallon and Paul Piorek, collaborated to create this exciting program for the students, incorporating several elements from the fifth-grade curriculum, such as public speaking, persuasive writing and debate, interviewing and storytelling, script writing and graphic design, research and analysis.

The 20-minute show included a news segment, sportscast, weather report, live interview segment and televised debate. Students performed all aspects of making the show—selecting the segments and writing scripts, designing graphics, running rehearsals, anchoring the news desk, conducting live interviews, presenting debate topics, assisting with camera operation and floor management.

The news segment reported on school events: the fifth-grade recent penny challenge coup, upcoming middle school performance of Shrek the musical and events from Catholic School Week. They prepared a sportscast, reporting on St. Thomas’ basketball tournament victory and a feature on the golf team. The weather anchor presented a summary analysis of this winter’s weather, with a prognostication for the upcoming spring.  Students conducted live interviews with school librarian, Adrienne Wilson and kindergarten teacher, Valerie Ford. They ran two televised debates: Is it time to stop buying bottled water? And, should zoos be outlawed?

School Principal Jo Mathieson commented, “The faculty at St. Thomas continue to amaze with their creative approaches to presenting curriculum and bringing passion to all subjects. Our students impress us by their maturity, enthusiasm, and willingness to make the most of experiences like this. We are very proud.”

The segment was featured on News 12 CT on Valentine’s Day.

About Mrs. Fallon

Colleen Fallon has elementary education certification from WCSU and a BA in US History and Secondary Education from Clark University. Her approach to education is fun, faith-filled and creative, bringing her infectious enthusiasm to social studies and language arts. He believes in giving back to the community such as volunteering to teach CCD, working at a soup kitchen, preparing couples for marriage through the Diocese of Bridgeport’s pre-Cana program; and taking mission trips to support education initiatives throughout the world.

About Mr. Piorek

Paul Piorek is a distinguished alum and hall-of-famer from Housatonic Community Collee and a magna cum laude honors graduate from Southern Connecticut State University. No stranger to television, he was an Emmy award-winning meteorologist at News 12 Connecticut for 25-years, before coming to teach math, science and religion at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School. He loves sharing his passion for meteorology with his fifth-grade students.

About St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, Pre-K3-8, 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

Pictured: Eleanor Sauers (right) is congratulated by a parishioner during a reception following the Mass.

FAIRFIELD— In a joyous and solemn moment on a beautiful winter morning, Dr. Eleanor Sauers was installed as Parish Life Coordinator of St. Anthony of Padua Parish by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano.

The Celebration of Canonical Appointment followed the bishop’s homily in which he said that responding to the beatitudes as individuals and faith communities will move the Church forward during a time of crisis and challenge.

Parishioners filled the Church and stood in the aisle for the 11:30 am Mass concelebrated by Bishop Caggiano, diocesan priests who have served the parish, and members of the Fairfield University Jesuit Community who were also commissioned to provide Sacramental and Liturgical ministries.

Both Dr. Sauers and the Jesuit ministry team took the same oath to be faithful to the teaching of the Church on faith and morals and to submit to the leadership of the bishop and the Pope.

Though the Parish Life Coordinator role has been employed in other dioceses across the country, Dr. Sauers’ appointment marks the first time that it has been used in the Diocese of Bridgeport and she becomes the first laywoman to oversee the daily administration of a parish in the diocese.

The bishop said that Eleanor Sauers has lived her life in the spirit of the Beatitudes and in seeking personal holiness. “Working with Father John, you have served the people of St. Anthony well and will now “care for the life of the parish, day in and day out.”

In her remarks to the congregation, following her blessing by the bishop, Dr. Sauers mentioned that her installation follows almost 17 years to the day that she began working with the parish’s late pastor, Father John Baran, who passed away last March. She began working with Father John as director of religious education and pastoral Minister in 2002.

The bishop began his homily by noting it is a difficult time in the life of the Church with many people angry and disappointed.

Dr. Sauers is interviewed by News12 at the reception following Mass.

“Being faithful to the Lord has never been easy and now it has become more difficult,” he said referring to the abuse crisis and also to a society that has become more materialistic and polarized with little respect for human life.

“We are meant to be an alternative to a world that promises little and delivers even less,” he said, noting that current materialistic ideology reduces people to consumers and enslaves people with various addictions.

“As followers of Christ, we must see the world differently. Power is not found in money or status but in the exercise of love. The Gospel is the path forward, and the power of the Beatitudes gives us hope.”

The bishop said the challenge of a parish is “to become a real family of brothers and sisters who put Christ first and whose lives are intertwined” in faith, service and compassion. “All must share in collaboration and joyful witness.”

He said that “the Church will be reborn, renewed, transformed and purified” when its leaders and faith communities live in the mind of Christ and the spirit of the Beatitudes.

Dr. Sauers said that when she first started working with Father Baran, she never had any idea her life would unfold in the way it has and she thanked the bishop for having faith in her and the parish.

“I stand before you humbled and honored,” she said. “I will be forever grateful for the faith you have placed in this community.”

She said she has been overwhelmed by the goodwill and offers of help she has received since the bishop announced her appointment.

Photos by Amy Mortensen

Recalling the leadership of Father Baran and his commitment to creating a welcoming parish community, Dr. Sauers said that Father Baran understood that “people without a vision perish.” She said her leadership model is based on respect, mutuality, collaboration and listening.

“In the Christ-centered journey we are taking together, we will encourage people to grow into whole and holy persons,” she said. Her reflection was greeted by a standing ovation.

The soaring music for the service was provided by Frank Macari, director of music and the St. Anthony Choir along with composer and musician Dan Schutte. The bishop and others processed in to “All are Welcome” with “City of God” sung as the closing hymn.

Dr. Sauers has a master’s degree and Ph.D. in religious education from Fordham University and a bachelor’s degree in history from Emmanuel College. While at Fordham, she was named to the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She is an adjunct professor at Fairfield University, where she teaches a course in Christian spirituality and is a board member of the Center for Catholic Studies.

In her new role, Dr. Sauers will have the decision-making authority for the parish and be responsible to Bishop Caggiano. She will work with the Parish Council and the community to develop a pastoral vision and mission, in addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations and administration of the parish, including its financial management and strategic planning. She will also be responsible for recruitment, training and management of employees and volunteers and work with the Jesuit sacramental ministry team that will serve the parish.

(St. Anthony of Padua is located on 149 South Pine Creek Road in Fairfield. For further information visit the website at: https://stanthonyffld.org.)

Click here for Dr. Sauers’ address to the St. Anthony congregation.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Vatican’s removal from the priesthood of Theodore E. McCarrick “is a clear signal that abuse will not be tolerated,” said the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Feb. 16.

“No bishop, no matter how influential, is above the law of the church,” said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston. “For all those McCarrick abused, I pray this judgment will be one small step, among many, toward healing.”

“For us bishops, it strengthens our resolve to hold ourselves accountable to the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” the cardinal said. “I am grateful to Pope Francis for the determined way he has led the church’s response.”

Cardinal DiNardo’s statement followed the Vatican’s early morning announcement that Pope Francis has confirmed the removal from the priesthood of McCarrick, the 88-year-old former cardinal and archbishop of Washington.

The Vatican said he was found guilty of “solicitation in the sacrament of confession and sins against the Sixth Commandment with minors and with adults, with the aggravating factor of the abuse of power.”

A panel of the Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith found him guilty Jan. 11, the Vatican said. McCarrick appealed the decision, but the appeal was rejected Feb. 13 by the congregation itself. McCarrick was informed of the decision Feb. 15 and Pope Francis “recognized the definitive nature of this decision made in accord with law,” making a further appeal impossible.

By ordering McCarrick’s “dismissal from the clerical state,” the decision means that McCarrick loses all rights and duties associated with being a priest, cannot present himself as a priest and is forbidden to celebrate the sacraments, except to grant absolution for sins to a person in imminent danger of death.

The Vatican decision comes after months of mounting accusations that he abused children and seminarians decades ago. The accusations surrounding the former cardinal have prompted many to ask USCCB leaders and the heads of the archdioceses and dioceses he has served how he could have risen up the ranks of the church to become a cardinal.

Ordained a priest of the New York Archdiocese, he was the founding bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey, then served as archbishop of Newark, New Jersey. His last assignment was as archbishop of Washington. During his tenure there, he was named a cardinal.

McCarrick’s punishment is the toughest meted out to a cardinal by the Vatican in modern times.

Last July, Pope Francis accepted his resignation from the College of Cardinals, after U.S. newspapers reported detailed accounts that he exposed himself and sexually molested two boys in his early years as a priest — accusations that spanned almost five decades and were too old to legally prosecute.

In a June 20 statement, he said he had “absolutely no recollection” of the abuse “and (I) believe in my innocence” but said he was stepping down out of obedience. In December he went to live at a friary in Kansas to await the outcome of the Vatican’s decision on his status.

By Catholic News Service

FAIRFIELD—Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Fairfield will be presenting a teaching and exposition of Sacred Relics on Sunday March 3 at 2:30 pm, followed by a display in the parish hall until 5:30 pm.

Father Carlos Martins of the Companions of the Cross will be in attendance with a very special Vatican collection of over 150 relics, some as old as 2,000 years.

“We are very grateful to Father Carlos Martins for the opportunity to host this amazing Relic display,” said Father Cipriani, pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption.

Among the treasures will be relics of St. Maria Goretti, St. Therese of Lisieux (the “Little Flower”), St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Faustina Kowalska.

A portion of the veil of Our Lady will also be present, as well as one of the largest remaining pieces of the True Cross in the world. Those in attendance will be able to examine and venerate each relic.

In the Church’s history many miracles and healings have been worked in the presence of relics and many have been healed through this ministry. Those in attendance are encouraged to bring articles of devotion (such as rosaries, holy cards, etc.) and pictures of ill friends/family members which they will be able to touch to the reliquaries as a means of intercession.

“More than just seeing Relics, this is a deeply spiritual experience and often involves healings of many kinds. Prior to the Relic viewing, in Father Carlos’ words, he will not simply discuss the relevance and meaning of Relics, but he will preach the word regarding the significance of Relics and their impact upon our faith and spiritual and even physical well-being,” said Father Cipriani.

(For more information, see the full event on our website calendar at: www.dobcalendar.bridgeportdiocese.org.)

WASHINGTON—President of U.S. Bishops’ and Chairman of Bishop’s Committee on Migration Respond to President’s Order to Fund Construction of Border Wall

Today President Trump announced that he will issue an order stating his intention to make use of funds previously appropriated for other purposes to fund the construction of a border wall at the U.S./Mexico border that Congress has refused to fund. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, issued the following joint statement:

“We are deeply concerned about the President’s action to fund the construction of a wall along the U.S./Mexico border, which circumvents the clear intent of Congress to limit funding of a wall. We oppose the use of these funds to further the construction of the wall. The wall first and foremost is a symbol of division and animosity between two friendly countries. We remain steadfast and resolute in the vision articulated by Pope Francis that at this time we need to be building bridges and not walls.”

Click here to view the statement: usccb.org

Meetings

 To date, more than 1,100 people have attended the face-to-face workshops in more than a dozen parishes. There are 40 more meetings scheduled. If you have not scheduled a face-to-face session at your parish and would like to do so, please contact Patrick Donovan (pdonovan@diobpt.org) as soon as possible.

Formation for High School Students

 We are in the final stages of preparing the formation for those who serve as liturgical ministers and are not yet 18. This information will be sent to all liturgical ministry coordinators and campus ministers in the coming week. In most cases, this formation will supplement the good work already being offered to our students.

Homebound and Hospital Ministry

We have created a partnership with Liturgical Training Publications to offer The Catholic Handbook for Visiting the Sick and Homebound 2019 to all EMHCs who request one. This portable, annual resource has been updated to include all the official rites a lay minister will need from the Book of Blessings and Pastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing and Viaticum to bring Holy Communion to, as well as to pray and share the Gospel with, those who cannot regularly worship with their parish community.

A request will be sent to all parish liturgical coordinators this week to gauge interest.

Offline Learning

Paper workbooks will be sent this week to all those who request to offline formation. Please continue to distribute the paper application to those who request it. These forms can be found online (see below).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

All frequently asked questions are now updated in English and Spanish and are available online. We have also updated resources for liturgical ministers.

Mandates

Mandates will be issued for all those who have completed:

1. Registration in LEAD, the online learning portal, or submit paper application
2. Online module required for specific ministries
3. Face-to-face session sponsored by The Leadership Institute

The mandates will be issued on June 1, 2019, rather than as work is completed. All pastors and liturgical ministry coordinators will receive a list of those who receive the mandate to serve. After the initial mandates are issued, secondary mandates can be requested.

Website

 All information regarding liturgical norms, forms, resources, frequently asked questions, and the like can be found at https://formationreimagined.org/liturgical-norms/.

Those who have not yet received an invitation but are up to date in Virtus and are regularly scheduled in the parishes, can self-register on that page as well.

(If you have any questions or would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact me at pdonovan@diobpt.org or 203.416.1657.)

GREENWICH—The leaders of two Catholic churches in Greenwich, St. Catherine of Siena and St. Agnes, are discussing the possibility of becoming one parish with the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Neither of the churches nor the diocese know what the new arrangement would look like yet, but the much-smaller St. Agnes would remain open and continue to operate under the plan.

The details of coming together will be made by a committee, made up of parishioners of both St. Agnes, which serves 200 families, and St. Catherine of Siena, which has about 2,200 families.

“The current status is simply the discernment of the mutual needs of two Catholic parishes that are in close proximity,” said the Rev. William Platt, who was installed as the eighth pastor of St. Catherine on Feb. 3 after the retirement of Monsignor Alan Detscher.

The last reconfigurations in the Diocese of Bridgeport occurred in 2011, when some churches in Bridgeport merged. The diocese has over 400,000 members in 82 parishes across Fairfield County.

But in 2015, as the result of a diocese-wide synod, mergers became part of the diocese’s long-term plan for keeping parishes active, said Patrick Turner, director of strategic planning for the diocese.

“My goal is to help parishes be as vibrant and sustainable as possible,” said Turner, who is overseeing the merger.

The most recent — and controversial — merger in Connecticut occurred in the Archdiocese of Hartford in 2017. Then, the archdiocese revealed an ongoing plan to reduce the 212 parishes in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties to 127 by combining churches and closing others.

For the proposed merger in Greenwich, Bishop Frank Caggiano issues a directive that the plan for the two churches will come from parishioners, Turner said.

“Yes, we look at what other dioceses are doing, their best practices, the road bumps they encountered, but for us here, (Caggiano) has made it clear that we will be going slow and with lots of consultations with the parish community,” Turner said.

“This is about creating a road map for the future of the parishes, a long-term vision for vibrancy and sustainability,” said Turner, who oversaw reconfigurations of parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Currently, St. Agnes celebrates only five Masses a week, including two on Sundays. The much-larger St. Catherine celebrates 16 Masses a week, including four on Sundays, in addition to hosting many parish activities such as gymnastics, lectures, Bible study and plays and performances from the St. Catherine’s Players.

The move would save the parish money, but the diocese has “no way of being able to say” whether the restructuring would save diocesan money, Turner said.

Parishes do not receive funds from the diocese, but they can request financial support in the form of human resource consultants, real estate agents or legal counsel.

Joining together would reverse the split that established St. Agnes in the first place. The church was founded in September 1963 from the parishes of St. Catherine’s and St. Mary’s, and the first Mass was celebrated one year later.

The committee will hold its first meeting in the beginning of March. One idea that has been talked about is a “mission model,” which would be similar to the set up between St. Michael the Archangel Church and its mission, St. Timothy Chapel, in Greenwich.

The Rev. Richard Murphy, associate pastor of St. Michael’s, said the arrangement is like having one parish with two locations. Some identify with one church or the other, while others cross over for convenience.

“It provides for (St. Timothy parishioners) a convenient way of practicing faith, and staying connected to roots,” Murphy said.

The change will be necessary because of fewer priests and smaller congregations, Murphy said.

Turner also believes mergers are a natural part of planning for the future of parishes, given the different issues dioceses are facing: declining number of clergy, financial constraints, fewer parishioners and less pastoral activity.

But the two problems are connected, Murphy said, since people consider the religious life if they are part of vibrant parishes — not ones with low church attendance.

“It gets harder to maintain distinct parishes with their own pastors and staff,” he said. “It’s hard to keep churches viable when they’re more than one-half empty.”

By Jo Kroeker | Greenwich Time

STAMFORD—The Diocese of Bridgeport has announced plans for the St. Edmund Campion Program of Discernment at St. John Fisher Seminary in Stamford.

The new program will accompany men, 18 and older, in encountering Christ and in discerning whether they have a calling to enter full-time seminary formation.

“The strength and appeal of the program is its flexibility in meeting a Catholic man wherever he may be in his journey to and with the Lord,” said Bishop Frank J. Caggiano. “The time in the residence program will give men who are drawn to a vocation the opportunity to deepening of the spiritual life and growth in self-knowledge, while they discern the question, ‘What does Jesus Christ ask of me?”

The men in the discernment program will reside on the first floor of St. John Fisher Seminary, where they will have a separate lounge to socialize. College seminarians and pre-theologians will live on the second floor. Each participant will have a house job to help maintain the common spaces of the program residence.

Father Paul Check, rector of St. John Fisher, said that for the men in the resident program, this discernment takes place within a community built upon fraternal charity, prayer and the sacraments.

“Two indispensable aids will be the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the man’s home and life, and the community of like-minded men,” said Father Check.

Father Check said that to enter, the candidate need not quit his job or change whatever educational degree he is currently pursuing. The program will have two divisions, resident and nonresident.

He said that although the men in the new resident program will live among the seminarians at St. John Fisher, they will not be considered seminarians, nor will they have entered a formal program of philosophy studies or regular formation for priesthood.

“Joining the house of discernment requires a different level of commitment than entering pre-theology or college seminary. Therefore, this option may be attractive to some men who require more assurance before setting aside a career, changing a course of studies, or selling a residence. Nevertheless, all resident program participants will either work full-time or be full-time college or university students,” said Father Check.

Candidates will be screened by the vocations advisory board. Those accepted will receive an orientation by the program director. The men will also be called on to live a celibate life.

The program commitment calls for daily Mass, preferably at St. John Fisher; personal prayer for 30 minutes daily, preferably before the Blessed Sacrament and one decade of the Rosary.

If a man’s schedule allows, he will join the seminarians for communal prayer and dinner at St. John Fisher on Monday through Thursday, or whenever possible. The men will also be asked to observe a house curfew, as well as the seminary technology and media policy.

The men will have a monthly individual meeting with the program director, participate in spiritual direction and regular confession. They will also engage in apostolic or charitable work, as approved by director.

(For more information contact: Rev. Paul N. Check, rector at: St. John Fisher Seminary, 894 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, 06905. By phone at: 203.322.5331, or email at: frcheck@diobpt.org.)