FAIRFIELD—The most wonderful time of the year is here and Fairfield University will add to the merriment with its annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Thursday, December 6 at 6:15 p.m. outside the Egan Chapel of St. Ignatius Loyola. The event is free and open to the public.
Historically a student event, the University is welcoming the greater Fairfield community to help spread the Stag cheer far and wide. In addition to the tree lighting, Lucas, Santa, and Mrs. Claus will be joining the fun for pictures, University singing groups, The Bensonians and Sweet Harmony, will perform their songs of the season, and hot chocolate and cookies will be available to warm spirits.
Bring your family and friends and join Fairfield’s mascot Lucas the Stag, Santa, and Mrs. Claus for the tree lighting festivities!
Additionally, the community is invited to attend Fairfield’s Men’s Basketball vs. Oakland game in Alumni Hall. The first 100 attendees will receive Santa hats. Tickets for the game are available at fairfieldstags.com.
Fairfield University is a modern, Jesuit Catholic university rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from the U.S. and across the globe are pursuing degrees in the University’s five schools. Fairfield embraces a liberal humanistic approach to education, encouraging critical thinking, cultivating free and open inquiry, and fostering ethical and religious values. The University is located on a stunning 200-acre campus on the scenic Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.
FAIRFIELD—Sacred Heart University will host a collaborative regional conference on the Catholic intellectual tradition for universities in April 2020 through a grant from the Lilly Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts.
The Lilly Fellows Program seeks to renew and enhance the connections between Christianity and the academic vocation at church-related colleges and universities. The program awarded the grant to SHU’s Department of Catholic Studies to host the conference.
The conference will take place at SHU April 16-18, 2020, in partnership with Seton Hall University of South Orange, N.J. “The Catholic Intellectual Tradition: Challenges and Opportunities for the Catholic University in the 21st Century” aims to explore how the Catholic intellectual tradition can inform all sectors of a university and provide an opportunity for Catholic university representatives to come together and determine how the Catholic intellectual tradition can be enacted and implemented on their campuses.
Catholic colleges and universities face challenges such as growing secularism and vocationalism among students, said Michelle Loris, associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and Catholic Studies Department chair. An increasing number of students identify as “nones” regarding religious affiliation. Confronted with these challenges and more, Catholic institutions are dealing with the question of how to maintain a robust and distinct Catholic identity to prepare students intellectually, spiritually, religiously and socially for the contemporary world. Colleges are trying to meet these challenges by affirming their institution’s engagement in the Catholic intellectual tradition, Loris said.
“When we developed the idea for this project, we were delighted to invite our colleagues at Seton Hall to join us because of their commitment to the Catholic intellectual tradition,” Loris said. “Because of SHU’s longtime commitment to engagement with the Catholic intellectual tradition, we believe the power of this tradition can transform Catholic higher education today, and we are eager to invite our colleagues—faculty, administrators and students—from regional
Catholic colleges and universities to participate in this conference. We can all join in conversation and share ideas and best practices about the ongoing development and transmission of the Catholic intellectual tradition throughout Catholic institutions of higher learning.”
The conference will include guest speakers, panel and roundtable discussions, workshops and prayer sessions. It is open to faculty, administrators, student-life personnel, students and campus teams who address the challenges and opportunities for integrating the Catholic intellectual tradition at their colleges or universities.
Loris said the conference organizers intend to initiate lively, dynamic and wide-ranging conversations that can begin with the conference and continue at home institutions.
Loris, Fr. Anthony Ciorra, June-Anne Greeley, Daniel Rober and Brent Little from SHU, and Nancy Enright and Fr. Richard Liddy from Seton Hall, will work on planning the conference.
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” andBest 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
BRIDGEPORT—Fifty-five years ago on a lazy Saturday afternoon, Debbie Moye’s neighbor started her on a journey that changed her life forever and led her down a new spiritual path.
As journeys go, it was a short one — a simple stroll down the streets of Bridgeport, from her home on Wheeler Avenue, down Main Street and up North Avenue … to St. Patrick’s Church.
But as a spiritual journey, it was a profound one that eventually led Debbie to the Catholic faith.
“I was only 12 and our neighbor asked me to go to church with her while she went to confession,” Debbie recalled. “I guess it was the Holy Spirit that touched my soul so deeply that afternoon. We walked into the lower level of St. Patrick’s, and there was a feeling that overwhelmed me — a feeling of peace. I can still remember the fragrance of the burning candles and the beautiful statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. I never forgot that experience. It always stayed in my heart.”
It was an entirely new experience for Debbie, who regularly attended services with her godmother at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Sunday, while on Saturday she went with her grandmother to the Seventh Day Adventist church, where she sang in the choir.
“It was the first time I had ever been in a Catholic Church,” she said, “And I realize now that God was leading me there.”
Forty years later, she entered into full communion with the Catholic Church at St. Theresa’s in Trumbull, and she believes that every step of the way God was directing her.
Debbie was born in Bridgeport in 1952. She attended Shelton School and Central High School, where she was a cheerleader and named the best female athlete in her class.
After graduating, she enrolled in an institute to learn hair dressing and began her first career as a beautician, working at Lane’s Hair Stylists at the Trumbull mall for four years. She had always wanted to become a nurse, but shortly after she began studies at Housatonic Community College, her father was diagnosed with lung cancer in the autumn of 1983, so she dropped out to help care for him until he died a year later.
From 1981 to 1995, she worked at Bridgeport Hospital as an escort and would transport patients around the hospital. In December 1990, she was voted employee of the month in recognition of the compassionate care she showed the patients, especially seniors. Although she never went into nursing, she believes her job let her show care and love to many people when they were the most vulnerable.
She, her sister and two brothers grew up on the lower north end of Bridgeport. She was baptized in St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Bridgeport and was raised in a faith-filled family. Her maternal grandmother was a devout Seventh Day Adventist who made sure her grandchildren went to church regularly. Her maternal grandfather was Catholic, but he didn’t attend Mass.
“I was surrounded by faith,” she says. Her mother was a Seventh Day Adventist and her father was a Methodist.
“When I was born, my mom decided her friends would be great godparents, and they were,” Debbie said. “My godmother Maud was a gorgeous holy woman who always took us to church.”
In 1985, Debbie met Leroy Moye, who was a Catholic and worked at Action for Bridgeport Community Development Inc. A year later, they got married and shortly after she became pregnant and gave birth to her son Ian.
When it came time for Ian to enter kindergarten, she wanted to enroll him at St. Theresa School in Trumbull, and the late Monsignor Louis DeProfio advised them to baptize him in the Catholic faith.
“I realized it was also time for me to enter this beautiful Church which Christ started,” she said. On April 19, 2003, she received the Eucharist and Confirmation and became a Catholic.
“It was my birthday,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. Talk about God’s Providence.”
She is enormously grateful for the people she met at St. Theresa’s who led her forward in her faith.
“I was so enamored by everyone at St. Theresa’s,” she said. “My brothers and sisters at that parish are phenomenal. The dedication and the love they have for Christ is just amazing, along with their generosity. My life has never been the same. They were role models for me, and I love them all.”
Their son Ian graduated from St. Theresa’s and went to Notre Dame High School, where he was president of the Student Council and captain of the track team. He got a degree in motor sports management from Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina and lives in Charlotte and has a job doing public relations for a NASCAR race team.
“We all grew up in the racing world,” Debbie said. “Ian’s grandfather was a mechanic and drag racer.”
Today Debbie is eager to share her faith with others, and since 2015 she has been active in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. “RCIA is one of the most incredible ministries the Church has because you get to see men and women follow their journey of faith into the Church,” she says.
She and others share their stories about what brought them to the Catholic Church.
“There are no words to describe it,” she says. “It is just pure joy.”
Eventually, all her siblings, except one brother, converted to Catholicism.
Her spiritual life is one of daily prayer and regular attendance at Mass, and even though her role as caregiver prevents her from going to daily Mass, she watches it every day on EWTN and prays the Rosary.
“If you came to my apartment, you would think you were in a religious store because it’s filled with statues and candles,” she said. Every day when she goes to the mailbox, she receives Mass cards from different religious orders, and one of her joys is having Masses offered for other people and praying for them when they have a birthday or are sick.
Her greatest joy as a Catholic is the Eucharist and the realization that she is receiving Christ — Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
“There is no other gift that can compare,” she says. “The Eucharist brings us salvation; it brings us closer to Him. At the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, when the priest consecrates the host, I believe angels and saints are with us, all around the altar. It’s such a wonderful joy that it brings me to my knees.”
By Joe Pisani
NORWALK—Norwalk’s Knights of Columbus St. Matthew Council 14360 has many traditions but helping veterans and children in need is at the top of the list.
The council began the Holiday on Thanksgiving Eve by leading the Rosary during the 24 hours of adoration then they celebrated Mass on Thanksgiving Day at the Parish in full regalia as well as members of the council who also were in the procession along with other ministries and organization of the parish. The Council as well as the Catholic Daughters of the America’s St. Matthew Court 2640 provided and delivered a full Thanksgiving meal for the residents of Homes for the Brave for the 6th consecutive year. In addition, Grand Knight Scott Criscuolo, Past Grand Knight George Ribellino helped serve the meal along with George’s wife Heather and daughter Mia. “Our men and women both loved the food and we could not be more appreciative. What a blessing St. Matthew Council #14360 and Catholic Daughters Court 2640 have been to us. Your Thanksgiving visit and the meal you delivered was a wonderful blessing,” said Homes for the Brave CEO/Executive Director, Vince Santilli.
The day after Thanksgiving has become known as “Black Friday”, with many shoppers rushing about in search of the best deals on everything from clothing to televisions. This Black Friday for the fourth consecutive year, some members of Knights of Columbus Council 14360 spent part of their day helping those with limited funds to stay warm and happy this winter along with Brother Knights from Norwalk Council 46 and New Canaan Council 2287 and Westport Assumption Council 3688. In addition, K of C Bishop Fenwick 4th Assembly 100 joined forces to supply coats.
Brothers handed out coats for children in need at St. Joseph Church in South Norwalk as part of the Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids initiative. The coats were purchased by the four K of C Councils and 4th Degree Assembly with money generated from the council’s respective fundraising activities.
The Knights of Columbus launched the coats initiative (designed to keep kids warm in harsh winter climates) in 2009. With many families with young children struggling in tough economic times, there was a clear need to provide warm winter coats to children in their communities. And so, the Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids program was born.
Since the program’s inception, the Knights of Columbus in the United States and Canada has given around 500,000 coats to children in need. Last year over 5,000 coats were distributed in various areas in Connecticut. Approximately 2,000 local Knights of Columbus councils have participated in their communities around the world. “This is the fourth year that local Knights councils collaborated to give away coats. This year we gave over 150 coats. It is an honor to help children keep warm this winter,” said Council 14360 member and CT State Knights of Columbus District Deputy George Ribellino. In addition, 2 cases of coats were delivered to the Open Door Shelter in Norwalk.
The Council wrapped up the long weekend by helping deliver a donated freezer to Malta House in Norwalk and stringing the lights on the St. Matthew Church campus. “It’s great to see Knights and parishioners help decorate our beautiful parish grounds for the season of Advent,” said Council 14360 Grand Knight Scott Criscuolo.
The goals of the Knights of Columbus Council at Saint Matthew Church in Norwalk are to perform acts of charity. Providing those in need with a range of support from financial to tactical help in dealing with a wide variety of challenges. Council members work together to foster the founding principles of our order; Charity, Unity, Fraternity & Patriotism. Our goal as a council is to continue to identify specific needs in our community and muster support and help to alleviate these challenges and hardships to the best of our abilities and resources.
FAIRFIELD—Fairfield University’s Office of Alumni Relations and Student Alumni Association are once again hosting the Teddy Bears with Love Drive, and are accepting stuffed animal donations through Friday, December 7. Celebrating the program’s 20thyear, Fairfield University is inviting the community to make this year’s drive the most successful yet by donating a new, unused teddy bear or stuffed animal this holiday season.
Promoting philanthropy after Fairfield, the Office of Alumni Relations and Student Alumni Association founded Teddy Bears with Love in 1999 with the goal of providing children across the country with a “teddy bear hug” during the holiday season. Heading into its 20thyear, Teddy Bears with Love has collected nearly 21,000 new teddy bears and stuffed animals for children’s charities, thanks to the generosity of the Stag community. Alumni from across the country have helped in this effort, hosting regional chapter collection events and drives in their local schools and businesses, to ensure that as many children as possible received a plush embrace from a stuffed animal during the holiday season.
The Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Boston, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, and Hour Children in Manhattan are among charities across the country that have benefitted from the efforts of Fairfield’s Teddy Bears with Love Drive.
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) recognized the program with its Affiliated Student Advancement Programs’Award for 2008 Outstanding External Program, and the 2011 Outstanding “Tried & True” Program in CASE District 1. The program also received distinction with a 2014 Yale New Haven Hospital Auxiliary “Toy Closet Award” for consistent support of the Toy Closet Program.
“Teddy Bears with Love is an impactful program that brings joy to those in need during the holidays,” said 2018 Student Chair and Student Alumni Association Director of Community Service Kathryn Peters ’20. “I am excited and honored to be the chair for our 20th anniversary and hoping for great success. It is amazing to see Fairfield University students, alumni, and members of our community coming together to support this wonderful cause. It makes me very proud to be a Stag!”
To participate in the 2018 Teddy Bears with Love Drive, please donate a new, unused teddy bear or stuffed animal (all donations must have original tags) to a local Fairfield alumni chapter, or directly to the Office of Alumni Relations.
For more information including alumni chapter event details please visit fairfield.edu/teddybears.
Teddy bear drop off and mail in address:
Office of Alumni Relations
Fairfield University
1073 North Benson Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
STAMFORD—All was quiet in St. Leo’s Church Wednesday afternoon, except in the kitchen, as the clamor of meals being prepared and the smell of roasting turkey wafted out into the halls.
Four glistening, brown turkeys sat in tin foil pans, covered in a healthy layer of seasoning. Joe Romano, a member of the social concern committee of St. Leo’s, opened an industrial oven to a wall of steam, which gave way to reveal more cooking birds.
Romano is just one of many volunteers—mostly from the Roxbury Road parish—who team together each year to prepare a Thanksgiving meal for the Stamford-based soup kitchen New Covenant Center. The tradition spans over 40 years, serving food each Thanksgiving to hundreds of New Covenant visitors, not counting the leftovers served into the following days.
Like many of the other volunteers, Romano has been doing this work for years. He took over in 1999 after another volunteer was away for the holiday.
“I never cooked a turkey before,” he said. “I said ‘OK, I’m always up for a challenge.’ I learned a lot.”
Over the years, Romano, alongside his fellow churchgoers, has learned the ins and outs of making Thanksgiving dinner for 300, including how to quickly defrost a turkey, produce great mounds of mashed potatoes from scratch and remain calm when faced with the prospect of cooking over a dozen birds. His record is 18 turkeys cooked in a day.
Helping him in the process are dozens of other church volunteers including Joe Baranowski. A trustee of the church who works in commercial real estate, Baranowski worked as a butcher for 10 years at a shop in Queens. His specialty is carving turkeys.
“There’s a certain art to that,” he said. “It’s learning all the joints and cuts of meat.”
In addition to Baranowski, there’s the Girl Scouts who make pies. The Moms and Me group makes corn muffins. The youth groups team up on decorations for the center, with the younger ones creating them and the older group putting them up. One person is in charge of making 12 gallons of gravy.
Parishioners across the board donate and help make green beans, sweet and white potatoes, stuffing and more. And seven parishioners go to the soup kitchen on Thanksgiving Day to serve the meal—Romano said the slots to serve dinner are filled during the first mass of the day when signup time rolls around.
Overall, what have St. Leo’s volunteers learned about making a Thanksgiving dinner for hundreds? That it takes hundreds to make it happen.
“It’s all people pitching in,” Baranowski said. “It’s hundreds of dishes. We all take pride in serving the community on Thanksgiving Day. It’s a community effort.”
TRUMBULL—On November 27, St. Joseph High School will participate in #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities, and organizations to encourage philanthropy and celebrate generosity worldwide. #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support. Contributions to St Joes on #GivingTuesday can be given online at sjcadets.org/givingtuesday.
In the spirit of philanthropy, service, and generosity, St Joseph High School students have expanded #GivingTuesday into “Giving Week”. As they ask for others to give back, St Joes will be doing the same.
“This will be such a great week for our entire school,” remarked Michele Krasznai, Director of Advancement and Alumni Affairs. “We want our community to know that while we’re asking for contributions to our SJ Fund—which goes toward scholarships, innovative programs, and activities—we also practice what we preach. Service is a core piece of St Joe’s mission.”
Below is a list of activities our students, faculty/staff, and alumni will participate in:
In addition, on Friday, November 30, St Joseph High School senior, Katie McKeon, will unveil her new service project—a Prom Dress Swap—that the school feels will truly demonstrate the moral character, generosity, and spirit of our giving community.
About St Joseph High School
St Joseph High School (SJHS) strives to be the premier Catholic college preparatory school in Southern Connecticut. SJHS encourages young women and men to realize their potential, helps them excel in higher education, and provides a moral foundation to guide them throughout their lives. St Joseph High School is a member of NCEA, NAIS, NEAS&C, and CAIS. www.sjcadets.org
BRISTOL — More than 500 men, including a delegation from the Diocese of Bridgeport, recently attended the 11th annual Catholic Men’s Conference at St. Paul High School.
The conference, whose theme was “Go Into the Whole World,” featured the Rev. Bill Casey of the Congregation of the Fathers of Mercy, who is a frequent guest on EWTN.
“There must be a spiritual renewal that must begin with us,” he said to sustained applause. “Stand up, speak up and rise up to demand the reform of the clergy.”
“For the Church in this country, it is late in the game and there is no time to lose,” he said. “The Church is being defined by these scandals, and it could be for a generation to come.”
Echoing the words of Christ to St. Francis of Assisi during a similar period of turmoil in the 12th century, he told the men they must rebuild the Church.
Other speakers at the conference, which was held at St. Paul High School in Bristol, were Jason Calvi of EWTN News, Bob Kroll of With All Your Heart Apostolate, and Deacon Doug Hoffman of the Diocese of Norwich. Archbishop Leonard P. Blair held a question-and-answer session.
Father Casey said, “Church leaders must address the reality that more than 80 percent of these cases involve acts against post-pubescent boys, teenagers and young men, many of them seminarians … and something must be done about it.”
Calling for the defense of faithful priests, he said there are 45,000 active priests in the United States and 96 percent of them had no part in the abuse scandal. He also criticized the news coverage of the secular media for overlooking the efforts of faithful clergy. “Scandal sells, fidelity doesn’t sell,” he said. Father Casey told the men, “Pray for priests because the devil works triple overtime to destroy priests.”
He said times such as these produce the greatest saints. “We must never fail to be loyal sons to Holy Mother Church,” he said. “Heroic virtue is what it will take to turn things around in this time of turmoil in the Church.”
A great challenge facing the Church, he said, is that younger people have no idea of what it means to be Catholic. Because they lack knowledge of the basics of their faith, they are prey to misconceptions promoted by the media, cultural pagan influences, and non-believing professors.
“The vast majority of young Catholics who will lose the faith will lose it when they get to college, where they will be talked out of their faith by a veritable army of atheistic professors,” he said.
Steven Lee of Ridgefield, President and CEO of Veritas Catholic Network, said, “The conference left me renewed and reenergized to put my faith into action. It’s our responsibility by our baptism to go out into the vineyard, to reevangelize the world, and to heal, strengthen, and protect the Church.”
Thomas Hart of New Fairfield said the speakers, particularly the discussion about father wounds, led to self-reflection because it reminded him of his experiences with his father and the need for love and compassion. “Being the father of three boys and having coached many young men, my focus was always to insure that they developed a little better self-esteem.”
Regarding the sex abuse crisis in the Church, he said, “The stories are tragic and unthinkable, and we must address them and insure they never occur again.”
Art Maggiola said he went to confession for the first time in 40 years, which he described as “an exciting experience.” He said, “It’s always reassuring that other people have similar problems as expressed by the stories we heard, but if we stick together and fight this demon, I think we will come out stronger then ever.”
Otis Shelton and Don Mallozzi served as co-captains of St. Edward the Confessor’s Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference team and brought 20 men to the conference.
Shelton said the talk by Father Casey about the crisis in the Church was sobering. “Today’s sexual abuse scandal is serious,” he said. “And the clergy and laity need to respond to the call to action and address it. But we should always remember that the Catholic Church has faced serious challenges since its beginning and has survived them.”
Father James Sullivan, chaplain for the Men’s Conference, said: “In the spirit of Vatican II, there is a universal call to holiness, to evangelize, preach and spread the Gospel, not only for priests and religious, but everyone, no matter where they are in life — married, single, in offices, in sports, in factories, in fields. We need to redouble our efforts in this time of crisis and go out boldly proclaiming the Gospel because the power of evil is always at work to break down, divide and destroy.”
He said that priests he knows are intensifying their efforts; they are wearing their collars and they are walking proudly.
“We need to reach over the edge of the cliff to reclaim the lost sheep. It is not a time to retreat but advance and go further,” he said. “There is a wound in the Church and we have to understand people are hurting. We need to show the mercy and compassion of God, but we must do it in a spirit of joy because joy always attracts. During times like these, saints are made.”
Bob Kroll of the With All Your Heart Apostolate, discussed the impact fathers have on their children. The oldest of nine kids, he grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. His parents were heavy drinkers, and their family life was marred by physical, emotional and verbal abuse. The memories tormented him for much of his life until he found comfort through healing prayer and a personal relationship with Christ that led him to forgiveness.
“Father wounds have an enormous impact on our society with devastating effects everywhere,” he said. “The wounds that we receive from our fathers are the most intense and overwhelming wounds of all.”
The father of four sons, Kroll said that 43 percent of children in America live in homes without fathers; 63 percent of youth suicides occur in fatherless homes; 71 percent of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes as do 82 percent of children with behavioral disorders.
When a father hurts his son through neglect and abuse, it leads to bitterness and anger, he said. The deficiency or absence of love from a person’s earthly father leads to the “father wound.” And that absence can be the result of death, divorce, abuse, alcoholism or abandonment.
Jason Calvi, the Capitol Hill Correspondent for EWTN News, said the scandal caused by former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and the Attorney General’s report on sex abuse in Pennsylvania, were evidence of demonic activity.
“Right now we are seeing unprecedented demonic activity,” Calvi said. In his discussion with an exorcist in the Washington area, he was told “the Lord is draining the spiritual swamp.” In the past month, there have been 18 cases of possible demonic activity in that Archdiocese.
“We cannot go out into the world if we are not fully prepared,” Calvi told the men. To remain solid in their faith and resist the devil, Calvi called on them to follow Our Lady of Fatima’s directives — pray the rosary, fast, pray for sinners and observe the devotion of the Five First Saturdays, which includes confession, Communion, rosary and meditation. “That is a blueprint for holiness,” he said. “An arsenal for these dark times.”
Deacon Hoffman talked about his faith journey. A convert to Catholicism from the Methodist Church and a retired Groton police officer, he told the men they will be sustained in their efforts by the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It was what led him to the Catholic faith, along with the inspiration of his wife, Catherine.
He told the men, “We cannot go into the whole world without that Real Presence, and an understanding of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us and those before us and coming after us.”
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In a video message to young men and women around the world, Pope Francis called on them to provoke an uprising of change by serving others.
In helping those who are suffering, both young believers and nonbelievers can find “a strength that can change the world,” the pope said in a video message to youths for the upcoming World Youth Day in Panama.
“It is a revolution that can overturn the powerful forces at work in our world. It is the ‘revolution’ of service,” he said in the message released by the Vatican Nov. 21.
The theme for the World Youth Day celebrations, which will take place Jan. 22-27, is taken from the Gospel of St. Luke, “May it be done to me according to your word.”
In his message, the pope said those words uttered by Mary during the Annunciation are “the positive reply of one who understands the secret of vocation: to go beyond oneself and place oneself at the service of others.”
Life, he said, can only find meaning when serving God and others. Like Mary, young people must engage “in conversation with God with an attitude of listening” so that they may discover their calling either in marriage, consecrated life or the priesthood.
“The important thing is to discover what God wants from us and to be brave enough to say ‘yes,'” the pope said. “When God has a proposition for us, like the one he had for Mary, it is not intended to extinguish our dreams, but to ignite our aspirations.”
Pope Francis encouraged young people to say ‘yes’ to God’s calling, which is “the first step toward being happy and toward making many people happy.”
“Dear young people,” the pope said, “take courage, enter within yourselves and ask God: ‘What do you want from me?’ Allow God to answer you. Then you will see how your life is transformed and filled with joy.”
Thanksgiving is a time of year that finds us coming home to our families to celebrate our many blessings in life. It should also be a time when we think of families who are struggling financially, physically and spiritually.
This year more than ever, we must stand in solidarity with families whose hearts have been broken by loss. In particular, our hearts break over those who are suffering because of natural disasters in California and Florida and horrific tragedies in Pittsburgh and Parkland.
Our hearts break for parents who sit at a Thanksgiving table with empty seats because of the epidemic of gun violence that continues in our nation. They break for families on the border, with no table to sit at this Thanksgiving. They break for refugees fleeing war, famine, and genocide around the world. Our hearts break for the poor in our own county, for the homeless, for the unemployed, and for anyone who has suffered a loss. Our hearts break, too, for those who were sexually abused and those who have been forced to relive that trauma because of the failures and even sins of some in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
How do you heal a broken heart? It is a question that haunts me in the silent hours of the night at a time when we wrestle with daily reports of suffering that have become the staple of our news. It is a question that no disciple of the Lord can avoid asking, since it was to heal broken hearts that Jesus came among us.
This Thanksgiving we must ask ourselves how can we, as witnesses to such pervasive human suffering, avoid becoming callous or indifferent to the needs of those around us? As we give thanks to God for our blessings, we must also ask how can we use the blessings we have received for the benefit of others, particularly to bring healing and reconciliation in our families, communities and nation?
The great challenge before us, in a world marred by suffering and turmoil is to learn to stand with our brothers and sisters in need, side by side, one person at a time. Mother Teresa, who was no stranger to human deprivation and abject suffering, once said, “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”
We, as Catholics, believe Christ is the Divine Physician who can truly heal us with His love. God’s loving mercy, offered to every human heart, can enlighten our minds, comfort us in our doubts, give consolation in our suffering and forgive the burden of our sins. Unlocking the power of divine mercy can transform us into physicians who can heal the broken-hearted.
This process of healing begins by rejecting a world that wants us to see the poor as a problem to be solved, that views the marginalized as mere statistics, and that trivializes each human suffering as nothing more than a news headline that will pass with time.
Healing begins with advocating for those on the margins in a personal way, and seeking to reform the systems and culture that marginalize them. It means truly knowing, naming, and loving each and every person suffering in our midst, accompanying them as we hope they will accompany us in our time of need. It means standing for those who are vulnerable and working to create a culture of life in this flawed world.
As we gather around our Thanksgiving dinner tables with our families, friends and loved ones, let us remember the many blessings we have received. Let us not forget the hardships that we have endured both personally and as a nation. Most of all, let us work diligently and hopefully to heal the broken-hearted because it is in this work that we can celebrate our shared humanity.
The Most Rev. Frank J. Caggiano was named bishop of Bridgeport by Pope Francis in 2013. You can read his reflections on Facebook: Bishop Frank J. Caggiano or follow him on Twitter @BishopCaggiano, or Instagram @BishopFrankCaggiano.
Each week, beginning in mid-October and continuing until the first Sunday of Advent, The Leadership Institute will publish a series of articles that will be distributed at all parishes in the Diocese of Bridgeport as we await Bishop Caggiano’s promulgation of the Revised Liturgical Norms.
An intro to each article and the links to each in English and Spanish can be found below. A new article will be added each week. Click here to learn more about the Norms.
Nothing can be more distracting than a reader who proclaims Sacred Scripture as though he or she is seeing the words for the very first time. A well-formed reader is essential to an engaging Eucharistic experience. This week, read more about the role of the reader at Mass, including how Jesus is a role model for today’s readers.
The Role of the Reader at Mass The one who serves as a reader in Sacred Liturgy is the person designated to proclaim Sacred Scripture (with the exception of the Gospel). This person would also proclaim the psalm response (in the absence of a cantor), and the Universal Prayer or, as it is commonly known, the Prayer of the Faithful (in the absence of a deacon). Though this person is often called a “lector,” a quick study of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) indicates that this is a misnomer. The lector is actually an instituted office of the Church, much like an Acolyte. So what is a reader?
“In the absence of an instituted lector, other lay people may be deputed (i.e., delegated) to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture, people who are truly suited to carrying out this function and carefully prepared, so that by their hearing the readings from the sacred texts the faithful may conceive in their hearts a sweet and living affection for Sacred Scripture” (GIRM, 101). For the purpose of the Revised Liturgical Norms in the Diocese of Bridgeport, the term “reader” will be used as it most closely reflects the General Instruction. As a formal ministry, the ministry of lector is meant to be conferred on men who are preparing to become deacons and priests and it received as part of their preparation for ordination.
MONROE—More than 300 people turned out Saturday, November 17 to pay tribute to one of the most beloved graduates of St. Joseph High School, the late Father John Baran, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua, who was described as a gifted homilist and spiritual leader who inspired his community of believers to live lives of grace and generosity.
Head of School, Dr. William Fitzgerald, said, “Father John Baran ’76 made a difference at St. Anthony of Padua Parish. Father John is one of ten alumni to serve parishes in the Diocese of Bridgeport, moral men who have dedicated their lives to Christ and his congregations of believers.”
Father Baran, who passed away in March, was recognized with the school’s Spiritual Leadership Award, and Brian and Brenda Bellows and their daughters were honored with the Dedication Award at the school’s annual Maroon and Gold Gala.
Dr. Fitzgerald, who announced the creation of three new scholarships, said that last year the school offered more than $1.5 million in scholarships.
“Nothing is more important to our future and our country than the education of our children, and no academic program is superior to the faith-based, moral foundation we offer at St. Joe’s,” he said.
In recognition of the service of Brian Bellows, retiring member of the Board of Directors, and his family’s overall involvement, the board personally endowed The Bellows Family Scholarship.
“We are a family of faith and moral values, and it is families like the Bellows who make the difference,” Dr. Fitzgerald said.
The Bellows family — Brian and Brenda and their daughters Sarah ’07 and Laura ’11 — was honored for being “the model of a St. Joe’s family.” The girls distinguished themselves in many ways, academically and athletically and most notably, Dr. Fitzgerald said, by never getting a detention. Brenda Bellows was recognized for her work with the Parents Association. Brian, who recently retired as national sales manager at United Health, lent his expertise and resources to advance the school’s marketing and communications programs.
“We are a better school for the Bellows and are proud to announce the Bellows Family Scholarship, which will be awarded each year to a student who exemplifies a strong faith, high moral character, academic achievement and active participation in the life of the school community,” Dr. Fitzgerald said.
Father Baran was remembered as a pastor who “nurtured an engaged and active parish that serves as well as it worships.” Dr. Fitzgerald said Father Baran’s ministry “moved so many of us to live life gracefully and always in service to the greater good.”
A video was shown in which parishioners and friends recalled Father Baran as “an amazing homilist” and a pastor who “built community and empowered the laity.” He encouraged people to become more involved. He was remembered as an extraordinarily hospitable man with a wry sense of humor who could also be “funny and brutally honest.” He left the parish with “a legacy of hospitality and cooperation in the service of the Gospel.”
“The Father John Baran ’76 Scholarship will be awarded annually to an enrolled student who is active in his or her parish and who exemplifies a dedication to community and a personal faith life that is committed to action,” Dr. Fitzgerald said. “As the St Anthony of Padua parish as a community exemplifies these values and as they are a sponsor of the scholarship, preference will be given first to a student active in that parish. The recipient will be selected by the St. Joseph High School scholarship committee.”
The award was accepted by Eleanor Sauers, director of religious education, who worked with Father Baran in the parish for many years.
Dr. Fitzgerald also announced the Rosemarie Skawinski Chaves ’74 Engineering Scholarship. Rosemarie Skawinski Chaves studied Industrial Design in the College of Engineering at the University of Bridgeport and had a successful career at Avco Lycoming. She was encouraged in mathematics and science by the St. Joseph faculty … and was the only young woman in her drafting class.
With the goal of encouraging young women to engage in engineering fields, the Rosemarie Skawinski Chaves ’74 Scholarship will be awarded to a student currently enrolled at St Joseph High School who intends to pursue a career in engineering. Preference will be given to female candidates. The recipient must also display the qualities of a St Joseph High School student profile: faith commitment, high moral character, social responsibility, academic achievement, and active participation in the school community. The recipient will be selected by the Scholarship Committee.
VATICAN CITY—As the rich get richer, the increasing misery and cries of the poor are ignored every day, Pope Francis said.
“We Christians cannot stand with arms folded in indifference” or thrown up in the air in helpless resignation, the pope said in his homily Nov. 18, the World Day of the Poor.
“As believers, we must stretch out our hands as Jesus does with us,” freely and lovingly offering help to the poor and all those in need, the pope said at the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. About 6,000 poor people attended the Mass as special guests; they were joined by volunteers and others who assist disadvantaged communities.
After the Mass and Angelus, the pope joined some 1,500 poor people in the Vatican’s audience hall for a multi-course lunch. Many parishes, schools and volunteer groups across Rome also offered a number of services and meals for the poor that day.
God always hears the cries of those in need, the pope said in his homily at the Mass, but what about “us? Do we have eyes to see, ears to hear, hands outstretched to offer help?”
Pope Francis urged everyone to pray for the grace to hear the cries of all the poor: “the stifled cry of the unborn, of starving children, of young people more used to the explosion of bombs than happy shouts of the playground.”
May people hear the cry of the abandoned elderly, those who lack any support, refugees and “entire peoples deprived even of the great natural resources at their disposal,” he said.
Referring to the Gospel story of the poor man begging for scraps, Pope Francis many people today are just like Lazarus and “weep while the wealthy few feast on what, in justice, belongs to all. Injustice is the perverse root of poverty.”
Every day, he said, the cry of the poor becomes louder, but it is increasingly ignored. Their cries are “drowned out by the din of the rich few, who grow ever fewer and more rich,” he said.
The pope reflected on St. Matthew’s account of what Jesus did after he fed thousands with just five loaves and two fish. The passage (Mt 14: 22-32) explains that instead of gloating or basking in the glory of successfully feeding so many people, Jesus goes up to the mountain to pray.
“He teaches us the courage to leave, to leave behind the success that swells the heart and the tranquillity that deadens the soul,” the pope said.
But then Jesus goes back down the mountain to the people who still need him, he said.
“This is the road Jesus tells us to take—to go up to God and to come down to our brothers and sisters,” to tear oneself away from a life of ease and comfort and leave behind fleeting pleasures, glories and superfluous possessions, the pope said.
Jesus sets people free from the things that do not matter so they will be able to embrace the true treasures in life: God and one’s neighbor, he added.
The other event in the passage according to St. Matthew, the pope said, is how the storm and the winds died down after Jesus got into the boat carrying his frightened disciples.
The secret to navigating life and its momentary storms, the pope said, “is to invite Jesus on board. The rudder of life must be surrendered to him” because it is he who gives life, hope, healing and freedom from fear.
The third thing Jesus does is stretch out his hand to Peter, who, in his fear and doubt, is sinking in the water.
Everyone wants true life and needs the hand of the Lord to save them from evil, the pope said.
“This is the beginning of faith—to cast off the pride that makes us feel self-sufficient and to realize that we are in need of salvation,” he said. “Faith grows in this climate” of being not on a pedestal aloof from the world but with those crying for help.
“This is why it is important for all of us to live our faith in contact with those in need,” the pope said. “This is not a sociological option or a pontifical fad. It is a theological requirement” to acknowledge one’s own spiritual poverty and that everyone, especially the poor, is pleading for salvation.
“Rouse us, Lord, from our idle calm, from the quiet lull of our safe harbors. Set us free from the moorings of self-absorption that weigh life down; free us from constantly seeking success. Teach us to know how to ‘leave’ in order to set out on the road you have shown us: to God and our neighbor,” he said.
The pope established the World Day of the Poor to encourage the whole church to reach out to those in need and let the poor know their cries have not gone unheard, the pope said in his message this year.
U.N. groups estimate there are some 700 million people in the world who are unable to meet their basic needs and that 10 percent of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty.
WESTON—Bishop Frank J. Caggiano delivered a somber message about the abuse of power within the Church at the Mass of Hope, Healing and Reconciliation at St. Francis of Assisi Church held on Sunday in Weston.
Office of Strategic & Pastoral Planning, Bridgeport: Ms. Lorrie Wesoly
Nominated by Mr. Patrick Turner, Director
Our Lady of Good Counsel Chapel, Bridgeport: Ms. Lisa Landone
Nominated by Deacon John DiTaranto, Pastoral Administrator
Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Bridgeport: Mrs. Ines Teixeira da Silva
Nominated by Reverend José B. Alves, Pastor
Saint Andrew Academy, Bridgeport: Mrs. Barbara Porter
Nominated by Mrs. Lori Wilson, Principal
Saint Andrew Parish, Bridgeport: Mr. Joseph & Mrs. Joan Leonetti
Nominated by Reverend Gene Szantyr, Pastor
Saint Ann Academy, Bridgeport: Mrs. Grace Joergensen
Nominated by Mrs. Patricia Griffin, Principal
Saint Ann Parish, Bridgeport: Mr. Andrew Seperack
Nominated by Reverend Elio A. Sosa, Pastor
Saint Augustine Academy, Bridgeport: Mrs. Maria Gountas
Nominated by Dr. Debi Boccanfuso, Principal
Saint Charles Borromeo Parish, Bridgeport: Mr. Harold & Ms. Barbara Gabianelli
Nominated by Reverend Monsignor Christopher Walsh, Parochial Administrator
Saint George Parish, Bridgeport: Mr. Bryon Lopez
Nominated by Reverend Rolando Torres, Parochial Administrator
Saint Mary Parish, Bridgeport: Mrs. Eusebia Hernandez
Nominated by Reverend Rolando Torres, Pastor
Saint Margaret Shrine, Bridgeport: Mr. Pasquale D’Ambrosio
Nominated by Reverend Giandomenico Flora, Rector
Saint Michael the Archangel Parish, Bridgeport: Ms. Teresa Stypulkowska
Nominated by Reverend Norbert M. Siwinski, O.F.M. Conv., Pastor
Saint Peter Parish, Bridgeport: Ms. Patricia Garcia
Nominated by Reverend Bernardo C. Rodriguez, Parochial Vicar
Saint Raphael Academy, Bridgeport: Mr. Jimmie Schneider
Nominated by Sister Christine Hoffner, Principal
Cyril & Methodius Parish, Bridgeport: Mr. Gregory Mikulka
Nominated by Reverend Canon Andrew Todd, ICRSS, Pastor
The Cathedral Parish, Bridgeport: Mr. Joseph & Mrs. Annette O’Neill
Nominated by Reverend Michael Novajosky, Pastor
Saint Joseph Catholic Academy, Brookfield: Mr. Jeff & Mrs. Tina Ross
Nominated by Mrs. Mary Maloney, Head of School & Mrs. Pamela Fallon, Director of Education
Saint Joseph Parish, Brookfield: Mr. Robert Goodman
Nominated by Reverend George F. O’Neill, Pastor
Saint Joseph Parish, Brookfield: Mr. Vincent, posthumously
& Mrs. Andrea Lupo (2017 Recipients)
Nominated by Reverend George F. O’Neill, Pastor
Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys Parish, Brookfield: Mrs. Patricia Spitzfaden
Nominated by Reverend Shawn W. Cutler, Pastor
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Danbury: Mrs. Irene Vendinha
Nominated by Reverend Jose Brito-Martins, Parochial Administrator
Immaculate High School, Danbury: Mr. Mike & Mrs. Debbie Basile
Nominated by Dr. Patrick Higgins, Principal
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Danbury: Mr. Daniel Guachun
Nominated by Reverend John J. Perez, Pastor
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Danbury: Mr. Francis & Mrs. Sonia Kieras
Nominated by Reverend Peter J. Towsley, Pastor
Saint Gregory the Great Parish, Danbury: Mr. Roger Gavagan
Nominated by Reverend Michael Dunn, Pastor
Saint Gregory the Great School, Danbury: Mr. Joseph & Mrs. Elizabeth Muro
Nominated by Mrs. Suzanne Curra, Principal
Saint Joseph Parish, Danbury: Mrs. Antonia Stalzer
Nominated by Reverend Samuel V. Scott, Pastor
Saint Joseph School, Danbury: Mr. Matthew & Mrs. Tara Chila
Nominated by Ms. Katie LaForgia-Petrone, Principal
Saint Peter Parish, Danbury: Mr. Alvaro Tovar
Nominated by Reverend Gregg D. Mecca, Pastor
Saint Peter School, Danbury: Sister Marita Ruppe, C.S.F.N.
Nominated by Mrs. Marylou Torre, Principal
Saint John Parish, Darien: Ms. Patricia Parlette
Nominated by Reverend Frank Hoffmann, Pastor
Saint Thomas More Parish, Darien: Mrs. Patricia Catino
Nominated by Reverend Paul G. Murphy, Pastor
Notre Dame Parish, Easton: Mrs. Anne Fiyalka
Nominated by Reverend Michael P. Lyons, Pastor
Assumption Catholic School, Fairfield: Mr. Jason Adamoski
Nominated by Mr. Steven Santoli, Principal
Holy Cross Parish, Fairfield: Mr. William Sekelsky
Nominated by Reverend Alfred Pecaric, Pastor
Holy Family Parish, Fairfield: Mr. Joseph & Mrs. Marie Graziano
Nominated by Reverend Norman Guilbert, Pastor
Notre Dame High School, Fairfield: Ms. Lonnie Dervil Trotman
Nominated by Mr. Christopher Cipriano, Principal
Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Fairfield: Mr. Gregory Matera
Nominated by Reverend Peter Ciprani, Pastor
Saint Anthony of Padua Parish, Fairfield: Mr. Jeremy Redgate
Nominated by Reverend Michael A. Boccaccio, Parochial Administrator
Saint Catherine Academy, Fairfield: Mrs. Lynn Wetmore
Nominated by Mrs. Helen Burland, Executive Director & Mr. Eric Spencer, Director of Education
Saint Emery Parish, Fairfield: Mrs. Karen Adams
Nominated by Reverend Milan Dimic, Pastor
Saint Pius X Parish, Fairfield: Mr. Jack & Mrs. Paula Finnegan
Nominated by Reverend Sam Kachuba, Pastor
Saint Thomas Aquinas Parish, Fairfield: Ms. Jennifer Romano
Nominated by Reverend Victor T. Martin, Pastor
Saint Thomas Aquinas School, Fairfield: Mr. Bill & Mrs. Erin Russell
Nominated by Ms. Jo Ann Mathieson, Principal
Sacred Heart Parish, Georgetown: Mr. Stephen & Mrs. Sally Archer
Nominated by Reverend David Leopold, Pastor
Greenwich Catholic School, Greenwich: Mrs. Mary Beth Brown
Nominated by Mrs. Patrice Kopas, Principal
Sacred Heart Parish, Greenwich: Mr. Edward & Mrs. Nancy Fox
Nominated by Reverend Bose Raja Selvaraj, Pastor
Saint Agnes Parish, Greenwich: Mr. Philip Dodson
Nominated by Reverend Jim McDevitt, Pastor
Saint Mary Parish, Greenwich: Mr. Robert & Mrs. Sharon DeBold
Nominated by Reverend Cyprian P. LaPastina, Pastor
Saint Michael the Archangel Parish, Greenwich: Ms. Colette Judson
Nominated by Reverend Ian M. Jeremiah, Pastor
Saint Paul Parish, Greenwich: Mr. Joseph & Mrs. Eleanor Filanowski
Nominated by Reverend Leszek P. Szymaszek, Pastor
Saint Roch Parish, Greenwich: Mr. Paul Cappiali
Nominated by Reverend Carl D. McIntosh, Pastor
Saint Jude Parish, Monroe: Mr. Robert Frawley
Nominated by Reverend Henry Hoffman, Pastor
Saint Aloysius Parish, New Canaan: Ms. Ann Cotoia
Nominated by Reverend Robert M. Kinnally, Pastor
Saint Aloysius School, New Canaan: Mrs. Kim McNamara
Nominated by Dr. John R. Alfone, Principal
Saint Edward the Confessor Parish, New Fairfield: Mr. Martin & Mrs. Margaret Wusik
Nominated by Reverend Nick Cirillo, Pastor
Saint Rose of Lima Parish, Newtown: Mr. James & Mrs. Kelly Gerbo
Nominated by Reverend Monsignor Robert Weiss, Pastor
Saint Rose of Lima School, Newtown: Mr Paul & Mrs. Carrie Sirois
Nominated by Mr. Bardhyl Gjoka, Principal
All Saints Catholic School, Norwalk: Mr. Xavier Guzman
Nominated by Mrs. Linda Dunn, Principal
Saint Jerome Parish, Norwalk: Mrs. Ronalee Grant
Nominated by Reverend David W. Blanchfield, Pastor
Saint Joseph Parish, Norwalk: Mrs. Maria J. Serrano
Nominated by Reverend Peter F. Lenox, Pastor
Saint Ladislaus Parish, Norwalk: Mrs. Helen Kenderesi
Nominated by Reverend Juan Gabriel Acosta, Pastor
Saint Mary Parish, Norwalk: Mr. Nicholas Ward
Nominated by Reverend F. John Ringley, Pastor
Saint Matthew Parish, Norwalk: Mr. John & Mrs. Maria Bazzano
Nominated by Reverend Monsignor Walter C. Orlowski, Pastor
Saint Philip Parish, Norwalk: Mr. Ralph & Mrs. Kali DiMarco
Nominated by Reverend Sudhir DSouza, Pastor
Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish, Norwalk: Mrs. Joan Tracey
Nominated by Reverend Miroslaw Stachurski, Pastor
Saint Patrick Parish, Redding Ridge: Mr. Michael J. Handy
Nominated by Reverend Joseph Cervero, Pastor
Saint Elizabeth Seton Parish, Ridgefield: Mr. Richard & Mrs. Ellen Adamski
Nominated by Reverend Joseph A. Prince, Pastor
Saint Mary Parish, Ridgefield: Ms. Ellen Miller
Nominated by Reverend Monsignor Lawrence Bronkiewicz, Pastor
Saint Mary School, Ridgefield: Mr. Christopher & Mrs. Gina Spahn
Nominated by Mrs. Anna O’Rourke, Principal
Saint Catherine of Siena Parish, Riverside: Mr. Robert & Dr. Lisa Rooney
Nominated by Reverend Monsignor Alan F. Detscher, Pastor
Holy Trinity Catholic Academy, Shelton: Mrs. Arlene Clancy
Nominated by Mrs. Lisa Lanni, Principal
Saint Joseph Parish, Shelton: Mr. Hernane & Mrs. Dorothy Sosa
Nominated by Reverend Michael Dogali, Pastor
Saint Lawrence Parish, Huntington: Mr. Gregory Marty
Nominated by Reverend Michael K. Jones, S.T.D., Pastor
Saint Lawrence Parish, Huntington: Mrs. Micheline Hope (2017 Recipient)
Nominated by Reverend Michael K. Jones, S.T.D., Pastor
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque Parish, Shelton: Mr. Vincent & Mrs. Laurie Ardizzone
Nominated by Reverend Ciprian Bejan, Pastor
Holy Trinity Parish, Sherman: Mrs. Jeanne Hernon
Nominated by Reverend Richard Gemza, Pastor
Catholic Academy of Stamford, Stamford: Mr. Michael J. Raduazzo
Nominated by Ms. Patricia Brady, Head of School
Trinity Catholic High School, Stamford: Mr. Joseph Maida
Nominated by Mr. Scott E. Smith, Principal
Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Stamford: Mr. Zygmunt & Mrs. Linda Zajkowski
Nominated by Reverend Pawel M. Hrebenko, Pastor
Holy Spirit Parish, Stamford: Mr. William Butler
Nominated by Reverend Monsignor Kevin Royal, Pastor
Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, Stamford: Mr. Joseph & Mrs. Wendy Vermeer
Nominated by Reverend Peter Smolik, Pastor
Sacred Heart Parish, Stamford: Mr. Jeff & Mrs. Rose Curtis
Nominated by Reverend Alfonso Picone, Pastor
Saint Benedict-Our Lady of Montserrat Parish, Stamford: Ms. Alicia Sanchez
Nominated by Reverend Gustavo A. Falla, Pastor
Saint Mary Parish, Stamford: Mr. David & Mrs. Jane Schwartz
Nominated by Reverend Gustavo A. Falla, Pastor
Saint Bridget of Ireland Parish, Stamford: Mr. Richard & Mrs. Jane Capraro
Nominated by Reverend Ed McAuley, Pastor
Saint Cecilia Parish, Stamford: Mr. Frank Caveney
Nominated by Reverend Albert G. Pinciaro, Pastor
Saint Clement of Rome Parish, Stamford: Mrs. Mary King
Nominated by Reverend Carlos Rodrigues, Pastor
Saint Gabriel Parish, Stamford: Mrs. Italia Malagisi
Nominated by Reverend William M. Quinlan, Pastor
Saint Leo Parish, Stamford: Mrs. Judy Sarnelle
Nominated by Reverend James D. Grosso, Pastor
Saint Maurice Parish, Stamford: Mr. Barry & Mrs. Cara Denison
Nominated by Reverend Alfred A. Riendeau Jr., Pastor
The Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist, Stamford: Mr. Thomas & Mrs. Patrice Banahan
Nominated by Reverend Monsignor Stephen M. DiGiovanni, Pastor
Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Stratford: Mrs. Rose M. Bielen
Nominated by Reverend Mariusz M. Olbrys, Parochial Administrator
Our Lady of Grace Parish, Stratford: Mrs. Michelle Moore
Nominated by Reverend Monsignor Martin P. Ryan, Pastor
Our Lady of Peace Parish, Stratford: Mr. Mark & Mrs. Karen Cummings
Nominated by Reverend Nicholas S. Pavia, Pastor
Saint James Parish, Stratford: Mr. Thomas & Mrs. Virginia Rogers
Nominated by Reverend Arthur Mollenhauer, Pastor
Saint James School, Stratford: Dr. Alyson Martin
Nominated by Mr. Jack E. Lynch, Principal
Saint Mark Parish, Stratford: Mrs. Miriam Costa
Nominated by Reverend Birendra Soreng, Pastor
Saint Mark School, Stratford: Mr. Tom & Mrs. Sarah Millott
Nominated by Mr. Scott Clough, Principal
Christ the King Parish, Trumbull: Mr. George & Mrs. Catherine Ostrowski
Nominated by Reverend Terrence Walsh, Pastor
Saint Catherine of Siena Parish, Trumbull: Ms. Gloria V. Bender
Nominated by Reverend Joseph A. Marcello, Pastor
Saint Catherine of Siena School, Trumbull: Mrs. Annette DeMoura
Nominated by Ms. Eunice Giaquinto, Principal
Saint Joseph High School, Trumbull: Mr. Tom & Mrs. Mary Dineen
Nominated by Dr. William Fitzgerald, President
Saint Stephen Parish, Trumbull: Mrs. Carol Gamon
Nominated by Reverend Christopher J. Samele, Pastor
Saint Theresa Parish, Trumbull: Mr. Stephen & Mrs. Sylvia Pelak, posthumously
Nominated by Reverend Brian P. Gannon, Pastor
Saint Theresa School, Trumbull: Mr. Richard LaFrenierre
Nominated by Mr. Salvatore Vittoria, Principal
Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Weston: Mr. Mike & Mrs. Leigh Meccay
Nominated by Reverend Jeffrey Couture, Pastor
Church of the Assumption Parish, Westport: Mr. Anthony & Mrs. Bridget Buono
Nominated by Reverend Thomas Thorne, Pastor
Saint Luke Parish, Westport: Mrs. Mary Alvarez
Nominated by Reverend Monsignor Andrew Varga, Pastor
Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Wilton: Mr. Erasmo & Mrs. Angelina Signore
Nominated by Reverend Reginald Norman, Pastor
Our Lady of Fatima School, Wilton: Mr. Declan & Mrs. Elizabeth Halpin Carbin
Nominated by Stanley T. Steele, Principal
