Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

When he celebrated his 60th anniversary this May, Father Mark Connolly was also celebrating as many years in radio and television production.

A native of Boston, Father Connolly was ordained to the priesthood on May 3, 1957. He specialized in the field of theology and psychology while preparing for ordination, but from the very first years his priesthood he was involved in the field of communications in radio and television as a writer, producer and director.
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WESTPORT—St. Luke Church in Westport will host the renowned author and theologian, Jesuit Father James Martin, will be speaking here at Saint Luke on Thursday, June 29 at 7:30 pm to discuss and sign copies of his new book on the Church’s relationship with the L-G-B-T community. A question and answer session will follow. Admission is free and refreshments will be served. All are welcome. St. Luke’s is located at 84 Long Lots Road in Westport.

For further information, contact Sharon Carpenter at osheacar@gmail.com. Or register here.

DANBURY—Dr. Patrick D. Higgins, a Bethel resident, will assume the post of school Principal of Immaculate High School on July 1.

Dr. Higgins will take the seat of former Principal Joe Carmen, who resigned from the position during the summer of 2016 to take a position as the Director of Leadership Development at Quinnipiac University. School President Mary R. Maloney assumed the role as Interim Principal this past year.
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BRIDGEPORT—On Thursday, June 15th, Deb Smith, Catholic Charities’ Director of Housing, was invited to attend the awards ceremony and dinner sponsored by the Partnership for Strong Communities where Ben Vereen was the keynote speaker.
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WILTON—Loretta Kelly McCarthy, of Wilton, passed away peacefully in the presence of her family on June 8, 2017 at the age of 86. Kelly gave the world 6 beloved children: Laurie, Maureen, Kathleen, Christeen, Patrick and Michael, 14 treasured grandchildren and 2 great–grandchildren. She leaves behind a devoted sister, Kathy O’Neil. She was welcomed into heaven by her husband, Edward Dean McCarthy, her son, Michael, her parents, Edward and Margaret O’Konski and her brother Edward O’Konski.
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Each Sunday at Mass, when we proclaim our Catholic faith, we say the following, “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.” With these words, we acknowledge the fact that Jesus addressed His heavenly Father as “Abba”- a word that can be translated into English as “daddy”.
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BRIDGEPORT—On Saturday, June 17, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano will ordain James K. Bates as a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Bridgeport. The Ordination Mass will be celebrated at 11 am in St. Augustine Cathedral. Traditionally, ordination as a transitional deacon is the last step before ordination to the priesthood.
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Knights of Columbus councils are known for serving the greater good of their parishes and local communities, and many times they work as individual councils. Two years ago, Councils 14360 at St. Matthew Norwalk and 11077 at Our Lady of the Assumption Fairfield discovered if they joined together to work on a major project, they could do even more for both of their parishes and communities. This realization led to the two councils hooking up to host a charity golf tournament which started in 2016.
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It is rare that I remember any of my dreams. Last night, however, was an exception. Towards 3:00 am, I woke up in the middle of a dream, vividly remembering one scene. It was an incident that happened last year when I visited a classmate’s summer home in New Jersey, along with other seminary classmates. We decided to go out onto the lake, since it was a beautiful afternoon. Soon enough, we found ourselves sitting in the boat (which seated six people), in the middle of a very large lake, with the engine overheated, stranded.
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NEW YORK—Patrick Turner, Director of Strategic and Pastoral Planning for the Diocese of Bridgeport, recently spoke to a group of sixteen Armenian Church of America priests who were gathered in Armonk, NY, for a three-day Parish Management workshop.

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VATICAN CITY—To involve young people in preparations for the Synod of Bishops on youth in 2018, the Vatican has released an online questionnaire to better understand the lives, attitudes and concerns of 16 – 29-year-olds around the world.
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BRIDGEPORT—For as long as I could remember, today was an important day in my home. For today is the Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of my parents’ home town in Italy and the saint for whom my sister was named (Antonia).
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NEW CANAAN—Elena and Steve Schlegel, Chair Couple of the 2017 Annual Catholic Appeal and Joy and Tom Cronin, both parishioners of St. Aloysius Parish in New Canaan, hosted a reception at the Cronin’s home Saturday, June 10.

More than 60 people gathered on a lovely June evening with Bishop Frank Caggiano to rekindle and make new friendships.
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BRIDGEPORT — As summer approaches, the safety of children as they take to pools and beaches is paramount.

“I heard you guys took a pledge, can you tell me what the pledge was?” Bridgeport Director of Health Martiza Bond prompted a group of children ages 5 to 11.
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BLACK ROCK, BRIDGEPORT– Black Rock Day weekend kicked off with the 4th Annual Black Rock Farmers Market on Saturday June 10, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at St. Ann Parish Field, 481 Brewster Street.

The Farmers Market is back for the 2017 season with some old favorites and a whole slew of new farmers, food vendors, and artisans! Opening Day tunes were provided by Botanica Blue.
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