Pastor’s Corner . . . Everyone knows that June is the most beautiful of months—it’s a fact! Everyone, likewise, would agree that June is the first month when summer finally seems to be a real possibility. For the Church, too, June has the unofficial duty of ushering in a new liturgical season: Ordinary Time: Please, contain your excitement!  Until Advent [Sunday, November 30th], we’ll have 25 weekends of Sundays in Ordinary Time, when neither the divine initiatives of the Incarnation, nor of the Passion, nor of the Resurrection of the Lord is particularly commemorated.  And yet, at every Mass, every aspect of God’s works for mankind is celebrated and made present.
  The reality of Ordinary Time is that it refers to God’s work for our salvation: His centuries’ long preparation of humankind for the coming of His Son in the flesh, Our Lord’s ministry, His establishment of the Church, His sacrifice on the Cross and His triumph over sin and death in the Resurrection, and how these saving events by Christ affect the lives of individual souls who come after Him--now.
  So, with June as the first full month of Ordinary Time, continuing through the summer and fall, the Church places before the eyes of the faithful the examples of holiness of real people: the saints. Men, women, children like ourselves, who loved Our Lord so much that they passed lives of heroic virtue and goodness. They wouldn’t have thought their lives so extraordinary, because they lived them in love for Our Lord. And they tried to show that love for God in their charity towards God’s image—every man, woman and child they came into contact with.
  Here are a few examples: during June there are 10 feasts of martyrs: St. Justin [2nd century, Rome], Sts. Marcellinus & Peter [4th century, Rome], Sts Charles Lwanga and 21 companions [19th century, Uganda], St. Boniface [8th century, Germany], St. Barnabas [1st century, Holy Land],
Sts. John Fisher & Thomas More [15th century, England],
St. John the Baptist [1st century, Holy Land], St. Irenaeus of Lyons, [3rd century, France], Sts. Peter & Paul [1st century, Rome], The First Martyrs of Rome [1st century, Rome].
  There are other saints commemorated throughout Ordinary Time through November, and not just martyrs. Here are a few examples of summer saints: St. Anthony of Padua, St. Aloysius Gonzago, St. Elizabeth of Portugal, St. Maria Goretti, St. Benedict, Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Mary Magdalene, Sts. Joachim & Ann, St. John Vianney, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, St. Clare, St. Monica, and, of course, Our Lady, who is commemorated every Saturday, and on the Feasts of Our Lady of Mount Carmel [July 16] and of Her bodily Assumption into heaven [August 15].
  These are only a few of the saints given us as examples of Christian life during these upcoming months. If you’re looking for an easy and fascinating summer reading assignment, read the lives of the saints--either on line, or in the New Catholic Encyclopedia [which is on line, and at the Ferguson library]
  Ordinary Time can be seen as boring, unless you look at the saints who lived real Christian lives. They’re good examples of how to be active Christians, and how to find happiness here on earth and happiness in heaven.
—Msgr. Stephen DiGiovanni

Please pray for the sick… Felica Stamadinli, Vinci Balbucci, Pasqualina Bruzzesi, Carmella Micik, Eleanor McNamee, Nancy Geikie, Vicki Manes, Anthony Sansone, Margaret Woods, Paul Forte, Anne Marie Brutus, Gelanie Lops, Titina Tarantino, Jennifer Tomasello, Janet Rodgers, Antoinetta Fiore.

Please pray for those who have recently died… Susan Perretta, Mary Louise Deluca, Viola S. Russo, William Speranza, George Lampman, Robert Geikie, Florence DeSilva, Margaret Mine, Reta Satoriti, Marcello Santagata, Louis Manes, Paul Dudash, John Borron, Fouchard Paulemon, Louis Meyer, Phillis Doherty, Violet Roddy, Wallace Stewart.

2 GREAT upcoming EVENTS:

MONASTIC RENEWAL OF SAINT BENEDICT: Sunday, June 29th: The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul: 11:00 a.m. Lecture/ 12:00 noon Choir Mass:  : Father Cassian Folsom, founding Prior of the Monastery of St. Benedict in Norcia, Italy, the birthplace of St. Benedict, will speak on Pope Benedict XVI and Vatican II, in the Monsignor Nagle Hall, followed by 12:00 noon Solemn Mass for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. The choir will sing the Tu Es Petrus Mass setting by Palestrina. All are welcome.

Parish Picnic: Sunday, September 14th:  Parish picnic at Cove Island. Details to follow.

The Latin reading group is translating St. Augustine’s Confessions.  All are welcome on Wednesday evenings at 6:15 p.m. in the rectory.  If you’ve got high school Latin, you’ll be fine; we all help each other; please join us: you know more than you think! Stay and join us for:

St. Monica Institute for Patristic Studies will next meet on June 25th at 7:30 p.m. in the rectory:  History of the Monks of Syria: led by Doctor Lois Gandt, we will read English translations of the works by St. Theodoret of Cyrrhus.  All are welcome.  Please join us. July’s topic will be the Popes of the Early Church.

New Testament Greek . . . anyone interested in a summer introductory study group, please contact Monsignor DiGiovanni.

St. John’s Bible Study… New and Improved: Bible Study will change its format and become more intense. We will use The Bible Timeline Series for 25 Thursdays beginning September 25th through May 7th.  If you are interested, please call the Parish Office to register so that we can order the appropriate materials.  BIBLE STUDY WILL NOT MEET DURING THE SUMMER. We’ll begin in September.
       
Banns of Marriage: 3rd:  Ryan T. Supple & Michelle Guevara

St. John’s Towers Tenant Meeting . . . an important meeting will be held for the tenants of Saint John’s Towers on Monday, June 30th at 7 p.m  in the Msgr. Nagle Hall. All are most welcome to attend.

Sunday, June 15, 2008    $ 10,642.00
Sunday, June 17, 2007  $ 10,934.83
I ask you one thing: do not tire of giving to God, but do not give your leftovers.”---Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Scott Turkington is teaching in Chicago this week; there will be no music for the Masses.

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING:  An Instruction Session in NFP will be offered on Monday, July 7th at 7:30 p m.  All are welcome.  Please contact Lisa Frawley if you plan to attend (203-254-6615).

Saint John’s Job Fair. . Looking for a Job:  If you’ve been looking for a job but hitting dead-ends, you need our help to compose a resume, cover letter, or simply to get some direction. This is a FREE group, led by one of our parishioners, Melanie Szlucha, a professional career coach, who has offered her services to help those looking for jobs to present your self more effectively, in writing and in person. The purpose of these meetings is to help jobseekers find solutions to individual challenges.  If you’re interested, please bring a written resume or cover letter that you’ve written. More information is available on Melanie’s website:
www.reallygreatresume.com or via her email:
Melanie@redinc.biz The meeting will take place in the Monsignor Nagle Hall on Monday, June 23rd at 7:30 p.m. Please call the rectory to register: 324-1553, ext. 21. There is NO charge; bring a friend.

St. Maria Goretti Society . . . for the spiritual formation of young ladies of the parish, from 8th-12th grades. Questions, please contact Fr. Walsh.

St. Dominic Savio Society…For the spiritual formation of young men from 8th – 12th grades meets monthly in the Rectory.  Any questions, please contact Frank Marchetti at 434-4734.

Lost and Found . . . The parish has a collection of items left behind in church. If you have lost something, you may find it at the parish office in the rectory: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Moms & Tots . . . a group of moms and children meet with Fr. Walsh each first Tuesday of every month at 10:30 a.m. in church for Eucharistic adoration, followed by snacks in the parish hall. Please join us.  Our next meeting will be on July 8th.

Credit Card Offertory…Make weekly or monthly donations by credit card. You can set up recurring credit card donations with the church secretary.  She can take your information over the telephone.  Call 324-1553 x21.

Join the Conversation . . . Bishop William Lori has started a “blog” to share news: www.BishopLoriBlog.org.

St. John’s in The News . . .
. . . 100 years ago, or so:

The Stamford Advocate:
June 23, 1871: “There will be another celebration held on the fourth of next month somewhat similar to that which took place last year. The members of the Catholic church intend to have a grand procession in the morning. They have invited the fire companies to assist in the celebration, and already favorable response has been made by one of the companies. The benevolent and temperance and other societies connected with the Catholic church will participate in this procession. An excellent band of twenty pieces has been engaged, and other arrangements have been made which will tend to make a grand display and a glorious time. The line of march will be so arranged that the majority of our citizens will be able to view it, and the point of destination will be Woodside Park. At the Park a regular picnic will be held and all the accompanying pleasures of a dinner and a dance will then be enjoyed. In the afternoon, Prof Brooks, the celebrated aeronaut, will make an ascension from the Park, which will be an additional attraction and the citizens of Stamford generally are called upon to contribute toward this extra expense. Subscriptions will be received at the Prof’s office, or by Messrs. J. J. Horan, John S. Burke, or can be left at this office.”

The Connecticut Catholic:
June 24, 1876: “St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore has reported that for the diocese of Hartford, Reverend James C. O’Brien was granted sub-deaconship.”

The Stamford Advocate:
June 28, 1907: 8 GIRL GRADUATES RECEIVE DIPLOMAS AT EXERCISES IN RICH’S HALL. CATHOLIC PAROCHIAL SCHOOL.  “The closing exercises of St. John’s parochial school were held in Rich’s Hall, yesterday afternoon, and were attended by an audience that quite filled the hall, and which was plainly very much impressed with the work of the school children, who now for the first time have a building which is in keeping with their achievements and ambitions. The program was rather long, including 20 numbers, but there was no delay between the various parts, and, as most of the selections were brief, as well as interesting, the exercises didn’t in the least drag. The graduates are all girls, eight in number. Their final examination for the High School was passed so creditably that Supt. Willard wrote a letter to Sister Mercedes, the teacher of the highest grade, congratulating her on the showing of the class, and speaking in terms of the warmest praise of the training which the examination disclosed. The members of the class, each of whom received a diploma of graduation from St. John’s school are: Margaret Teresa Brennan, Katherine Elizabeth Burke, Helena Josephine Burnes, Anna Monico McCormick, Mary Elizabeth Morrow, Sarah Catherine Morrow, Mary Alexius Quinn, and Mary Agnes Spruss.” (Editor’s note: the class of 1907 was the first graduating class of the then new St. John School.)

Mass Intentions

Saturday, June 21
4:00 +Charles & Josephine Davis req. Joseph Melfi

Sunday, June 22
  7:30 Special Intention Mary Young Kim req. Joseph & Mary Kim
10:00 +Louise Comerford req. Amanda Pape
12:00 Benedictine Monks of Nursia req. Alex Marchetti
 6:00 +Patrick Kane & Family req. Estate of Catherine Kane & Family

Monday, June 23
  8:00 +Deceased Members of the Paulemon & the Milien Families req. Montainse Paulemon
12:10 Thanksgiving to God req. Montanise Paulemon

Tuesday, June 24
8:00 Special Intention Marc JayCee Butiu req. Michelle Madrazo
12:10 +Susie M. Brown req. Ray R. Raju Great Nephew

Wednesday, June 25
   8:00 Special Intention
 12:10 Special Intention Msgr. DiGiovanni req. Millie

Thursday, June 26
8:00 Special Intention Theresa Shea req.  Tony Janeiro
12:10   Thanksgiving to Saint Anthony

Friday, June 27
  8:00 Special Intention Marie Cognetta req. Pauline Whitehead
12:10 +Paul Giancola req. Terenzio Family

Saturday, June 28
  8:00 Special Intention Joseph H. Kim req. Joseph  & Mary Kim
12:10    Special Intention Georges Paulemon req. Mother

Miraculous Medal Novena: Mondays, 8:30 a.m.

Pray for an end to abortion every Wed., 7:00 - 10:30 a.m., Planned Parenthood, 1039 East Main St, Stamford. 

Eucharistic Adoration:  Fridays, 8:30 a.m.–12:00 noon

Are you a registered parishioner? … If not, please visit the parish office Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. or call the office for more information [ext 21 or 17].

Sponsor Certificates for Baptism or Confirmation …are happily given to parishioners of St. John’s, i.e. those whose regular Mass attendance is known to the priests or can be verified by the records of the weekly offertory (envelopes).        

Holy Name Society . . . for all men of the parish: the rectory every Friday morning for coffee, Eucharistic adoration benediction & prayer, from 7:00-8:00 a.m.

St. Anne’s Family Society . . . will resume in September, meeting monthly for the whole family: Eucharistic adoration, Benediction, a potluck supper and spiritual talk.  More details to come.

The Christian Moral Life

Freedom and Responsibility         - Fr. Terry Walsh
Part II
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”(2 Cor 17)
 There is an objective moral Truth. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Truth is a Person, not an opinion. Where He is, there is Truth, there is Life. He longs to dwell IN each of us, if we’ll open our hearts to receive Him. The Scriptures tells us that the Truth is written in our hearts by God Himself. We’re able to discern and understand the Truth; indeed, we have an obligation to seek the Truth and once we discover it, to adhere to it. The biggest obstacle to our living in the Truth is the sin of Pride. Pride clouds our vision and leads us down the road of selfishness. There’s a sort of “self-absorption” that leads to the erroneous understanding that somehow the human person is at the Center of the Universe and the whole world revolves around the subjective person. So we hear common phrases along the lines of “I’ll respect ‘your truth’ if your respect ‘my truth,’ which of course is nonsense. The simple principle of Non-Contradiction applies. A thing can’t be true and false at the same time. The Catechism teaches: “The exercise of freedom does not imply a right to say or do everything. It is false to maintain that man, ‘the subject of this freedom,’ is ‘an individual who is fully self-sufficient and whose finality is the satisfaction of his own interests in the enjoyment of earthly goods’…by deviating from the moral law man violates his own freedom, becomes imprisoned within himself, disrupts neighborly fellowship, and rebels against divine truth”(ccc 1740).
 While it’s true that we must “follow our conscience” it is no less true that we are obligated to FORM our conscience (Scripture, Sacraments, Prayer, Good Deeds – in a word, Grace). While we certainly owe respect and kindness to all people, we’re called to witness to the Truth, and this may lead to disagreements concerning any number of issues. Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, we’ve been given the grace to teach and defend the faith, in other words, to teach and defend the truth, but to do so with love and respect. If we’re going to be faithful to our “Life in Christ” witnessing to our Lord though our fidelity to the Truth, then we need to grow in our knowledge and understanding of the Truth. How can we give what we do not possess? Ah, we’re back to the virtue of Humility. “Lord, teach me.” That humble little prayer expresses a desire to put aside our own opinions so that we can become rooted and grounded in the Truth. Consider the retort our Lord makes to the proud Sadducees who thought themselves wise and learned but were in fact harboring resentment to the Truth because it got in the way of the “lifestyle” they had grown accustomed to living. Jesus said: “Is not this why you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God”(Mk 12:24)? Have we fallen into the same trap? When we offer opinions on the moral life, are these based upon the Will of God, which is perfect, beautiful, pure, and holy (and is easily discovered in the humble heart who seeks the Truth through the Word Himself in Sacred Scripture) or, are these opinions based on the standards set by the world, the cultural norms “agreed upon” by the loudest voice and the most money? Another came to Him, seeking the Truth, and asked Jesus: “Which commandment is the first of all? Jesus answered, ‘The first is “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” ‘The second is like this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself’”(Mk 12:28). The Moral Life: “Faith working through Love”(St Paul).