Pastor’s Corner… Saint Monica [d. 387] was the mother of Saint Augustine both physically and spiritually, having given him birth and having brought him to Christ, to Baptism and to life in Christ’s Catholic Church, by means of her tears, prayers and constant yet patient and prudent nudging.  Her statue and relics are found on the left side of our high altar; her feast is August 27th.
She was born to Catholic parents in Tagaste, North Africa in 331 a.d.  She developed one fault during her youth, a taste for wine. While not approaching an addiction, her servants were wary, and, after words of correction by one of her women servants, Monica received Baptism and never drank again. She married a pagan minor government official, Patricius by name, whose one fault, other than pagan beliefs, was an uncontrollable anger. Monica suffered because of this, and determined to change his bad habits and convert him to the Catholic faith. She endured much suffering, exercising great patience during his explosive episodes, saying nothing at the moment, but waiting for him to calm down before she gently but firmly corrected him.  By her mildness, prayers and prudent guidance, she succeeded in converting him and her irascible mother-in-law to the faith.  Her strength came from her Catholic faith. She prayed daily and attended daily Mass throughout her life. She helped the poor and needy, and comforted those in trouble.  She had three children, the most famous being Saint Augustine. 
Augustine’s father sent him to the best schools of the time, beginning in Carthage at the age of 17. Realizing his own intellectual brilliance, fed by his ego, he immediately entered into a life of moral dissipation and joined an heretical group, the Manichees, that presented him with no challenge to his immoral lifestyle, while permitting him to imagine himself to be religious.  Monica initially forbade him to enter her home, but, after a vision in which she saw Augustine joining her in the Catholic Church, she relented.  After years of his mother’s prayers and tears, Augustine was baptized in Milan by St. Ambrose, who had told Monica, “don’t worry, it is impossible that a son of so many tears should be lost.” 
Returning to her native North Africa, she took ill in the Roman port city of Ostia, where she died in the presence of her two sons Navigius and Augustine.  As she lay dying, she made her final request that they “remember me at the altar of the Lord”, at daily Mass and in prayer.  Years later, Augustine recalled his own tears at the funeral of her who had shed so many for his conversion: “If any one think it a sin that I thus wept for my mother some small part of an hour; let him not deride me for it; but, rather if his charity be great, let him weep also for my sins before thee.”  And again, in his Confessions, “For in the mystery of your Providence, my God, your guiding hand did not desert me.  Night and day my mother poured out her tears to you and offered her heart-blood in sacrifice for me, and in the most wonderful way you guided me.” And again, “Could you deny your help to her, when it was by your grace that she was what she was, or despise her tears, when she asked not for gold or silver or any fleeting, short-lived favor, but that the soul of her son might be saved?” 
St. Monica’s fidelity to Christ, life of prayer, patience in the face of danger, trials and suffering; her patient and prudent correction and guidance of her husband and children; these were her strengths.  Monica knew that a life lived without God is a life that is dead, leading only to the grave. She wanted her husband and sons to live, and so brought them to Christ by prayer and example. She is the example of Christian wives and mothers, even today.  --Mons. DiGiovanni

Please pray for the sick…  Drew, John Castellano. Andrew DeMott, Anita Fasanelli, Mather Dearbone, Felicia Stamadini, Vinci Balbucci, Pasqualina Bruzzesi, Carmella Micik, Eleanor McNamee, Nancy Geikie, Vicki Manes, Jennifer Tomasello Anthony Sansone, Paul Forte, Anne Marie Brutus, Gelanie Lops,

Please pray for those who have recently died… Jerry Allen, Susan Wilhelm, Margaret Timon, Felix Fiore, Estelle Burke, Margaret Barko, Margaret Roth, Jane C. Hlavaty, Joan Bankowski,

Religious Education . . . Classes begin on Sunday, September 21st at 8:30 a.m.  All classes will be held on Sunday mornings.  Please find registration forms in the vestibule of the church, or stop by the office during the week to register: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.

NOT YET CONFIRMED?  WANT TO JOIN THE CHURCH? “R.C.I.A” classes for both adult Catholics who have not yet received Holy Communion or Confirmation and for non-Catholics who wish to join the Church, as well as for anyone who would like a refresher course in their Catholic Faith, will begin on September 30th at 7:30 p.m. in the rectory.  Interested? Please contact Providencia at
324 -1553 ext. 21.

The Latin reading group is translating St. Augustine’s Confessions…and will meet every Wednesday evening in the rectory at 6:15 p.m.  If you’ve studied only high school Latin, you’ll be fine; we all help each other; please join us: you know more than you think! Following the Latin reading group, Stay and join us for:

St. Monica Institute for Patristic Studies: will next meet on September 3rd, at 7:30 p.m. in the rectory. To begin our study of John Cassian’s Spiritual Conferences. All are welcome. 

August 27th . . . the Feast of St. Monica will be celebrated in the rectory for the participants in the Patristic Institute courses with Vespers, Adoration and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament, followed by a champagne reception. Please call the rectory [Providencia: 324-1553, ext. 21] to reserve a spot.

New Testament Greek . . . anyone interested in an introductory simple Dick and Jane New Testament Greek Grammar study group, please contact Monsignor DiGiovanni. We’ll begin in September or October, depending on interest.

Latin Mass . . . Last year, Pope Benedict XVI gave permission that the Latin Mass in its 1962 form could be offered.  I’m still interested, and if you are too, please let me know.  Msgr. DiGiovanni

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 September 2nd.

20’s / 30’s Young Adults…will meet SEPTEMBER 8th in a NEW LOCATION: “The Upper Room” at the Restaurant Columbus Park” at 6:30 p.m. – bring a friend

Baby Sitter. . . We are looking for an enthusiastic and fun junior high or high school student to play with a 5-year old girl with special needs for about 1-hour on weekday afternoons in Stamford. Flexible hours and schedule. We can help with transportation. Please call Hope: 323-1403.

Coffee Hour. . . Anyone interested in volunteering to help with the weekly coffee hour following the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass, please call Janet Lancaster 203-637-3301

Sunday, August 17, 2008   $ 10,202.00

Sunday, August 19, 2007 $     8, 522.97

I ask you one thing: do not tire of giving to God, but do not give your leftovers.”---Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Hymns for this weekend . . . (1) 223 (2) 227.  The Creed for the Noon Mass may be found in the hymnal at No. 289.

House Blessings . . . throughout this Year of Saint Paul
(June 29, 2008-June 28, 2009), the priests of the parish will bless parishioners’ homes.  Please check the parish website:  www.stjohnsstamford.com for the list of streets we’ll visit this month. A new list will be published each month. To schedule a blessing, please call the rectory: 324-1553, ext. 21.

Parish Picnic SEPTEMBER 14th… From 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Cove Beach at the Pavilion.  There is plenty of parking and there is no cost.  Hamburgers and hot dogs will be provided.  Please bring a side dish, salad or desert.  Fun and games (volley ball, bocci ball, etc…) Please call the Parish Office and let Providencia know how many family members will be attending so we may plan accordingly.  Please call as soon as possible – it is fast approaching!!!

St. John’s Bible Study… New and Improved: We will use The Bible Timeline Series for 25 Thursdays beginning September 25th through May 7th in the rectory at 7:30 p.m.  If you are interested, please call the Parish Office to register so that we can order the appropriate materials – the cost for the Materials will be about $40.00 per person. 

St. Anne Family Society . . . will be on the first Saturdays of each month. Our first meeting: Saturday, October 4th, at 5:00 p.m. in the church and parish hall. Each meeting will include Eucharistic Adoration, a potluck supper and a spiritual conference.  All families—including children—are invited.

St. Maria Goretti Society . . . for the spiritual formation of young ladies of the parish, from 8th - 12th grades. Questions, please contact Rosa Marchetti at 348-0232.

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.

St. Leo Parish…24 Roxbury Road, Stamford, announces its 28th Annual Parish Fair.  Join us Tuesday, August 26th through Friday, August 29th from 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. and Saturday, August 30th from 2:00 - 11:00 p.m.  Ride bracelets are available Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoon from 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at $20.  Sample international foods; enjoy live entertainment, and try your luck in our Bingo Parlor, or our $10 raffle with a 1st prize 2008 Mercedes Benz C300 W4 sedan.  For more information call Denise Esposito at 203-322-1669 x226.

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.

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

August 26, 1881:  The R. C. Excursion. “On Wednesday was as successful as any excursion could be. The weather was lovely – all that could be desired. Fourteen hundred people participated, or more than a tenth of the entire population of the town, and on the principle that the more, the merrier, what kind of a time they had can be estimated. Early in the morning the new band organized under the auspices of St. John’s R. C. Parish, marched to the dock through the main streets playing, meanwhile popular airs, as a sort of a reminder that the day for the excursion had arrived. At the dock was found an immense crowd of people going, all going, on pleasure bent. It was ten o’clock before the tide was high enough to start, but finally the start was made for Cold Spring harbor across the Sound. At one o’clock landing was made and the large pavilion filled with eager dancers. Jimmy Short’s orchestra furnished the quadrilles, the break-downs and the jigs, and there was never wanting complete sets to fill every vacant corner of the barge’s deck or the pavilion floor. At 4:30 a start was made for home, and at ten minutes to nine, Canal dock was reached, every one coming back completely satisfied with the day’s enjoyment. The refreshments were provided by the famous local caterer, Mrs. Margaret Bland, of Pacific Street, a woman of liberal ideas in the matter of making provision for hungry mortals. The receipts of the day must have been satisfying to the management.”

August 28, 1903:  CATHOLIC FAIR OPENS. “The annual fair of St. John’s R. C. Church opened in the Town Hall, last night, in a manner which suggests that it will be the most successful one that has ever been held. The fair is an important source of revenue for the church, and therefore every effort is made to have it of interest to the public, so that there will be a large attendance every evening. It is being held a couple of weeks earlier than usual, this year, and will doubtless be better attended for that, as few of the summer visitors have left town yet, and fairs are generally popular with these. The fair was formally opened by Mayor Charles Henry Leeds, who made a clever speech in which were fun and some good sense. Mr. Leeds is as much at home making a speech as he is writing vetoes and doing other things that the Common Council does not like. Unlike several local orators, he is always brief. Ten minutes, or, at the most, fifteen minutes, is his limit. He made a short speech last night, and it was one of his best, and then he went about the hall taking chances on nearly every article. All the canvassers hope he will come again.”

August 30, 1919: GOLDEN JUBILEE IN 1921. “The Rev. William H. Rogers, formerly of St. John’s Catholic Church, Stamford, now pastor of St. Patrick’s Church, Hartford, is the dean of the American-born clergy of the diocese of Hartford. He was ordained to the priesthood forty eight years ago, and two years hence he will celebrate his golden jubilee.” (Editor’s note: Father Rogers, Pastor from 1877 to 1900, celebrated his Golden Jubilee in 1921 with many St. John’s people attending.)

Job Hunting. . . Monday, August 25th at 7:30 p.m. in the rectory: Career Coach Melanie Szlucha will present a Resume Critique Night: How to write a clear and effective resume: Please bring several job descriptions you’ve applied for; a current cover letter and resume; a highlighter. There is NO charge for this! For more info: 860-235-4558 or www.redine.biz


Mass Intentions

Saturday, August 23
4:00 +The Sith & Vandereedt Families req. Daughter
Sunday, August 24
  7:30  People of the Parish
10:00 +Justo Lobo req. Lilian & Alvina Ramos
12:00 +Canio Toglia req. Richard Morris
 6:00 +Ms. Bobbie Brook House req. Bill & Carol Christiaanse
Monday, August 25
  8:00 +Patrick Kane & Family req. Estate of Catherine Kane & Family
12:10 +Mary Ellen & Joseph Santoro req. Marie Carr
Tuesday, August 26
  8:00 +Vera Michaud & Deceased Members of the Milite Family  req. The Koetke Family
12:10 +Patrick Farenga req. Mary Ann Blake
Wednesday, August 27
  8:00 Special Intention  req. Gerard J. Carriera
12:10      +Betsy Woolf  req. Fabiola C.
Thursday, August 28
  8:00 Special Intention Evangelin Drought req. Sharon Gannon
12:10    +John Buckheit req. Leon
Friday, August 29
  8:00 +Maryann Vagnone req. John & Maria Mossa
12:10 +Charles Kronk, Charles Kronk, Jr., & Nicholas Churley req. Mary Churley
Saturday, August 30
  8:00 +Esta Basset req. Sylvie Lesperance
12:10    +Victoria Santagata req. Giannitti Family

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 who are registered members; those whose regular Mass attendance is known to the priests, or whose parish membership 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.

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.

The Elevation
- Fr. Terry Walsh
(Revisited)
What thoughts run through your heart and mind at that extraordinary moment of grace when the Consecrated Host is raised to the Father in sacrifice?  What greater example of mercy could there possibly be? Jesus offers His very Body and Blood, laying down His very life for sinful humanity. It is truly the supreme act of love and mercy.
What inspirations flow into the depths of your soul at that extraordinary moment? One faithful communicant once shared with me his response at that extraordinary moment of the Holy Mass: “My Lord and My God” echoing the words of the Apostle Thomas who probed the open wound in the side of Christ, piercing the veil, as it were, moving from doubt to true knowledge of our Lord’s Perfect Sacrifice. Thomas fell to his knees in thankful adoration – just as we utter those faithful words upon our knees and contemplate His love.
In those few brief moments, we gaze upon mercy and love himself and see with the eyes of faith the vision Isaiah had been granted when he came to serve God: extraordinary Light emanating from the very Heart of God, exploding out to all the Universe, stamping out darkness, crushing all impurity, restoring Light, Happiness, and Peace.
In those holy moments when I look up at our Lord resting in my hands I pray the prayer of St. Faustina: “O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a font of Mercy for us, I Trust in You.” He has revealed Himself as our Merciful Redeemer. He has offered Himself in sacrifice for our salvation; we are offered the gift of life in the Eucharist.
Our Patron, St. John, uses the images of Light and Water in his Gospel, as well as his letters, to describe the flow of grace, that is, the flow of mercy and love from the Temple, the Body of the Risen Christ. The vision of this glorious flow of grace described by John and seen by St. Faustina draws our eyes back to the tiny host wherein our Lord resides – for us. Thoughts drift back to that still moment when the Centurion thrust the lance into the dead Body of Christ Crucified, opening up the gates of life, never to be closed again. Let us not forget that that same Sword pierced the Immaculate Heart of His Most Pure Virgin Mother through whom the gift of eternal life came to us.
Like St. Thomas, the Centurion recognized in an instant that he was in the Presence of God. That Roman soldier, St. Longenius, dropped to his knees and believed and was washed clean in His Blood.
What thoughts run through your heart and mind at that extraordinary moment of grace when you likewise find yourself at the foot of the Cross - at every Holy Mass and the consecrated host is raised to the Father in the most extraordinary act of love and mercy – for you? After all, we, too, have pierced Him. Yet, He forgives. He turns His Merciful gaze toward each one of us from the tiny host and He calls each one of us by name: “Come to Me…I will give you ‘Living Water’… ‘I will fill you with Divine Light’… ‘I will feed your thirsty soul with the Bread of Angels and streams of Living Water will forever well up from within you!’ How can our reaction be anything other than “My Lord and My God!”