Pastor’s Corner . . . Common wisdom is that religion and politics don’t mix. That’s true—if you live in a test tube. But we don’t. No one’s life is so compartmentalized that every action or thought is unconnected to daily events. Religion and politics do mix, in reality. The federal, state and local governments legislate and enforce morality every day: laws against murder, against rape, against stealing and against other activities most people would consider bad.   Most people consider them bad because, under normal conditions, these actions are always bad. We know this because of the Natural Law: a law written by God in the hearts of every human person [Rom. 2, 14]. The question is how do governments determine what is morally good and morally evil? The fundamental documents of our country, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are based on the Natural Law. When that Natural Law is ignored, the nation is on shaky ground, and tragedy is imminent.  We are living through such a tragedy today, and the reasons are not simply economic, but, at their heart, religious. Greed and lust for power are sins, not just flaws judged illegal by the government.  Yet, the global community is brought to its knees today because of human disregard for the Natural Law that protects the dignity of each human person, not as a commodity, but as the image and likeness of God, who has received his rights directly from the Creator; rights neither government nor business nor economic policy should deny or ignore. Yet they have been ignored, and people suffer as a result.
  Sixty years ago, the world approached a similar crisis, brought about by similar circumstances: the rise of the Axis powers seeking to rewrite world history based on privilege of blood and race, nationalism and the supremacy of the State over the individual person. For Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito, and later Stalin, each person had value only if useful to the State. The only voice against these powers was the Catholic Church in the persons of Popes Pius XI and XII. 
  Pius XII, basing his protests against Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin on those first enunciated by Pius XI, and said there were two fundamental errors for his time—which are the same fundamental errors today:
First: “the forgetfulness of that law of human solidarity and charity which is dictated and imposed by our common origin, and by the equality of a rational nature in all men, to whatever nation they belong, and by the redeeming Sacrifice offered by Jesus Christ on the Altar of the Cross.”
Second: Making the State all-powerful, instead of God. “Once the authority of God and the sway of His [Natural] law are denied, . . . the State puts itself in the place of the Almighty, and elevates the State or group as the final goal of life, the supreme criterion of the moral and juridical order, therefore forbidding every appeal to the principles of natural reason and of Christian conscience” [Summi Pontificatus, 52, 53].
 If government can determine what is morally right and morally wrong, was it evil for the tens of millions to die in the Holocaust? Hitler’s government said it was necessary, and therefore, good! Was it evil for tens of millions to die in Communist Russia?   That government determined those deaths were necessary, and morally good! How about slavery in the United States, or the Jim Crow laws in southern states? The government determined those laws necessary, and so morally good!  We know those laws were unjust—but people obeyed them.
 Today, we are not talking about the mass murder of millions because of race or creed; but we are talking about the U.S. federal government, state and local governments that legislate contrary to the Natural Law, and of many who live as if the Natural Law does not exist, and that the dignity and needs of human beings can be ignored, in the interest of making money or acquiring power or for the “common good”.
We will be voting for a president in 20-plus days.  Even though we may think that the issues in the election are political, many of them are, first and foremost, religious and moral.  Of the highest importance is the question of legalized abortion; next is embryonic stem cell research: if innocent human life is unprotected, no one is safe; next is the legitimization of gay marriage; on the horizon is legalized euthanasia. Questions of the economy, immigration, housing, and the assistance to the growing impoverished classes of our nation, are also about the dignity of the human person. Of great interest in the last weeks are the economy and the unbridled greed of Wall Street—and of all of us who simply followed along.  Who is more important: you or money? God gave us that answer long ago, but few listen to Him.
These are not Catholic issues or questions; these are basic questions about the Natural Law: about who you are. Any government that legislates contrary to the Natural Law legislates against its own citizens, since its citizens become expendable compared to the needs of the State, or the needs of the market, and in favor of anarchy. No government has the right or power to legislate morality contrary to the Natural Law. 
An editorial in the New York Times by Anne O’Hare McCormick appeared the day after Pope Pius XII issued his first encyclical condemning the theories fueling totalitarian governments:
“The central theme of his long encyclical is the function of the State in the modern world, and that is the crux of the struggle of our time. The dictatorship of today is not simply a form of government; it is a form of life, a usurpation of every human and divine right, a growth of power so abnormal that it is like a tumor pressing on the whole social body and preventing other nations from functioning naturally”
[New York Times, Oct 30, 1939, p. 16].
 This could have been written yesterday. We need more than a rhetorical call for change; we need those who will pare down the god we call government, by acknowledging the inalienable rights of the human person in laws based on the Natural Law, that will protect us from ourselves, from powerful interest groups and from governments that otherwise willingly relegate us to the dustbin of history for profit. -- Msgr. DiGiovanni

Please pray for the sick… Stanley Bozek, Frederick Naphen, Paul Eldridge, Antoinetta Fiore, John Dagostino, Drew, John Castellano. Andrew DeMott, Anita Fasanelli, Felicia Stamadini, Vinci Balbucci, Pasqualina Bruzzesi

Please pray for those who have recently died…Helen Conforti John Keating Emma Hernandez, Sr. Inez, O.S.S.S., Vicki Manes, Henry Saraniero, Philipe Waterbury, Michael Murray, Jennifer Tomasello, Mather Dearborn, Fr. Joseph Link, Maureen Apruzzese

Banns of Marriage:  3rd Richard Chow & Alexandra Carlson

ROME PILGRIMAGE MARCH 16 – 24, 2009
Fr. Walsh will lead a pilgrimage to Rome, March 16th, returning March 24th.  Cost: $1999, includes airfare, 7 Nights at the Visconti Palace (www.viscontipalace.com), breakfast included, in the heart of the city (Double Occupancy; the Single Supplement is $399.) Transfers to and from the airport, and Travel Insurance are also included. A $100 Deposit holds your spot and the final payment is due by December 1st.  For reservations, call Frank Carpanzano at Advance Travel at (203) 975-8833 ext. 3004.

Religion Classes for adults. . . Catholics who have not yet received Holy Communion or Confirmation, and for non-Catholics who wish to join the Church, every Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m. in the rectory.  The class is on a 7 week cycle: if you miss one, we repeat it.  Interested?  Please contact Providencia at (203¬) 324 -1553 ext. 21.
Sunday, October 5, 2008     $ 12,204.45

Sunday, October 7, 2007    $   9,722.53
I ask you one thing: do not tire of giving to God, but do not give your leftovers.”---Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Sunday Readings for October 19th:  Is. 45: 1, 4-6, 1, Thes. 1: 1-56, Mt. 22: 15-21

Hymns for this weekend . . . (1) 223 (2) 265.  The Creed for the Noon Mass may be found in the hymnal at No. 289.
New Adult Choir . . . St. John’s has formed a new Adult Choir to sing for the 10:00 a.m. Family Mass on Sundays. Rehearsals are on Thursday evenings, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. in the choir room. All with even a little singing experience are welcome. We especially need TENORS & BASSES! Please call Scott Turkington for more information, 324-1553, ext. 18 ... and ... The Children’s Choir has resumed its Saturday rehearsals. Now in its 10th year (!), the St. John’s Children’s Choir sings for the 10:00 a.m. Family Mass on Sundays, alongside our newly-formed Adult Choir. Rehearsals, at which children learn about singing and reading music, are held each Saturday from 1:00-1:45 p.m. The choir is open to boys and girls, ages seven and above, who can match a pitch and who are willing to make a weekly commitment. Please call Scott Turkington for more information, 324-1553, ext. 18.

Choral Music for the 12:00 Noon Mass . . . Mass Ordinary: Missa sexti toni – Giovanni Croce, 1557-1609. Offertory motet: The King of Love My Shepherd Is – Theodore Marier, 1912-2001 (The text may be found in the hymnal at No. 265.). Communion motet: De profundis – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1756-1791 (Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. [Ps. 130]). The Gregorian chants proper to this Sunday are: Introit Si iniquitates (O Lord, if you were to take into account our iniquities, who would withstand the test? But forgiveness abides in you, O God of Israel. Out of the depths have I cried to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice. [Ps. 130:3,4,1,2]); Alleluia Qui timent Dominum (Let those who fear the Lord put their trust in him; he is their help and their protection. [Psalm 114:11]); Offertory Recordare mei (Remember me, O Lord, you who dominate all authority; put the right words on my lips, so that my speech may be convincing in the presence of the King. [Esther 14:12,13]); Communion Aufer a me (Remove me all scorn and contempt, for I have kept your commandments; for your law is the object of my meditations. [Psalm 119:22,24]).

20’s / 30’s Young Adults…will meet Monday, Oct. 13th in a NEW LOCATION: “The Upper Room” at Columbus Columbus Park” 205 Main Street 06901 at 6:30 p.m. – bring a friend. Dr. Jonas Alcenas is our featured speaker:  “The Fallacy of Global Warming”

The Latin reading group is translating St. Augustine’s Confessions…and will meet every Wednesday evening in the rectory at 6:15 p.m.  High school Latin is all that’s needed.  Just walk in.

St. Monica Institute for Patristic Studies . . . Will next meet on Wednesday, October 15th at 7:30 p.m. in the rectory. We are studying the writings of the Cappadocian Fathers. Join us!


St. John’s in The Advocate...
  . . . 100 years ago, or so:
October 15, 1875: The Catholic Fair. “The fair held by the ladies of St. John’s R. C. church opened last evening in the basement of the new church with great éclat. It will last about a week and no doubt will present a very animated spectacle each evening. A large quantity of useful and fancy articles are offered for sale, and the Catholics of the village and vicinity will no doubt do their part toward making the fair a success financially. Work upon the new church is progressing rapidly.”
 October 18, 1910:  “Rev. James C. O’Brien will give a reception on Thursday evening, in the Parish Hall, to the managers and workers at the parish fair. The ladies are requested to bring cakes. Ice cream will be furnished. Dancing will follow the refreshments. The Ladies are invited to bring their escorts.”
October 15, 1937:  “The Children of Mary Society of St. John’s R. C. Church will hold a card and bingo party in the Business and Professional Women’s club, Grove and Main Sts., Friday, Nov. 9. The following members are in charge of the committees: Rita Fitzgibbon, Margaret Cherry, Mildred Herrgen, Mary Duplex, Louise de Barblert, Catherine Leonard. They are ably assisted by Mae Finch, March Kitches, Betty Scott, Anita Tynes, Mary Dean, Marian Oliver, Catherine Clark, and Esther Hart.”
 October 18, 1938:  St. John’s Boys Defeat Hilltops. “The St. John’s boys beat the Hilltop A. C. Thursday, at Woodside Park, 37 – 0 for their second victory of the week. This team, made up of members of St. John’s Catholic Boys’ Brigade of St. John’s School, has been beaten once in four games and has scored 79 points to 6 for the opposition. Captained by Gene Callahan, the team scored in the first three periods. Each score was made by Bob Callahan on the receiving end of a pass by Merrit or his brother Gene. Captain Callahan scored on a line buck. Fahey intercepted a pass for another score. Toward the end of the game, F. Connolly stole a pass for another score. The lineup: St. John’s, B. Callahan, le; T. Connelly, lt; Herbert, lg; F. Connelly, c; Hardiman, rg; Harrington, rg; Fahey, re; Merritt, qb; Gorman, lh; G. Callahan, rh; Mulkerin, fb.”

St. Anne Family Society . . . Meets the first Saturday of each month 5:00 p.m. in the church and parish hall.  Meetings include Eucharistic Adoration in church; a potluck supper and a spiritual conference in the parish hall.  All families—including children—are invited.   Next meeting will be on November 1st.

St. John’s Bible Study…We will use The Bible Timeline Series for 25 Thursdays continuing through May 7th, 2009 in the rectory at 7:30 p.m.  Interested? Please call the Parish Office, ext. 21 to register: the cost for the materials:  $40.00 per person.  All are welcome.

AUDITIONS! Parish Shakespeare Theater is open for auditions to parishioners, AGES 18 TO 35 – SATURDAY OCTOBER 11th FROM 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the rectory. Come Join our Parish theater program.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR . . . Antique Tag Sale:
Saturday, November 29th 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Monsignor Nagle Parish Hall sponsored by and for the benefit of the Historical Neighborhood Preservation Program of Stamford.  All are welcome

Angel’s for Alzheimer’s Car Raffle and Event: Ticket Price:  $10.00 each. Tickets on sale after Masses October 11th & 12th.  Drawing at the Italian Center on October 19th at 8:45 p.m.

The Rectory Office will be closed Monday October 13th for Columbus Day.  It will re-open Tuesday, 9AM – 4:30PM.

Mass Intentions
Saturday, October 11
4:00 +James DeLuca birthday remembrance req. by children
Sunday, October 12
  7:30 Special Intention Joseph H. Him req. Joseph & Mary Kim
10:00 +Peggy Walsh req. by Fr. Walsh
12:00 +Joseph Peter Young req. Joseph & Agnes Kung
 6:00 +Patrick Kane & Family req. Estate of Catherine Kane & Family
Monday, October 13
  8:00 +Henry Saraniero req. Sharon Gannon
12:10 +Elizabeth Pepe req. her son, Nicholas Troilo
Tuesday, October 14
  8:00 Thanksgiving to God
12:10 +Angelica Gutierrez 
Wednesday, October 15
  8:00 +Sonya Osborne birthday memorial req. Carrigan Family
12:10      Souls in Purgatory req. Fabiola C.
Thursday, October 16
  8:00 +Mons. Edward Petty req. Lois Gandt
12:10    +Millie Lobozzo req. Catherine Longo
Friday, October 17
  8:00 +Mary Azzara req. John Catalano
12:10 +Bill Pinto req. Wife
Saturday, October 18
  8:00    +Brian Jones Birthday Memorial req. Carrigan Family
12:10    +Betty Rylander req. Sharon Gannon

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

Pray for an end to abortion every Wednesday, 7:00 - 10:30 a.m., at 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. Maria Goretti Society . . . For the spiritual formation of young ladies of the parish, from 8th - 12th grades. Questions, please contact Rosa Marchetti at (203) 348-0232.  Next meeting will be October 26th - Pumpkin Picking.

St. Dominic Savio Society…For the spiritual formation of young men from 8th – 12th grades meets this Sunday, after the 12:00 noon mass in the rectory.  Any questions, please contact Frank Marchetti at (203) 434-4734.

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 (203) 324-1553 x21.
 
“A New Creation”
       The goal of Religious Education
- Fr Terry Walsh
 In his Second Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul writes: “…if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” The goal of our Religious Education Program here at St. John’s is to lead the students into a profound understanding of what it means to become a “New Creation” in Christ. How does it actually come about? (Baptism) How is it nurtured and sustained? (Eucharist, Confession, and all the Sacraments). What is our responsibility, our duties and obligations as New Creations in Christ and how do we grow in that relationship? (Prayer, faithfully living the Gospel, etc…)
 As we mentioned last week, the most important part of the formation of our young people is to be accomplished in the home. It is by God’s design that Parents are the first teachers of their children in the faith – by what they say and do – by their faithful example of living the Truth in Love. That fruitful formation is complemented here in the parish, affording the children an opportunity to grow in their knowledge and understanding among their peers. We provide the environment to help them in their dialogue with one another and additional programs that enable them to work and pray together in their common goal of discipleship (Maria Goretti and Dominic Savio Societies).
 We are truly blessed to have such generous teachers who volunteer their time and talent to our young people and we would just like to recognize and thank them once again: Frank Carpanzano (K and 1st grade), Maria Marchetti and Jeanene McMurtry (2nd grade), Sisters Luiga and Maria (2nd grade), Marie Boursiquot (3rd grade), Michelle Koetke and Joe Maker (4th grade), John, Judene, and Makenzie Pendergast (5th grade), Sue Kremheller (6th grade), Fr. Al Audet (7th grade – “Confirmation I”), and Mark and Lisa Kotasek (Confirmation II). We are also blessed to have several volunteers from the Maria Goretti Society who assist our teachers: Anne Marie Carpanzano, Kateri Duffey, Elizabeth DeMott, Marialyse Martiney, Maureen Boursiqout, and Marielle Martiney.
 In addition, Mr. Scott Turkington and his assistant, Janet Gill Gentry, spend countless hours teaching Music appreciation and the significance of Music in Liturgy. They offer important insights into the Mass and help the children grow in their appreciation for Music as prayer. Please feel free to speak with our teachers concerning any questions or comments you might have concerning our program. You may also call me directly at 324 1553 ext. 14.
 Finally, we have made a few changes to our program this year as I alluded to in the last letter I sent to parents this past week. We have moved the ordinary reception of 1st Holy Communion from 2nd grade to the 4th grade in order to give the students a greater understanding of the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist and the proper preparation for receiving Communion. In addition, we have enhanced our Confirmation II program to include weekly lessons conducted by Msgr. DiGiovanni. Our class of 35 will be divided into 2 parts. Each Sunday, one part will receive the scheduled lesson in class and the other will meet with the Msgr. to be instructed on a variety of topics. This phase of our program will begin next Sunday, the 19th, when classes resume after the holiday. We look forward to a fulfilling year of growing more richly in our faith. Please continue to pray for our students and teachers alike.