BULLETIN

Bulletin for January 25 - 31, 2009

2009-01-22T20:28:00Z

St. Monica and the Latin Reading Group is cancelled for Wednesday, January 28, 2009 due to the weather.

Pastor’s Corner . . . January 25th is the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul. The Acts of the Apostles relates the entire history of the adult conversion of Paul, who, along with Saint Peter, is recognized as the greatest of the Apostles. Paul, whose name was originally Saul, was a fervent and zealous Jew, engaged by the Temple in Jerusalem to destroy the early Church. The Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the martyrdom of Saint Stephen, one of the first deacons, elected by the Apostles to help in the distribution of bread to the poor. Stephen is singled out by the Temple, tried for blasphemy because of his faith in Jesus as the Son of God. He was dragged outside Jerusalem and stoned. The narrative continues, “. . . and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he prayed . . . with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was consenting to his death.” (Acts 7: 58-60)
Soon after, Saul received letters from the Jewish high priest to the synagogues in Damascus, empowering Saul to round up any Christians in Damascus and “bring them bound to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:2) As he traveled to Damascus on this mission, “A light from heaven flashed about him. And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’” (Acts 9:3-4) He is blinded, and led by the hand into Damascus, where a Christian, Ananias, was instructed in a dream to heal him. Knowing Saul to be persecuting the Church, Ananias objects, but the Lord told him, “go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9: 15-16) Saul is healed, and realizes that he has been working against God, not for him, by persecuting His Church. Like Peter, his name is changed. Peter’s name was changed by Christ from Simon to Cephas—which means Peter, or the Rock; Paul changed his own name to symbolize the radical change of his life in Christ.
Both Peter and Paul, men whose lives were changed by the Resurrected Christ, established Christ’s Church in cities throughout the ancient world: Peter to the Jews, and Paul to the Gentiles, or non-Jews; both are considered the founders of the Church at Rome. After his conversion and baptism (Gal 1.17), Paul retired to Arabia to spend three years growing in his understanding of his new call and faith. He met with Peter and the other Apostles, and began his work among the Gentiles. His travels brought him around the entirety of the Mediterranean world, preaching and converting the pagans: enduring hunger, poverty, betrayal by friends, public beatings, attempts on his life, imprisonment, shipwrecks and, finally martyrdom in Rome. The celebration of his conversion is really a celebration of our faith, since most of us are of non-Jewish stock. We belong to the Church personally founded by Our Lord upon the Apostles.
A picture of Saint Peter and Paul, by the Renaissance monk-artist, Bartolomeo Della Gatta [1448-1502], can be seen in the sanctuary: Peter holds the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, symbols of the authority given him by Our Lord as the Rock upon which Jesus established His Church [Matt 16:16-20]; Paul holds the sword by which he was martyred by beheading.
Let us pray to both Saints Peter and Paul, founders of the Church, that we may imitate their fidelity to Christ, daily being re-converted to love Our Lord more fervently in our own lives. --Msgr. DiGiovanni

Please pray for the sick… Evelyn Flaharty, Diane Ojohanna, Alverta Sahd, Phil De Felice, Sr., Vincenzo Giannitti, Janet Rodgers, Aidan Moon, Mary Daniele, Lena Cocchia, Phillip Renard, John Castellano, Anthony Sansone

Please pray for those who have recently died. . . Thomas Carucci, Sr. Julia McCarthy, Ella Palumba, Vito Melfi, Arthur Capalbo, Avery Cardinal Dulles, Laurie, Jeannette Augustine, Vivian E. Torres, Margie Nicholson

Church of Latin America Collection . . . Please drop your Church of Latin America Collection envelope into the first basket that will be passed at the Offertory.

Special Energy Collection . . . The second collection today will be the Special Energy Collection to help pay the Higher Energy and Fuel Costs for the parish. Your generosity is appreciated.

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 February 3rd.

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.
NOTE CHANGE: Session III of RCIA—Adult catechism--which was scheduled to be held on TUESDAY NIGHTS beginning on March 10th will be held on WEDNESDAY NIGHTS instead, beginning on March 11th. Call the office for more details.

Parish Women’s Society... We would like to begin a parish society for the spiritual growth of women. Please contact Monsignor if you are interested: Ext. 11.

The Latin Reading Group… Is translating St. Augustine’s Confessions…And meets every Wednesday in the rectory at 6:15 p.m. High school Latin is all that’s needed. Just walk in.

Introduction to New Testament Greek Class ... Meets every Thursday evening in the rectory at 7:30 p.m.

St. Monica Institute for Patristic Studies ... Will next meet on January 28th. We are studying Pope Saint Gregory the Great’s Four Books of Dialogues. Join us each Wednesday evening in the rectory at 7:30 p.m. Just walk in.

St. John’s Bible Study…We are using The Bible Timeline Series every Thursday in the rectory at 7:30 p.m. Join us!

Coffee and refreshments… Following the 10:00 a.m. Mass, in the Monsignor Nagle Hall.

Year of Saint Paul... A Plenary Indulgence is offered the faithful through June 29th: by visiting the adoration chapel at Saint John Fisher Seminary Residence on Newfield Avenue: the chapel is open Monday through Thursday, 6:00 a.m.—11:00 p.m., and from Friday at 6:00 a.m. until Sunday 11:00 p.m. The usual conditions apply: sacramental confession and communion, praying one Our Father and Hail Mary for the intentions of Pope Benedict XVI apply.

The 20’s and 30’s … The next meeting will be on February 9th at the Upper Room at Columbus Park at 6:30 p.m. Our Topic will be “Stump the Priest” – come with your questions….bring your friends!

Sunday, January 18, 2009 $ 10,152.52
Sunday, January 20, 2008 $ 9,311.26
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 Feb. 1: Dt. 18: 15-20; 1 Cor. 7: 32-35; Mk. 1: 21-28

Hymns for this weekend . . . (1) 166 (2) 169. The Creed for the Noon Mass may be found in the hymnal at No. 289.

Choral Music for the 12:00 Noon Mass . . . Mass Ordinary: Missa ‘Simile est regnum coelorum” – Tomás Luis de Victoria, 1548-1611. Offertory motet: Constitues eos – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, 1525-1594 (Thou shalt make them princes over all the earth: they shall remember Thy name, O Lord. Instead of fathers, sons are born to thee: therefore shall people praise Thee. (Psalm 45. 17, 18). Communion motet: How lovely are the messengers (from Paulus) – Felix Mendelssohn, 1809-1847 (How lovely are the messengers that preach us the gospel of peace. To all the nations is gone forth the sound of their words, throughout all the lands their glad tidings. [Romans 10, vv. 15 & 18]). The Gregorian chants proper to this Sunday are: Introit Scio cui credidi (I know whom I have believed, and I am certain that He is able to guard the trust committed to me, against that day; being a just Judge. O Lord, You have probed me and You know me; You know when I sit and when I stand.); Gradual Qui operatus (He who worked in Peter for the apostleship, worked also in me among the Gentiles: and they recognized the grace of God that was given to me. The grace of God in me has not been fruitless; but His grace always remains in me.); Alleluia Magnus sanctus (The great Saint Paul, the vessel of election, is truly worthy to be glorified; who also deserved to possess the twelfth throne.); Offertory Miki autem To me, Your friends, O God, are made exceedingly honorable; their principality is exceedingly strengthened.); Communion Signa eos (These signs shall follow them that believe: they shall cast out devils: they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover.).

Calling all 10:00 a.m. Singers! . . . Do you have even a little singing experience? Do you usually attend the 10:00 a.m. Mass? Come join us in the choir loft – we really need you! Rehearsals are Thursday nights at 7:30 p.m. in the music room in the basement of the church. For those who want to learn or refresh their knowledge of the basics of music, there is a short optional Music Theory Class at 7:15. p.m. For more information, call Scott Turkington 324-1553, ext. 18.

10th Annual Catholic Awareness Day…State Capitol in Hartford on Monday, February 9th. In light of the pressing issues facing Catholics today during this session of the General Assembly, please be encourage to attend.

Celebrate Catholic Schools Week… Trinity Catholic Middle School, 948 Newfield Avenue, Stamford is holding an Open House on Wednesday, January 28th at 7:00 p.m. Prospective and current parents are invited to learn about the curriculum and programs, meet teachers and tour the classrooms. Applications for admission will be available. All those who are interested in visiting while school is in session are invited on Thursday, January 29th from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

New Year, New Ideas for Your Job Search…Monday, January 26th at 7:30 p.m., in the Rectory. Presented by Melanie Szlucha, Job Search Coach and owner of Red Inc. Want an effective one-on-one way to meet people in the same boat and share job leads or contacts at major employers? The meeting ends when all questions are answered. If the weather is questionable, check back on my website: http://www.redinc.biz or call me directly before heading out: 203-866-1606.

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

January 31, 1899: Candlemas Day “Next Thursday, which is Candlemas Day, masses will be said in St. John’s R. C. Church at seven and eight o’clock in the morning. On Friday, services attending the blessing of throats will be held at seven in the morning and at 7:30 in the evening.”

February 1, 1909: “A representative of a Catholic orphan asylum of Boston, in which the Knights of Columbus are interested, was at St. John’s R. C. Church, yesterday, with eight children from the Home. All the children were taken by Stamford families.”

January 31, 1917: St. John’s Alumni to Dance. “As a fitting climax to a successful social season, St. John’s Alumni will hold an informal dance at the Hotel Davenport, Friday evening, Feb. 9. As there are a limited number of tickets for sale, requests for the same should be sent in at once, to enable the committee to make reservations. Rehearsals have begun for both principals and chorus of the new Alumni play, to be presented at the Stamford Theatre. From present indications it will uphold the enviable reputation earned by the Alumni in past performances.”

January 30, 1936: REV. JOSEPH KIRKBRIDE TO SPEAK AT MEETING OF ST JOHN’S SOCIETY. “The Rev. Joseph Kirkbride, superior of the Holy Ghost Fathers’ Seminary at Ferndale, West Norwalk, was announced today as a speaker to address members of the Holy Name Society of St. John’s Church at the meeting in the school hall Monday night. Another speaker will be Jim Crowley, football coach of Fordham University, who was one of the famous “Four Horsemen” of Notre Dame football. Father Kirkbride is known to a large group of Catholic men in Stamford having conducted a three day retreat for them at Ferndale last Summer. He was also a speaker at the Charles Carroll of Carrolton Club dinner at Hubbard Heights Country Club last Summer.”

January 31, 1952: CYO Starts Play In Second Half; Johnnies Titlists. “The St. John’s have been declared as first half champions in the CYO Basketball League’s High School division. The Johnnies won five and lost one in the regular play. A protest by the St. Maurice’s was disallowed, after presentation before a committee comprised of Ray Booker, Nick Carlucci and Moe Magliola. Had the St. Maurice’s won the protest, which would have called for play of a game forfeited for non-appearance, the first half would have ended in a tie. The second half begins tonight at the High School gyms, with the St. John’s meeting the St. Cecilia’s and the St. Mary’s engaging St. Maurice’s in 7 p.m. games. One tussle billed for 8 bill pit the Sacred Hearts and St. Clement’s.”

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St. Maria Goretti Society...For the spiritual formation of young ladies from 8th - 12th grades. We’ll next meet on Sunday, January 25th, in the rectory after the 12:00 Noon mass. Questions, please contact Rosa Marchetti at (203) 348-0232.

Vespers for the Conversion of St. Paul … On Sunday, January 25th at 4:00 p.m. Solemn Vespers and Benediction will be celebrated at St. Gabriel Church on Newfield Avenue in Stamford for the Feast of the conversion of St. Paul. Bishop Lori has graciously granted the plenary indulgence for the Pauline Year to those who attend. All are welcome for this special event to mark the Year of St. Paul!

Ash Wednesday... Just a head’s up: February 25th –Lent begins. During Lent, all Catholic churches in the Diocese of Bridgeport will remain open every Tuesday evening for Confessions: 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Easter. . . April 12th.

Mass Intentions

Saturday, January 24
4:00 +James Retter req. Mary Jean Dal Molin
Sunday, January 25
7:30 +Vincent De Vivo 51st Anniversary req. De Vivo & Munro Families
10:00 +Julius & Jane Shoztic, Barbara Schettino req. Richard & Elaine Shoztic
12:00 +Vincent & Teresa Kung req. Joseph & Agnes Kung
6:00 +Patrick Kane & Family req. Estate of Catherine Kane & Family
Monday, January 26
8:00 +Marion Roe req. Jason Pratt
12:10 Nora Henao Mesa req. Raquel Mesa
Tuesday, January 27
8:00 +Raymond Burns req. Mr. & Mrs. L. Bolanowski
12:10 +Marcello Santagata req. Angela Giannitti
Wednesday, January 28
8:00 + Jennifer Tomasello req. Mom & Dad
12:10 Rose
Thursday, January 29
8:00 Special Intention Healing Mrs. Weigel req. Tony J.
12:10 Carlos Nora req. Raquel Mesa
Friday, January 30
8:00 Mr. & Mrs. Beaublum req. Anne Marie Samedi
12:10 +Mrs. Loyola Palinkas req. Maria & Peter Macujewski
Saturday, January 31
8:00 +JoAnne Fiori req. Parents
12:10 +Walter Lijek req. Mr. & Mrs. L. Bolanowski

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.

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.

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).

St. Dominic Savio Society…For the spiritual formation of young men from 8th – 12th grades. Questions, please contact Frank Marchetti at (203) 434-4734.

Choose Life…
(Revisited) - Fr. Terry Walsh

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving to Him…” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Choose life….
We must recognize that the path to eternal happiness within the Holy Trinity is a path we choose to take. Each of us is given the choice. We each have immortal souls and we are meant to live in God – but He does not force us to live in Him. Our decisions in this life determine where we live eternally. The Council Fathers of Vatican II put it this way: “Let all be convinced that human life and its transmission are realities whose meaning is not limited by the horizons of this life only: their time evaluation and full meaning can only be understood in reference to man’s eternal destiny.”
Sadly, our Culture rejects the gift of life – it rejects the Commandments – it has made itself ‘god’. And yet, consider what God has revealed to us: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you…” (Jeremiah 1:5); or again in the Gospel of Luke: “For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy”(Lk 1:44).
The Psalmist, too, sings of the wonder and magnificence of the human person created in the image and likeness of its Creator: “For Thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb…Thou knowest me right well; my frame was not hidden from thee, when I was being made in secret…” (Psalm 139!).
God created us in His Image when He breathed the breath of life into us – creating us body and soul – a life that begins at conception. He included freedom in His plan – that we might freely choose to love Him, that we would choose the blessing and receive life. But do we contemplate the wonder of His love and marvel at His infinite goodness?
We are tragically caught up in a “Culture of Death’ – a culture that proclaims its independence from God, following in the footsteps of Adam. He willfully separated Himself from God. He tumbled out of Paradise and the State of Grace and found himself crawling in the dust. Why? God gave him life and, of course, every other gift and blessing in the State of Grace. But Adam took his eye off the ball. His pride got the better of him. Pride has a terrible effect on a soul meant for love. Adam thought ‘he knew better.’ Imagine the utter shock and horror that rocked his world when the bill showed up – when it came time to pay for his choice. Fast forward to our world today. We live in a culture of moral relativism that celebrates the right to kill what God has brought to life, violating the very commandments that lead to life.
Abortion, Destruction of Embryos, Euthanasia, Eugenics - the list goes on – all done in the so-called name of scientific advancement for ‘the benefit’ of mankind.” Has the subtle snake desensitized our moral and spiritual radar? Have we willfully turned away from God and embraced instead the culture of man? Neither Science nor Public Opinion has any power of absolution, yet it presumes this power. It calls evil (abortion, etc) good and ignores the consequences. It is utterly incomprehensible. Have we lost our way? Has science and technology been commandeered? Have we lost our moral compass and bitten the apple?
Again, the Second Vatican Council beautifully encapsulates our true relationship with God: “The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. The invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot love fully according to Truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his Creator.” Choose life….

Bulletin for January 18 - 24, 2009

2009-01-15T20:02:00Z

Pastor’s Corner . . .
On January 21st the Church commemorates the martyrdom of a young girl, Saint Agnes, who died during the last persecution of the Church by the Roman Empire, under the Emperor Diocletian, in 303 a.d.
Agnes was 12 years old, the beautiful daughter of wealthy ennobled parents. While “her beauty and riches excited the young noblemen of the first families in Rome”, as Dom Alban Butler put it, Agnes responded repeatedly that she had one spouse already: Christ, to whom she had vowed her virginity. Frustrated in their pursuit of the girl’s wealth and beauty, they reported to the governor that she was a Christian, an enemy of Rome. Her suitors and the governor, knowing the family and the girl, thought that the mere suggestion of a trial and torture would be sufficient to wear Agnes down, so that she would relent and marry herself and her fortune to one of them. Yet, to the consternation of all, neither pleasant words, nor threats nor even the sight of instruments of torture could weaken her resolve to be faithful to her Heavenly spouse: “you may”, she said, “stain your sword with my blood, but will never be able to profane my body consecrated to Christ.”
Saint Ambrose continues the story,
“Was her little body really large enough to receive the sword’s thrust? She was hardly big enough to be struck, yet was great enough to overcome—and then at an age when little girls cannot bear a mother’s stern look and think a needle’s jab a mortal wound.
“Agnes did not tremble when in the executioner’s bloody hand nor cringe at the harsh sound of chains. She did not know yet how to die, but was ready. Dragged to the pagan altar, she extended her hands to Christ in the flames of the pagan sacrifice, and turned the sacrilegious fire into a victor’s banner. She offered her neck and hands to the fetters, but they were too big for her tiny limbs.” [On Virgins, Book 1]
Finally, Agnes was led outside the City and beheaded: she courageously bent her head, praying for her persecutors, while the executioner, terrified and trembling, dispatched her with one stroke. From the moment of her burial, her tomb became a site of pilgrimage, embellished after the peace of the Church in 313 by the Emperor Constantine, who built a small basilica over her tomb on the Via Nomentana.
There, since that time until ours, each January 21st the pope sends an archbishop as his special emissary to bless two white lambs: each crowned with red and white roses, carried into the church by twelve young girls, likewise crowned with red and white roses. Hundreds of people crowd the small church, and join in the prayers of blessing, after which the lambs are taken away [in a Vatican Mercedes!!], to the convent of Saint Cecelia across the Tiber, where, once grown, their fleece is shorn, and is woven into a number of pallia: liturgical stoles of white wool with black crosses, which are placed within the Tomb of Saint Peter in the Vatican. The Holy Father gives these to newly named archbishops on June 29th, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, as a sign that their authority comes from Peter through his successor the pope, and that apostolic authority to preach and teach is linked with the virtue of purity of personal life, both symbolized by the wool of the lambs blessed at the tomb of Saint Agnes.
Saint John, our parish patron, relates how highly virginity for Christ was held in the early Church: in the Book of Revelation, they are the companions of the Lamb of God, following Him wherever He goes [Rev xiv, 1-5]. So too, today. Let us teach our children to value purity and to practice it in daily life: preferring, as did Saint Agnes, to please Christ by loving virtue. --Msgr. DiGiovanni

Please pray for the sick… Vincenzo Giannitti, Janet Rodgers, Aidan Moon, Mary Daniele, Lena Cocchia, Phillip Renard, John Castellano, Anthony Sansone, Paul Cavallo, Kathy Hennesey, Ruth Coyle, Lily Rice, Mildred Fiore, Catherine & Jay Olnek

Monthly Collection . . . The second collection today will be the monthly collection for the parish. Your generosity is appreciated.

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 February 3rd.

Parish Women’s Society... We would like to begin a parish society for the spiritual growth of women. Please contact Monsignor if you are interested: Ext. 11.

The Latin Reading Group… Is translating St. Augustine’s Confessions…And meets every Wednesday in the rectory at 6:15 p.m. High school Latin is all that’s needed. Just walk in.

Introduction to New Testament Greek Class ... Meets every Thursday evening in the rectory at 7:30 p.m.

St. Monica Institute for Patristic Studies ... Will next meet on January 21st. We are studying Pope Saint Gregory the Great’s Four Books of Dialogues. Join us each Wednesday evening in the rectory at 7:30 p.m. Just walk in.

St. John’s Bible Study…We are using The Bible Timeline Series every Thursday in the rectory at 7:30 p.m. Join us!

Coffee and refreshments… Following the 10:00 a.m. Mass, in the Monsignor Nagle Hall.

Year of Saint Paul... A Plenary Indulgence is offered the faithful through June 29th: by visiting the adoration chapel at Saint John Fisher Seminary Residence on Newfield Avenue: the chapel is open Monday through Thursday, 6:00 a.m.—11:00 p.m., and from Friday at 6:00 a.m. until Sunday 11:00 p.m. The usual conditions apply: sacramental confession and communion, praying one Our Father and Hail Mary for the intentions of Pope Benedict XVI apply.

The 20’s and 30’s … The next meeting will be on February 9th at the Upper Room at Columbus Park at 6:30 p.m. Our Topic will be “Stump the Priest” – come with your questions….bring your friends!

NOTE CHANGE: Session III of RCIA which was scheduled to be held on TUESDAY NIGHTS beginning on March 10th will be held on WEDNESDAY NIGHTS instead, beginning on March 11th. Call the office for more details.

Sunday, January 11, 2009 $ 8,884.10 (Snow)

Sunday, January 13, 2008 $ 11,991.51

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 Jan. 25th: Jon. 3: 1-5, 10; 1 Cor. 7:29-31; Mk. 1:14-20

Hymns for this weekend . . . (1) 260 (2) 223. The Creed for the Noon Mass may be found in the hymnal at No. 289.

Choral Music for the 12:00 Noon Mass . . . Mass Ordinary: Missa secunda – Hans Leo Hassler, 1562-1612. Offertory motet: Jubilate Deo – Orlando di Lasso, 1532-1594 (O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness, and come before his presence with a song. Be ye sure that the Lord he is God. [Ps. 100:1,2. Trans. M. Coverdale]). Communion motet: Exsultate justi – Ludovico da Viadana, 1560 – 1627 (Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just; praise befits the upright. Give praise to the Lord on the harp; sing to him with the psaltery, the instrument of ten strings. Sing to him a new canticle, sing well unto him with a loud noise. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just; praise befits the upright. [Ps. 32:1, trans. W. Mahrt]). The Gregorian chants proper to this Sunday are: Introit Omnis terra (Let all the earth adore you, O God, and sing unto you: let it sing a psalm to your name, O Most High. Shout with joy to God, all the earth, sing a psalm to His Name: give glory to His praise. [Ps.66. 1, 2]); Alleluia Laudate Deum (Praise God, all his Angels; praise him, all his host. [Ps. 149:2]); Offertory Jubilate Deo (Sing joyfully to God all the earth; let the entire earth cry out with joy to God; sing a psalm in honour of his name. Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what the Lord has done for my soul, alleluia. [Ps. 66:1,2,16]); Communion Dicit Andreas (Andrew said to his brother Simon: “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ); and he led him to Jesus. [John 1:41, 42]).

Calling all 10:00 AM Singers! . . . Do you have even a little singing experience? Do you usually attend the 10:00 a.m. Mass? Come join us in the choir loft – we really need you! Rehearsals are Thursday nights at 7:30 PM in the music room in the basement of the church. For those who want to learn or refresh their knowledge of the basics of music, there is a short optional Music Theory Class at 7:15 p.m. For more information, call Scott Turkington 324-1553, ext. 18.

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

January 22, 1869: “The Catholic Fair, which commenced in Seely’s Hall on Tuesday evening is, we learn, a decided success so far. The Hall is tastefully decorated with flags, etc., and the various tables are arranged with much neatness. An unusually large number of valuable articles are to be disposed of by lottery, the drawing to take place Saturday evening. Among these are a magnificent clock, gold watches, oil paintings – one worth two hundred dollars – a gold mounted revolver and other articles too numerous to mention. The temperance society visited the Fair in a body on Wednesday afternoon, and the school children yesterday. Last evening the “Stamford Serenaders” contributed to the amusement of those present at the Fair, and this performance is to be repeated Saturday night. From present appearances we have no doubt the Fair will be a success financially and otherwise.”

January 22, 1908: “Rev. Patrick Connors, the Stamford young man who was recently ordained to the priesthood, has been assigned as curate in Westport.”

January 22, 1932: “Appointment of the Rev. Andrew J. Plunkett, Ph.D., a native of Stamford, as pastor of St. Mary’s R. C. Church, Derby, has been announced by Rt. Rev. John J. Nilan, D. D., Bishop of Hartford. The appointment is a transfer from St. Joseph’s Church, Shelton.”

January 22, 1940: St. John’s Pastor Reports Spiritual Activities of ‘39. “A report on the spiritual activities at St. John’s Catholic Church during 1939 was presented at Masses yesterday by the Rev. N. P. Coleman, pastor. Father Coleman’s report showed 100 infants had been baptized during the year; 10 adults received the same sacrament; there were 49 marriages and 57 deaths in the parish; 119 received First Communion; 422 received the Sacrament of Confirmation; 69,000 Communions were distributed; last rites were administered 303 times; 3,285 sick calls and visits were made. There are 721 children in St. John’s School, including 520 in the grades, and 201 in the junior high school division. During 1939, 276 public school children received weekly religious instruction, also 25 Junior High School students and 173 Senior High School students. The church calendar for 1940 shows daily Masses at 7:30; devotions Sunday and Tuesday nights, and during Lent the services will include three in each week with the additional service on Friday nights. Father Coleman announced that the LaSalette mission band of Hartford will conduct a mission at St. John’s during the first two weeks of May.”

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St. Anne Family Society ... PROGRAM CHANGE … We will now meet 4 times a year – twice in the Fall and twice in the Spring. Our next meeting will be held in APRIL – stay tuned for more details. It will include Eucharistic Adoration in church; a potluck supper and a spiritual conference in the parish hall. All families—including children—are invited.

Mass Intentions

Saturday, January 17
4:00 +Lockhart Family req. Harriet Lockhart
Sunday, January 18
7:30 Special Intention Heloise Nana req. Kristin Cassidy
10:00 +Victoria Santagata req. Angela Giannitti
12:00 +Maria Preziosi 16th Anniversary req. Children, Grandchildren & Great Grandchildren
6:00 +Patrick Kane & Family req. Estate of Catherine Kane & Family
Monday, January 19
8:00 +Marylou Deluca r eq. Al & Stella Sorrentino
12:10 +Alvino Mesa req. Raquel Mesa
Tuesday, January 20
8:00 The Marchetti Family
12:10 +Stephen, Irene & Nicholas Churley and Anne C. Yaworski req. Mary Churley
Wednesday, January 21
8:00 +Lorenzo Del Castillo req. Nick & Lyca Brown
12:10 All Priests of the Parish req. Raquel Mesa
Thursday, January 22
8:00 Special Intention & Healing Mrs. Pelton
12:10 +Leon Terenzio req. Michael
Friday, January 23
8:00 Souls in Purgatory req. Fabiola C.
12:10 +Rose Lee & Helen Mathews req. Bosilevas Family
Saturday, January 24
8:00 +Eileen Carr req. Marie Carr
12:10 +Betsy Woolf req. Fabiola C.

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.

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.

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].

St. Maria Goretti Society . . . For the spiritual formation of young ladies from 8th - 12th grades. Questions, please contact Rosa Marchetti at (203) 348-0232.

St. Dominic Savio Society…For the spiritual formation of young men from 8th – 12th grades. Questions, please contact Frank Marchetti at (203) 434-4734.

Who is St. John the Evangelist?
(Revisited)
- Fr. Terry Walsh

John is, of course, one of the 12 Apostles – the youngest of them all. He and his brother, the Apostle James, were fishermen from Bethsaida, a town in Galilee. They were the sons of Zebedee and Salome and were known as the ‘Sons of Thunder’ because of their deep and abiding faith and their desire to preach the Gospel to all the world. John was also known as the ‘Beloved Disciple’. Along with Peter and James, John formed part of the ‘inner circle’ of Jesus. Through out the Gospels we see Jesus take Peter, James, and John aside and draw them into the most significant moments in His ministry, such as the Raising of Jairus’ daughter and the Transfiguration. Both St. Luke (Acts of the Apostles) and St. Paul (Letter to the Galatians) speak of John as playing a prominent role in the early Church following the Ascension and the Feast of Pentecost.
Who is John? He was the only Apostle at the foot of the Cross. It was there – from the Cross- that our Lord gave John to Mary and at the same time entrusted His Blessed Mother into the hands of his faithful Apostle. We can only imagine the influence the Mother of our Lord had on John through out the years they lived together. We need only look to Sacred Scripture to gain some insight into the influence of Mary’s Motherly love upon the heart of the disciple that leaned against our Lord that night when He would give Himself up for us.
John wrote the 4th Gospel, sometimes referred to as the ‘Spiritual Gospel.’ John pierces the veil, as it were, into the deeper meaning of Jesus’ words. In addition, John wrote three of the letters in the New Testament as well as the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. He was the last of the Apostles to die and with his death the Canon of Sacred Scripture, which comes to us through the Apostles, was closed.
Consider the stunning beginning of the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John powerfully proclaims the divinity of Jesus and points to the sacrifice He would offer in order that we might share in His Divine life for all eternity. What a magnificent hymn of praise to He Who calls us to be His very children. Moreover, John beautifully recalls our Lord’s words to His disciples in the 6th chapter of the Gospel, also known as “The Bread of Life Discourse,” and tells how those who are baptized into His Body will be nourished and sustained – it is through the very Body and Blood of the Word made Flesh. In this chapter the mystery of Holy Eucharist is revealed. Why did the Word leave His heavenly throne of Glory to become incarnate? Why did He willingly undergo terrible suffering and die upon the Cross? John tells us in his 1st letter, “God IS Love,” and this is why he came. We are called to abide in His love. As we receive His very Body and Blood in faith, we naturally grow in love and - in our own particular way with the help of His grace - we too become – in a manner of speaking – “Sons of Thunder.”

Bulletin for January 11 - 17, 2009

2009-01-08T20:00:00Z

Pastor’s Corner . . . Saint John’s is quite a splendid little parish, if I do say so myself. It’s had a few decades of practice, you know, but, it also has a vast crowd of people who make it work. I’ve always thought that many people think that after Sunday Mass we shut off the lights until the following Sunday. Not so: Just look at the parish bulletin for the usual weekly schedule of activities for some idea that the place stays open daily, late into the night. Or, drop by any day in church between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and see the hundreds of people who stop by to make a visit to Our Lord. While the priests stay occupied with hospital calls, the sacramental schedule, teaching and personal counseling, and the salaried staff remains reasonably busy making the place run, there is, likewise, quite literally, a battalion of volunteers who work thousands of hours behind-the-scenes to make St. John’s the best parish in Fairfield County. This weekend, the priests of the parish will host our annual volunteer luncheon to thank those scores of volunteers.
Without naming names, because they’d put a hit out on my life if I did, here is a small list of some of those unseen-yet-essential volunteers and their duties: the lady who opens the church weekdays at 6:30 a.m.-originally from Stamford, she now drives from Monroe each morning; the ladies who maintain the sanctuary, clean and polish the altar, statues and sacred Mass vessels, arrange the flowers, clean and iron the altar linens, maintain the church supplies, and keep the church in running order—they arrive Monday and Friday at 6: 45 a.m., and spend most of their days at church—on Fridays they leave by 9:00 p.m.-- working; Christmas, Holy Week and Easter require dozens more hours daily, and another lovely lady who directs the flower arranging; the lady who repairs the Mass vestments, altar linens and ornaments, and robes for Our Lady’s altar; various tradesmen and professionals who donate their time and efforts in parish repair and construction projects; the numerous lectors and altar servers who serve at the altar daily at Mass; our ushers, who maintain order and take the weekly collection; those who sort and count the collection; the lady who volunteers as our librarian for the parish’s extensive sheet music library, helping Scott and the choir, along with the lady who helps with the children’s choir, and the choir volunteers; then there are the religious education teachers and their assistants who teach our children the Catholic faith weekly; volunteers who organize our parish societies; the men and women who volunteer to make all our social and fundraising events happen; the bookstore volunteers, and those who prepare coffee and refreshments each week after the 10:00 a.m. Mass; the gentleman who drives each Monday from New Jersey to research Saint John’s parish history, and the young lady who volunteers as his secretary, maintaining computer files of St. John’s history for us and for the Stamford Historical Society; the members of our parish Finance Council and Parish Council; our parish Trustees and legal counsel, who do there best to restrain the pastor from doing too many dumb things.
That’s a lot of people!! And too often, their efforts and dedicated service to Saint John’s go unmentioned, unnoticed or unappreciated by us all. So, this weekend, I would like to thank them all for their generous and continued hard work, which is such a sign of their love for our parish and for Our Lord, and one reason why St. John’s does work so well. --Msgr. DiGiovanni

Please pray for the sick… Janet Rodgers, Aidan Moon, Mary Daniele, Lena Cocchia, Phillip Renard, John Castellano, Anthony Sansone, Paul Cavallo, Kathy Hennesey, Ruth Coyle, Lily Rice, Mildred Fiore, Catherine & Jay Olnek

Please pray for those who have recently died. . . Thomas Carucci, Sr. Julia McCarthy, Ella Palumba, Vito Melfi, Arthur Capalbo, Avery Cardinal Dulles, Laurie, Jeannette Augustine, Vivian E. Torres, Margie Nicholson, Ed “Red” Baker

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 February 3rd.

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. We’ll start again on Tuesday, January 13th.

Parish Women’s Society... We would like to begin a parish society for the spiritual growth of women. Please contact Monsignor if you are interested: Ext. 11.

The Latin Reading Group… Is translating St. Augustine’s Confessions…And meets every Wednesday in the rectory at 6:15 p.m. High school Latin is all that’s needed. Just walk in. We will next meet on January 14th.

Introduction to New Testament Greek Class ... Meets every Thursday evening in the rectory at 7:30 p.m. This is an introductory class: All are welcome.

St. Monica Institute for Patristic Studies ... Will NOT meet on January 14th, but will resume on January 21st. We are studying Pope Saint Gregory the Great’s Four Books of Dialogues. Join us each Wednesday evening in the rectory at 7:30 p.m.

St. John’s Bible Study…We are using The Bible Timeline Series every Thursday in the rectory at 7:30 p.m. Join us!

Coffee and refreshments… Following the 10:00 a.m. Mass, in the Monsignor Nagle Hall.

The 20’s and 30’s Meeting for January 13th has been cancelled. The next meeting will be on February 9th at the Upper Room at Columbus Park at 6:30 p.m. Our Topic will be “Stump the Priest” – come with your questions….bring your friends!

Sunday, January 4, 2009 $ 12,178.12
Sunday, January 6, 2008 $ 11,609.38

Christmas, December 25, 2008 $ 34,956.99
Christmas, December 25, 2007 $ 39,824.00

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 Jan. 18th: 1 Sm. 3:3b-10, 19; 1 Cor. 6:13c-15a, 17-20; Jn.1:35-42

Hymns for this weekend . . . (1) 47 (2) 187. The Creed for the Noon Mass may be found in the hymnal at No. 289.

Choral Music for the 12:00 Noon Mass . . . Mass Ordinary: Missa ‘O quam gloriosum’ – Tomás Luis de Victoria, 1548-1611. Offertory motet: Inveni David – G.P. da Palestrina, 1525-1594 (I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him. My hand shall hold him fast and my arms shall strengthen him. [Ps. 89:21-22]). Communion motet: O esca viatorum – Heinrich Isaac, c. 1445 – 1517 (O Food of men wayfaring, The bread of Angels sharing, O Manna from on high! We hunger; Lord, supply us, Nor thy delights deny us, Whose hearts to thee draw nigh. O Jesu, by thee bidden, We here adore thee, hidden ‘Neath froms of bread and wine. Grant when the veil is riven, We may behold, in heaven, Thy countenance divine. (Anon. 17th Cent., trans. A. Riley). The Gregorian chants proper to this Sunday are: Introit Dilexisti justitiam (You have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions. My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my works to the King. [Ps. 45:8, 2]); Alleluia Inveni David (I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him. [Ps. 89:21]); Offertory Benedictus qui venit (Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord; the Lord God is our light, alleluia, alleluia. [Ps. 118:26,27]); Communion Omnes qui in Christo (As for all of you who have been baptised in Christ, you have put on Christ, alleluia. [Galatians 3:27]).

COME AND SEE – COME AND SING – COME AND WORSHIP ... St. John’s new Volunteer Choir invites St. John's parishioners and friends to join us. DISCOVER what a wonderful experience it is to pray by singing. MEET US. We are becoming a very convivial group. REHEARSALS are Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in the music room in the basement of the church. For those who want to learn or refresh their knowledge of the basics of music, there is a short optional Music Theory Class at 7:15 p.m. For more information, call Scott Turkington 324-1553, ext. 18.

January 15, 1921: “Much interest is being taken by members of the Holy Name Society in the rally to be held in the Alhambra Theatre, tomorrow, at 8 p. m., under the auspices of the society of St. John’s Church. The Rt. Rev. John G. Murray, auxiliary bishop of the Catholic diocese of Hartford, and David E. Fitzgerald, the eloquent Mayor of New Haven, are to make addresses. The chaplains and other officers of the Holy Name societies in the district between Westport and East Port Chester will be represented at the meeting, which will be for men only.”

January 16, 1936: “The Rev. F. X. Downey, S. J., of the Stamford Catholic Library, will conduct the novena to St. Anthony which will be held in St. John’s R. C. Church, starting next Monday afternoon. The novena will close January 28. “St. Anthony and Today” is the general theme for the nine short talks to be given at each of the afternoon and evening services. “To honor and to imitate is the motive behind the novena to St. Anthony,” Father Downey said, today. “St. Anthony, Franciscan, was nothing if not practical, and his message today to people facing the perplexing problems of life is timely and filled with sound common Catholic sense..”

January 18, 1939: “The first annual mid-year spiritual retreat for boys and girls of high school age will be held in St. John’s Catholic Church, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 27, 28 and 29, it was announced today by the Inter-parish Council of the Stamford Catholic Youth Organizations. The retreat exercises will be directed by Rev. Robert X. Sheridan, S. J., a member of the faculty of Boston College High School, who has had considerable experience with high school students’ retreats in New England. The exercises of the retreat will formally open Friday night, Jan. 27, at 7:30, with devotions, sermon and benediction. Saturday morning the retreat mass will be at 8 a. m. with sermon by Father Sheridan. Saturday evening at 7:30, there will be devotions, sermon and benediction. The retreat will close Sunday morning, at the 8 a. m. mass, at which time all those making the retreat will receive Holy Communion.”

January 18, 1952: Johnnies Lead CYO Basketball As Hearts Tumble. “The team standings took quite a shuffling in the CYO High School Basketball League last night with St. Maurice’s setting the pattern with an upset win which dislodged the Sacred Heart team from first place. It was the second successive upset for the St. Maurice team which knocked off the Holy Name five last week. St. John’s moved into first place with a tight 27-26 decision over the Holy Name team which dropped from second to third place as a result of the loss.”

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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 February 7th.

Mass Intentions

Saturday, January 10
4:00 Thanksgiving to God & All Saints req. Diane Strain
Sunday, January 11
7:30 +James Stack req. Dagmar Lanigan
10:00 +Frances Delaney 1st Anniversary req. by Family
12:00 Thanksgiving Mass req. Anne Marie Samedi
6:00 +Patrick Kane & Family req. Estate of Catherine Kane & Family
Monday, January 12
8:00 +Edward A. Joyce req. Msgr. DiGiovanni
12:10 +Hennando Mesa req. Raquel Mesa
Tuesday, January 13
8:00 +Roger Gable req. Carpanzano Family
12:10 For a Blessing req. Anne Marie Mathieu
Wednesday, January 14
8:00 Scared Heart of Jesus req. Maria
12:10 +Amaldo Mesa req. Raquel Mesa
Thursday, January 15
8:00 +Umberto Badetti req. The Marchetti Family
12:10 +Mary Louise Deluca req. Patricia Haas
Friday, January 16
8:00 +Maureen Bernadette Breen req. Frank & Elisabeth Clarke
12:10 +Mary Louise Deluca req. Kathleen Walsh
Saturday, January 17
8:00 Souls in Purgatory req. Fabiola C.
12:10 Brian & Kathleen Fennessey req. Fr. Terrence P. Walsh

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.

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.

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].

St. Maria Goretti Society . . . For the spiritual formation of young ladies from 8th - 12th grades. Questions, please contact Rosa Marchetti at (203) 348-0232.

St. Dominic Savio Society…For the spiritual formation of young men from 8th – 12th grades. Questions, please contact Frank Marchetti at (203) 434-4734.

The Baptism of the Lord
- Fr. Terry Walsh
What a wonderful Season! Advent prepared our hearts to welcome our Lord on Christmas Day and the Epiphany ennobled our hearts with his Radiant Light. And today we celebrate His Baptism and so recall the gift of the Holy Spirit which comes to us through our entry into His Mystical Body at our own Baptism. Consider the beautiful Antiphon taken from Morning Prayer on last week’s Solemnity of the Epiphany:
“Today the Bridegroom claims his bride, the Church, since Christ has washed her sins away in Jordan’s waters; the Magi hasten with their gifts to the royal wedding; and the wedding guests rejoice, for Christ has changed water into wine, alleluia.”
That beautiful Epiphany Antiphon ties together three manifestations of the Light of Christ that demonstrate the union between God and man: the Baptism of Jesus, the Search of the three Magi, and of course, the Wedding Feast at Cana where Jesus performed His 1st public miracle thereby manifesting His Divinity to the world. The Antiphon expresses the intimate union between God and man – likened to the union in Sacramental Marriage. Jesus, the Bridegroom marries His Bride, the Church. Each member of the Mystical Body of Christ enjoys that union in a deeply personal way, beginning with Baptism and continuing throughout the journey of life, especially through Holy Eucharist. Moreover, Vatican II established the Baptism of Jesus as a special Feast, which we celebrate today, the day before we enter “Ordinary Time” in the Church’s Liturgy. What exactly was the purpose of the Baptism of Jesus? After all, He is God, so why did He go to the Jordan to be baptized? Consider the meditation of St. Hippolytus: “That Jesus should come to be baptized by John is surely cause for amazement. To think of the infinite river that gladdens the city of God being bathed in a poor little stream of the eternal; the unfathomable fountainhead that gives life to all men being immersed in the shallow waters of this transient world! He who fills all creation, leaving no place devoid of his presence, he who is incomprehensible to the angels and hidden from the sight of man, came to be baptized because it was his will. And behold, the heavens opened and a voice said: ‘This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased’….The Father of immortality sent his immortal Son and Word into the world; he came to us men to cleanse us with water and the Spirit. To give us a new birth that would make our bodies and souls immortal, he breathed into us the spirit of life and armed us with incorruptibility. Now if we become divine after rebirth in baptism through water and the Holy Spirit, we shall also be coheirs with Christ after the resurrection….This is the water that is linked to the Spirit, the water that irrigates Paradise, makes the earth fertile, gives growth to plants, and brings forth living creatures. In short, this is the water by which a man receives new birth and life, the water in which even Christ was baptized, the water into which the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove.” And St. Proclus adds, “Come, consider this new and wonderful deluge, greater and more important than the flood of Noah’s day. Then the water of the flood destroyed the human race, but now the water of baptism has recalled the dead to life by the power of the one who was baptized. In the days of the flood the dove with an olive branch in its beak foreshadowed the fragrance of the good odor of Christ the Lord; now the Holy Spirit, coming in the likeness of a dove reveals the lord of mercy.”

Bulletin January 4 - 10, 2009

2009-01-02T14:07:00Z

Pastor’s Corner . . . The Church celebrates the Epiphany this weekend, which commemorates three historical events of great importance: the veneration of the Christ Child by the Three Kings; the Baptism of Our Lord by John the Baptist; and the miracle of the Wedding Feast at Cana. Each of these events is important, because each explains precisely who this child is and what he was to do.
The Three Kings came, having followed the “star” rising in the east. In reality, they saw a rare eclipse of Jupiter by the moon, the “king” of planets, the movement of which was interpreted in the ancient world as a portent of royal birth. They observed this, and understood that the baby they found in Bethlehem was no mere child, but a king, greater than any earthly monarch. Following the then common understanding of the stars and planets, the Three Kings believed that such a birth had been the result of the movements of heavenly bodies. How many today follow astrology in the same way!? St. Augustine made this observation to clarify why the Kings followed the stars to the birth of Christ:
“. . . that star which the Magi saw did not have power over Christ, New-Born according to the flesh, but rather obeyed Him as witnesses to His birth. If we must speak of fate, then rather let us say, not that the star was Christ’s destiny, but that Christ was the destiny of the star, since He caused it to exist and rise in the east for the Three Kings.” [Contra Faustinum, II, 5]
Their gifts bore witness to the reality of Jesus’ identity: gold for a king; frankincense for a god; and myrrh, both a medicine and a burial herb in the ancient world, for one who was to cure humanity of sin and death by his own saving death.
St. John Chrysostom described it this way:
“The Son of God, Who is the God of all things, is born a Man in body. He permits Himself to be placed in a crib, Who holds the heavens in His Hand. He is confined in a Manger whom the world cannon contain; He is heard in the voice of a wailing Infant, at Whose voice in the hour of His passion on the cross the whole earth trembled. The Magi, beholding a Child, profess that this is the Lord of Glory, the Lord of Majesty, . . .”
[Sermon for the Epiphany]
The Baptism of Our Lord, which feast we celebrate next Sunday, and which I will treat at greater length in next week’s bulletin, signifies who the man Jesus is: the voice from Heaven tells us “This is my beloved Son, on whom my favor rests; listen to him.”.
And, finally, the Wedding Feast at Cana: the first of Jesus’ public miracles as he began his ministry. At the prompting of His Mother, Jesus comes to the aid of a newly married couple. Sparing them the embarrassment of having no wine for their guests, He changes water into hundreds of gallons of the best wine anyone had ever tasted.
Who is this? These three events tell us: Jesus is the Creator of the universe, whose word created everything from nothing, and is obeyed even by the basic elements of nature. The child born in the manger is no mere child: He is the only God, eternally existing, through whom everything was created in the universe; who, for love of mankind created in His image and likeness, humbled Himself to be born in the image and likeness of sinful man, taking on human flesh of the Virgin Mary; He entered His creation to recreate everything by His presence and sacrifice. He especially comes to recreate every human being, wounded by the sin of Adam and subject to death, whom He frees by His life-giving death on the Cross. This is He, born in Bethlehem, revealed at the Jordan at His baptism, manifested in his power at Cana: God who became a man so that mankind can share His divine life. --Msgr. DiGiovanni

Please pray for the sick… Phillip Renard, John Castellano, Anthony Sansone, Paul Cavallo, Kathy Hennesey, Ruth Coyle, Lily Rice, Mildred Fiore, Catherine & Jay Olnek, Ryan Santolo, Michael Mammone, Mary Bozek, Marjorie Just

Please pray for those who have recently died. . . Vito Melfi, Arthur Capalbo, Avery Cardinal Dulles, Laurie, Jeannette Augustine, Vivian E. Torres, Margie Nicholson, Ed “Red” Baker, Katherine Harten, Pauline Weeks, Jennifer Tomasello, Vincent Dangi, Deborah (Brennan) Stowell,

Parish Women’s Society... We would like to begin a parish society for the spiritual growth of women. Please contact Monsignor if you are interested: Ext. 11.

The Latin reading group is translating St. Augustine’s Confessions…And meets every Wednesday in the rectory at 6:15 p.m. High school Latin is all that’s needed. Just walk in. We’ll resume on Wednesday, January 7th.

Introduction to New Testament Greek Class . . . Meets every Thursday evening in the rectory at 7:30 p.m. This is an introductory class: All are welcome. We’ll resume on Thursday, January 8th.

St. Monica Institute for Patristic Studies ... Will next meet on January 7th to begin studying Pope Saint Gregory the Great’s Four Books of Dialogues. Join us each Wednesday evening in the rectory at 7:30 p.m.

St. John’s Bible Study…We are using The Bible Timeline Series every Thursday in the rectory at 7:30 p.m. Join us: We’ll resume on Thursday, January 8th.

Coffee and refreshments… following the 10:00 a.m. Mass, in the Monsignor Nagle Hall.

St. Maria Goretti Society . . . For the spiritual formation of young ladies from 8th - 12th grades. Questions, please contact Rosa Marchetti at (203) 348-0232.

St. Dominic Savio Society…For the spiritual formation of young men from 8th – 12th grades. Questions, please contact Frank Marchetti at (203) 434-4734.
Sunday, December 28, 2008 $ 11,205.03

Sunday, December 30, 2007 $11,638.15
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 Jan. 11th: Is 42: 1-4, 6-7; Acts 10: 34-38 or 1 Jn. 5:1-9/Mk 1:7-11

Hymns for this weekend . . . (1) 37 (2) 41. The Creed for the Noon Mass may be found in the hymnal at No. 289.

Choral Music for the 12:00 Noon Mass . . . Mass Ordinary: Missa Æterna Christi munera – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, 1525-1594. Offertory motet: Magi videntes stellam – Jacob Clemens non Papa, c. 1510-1555 (The magi, having seen the star, said, each in turn: “This is the sign of a great king! Let us go and look for him and offer him gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh.”). Communion motet: Coventry Carol – Kenneth Leighton, 1929-1988 (Lully, lulla, thou little tiny child, By by, lully, lullay. O sisters too, How may we do For to preserve this day? This poor youngling, For whom we sing, By, by, lully, lullay! Herod the king, In his raging, Charged he hath this day His men of might, In his own sight, All children young to slay. That woe is me, Poor child for thee! And ever morn and day, For thy parting Nor say nor sing, By, by, lully, lullay. [Anonymous, 15th cent.]). The Gregorian chants proper to this Sunday are: Introit Ecce advenit (Behold, the Sovereign Lord is coming; kingship, government and power are in his hands. Endow the King with your judgement, O God, and the King’s son with your righteousness. [Cf. Mal. 3:1; I Chron. 29: 12; Ps. 72: 1,10,11]); Alleluia Vidimus stellam (We have seen his star in the East, and we have come with our gifts, to worship the Lord. [Cf. Matthew 2:2]); Offertory Reges Tharsis (The kings of Tarshish and the islands shall offer presents; the kings of the Arabians and of Sheba shall bring gifts; all the kings of the earth shall adore the him, all nations shall serve him. [Psalm 72:10,11]); Communion Vidimus stellam (We have seen his star in the East, and we have come with our gifts, to worship the Lord. [Cf. Matthew 2:2]).

COME AND SEE – COME AND SING – COME AND WORSHIP ... St. John’s new Volunteer Choir invites St. John's parishioners and friends to join us. DISCOVER what a wonderful experience it is to pray by singing. MEET US. We are becoming a very convivial group. REHEARSALS are Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in the music room in the basement of the church. For those who want to learn or refresh their knowledge of the basics of music, there is a short optional Music Theory Class at 7:15. p.m. For more information, call Scott Turkington 324-1553, ext. 18

Healing Mass. . . . Thursday, January 8th, at 7:30 p.m. at Saint Philip’s Church, Fr. Conlon Drive, Norwalk.
St. John’s in The NEWS . . .
. . . 100 years ago, or so:

The Stamford Advocate:
January 5, 1866: “The second annual ball of the St. John’s Roman Catholic Benevolent Society which took place at Hoyt’s Hall, on Friday night last, was a decided success, and a handsome sum must have been realized in aid of the charitable object of the association. The floor managers, Messrs. Eugene W. Drew, Hickey and Mannon, performed their duties in a manner creditable to themselves and agreeable to all concerned. The dancers’ feet kept time to the music of a fine quadrille band, and the harp “woke all its chords” for the enjoyment of the festive throng. The utmost order prevailed throughout, and nothing occurred to mar the pleasure of the occasion.”

The Connecticut Catholic:
January 9, 1886: STAMFORD. “The first ball of Father Matthew T.A.B. society given on last Thursday night in Town hall building was the most successful of any given this season in every respect, although the night was stormy and unpleasant. The attendance surpassed the expectations of everyone, while the success of the enterprise far exceeded the anticipation of the members of the society. A very satisfactory amount, after all expenses, was realized. The Social Nine orchestra furnished the music, a sufficient guarantee that the music was good. The committee of arrangements consisted of John H. McGill, Marin Kane, George Russell, Daniel Hickey, Francis Morgan and John Murphy.”

The New York Times:
January 11, 1904: STAMFORD “The annual report of St. John’s Roman Catholic Church, which has just been announced, shows that its debt was decreased $11,500 during the last year. The previous year it was decreased $10,000, making a total of $21,500 that has been paid in two years. The standing debt is $45,000, and it is hoped this may be paid in three years. There are no rich people in the parish. Nearly all the members of the church belong to the working classes, and there is not one that could be said to be of independent means.”

The Stamford Advocate:
January 10, 1942: Rev. F. S. Morrissey To Be Angelus Hour Speaker On Sunday. “The Rev. Francis S. Morrissey, assistant pastor of St. John’s Catholic Church, will be the speaker on Sunday’s Angelus Hour on WSRR at 5:30 p.m. Father Morrissey’s subject will be “The Catholic Family.” The broadcast will be dedicated to the Feast of the Holy Family, which will be observed Sunday. Father Morrissey, a graduate of Catholic University, Washington, D. C., is recognized as a forceful, eloquent speaker. He has been one of the leaders in the catechetical work of the Hartford Diocese, and at present is regional director for this work in southwestern Connecticut. Upon the completion of his university course, and prior to his ordination, he was appointed prefect at St. Thomas Seminary in Hartford.”

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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 January 3rd.

Mass Intentions

Saturday, January 3
4:00 +Marie Bryant req. The Loughlin Family

Sunday, January 4
7:30 +Mary Lou Deluca req. Louise Munro
10:00 +Louis Manes req. Angela Giannitti
12:00 +Suzana Donovan 14th Anniversary req. Marion Morris
6:00 +Patrick Kane & Family req. Catherine Kane & Family

Monday, January 5
8:00 +John Maloney req. wife Mary
12:10 +Carlos Henao Mesa req. Raquel Mesa
Tuesday, January 6

8:00 +Patrick Kane & Family req. The Estate of Catherine Kane & Family
12:10 +Diane Slavinsky req. Marc Ramano

Wednesday, January 7
8:00 +Elaine Solimene req. Employees of
Wilson, Elser
12:10 +Anita Nanos req. The Carpanzano Family

Thursday, January 8
8:00 +Terese Fulton req. Ralph E. Haczynski
12:10 +Bertha Mesa de Henao req. Raquel Mesa
Friday, January 9
8:00 John J. Gannon & John J. Gannon, Jr. Birthdays
12:10 +Catherine Pascale req. John & Laura Pascale
Saturday, January 10
8:00 +Hope & Joseph McAleer req. Family
12:10 +George Schiff req. Dagmar Lanigan

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.

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.

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].

O Radiant Light
- Fr. Terry Walsh
On a cold night, in a dark and abandoned cave not fit for the dwelling of man – the whole Universe Shook! It had been 9 months since the Archangel Gabriel announced to the humble Virgin the magnificent news of our Salvation; 40 weeks since Mary so perfectly united Her will to the will of our Heavenly Father. Now, the hour was fast approaching – the fullness of time had come. The Virgin Mary was about to give birth to Her Son: True God and True Man. He was about to pierce the veil, uniting Heaven and Earth - the Son of God – and the Son of Mary. The world would never be the same. On that Holy night, the Radiant Light of God would forever sanctify all Who humbly receive Him into their hearts and souls through the Sacrament of Baptism. That night, in that dark cave, His brilliant Light issued forth the pure warmth of Divine Love, filling that humble abode with His Peace. Imagine the prayerful ecstasy of Mary, Her joyful soul overflowing in a grace and peace that is simply beyond human understanding. Yes, the Universe Shook that night! In the humblest circumstances and amid hard hearted people, the mighty Prince of Peace burst into the world in a holy and miraculous way: Picture the Virgin Mary, kneeling in prayer as she prepared to give birth. The Mystic, Venerable Mary Agedra, described her vision this way: “God did not divide, but penetrated the virginal chamber as the rays of the Sun penetrate the crystal shrine, lighting it up in prismatic beauty…(as Jesus) came forth from the virginal chamber…glorious and transfigured.” What a beautiful image of His Radiant Divine Light, keeping forever inviolate the perpetual virginity of His Holy Mother – before, during, and after His Holy and miraculous birth.
Thousands upon thousands of angels surrounded the Holy Virgin as she welcomed the Only Begotten Son of the Most High into the very world He created. Those pure and holy spirits witnessed the Son of Justice come to offer Mercy to a fallen and unworthy people – to us. Another Mystic, St. Emmerich, offered another stunning image. She wrote, “As Mary knew Her time was near, Joseph went to a little recess area to pray. He looked back for a moment and saw Mary kneeling in prayer, Her back to him, Her face toward the east. He saw the cave filled with the Light that streamed from Mary – for she was entirely enveloped as if by flames. It was as if he were – like Moses – looking into the burning bush. He sank prostrate to the ground in prayer – and did not look back again.” As the angels surround the glorious Babe in the manger, they offered Him the most exquisite melody of praise, perfectly chanting the Gloria with the sweetest residue of joy and peace and love. What a beautiful vision of His resplendent majesty and light!
John tells us in the Gospel, “Jesus came to give life and give it abundantly” – to all those who seek Him – to those who follow Him – to those who imitate His love and obedience and offer their “will” to the will of the Father (just as He had done). He came to heal the broken spirit of man. He came to rescue us from eternal death by drawing us into His eternal light. May we faithfully respond to His invitation, just as the poor and humble shepherds did, and run to him, eager to follow Him and do His will so that we, too, might receive the Gift of everlasting life, happiness, and peace! May we approach Him in Awe and Wonder and so be transformed by his marvelous light – the light of grace – the light of divine love - and allow his mercy to pierce our stony hearts and cloudy minds, thus enabling us to peer into the Mystery of his Incarnation – Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary. While the Christmas Season ends after the Epiphany, the Light of Christ remains in our hearts and minds and so transforms our souls – if only we continue to humbly seek Him in the Sacraments, in our faithful life of prayer, and in “living the truth in love”(Eph 4:15).

Bulletin for December 28, 2008 - January 3, 2009

2008-12-24T14:08:00Z

Pastor’s Corner . . . The date for the beginning of the New Year has not always been on January 1st. In fact, not until 1582 did January 1st become New Year’s Day, when it was declared such by Pope Gregory XIII, who instituted the present day calendar, replacing that which was in use since the time of Julius Caesar. Before that, New Year’s Day was determined by the use in different countries and cities. New Year’s Day was the beginning of a period known as the Indiction, usually a 15-year cycle begun during the Roman Empire, begun in the 3rd century reign of the Emperor Diocletian, to help establish land taxes. It is similar to the use by Queen Elizabeth of England, or Pope Benedict XVI, referring the year of their reign to date something, rather than the common estimation of dates. So, for instance, an act in England would be dated as occurring in the 27th year of the Queen’s reign; or in Rome, as in the 2nd year of the Pope’s reign.
In other cities and countries, New Year’s Day began on church feast days: In Venice, the year began on March 1st; Florence began the year on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25th; France began its year on Easter, whose date changed each year; the Byzantine Empire began its year on September 1st; Rome, the Papal States, England, Ireland and Alexandria in Egypt, on Christmas Day; Spain, depending on the kingdom, by the 12th century New Year’s Day was either Christmas or the Circumcision of the Lord, January 1st; by the 17th it was usually the latter. In any event, whatever date celebrated as the beginning of the New Year, the day before was one of thanksgiving for the blessings of the past year.
On New Year’s Eve, whatever date that it was observed, the Church always offered a Plenary Indulgence: the full remission of the temporal punishment due for sins the guilt of which has already been forgiven in Confession. One can obtain this by: 1) going to confession sometime within 7 days of December 31st; 2) freeing oneself from all attachment to sin; 3) receiving Holy Communion worthily; 4) performing the act of faith and charity prescribed by the Church: in this instance, the public recitation of the hymn, Te Deum, and praying one Hail Mary and one Our Father, for the intentions of the Holy Father. All this will be done after each Mass at St. John’s. For us, this year, that public thanksgiving will be on December 31st.
While it is a terrible economy out there, and we may feel we haven’t much to be thankful for during 2008, we should be thankful that God continues to give us each breathe we draw, and that He sent His Son to save from sin and eternal death: not bad gifts, you know! Even if the economy is in shambles due to the sins/greed/dishonesty of individuals who helped wreck the economy, we should learn to put our trust only in God. We should thank God on December 31st and promise that we’ll strive to lead more virtuous lives in 2009.
My suggestion for the New Year is to ignore the more exotic resolutions, such as losing 100 pounds or such. Resolve, rather, to live a more virtuous and pious life during this New Year. Choose one weakness and work on that so that this year we might imitate Our Lord more perfectly. As we begin the year with a grant of special graces of Our Lord through His Church in the Indulgence, let us continue it by practicing virtue and charity more closely. Virtue opens us to God’s Kingdom in our life: nice to start it on the first day of the year, that we be more open to God’s will in our daily lives.
Happy New Year! --Msgr. DiGiovanni

Please pray for the sick… Phillip Renard, John Castellano, Anthony Sansone, Paul Cavallo, Kathy Hennesey, Ruth Coyle, Lily Rice, Mildred Fiore, Catherine & Jay Olnek, Ryan Santolo, Michael Mammone, Mary Bozek, Marjorie Just, Jerry Gerardi,

Please pray for those who have recently died. . . Vito Melfi, Arthur Capalbo, Avery Cardinal Dulles, Laurie, Jeannette Augustine, Vivian E. Torres, Margie Nicholson, Ed “Red” Baker, Katherine Harten, Pauline Weeks, Jennifer Tomasello, Vincent Dangi, Deborah (Brennan) Stowell,

January 1st, the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, is a holy day of obligation when all Catholics are obliged to attend Mass. Please mark your calendars: Mass schedule will be:
December 31st: 5:15 p.m.
January 1st: 8:00 a.m.; 12:10 p.m.; 5:15 p.m.

Parish Women’s Society... We would like to begin a parish society for the spiritual growth of women. Please contact Monsignor if you are interested: Ext. 11.

The Latin reading group is translating St. Augustine’s Confessions…and meets every Wednesday in the rectory at 6:15 p.m. High school Latin is all that’s needed. Just walk in. We will NOT meet New Year’s Eve.

Introduction to New Testament Greek Class . . . meets every Thursday evening in the rectory at 7:30 p.m. This is an introductory class: All are welcome. We will NOT meet on New Year’s Day. Please join us.

St. John’s Bible Study…We are using The Bible Timeline Series every Thursday in the rectory at 7:30 p.m. Join us. We will NOT meet on New Year’s Day.

Religious Education Classes…There will NO Religious Education Classes on December 28th. Classes will resume on January 4, 2009.

Coffee and refreshments… PLEASE NOTE: There is NO coffee hour today Sunday, December 28th due to New Years.

Sunday, December 21, 2008 $ 12,170.00

Sunday, December 23, 2007 $11,638.15

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 Jan. 4th: Is. 60: 1-6; Eph. 3: 2-3a, 5-6; Mt. 2-12

Hymns for this weekend . . . (1) 13 (2) 16 (3) 21. The Creed for the Noon Mass may be found in the hymnal at No. 289.

Choral Music for the 12:00 Noon Mass . . . Mass Ordinary: Missa ‘O magnum mysterium’ – Tomás Luis de Victoria, 1548-1611. Offertory motet: The Blessed Son of God – Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958. Communion motet: In dulci jubilo and Break Forth, O Beauteous light – Arr. J.S. Bach, 1685-1750. The Gregorian chants proper to this Sunday are: Introit Deus in loco sancto suo ([God is in his holy dwelling place; the God who causes us to dwell together, one at heart, in his house; he himself will give power and strength to his people. Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; and let those who hate him flee before his face. [Ps. 68:6,7,36,2]); Alleluia Gaudete iusti in Domino (Rejoice in the Lord, O you just. It is fitting that loyal hearts should praise him. [Psalm 33:1]); Offertory In te speravi, Domine (In you have I put my trust, O Lord; I said: “You are my God, my destiny is in your hands.” [Psalm 31:15,16]); Communion Fili, quid fecisti nobis sic? (My son, why have you treated us so? Your father and I have been anxiously looking for you. – How is it that you were seeking me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business? [Luke 2:48,49]).

COME AND SEE – COME AND SING – COME AND WORSHIP ... St. John’s new Volunteer Choir invites St. John's parishioners and friends to join us. DISCOVER what a wonderful experience it is to pray by singing. MEET US. We are becoming a very convivial group. REHEARSALS are Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in the music room in the basement of the church. For those who want to learn or refresh their knowledge of the basics of music, there is a short optional Music Theory Class at 7:15. p.m. For more information, call Scott Turkington 324-1553, ext. 18.

St. Monica Institute for Patristic Studies ... Will next meet on January 7th to begin studying St. Gregory the Great’s Four Books of Dialogues. Join us each Wednesday evening in the rectory at 7:30 p.m.

Healing Mass. . . . Thursday, January 8th, at 7:30 p.m. at Saint Philip’s Church, Fr. Conlon Drive, Norwalk. Join us.

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

The Stamford Advocate:
December 29, 1865: “A heavy rain on Sunday night washed away all the snow that had fallen, and Christmas morning broke in sunshine as lovely as a day in Spring. In the Roman Catholic Church, High Mass was celebrated at 5 A. M., low mass at 6 and 8 and High Mass at 10:30 A. M. Father O’Neil officiated at 10:30 and delivered a short address to his people. In the afternoon there was Vespers and an eloquent sermon on the birth of our Savior.”

The Stamford Advocate:
December 31, 1875: “The musical portion of the worship – especially at the vesper services – in St. John’s R. C. church, has been largely increased in attractiveness since the congregation began to occupy their new chapel. Numbers from other denominations are present at nearly every service.”

The Connecticut Catholic:
December 31, 1892: STAMFORD “To the inhabitants of the Nutmeg state we wish a happy new year. Those who predicted a green Christmas were mistaken as while the bells were pealing for worshippers on Christmas morning to welcome the new born Savior, the snow was beautifully shedding its crystal mangle on the streets of Stamford. All churches were crowded, especially St. John’s at the masses. The singing and music at 10:30 reflects much credit to Choirmaster O’Brien and Miss McCallion, the organist, for the able manner in which the young ladies and gents sung during the mass. A Solemn High mass was offered by Rev. T. Keena, celebrant; W. Rogers, deacon and H. Walsh, sub-deacon. There sermon by Father Keena was eloquent and long will be remembered by the congregation. He preached on the infant Savior and did not forget to remind his hearers on the duty they owe to God’s poor.”

The Stamford Advocate:
January 2, 1907: New Parochial School Opens. “St. John’s parochial school took up its quarters in its new building this morning. There were about 500 children present. They attended mass in the church at 9 a. m. and then went over to their new school. There was some inconvenience in getting the session under way, because all the work on the interior was not entirely completed. By Monday, everything will be done. It is expected, and from that time on, things will move along smoothly. There were a number of visitors in the school yesterday and all were well impressed with it.”

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St. Maria Goretti Society . . . For the spiritual formation of young ladies from 8th - 12th grades. Questions, please contact Rosa Marchetti at (203) 348-0232.

St. Dominic Savio Society…For the spiritual formation of young men from 8th – 12th grades. Questions, please contact Frank Marchetti at (203) 434-4734.

Mass Intentions

Saturday, December 27
4:00 +John & Mary Melfi & Melfi, Sr. req. Joseph Melfi, Jr.
Sunday, December 28
7:30 +Anne Augustine Penta 12-year remembrance req. Armelle
10:00 +Randolph Samedi req. Anne Marie Samedi
12:00 Special Intention Maria Trivino Birthday req. Lilian & Alvina Ramos
6:00 People of the Parish
Monday, December 29
8:00 +Patrick Kane & Family req. Estate of Catherine Kane & Family
12:10 Souls in Purgatory req. Fabiola C.
Tuesday, December 30
8:00 +Sean Faris req. Angela Giannitti
12:10 +D’Amico, Schepis, and Fazio Families req. Frank D’Amico
Wednesday, December 31
8:00 +Victoria Santagata req. Angela Giannitti
12:10 Special Intention Mary Jean Dal Molin
5:15 People of the Parish
Thursday, January 1
8:00 +Charles Cycon req. Cycon Family
12:10 +Robert Dougherty req. Dee Family
5:15 +Lucy Nyars req. Susan Mc Sharry
Friday, January 2
8:00 Sacred Heart of Jesus req. Anne Marie Samedi
12:10 +John Kolenberg req. Family
Saturday, January 3
8:00 Special Intention Rev. Carlos Mesa req. Raquel Mesa
12:10 Orian Rolle req. Julian Joseph

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.

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.

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].

The Garment
(Part 1I) - Fr. Terry Walsh
St. Paul speaks so eloquently about the Mystery of our redemption, the unfolding of salvation history, and our participation in “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Faith opens the door. Faith leads us to Baptism. At the same time, Faith is a supernatural gift that our Lord infuses into our souls at Baptism - a Seed that is watered by the grace of God, which we receive ordinarily and most abundantly through the Sacraments, especially Holy Eucharist.
“….I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in Heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God”(Ephesians 3:14-19).
Humility, once again, is the key. It opens the heart to love. Only through our humbly acknowledging that we stand in need – for everything – that we could not take one step except that God allows it – not one breadth, save his gracious will – only then can we begin to understand the love of God in our lives. God wills that all men and women be saved – that all be eternally united to Him in Heaven. But he leaves the choice up to us. He created us, holds us in being, and invites us to share in His Divine Life – and – he provides all the graces we need to fulfill this plan – graces that pour out from the Sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son on the Cross. What more could he do? Our “Yes” to his invitation naturally requires our fidelity. In humility we “bow our knees” in thanksgiving for receiving the Name – we have been claimed for Christ. As members of His Mystical Body, we grow in holiness each time we receive him worthily in the Eucharist, each time we make a humble confession, each time we apply the graces he has given so that we may be formed into the very likeness of Jesus Christ. Prayer deepens our humility and increases our faith. If we make the effort, our Lord will help us. He will purify our prayer. He will teach us. But we need to make prayer a daily habit and allow it to become joyful. Jesus said, “…if you ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you”(Jn 14:14-17). “Asking”…requires humility. It also presumes Trust. It desires friendship. It is motivated by love. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing…If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples”(Jn 15:5ff). If we ask him, he will do it. If we ask him to renew our “inner man” – that is –if we ask him to heal us, to strengthen us, to lead us into holiness – he will do it. It will require our humble ‘yes’, and, a willingness to be pruned. But it will be done with love so that we may enter into love Himself. The Apostle exhorts: “Live the Truth in love”. “Put off your old nature…and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness”(Eph 4:22ff). What overflowing love God has for us. Our humble thanks and praise of His Holy Name and Gracious Will serves to draw us more deeply into his light, thereby sanctifying our inner garment and giving glory to our Heavenly Father.

Bulletin for December 21 - 27, 2008

2008-12-18T20:15:00Z

Pastor’s Corner . . . Here are two short patristic meditations answering the question why God became a man at Christmas:
“It is not enough to say that our Lord, Son of the Virgin Mary, is true and perfect man; we must also believe that he is, as the Gospels tell us, a man of very specific human lineage.
“Matthew speaks of ‘the family record of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham,’ and follows the line of generations down to Saint Joseph, to whom the Lord’s Mother was married. Luke, on the other hand, works backward to the origin of the human race in order to show that the first and second Adams share a common human nature.
“When he decided to teach and justify mankind, the almighty Son of God could, of course, have manifested himself in the same way as he did to the patriarchs and prophets, that is, by assuming a human appearance, as when he entered into a wrestling match with Jacob or engaged in conversation with Abraham or accepted his hospitality and even ate the food offered to him. But these feigned human appearances were only the prefigurations of the truth. To accomplish the mystery of our reconciliation, anticipatory figures were not enough. The Holy Spirit had to come upon the Virgin and the power of the Most High had to overshadow her so that Wisdom might build itself a house and the Word [the Eternal Son of God] might become flesh. The estate of God and the estate of a servant had to be united in one person, and the Creator of time had to be born within time; he through whom all things have their being had to be begotten amid all these created things.
“Unless a new man, formed ‘in the likeness of sinful flesh,’ took our broken nature upon himself and condescended, while consubstantial with the Father, to be consubstantial with us as well and, as the only sinless man, to make our human nature his own, mankind would have remained enslaved to Satan and sin. Nor would his triumphal victory profit us if he did not share our condition.
“Through this wonderful sharing, [God sharing our humanity; mankind sharing God’s divinity] the mystery of regeneration has been accomplished, for the Spirit whose power gave Christ a human conception and birth, has given spiritual rebirth to us.” [Pope Leo the Great, Letter 31]

“God is man’s glory; man is the recipient of God’s wise and powerful action. As a physician’s skill is tested by the sick, so God manifests himself in needy mankind. Mankind, sick by disobedience and sin, had lost blessed immortality but then received the mercy of adoptive sonship in Christ.
“THE man who glories in God and in his creation, and abides in love of him and thankful submissiveness to him will himself receive ever greater glory as he becomes more like him who died for mankind. The Redeemer took ‘the likeness of sinful flesh’ in order to condemn sin and to cast if forth from man’s nature and to rouse men to imitate him. He gave himself to mankind as a patter for the vision of God and union with the Father, for he is the Word of God who dwelt as a man among men in order to accustom men to knowing God and to accustom God to dwelling among men.
“The Lord himself, therefore, gave us a sign of salvation—Emmanuel: God-with-us—who was born of the Virgin. For men could not save themselves. As Saint Paul asks, ‘Wretched man that I am, who will save me from this body doomed to death?’ But Paul knows what will save him: the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ. . . Our salvation is not from ourselves but from God.” [St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, III]
--Msgr. DiGiovanni

Monthly Collection . . . The second collection today will be the monthly collection for the parish. Your generosity is appreciated.

2009 Calendars . . . 2009 St. John’s Catholic calendars are available free and can be picked up at all the entrances and exits of the church. Please take one home per household.

Parish Women’s Society. . . We would like to begin a parish society for the spiritual growth of women. Please contact Monsignor if you are interested: Ext. 11.

Introduction to New Testament Greek Class . . . meets every Thursday evening in the rectory at 7:30 p.m. This is an introductory class: All are welcome. We will NOT meet on Christmas or New Year’s Day. Please join us.

St. John’s Bible Study…We are using The Bible Timeline Series every Thursday in the rectory at 7:30 p.m. Join us. We will NOT meet on Christmas or New Year’s Day.

Religious Education Classes…There will NO Religious Education Classes on December 21st and December 28th. Classes will resume on January 4, 2009.

Year of Saint Paul . . . a Plenary Indulgence is offered the faithful through June 29th: by visiting the adoration chapel at Saint John Fisher Seminary Residence on Newfield Avenue: the chapel is open Monday through Thursday, 6:00 a.m.—11:00 p.m., and from Friday at 6:00 a.m. until Sunday 11:00 p.m. The usual conditions apply: sacramental confession and communion, praying one Our Father and Hail Mary for the intentions of Pope Benedict XVI apply.
CHRISTMAS CONFESSION SCHEDULE:
December 24th: 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.;
December 25th: 7:00 am-7:30 a.m.; 9:30 - 10:00 a.m.; 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon.
CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE:
Christmas Eve: 4:00 p.m. and MIDNIGHT Solemn Mass with Choir [11:30: choir concert];
Christmas Day: 7:30 a.m. & 10:00 a.m., 12:00 noon Solemn Mass with Choir; 6:00 p.m. Haitian Mass.

Christmas Day Collection…The Christmas second collection will be for emergency electrical repairs.

Sunday, December 14, 2008 $ 12,505.10

Sunday, December 16, 2007 $ 9,118.16
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 Dec. 28: Gn. 15: 1-6, 21: 1-3; Hb. 11:8, 11-12, 17-19 Lk. 2:22-40

Hymns for this weekend . . . (1) 8 (2) 155. The Creed for the Noon Mass may be found in the hymnal at No. 289.

Choral Music for the 12:00 Noon Mass . . . Mass Ordinary: Kyrie XVII (10th century) – Graduale Romanum; Sanctus & Agnus Dei from Missa de feria – Orlando di Lasso, 1532-1594. Offertory motet: The Angel Gabriel – Trad. Basque, arr. David Willcocks (The text may be found in the hymnal at No. 36.). Communion motet: Rorate cœli (The Advent Prose – Traditional Roman Chant (The text may be found in the hymnal at No. 305.). The Gregorian chants proper to this Sunday are: Introit Rorate coeli (Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open and bring forth a Saviour. [Is. 45] The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handywork. [Ps. 19]); Alleluia Veni, Domine (Come Lord! do not delay. Pardon the sins of your people.); Offertory Ave Maria (Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. [Luke 1:28]); Communion Ecce virgo concipiet (Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and His Name shall be called Emmanuel. [Isaiah 7:14]).

As part of your Advent preparation for Christmas, you might consider going to Confession, especially if you haven’t been in a while. Confessions are heard daily: Monday—Friday, 7:30-7:50 a.m. and 11:30-12:00 noon; Saturday, 3:00-4:00 p.m.; Sundays, 7:00-7:30 a.m.; 9:30-10:00 a.m.; 11:30-12:00 noon. Take advantage of God’s generosity.

St. Monica Institute for Patristic Studies . . . Will next meet on January 7th to begin studying St. Gregory the Great’s Four Books of Dialogues. Join us each Wednesday evening in the rectory at 7:30 p.m.

St. Maria Goretti Society . . . For the spiritual formation of young ladies from 8th - 12th grades. Questions, please contact Rosa Marchetti at (203) 348-0232.

St. Dominic Savio Society…For the spiritual formation of young men from 8th – 12th grades. Questions, please contact Frank Marchetti at (203) 434-4734.

Coffee and refreshments… PLEASE NOTE: There is NO coffee hour today Sunday December 21st and December 28th due to Christmas and New Years respectively.

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

December 25, 1863 “In the Roman Catholic Church, there will be Mass at quarter to six A. M., and the usual Christmas services at 11.”

December 23, 1870: Ball. “St. Patrick’s T.A.B. Society is to give a grand Ball in Seely’s Hall, Friday evening, Dec. 30. Miller’s quadrille band of New York is engaged.”

December 25, 1914: “St. John’s Catholic Church was trimmed with holly and evergreens, and the “Manger Scene” also was depicted here. Mass was held at 5 a. m.; solemn high mass at 7:30; masses at 9 and 9:30 and solemn high mass again at 10:30.”

December 24, 1917: “In this age of heroics, when so many false prophets “strut their hour in the limelight and are soon forgotten”, it is a pleasure to know that there are some real prophets – big, brave, brainy, busy, good and kindly men – who go about day after day, quietly and unselfishly, doing things for their community, their State of their Nation and never seeking reward except such as comes from doing of the good deed. Every community has its men – and its women – of this type. They are never too busy to comfort the sorrowing, never too proud or so heartless as to withhold a cheering word or a helping hand from such as need them. They go serenely along scattering sunshine and serving their God and their fellow-man, exemplars of the teaching of Him whose birthday the Christian world is on the eve of celebrating. Of such is Rev. James C. O’Brien, pastor of St. John’s Catholic Church, who, yesterday, celebrated the fortieth anniversary of his ordination as a priest of the church, and who, tomorrow, celebrates the sixty-fifth anniversary of his birthday. Thanks to the generosity of his people, Father O’Brien this morning celebrated mass in a church free of debt, a check for $2,800, to pay off the indebtedness, having been presented to him last night.”

December 26, 1924: HUNDREDS UNABLE TO GET IN CHURCHES. Celebrations of Midnight Mass Fill Catholic Edifices Here to the Overflowing Point. “Midnight mass was celebrated, Christmas Eve, in all the local Catholic Churches and, in each church, the crowd of people who desired to attend the celebration of the mass was so great that there was not room enough for them. Hundreds of people went away from the churches unable to gain entrance. In St. John’s Catholic Church, the crowd filled the nave, galleries and the lobby, at the entrance to the church, and hundreds more came and then went away. The Rev. James Ledwich celebrated the high mass at St. John’s Church with the Rev. James J. O’Brien, pastor of the church, as deacon, and the Rev. Henry Callahan, sub-deacon.”

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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 January 3rd.

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 January 6th.

Healing Mass. . . . Thursday, January 8th, at 7:30 p.m. at Saint Philip’s Church, Fr. Conlon Drive, Norwalk. Join us.

Mass Intentions

Saturday, December 20
4:00 +Vincent Freccia req. Wife Dolores
Sunday, December 21
7:30 +Jayson Jarrett req. Norma Jarrett
10:00 Special Intention Joseph H. Kim req. Joseph & Mary Kim
12:00 +Alfredo Escobedo req. Wife & Daughters
6:00 +Patrick Kane & Family req. Estate of Catherine Kane & Family
Monday, December 22
8:00 +Carrigan /Zabatta Families req. Carrigan Family
12:10 +Irma Isaziga req. Fabiola Contreras
Tuesday, December 23
8:00 +John Maloney req. Mary Maloney
12:10 +Charles & Florence De Silva req. Daughter & Family
Wednesday, December 24
8:00 In Honor of The Blessed Virgin Mary
12:10 Christina req. Aunt Josephine
4:00 People of the Parish
12:00 Midnight – Special Intention Skidd Family
Thursday, December 25
7:30 Special Intention Parish Priest req. Millie
10:00 All Souls in Purgatory req. Maria
12:00 +Anne Augustine Penta 12-year remembrance req. Armelle
6:00 Joseph, Mary, Eleanor Theresa & Richard Paul req. Mary & Joseph Kim
Friday, December 26
8:00 +William Borkowski req. Michael & Ann Borkowski
12:10 +Stephen & Nicholas Churley & Eva, Charles, Nicholas, Anne, Joseph & Charles Kronk, Jr. req. Mary Churley
Saturday, December 27
8:00 +Nang Nguyen req. Thang Nguyen
12:10 Thanksgiving Wm Kenneth McGraw req. William & Josephine McGraw

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].

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.

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.

The Garment
(Part I) - Fr. Terry Walsh
The Book of Genesis concludes with the great Patriarch Jacob (whose new name is Israel) blessing his 12 sons. He blesses Judah, his 4th son, and gives him primacy because of Judah’s fidelity to God. His will be the Royal House - the House of David through which the Messiah will come. “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes; his eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk”(Genesis 49: 10-12). And what do these words reveal to us about Christ? Reflecting on this passage of Genesis, Hippolytus commented: “Here Christ has mystically indicated his baptism. After he had come up from the Jordan and had purified the waters (by plunging in them), he received the grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Mt3:13-17)…And since by hanging on the Cross he was like a bunch of ripe grapes, after His side was pierced he emitted blood and water (Jn 19:34); the former for the bath (baptism), the latter for the ransom (redemption), the prophet (Jacob) rightly said, ‘He shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of ripe grapes.’” And Novatian adds, “…in order to wash the garment (our flesh), (Jesus) wore the garment. Accordingly he is declared to be man by that substance which was assumed that it might be washed, just as he who washed it is shown to be God, by the authority of the Word”(On the Trinity 21.12-16).
Already in the Book of Genesis we are given a glimpse into the Sacrifice of the Messiah who will come through the House of David, the house of Judah. We are given a glimpse into His Passion. We are able to ponder His love. St. Ambrose said, “‘He will wash His robe in wine.’ The good robe is the flesh of Christ, which has covered the sins of all people, taken up the offenses of all, concealed the misdeeds of all – the good robe which has clothed all people with the garment of rejoicing.” And Rufinus adds, “Christ’s robe washed in wine is interpreted with good reason as the Church, which he himself has purified in his blood and is spotless and faultless…The garment appears to be a more intimate cloth, which is closer to the body than the robe. Those who, after they had been washed with the bath and had become his robe, reached the sacrament of the blood of grapes, that is, a more intimate and more secret mystery; they in a sense participate in his garment. In fact, the soul is washed in the blood of grapes, when it has begun to grasp the meaning of that sacrament. After perceiving and comprehending the virtue of the blood of the Word of God, the soul will become more receptive as it is purer. Each day it is washed in order to improve in its knowledge.” What a beautiful reflection on Holy Eucharist, the fruit of the Sacrifice bringing new life in abundance: Divine Life.
St. Paul teaches us about our new life in Christ – putting on the “New Man”- putting on the new garment through Baptism. In his Letter to the Ephesians, Paul explains: “In (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us. For he has made know to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth”(1:7-10). Next week, I will consider the “inner garment” in Paul’s Letter, (Eph. 3 and 4).