While praying is not limited to a month or any time frame within the Liturgical calendar of the Church, there is something special about November in the Church—with the first day of the month celebrating All Saints Day, a holy day of obligation, and, the second day as All Souls Day, a day to remember coming of Christ into the world. Let us now focus on the reason for this special time of prayer.

Last week’s Lukan Gospel introduced us to a Pharisee and a tax collector as its main characters. This week Luke uses another “sinner,” a chief tax collector named Zacchaeus, to illustrate Jesus’ power to conform one’s will to His Will, changing us for the good. These gospel accounts are good reminders that our Catholic Church/faith is not a country club for the well-heeled, spiritually speaking that is, but rather she is more akin to a MASH—mobile army surgical hospital, which makes our Church a “Mobile Adjust Spiritual Hospital” for sinners.

On becoming a Christian. The Catholic Church provides for a process for those who are not Catholic or have not received all their (7) sacraments, to partake of the Sacraments of Initiation at this time of the year, culminating at the Great Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night.

The 5 p.m. Sunday Mass will no longer be celebrated. Going forward, our weekend Mass schedule will be: Saturday Vigil at 5 pm; Sunday Masses at 8 am and 11 am. Since some may find this news unfortunate, I wish to explain why I came to this decision and how it is in keeping with the Church’s teaching on the celebration of the Mass, liturgically speaking.

“Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” These words, which are found in today’s second reading from St. Paul to Timothy, seem to be sage advice for just about anyone today. These holy words direct us on what God calls us to do when we possess the Truth—His Truth

Let us pray for our Nation, the intention of the Blessed Mother Mary who is patron of the United States, as we celebrate the anniversary of our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima. We will show our love and veneration to God, Christ and their Mother. Join us on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 12 noon in the Mary Garden (in case of rain we will pray the rosary inside the church at the Mary statue). If you have questions, please contact Maryellen at 860 658 1084.

This Sunday we hear the gospel story (Luke 16: 19-31) of the rich young man, dressed in fine purple linen and “living life well.” Then we hear that his earthly life of privilege ends and it is time for eternal life, which will come to each and everyone one of us. This Sunday’s story begs the question: what am I doing with the time God has allotted to me on this earth?

Join us on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 12 noon in the Mary Garden (in case of rain we will pray the rosary inside the church at the Mary statue). Let us pray for our Nation, the intention of the Blessed Mother Mary who is patron of the United States, as we celebrate the anniversary of our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima. We will show our love and veneration to God, Christ and their Mother.

There has been a great deal of coverage on the death of Her Majesty The Queen, and while she was a woman of sacrifice and service in the world and should be remembered and honored, I would like to also note the passing of a more local “Queen,” in our parish community: Mrs. Dorothy Ianzito.

On September 24, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., our parish will sponsor an activity for every family and individual in our parish that is sure to create an atmosphere of fraternity, one of faith and most assuredly filled with fun—it is the first-ever St. Catherine of Siena Backyard Carnival and Picnic. As pastor, I am offering a personal invitation to one-and-all. I hope you won’t miss out, and to ensure enough food, ice cream, drinks and fried dough, I am asking that you register online, as soon as possible, by going to website www.stcatherine.info.

This Sunday our readings convey a common set of themes, which are the Love of God comprised of Mercy and Forgiveness. In our first reading from the Book of Exodus (Chapter 32), we can extract from it the idea of a “collective Prodigal Son” story, which we will hear in today’s Lukan Gospel. Israel has turned from God and begins to worship idols, a golden calf. This is symbolic of a turning inward or away from God and seeking direction, truth or whatever from earthly, material items:

Faith Formation News & Information Immediately following Labor Day Weekend, an email will be sent to all Faith Formation parents regarding: 1. Class and teacher assignments 2. A reminder schedule of class schedule and events for the year-ahead 3. Important dates for parent conferences for both K-8 and Confirmation classes 4. Information about our new Faith Formation Leader, Zach Wood 5. Detailed information about our Faith Formation Program—that it is cumulative and requires the participation of your child and parents.

Our schedule of events for September 24’s Backyard Carnival & Picnic is from 11 am until 4 pm, and from 3-4 pm we have the well-known and well-respected Dr. Kevin Dowd. Kevin has spoken here before to Confirmation candidates before and to our parish last October. He will join us on Saturday, 9/24 for brief conversation and Q&A on the topic of “Family & Faith.”

New Leadership in Faith Formation Zachary Wood has accepted the leadership position in our Faith Formation program and I am very encouraged and pleased. Zach has a broad background in Faith Formation programs, Conformation and youth ministry.

This weekend we hear two parable stories that illustrate that there were “issues” in the infant Church just as there are “issues” in our contemporary Catholic Church—I guess the old saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same” is true.

On the weekend of August 27-28, our parish will participate in our Archdiocesan Mission Sunday. One weekend a year each parish receives a missionary who traditionally comes to the parish talking about their specific missionary work and asking for help. Often times, their worlds are complete with desperate situations, normally life and death, comprised of suffering from disease, wars, famine, draught, or other daily difficulties.

As we continue with the journey of Jesus in the Lukan Gospel, scripture scholar Luke Timothy Johnson declares that Luke portrays Jesus in a prophetic way, speaking as He journeys with different audiences, which we learned last weekend were comprised of (1) the crowds, (2) the disciples, and (3) those who are against the Lord.

I would like to take a moment and thank Diane Whittemore for her service as the Assistant Director of Youth Ministry. Diane has been an invaluable asset to youth ministry, creating and directing our Teen Weekend Away, and consistently bringing her creativity, many years of experience in both youth ministry and Faith Formation, and her enthusiasm and endless energy to our youth ministry programs. She has given direction and inspiration to many, and her presence will be missed by all

I first wish to thank those who have given to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. Your generosity and support makes the Archdiocese of Hartford the most generous giving organization to those in need in Connecticut. You also are part of a faith-based organization that provides assistance to anyone in need— Catholic/Christian, Jew, Muslin and non-believers alike. If a human being is in need, God—through your generosity—responds to them in real, practical ways. Thank you!

This weekend as we celebrate The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we in fact celebrate Creation. The Trinity is, for many, a difficult subject to grasp: Three Persons in One God. How do we understand God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit? Do we see the Trinity as a singular God who shows Himself to us differently—just as we are one person who operates in many roles: father, son and uncle or mother, daughter, aunt? While that maybe simplistic, it enables us to see the beauty and the dignity, as well as the practicality, of creation. The Trinity is everywhere.