April 21, 2026

Happy Easter! News from Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish

April 21, 2026

Dear Friends,

In keeping with a directive from Archbishop Coyne, Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish is developing a new parish website that integrates our parish's identity and brand with that of the Archdiocese of Hartford. This initiative extends to every parish in the Archdiocese, with the shared goal of greater uniformity and unity across our local Church.

Because our parish website was relatively new and heavily utilized, the transition has required significant time and care. We have moved our domain and migrated to a new hosting platform, and we have worked diligently to ensure that content (over 60 pages) is carried over thoughtfully and accurately.

Our website has become a vital hub for parish life — and the numbers reflect it. During Holy Week alone, our site welcomed 2,450 visits from parishioners and visitors seeking information about our Holy Week and Easter schedules and celebrations. Day in and day out, our most visited pages — Home Page, Join Us For Mass, Livestream, Our Team, Funeral Information, Faith Formation and Read the Bulletin — tell the story of a community that turns to its parish website to connect, and stay informed. That level of engagement underscores why we are committed to making this transition with such care and attention to detail.

As we approach launch, we will be inviting all ministry chairs to review their related pages and submit any updated photos, contact information, or other edits. Your partnership in this effort is greatly appreciated.

A Note About Our Photo Galleries

Our current website features an extensive collection of community photos — one of its most beloved features. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to migrate all photo galleries to the new site. We encourage you to visit the current website and download any photos you would like to preserve before the transition is complete.

Click Here to Visit Our Photo Galleries

We ask for your patience and understanding as this work continues. For questions or concerns, please contact Lisa Orchen at communications@sjbrh.org.

To learn how this project is unfolding across the Archdiocese of Hartford, we invite you to watch the video below.

Warmly,

Lisa Orchen

Coordinator of Communications

The joy of Holy Week lives on! This Easter we had the great joy of welcoming five new members into full communion with the Church through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist. Enjoy our photo gallery and share in the beauty of our Holy Week celebrations! Special thanks to Bill Betterini for capturing all the photos of the Easter Vigil and Tom Dzimian and Lisa Orchen for taking photos on Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Browse the Photo Gallery Here

Join Us for The Fourth Sunday of Easter

April 26, 2026

4:00 PM Vigil Mass at St. James

9:00 AM Mass at St. Elizabeth Seton
and livestreamed

11:30 AM Mass at St. James

Bakhita Bible Camp Registration Form

Bakhita Bible Study:

Acts of the Apostles: The Church of the Holy Spirit

Many have observed that these days it often seems that we are in times akin to those of our first ancestors in the faith, believers in Christ at a time when few did. The New Testament Acts of the Apostles is a thrilling and adventurous account of that time of the earliest Church, when Christianity was being lived for the first time. It takes us to some of the great cities of the ancient world. It introduces us to all kinds of people: apostles, prophets, martyrs, philosophers, governors, kings, merchants, jailers, and sailors. It tells of dramatic spiritual experiences, missionary journeys, trials and imprisonments, powerful speeches and dramatic responses, sea voyages and shipwrecks, and the clash of ancient cultures. It invites us to see the adventure continuing on in our own lives.

This May and June Deacon Michael will lead a six-part series on the Acts of the Apostles using Stephen Binz’s “Church of the Holy Spirits”, with readings taken from the second half of the Acts of the Apostles.

The series will be held on May 13, 20, 27, June 3, 10 and 17 at 10:00 AM at the Saint James Church Parish Center 767 Elm Street repeated at 7:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton Church, 280 Brook Street. The evening session will be available for online attendance through Google Meet. There is a $10 book fee. Please register via email at saintjmdeacon@gmail.com (BEST) or call and leave a message at 860-836-8218 if you don’t have email. (Unless specifically waived by the registrant, all registrants will be ordered a book for purchase.)

Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish

Fernand & Yvette Couturier Scholarship Fund

Applications Now Available

Deadline For Complete Applications is May 1, 2026

A scholarship fund has been established at St. Josephine Bakhita Parish in the loving memory of Fernand and Yvette Couturier, the parents of Father George Couturier, the Pastor of our parish from 2016 to 2026.

In 2026 the parish plans to make multiple awards of $2,000 each for graduating high school seniors who have been active members of the parish community and will be continuing their education in the fall of 2026.

There is a fillable PDF application form available to download below.

The deadline for completed applications is May 7, 2026.

Announcements of awards are anticipated prior to June 1, 2026

Questions can be addressed to Deacon Michael at dcn.michael@sjbrh.org.

Download Scholarship Application Here

Saint Josephine Bakhita

Faith Sharing Group

All are welcome to join the Saint Josephine Bakhita Faith Sharing Group. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. We meet in person, at St. Elizabeth Seton Church, from 10:30 AM -12:00. We will be discussing two of the beatitudes. We meet on the third Tuesdays of the month from now to June 17, 2026. We also have a Charismatic Prayer Group that is led by Kristie Bilcharz. This group meets on Zoom on the first Tuesdays of the month.

The Awakening Retreat will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2026 from 10:00 AM -5:00 PM at Saint Elizabeth Seton Church. If you have questions about both groups and the Awakening Retreat, please contact Michael Lonergan at 860-638-7080 or Mikelonergan53108@sbcglobal.net. I will forward your information to Kristie regarding the Charismatic Prayer Group.

Awakening Retreat Registration Form

Giving Garden Ministry

Since 2018 our parish Giving Garden Ministry of about 15 adults has been growing vegetables at a garden by St. Elizabeth Seton Church, and delivering them to the St Vincent DePaul soup kitchen in Middletown. Last year we donated 749 pounds. We’re looking for a few more volunteers.

Volunteers can do as much or as little as they want. Work teams are divided into different roles – planting & maintenance, and harvesting. Those who tend the garden often meet Mondays about 5:00 PM, weeding, tying up tomato plants, putting down wood chips, etc Harvesting teams go about three times a week from July to September, with each team picking and delivery vegetables just once a week.

We also have people who sub if a volunteer is on vacation. This is something you can join by yourself, or with a spouse a sibling, a child or a friend.

If you would like to join us, please contact Bob Manzi at manzirj@sbcglobal.net or call him at 860 502-5097.

The Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish Picnic Needs You!

We're building our Parish Picnic Planning Committee and looking for a few good people to help make this beloved community tradition a success! We're currently seeking volunteers for three key roles:

Set-Up Coordinator – Help develop the set-up plan and direct volunteers on picnic day.
Children & Family Activities Team Lead – Plan the fun for our youngest parishioners and their families!
Custodial/Janitorial Team Lead – Keep our grounds clean and green on the big day.

Committee members attend monthly meetings beginning in May and play a hands-on role directing volunteers on the day of the picnic — Saturday, September 13, 2026. Interested? Reach out to Danielle Hollister at danie7@cox.net or Jennifer Hussey at thehusseys95@att.net for more details. We'd love to have you on the team!