November 21, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving from Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish

November 21, 2023

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish,

Greetings and a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!

This weekend is the Feast of Christ the King and the end of our liturgical year. Our major reading (Matthew 25:31-46) is about Christ the Judge…not a very savory topic in church circles these days…but hang on and read the entire message before you dismiss the wisdom shared by this Feast and Gospel. We are invited to reflect on Christ’s Kingship from the viewpoint of how he will judge us in the end.

Jesus is the judge of hearts. Or, if you like, the king of hearts. He will not judge us on how bright we are, but on how we loved. He will not judge us on how rich we became, but on how much wealth of affection we bestowed on those who needed us. Jesus is the king of hearts.

This is judgement day in the liturgy. So, we are called to examine our lives. Was I more concerned about obeying laws or caring about people? Certainly, one should obey laws, for we do not want chaos in society or the Church. But if we reduce religion to that, we miss the point. St. Paul contrasted those who thought salvation was in obeying law and not the greater demand of the Gospel, which is loving people.

Do I spend my life being scared of God, or use my energies to remove fear and misery from people’s lives? The last thing God ever wants us to be is to be scared. God is not interested in frightening us. You may say, “But the bible says that God is angry with sinners. His wrath will be showered on the bad.” That is true, but usually misunderstood. God’s anger is not the vengeance of a petulant tyrant (like so many humans do these days). God’s anger is the frustration of a lover who is trying to make us feel good about ourselves. God does not want to intimidate us, but to encourage us to be awake and live and love. It is the king of hearts who wants to infiltrate our hearts.

I do hope many of you can join us for our annual town-wide Thanksgiving Service celebrated with many of the churches in Rocky Hill here at our St. James Campus tonight, Tuesday November 21, at 7:00 PM. An evening of prayer and sacred music and Thanksgiving reflection and proclamation. There will be a monetary collection in support of the Rocky Hill Food Bank.

Also there will be a Thanksgiving Day Mass at 8:00 AM at St. James Campus on Thursday November 23, 2023. Please join us!

Peace and blessings!

Fr. George Couturier

Our Lord, Jesus Christ,

King of the Universe

November 26, 2023

4:00 PM at Saint James

9:00 AM at Saint Elizabeth Seton

11:00 AM at Saint James

Thank You To All Our Generous Parishioners For Donating 26 Thanksgiving Food Baskets and $3675.00 in Grocery Store Gift Certificates To Be Distributed To Families In Our Local Community by Rocky Hill Human Services!

Our Holiday Fair was a HUGE Success. We are so grateful for all who planned, all who hosted booths, all who baked, cooked, and served, all who donated, all who attended and spent so generously! Click the image below to get a first glimpse of a gallery of pictures from a fantastic day!

Click Here To RSVP For The Pageant & Pizza Party

Food & Cereal

For Our Local Pantries

We continue to seek food and cereal donations for our monthly delivery to the Rocky Hill and Amazing Grace food pantries. Non-perishable food items and cereal boxes can be dropped off at either church location. Additionally, we need volunteers to deliver the food to Amazing Grace.

Learn more, Click Here.

GIVE BLOOD

Give Blood! The American Red Cross needs you! The next blood drive hosted at our Parish Center at St. James Church is scheduled for Thursday, December 7 from 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM.

Go to www.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to register to give.

Annual Retreat Weekend

Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center

Members of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish and Friends are invited to join us on our annual weekend retreats in 2024. The retreat theme this year, Only Say the Word…, is based on the belief that God can – and will – heal us, and all of creation. Our faith prompts us to ask for and receive that healing in many ways.

When Jesus encounters the centurion in the Gospel of Matthew (8:5-13), he meets a person of deep faith and humility who knows that healing comes from God alone. The centurion proclaims: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.” We will reflect together on those powerful words of Jesus in response to the centurion: “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith” (Matthew 8:13). We will ask: where is healing needed, in us and in our world? And how can we, the very Body of Christ, help to bring about that healing with our unique gifts and talents?

The retreat center is located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The weekend begins with a buffet dinner from 6-7:30 PM on Friday evening and concludes Sunday with the celebration of Mass at 10:45 AM followed by a hot brunch at noon.

Offering: $350, more if you can, less if you can't. Please do no allow finances to prevent your decision to attend. Scholarships are available. See Fr. George to inquire.

Women's Retreat Weekend: January 5-7, 2024

Couple's Retreat Weekend: February 9-11, 2024

Men's Retreat Weekend: February 23-25, 2024

Learn more and sign up online: Click Here.

Advent Sneak Peek

Check Out Everything We Have Planned For Advent Here

Saint Josephine Bakhita Bible Study

Advent 2023

Saint Josephine Bakhita Bible Study will be meeting during Advent to prepare for the great feast of The Nativity of the Lord at Christmas.

We will meet on four Wednesdays on November 29, December 6, 13 and 20, to read through, contemplate and discuss together the readings for the following Sunday. This will help us to focus on the Sunday liturgies during Advent by hearing the Word of God a more deeply.

No prior experience with bible study is required. All are welcome.

There will be a morning session at Saint James Parish Center at 10 AM and an “online” session at 7:00 PM. Each session will last about 75 minutes.

There will not be a separate text that needs to be purchased. The materials for preparation for our sessions together starting on November 29 will be emailed to registered participants each week prior to our meetings in sufficient time to prepare.

Email Deacon Michael at saintjmdeacon@gmail.com to register and receive these emails with the links each week for the materials and the online meeting.

Contemplative Dialogue Advent Series

All are invited to join our 5-week series that will be held on Tuesday evenings in person at the St. Elizabeth Seton campus in Room D from 6:00 – 7:15 beginning on November 28 and ending on December 26.

We will be reading ‘Bridges to Contemplative living with Thomas Merton.' Each week, participants will read a chapter and reflect on it in silence. There is then a sharing period when members may choose to share how certain parts of the readings were meaningful and relevant in their lives. Everyone is asked to listen to each other’s sharing without comment - to listen deeply is to cultivate inner silence.

If you would like to participate, please register (by email to mca0711@sbcglobal.net or call 860-604-2807) by November 12^th to allow sufficient time to order and receive books before our initial session.

Please contact Fran Mastro (at 860-810-2403 or Fmed6@icloud.com) with any questions or for more information.

Advent Giving Project

The Christmas tree symbolizes the spirit and joy of Christmas. Last year parishioners of our parish made that spirit and joy come alive for so many.

The "Giving Trees" will be back again this year, again following a "Circle of Life" theme covering infants/children, teenagers, adults and seniors.

This effort will be a collaborative one between our Parish Outreach Ministry and our Faith Formation Ministry.

Our Giving Trees will be filled with gift tags clearly identified by life chapter and the specific items being requested.

All gifts should be returned unwrapped to either church NO LATER than Sunday, December 17, 2023.

Donations can be dropped off in designated bins at either church location:

St. James Church: Father Shea Hall, Mon-Fri (9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.) or before the masses at 4:00 or 11:00.

St. Elizabeth Seton Church: Bins located near the Church kitchen, Mon - Fri (9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.) or before the Sunday mass at 9:00.

Questions? Contact Carl Bach abcb1922@yahoo.com

Christmas Caroling Caravan

To Bring Our Homebound Cheer

Sunday, December 10

4:30 PM

Meet at Saint James Church

(eastern side of parking lot)

Small groups will sing 3-4 carols at the homes of elderly and homebound community members and friends. Family groups are encouraged! This a great memory-making event for the carolers and for homebound. Please email Joy at Joy@sjbrh.org to sign up to carol. If you know someone who would appreciate a Christmas visit from our merry band of carolers, email that information to Joy as well. There is a limited number of people we can visit based upon the number of volunteer carolers, so contact Joy ASAP!