October 17, 2023

Fall News From Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish

October 17, 2023

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish,

Greetings and Peace!

About a week ago I had the honor and privilege of attending a week-long retreat…a time away for prayer, peace, quiet and rest. Truly a privilege that I do not take lightly. A very generous gift of time when so many are not able to do the same. As the week began, I became aware, as we all did, of the horror and hate that erupted once again in the Middle East. Another awful chapter in the long and complicated history of the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Immediately, I was reminded of a prayer from Bishop Steven Charleston who has offered this prayer in other very similar times of horrific conflict. I offer the prayer for you…a prayer that prayed and reflected on each day of my retreat:

I pray for your peace in troubled lands, in places where people fear each day, in cities or villages under threat of danger. I pray your peace into the hearts of those who hate, into the minds of those who live in anger, of those who long for revenge. The hot winds of war sweep over so many lives, dear God, terror and cruelty following in their wake, I do not know what else to do, but stand here making my appeal to heaven. Peace, I pray. Peace against all the odds, peace without compromise, peace strong and enduring, peace so children never worry as they go to sleep. Amen!

Peace and blessings!

Fr. George Couturier

Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish was featured on ORTV's Crossroad Magazine for our annual Blessing of the Animals on the Feast of St. Francis.

Huge Thank You To All Who Helped With Our Parish Picnic!

On behalf of the St. Josephine Bakhita Parish Picnic Planning Crew, we just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who helped make the day so wonderful! Although Mother Nature literally rained on our festivities, you would never have known by the smiles that could be seen on everyone’s faces! A truly wonderful day was had by all! The day started with a Mass that required additional seating because the pews were full and a choir that was beyond incredible to listen to! We then had a hot dog / hamburger lunch complete with a plethora of homemade, donated desserts, a fantastic music list and we were even able to squeeze in a few great kids activities!! All while dodging the rain drops!

The day would not have been possible without the devotion of so many and the donations as well! A great big thank you to the following : West Side Market, who provided the hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers & buns; Chucks Steak House who donated ice for the coolers of beverages; Coca Cola & Joe Kendrick, for their donation of all the beverages, the Knights of Columbus for their incredible help in getting the food cooked; Joy and Elizabeth and the entire parish music ministry for the beautiful music during mass, as well as setting us up with the equipment to play our song list; the many, many wonderful folks who donated their time & talents for all the baked goods; our very own Bakhita lunch servers, who helped make sure that everyone had a hot meal in front of them, the set up & break down crew who made sure we all had a place to sit & eat; Sara Roccapriore & Adam Sorrentino for coming up with the creative crafts for the kids; Bill Betterini who donated his time & talent behind the camera and of course Father George, who without him, this would not be possible!

Danielle & I would be very remiss to not acknowledge the awesome group of volunteers, who also worked so hard to make sure the day went without a hitch. So a great big thank you to a very special group : Lisa Orchen, Margie Ruschau, Janet Schmaltz, Tom Deasy, Erica McKenzie (who also created & donated all of our fantastic shirts that we wore that day), Carl Bach, Jack Aylward, Agnes Zawila, Katy DeLeon, Bob & Laura Murray, Joe & Peggy Clarizio, Randy Martini, Tom Dzimian, Carrie Silvia, Pam Funk and Dom Hollister. We would not have been able to do it without each & everyone of you! Many thanks

and we hope to see you all next year!

Jennifer Hussey & Danielle Hollister

Picnic Chairpersons

Enjoy a Gallery of Pictures from the Picnic Here

The 29th Sunday

in Ordinary Time

October 22, 2023

4:00 PM at Saint James

9 AM at Saint Elizabeth Seton

11:00 AM at Saint James

Did You Miss Confirmation the First Time Around?

We Can Help With That

It’s never too late. Even if you are way “past the age” or even a little ;-) ...and not yet Confirmed...you can be. You certainly are not alone. It happens for a variety of reasons. We’re here to help you get “caught up”!

So..If you have not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation and would like to, contact Deacon Michael at dcnmichael@sjbrh.org (best) or by phone at 860-563-5151. Leave a message and we’ll get back to you.

Annual Holiday Fair

Saturday, November 18

9AM - 4PM

St. James Parish Center

Planning for our annual Holiday Fair is well underway. We need lots of volunteers to help make it all happen! Click the button below or scan the QR Code to sign up to help!

Learn About All The Ways You Can Help At Our Holiday Fair

Do you prefer to talk to someone about volunteering? Call Kathy Alexander at 860-563-5859.

Early access to Holiday Fair items starts NOW! Irish knit sweaters (children's starting at $23 and adults starting at $40), quilts, table runners, baby sleep sacks & more. For info and to pre-order, contact Vivian Orsini at vorsini24@aol.com or text her at 860-906-7433. For a full list of items for sale, Click Here.

Daily Mass

Mon-8:30AM @ Seton

Tues-8:00AM @ St. James

Thur-8:00AM @ St. James

Fri-8:30AM @ Seton

Evening Prayer

Fr. George leads evening prayer Monday - Friday at 5:00 PM on our parish Facebook Page. All are welcome!

Rosary

Tues & Thurs

8:30AM @ St. James

Saturdays

3:20PM @ St. James

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.

Text to Give

Support our parish in a convenient, simple and secure way. Simply text an amount to (860) 821-7962 followed by the word ‘text’ and your transaction will be processed through your OSV Online Giving account. If your mobile phone number is not recognized the first time you Text-to-Give, you can associate your number with your OSV Online Giving account or follow the steps to create an account.

Learn more, Click Here.