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September 16, 2025
Daly Notes
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Dear Friends,
Monica Piombino has served Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish as the Director of Faith Formation since 2019. Prior to coming to our parish, Monica served in Guilford and Madison parishes as the Director of Youth Ministry since 1991. Together with her entire Faith Formation Team, Monica helped lead us through a year of virtual learning during the pandemic, rebuilding of curriculum and methods coming back from the COVID year and supporting all of our parish efforts in Early Childhood, Sacramental Preparation, elementary and middle school Faith Formation, Confirmation Preparation, Bakhita Bible Camp and much more over the years. Monica is retiring later this month to spend more time with her family and new grandchildren. We are grateful for her service to our parish and wish her every blessing and happiness as she moves to this next season in her life.
With Gratitude,
Fr. Shawn
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A Note of Thanks to the Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish Family!
The past six years at Saint Josephine Bakhita have been a true blessing in my life. I am profoundly thankful to our parishioners for their faith, encouragement, and prayers; to our dedicated catechists for sharing their gifts so generously, and to Fr George, Fr Shawn, the Faith Formation Team and parish staff for their steadfast support and collaboration.
My time in this community has been filled with joy, learning, and grace. Walking alongside so many of you has been a privilege beyond measure, and I will always treasure the relationships and memories we have built together. You all have deeply touched my heart in so many ways!
As I move into retirement, please know that you will remain in my prayers. I give thanks to God for the opportunity to have served here and for the great gift of these past years with you.
With gratitude and blessings,
Monica Piombino
| | Photos courtesy of Tom Dzimian. | | Join Us For 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time | |
September 20, 2025
4:00 PM Vigil at St. James
September 21, 2025
9:00 AM at St. Elizabeth Seton
and livestreamed
11:00 AM at St. James
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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 in our own lives.
This October 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 first half of the Acts of the Apostles.
The series will be held on October 8,15, 22, 29 and November 5 and 12 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.)
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Saint Josephine Bakhita
Faith Sharing Group
All are welcome to join the Saint Josephine Bakhita Faith Sharing Group. Our next meetings will be Tuesday, September 16, from 10:30-12:00 noon at Saint Elizabeth Seton Church. This group grew out of our parish Awakening retreat in November 2024. At our meetings we start with a presentation of the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025 and then we engage in discussion regarding how the Holy Spirit is working in our lives. For additional information or to RSVP, please contact Michael Lonergan at 860-638-7080 at Mikelonergan53108@sbcglobal.net.
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Saint James Music Ministry
News and Opportunities
We had a busy summer at St. James. This year, as in past years, we spotlighted the talented instrumentalists and cantors who add to our music program throughout the year.
At the 11:00AM Mass at St. James, we regularly have four instrumentalists with us. Our duo of Amy Barnes on clarinet and Chelsea Szivak on flute has been volunteering their time and talent at St. James for almost 20 years. Chelsea, a sound engineer, lives in Glastonbury and is mother to Cecilia (as in St. Cecilia patroness of musicians), and is expecting a child in November. Amy lives in Bristol and is an IT project manager at The Hartford. Both are dedicated members of our community, passing many churches along the way to attend St. James. We thank them for their commitment and the way their playing makes each Mass extra-special.
At Easter we were joined by two talented new musicians heavily involved in music at Rocky Hill High School. Sarah Segar is a Sophomore who plays clarinet and metallophone with us but also plays the Bass Clarinet. Rushil Jog is a Senior who plays the flute and piano with us, but his main instrument is the saxophone. He is auditioning this fall to attend music school and played his virtuosic audition piece, a Sonata for Saxophone, for us as a prelude. You can see them both perform in the Rocky Hill High School Marching Band.
Finally, you may recognize our pianist, eighth grader Lily Antiporda from her many years as a cantor and member of the Youth choir. But you have never heard her play the piano. She has won many awards in competitions and will play again at our Variety Show. Not surprisingly, she is the daughter of our cantor, Arvin Antiporda.
All instrumentalists were part of our Dixieland Band which played at the picnic.
Coming up this Fall:
- Variety Show on October 17
- Lessons and Carols on December 14
- Caroling to the Homebound on December 21
To join or learn more about how you fit into our music program, email Music Director Joy O'Sullivan at Joy@sjbrh.org.
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Seventh Annual Knights of
Columbus Golf Outing
Friday, September 19, 2025
Timberlin Golf Club, Berlin CT
Lunch/Registration at 11:00AM
Scramble Format ~ Shotgun Start at 12:30 PM ~ Buffet Dinner to follow
$150 per golfer includes 18 holes of golf w/cart, lunch and buffet dinner, cash prizes, raffle prizes.
$55 dinner only
For more information, contact Mike DiBattisto (860-713-9070) or Mike Lombardo (860-869-2231).
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Seeking musical, dance, comedic acts for the Second Annual
St. Josephine Bakhita Parish
Variety Show
Friday, October 17, 2025
7:00PM
Parish Center at St. James
For more info or to sign up email: Joy@sjbrh.org or call 860-529-8655 x17.
Participants must sign up by Monday, September 30, 2025.
| | Saturday, November 22, 2025 | | |
2026 Mass Intention Scheduling
It is time to schedule your Mass Intentions! This year will be just like 2025 with two additional ways to remember your loved ones. 1.) Lighting of a special 5-day Vigil candle and 2.) Ringing of our beautiful carillon bells at St. James with an option of a song (list provided), toll (in memory of) or peal (in honor of).
Due to Mass Intentions being so popular we need to limit each household to 2 Mass intentions for the year so that everyone in our parish community has an opportunity to reserve a mass.
MOTHER’S AND FATHER’S DAY MASS INTENTIONS:
Due to the popularity of these dates we will no longer schedule individual names but together as a parish will celebrate All of our Mothers and Fathers together as one.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
Call the office anytime NOW between 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM (860-529-8655) and we will make a phone/office appointment for you on one of the following dates:
OCTOBER 7, OCTOBER 8, OCTOBER 9,
OCTOBER 14, OCTOBER 15, OR OCTOBER 16
SCHEDULED TIMES WILL BE BETWEEN
10:00 AM & 2:00 PM
On your scheduled day and time you may call the office or stop by the Rectory Office at Saint James and we will put your request in the calendar book. Limit 2 per family.
Thank you,
Carrie & Pam
Parish Administrative Assistants
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Support Our Clothing Collection
Support the Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish Clothing Collection. We accept clothing in clean, good to excellent condition. Place donations in the collection bin in the front foyer of St. James Church (behind the divider). Unfortunately we are no longer able to accept household goods.
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2025 HOPES COLLECTION: HELP OUR PARISH EDUCATORS & STUDENTS
The HOPES Collection is an annual fundraiser that provides vital support to our Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Hartford.
Our most vital resource in every Catholic school is our dedicated teachers. This collection awards grants to strengthen teaching, learning and the faith formation of every child in our schools. Every dollar collected is used exclusively to advance the mission and vision of Catholic education. It also allows the affordability of tuition for our families. HOPES ensures quality education, enthusiasm and stability within our Catholic schools. We ask you to join us in supporting our schools!
This year the collection will run from September 20-21, 2025.
Please consider donating to support our schools.
For more details or to donate,
visit the Office of Catholic Schools:
www.catholicedaohct.org/catholic-schools/hopes
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Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish
Rectory Office
on the campus of St. James Church
767 Elm Street, Rocky Hill
860-529-8655
Monday - Friday: 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM
| | Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish l The Catholic Community of Rocky Hill | | | | |
