Dear Friends in Christ:
Once again I find myself in the midst of so many reasons for joy as the Pastor of this great parish. I am so thankful to everyone who gives of their time, talent, and treasure to make our parish family such an active and vibrant community.
Last Monday we had the annual Saint Bridget School Golf Tournament and wow did God give us such a beautiful day to enjoy! The tournament was a huge success thanks to the many organizations, companies, and individuals who supported it. I express Special Gratitude to Caroline Ramirez-Blier, Ken Blier, and Tom Burkhard who were the co-chairs of this year’s tournament. They worked very hard soliciting support and organizing a great day. I also express profound gratitude to the committee members and all those who volunteered at the tournament. It was great to see so many school parents and parishioners coming to help out for the day. We could not have done it without each of you!
The support of so many in our greater community is quite humbling. We are most grateful to our major sponsor, as well, The Legionaries of Christ Novitiate and College of Humanities! We are humbled by the dedication, generosity, and support the Legionaries of Christ offer to our school and parish. Their support makes a huge difference. We are grateful to The Parish Family of Saint Bridget of Sweden, who were our Dinner Sponsor; to All Pointe Home Care/All Pointe Care, our Lunch Sponsor; to F.F. Hitchcock and Webster Bank, our Cart Sponsors; to Horton Group LLC, who were our Beverage Station Sponsor; to Rowland Technologies, Inc., our Gift Sponsors; to Beauty from Ashes Catholic Family Therapy, our Cocktail Sponsor; to Blasius Chevrolet & Cadillac, our Hole-in-One Sponsor; to Alderson-Ford Funeral Homes, Brian Klanica, Canning Liturgical Arts, G.L. Capasso in memory of Dr. John Aversa, Ion Bank, The Supreme Office of the Knights of Columbus, ServPro of Milford-Orange-Stratford, and Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish in North Haven, who were our Putting Green Sponsors!!! A word of gratitude also to our many Tee & Green sponsors, Flag Sponsors, and all who took out advertisements in our program book, and to all those who donated items for our raffle, thank you so very much.
In this 25th Anniversary Year since our reopening of St. Bridget School, we are so blessed with the amazing support from so many within our community. This support of our school makes such a difference in our ability to provide a safe, nurturing, and academically stimulating environment in which we attend to the spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional, and physical needs of our students while they come to know Jesus Christ and His great love for them. Thank you all!
PARISH PICNIC additional words of gratitude to the following individuals and companies whose generosity helped defray the cost of our picnic: Arisco Farms, Rebecca and Barry Berkowitz, Clare Bernard, Steven Burt Seafood, Tracy and Vito Catalanotto, CK Greenhouses, Jay Cunningham and Family at Holiday Hill, William and Sue DeVylder, Keith Erickson and AES Remedial Contracting, Mario and Sue Ferrucci, Hilzinger Farms, Bruce and Nancy Humiston, John LaRosa, Anthony and Carmel Mongillo, Napoli’s Inc., Kathleen O’Neill, Scott Pagliughi, John and Marge Palmeri, Nancy and Michael Rasmussen, Patty and Larry Richard, A.J. Wallinger of A.J. Waste Systems LLC, Jeff Strange our Chef Extraordinaire, Louise White, Ernesto and Anna Zarra, Powerstation, Dee Ferry and her team at Mad Tents, and a few anonymous benefactors as well. Thank you to each and every one of you!
Thank you also to the many volunteers who helped to make our Parish Picnic a wonderful family event. Please see page 10 of this bulletin for a list of those volunteers.
WE WANT TO BRING YOUR INTENTIONS TO ITALY…TUESDAY IS OCTOBER 1ST and together with 21 other pilgrims I leave for our Pilgrimage to Italy to experience the food, wine, and culture. As we explore the great religious history of Italy, enjoy some exquisite cuisine, and visit the Vatican-the center of Roman Catholicism and home of Pope Francis, we want to pray for you and your intentions! We will visit the Floral Gardens of Caesar Augustus in Capri, the Saint Andrew Cathedral along the Amalfi Coast, the excavations in Pompeii, and the sites of the life of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio). We will also visit Lanciano, a town most noted for the Eucharistic Miracle which became the foundation for the Feast of Corpus Christi. Finally, we will spend a couple of days in Rome, the Eternal City, where we will see the Vatican Museums, Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Catacombs, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and more.
Do you have a friend who is ill and needs prayers? Do you have a stress in your life you want relief from? Do you simply have someone you are keeping in your prayers? We want to bring your prayer intentions with us as we visit these historic, sacred, and moving sites. To facilitate this we have a link on our parish website at www.stbridgetcheshire.org for you to submit your prayer intentions for us to pray on your behalf throughout our pilgrimage. Your submissions will be forwarded to my email and I will share them each day with our pilgrims. The power of prayer at work! And as we pray for you and your intentions we, of course, ask for your prayers for us and a safe journey!
WITH THE 1st of OCTOBER ALSO BEGINS RESPECT LIFE MONTH. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has chosen as their theme this year for this respect life month, Christ our Hope in Every Season of Life. More information can always be found at the website http://www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/respect-life-program/index.cfm.
Our Parish Pro-Life Ministry under the leadership of Rosa and Peter Spilka have been busy planning for opportunities to help us build a culture of life. There will be a special Mass with Archbishop Blair at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford on Sunday, October 6th at 11AM. There will be a Public Square Rosary held on Saturday, October 12th at 12 Noon at the Bartlem Park Gazebo across from the Cheshire High School. Our Parish Pro-Life Ministry will also be participating in the 40days for Life on October 26 (Saturday) standing and peacefully praying across the street from an abortion clinic in Hartford from 9AM until noon. Please join us before the Eucharistic Lord on Fridays from 1PM-4PM during our Eucharistic Adoration to join us in praying that He may move the hearts of all to a greater respect for life as we seek to build a culture of life.
This Respect Life Month let each of us call to mind the need to promote a Culture of Life in our families, in our parish, and in the wider community, and let us ask God’s blessings on us as we strive to treat each and every person we meet as the masterpiece that he or she was created to be in His love. May we do all in our power to recognize the truth of His words, and be people who promote a culture of life.
THE SAINT BRIDGET OF SWEDEN PARISH OKTOBERFEST is just around the corner! The Oktoberfest will be held on Friday, October 18th in the Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish Center. There is buzz going on about this event! Many parents in our religious education and our school have commented on what a great night out it is to just be with friends and relax. Tickets will be on sale beginning this weekend after all Masses and also at the School or Rectory during the week. Hurry and purchase your ticket to this year’s Oktoberfest so you don’t miss out on the fun!!!
Please join us for this ADULTS ONLY event on Friday, October 18th. Tickets are only $30 per person and include a meal of traditional German fare, a variety of beers, and live entertainment. This is another great opportunity for us to come together and get to know one another in a social setting. What a great way to gather with old friends and meet new ones as we seek to build up our family of faith. See you there!
A special word of gratitude and happiest congratulations…I wish to extend a very happy congratulations to Saint Bridget School Parents Annmarie Sullivan and Lauren St. Onge on receiving the Saint John Neumann Award from Archbishop Blair this past Tuesday evening at the Annual HOPES (Helping Our Parish Elementary Schools) Dinner at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville. Annmarie and Lauren are always willing and able to go above and beyond to help out our parish school. They consistently give of their time and talent in various ways to support Catholic school education. This award is named after Saint John Neumann whose prodigious efforts brought the Catholic school system into being in our country. Father Federico and I were able to be present to express our personal gratitude to them for their dedication in helping in so many ways to further the mission of our parish school and for all they do for our parish family as well.
Congratulations Annmarie and Lauren, and thank you for all you do!
As always, remember to pray for our parish family and ask God’s blessings as we build His kingdom here. Please know that I am praying for you, and I ask for your prayers for me, that together through the intercession of Saint Bridget of Sweden, our Patroness, and united in the Eucharist, we will reflect the presence of Jesus to the world.
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