392 South Main St., Colchester
3. FROM THE BISHOP
4. FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD
Evangelization through transformation
5. VOCATIONS CORNER
Update from the new director
6. ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL
Volunteers thanked for their service
7. OFFICE FOR SAFE ENVIRONMENT
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
8. FEATURE STORY — ADDICTION TO ADORATION
Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future
10. THEOLOGY 101
The power of words
Christian & Catholic books, art, greeting cards, jewelry, church supplies, sacramental gifts & more!
T-W 10am-5pm • Th-F 10am-6pm • Sat 10am-3pm
PROMISE to Protect Pledge to HEAL
12. COVER STORY
Transforming lives at St. Vincent de Paul, Middletown
14. MONTH OF MARY
A country transformed
16. MARRIAGE MATTERS
Growing in friendship and holiness
17. OUR YOUTH SBS qualifies for World Championship
18. PENTECOST
Living Pentecost during the Eucharistic Revival
19. IN MEMORIAM
20. WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
Our Lady Queen of Hope Award
21. DIAKONIA
22. FAITH FORMATION
Virtual Confirmation Program prepares adults
23. MEMORIAL DAY
Reflecting on the deeper meaning of sacrifice
Four
We Can Help
To report inappropriate conduct of any kind by a Diocesan Bishop please contact ReportBishopAbuse.org or call 1.800.276.1562. To report inappropriate contact of any kind by a representative of the Diocese of Norwich or for assistance for victims, please call: The Diocesan Reporting Line @ at 800.624.7407.
If the incident involves a minor (persons under the age of 18), you must also call: State of CT Department of Children and Families Care Line 1.800.842.2288 OR State of NY Child Protective Services 1.800.635.1522
Incidents involving abuse of vulnerable adults aged 18-59 should be reported to: Connecticut Department of Developmental Services - AID Division for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities 1.844.878.8923
Incidents involving abuse of vulnerable adults aged 60 and over should be reported to: Connecticut Department of Social Services for the Elderly 1.888.385.4225
The celebration of Easter is much more than a one-day experience. Eastertide continues for 49 days, culminating in the Holy Spirit anointing the apostles and the Church at Pentecost.
After the events of Holy Week, the disciples hid behind locked doors in the Upper Room out of fear. They were fearful of those in power who tortured and killed Jesus.
Their fear is our fear. Sometimes, we are fearful of standing up for what is right. Sometimes, it can be as simple as letting others know that we are people of faith. The apostles left the Upper Room, but only after they had been strengthened by the Holy Spirit.
We have experienced that same strengthening when we were anointed at our Confirmation.
Recently, there have been a few examples of fearlessness that played out in the public media. One might call them countercultural.
Harrison Butker, the 27-year-old kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, is outspoken about his Catholic faith. He made the gamewinning kick in the most recent Super Bowl. Giving glory to God, he said this about his Catholic faith, “I think it really entices a lot of young people who are looking for answers. They’re looking for happiness. And for me, I found happiness in embracing the faith offered in the Catholic Church.”
In the world of basketball, Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzella, a devout Catholic, was asked by a reporter “Did you get a chance to meet with the royal family, and if not, what was it like having them there in the building?“ She was referring to Prince William and Princess Kate of Wales, who attended the Celtics game. His reply: “Jesus, Mary and Joseph? I only know of one royal family.“
His response was so innocent and refreshing. Spoken totally without fear of embarrassment or being judged. A husband and father not afraid to live and share his faith.
Easter strengthens us as Christians and inspires us the whole year to be mindful of our faith’s gift of eternal life, and to be grateful, helpful and loving to each other at every opportunity.
The generosity of a compassionate follower of Jesus Christ begins with a thankful heart. We may share our gratitude by way of encouraging others. Offering words of comfort. Sharing our time and energy to help those in need. Being willing to be steadily supportive of our diocesan ministries. We are at our compassionate best when we are united as a community of faith.
God endows us … with Himself. We are called to a divine love. This is the Christian destiny. God calls us to sanctity, which can only be achieved after an experience of the fire of God’s love.
This is Pentecost. We received an outpouring of the Holy Spirit at our Baptism and Confirmation, and we continue this outpouring every time we receive the Eucharist.
I pray that you do not remain locked in your “upper room”, but instead find yourself transformed by this outpouring of grace. Step out, be fearless and share it with others.
Today, I call upon the Holy Spirit, the love of God Himself, who was breathed out upon the disciples at Pentecost in tongues of fire. May the Holy Spirit breathe new life within us, within the Church. We ask the Holy Spirit to transform us with the fire of God’s love. Have a blessed Pentecost.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Mis queridos hermanos y hermanas en Cristo,
La celebración de la Semana Santa es mucho más que una experiencia de un día. La Pascua continua durante 49 días y culmina en Pentecostés con la venida del Espíritu Santo a los Apóstoles y la Iglesia.
Después de los acontecimientos de la Semana Santa, los discípulos se escondieron por miedo detrás de puertas cerradas en el Aposento Alto. Tenían miedo de aquellos poderosos que torturaron y mataron a Jesús.
MOST REVEREND MICHAEL R. COTE, D.D.
“God endows us … with Himself. We are called to a divine love. This is the Christian destiny.”
Su miedo es nuestro miedo. A veces temenos miedo de defender lo que es correcto. A veces puede ser tan simple como dejar que los demás sepan que somos personas de fe. Los apóstoles abandonaron el Aposento Alto, solo después de haber sido fortalecidos por el Espíritu Santo.
Hemos experimentado ese mismo fortalecimiento cuando fuimos ungidos en nuestra Confirmación.
Recientemente, ha habido algunos ejemplos de valentía que se desarrollaron en los medios públicos. Uno podría llamarlos contraculturales.
Harrison Butker, el pateador de 27 años de Kansas City Chiefs, habla abiertamente sobre su fe católica: “Creo que realmente atrae a muchos jóvenes que buscan respuestas. Están buscando la felicidad. Y yo encontré la felicidad al abrazar la fe ofrecida en la Iglesia Católica.”
En el mundo del baloncesto, un reportero le preguntó al entrenador de los Boston Celtics, Joe Mazzella, un católico devoto, “¿Tuviste la oportunidad de reunirte con la familia real y, si no, cómo fue tenerlos allí en el edificio?” Se refería al príncipe Guillermo y la princesa Kate Middleton de Gales, que asistieron al partido de los Celtics. Su respuesta, “¿Jesús, María y José? Solo conozco una familia real.”
Su respuesta fue tan inocente y refrescante. Habló totalmente sin miedo a la vergüenza a ser juzgado. Un esposo y padre que no tiene miedo de vivir y compartir su fe.
La Pascua nos fortalece como cristianos y nos inspira durante todo el año a ser conscientes del don de nuestra fe de la vida eterna, y a ser agradecidos, serviciales y amorosos unos con otros en cada oportunidad.
La generosidad de un seguidor compasivo de Jesucristo comienza con un corazón agradecido. Podemos compartir nuestra gratitud animando a otros. Ofreciendo palabras de consuelo. Compartiendo nuestro tiempo y energía para ayudar a los necesitados. Estar dispuesto a apoyar constantemente nuestros ministerios diocesanos. Estamos en nuestro mejor momento compasivo cuando estamos Unidos como una comunidad de fe.
Dios nos llama a la santidad, que solo puede alcanzarse después de una experiencia del fuego del amor de Dios.
Esto es Pentecostés. Recibimos una efusión cada vez que recibimos la Eucaristía. Oro para que no se quede encerrado en el Aposento Alto, sino que sea transformado por esa efusión de gracia. Salga, no tenga miedo y compártalo con los demás.
Hoy invoco al Espíritu Santo, el amor de Dios mismo, que fue exhalado sobre los discípulos en Pentecostés en lenguas de fuego.
Que el Espíritu Santo sople vida nueva dentro de nosotros, dentro de la Iglesia. Pedimos al Espíritu Santo que nos transforme con el fuego del amor de Dios. Que tenga un bendecido Pentecostés.
SPRING IS A TIME OF TRANSFORMATION. We see it in nature with the budding of trees and the blooming of flowers.
Personally, I am drawn to transformation stories. Hopefully, you are too. Stories where the main character becomes more courageous, more loving or more moral because of some life changing event or encounter. In the Bible we see this in the experiences of Job. In the movies think of Bill Murray's character in Groundhog Day.
The stories that I particularly enjoy, the ones that grab me, are the true stories of people who turn from a path that leads to destruction and through grace are transformed and find themselves on a path that hopefully will lead them into the arms of God.
Perhaps the reason that we are drawn to these types of stories is because we are part of a Church that is overflowing with transformation.
In the Eucharist, bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. In fact, all the sacraments have a transformational element.
Water poured out in Baptism is both an external sign and a spiritual reality of a transformed soul. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we enter the confessional weighed down by sin and leave with a soul brimming with God’s mercy.
So, if you enjoy transformation stories you are going to appreciate Deacon Ben’s article of a local man’s journey from Addiction to Adoration. And then there are the students who, along with their professor, are bringing about transformation in people on the margins with something More than Food
We are always on the lookout for great transformation stories. If you have one, or know of one, please contact me at Communications@NorwichDiocese.net. And as always, please pray for us and remember to sign up for our email newsletter at NorwichDiocese.org/ Newsletter.
ON DECEMBER 20, 2022 , Bishop Cote appointed me as vocation director for the Diocese of Norwich. Since that appointment, I have been busy trying to get up to speed with the details of our men in formation, with particular emphasis on those three men who are approaching the end of their Third Theology year, which typically culminates with ordination to the transitional diaconate.
I began by meeting with each of our seminarians to see how they were doing in the four areas of formation — human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral — and to see how the challenges of COVID affected their journey over the last few years. I was pleased to hear that our seminarians were doing well and continuing to grow as they follow Our Lord on this journey.
The next step in getting up to speed involved making a trip to Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, to evaluate the seminary itself and hear reports on each of our seminarians. The Mount, like all seminaries around the world, is preparing to implement a new program known as a Propaedeutic year, which will be required going forward as a year of prayer, discernment and preparatory human formation prior to beginning formal academic studies, which involve two years of Philosophy and four years of Theology. I was very relieved and greatly assured by this visit, as the Mount seems to be doing exceptionally well in guiding men on behalf of their respective dioceses.
I have been praying extensively for our seminarians and those who are being called by Our Lord today to follow Him in this sacred service. Over the course of many Holy Hours before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, I have discerned a critical need for prayer going forward. I am asking for your help in this necessary work. It has become clear to me that we must pray for the pastors of our parishes throughout our diocese. Each pastor seeks to be a shepherd of Christ to those souls entrusted to him. As such, each pastor is the vocation director of his parish. I simply work with those candidates who are referred to me from the parishes.
Many priests have been fatigued by ever increasing administrative demands in addition to the weight of the spiritual needs of the parish. Pastors with multiple churches are trying their best to tend to every spiritual need of their parishioners but there are only so many hours in a day. I encounter many priests who, like many parents, are just tired. A little worn out. An exhausted priest might be so focused on what they have to do next, that they don’t notice the young man called to the priesthood or young woman called to religious life. I am asking you to strengthen them with your prayers and sacrifices offered to our Lord on their behalf. There will be many steps on our journey to strengthen our Vocations Program. I ask you to take this first one with me and to pray with the passion and zeal of the countless saints that have preceded us. May God bless you abundantly for your faithful response of prayer!
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“An exhausted priest might be so focused on what they have to do next, that they don’t notice the young man called to the priesthood or young woman called to religious life.”Julian Cuervo
This year’s Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) dinner meeting was held Feb. 23 at the St. Andrew Church hall in Colchester. Before the ACA begins each year, the pastors, secretaries, parishioner volunteers and ACA chairs come together to prepare for the new campaign. This meeting always provides a nice opportunity to thank the people who work so hard each year to help the ACA reach its goal and continue to assist the ACA-supported ministries do the work of Christ each day.
Bishop Cote greeted everyone and expressed his great gratitude to all those present and those who attended via Zoom.
“I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all the work each of you has done this year to support our ACA,” the bishop said. “The fact that we have surpassed our goal for the second year in a row is a true testament to your efforts and leadership. Thank you very much.”
Bishop Cote continued, “We are also very grateful to the Rossi Foundation and the Padre Pio Foundation of America, who provided us with a very generous matching opportunity in the last quarter of our campaign. Because of the new gifts that this match generated, these two foundations combined to make a $100,000 gift for which we are very appreciative.”
Mary Ellen Mahoney, director of the Annual Catholic Appeal, also thanked the audience.
“Each of you are the heart and soul of the ACA,” she said.
“Without your continued efforts we would never be able to help our ACA supported ministries and programs carry out their missions, being the hands, feet and heart of Jesus.”
While parishes do a good deal of their own charitable work in their communities, Mahoney emphasized, the ACA-supported programs help people on a much broader scale. For example, the Office of Faith Events; St. Vincent de Paul Place, Norwich; St. Vincent de Paul, Middletown; Catholic Charities; Office for Safe Environments; Schools Office; Office of Vocations; and the Four County Catholic Magazine, just to name a few, are all uniquely diocesan-wide initiatives.
The new magazine format of the Four County Catholic is
an excellent showcase of all the good works of the ACAsupported ministries. The magazine receives funding from the ACA as well.
After Mahoney made her PowerPoint presentation and the ACA video was shown, the guests enjoyed a delicious dinner in the hall. Mahoney expressed her appreciation to Father Masnicki and Father Breton, who offered their church hall for the event. Father Breton’s computer skills were much appreciated, as he aptly dealt with a few technological challenges.
Bishop Cote and Mahoney were happy to be able to visit with many of the parishioners who work so tirelessly to bring the Annual Catholic Appeal to their churches.
“Throughout many years, I have been pleased to participate in the Annual Catholic Appeal,” volunteer Carol Cieslukowski, a parishioner at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Norwich, said. “Many ministries benefit from the services that are provided to the youth, elderly, poor and disadvantaged throughout the Diocese of Norwich. I feel that through the commitment of time and financial support from all of us that the ACA can reach its 2023 campaign goal and continue to do God’s work with our help. I urge everyone to participate in this appeal with a spirit of faith, peace and love.”
For the last three years, Steve Autieri has served as the ACA chairperson for St. Luke's Parish in Ellington.
“In my role, I take great pride in leading an initiative that supports essential ministries to the diocese,” he said. “Whether it is providing meals to the needy or supporting the seminarians called to serve their faith, the annual campaign ensures that these programs become reality."
“Ralph and I have financially supported the ACA for many years,” St. Sebastian Church, Middletown parishioner Joanne Coligan said. “I have also served as chairman of the ACA at St. Sebastian’s Church for several years. We believe that there is no better way to serve God than by demonstrating a spirit of generosity, compassion and love for those who benefit from the various programs and ministries supported by the Annual Catholic Appeal.”
Since 2004, the Office for Safe Environments of the Diocese of Norwich (OSE) has used Virtus, a best practices program designed to help prevent wrongdoing and promote "rightdoing" to empower priests, deacons, ministry leaders, employees and volunteers to be aware of risks and improve the lives of all those interacting with the Church. Currently, the diocese uses the Praesidium Academy, an online training program that provides initial and ongoing training for all adult volunteers and employees, as well as an Abuse Prevention Refresher Course that all adults volunteering and or employed with the diocese are required to take every three years. This past year, the adults employed and or involved at our schools, parishes and ministries took Mandated Reporter Training offered by the State of Connecticut, Department of Children and Families (DCF), which will be required every two years. All of these programs provide a foundational understanding of the risks, warning signs and appropriate responses to child sexual abuse. They also highlight preventive strategies and how to implement them.
KATHLEEN D’AMELIO is the director of the Office for Safe Environments and, along with her husband Deacon Dan D’Amelio, is active in her parish.
All volunteers who interact with children and teenagers on a regular basis, as well as all priests, deacons, religious, ministry leaders and employees are required to take this training. To date, more than 19,350 adults have been trained in the programs OSE has offered since 2004. Adults employed in our schools have been fingerprinted and screened through the State of Connecticut, Department of Children and Families, All adult employees and volunteers throughout the diocese have been background checked utilizing National Criminal Database screening and analysis, to include the State of Connecticut Department of Public Safety, multistate court and database searches and DCF background checks and National Sex Offender registry checks.
Yearly, on average, approximately 5,000 children and young people in our diocese receive abuse prevention education from kindergarten through 12th grade with the No Go Tell Program. This curriculum was created to give young people information to keep them safe in everyday life circumstances, at church and school, and to know what to do in circumstances where they may be at risk. The program has been adapted to video and translated to Spanish, so it is accessible and engaging for all of our young people.
The Diocese of Norwich has been audited every year by assigned auditors working with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to document our compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. We have received our letters of compliance each year indicating we are meeting the goals for the protection of our youth and young people and are recognized as compliant by the audit team. Audits are done yearly through documentation provided by parishes, schools and ministries. Every three years, our diocese has an in-person audit with a team assigned by the USCCB.
Anyone wanting to report suspected abuse and/or sexual misconduct in the Diocese of Norwich should call the Diocesan Reporting Line (800.624.7407) and provide basic information about the incident. Then the bishop's delegate for internal investigations and the assistance coordinator work together to create a safe and compassionate environment. They coordinate and provide access to counseling and support for victims affected by sexual misconduct and/or abuse by a priest, deacon, or others who minister, work or volunteer in the Diocese of Norwich to help in the healing process. All clergy, employees and volunteers are informed on a regular basis about the process for reporting suspected abuse.
For more information on the Diocese of Norwich's policies, protocols and training concerning abuse prevention and the protection of children and young people, visit the website of the Office for Safe Environments: NorwichDiocese.org/Safe-Environments
SAY NO IN A LOUD VOICE
GO TO A SAFE PLACE WITH OTHER PEOPLE
TELL A TRUSTED PERSON WHAT HAS HAPPENED
Not too long before becoming a monk, he was on a very different path a path to perdition.
Blaschik is a monk of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (also known as the Trappists). He resides at Our Lady of the Holy Cross Abbey in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. He leads a life of relative simplicity, silence and separation from the dominant culture, following the Rule of St. Benedict, balancing the practices of prayer, spiritual reading and work.
As a Trappist, Brother John rises at 3 a.m., prays seven times a day and is a vegetarian. He also works as groundskeeper, cooks for the community and helps prepare the sweet cakes and honey the monastery sells.
In 1983, John Blaschik’s life looked rosy. At 27, he was elected the first selectman of the town of East Haddam at that time, the youngest person ever to hold such office in the state of Connecticut. And some years later, he became deputy state fire marshal, with statewide jurisdiction. But by 2009, two failed marriages and alcoholism had ravaged his life and his family.
In December of that year, driving home from a bar, he crashed his car into a telephone pole. Because he had
in addition to his diocesan roles, Deacon Ben ministers to the parishioners of Good Shepherd Parish.
There is an old saying that could very well describe Brother John Blaschik’s journey to the Trappists: “Every saint has a past and every sinner a future.”DEACON BEN LOCASTO
been driving drunk and without a license (his license had been suspended the previous September due to a DUI), he was sentenced to 30 days in prison.
In prison, he attended meetings with Chaplain Sister Mary Healy. He was looking for spiritual guidance, and she recommended that he read books by three Trappist monks:
Fathers Thomas Merton, Basil Pennington and Thomas Keating.
“I devoured those books,” Blaschik said.
By reading the books he came to realize that his own mind was the real prison he was in, and that through prayer and treatment he could be released. He also developed a curiosity about the Trappists, which he later realized was a calling.
Thus began several years of spiritual journey to monastic life. In 2013, he applied for the permanent diaconate, but was not chosen. Realizing God was calling him to a different vocation, he applied
to several monasteries, however was rejected because of his age.
Then, someone told him about a small Trappist monastery situated on 1,500 acres alongside the Shenandoah River in Virginia that accepted older novitiates. After several visits and interviews, he was admitted into Our Lady of the Holy Cross Abbey in February of 2017.
This year, on June 17, after five years of novitiate, Brother John will take solemn vows: stability, poverty, chastity and obedience. He describes his salvation story by paraphrasing the 14th-century mystic Julian of Norwich. “First there is the fall and then there is the recovery from the fall, both are the mercy of God.”
In prison, Sister Healy had told him that what we call coincidences or chance are really “God winks.”
God has truly winked at Brother John Blaschik.
Our
Holy
Abbey was the subject of a PBS Special entitled: “Saving Place, Saving Grace: www.pbs.org/video/wvpt-saving-place-saving-grace/
Last spring, I attended the graduation of one of my brothers from a local university.
What I witnessed, at least on the surface, was not extraordinary. It was no different from what others witness at the countless other graduation ceremonies that happen each year. And yet, upon reflection, something significant struck me about what took place there.
The ceremony was filled with the usual pomp and circumstance that accompanies most graduation rituals: a procession of the students and faculty, inspiring speeches and students walking across a stage, posing for pictures. However, toward the end of the graduation, we all witnessed the real reason we were there: The university president stood before the microphone and said something along the lines of, “By the power vested in me, I confer upon each of you students your respective degrees.”
Then, as is customary, the students turned their tassels and, boom, they were officially college graduates.
As I was reflecting on this event, what struck me as being so powerful was how with just a few simple words spoken by the right person, the lives of so many people could be altered so drastically. In other words, when the right person said the right words, it changed the fabric of reality. My brother walked into the graduation without a college degree and he walked out as a college graduate. In some real sense, who he was had changed. In the eyes of the university, in the eyes of potential employers and in the eyes of the world, he was now a different person.
And yet, he didn’t look any different afterwards than he did before. During the opening procession, I watched my brother as he walked into the amphitheater. He walked in a young man with tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of college debt, with no college degree, dressed in a cap and gown. And I saw him as he walked
out. A young man, still with tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of debt, still dressed in cap and gown, but now he had a college degree. That’s no small change. And all because of those few simple words spoken by the university president.
And that’s because words have power. When the right words are spoken by the right person, they change the fabric of reality, even though we don’t always perceive a change in the appearance of that reality. And if the simple words spoken by a university president can so drastically alter the lives of college students, then you better believe that when it is God who speaks, the impact is all the more certain and all the more real. In the words of a hymn composed by St. Thomas Aquinas, What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do: Truth Himself speaks truly…or there is nothing true. (Adoro Te Devote) In other words, if the words spoken by God, who is Truth
WHEN THE RIGHT PERSON SAYS THE RIGHT WORDS, IT CHANGES THE FABRIC OF REALITY.FATHER MICHAEL BOVINO is the parochial vicar at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick.
Itself, are not true, then neither are any other words.
This has repercussions in our lives as disciples of Jesus. Because as Catholics, we believe that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the words spoken by the priest over the bread and wine at every Mass, cause the bread and wine to be really changed into the body and blood of Jesus.
This is true, not because of any special power of the priest himself, but because of the power of Jesus, who is acting in and through the priest at Mass, and through the power of Jesus’ words.
Yet, we can’t help but notice that the bread continues to appear to us as bread, even after the priest speaks the words of consecration, even after the bread is transformed into the real flesh and blood of Jesus. Even after that incredible transformation takes place, the Eucharist, the real flesh and blood of Jesus, still appears to our eyes to be ordinary bread.
Friends, this is how it is supposed to be. At Mass, we shouldn’t expect the bread to take on a different appearance after the consecration, any more than we should expect college students to take on a different appearance after they officially become graduates.
As we witness the beautiful changes that take place around us this spring, may they serve as reminders to us of how sometimes the most significant changes in life occur in ways that go unnoticed by our senses; whether that be a new college graduate, a man and woman joining together in marriage or Jesus descending to be with us at every Mass under the appearance of ordinary bread. These changes take place because words have power. When spoken by the right person, words have power to change the fabric of reality, especially when spoken by God Himself. For, what God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do: Truth Himself speaks truly … or there is nothing true.
I realize the analogy is not perfect. Every analogy limps, as the saying goes. Yet there is something true in this analogy that can help us to understand, even just a little bit better, the beautiful and true teaching on the Eucharist, which leads us to this last point.
Here we are again in the midst of another spring. Spring is a season of growth and new life bursting forth. Perhaps this is why college graduations often take place in the spring. But spring is not only a time of graduations, it is also the season for First Holy Communions. After a time of preparation, each spring some of our young parishioners get the opportunity to approach Jesus in the Eucharist to receive Him for the first time into their bodies and souls. What a gift!
Anyone who has ever attended a First Holy Communion knows what a great joy and privilege it is to witness. And as a priest who gets to give First Holy Communion, it often feels like I’m witnessing a long anticipated meeting between two people for the first time. It’s always a mystery what happens between Jesus and that young child during their first reception of Holy Communion, but one is able to glimpse into how meaningful that moment is, not only for the child, but also for Jesus Himself.
“At Mass, we shouldn’t expect the bread to take on a different appearance after the consecration, any more than we should expect college students to take on a different appearance after they officially become graduates.”
Through its soup kitchen and Amazing Grace Food Pantry, St. Vincent de Paul, Middletown has provided meals and groceries to those in need for 43 years.
Our soup kitchen opened with a shelter on Main Street in 1980 as a response to homelessness in our city. The kitchen was modeled after what Dorothy Day started in New York City during the Great Depression: a place to get a warm meal and fellowship.
Today, we’ve expanded our soup kitchen model to do much more than feed people and provide fellowship. As our community and its needs change, so must our programs for those in need.
Nothing has affected our soup kitchen guests more than the opioid crisis. Today, death from opioid drug use is a norm and one we see every day in the soup kitchen. Our staffers have saved many lives in the last three years by administering NARCAN during an overdose.
While we saved lives by feeding and sheltering people, we have to do much more today to help our soup kitchen guests work toward recovery. Recovery takes many shapes and is specific to
MARYELLEN SHUCKEROW is the Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul Middletown
each individual. It can be recovery from homelessness, recovery from alcohol and drug addiction, recovery from domestic violence and abuse, recovery from toxic relationships.
We’ve thought long and hard about recovery in our soup kitchen and in the last two years have transformed the program to a recovery model of care.
First, we revamped the dining room into an inviting space. We transformed how we prepare and serve food. We added a salad bar, cut out desserts and now cook most meats and fish in a convection oven and use healthy fats. Organic eggs come from our backyard chickens daily, and we serve whole grains.
There’s no shortage of meals: guests can have seconds whenever they want more during breakfast and lunch. We educated our guests and surveyed them on what they want to eat. Working with our community food drive groups, we were able to provide them with healthy options in abundance.
Preparing healthy meals, growing our own food and providing choices has strengthened the diets of our guests and given them greater ability to maintain their health.
Secondly, we had to heal our guests’ spirit and minds, often so stricken with mental illness and addictions.
We brought in master-level occupational students and opened the dining room every afternoon to provide programs that engaged our guests in healthy activities, such as trivia, chess, karaoke, gardening, fishing trips and cell phone and computer training. Known as occupational justice, the activities provide the framework for our guests to learn positive socialization skills, engage in healthy activities and reduce addiction, along with the stigma that can come with mental illness.
As part of our weekly Clean Crew, guests sign up to clean our Main Street and its storefronts. It’s a way to give back to our community. Each guest who volunteers gets a gift card in return for their labor. The pride they feel and the thanks they receive from our business community lifts their spirits. They are seen as an asset rather than a problem in our city.
Our farm-to-table gardening program allows the students to take guests to tend crops and then enjoy eating what they grow. Guests can also volunteer daily in the kitchen by cleaning, stocking, dishwashing and tidying the grounds. They receive a gift card for their efforts.
We have a social worker and licensed clinician in the dining room weekly to connect guests to treatment, mental health care, substance abuse treatment and housing. The dining room, rich with access to services in the community, eliminates the cumbersome, complex system to provide access to treatment on all fronts.
Vinnie and Paula, our resident pet rabbits, are trained to be in our offices. Guests are welcome to visit them, and they provide joy for our staff, who work so hard and often spend a few minutes with the rabbits to ease their day. Offering a non-judgmental, peaceful and soothing relationship, rabbits are known to be very effective around individuals with trauma histories.
Our chickens, known as the Holy Hens, not only provide organic eggs. They and the rabbits eat most of our produce waste we would otherwise put in the trash. We are doing our small part to reduce our carbon footprint.
Our recovery programs give guests a safe place to be together, learn coping strategies, gain sobriety and abstain from drugs. The work is based on simple principles. As the saying goes, “Give a person a fish to eat and they eat for a day. Teach a person to fish and they eat for life.”
The program teaches individuals how to live in their community with greater ability to make better choices, reduce alcoholism and other addictions, gain greater mental health and begin to believe they can overcome what has kept them at our soup kitchen.
Most soup kitchens and food pantries measure success on how many meals were served or how many pounds of food were given. While these outcomes are impressive and provide food security to many, we must look to the underlying issues of food insecurity for truly reaching sustainable outcomes to those we serve.
The outcomes for success of our recovery services are much smaller than in our meals served and pounds of food provided. Our recovery services work to give guests a path to change habits that keep them oppressed, ill and at risk of dying far too young.
Our core mission is to provide meals and groceries, supportive housing and a safety net. We will continue to work on recovery initiatives, and to strengthen those we serve so that they may live and thrive.
argument against the miracle; it was simply too big to explain in any other way.
Fewer people are aware of the even greater miracle that resulted from Our Lady’s visit to the shepherd children of Fatima: the transformation of Portugal. At the time of the apparition, Portugal was beset by atheism, Freemasonry and anti-Catholicism; these forces had conspired to squash the messages given by the visionaries. It was a bleak time to be Catholic in that nation. But that would soon change.
FATHER JEFFREY ELLIS serves as parochial vicar of St. Michael parish.He has a particular devotion to Our Lady of Fatima.
Nowhere is her maternal protection over us more evident than in the numerous visits from heaven that she has made. Each apparition of Our Lady demonstrates that the Queen of the Universe loves us and will do all that she can to aid us and bring us to her Son.
Many people know about the marvelous visit of Mary to Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, beginning in May and culminating in October with the great miracle of the sun, where an estimated 70,000 Portuguese men and women marveled as the sun “danced” in the sky. Never before, and never since, have so many witnesses reported such a grand wonder. To this day, doubters cannot offer any compelling
On May 13, 1931, the bishops of Portugal came to Fatima to solemnly consecrate their nation to the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady. Although this had not explicitly been requested by Our Lady at Fatima, it was a beautiful sign of confidence that our mother would protect a people entrusted to her. No one could have predicted the amazing results that followed.
Firstly, Portugal was spared from the scourge of war. In the mid-1930s, Spain erupted into civil war, and communism was poised to gain its first stronghold in Western Europe. Neighboring Portugal seemed on the verge of getting dragged into the conflict for years, but Our Lady, protecting the nation entrusted to her, prevented the war from reaching its borders.
Mary is our heavenly mother and the month of May, dedicated to her, always provides us an opportunity to consider how much our Mama loves us and cares for us.
To this day, doubters cannot offer any compelling argument against the miracle; it was simply too big to explain in any other way.”
Even more miraculous was the nation’s involvement with the Second World War: Portugal actually remained neutral. The Portuguese were able to avoid the horrors of the war, providing some support to U.S. and British forces, without antagonizing Spain and its Fascist government. Mother Mary swooped in to spare the people of Portugal from the consequences of two separate devastating wars, as well as protecting them from the scourge of communism.
There was also an incredible turnaround in the political fortunes of Portugal. A strong Catholic prime minister was elected in 1932 who championed marriage and protected the family. Under his leadership, Catholic marriages increased tremendously. He did not seek to institute Catholicism as the state religion, but he promoted the Church’s influence in social services and charitable work. After years of anti-Catholic governmental leaders, the Church was able to serve the people more thoroughly and with greater moral authority.
Additionally, there was a complete renewal of Catholic life throughout the nation. Religious orders flourished, and the number of consecrated vocations increased fourfold. Priestly ordinations increased
as well. Catholic radio and a Catholic press were introduced. The faith flourished among the people of Portugal, and seeing all the changes that she had brought to their land since her coming, they spread devotion to her throughout the world. In 1942, the bishops of Portugal, recognizing the amazing conversion brought about by Mother Mary after their consecration of the nation to her, wrote, “Anybody who would have closed his eyes 25 years ago and opened them now would no longer recognize Portugal, so vast is the transformation worked by the modest and invisible factor of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin at Fatima. Really, Our Lady wishes to save Portugal.”
It is always critical to remember that the Blessed Mother’s appearances on earth are not just bedtime stories or fun curiosities. She is our mother, and she loves us. She wants us always to come to love her Son more, and to repent of whatever sins and imperfections we have. An encounter with Jesus should be transformative, and a visit by His Holy Mother should be no less so. Her apparitions to us can change not only individuals, but entire nations, as she demonstrated through Fatima. She is our perfect mother!
This month, my husband’s parents, Ken and Peg, celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary. What a gift they have been to my husband and me in beautifully modeling for us the holiness of the ordinary days of marriage.
Both in their 90s, and experiencing the limitations of their aging bodies, there is still a sparkle in their eyes and a gaze of love in their hearts when they look at one another. Instinctively, they seem to know each other’s needs before they’re spoken, and they act upon them without delay. While they move a little slower, and minor irritations flare more easily, it is clear they are more than just life companions — they are each other’s best friend.
Friendship in marriage is not something that automatically comes with the wedding vows. It is something that is crafted over years of opening your hearts to one another, sharing your feelings and being vulnerable with your spouse trusting he or she will love you like God does — no matter what.
It is easy to share positive feelings like joy, happiness or excitement with a friend. It’s another to share messier feelings like shame, anger or loneliness. Those are the kinds of feelings you rarely
MARY-JO MCLAUGHLIN
in addition to being the coordinator of Catholic Family Services for the diocese, MaryJo, along with her husband facilitate workshops that help strengthen marriages.
reveal to an acquaintance or a casual friend because you are never quite sure how the other will react. Will he or she think less of you, judge you or become uncomfortable in sharing such a level of intimacy? The feelings that touch the deepest core of our heart are usually ones we share with our best friend — a person who knows us sometimes better than we know ourselves and accepts us for who we are not who they want us to be. When that friend is also your spouse, it deepens the intimacy and communion that God calls couples to through the sacrament of marriage.
In the book Project Holiness: Marriage as a Workshop for Everyday Saints , authors Bridget Burke Ravizza and Julie Donovan Massey present the results of a research process they conducted of Catholic married couples in two Catholic dioceses in the Midwest who were identified by members of their parishes as “particularly holy, or saintly.” Through interviews with these couples, the authors found that married friendship was a contributing factor in identifying holiness in those couples. The authors discovered: “Friendship in marriage brings partners
closer to God in various ways: it inspires virtue by example, it teaches self-transcendence and responsibility for the other; it leads to personal flourishing through support and challenge; and it strengthens partners to live out their faith commitments.”
Those aspects are definite qualities I see in Ken and Peg. In fact, it is something I have seen, as well, in numerous couples I have met as coordinator for the annual diocesan Mass for couples celebrating significant wedding anniversaries in their lives. Last year, I invited couples who registered for the 2022 Mass and were celebrating 50 years or more of marriage to share their love stories for a special anniversary booklet I put together for the event. Eighteen couples took me up on this invitation. Their stories and pictures can be found on the diocesan website at NorwichDiocese.org/Anniversary
The enduring love stories collected in that booklet are portraits of mature love fashioned from putting the other first, facing life’s heartaches and joys together and of self-giving love — all hallmarks and foundations for a beautiful friendship. Like Ken and Peg have been for my husband and me, the couples in that booklet are also models for each of us of the holiness of the ordinary days of marriage.
When that friend is also your spouse it deepens the intimacy and communion that God calls couples to through the Sacrament of Marriage.”
A new robotics team at Saint Bernard School in Uncasville has earned a spot in the largest robotics competition in the world.
The Saints are the only team from southeastern Connecticut to qualify for a spot in the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas, in April.
The three-day competition is the final tournament of the VEX Robotics competition season. Winning teams from around the world will gather to compete April 25-27.
Teams have to be invited to attend, based on their performance at previous competitions. More than 2,900 teams from 40 countries participate in World’s.
“The idea that our team, which is fairly new, got an invite to one of these competitions with all these really experienced teams was very exciting,” Blake Murray, a sophomore on the team, said.
Saints Robotics made its competition debut in October.
“At the beginning of the year I thought we’d have a good learning experience,” said Ann Marie Jakubielski, Saint Bernard’s computer science teacher and technology coordinator who moderates the robotics club. “I thought at best we’d do some tournaments around here.”
But the Saints have done much more.
In March, the team also competed by invitation with teams from all over the country in the US CREATE Open in Iowa.
Robotics is new this year at the Catholic secondary school largely because of sophomore student William O’Donnell, who previously competed on a successful robotics team when he lived in Nebraska.
“I love robotics so much. I thought that if I loved it that much, other people would like it too,” O’Donnell said. “I wanted others to have that experience of going to competitions and having fun.”
His experience, along with funding Saint Bernard School received last year from Montville Education Foundation and Mohegan Sun, enabled the robotics program to get off the ground.
In VEX robotics, each competition features engineering challenges to be
completed by the robots, which students build and program.
VEX Robotics Competition is played on a 12 x 12-foot square field. Two alliances – one “red” and one “blue” – composed of two teams each, compete in matches consisting of a 15-second autonomous period, followed by a one minute and forty-five second driver controlled period.
The object of the game is to attain a higher score than the opposing alliance by scoring discs in goals, owning rollers and covering field tiles at the end of the match.
By its nature, the study of competitive robotics not only encompasses all four pillars of STEM education, but also encourages important life skills like teamwork, communication and project-based organization.
“The kids are having fun and learning a lot,” Jakubielski said. “You get the rules and field, and the rest is up to you.
We are often encouraged to “use our gifts.” Well, how often do we forget that God Himself waits for us in the Eucharist. We have the God of heaven and earth entirely accessible to us, vulnerably exposing His heart to us, ready to consume us in our consumption of Him. What a gift.
As we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, we are reminded of God’s gift of the Holy Spirit; God’s revelation of Himself as the Spirit of Love that breathes among us. Among us! Truly! At the first Pentecost, the Spirit was gifted to all gathered.
There is always a perfect movement to the breath of the Holy Spirit. We pray to be open to however He affects change in our hearts. The Church names seven particular gifts of the Holy Spirit. And there are ways we can nurture an openness to these gifts in our hearts via the Eucharist. During this time of Eucharistic Revival, let us pay special attention to the Spirit striking our hearts through the Eucharist. Let us go to Jesus in the Eucharist and ask for these gifts.
THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE
Jesus is the source of all knowledge. All we need to do is ask.
THE GIFT OF FORTITUDE
In our adoration of Him, He adores us. This gives us strength.
THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING
Jesus waits for us in the Eucharist, day and night. He receives us as we are, He understands.
THE GIFT OF PIETY
Since love bows to the other, we are led by the Spirit to bow to the Eucharist.
THE GIFT OF COUNSEL
The Spirit beckons us to follow, to defer to the movement of the Spirit through the Eucharist.
MORGAN MARTENS
is a lifelong member of the Diocese or Norwich and strives to bring the light of Christ to everyone she encounters.
THE GIFT OF WISDOM
The Spirit gently beckons us to listen to His wisdom. Jesus often speaks, heart to heart, through the Eucharist.
THE GIFT OF FEAR OF THE LORD
Giving Him space to move is the greatest gift we can give ourselves.
Why is allowing the Holy Spirit to take hold of us through the Eucharist so important for us right now? Bishop Cozzens, leader of the Eucharistic Revival, began with this mission: “We want to start a fire, not a program.”
Fires need fuel. Our hearts are the fuel for this revival; the way it survives, moves and grows. Just as the disciples’ hearts received the Holy Spirit for the sake of inspiring conversion among all peoples, we receive this
movement of the Holy Spirit, this Eucharistic Revival, for the same reason. Let us let Him give us His gifts and change us.
Come Holy Spirit, light Your fire in our hearts.
January 3, 1934 – March 7, 2023
Religious Profession- August 18, 1953
In 1956 Sr. Claudette was one of seven sisters who opened St. Bernard High School for girls in New London, CT within the newly formed Diocese of Norwich. Sr. Claudette served there until 1976 at which time she took a nursing course in Waterbury and went to work as a dialysis nurse.
Sr. Claudette held a B.A. in Education from Diocesan Sisters’ College in Putnam, CT and an M.A. in Business Education from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
In 2002 Sr. Claudette was appointed Provincial Secretary and served in that capacity until 2018. She joined the community at St. Joseph Living Center in 2020. She was laid to rest Saturday, March 11, 2023 at St. Mary Cemetery in Putnam.
(Isidorius Sadauskas)
April 3, 1934 – February 28, 2023
Ordained to the Priesthood-June 4, 1961
Rev. Izidor Sadowski, a Salesian of Don Bosco, Province Pita, Poland studied at Salesian High School and Seminary in Poland, and at the Catholic University of Lublin, also in Poland.
Fr. Sadowski was the resident chaplain at the Matulaitis Nursing Home in Putnam.
In an interview documented in a booklet published on Father’s 70 years of ministry with the Salesian congregation, he remarked, “All my life my own ideal was St. John Bosco.” Fr. Sadowski radiated joy and brought a smile to every person he met. When making Communion visits to residents, he would always say, “Jesus comes to you – be happy!”
Fr. Sadowski was laid to rest on Saturday, March 4th at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Putnam.
Sr. Catherine Sottak, DHS (Sr. Catherine Thérèse)
August 1, 1929 – February 7, 2023
Religious Profession - August 16, 1949
Sr. Catherine Sottak received a B.A. in education from Annhurst College in South Woodstock, CT and taught in a number of area schools, including All Hallows in Moosup and St. Mary in Putnam. She was the principal of St. Martin de Porres School in Gadsden, AL for 15 years.
After receiving her LPN certificate in 1978 from Windham Tech she worked in migrant ministry in Princess Ann, MD. Later, she continued nursing at St. Joseph Villa and the Provincial House, both in Putnam. Sr. Catherine had long felt a call to become a missionary and in 1983 she became a missionary-nurse in a prenatal clinic in Ile Ife, Nigeria.
Sr. Catherine became part of St. Joseph Community at St. Joseph Living Center in 2016. She was laid to rest Monday, February 13, 2023 at St. Mary Cemetery in Putnam.
Sr. Clémence Croteau, DHS
(Sr. Marie Clément)
August 3, 1927 – February 1, 2023
Religious Profession - August 16, 1949
Sr. Clémence Croteau’s first assignment in 1949 was as sacristan at Assumption Parish in Chicopee, MA and from 1950-1976 she was dietician in Wauregan and Bridgeport, CT, Annhurst College in Woodstock, CT, Uncasville, CT, Burlington, VT and the Provincial House in Putnam. She especially enjoyed decorating cakes.
Sr. Clémence was certified as a Nursing Assistant in 1993 and then worked in private nursing and as a homemaker until retiring in 1999. She moved to Holy Spirit Provincial House in 2000 and provided transportation for sisters to medical appointments.
In 2018 Sr. Clémence moved to St. Joseph Living Center where she was an active member of the community there until shortly before her death. She was laid to rest Saturday, February 8th at St. Mary Cemetery in Putnam.
rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let Your perpetual light shine upon them.
Each year, the Norwich Diocesan Women’s Conference presents the Our Lady, Queen of Hope Award to a woman in the diocese for her vision and leadership in the Catholic Church. The award is named after Mary, our mother, who is our role model and in whom we place our trust. This year’s recipient is Michelle Cavarnos, a member of the Divine Mercy Community consisting of Our Lady of the Lakes, Oakdale; St. John the Evangelist, Uncasville; and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Quaker Hill.
ence volunteering and serving others, whether bringing homemade baked goods and blessed Afghans to the homebound, organizing rosary events or acting as secretary/ treasurer of Our Lady of the Lakes Ladies’ Guild.
MARIANNE NICHOLAS is the administrative assistant for the Office of Faith Events. She is an artist and she and her husband have two sons.
Michelle (Shelley to her friends) has been an integral part of Our Lady of the Lakes Church for most of her life. As well as attending daily Mass, serving as reader and counting the collections, Shelley has spent more than 20 years on the three-church choir. She also serves her community as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.
Shelley is treasurer of our
Legion of Mary and also the treasurer for our Norwich Diocese's curia. With the Knights of Columbus, Shelley and her legion group say the rosary before the 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. Masses each weekend at Our Lady of the Lakes. Shelley has also been instrumental in organizing her legion group’s monthly communication with seminarians.
Shelley has years of experi-
These are only a few of the areas where Shelley’s strong faith is on display. Her commitment in living out Catholic/ Christian values and spiritual leadership is an asset to both her parish community and the Diocese.
Shelley is described by her friends as compassionate, trustworthy, conscientious, creative, willing and dependable. All who know her feel blessed to have her in their lives.
When I first wrote in this space a few months ago, I talked about some ministry outreaches in which I’m involved. After I read the article in print, I realized I should have spent more time, perhaps the whole article, on what I do most of my time: soup kitchen ministry.
It all started about 40 years ago when the Sisters of Mercy opened St. Vincent de Paul in Middletown.
As far as I knew back then, I just helped the sisters rehab the building. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks after opening that I decided to check out the place. I got a meal from the serving line and sat at a table with a couple of patrons.
After our friendly “Hey, how ya doing,” the patrons did all the talking. They said St. Vincent was “a lifesaver.” They thanked God for a safe place where they could come to eat, meet with friends and get help for needs beyond a meal.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. A lifesaver? Really? As I looked around the dining area, I saw people laughing, hugging and really enjoying their meals. I came back a couple of days later, and again a couple of days after that. Eventually, I ended up helping on the serving line, did some food prep and just listened to amazing and sometimes heartbreaking life stories. I was hooked.
Isn’t it amazing that you never know
how the Holy Spirit is working in your life until you open the door and walk in?
That was then. St. Vincent de Paul Place in Norwich is now.
I am one of the chefs there but, believe me, it’s by no mere gift of mine. I learned and am still learning from more experienced chefs and a great band of knowledgeable and dedicated volunteers.
I’ve learned from them that you don’t work in a soup kitchen, you serve there, and not just food. Service in a soup kitchen is ministry.
And it’s a wide-ranging ministry. It’s serving food that’s healthy and safe, a good portion. It’s listening to what patrons are saying, hearing what’s going on in their lives, steering them to agencies or people who can help.
It’s giving groceries from our food pantry, clothing, hygiene products, even furniture.
In short, it’s responding to the Gospel call to not only hear the cry of the poor, but to act on it.
So what makes all this possible? For me it’s the Eucharist. The presence of Christ in me works through me. How else could we get this done? And as always, Christ keeps the door open. So, stop in, have something to eat. You never know how the Holy Spirit works in your life until you walk through the door.
Contact Deacon Ben LoCasto, deaconlocasto@norwichdiocese.net
FOUR COUNTY CATHOLIC
The magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Norwich
PUBLISHER
Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, D.D. Bishop of Norwich 860.887.9294
EDITORIAL OFFICE 25 Otis Street, Norwich, CT 06360-3613
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS/ EXECUTIVE EDITOR Wayne Gignac 860.886.1281 wgignac@norwichdiocese.net
MARKETING/PRODUCTION MANAGER Deacon Benedict LoCasto 860.887.3933 deaconlocasto@norwichdiocese.net
SENIOR WRITER/SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Ryan Blessing 860.887.3933 rblessing@norwichdiocese.net
WEB SPECIALIST/WRITER Morgan Martens 860.887.3933 mmartens@norwichdiocese.net
THEOLOGICAL ADVISOR
Very Reverend Ted F. Tumicki, S.T.L., J.C.L., J.V. 860.887.9294
MAGAZINE LAYOUT & DESIGN Matt Watters
The Office of Faith Events’ Virtual Confirmation Preparation Program was a success and has a message for us all: There is new life in the Diocese of Norwich! This inspirational program brought adults of all ages together as they prepared to receive sacraments at the Easter Vigil at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick. Please pray for all participants as they continue to prepare their hearts. You have the privilege of getting to know a couple of the participants right here.
Billy, a 29-year-old attorney in the Marine Corps, was hoping to receive the sacrament of confirmation after life got busy in high school and he wasn’t able to follow through at the time. His parents have always wanted him to live out the faith his family gave him. His journey of faith began in childhood but, over the past year, he’s been going to Mass more often, reigniting his interest in Catholicism.
Billy is glad he discovered the Virtual Confirmation Program. He found the weekly meetings relaxing and rejuvenating — and he even took notes. Notably (pun intended), he expresses that he wouldn’t have taken it so seriously as to take notes if he had participated as a 16-year-old. This was the right time for him. "I learned a lot I didn’t know before,” he said. “The classes were good, and I’m super happy I did it.”
Billy said the program has already made an impact on his life. He hopes to continue to go to Mass regularly and truly seeks to understand what’s going on during Mass. Between asking loved ones questions about their faith and doing his own research, Billy continues to dive deeper into his Catholic faith.
Narda is a UConn student studying social work. Her faith journey was catalyzed at a young age by her father’s journey. Attending church was her father’s idea. It took time for it to grow on her. The people at her church made her feel welcome. Before she knew it, the other boys and girls at church were like her brothers and sisters. This community brought her on pilgrimage to the Dominican Republic, Israel and Egypt, and she will travel with these friends to the upcoming World Youth Day in Portugal.
“The Catholic Church has taught me so much that other denominations haven’t,” Narda said. Accepting her cross has really helped her to be a Catholic.
“I’ve learned to accept my cross and carry it the way Jesus has carried His,” she said. She joined the Office of Faith Events’ Virtual Confirmation Program because she needed to receive the sacrament of confirmation. She is glad she did.
“The confirmation classes really taught me more about what being Catholic means,” Narda said. “Confirmation is just to confirm everything about your faith, and it’s helped me take my faith more seriously.” Narda encourages all adults to complete their sacraments of initiation.
Those were the final words ever spoken by Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone on Feb. 19, 1945, on the first day of the Battle of Iwo Jima.
In May, we, as a nation, will observe Memorial Day, honoring the solemn sacrifice made by all those in uniform who perished defending our freedom. For Catholics, in particular, Memorial Day renders a unique opportunity to reflect upon the deeper meaning of sacrifice as it applies to both our daily lives and to our faith.
love and for our salvation. By uniting ourselves with His sacrifice, we can make our lives a sacrifice to God.” (2100)
We are, however, as the body faithful, invited to turn the “everyday ordinary” of our lives into an active offering — of our time, energy and focus, our every joy and sorrow — to the Lord. “It is right to offer sacrifice to God as a sign of adoration and gratitude.” (CCC 2099)
The question, then, becomes, how? What does “sacrifice” look like for us? As Catholics, we may not be entrenched in warfare of a physical kind, but we do face battles. While discerning what shape sacrifice can take in our own lives, we can look to examples of ordinary men who possessed extraordinary courage, like Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, for inspiration.
John Basilone was the sixth of 10 children born into an Italian-Catholic family who called Raritan, New Jersey, home. Though close to his family, he felt called to serve his country and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1940. In August of 1942, he took part in the Battle of Guadalcanal.
It was in those jungles where John first demonstrated his propensity toward selfsacrifice. For three days, without food or rest, John manned his machine gun, singlehandedly preventing the enemy from advancing, while also saving the lives of his Marine brothers. His actions earned him the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest award for valor … and a ticket home.
In 1943, John returned to the United States a war hero. Having reached celebrity status, he was sent on a highly publicized war bond tour, earning him ticker tape parades, newsreel coverage and magazine covers. Though he appreciated the admiration, John was a man of stark humility. His place was on the front lines, with his fellow Marines. After several denials, John’s request to re-enlist was approved. In 1944, he returned to duty.
ANDREA DEPAOLA
is the wife to a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, who writes about issues having to do with faith, family and the military. She and her husband have three children and are members of Guardian Angels Parish/St. Andrew Church, Colchester.
The word “sacrifice” stems from the Latin “sacrificare” (“sacer,” sacred or holy; “ facere,” to make), and, by its very definition, it calls us to make the world a holier place, as followers of Christ. This does not necessarily mean that we are called to sacrifice our lives, as Christ did, upon the holy cross at Golgotha.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The only perfect sacrifice is the one that Christ offered on the cross as a total offering to the Father’s
On Feb. 19, 1945, at Iwo Jima, John freed two bogged-down Sherman tanks out of the sand — by hand — before losing his life to a mortar round. He was 28 years old. Sgt. Basilone’s selfless actions just before his death would posthumously earn him a Navy Cross and Purple Heart. He was the only Marine who was awarded these three major citations (Navy Cross, Purple Heart and Medal of Honor) during World War II.
The battles we face as Catholics living in a world very much opposed to Catholic teaching are different for each of us, requiring different sacrifices. For some, sacrifice may look like putting aside our own needs in place of those of another. Or, it can be rejecting the ways of the world, which places more value upon self-gratification and glorification, than self-control or humility.
This Memorial Day, as we remember our nation’s heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice, let us ask ourselves what proverbial hills are we willing to die upon? May we renew our resolve to be bold in faith, eager to sacrifice and proud to proclaim that this rock — the holy Catholic Church — is the ground we will forever stand upon. Most importantly, though, may we remember to unite our sufferings to the One who made the perfect sacrifice.
“Alright, boys, let’s go on in there and set up these guns for firing … We have a job to do!”
Each day the ministries and programs supported by the Annual Catholic Appeal provide physical, spiritual, educational and social sustenance to those in our Diocese and Haiti.
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9 a.m. St. Joseph Cemetery, Boswell Avenue, Norwich
Monsignor Leszek Janik - Celebrant
Reverend Christopher Zmuda - Celebrant
9 a.m. St. Patrick Cemetery, Depot Road, Montville
Reverend Frank Gilbert - Celebrant
case of inclement weather, the Mass will be celebrated in St. John Church, Uncasville.
10 a.m. St. Mary Cemetery, Jefferson Avenue, New London
Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, DD - Celebrant In case of inclement weather, this Mass will be celebrated in St. Mary Church, New London.