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October 2015
Synod Celebration Mass Celebration sparks renewal BY BRIAN D. WALLACE
BRIDGEPORT—The Catholic Church affirmed its presence in Fairfield County in a resounding way on September 19, when 8,000 Catholics gathered at Webster Bank Arena for the Synod Celebration Mass. “The best years of the Catholic Church in Fairfield County are not behind us, they are ahead of us,” said Bishop Frank J. Caggiano. “We come here in hope to bring love and renewal to the Church.” The changes signed into decrees by Bishop Caggiano at the end of the Mass will transform the life of the local church at every level, from the way it teaches the faith to the young to the quality of its liturgy and music, the future of Catholic schools, the vitality of its parish-
es, and continuing education for its priests. With a 300-member adultchoir and the music of many ethnic choirs throughout the diocese, the morning took on a festive and joyous note as people clapped their hands, sang along and applauded enthusiastically. At times, the morning also felt like a large family gathering because so many of those in attendance knew one another from parish and diocesan events. It was a day when the full diversity of the diocese was on display in the many choirs that sang throughout the Mass including Vietnamese, Spanish, Haitian, Brazilian, and Gospel.
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are accomplished. Congratulations to the Class of 2015! Upper School Open House: Wednesday, October 21 at 6:30 p.m. K–12 Open House: Saturday, November 7 at 9:00 a.m. Convent of the Sacred Heart 1177 King Street, Greenwich, CT 203-532-3534 www.cshgreenwich.org
Marie Yves Bathelmy read the First Reading in Creole, and Heloisa Medeiros read the Second Reading in Portuguese. The Mass was the largest gath-
A FULL HOUSE—Eight thousand people throughout the diocese turned out for the Synod Mass Celebration, a day filled with joy, praise and excitement. The morning began when Bishop Caggiano and 700 young people processed from St. Augustine Cathedral through the streets of downtown Bridgeport to Webster Bank Arena for the Mass. (PHOTOS BY AMY MORTENSEN)
ering of Catholics in the diocese in decades as people came together to celebrate the work of the synod and its pan for the future
Class of 2015 College Matriculation Boston College (6) Boston University (2) Brown University (2) University of California, Los Angeles Colby College University of Colorado at Boulder University of Connecticut Cornell University Elon University (3) Fordham University (3) Georgetown University (4) Hamilton College Hampshire College Haverford College Indiana University at Bloomington Johns Hopkins University (2) Lafayette College Loyola University Maryland Miami University University of Michigan (4) Mount Holyoke College University of New Hampshire
New York University University of Notre Dame (4) Pennsylvania State University University of Pennsylvania (2) Princeton University Providence College (2) Rhode Island School of Design University of Richmond (2) University of San Diego Skidmore College University of Southern California (2) Southern Methodist University (5) Stanford University (2) Syracuse University Tufts University Union College (2) University of Vermont (3) Villanova University (3) University of Virginia (2) Wellesley College Williams College (2) University of Wisconsin, Madison
of the diocese. The day began when 700 young people joined Bishop Caggiano in a procession from the door of St. Augustine Cathedral to Webster Bank Arena. Members of the Neocatechumenate community of the diocese played music, sang and danced in the joyous procession to the arena, while seminarians from the diocese guided a statue of the Blessed Virgin through the streets. More than 400 priests, deacons and religious in the diocese were also in attendance. The bishop received warm applause when he entered the arena, and that appreciation grew into a prolonged standing ovation at the end of Mass. The synod celebration coincided with the second anniversary of his installation as Fifth Bishop of Bridgeport last September 19, at St. Theresa Church in Trumbull. “What a great blessing to be united as one great diocesan family of faith,” the bishop said as he greeted guests from the altar at
the beginning of his homily. This bishop said all journeys begin by taking the first step, and he asked all those in attendance to walk along with him as he seeks to renew the Church in the diocese. “Each day we walk by faith, not solely by sight,” the bishop said, acknowledging the spiritual hunger that brought so many people to the arena on a beautiful Saturday morning. “When we leave here today, we take the next step into renewal of our Church. We are not here to end anything, but to begin the next chapter in the life of the diocese,” he said. In his remarks, the bishop acknowledged that the synod grew out of the many challenges facing the Church, including the fact that many Catholic feel disaffected and no longer worship in parishes, because “at times, what they seek they cannot find.” The bishop said the diocese and its institutions have more work to do to become more welcoming, to evangelize, to serve ➤ CONTINUED ON PAGE
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