Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish,

This weekend we celebrate our great national holiday, Independence Day. A time to ponder our national history, pride, and blessings we have received over the years. At the same time, we have entered a period of challenges that have encouraged us to examine our values and reset, maybe, some of our priorities. Usually this holiday encourages parades, picnics and large gatherings of friends and family. With appropriate caution, this year, we have had to renegotiate and be creative in trying to find new, yet meaningful, ways to celebrate.

I stumbled upon this prayer and blessing at www.fernandogros.com that may help us reflect on this holiday from the point of view of values from the Gospels. I share this with you now. It is an adaptation and supplementation of “A Franciscan Blessing.”

Holy God, we have gathered this day with joy to celebrate and give thanks for America and your abundant blessings of America. May we never know a day in which America is not blessed. Continue to give us your blessing. God, bless America.
  • Bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships so that we may seek truth boldly, love fearlessly, and live from deep within our hearts.
  • Bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, prejudice, and exploitation of people so that we may work for justice, freedom with responsibility, and peace among all people.
  • Bless us with indifference to race, nationality, and religion so that we may break down the walls that separate us and be united people.
  • Bless us with sorrow for our misdoings, our injuries to others, and the misuse of our freedom so that we may seek peace, make amends, and heal broken relationships.
  • Bless us with tears to shed for all who suffer pain or loss, for the poor, the hungry, the homeless, for refugees, and for the victims of violence and war so that with generosity and compassion we may reach out our hands to care for and comfort them and turn their sorrow into joy.
  • Bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in our country and the world so that we may do what others claim cannot be done.
  • Bless us and keep us; make your face to shine upon us and be gracious to us; lift up your countenance upon us and give us peace. (Numbers 6:24-2)
God, bless America. AMEN!

Fr. George Couturier
Important Announcements
  1. The 2020 Mission Cooperative Appeal Collection will be taken the weekend of July 18-19. Because of the pandemic, the missionaries are not able to be with us this year; however, although physically distant, we can be present to them through our spiritual and financial support. The outreach of the Missionaries of LaSalette will benefit from our generosity. Our assistance will help them with outreach to people living with addiction and mental health challenges, feeding programs and educational opportunities for children in poverty, occupational training for women and support of their seminarians. Our sharing in response to Christ’s call that we “love one another” will bring His hope into the lives of many. We ask your generous response. Checks can be made out to The Catholic Mission Aid Office and mailed into our parish office 767 Elm St. Rocky Hill CT 06067 and then forwarded. On their behalf, thank you!
  2. As many of us know, we have an outreach ministry to bring communion and prayerful support to our homebound and infirm. If you are aware of anyone in need of our outreach, please let us know. Even though we are unable to physically visit due to the virus, we can still reach out in other ways. Call the office with your information at 860-529-8655.
  3. If you do not have access to the internet (our website, Facebook page or email newsletter) and would love to receive information from the parish, please contact our parish office at 860-529-8655. We can put you on our mailing list to receive our weekly published bulletin by mail.
  4. We are still in need of volunteers for greeting at the weekend Masses which resume this weekend by reservation. Also, we are in greater need of volunteers to help sanitize the church after each weekend Mass. To offer your help please call the office at 860-529-8655 or email frgeorge@sjbrh.org.
  5. Read the Guidelines for attending Sunday Mass - Click Here.
The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 5, 2020
We will continue to livestream the 9:00 AM Sunday Mass using Facebook Live. The recording will also be available afterward on the Parish Facebook page at the link below. You do not have to have a Facebook account to watch. You can click 'not now' when invited to join Facebook. Click on "Videos" on the left hand side of the Facebook page. On the "Videos" Page, click on the red "live" button to watch the livestream starting at 9:00 AM Sunday. If you visit the "Videos" Page after the mass is over, you can click on the image of the mass to watch the recording.


For a helpful guide to participating in Mass at home and partaking in Spiritual Communion , Click Here .

Join our team of "Digital Disciples." We are seeking a few volunteers to help run the video and sound equipment utilized to live-stream Mass through Facebook Live. Volunteers will be fully trained, paired with members of the current team and serve on a rotating schedule. Help us extend out flight into the digital world! To learn more, contact Lisa Orchen at parishcouncil@sjbrh.org .
Join Father George for Daily Prayer
Fr. George will livestream Evening Prayer on Monday-Friday at 5:00 PM using Facebook Live. The recording will also be available afterward on the Parish Facebook page at the link below. You do not have to have a Facebook account to watch. You can click 'not now' when invited to join Facebook. Click on "Videos" on the left hand side of the Facebook page. On the "Videos" Page, click on the red "live" button to watch the livestream starting at 5:00 PM. If you visit the "Videos" Page after short prayer time is over, you can click on the most recent image of Fr. George to watch the recording.

So, Maybe You Want To Become A Catholic….
Times such as those we are living through now often prompt people to examine what we believe, how we make sense of the world and examine just what we live by, and why, and where “all all seems to be going."
 
If you are interested in how Catholic Christian faith may relate to these questions, explore these realities and the possibility of becoming a Catholic, we are certainly happy and eager to help.
 
Maybe you know someone who may be interested as well. We’re glad to help them out too if we are able.
 
If so….contact Deacon Michael at dcnmichael@sjbrh.org (best) or by phone at 860-529-3222 Ext 14 and leave a message and we’ll get back to you.
Not Confirmed?
Want To Be?
 Well...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. Many, for a variety of reasons, find themselves in this situation. We can help with that!
 
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 860-529-3222 Ext 14 and leave a message and we’ll get back to you.
Donations
Donate to Our Shelters
& Pantries
Now more than ever, the shelters and food pantries that our parish supports need our help. Food or gift certificates can be ordered online (Amazon, Target, Walmart, etc.) and shipped directly to the organizations. Please contact
Sandy Ambrose amb321@cox.net or
Carl Bach abcb1922@yahoo.com  
with any questions. As always, thank you for kindness and generosity! To learn what items are most needed and the mailing addresses, Click Here .
Sew Good Works Masks
The Sew Good Works Ministry has begun to make masks for parishioners of St. Josephine Bakhita. Masks will be available at St. James and St. Elizabeth Seton. For Adult masks, contact joy@sjbrh.org for St. James pickup or elizabeth@sjbrh.org for St. Elizabeth Seton pickup. A donation to the Rocky Hill Food Bank is appreciated, but not necessary. Thank you to all who have already offered donations in exchange for masks!
Vivian Orsini, mask maker extraordinaire, will make a mask for your children. Email vorsini24@aol.com your child's age and gender. You will be contacted when the mask is ready. 
Annual Bishop Peter Rosazza Social Justice Conference Focuses on Racism
Free Online Conference
The Archdiocese of Hartford Office of Catholic Social Justice Ministry’s Annual Bishop Peter Rosazza Social Justice Conference for 2020 was moved online this year. In light of COVID-19 this conference has taken the form of a series of online presentations and discussions on "Open Wide our Hearts: The Enduring Call To Love” the 2018 pastoral letter on racism offered by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
 
This online series is free, though registration is required. The second conference in the series is scheduled for the evening of Wednesday July 8, 2020 and is now open for registration. For further information and registration details, Click Here .

To see resources to address racism with children at home and in the classroom as well as for all of us, Click Here.
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St. Josephine Bakhita Parish
767 Elm Street
Rocky Hill, CT 06067