Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish,

During the last week there has been more and more discussion about what to do with schools in the Fall. It is a tense conversation at times that requires superhuman patience and creativity to address the challenges that impact educational institutions, parents, and students. We are also having discussions about how to open our parish Faith Formation Program safely and creatively this coming Fall.

As I read about the debate and conversations, I could not help but remember a wonderful story of what a creative and insightful teacher did for her students. I read the story some years ago on a blog called momastery.com . This story gives be some hope and confidence that we can creatively address the educational needs of our youth.

“Every Friday afternoon a very wise teacher asks her 5 th grade class to take out a piece of paper and write down the names of four children they would like to sit with the following week. The children all know that these requests may or may not be honored. She also asks the children to nominate one student who they believed had been an “exceptional classroom citizen” that week. All ballots are then submitted to her privately.

And every Friday, after the students leave, she takes out the slips of paper, places them in front of her, and studies them. She looks for patterns: who is not getting requested by anyone else? Who cannot think of anyone to request? Who never gets noticed enough to be nominated? Who had a million friends last week and none this week?

The teacher is not looking for a new seating chart or “exceptional citizens.” She is looking for lonely children, for children who are struggling to connect with other children, for the little ones who are falling through the cracks of the class’ social life. She is discovering whose gifts are going unnoticed, those neglected or those who may be bullied.

Her Friday list is an indication of what is happening in her classroom and can see beneath the surface of things, into the hearts of her students, into the dynamics of human relations in the world of a fifth grade classroom.”

She seeks to bring out and nurture the “good” that she knows exists in every one of her students. In a way the teacher is a wonderful example of discipleship that recognizes that we all possess the ability to do compassionate and good things out of love and, at the same time, there exists within us that impulse to selfishness and fear that controls our actions and thought processes. Like the Gospel (Mt. 13:24-43) this weekend may we possess the wisdom and generosity of heart to harvest the “wheat” that grows in our midst despite the “weeds” that sometimes choke us all. To be the wise and discerning teacher/disciple to assist in growing and nurturing the wheat.

Peace and blessings,

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. Also, a reminder of some temporary adjustments to our schedules during this period of flux with the virus and its effects on our parish life and the resumption of our parish life. The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) will be held only on Monday evenings at 6:00 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Seton Church (Saturday Confessions suspended for the foreseeable future). Our Sunday morning 7:30 a.m. Mass at St. Elizabeth Seton Church will be suspended for the foreseeable future until we see greater numbers attending weekend Masses. Rightfully folks are being cautious and, I suspect, will return once there is a perception of safety in gatherings and the State of Connecticut and Health Officials deem it wise to gather in larger indoor groupings.
Upcoming Sacramental Celebrations at St. Josephine Bakhita
First Communion
The Faith Formation Ministry is happy to announce that we will be celebrating the Sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Eucharist, and Confirmation during the month of July. After many months of preparation and then the long postponement of Sacraments, we are finally able to celebrate these Sacraments with our children and young adults. We have divided our young people into small groups in keeping with the Archdiocesan Guidelines.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated on July 18, July 25 & August 1.
The Sacrament of First Eucharist will be celebrated on July 21, July 23, July 28, and July 30,
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on July 19 and July 26.

We ask your prayers for our young people and their families as they look forward to celebrating these Sacraments and continue to grow as disciples with the loving support of our parish community.
Sunday Mass Schedule

Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at St. James capacity of 80 people
Sunday at 9:00 a.m. at St. Elizabeth Seton capacity of 50 people
Sunday at 11:00 a.m. at St. James capacity 80 people

Note: We have suspended the 7:30 a.m. Mass temporarily

Reservations will be required!

We have a limited seating capacity & we need a written record of attendees for contact tracing.

There are two options for making your reservations:

Online
Sign up online at www.saintjosephinebakhita.org for the upcoming weekend starting Tuesday morning. Reservations will close by Thursday evening or before if we reach capacity. We need to close the reservations by Thursday evening so that we can prepare for the weekend Masses. When you make your reservation, enter the # (quantity) of people attending from each household. We will set up the reservation system one week at a time.

By Phone
If you have no access to internet, call 860-529-8655 and our office staff will assist you with reservations. Please call only on Tuesday or Wednesday between 9 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. You will need to call each week for the upcoming weekend. Do not leave a voicemail, there will be no guarantee to reserve a seat by voicemail.

Read the Guidelines for attending Sunday Mass - Click Here .
The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 19, 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 "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 .

For the Sunday Music, Click Here .

For the Sunday Readings, Click Here .
Matters of race have become front and center in public life today.
What wisdom does our Catholic Church offer on racism? Find out…
Join an online parish presentation and discussion on Wednesday July 22, 2020 at 7:00p.m. Deacon Michael will offer a summary of “Open Wide Our Hearts” the 2018 pastoral letter on racism offered by the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops, followed by a moderated discussion. Email Deacon Michael at dcnmichael@sjbrh.org for a ZOOM invitation for this event.

To see resources to address racism with children at home and in the classroom as well as for all of us, Click Here.
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.
Complete this simple online form to update your contact information for our parish.
St. Josephine Bakhita Parish
767 Elm Street
Rocky Hill, CT 06067