Dear friends at St. Jude,
You may have noticed a new friend in the vestibule of the Church! We have a beautiful new statue of St. Anthony of Padua. Who is he, and where did the statue come from?
St. Anthony of Padua is one of the most well-beloved saints in the Church. He is the patron saint of finding lost items, which makes him very popular among some of the more absent-minded among us! Despite his association with Italians, he was actually from Portugal. Becoming an Augustinian monk, he encountered the Franciscans and heard about their heroic lives of poverty and holiness. He was accepted into the Franciscans and set sail to Morocco, in the hopes of being martyred by the Muslims. But the ship was blown off-course and he landed in Italy instead. He recognized this as being the Will of God, and joined a Franciscan monastery in Tuscany where he spent years in prayer and study.
One day, a group of Franciscans and Dominicans gathered to celebrate an ordination, but due to a misunderstanding, no one had prepared a homily to preach. They imposed upon Anthony and forced him to preach - and were moved to tears by his wisdom and faith and eloquence. St. Francis realized that Anthony had been given a gift of preaching and assigned him to begin preaching throughout the countryside of Italy. He brought thousands upon thousands to a deeper faith and love in Christ.
But not everyone wanted to hear him. In the town of Rimini, he was preaching to the townspeople who treated him with scorn and derision. In frustration, he went to the local lake and began preaching there, where all the fish poked their heads above water to listen to him. The people, seeing the miracle, repented of their hard hearts and welcomed him to preach to them.
He is the patron saint of finding lost things because of an incident that occurred during his years of teaching Franciscan brothers who were studying for the priesthood. A monk had decided to leave the Franciscans, and took Anthony's expensive, hand-written Bible with him. Knowing that he had no money to purchase another bible (which had to be written by hand in the 1200s!), he prayed that God might return it to him. The thief not only returned the book, he also returned to the Franciscans and became a holy priest.
So this is why you will see his statue, in our vestibule, holding a book! He has many other symbols of his Franciscan life - for example, his strange haircut (called a "tonsure") was the customary haircut given to clerics in the Middle Ages, a symbol of leaving behind the vanity of good looks to enter the service of the Lord. He wears a brown robe (the "habit" of the Franciscans), with a cord that has three knots in it (for the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience). We see Anthony holding baby Jesus, because in his preaching, he frequently emphasized the Incarnation (God-becoming-flesh) as central to Christianity. Jesus is almost coming out the Bible, which shows that the Scriptures are where we can encounter Jesus Christ - Jesus is the "Word-made-flesh".
This statue came to us from the Diocese of Bridgeport. In our diocese, we have an archive at the Catholic Center where the diocese keeps any liturgical or devotional items from churches that close in our diocese. I went down there to pick up some vestments, cruets, and other liturgical items - and I was shown this beautiful but lonely statue (one of four statues of St. Anthony lost in a back closet!). The Archivist offered us one of the statues for free - and since I can never turn down free stuff, I accepted! A lovely lady from our diocese, Gina Barber, cleaned and fixed the statue for us and brought it to us.
I pray that St. Anthony might be a reminder of prayer and devotion in our church!
God bless you,
Fr. Joseph
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Whether it's a Bible or Faith Study, a Time for Prayer, or participating in a media streaming, podcast or discussion group, St. Jude has something for you! Please click here to view/download the Faith Formation booklet and discover all the many informative and exciting programs and events available to you at St. Jude. Hope to see you soon!
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Religious Education News
We are saddened to announce that our Director of Religious Education (DRE), Donna Lane, has had to step back from her position due to increased time commitment at work. We are very grateful for the way in which Donna has served our Faith Formation programs in many ways throughout the years: first as a faithful catechist for many years, and then as our DRE during one of the most challenging times in recent memory (the Covid pandemic). She did a heroic job keeping the 500+ kids connected to the Church during the quarantine and beyond. Her presence here will be missed!
We are excited to announce, though, that our new DRE is Barbara Logsdail. Barbara comes to us after many years of working in the Catholic School system. She is the founder and former principal of two schools in the diocese (Anchor Academy, now Regina Pacis Academy, in Norwalk; and Cardinal Kung Academy in Stamford). She has many years of experience in both administration and ministry, with a heart for Christ and a heart for young people. I am delighted that she has accepted the position and we look forward to her time at St. Jude's Parish.
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Religious Education registration is now open.
St. Jude Faith Formation is offering a choice of either in-person classes or digital classes.
In-person classes will be on Sunday mornings before or after the 9:30 Mass (8:30-9:30, or 10:30-11:30 ). Parents are encouraged to stay, as there will be classes for the adults given by Fr Gill. Following the class, the adults and students will join together or a final time of discussion.
Both classes will begin on October 3rd. Those students receiving the sacraments this year are required to attend additional Tuesday classes beginning in January.
Registration is now available online. Use the link below to register and pay. Registration closes on September 24.
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Altar Server Training!
All kids in grades 4-12 are invited to be trained to become an altar server! Training will be from 10am-11am on Saturday September 18 and Saturday September 25. You only need to attend one training session. For more information, please contact John Tartaro at j.tartaro@quadient.com .
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Catholic Young Adults!
The town of Monroe has a number of young adults (ages 21-39, married or single), and we want to gauge the interest of gathering as a Catholic young adult community. Many parishes/towns have wonderful young adult groups that gather for social, spiritual, service, and formation...we would like to see if there is the interest to form a group (or join an existing group). There are many different ways we could form a group - we could do a Bible Study, or a Faith On Tap series, or social/service events...lots of different options! If you are between the ages of 21-39, could you take the online survey found here:
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Parish Hiking Trip - All families are invited to join Fr. Joseph for some time of enjoying God's creation on our first-ever St. Jude's Family Hike! On Sunday, September 19th, we will meet after the 11:30am Mass and drive to Rocky Glen State Park in Sandy Hook, CT. Bring a Rosary and snacks/water and wear comfortable shoes. It's an easy trail with a great view - perfect for all ages!
Dash Through the Old Testament - How much do you know about the Old Testament? Many Catholics are afraid to explore the first half of the Bible. But this fall, please come and join Fr. Joseph on Monday nights starting Sept. 20 at 7pm for a quick dive into the Old Testament! Every Monday from Sept. 20-Easter (except for holidays), 7-8:15pm. No cost - no sign-ups, just show-up - and bring a Bible! Great for adults and teens alike!
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Explore your faith
Our Catholic Faith is so rich with meaning that we can always learn more. We will be holding a monthly session to dig deeper into the meaning of our faith.
Our first session will be held on Saturday October 9 starting at 9 am. The session will run one hour and be held in the Social Hall
The topic will be the Meaning of the Mass
The Mass is full of tradition, meaning, and spirituality. No matter how often we attend Mass we can always learn something new that will help us to better appreciate this wonderful gift we have been given.
I look forward to seeing you at this session
Deacon John
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Town Hall Discussion for Faith Formation
All families are invited to discuss our Faith Formation opportunities and plans for the 2021-2022 year. We want to hear your thoughts, get your feedback, and share with you some ways in which we hope to offer your whole family an encounter with Jesus. Please join us in the Social Hall after any Mass on the weekend of September 11/12 to join in the discussion!
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October Rosary
Hosted By
St. John XXIII Council 5987
Knights of Columbus
Monday Oct. 4th Joyful Mysteries
Tuesday Oct. 5th Sorrowful Mysteries
Wednesday Oct.13th Glorious Mysteries
Thursday Oct. 14th Luminous Mysteries
Join Us in Prayer at The
“Mary, Madonna of Peace” Statue
7:00 P.M.
Weather permitting if not the church
please bring your own chairs.
October is dedicated to the most Holy Rosary
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Silver Rose Prayer Service
Monday October 18th at 6:30 PM in the church
Prayer service to share the message of our Lady of Guadalupe and promote respect for life. Prayer serviceconsists of prayers, scripture readings and litany.
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5th Sunday Rosary
October 31th at 11:00 AM in the church
Please Join Us
Pope Francis October Intention
Missionary Disciples
“We pray that every baptized person may be engaged in evangelization, available to this mission, by being witnesses of a life that has the flavor of the gospel”.
This is a New Program to help bring parishioners to gather in a spiritual activity and promote devotion to Mary. St. John XXIII Council will be participating in this program throughout our Fraternal Year.
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Parish Center available!
We are still marketing our parish center (former school building) with the hope of offsetting operation costs. Please contact the parish office for more information.
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Please remember in your daily prayers:
Marge Tranzillo, Judy-Beth Raine, Maria Bertone, Deacon Ronnie Bicknell, Marie Micholovich, Joseph Bisignano, Sr., Bennett Gulyas, Vincent Daniello, Armando Aversa, Dyana vander Wielen, David Bath, Martha Zenobia, Joe Pinto, Ray Schwartz, Daniel Louis Bianco, Zoey Frigo, Koswenda Family
Also remember all healthcare workers, first responders, caregivers and the men and women of the parish who are in the military.
If you have anyone that you would like to add to the list, please call the office or email with the name to be added.
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Please join us in praying our Monthly Parish Intention.
Our Petition for September is:
Through the intercession of St. Michael the Archangel, may we pray for an end to the evil of terrorism and violence in our world, and for the safety of our Military personnel,
We pray to the Lord
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Upcoming Mass Intentions
Sat Sept 11 5:00pm Luis Ferreira
Sun Sept 12 7:30am Mary Ellen Bolton
Sun Sept 12 9:30am Stephanie Stanley
Sun Sept 12 11:30am St. Jude Parishioners
Mon Sept 13 9:00am Charles and Delma Patterson
Tue Sept 14 9:00am Bob and Pat Stevens
Wed Sept 15 9:00am Deceased members of the Tuccio and
Rapuano Family
Thu Sept 16 9:00am Bill Thibodeau
Sat Sept 18 5:00pm Deceased Carlson and Delmastro
family members
Sun Sept 19 7:30am Julia DeSousa
Sun Sept 19 9:30am Knights of Columbus memorial mass
for all deceased members
Sun Sept 19 11:30am Maria Emilia Monteiro
If the 9:00 am Weekday mass is not listed, an intention has not been requested. Also, there are no public Masses on Friday mornings.
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Monday through Thursday Weekday Masses will be in the main Church at 9 am and live streamed.
The Weekend Masses inside the Church are Saturday at 5:00 pm and Sunday at 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30. Only the Saturday Mass at 5:00 pm and the Sunday 7:30 am Mass are live streamed. Please note that the Saturday mass time moves to 4:00PM on October 2 and will stay at 4:00 until April 30, 2022.
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People can call the parish office to arrange to be added to the sick bound and home communion call list, for a clergy to bring them communion at their homes beginning in July |
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First Friday Eucharistic Adoration
“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. Matthew 11:28-30
The time that we spend with Jesus in front of the Blessed Sacrament is the best time we will spend on earth. Please join us on the first Friday of every month from 7:00 to 8:00 PM.
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Children's Rosary First Sundays
We meet at 11 am before the 11:30 Mass by the Blessed Mother statue and follow proper covid protocols. No experience necessary.
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St. Jude Religious Gift Shop
St. Jude Religious Gift Shop is located downstairs in the Msgr. Sabia Social Hall. Many new items for all occasions. Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Rosaries, Bibles, Statues, Medals & more. Variety of cards: Graduation, Birthday, Weddings, Get Well, Sympathy, etc. Come down & browse and find the perfect gift. For more info call: Parish Office - 203-261-6404 or call Fran Cambra - 203-261-2573.
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Confession Hours
Confessions on Saturday afternoon will be in the day chapel at 3:00 pm on Saturdays. Confessions are also by appointment, please call 203-261-6404, to set up and appointment or emailing.
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Parish Office Hours
THE OFFICE HOURS ARE:
MONDAY - THURSDAY 9:00 – 3:00
Please call (203-261-6404) or e-mail (parish.office@stjuderc.com) before coming to the office. Much can be accomplished through a phone call or email, such as requesting masses/mass cards; sacramental records; registering for Baptism; etc.
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St Jude Parish
707 Monroe Tpke
Monroe, CT 06468
203-261-6404
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