Saint Josephine
Bakhita Parish

Easter Season
April 20, 2021

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish,
 
Sometimes our life can seem like a whole truckload of stuff…out of control, on a steep downhill slope. We break a limb. The IRS calls. Our kids get in trouble. The routines of daily life grind us down. We dream of the great escape. But try as we may, we cannot seem to get out of our own way. So how do we keep going?
 
Jesus showed us, one last time, in the final hours of his life. As he prayed in the Garden, he was greatly troubled by what was ahead. He could have just slipped away, but he remembered what his life was all about. Soon, he gave his life for us willingly, it seems.
 
How did he do that? He did it for love, that powerful bond with his father and with us, which had been growing deep within him all his life. Love gave him the reason to give his life away and gave him the courage to do it. Love made the impossible possible!
 
And so it can be for us. We can keep going, keep stepping forward, even in the worst of times, if our love has grown so large that we have stopped counting the cost. We simply do what is needed willingly. We see that in parents’ smiling sacrifices for their children and in the spouses’ tender care for their helpless partner. Examples are abundant if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
 
May this season of Easter continue to shine brightly in your world. May our faith, hope, and trust inspire others to carry on with that same faith, hope, and trust.

Peace and Blessings,

Fr. George Couturier
Bring Your Rice Bowls
Back to Church
Thanks to all who collected Lenten Alms in Rice Bowls. Kindly convert your coins to cash or a check made out to Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish and drop it by either Church in an envelope labeled "Rice Bowl Collection." We will combine all of the collections together and send them off to Catholic Relief Services.
Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 25, 2021
4 PM Vigil, 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM
Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish will livestream the 9:00 AM & 11:00 AM Sunday Mass using Facebook Live. The livestream of the Mass can also be viewed on the front page of our website. The recordings remain available afterward on the Parish Facebook page. Join us!



To sign up to attend Mass in person, Click Here.
For the Sunday Music, Click Here.
For the Sunday Readings, Click Here.
Retrieving Women’s Voices
Discover the Women Doctors of the Church
Come and encounter four of the most remarkable women in the history of the Church: Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, Therese of Lisieux and Hildegard of Bingen. Despite living in different countries, centuries, and cultural contexts these women continue to inspire us with their wisdom and faith. Join us to see how each woman’s powerful insights and wisdom can guide our own lives as they model holy, intelligent and passionate lives for us.

On Thursdays during the Easter season Saint Josephine Bakhita Adult Faith Formation will offer a 6-part series examining the legacy of these remarkable Christian women. Our guide for this exploration will be Dr. Elizabeth A. Dreyer Professor Emerita at Fairfield University. The format for this series is video lecture supported watch, discuss and learn. A study guide is available at very nominal cost. 

The series begins on Thursday April 22, 2021 at 7:00-8:30 PM at the Saint James Parish Hall, 767 Elm Street in Rocky Hill. It will meet each Thursday for six weeks. This will be an in-person event and remote online access and participation will not be available. 

All are welcome. No special knowledge is required. Pre-registration is required as space will be limited to COVID-19 limitations on in-person gatherings. Distancing and face masks will be required, no exceptions. 
 
To register email Deacon Michael at saintjmdeacon@gmail.com or call 860-529-3222 Ext 14 and leave a message.

For more information, Click Here.
All members of the Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish community are invited to join in the faith activity for the month of April called "Creating a Paschal Candle." To learn more, Click Here. Email pictures of your Paschal Candle to the Faith Formation Office at reo@sjbrh.org.
Seeking Gardening Help at St. James Church
There are two projects for people with greeenish thumbs. You’ll note that flowers from the property are used to decorate the altar area now through the Fall. We need help propagating the flowers. There is a fallow area near the rectory that could be put to use as a flower garden, with your assistance. 

For our other project, parishioner, Mary Roche, who kindly took care of flowers in the front of the building is no longer able to help. We thank her for her assistance and the beautiful pots that she brought each season to decorate our entrance. We are looking for gardeners to take on this responsibility

If you would like to help in maintaining this small area or if you want to start a flower garden, call Joy at 860-529-8655 x17 or email Joy@sjbrh.org
Saint Josephine Bakhita
Pilgrimage to Poland
May 2022!

Join us for an informational meeting on Monday, April 26 at 7:00 PM on ZOOM to learn more about this exciting pilgrimage opportunity with Deacon Michael and Krystyna Ward and Father George.

For more information, Click here.

To sign up to attend the meeting via Zoom, email Deacon Michael at saintjmdeacon@gmail.com or call 860-529-3222, ext. 14.
The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal changes lives through service. In addition to assisting the underserved of our communities, your gift helps those discerning a vocation to the priesthood. Your gift to the Appeal is an investment in the future of our Church and our faith. Thank you to the parish families who have made a gift or pledge to the 2021 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. If you have not yet participated, please prayerfully consider a gift today. Please know that every dollar of your gift will have a positive impact in someone’s life. All funds contributed to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal are used exclusively for the purposes outlined in the Appeal literature, which can be found here. No Appeal funds are ever used for legal fees or settlements.
St. Josephine Bakhita Parish
767 Elm Street
Rocky Hill, CT 06067