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The Epistle Online
 
St. Paul Catholic Parish
A Franciscan Family of Faith

November 28, 2020
 
We hope this newsletter will be a helpful resource, providing information about our parish and sharing content on spiritual and practical matters related to our Catholic faith. The Epistle is so named as a tribute to St. Paul, our patron, whose letters to the earliest Christians still guide and inform us today.

Thankful


  
Peace be with you!

We hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving day and that you were able to enjoy the company of loved ones near and far. 



We are so thankful to all of you for your support of our continual efforts to provide for the spiritual and physical needs of our community.


Advent has Arrived


  
November 29th is the First Sunday of Advent.

We will once again host "Mercy Mondays" on the following dates:

November 30th, December 7th, 14th and 21st
7-8pm in St. Paul Church

Please join us for Confession and Eucharistic Adoration or simply come to spend some time in quiet prayer or to speak with one of our friars.

____________________________________________

Has it been a while
(or a long while?)
since your last Confession?

Not sure how to prepare or what to do?

Here are helpful guidelines...





Christmas is Coming!


  
As most of you are aware, we created our 2020 Christmas Mass Schedule based on survey responses we received from you in mid-November. 

As we look ahead to Christmas, we would like nothing more than for our churches to be filled to capacity, for friends and families to greet one another with hugs, for everyone to sing together in celebration, for our little ones to hold hands with their grandparents, or simply to see your smiles...

BUT these things will have to wait.  For now, we must limit attendance, wear masks and practice social distancing for the safety of all, especially the most vulnerable.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding as we do our best to get through this difficult time. Have Faith. Be Patient. Keep Praying.


2020 CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE


CHRISTMAS EVE
Thursday, December 24th
   
Sacred Heart Church
1:00pm, 3:00pm
   
Saint Paul School Gym
1:00pm, 3:00pm, 5:00pm
   
St. Paul Church
1:00pm,  3:00pm, 5:00pm, 10:00pm
 

CHRISTMAS DAY
Friday, December 25th
  
Sacred Heart Church
10:00am
   
Saint Paul School Gym
10:00am, 12:00pm
   
St. Paul Church
8:00am. 10:00am, 12:00pm

  • St. Paul CHURCH HALL (downstairs) will serve as overflow space if the Church and Gym are both full.  Parishioners in the Church Hall will see a live stream of the Mass happening in the church, and Holy Communion will be brought down to them and distributed at the appropriate time.
  • All Masses celebrated in St. Paul CHURCH will be live streamed for those watching from home.
  • Masses in the Saint Paul School GYM will be IN-PERSON with one of our Friars celebrating each Mass. The gym will be decorated for Christmas. (These Masses will NOT be streamed from the Church.)
 



It is incumbent upon us to limit the number of people in attendance to provide as safe an atmosphere as possible, so in order to attend one of our Christmas Masses you MUST sign up. Admittance will require a TICKET that is location and time specific. We do not want to turn anyone away at the door, and we especially do not want to turn away someone who and signed up and who is here faithfully.

To sign up, CLICK HERE FOR THE SIGNUP PAGE or call the parish office at 860-828-0331.

Tickets may be picked up in the office beginning December 1stWe will also begin mailing tickets to those who requested them on December 1st. 

After December 18th, all tickets must be picked up in the parish office. Tickets must be picked up by December 23rd. 

Your cooperation will make these unusual times a bit more orderly and will provide the opportunity to attend Christmas Mass for all who wish to do so. Thank you for understanding that we are doing our best to keep everyone as comfortable and safe as possible. 


  _______________________________________________________


Christmas Wafers (Oplatek) - Those of Polish and Slavic ancestry are likely familiar with the sharing of the oplatek, (pronounced o-pwa-tek) at Christmas and in particular at the evening meal (wigilia) on Christmas Eve. This thin unleavened wafer is shared and broken among all members of the family along with greetings for a blessed Christmas and New Year, but also incorporates a request for forgiveness from each other for any hurts that might exist. The oplatek are available on the table in between the two wings of the church at St. Paul's as well as in the Parish Center. A free will donation can be made.

 
Ushers Needed!
 

Deacon Don, coordinator of our Usher Ministry, is looking for volunteers to help during Christmas Masses! 

Can you help?  
If you are willing to be an Usher, please contact Deacon Don Phillip at deacondon@stpaulkensington.org or call the parish office. 

There will be a meeting for all Ushers on Tuesday, December 1st at 6:30pm. Contact Deacon Don for more information. 


COVID-19 Update


  
Reminder:  We are still in Phase 2.1 of the state's reopening planAt this time, the capacity limit for religious services is 25% or 100 people, so we will have an indoor capacity of 100 people at St. Paul Church.

For weekend Masses at St. Paul Church, please sign up in advance using our signup page or by calling the parish office at 860-828-0331. 
  • Vigil Mass Saturday at 4pm
  • Sunday Mass at 7:30am, 9am, 10:30am and Noon 

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room
 

    
Advent is a time for preparation.
As we spend time preparing our homes for Christmas Day let us consider some easy ways to prepare our hearts for Christmas as well. 


 
December Challenge 
Beginning on December 1st, read one chapter of the Book of Luke in the Bible each day. There are 24 chapters. On Christmas Eve, you will have read an entire account of Jesus' life. On Christmas Day you will have a much deeper understanding of who and why we celebrate!



Participate in this journey that includes daily Advent reflections and enrichment from FORMED. Sign up to receive handpicked videos, talks, and texts every day throughout Advent to nourish your spiritual life.
  • Daily Advent reflections by Dr. Tim Gray
  • Brother Francis Advent reflections for kids
  • Weekly videos, audio talks, and book excerpts related to the theme of the week
  • Action items designed to help you take the Advent message and apply it to your daily life



by Dynamic Catholic

Making 2021 the Best Year of Your Life Starts with Advent! This is a totally free and totally awesome daily video program (sent straight to your email) that will help you prepare for Christmas like never before!





from Real Life Catholic
Beginning November 29th.
  • FREE 26-day joy-filled digital retreat led by Cardinal-elect Cantalamessa & Chris Stefanick
  • Daily videos and reflections that fit into your busy day - access from anywhere - on mobile, desktop or tablet
  • Learn how to have joy, no matter the circumstances of life

Oh Christmas Tree! 
  




Our Social Action Ministry is sponsoring our annual Angel Tree Collection! Take an angel from the tree in St. Paul or Sacred Heart Church, purchase your gift and return it to the tree by Sunday, December 13th.
NEW this year is our online Angel Tree. Click here for details.


Lighting of the Parish Green

Join us as we light up the Christmas Tree on our Parish Green!
December 5th after the 4pm Mass
This year's event will include music and a live Greccio performance! 

Luminaries will light up the pathways along the Parish Green as well. Deadline to order Luminaries is December 1st!  

Click here for details.
The order form can also be found on page 5 of our parish bulletin.



Books and Readings
 

Do you miss the missalettes? Several parishioners have mentioned that they enjoyed using the booklets to follow along during Mass, but due to COVID19, we had to remove them from the pews. 

For those who would like to follow along at home (or in church), use this link to the Order of the Mass:  https://wau.org/orderofmass




In addition, note that the Readings for Mass are always posted on the home page of our website! Read them beforehand or follow along during Mass. 







While we're on the subject of reading, why not pick up a good book to read during Advent? We have a few suggestions!


 Check out this comprehensive list of the Best Catholic Books of All Time by Brandon Vogt.   (Book nerds, you're welcome.)

Saint Paul School



Click here for the Annual State of the School report, a comprehensive view of our school in terms of enrollment, curriculum, extra curricular offerings, staffing, standardized test scores, and financial viability.  


Please note that our Kindergarten Open House which was scheduled for Thursday, December 3rd has been postponed. If you have any questions about our admissions process, please contact Admissions Director, Kelly Esposito, at 860-828-4343 x136 or admissions@stpaulkensington.org.


We are now accepting applications for the 2021-2022 school year!

Religious Education

 
Our Religious Ed program's new "Blended Learning" model asks families to participate in two Family Faith activities each month. 

Thank you to all who shared photos of your families participating in these activities!  


Click here for our photo album showing students participating in some of the suggested Fall activities which included praying the Rosary, attending our Blessing of Pets, installing St. Francis holy water fonts in their homes and more. 

 
Saints of the Season
 


December 8th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

The Immaculate Conception Explained
Immaculate Conception

Watch this video by Fr. Mike Schmitz for a terrific and timely explanation of the Immaculate Conception! 

"The way that God saved Mary is He preserved her. He gave her the vaccine before she got sick.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is normally a Holy Day of Obligation. However, since the obligation to attend Mass has been suspended by the Archbishop until Lent there is no obligation to attend Mass for the Feast this year. Nonetheless, this is still a very important Feast, and so we will have a special Mass schedule for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The patron of our nation is Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception. 

Mass Schedule:
December 7th - Vigil Mass at 4pm  
December 8th - Masses at 7am, 12 Noon, and 7pm
There will also be two school Masses at 8: 45am and 10:00am since we cannot have all of them in church at one time. There will not be a 5pm Mass on Monday or Tuesday Dec. 7 & 8.



Other Saints whose feast days are celebrated during December:

Dec. 3 - St. Francis Xavier, Priest

Dec. 4 - St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Dec. 7 - St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Dec. 9 - St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin

Dec. 11 - St. Damasus I, Pope

Dec. 12 - Our Lady of Guadalupe 

Dec. 14 - St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Dec. 21 - St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Dec. 23 - St. John of Kanty, Priest

December 26th - The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

December 28th - The Holy Innocents, Martyrs


Christmas in Connecticut


As we receive information from various organizations about local events, we are happy to share them with you! While many events have been modified due to COVID concerns, there are still many ways to celebrate the season and prepare for the Nativity of Our Lord.



November 21 - December 20, 2020
Raffle ends Monday, November 30, 4:00pm
The Franciscan Christmas Fair benefits the services of Franciscan Life Center and Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care in Meriden. Enjoy shopping for unique gifts! Buy your tickets for our fabulous raffle! Enjoy our Living Creche video and gallery to revive precious memories from past years!


 
December 9 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm ($20)
There may be some wonderful gifts to be discovered in experiences of waiting. With Mary as our model, we will delve into some of these gifts in order to prepare ourselves for the birth of our transformative Savior.



Saturday, December 5, 2020
9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Offered by Holy Family Retreat Center
The method of Lectio Divina, to pray sacred scripture, is introduced. Presenting a Christian tradition of prayer through reading, reflecting, responding and resting in the Word of God, one's relationship with God is nourished and deepened. Scripture appropriate for the Advent season will be utilized in this workshop. Both individual and group experiences will be provided. This program will be offered online via the Zoom platform. Information on how to access the program will be provided to participants in their registration confirmation email. Offering: $65



Please note that the Living Nativity at the Shrine of Lourdes in Litchfield which was scheduled for Dec. 6th has been canceled

 
Just for Fun
  

God Bless America






"When I asked them both what their secret to a lasting marriage was they had the following advice...."





Catholic High School


If you are considering Catholic High School for your child/children, contact an Admissions representative today to schedule an in-person visit or virtual tour, attend an open house, and register for the entrance exam. 

Find out what these great schools have to offer and how they continue to thrive during these difficult times.

Ask about financial assistance as well. A great education at one of our nearby Catholic high schools may be more affordable than you think!





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The Epistle Online

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"For it is in giving that we receive."
-Saint Francis of Assisi

A Ministry of the Conventual Franciscan Friars, Our Lady of the Angels Province