A Note from Fr. Joseph
 A couple days from now, ghosts and goblins will haunt our city streets in search of candy. Ordinary kids will transform into policemen and superheroes, witches and sports stars. Halloween is upon us (or, if you look at the department stores, it has been upon us since mid-July!) – and it’s worth examining the question: Can a Catholic celebrate Halloween?

            Often I have heard that Halloween stems from a Catholic holiday (being the evening of All Saints Day, it was often called All Hallow’s Eve, or Hallow-e’en). And while this is true, the backstory is a bit more complicated than that.

            Our ancestors were much more in-touch with the natural rhythms of the world and the skies than we are (I guess without Netflix there’s not much else to do at night…). Many of our pagan ancestors – particularly the Gaelic pagans of Ireland – held great feasts at the turning of the seasons. But not only did they celebrate feasts when the seasons changed – they also had half-season feasts (called “quarter days”) which were the exact midpoints between two seasons. November 1 happens to be around the midpoint between the beginning of Fall and the beginning of Winter.

            For the ancient Gaels, the night of October 31-November 1 was a major harvest festival called “Samhain”. Samhain celebrated the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold season that would lead up to the shortest day of the year (December 21st). On Samhain, the Gaels believed that the barrier between the afterlife and this earth was the thinnest, allowing souls to pass from the afterlife to visit relatives and friends here. Not all of these souls were benign – these spirits (called “Aos Si” in Gaelic) could be malicious and all sorts of rituals were devised to prevent harm on this night. Many of the Samhain rituals involved divination (seeking to contact the “other side” or telling of the future – grave sins against the First Commandment!).

            Ironically, these festivals were often held in conjunction with Christianity! These pagan remnants remained ingrained in the common folk even after they had accepted Christ. In fact, it was a rather frequent occurrence for the Church to adopt a pagan festival and “baptize” it – for example, the first celebration of All Saints was actually instituted by Pope Boniface IV in 609, when he rededicated the pagan Pantheon (the temple to all the gods) as the Church of St. Mary and All Saints. The date he chose for the re-dedication was May 13, which was the same date as the Roman pagan festival of Lemuria which was a festival of the dead. So, the Church has often taken pagan traditions and reoriented them so that they pointed to Christ.

            And this is what was done with Samhain. It was in 835 that Pope Gregory IV named November 1 as the Feast of All Saints, at the behest of Irish missionaries who needed to baptize the festival of Samhain. Samhain was still celebrated by the locals, however, who would practice divination on the evening of October 31 and then attend Mass on November 1 (some habits are hard to break, I guess!).

            Now, of course, Halloween bears only a nominal resemblance to the pagan festival of Samhain. Trick-or-treating was originally a Samhain-Christian hybrid custom of “souling”: poor children going from door-to-door begging for a “soul cake” (a little loaf with a cross on top) which would be given to them in exchange for prayers for the donor’s family’s deceased relatives. When out “souling”, children would take lanterns made from hollowed-out gourds and turnips – a predecessor of our Jack-O-Lanterns. The custom of dressing up came from both a pagan and Christian origin. The pagan origin: as Samhain was believed to be the day that souls wandered the earth after death, people would disguise themselves so that no soul with a vendetta could recognize them and wreak vengeance against them. The Christian origin: Christian churches too poor to afford relics for All Saints Day would have children dress up as saints instead, and they would process through the town.

            So, yes, Christians can celebrate Halloween, knowing that many of the traditions do have Catholic roots!

            But…here comes the truly frightening part – Samhain is still celebrated by neopagans and Wiccans as one of their highest holy days. Their celebrations vary by group, from a reconstructed Celtic ceremony to something truly diabolical. So stay away from anything that remotely looks neo-pagan or Wiccan!

            The other caveat is that at times, Halloween can make glorify death and the occult. There is, in many cultures, a theme of memento mori – remember your death – and so skulls and skeletons can be very Christian themes. But it can be overdone – we must remember the One Who conquered death! And although it’s probably harmless to dress up in a witch’s hat and walk around with a broomstick, it is important to emphasize that the occult is very real – demons and witches and spells are actual realities which should not be toyed around with in real life.

            Other than that, Halloween is a harmless celebration for Catholics. I certainly enjoyed it every year while growing up. Just avoid the paganism and the occult, and go easy on the gross-out death stuff. And give me all of your Almond Joys. And we will all have a happy Halloween!
St. Jude Parish-wide Consecration to Jesus Through Mary

In preparation to consecrate St. Jude Parish to Mary on Wednesday, December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we will be encouraging everyone to join us in following Fr. Michael Gaitley’s Marian Consecration, 33 Days to Morning Glory.

This “retreat” walks through the teachings of four great Marian Saints. Not only will we be reading a short entry each day for 33 days, but we will ponder in our hearts inspiring teachings on Marian Consecration. Fr. Gaitley’s book makes it easy to understand the important role that Mary plays in salvation history and how crucial it is as Catholics to turn to her.

At the Masses on the weekend of October 30/31, there will be magazine copies of the book available for free. We ask that you take one per family. And if you already have the book, please use that and leave the magazine for someone who needs it.

The Consecration will begin on November 5th. It will be very powerful knowing that other people in the parish are following along together. The reading should only take a few minutes each day.

For further enhancement to your reading, Fr. Gaitley’s video lessons on 33 Days to Morning Glory are on Formed at https://watch.formed.org/33-days-to-

To watch Fr. Gaitley's orientation and introductory retreat talk to go along with 33 Days to Morning Glory,visit https://watch.formed.org/videos/orientation-and-introduction

Important: Does Your Parish Profile Need to be Updated?

Have you moved but are still attending St. Jude?
Did you stop using a land line as your main phone?
Do you have an email which you use for communication and information?
 
If you answered yes to any of the questions, your parish profile probably needs to be revised.
 
If you have info that needs to be changed or simply want to check on your profile, contact the office by phone 203-261-6404 or email parish.office@stjuderc.com
 
Thank you
Parish Office Staff
40-DAYS FOR LIFE PRAYER VIGIL

A note from Barbara Grabowski, leader of the Bridgeport Campaign,

"Greetings, my friends,
This afternoon, Fr. Joseph Gill, Pastor of St.Jude Parish, and 13 St.Jude Pro-life Prayer Warriors lead a powerful prayer vigil for two hours. Fr. Gill was actually standing on the median in the middle of Main Street in prayer. Amazing. Thank you very much, St. Jude Prayer Warriors for your unceasing commitment to the unborn."

This 40-Days-For-Life Campaign had ended, but our prayers for our preborn babies cannot. Please continue to pray for an end to abortion and for a culture of life in our Country.

May God continue to bless all who have prayed with us.

Karin Tierney,
Coordinator
All Saints Day - The great Solemnity of All Saints is coming up on Monday, November 1st! Although it is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year (because it falls on a Monday), it is still a wonderful feast day and we should be overjoyed to celebrate the holy saints of every time and place who have gone before us! We will have Mass on Monday, November 1st at both 9am and 6:30pm - please make time to celebrate this wonderful feast day!
Eucharistic Visits to the Homebound - Although the pandemic is starting to wane, we still have many of our older parishioners who are sick or homebound and unable to attend Mass. We want them to receive Holy Communion on a regular basis - and we need YOUR help! Please consider volunteering to bring Holy Communion to our shut-ins, either on a weekly or biweekly basis. We will train you for the task - and it is a beautiful and practical way to bring Jesus to those in need! If you are interested and available to help, please contact Fr. Joseph at frgill@diobpt.org .
Parish News
  FR. HENRY'S MASS & RECEPTION
    October 31st at 11:30 MASS
  Followed by Reception in Social Hall

Please join us as we thank Fr. Henry for his eight years of dedicated Priestly service to our Parish family! A light lunch and refreshments will be available. If you are planning to attend and stay for lunch, please sign up as soon as possible at the link below as capacity is limited to 200 people.

All young people grades 6-12 are invited to
ENCOUNTER
A time to encounter God and one another through games, food, prayer, conversation, and fun.
 
Friday, November 12th
Friday, December 10th

From 7-9pm
No cost – no sign-ups – just show up! 

Virtus-trained parents welcome to come and chaperone. For more information, contact Fr. Joseph at frgill@diobpt.org.
Food Pantry Information

Our Thanksgiving distribution is right around corner. Sixteen families will benefit from your continued generosity. With this in mind, we are currently in need of the following items: boxed oatmeal, coffee/tea/hot cocoa, jarred pasta sauce and children’s cereal. 

Thank you again for your continued support of this ministry.

Appalachian Christmas Drive

We will be having our annual Christmas Drive on October 16 thru 30th.
The church foyer will be set up with bulletin boards as in the past. There will be a box to collect your donations.

We are asking for Gift Cards to Kohl’s or Walmart or monetary donations.
Due to the high cost of shipping this is more economical and beneficial for the Children.

Thank you for your continued generosity.
Last call for our Breakfast and Book morning with Father Joseph on Saturday Nov. 6!

As a reminder, we will gather in the Social Hall after first Saturday Mass. (If you want to join us after Mass, please plan on arriving shortly after 9.) A light breakfast will be served before our discussion with Father on his novel, Days of Grace. For planning purposes (so we have enough goodies!) please sign up using the Signup genius. The event is free for all.
 
 
We look forward to discovering who inspired his characters, what inspired the plot, and discussing the various themes of faith in his fast paced, Catholic novel. If you have any questions, please contact Regina Schwartz (203-414-9440). See you on the 6th!
Exploring our 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 next session will be held on Saturday November 13 starting at 9 am. The session will run one hour and be held in the Social Hall
 
The topic will be a Virtual Church Tour
 
There are many items of faith and symbols and plaques in our Church. This session will explain them and their meaning to our faith.No matter how many times we have been in Church there is a lot we can learn about our Church.

To preserve the reverence of the Church this session will be held in the Social Hall
 
I look forward to seeing you at this session
 
Deacon John
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.
 STOP THE BLEED

Please join us for this important First Aid Training Program on November 6th, 2021
at 11:00 a.m. in our Social Hall.

Class size is limited to 25 people so please be sure to register by Nov. 1st by email contacting:
Karin Tierney at: kjt1046@att.net 
The Silver Rose Prayer Service was held by the Knights of Columbus at St. Jude Church.
This Service shared the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe and to promote respect for life.
The Knights of Columbus are sponsoring a Needs/Food, clothing, furniture, & diapers on Saturday October 30th from 8AM to 10:30AM. Please try to honor these times and please do not leave donated items at the Social Hall after 10:30. All donated items will be distributed to the St Jude Pantry, Bridgeport Rescue Mission, Blessed Sacrament parish, Change Ministry, & Hopeline.
Although the Coronavirus has lessened since our last drive, we still have certain limitations on items being collected so please review the attached flyer ( click on image on the right!). To minimize contact & make distribution easier, we ask that you place labelled items for the above organizations in bags or boxes which can be placed in your vehicle and unloaded by our volunteers. Furniture items... we are hoping that most parishioners can bring these items directly to St Jude's on the day of the drive & we can assist with the unloading. If furniture transportation is not possible to St Jude's, we will make a limited amount of pickups on the day of the drive only. As we did last time, we want to minimize risks for parishioners & our volunteers by asking that donated items be located in the garage or driveway for pickup on the day of the drive. Questions, please contact Rocky Scali, 203-767-6053 or Frank Flynn, 203-556-5016. 
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.
HTCA GoFundMe
Holy Trinity Catholic Academy’s school spirit has prevailed through a pandemic, but we need your help to keep our school strong and heading in the right direction! Please consider donating to the HTCA GoFundMe page to help bridge the gap between tuition and actual student cost. This fundraiser will take place of the Annual Fund. Any donation, no matter how small, is a BIG help. Please follow this link to access our page https://gofund.me/fe4da3cc. Thank you!
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, Dyana vander Wielen, David Bath, Martha Zenobia, Joe Pinto, Ray Schwartz, Daniel Louis Bianco, Zoey Frigo, Koswenda Family, Max, Hung Vu, Jamie Addesa

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.
Monthly Parish Petition
Please join us in praying our Monthly Parish Intention. 

Our Petition for October is:

May we ask Mary's intercession, as Our Lady of the Rosary, to protect our precious babies as we offer Rosaries to end abortion,

   We pray to the Lord.
Upcoming Mass Intentions


Sat   Oct 30       4:00pm               Louis and Paquita Regina, Sr.
 
Sun  Oct 31       7:30am               Deceased members of the Willett and
                                                         Izzo families
 
Sun  Oct 31       9:30am               St. Jude Parishioners
 
Sun Oct 31       11:30am             Dorothy Saracino
                                     
Mon Nov 1        9:00am               Ann Casertano
 
Tue  Nov 2        9:00am               All deceased Mason and Olivia family
                                                         members
 
Wed Nov 3        9:00am               Consoacion Samson Josef
 
Thu  Nov 4        9:00am               The Halloran Family
 
Sat   Nov 6        4:00pm               Jose Dantas and Isabel Dantas-
                                                         Teixeira
 
Sun  Nov 7        7:30am               Dominick D. DellaRocco
                                                         
Sun  Nov 7        9:30am               Robert Koch and Fred Capozzi
 
Sun Nov 7        11:30am             All Veterans
 
 
The Tabernacle Candle will burn in loving memory of Domingo Arribas during the month of November

The Tabernacle Candle will burn in loving memory of Jose Dantas and Isabel-Dantas Teixeira for the month of October

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.
Mass Schedule
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 4:00 pm and Sunday at 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30. Only the Saturday Mass at 4:00 pm and the Sunday 7:30 am Mass are live streamed.

(Live-streamed Masses may be viewed at https://www.stjuderc.org/view-masses.html )
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
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.
St. Jude Religious Gift Shop

Gift Shop will be selling Christmas items, ornaments, cards and more, including Advent Wreaths, Candles and Calendars after Masses on weekend 11/20 & 11/21st and after Thanksgiving Mass 11/25.

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.
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.  
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. 
St Jude Parish
707 Monroe Tpke
Monroe, CT 06468
203-261-6404