ADVENT 2023
Christmas Giving Program
Beginning the weekend of December 2nd and 3rd, please take a gift tag from the display at church and return your unwrapped gift no later than the weekend of December 16th and 17th. Organizations supported by our giving program include By the River and Marlborough Health & Rehabilitation (support to seniors and infirmed), St. Vincent dePaul and Journey Home (support to those homeless and those transitioning to new housing) and Sacred Sweats (support to women recently released from prison).
Family Faith Formation & Youth Ministry Christmas Parties:
Family Faith Formation — on Saturday, December 2nd from 2:00 — 4:00 PM the faith formation families will gather for a fun and festive party learning about and celebrating the coming birth of Jesus.
Youth Ministry — on Saturday, December 16th all youth — grades 7-12 — are invited to a party in our church hall from 5:30 PM — 7:30PM. RSVP to Helena at 860-930
Advent Reconciliation:
In addition to the regular Reconciliation offerings each Saturday from 3:00 - 3:30 PM, there will be two additional opportunities for Advent. Monday, December 18th from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM and Tuesday, December 19th from 9:00 AM — 10:30 AM
Parish-wide Christmas Gift:
During the weekend of December 16th and 17th, the book Beautiful Eucharist will be given to parishioners as a Christmas gift. We will schedule a book discussion during January for those interested as we continue to celebrate and learn more about the Blessed Eucharist available to us at each Mass.
Rite of Acceptance
Please join in celebration as we support Crystal McMillan and Anthony Poulin as they continue their progression through the RCIA process.
On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at the 10:30 AM mass we will celebrate the Rite Of Acceptance with them.
A reception will be held following mass.
Youth Ministry Christmas Gathering Saturday, December 16, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Come relax, have fun, and join your friends as we play games, eat pizza, decorate cookies, and watch a Christmas movie! Dress in comfy clothes and bring a comfy chair for the movie, if you'd like. RSVP to Mrs. Thomas at
Updated Scam Warning!
Text messages from Father Leblanc are probably scams. My message was from an 856 area code (New Jersey) instead of 860 and signed as "Rev. Fr." If your message app supports reporting these texts as "Junk", be sure to do so. ALWAYS verify before clicking any links in messages or emails. Leading up to Black Friday scam messages, junk emails, and phishing phone calls are very, very high. Be diligent.
If a business calls you, they already know who you are and don't need you to "verify" your account numbers, payment information, or other personal information. If you are unsure if a call is legitemate, hang up and call the business directly at their regualr customer service number, NOT the number in the message or email.
Donations of Socks, Hats and Gloves
We invite you to support our 9th grade Confirmation Class, which is collecting socks, hats and gloves for the House of Bread. We will be accepting new socks for men, women and children. Our teens will be wrapping the socks, which will be delivered during Christmas week. All donations should be brought to the church by December 3rd.
Thank You From HOPES
On behalf of the Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Hartford, I extend my sincere gratitude to your Parishioners for the contribution of $675 to the 46th Annual HOPES (Help Our Parish Educators & Students) Collection. Sincerely,
The Reverend Michael Whyte
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Untangling yarn! Jan Passacantando, Julie Groene and Eileen Gillis
(click image for an enlarged view)
The Prayer Shawl ministry meets the 2nd Saturday of each month from 1:00pm at the St. Thomas More Hall
Birthday Party for Jesus
Family Faith Formation
Saturday Dec. 2
2:00pm- 4:00pm
The whole family is welcome!
(no evening session after Mass)
Celebrate the birth of Jesus with fun activities, games, and refreshments!
RSVP to
Please consider bringing an unwrapped gift supporting one of the SJF Giving Tree Organizations
“Keep Christ in Christmas” Knights of Columbus Magnets & Ornaments Sale for Special Olympics
The Knights of Columbus will be selling: Christmas Nativity Magnets for $5 each Specially designed Christmas Ornaments for $10 each.
All proceeds will be donated to the CT Special Olympics.
Both items will be available after every weekend Mass through out the Advent season, beginning on December 2 - 3.
"Keep Christ In Christmas” Knights of Columbus 2023 Poster Contest
The Knights of Columbus are excited again to announce the annual "Keep Christ in Christmas" Poster Contest. Registration forms and paper have been given out to all the Faith Formation classes ; additional information may be found online. The dead- line for entry is December 15th by NOON. There are three separate divisions: Grades K-2, Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8. Prizes are awarded for each division and winners will be entered into the state contest. For any questions, please ask a Knight or Melissa Jordan.
Please encourage any and all children in your life to express their personal faith impressions in the true theme of Christmas, the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Additional information here: https://www.kofc.org/en/what-we-do/faith-in-action-programs/family/keep-christ-in-christmas.html
Saint John Fisher Book Club
Please join us for coffee and a holiday discussion of
“The Christmas Sweater”
by Glenn Beck
and
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse “
by Charlie Mackesy
Wednesday, December 13, at 10 am St. Thomas More Hall
A limited number of books are reserved at the Richmond Memorial Library. For more info: contact Barbara Gaudette (
Many Thanks for All Souls’ Mass Support
We celebrated a lovely All Souls' evening Mass ministering to those who lost loved ones in this past year. Many thanks to our youth artists, Marina McLaughlin, Stella and Elle Boutilier, and Colin and Kelly Tracey who all created beautiful heartfelt personalized cards. Cathy and Jim Castellani and Sue Hurley provided the refreshments and beverages as we spent time together following the Mass. Thanks to all for creating such a special and nurturing evening.
- Congratulations To Our Most Recent Confirmation Community
- Hudson Visco ~ Thank You!
- SCAM EMAIL WARNING!
- 🧁Bakers for St. John Fisher Church
- Interested in Parish Council? We are Interested in YOU!
- St. Vincent de Paul Supper - A Glorious Success!
- Kicking-Off a New Faith Formation Season
- Confirmation Support Thank You
- Cindy Bryan New Coordinator of Faith Formation
- Calling All Those Who Like To Sew
- Planning and Organizing Events for the Coming Year
- Hats & Scarves for our Disabled American Vets
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Did you realize . . . One of the greatest traditions we have within the Catholic faith is having a Mass said for a loved one whether they are living or deceased. By doing this, we are offering Christ himself for the intention we indicate. Considering that the Mass is the highest form of communal prayer, offering a Mass up for a loved one is a beautiful expression of faith. Masses can also be said as an expression of gratitude, to celebrate a special occasion such as a birthday or as we are reminded by the Council of Trent: "for the living and the dead, for sins, punishments, satisfactions, and other necessities."
