On the 5th Sunday of Lent we read about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. (John 11:1-45) This reading encourages us to think about the ways in which our thoughts and behaviors keep us entombed and separated from God. In a homily given by Pope Francis in April 2014 he says: “May the Lord today, on this Sunday, which speaks so much about the resurrection, give us all the grace to rise from our sins, to come out of our tombs; with the voice of Jesus, calling us to go out, to go to him.”

As we ourselves worry about meeting our own needs during this uncertain time, we may find ourselves relating to and developing a heightened sensitivity to the needs of others. Many thanks to those who provided food to the Marlborough Food Bank and those who made sandwiches this past week for St. Vincent de Paul in Middletown. Please continue to remember the needs of the Marlborough Food Bank and the drop-off information and operational days/times, if your own personal needs arise.

If anyone is in need or knows of anyone in need, please contact Father Sas at 860-295-0067.

Our prayer line remains active with a day-line and night-line contact each week. For this coming week, Cheryl & John Egazarian will be on the day-line at 860-798-9010 and Barbara & Doug Meyer on the night-line at 860-295-0756. With the church office on limited hours, we thought it best to share individual contact information if you have a prayer request to offer. The weekly contact people will then forward your prayer requests to a group of prayer line members and offer up their prayers as well.

The town of Marlborough has a new number you can call designated for Emergency Management. If you are having a medical emergency, you should still call 911. For non-medical emergencies, please call 860-365-3111. You will be asked to leave a voicemail message which will be automatically transferred to someone in the emergency department who will return your call.

If anyone has a loved one in a group home, nursing home, or hospital who would like to receive cards from our Faith Formation students, email the name and address to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., who leads our Faith Formation programs for grade 1-8 at STJF. The children of our parish will make sure your loved one feels loved, supported, and held in prayer.

Virtual Mass, Saints Isidore and Maria, Glastonbury
Virtual Mass, St. Patrick-St. Anthony, Hartford
Virtual Mass, St. Theresa of Calcutta, Manchester
Praying the Rosary with Archbishop Blair, March 25
Reflection on the Stations of the Cross, March 24, Saints Isidore and Maria, Glastonbury

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

How to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Listen to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in Song

† Set up a home altar or prayer space with a cross, icons  or sacred art, and a Bible

† Light a candle

† Take a few moments before Mass starts. Gather your thoughts and prepare one intention to bring before the Lord.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST brought to you by the Office of Education, Evangelization and Catecheses, Archdiocese of Hartford.

It may be helpful to remember that in the first few centuries, Christians did not have large churches where they gathered in groups to worship. Early Christians celebrated their faith in their homes, to avoid persecution and remain safe. Out of necessity, we return to this practice for the time being, feeling a special kind of kinship with our early brothers and sisters in Christ. However, we recognize that sitting in the quiet peace of "God's house" can be an important and uplifting act, and so beginning on Wednesday, March 25, St. John Fisher will be open from 9:00 am-2:00 pm for individual prayer. In addition, Fr. Sas will resume Eucharistic Adoration on Sunday, March 29 from 4:00-4:45 pm. Please respect the guidelines of social distancing and sit as far apart from one another as possible.

If anyone is in need or knows of anyone in need,
please contact Father Sas at 860-295-0067.

Let us know if there's anything special you would like our choir to sing.
This is one of the companies the Worship Choir orders our music from.

New Music for Spring & Easter

Listen to "The Deer's Cry" by Lisa Kelly, a beautiful musical interpretation of St. Michael's Breastplate.

Sandwich collection for St. Vincent dePaul in Middletown will remain this week on Thursday, March 26. Sandwiches may be dropped off during the day (in the downstairs refrigerator) between 10:00 am-2:00 pm or in the evening between 7:00-7:30 pm at church. Ham and cheese or turkey and cheese sandwiches, no mayo but mustard is okay.

In light of the current public health emergency and the indefinite cancellation of St. John Fisher's weekend Masses, our parish will have none of its usual income from weekly collections, which it relies upon to meet ongoing expenses. Therefore, we ask you to please consider going to the St. John Fisher website and signing up for our online giving program. Some of our parishioners already choose to contribute weekly through this convenient method instead of using envelopes. Any help you can provide in the interim for the ongoing support of our parish will be greatly appreciated.

For those who have requested special Masses said for loved ones, we will reschedule the weekend Masses that were to happen while we are closed. Father will continue to say and offer the weekday Masses from home.

VIRTUAL 3D TOUR OF ST. JOSEPH'S CATHEDRAL IN HARTFORD CT

Click here or on the image

"God does not abandon us, he goes with us
even now in this time of trial and testing. In
this moment, it is important for us to
anchor our hearts in the hope that we
have in Jesus Christ."

-Archbishop Jose Gomez, President of the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops, see full statement here.