Good and gracious God, We pray in gratitude for our mothers who have joined with you in the wonder of bringing forth new life.

You, who became human through a woman, grant to all mothers the courage they need to face the uncertain future that life with children always brings.

Give them the strength to live and to be loved in return, not perfectly, but humanly.

Give them the faithful support of a husband, family and friends as they care for the physical and spiritual growth of their children.

Give them joy and delight in their children to sustain them through the trials of motherhood.

Most of all, give them the wisdom to turn to you for help whenthey need it most.

All teens and young adults are invited to follow the St. John Fisher Youth Instagram Ministry account at sjf_youthministry. Stay connected, grow your faith and be informed!

Congratulatcons to the following children who made their First Holy Communion, Saturday, May 1st

Cora P., Christian B., Owen C., Lydia D., Jamison K., Gianna T., Rory T., and Harrison W.

God Bless them All!!

6^th Sunday of Easter B21

Dreams are very important because they reveal to us our fears, desires, our stresses, our happiness, and occasionally solutions to problems. Dreams are God’s vehicles of revelation in both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, witness Joseph, he of the many colored coat in Genesis and Joseph in Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus.

The early church was having a crisis dealing with the ethnic and religious tensions that could have been the death knell of Jesus’ command to teach all nations. As more and more Gentiles believed in Jesus, the Jewish disciples were becoming concerned. Jesus was a Jew and believed by them to be the Jewish Messiah. So logic dictated the Gentiles had to enter into the Jewish faith tradition and follow all the Jewish prescriptions especially circumcision and dietary laws. Were they a requirement to be a follower of Jesus? The church in Jerusalem said yes; Paul, however, vehemently disagreed.

Online Mass, Sunday, May 2, 2021

Available as of Saturday, May 1, 4:00PM

The S.J.F.C.G. is starting its sixth season of growing and donating fresh produce to the Marlborough town food bank.  Since 2015, we have donated almost 2000 lbs. of fresh food to the food insecure of the community.

Please consider joining in on this ministry to help those right here in our community.  You do not need to be a gardener, just show enthusiasm and have the desire to help others.

The garden ministry meets at Saint John Fisher Church near the garden behind the church, on Monday’s at 5pm.  All are welcome.  We could also use help in keeping the garden watered over the coming months…this could perhaps be a way for your family to help out.

For more information, questions, or to join, please email Peg Filloramo at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

5^th Sunday of Easter B21

Saul had returned to Jerusalem, not as a persecutor but as a disciple. The community of disciples, however, remembered his role in the stoning death of Stephen so that they were afraid of him, hesitant to believe in his conversion. After all, can a leopard change its spots? Now Barnabas^[1], who had sold a piece of land he owned and presented the money to the apostles, brought Saul/Paul to them, stood before them and vouched on Paul’s behalf that Paul was a disciple, had met the risen Christ, and had spoken out boldly in Damascus in the name of the Lord. If Barnabas hadn’t done so, imagine how different the church might have been! Ultimately Barnabas and Paul became co-apostles to the Church in Antioch and elsewhere, preaching and encouraging the first Christians.

With the opening of its 63rd pilgrimage season on Saturday, May 1st, the Shrine of Lourdes and Litchfield's Grotto Gift Shop will now be open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:30 to 4:30 and 12:30 to 4:30 on Sundays. New outdoor statuary has arrived along with a large selection of Baptismal, First Communion and Confirmation gifts. Also, there is a diversified choice of many inspirational and devotional items in stock. For further information, call 860-567-0891, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit our website, www.shrinect.org. Covid protocols will be observed.

MARLBOROUGH FOOD BANK
MAY 8TH AND 9TH

Please mark your calendars:
Our monthly Food Drive is the 2nd full weekend of every month.

May 12, 2021 at 7:00 PM

Join the Archdiocese of Hartford, Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry and Catholic Extension for a webinar about Native Peoples of America & The Catholic Church.  We will be joined by Catholic Extension representatives, Catholic faith leaders, and women leaders in the Native American community throughout the country.  To register for this program, please go to http://www.catholicsocialjustice.org/open-wide-our-hearts.html

Join us on May 6th, the National Day of Prayer to pray, for our brothers and sister in Christ and the future of our country.

Jesus, we come now professing that You are our Lord, the One and only Son of God, who came to take away the sin of the world and that whosoever believes in You will not perish but have everlasting life. Lord, we are clay in Your hands, vessels of Your plans and love. Fill us we pray, to be overflowing vessels and examples of Your LOVE, LIFE and LIBERTY.

                Thanks to the dedication and hard work of a group of teens at St. John Fisher, hundreds of people were cared for during the April vacation activity 500 Acts of Kindness.  The teens spent the day making breakfasts, lunches, care bags for the homeless, welcome bags for those transitioning out of homelessness, and working in our community garden.  In addition, the group helped to make dinner for the men at Immacare, cards for various groups and activity bags for Adelbrook and the Hartford Catholic Worker.  This was made possible through the generosity of parishioners, our community partners Big Y and Stop and Shop and the adult parishioners who worked alongside these remarkable young men and women.  We are truly blessed to have young people willing to live out their faith by using their hands and hearts to care for our brothers and sisters in Christ

Video Slideshow ~ 500 Acts of Kindness in 5 Hours

4^th Sunday of Easter B21

“Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.”^[1]

This is a classic case of what the Italians call “già e non ancora”, already but not yet. As a result of God’s love, we as believers have already been reborn as children of God. But, it’s not complete. We, like children, have to grow by learning and living Gospel values. Ultimately we are promised identification with God since “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”^[2]

Ponder that reality and that promise. What dignity we have and will have!

However, God does not give a gift without a condition. And that condition is this: recognizing the gift that is given to me, I must also recognize that every believer, and even those who are not yet members of the fold, has the same dignity and promise.

Chew on that for a while; digest it; make it part of you; and act on it.

^[1] 1John 3:2

^[2] 1John 3:2

Online Mass ~ 4th Sunday of Easter, April 25, 2021

Today the Holy Father has asked all Catholics to intercede for vocations. Will you make a special effort to ask the Lord for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life?

Pray for the priests who have ministered to you throughout your life, both living and dead.