St. John Fisher Roman Catholic Church

St. Vincent de Paul Sandwich Collection

There will be no sandwich collection for the month of November

Pray& Play

A Story Time, Prayer and Play Group for children from birth to 6 and their caregivers.

We are so excited for the return of the Pray and Play Group! Please join us for stories, crafts, music, prayer and fun. Group will meet twice a month in the St. John Fisher Hall (however the actual story telling will take place in the church so the children will become increasingly familiar with the church and comfortable with sitting in the pews!) November meeting times will be:

Saturday, Nov. 20: 10:30 a.m. ± 11:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 22: 4:00 p.m. ± 5:00 p.m.

Group is co􏰋hosted by Amy Serrano and Theresa Brysgel, DRE. Full schedule will follow. For details, please join the Pray and Play Facebook Site or email Theresa Brysgel at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

From Our Pastor ~ November 14, 2021

33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time B21

Almost every generation has some people who are sure the end of the world is about to happen. So far they’ve been wrong.

What are the signs of the coming of the Son of Man? Daniel says it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress. Jesus in Mark’s Gospel, the signs will be in nature: the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; stars will be falling from the sky; the heavens will be shaken. Matthew gives other signs: hearing of wars and reports of wars; famines and earthquakes^[1]. The Book of Revelation adds thunder and lightning. These signs are what we fear the most, outside of personal illness. Who is not afraid of war, famines and earthquakes, severe thunder and lightning; and, I will add: strong winds, tornados, cyclones, hurricanes, and excessive periods of blistering heat or bone-chilling cold? At the time these texts were written, there wasn’t Doppler radar to warn what was coming nor an explanation what caused them. Today we get nervous or a little afraid when get warnings of dangerous weather. Imagine being surprised when there’s no alerts.

Apocalyptic visions, that is, forecasting catastrophe, do seem to be all about terror. But they also include an aftermath of God’s activity for the good of humanity. Daniel’s “time of unsurpassed distress”^[2] sets the scene for the appearance of Michael, the protector of God’s people. Jesus promises when we “see these things happening, know that he [the Son of Man] is at the gates”^[3], the one who is the conqueror of sin and death. God will always take care of His people.

That is the Good News!

When will it happen? “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”^[4]

What should we do? Be ready and continue to live according to Gospel values. Then there is nothing to fear.

^[1] Cf. Mt.24:6-8

^[2] Daniel 12:1

^[3] Mk 13:29

^[4] Mk 13:32

Congratulations Confirmation Community!

Congratulations to our most recent confirmation community that received the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Joseph's Catherdral in Hartford on Saturday, November 6, 2021

Brandon Rita Antonelli, Olivia Seraphina Arcari, Taryn Joan Brysgel, Brian Vincent Herman-Cristovao, Emily Elizabeth Corey, Bryn Sebastian Chudzik, Blaise Didacus DellaRocco, Kiley Rose Foley, Sadie Elizabeth Eppinger, Griffin Anthony Falanga, James Albert Keleher, Logan Anthony Kolakowski, Ava Catherine Machowski, Nicholas Joseph Martins, Ryan Dominic Martins, Marina Joan McLaughlin, Troy Stephen Miller, Luke Robert Napolitano, Allison Adele Nardone, Caitlin Gianna Pampreen, Christopher Anthony Richard, Connor Patrick Rydel, Ben Louis Spencer, Timothy Joseph Schweighoffer, Andrew Nicola Tominovich, Luke Patrick Veltri, Hudson Henry Visco, Maggie Catherine Walker, Kyle Peter Wood.

May God Bless these young men and women.

Marlborough Food Bank Thanksgiving Collection

food collection

Once again, through your generous participation, we will be providing Thanksgiving meals for those in need. Bags with a list of items will be in the vestibule on Nov.6 and 7th and can be picked up during weekday or weekend Masses. Filled bags can be brought to the church during weekday or weekend Masses. Please have bags back by Nov.14th at the latest. If more convenient, bags can be dropped off directly at the Food Bank on Tuesdays between 9 and noon and 36 pm. Items needed are a can of vegetables (any kind), a bag of carrots, a can of cranberry sauce, a can or jar of gravy, stuffing mix, cornbread mix and a 5lb. bag of potatoes.

Thank You!

2021HandsUpPic

A huge thanks to our awesome Confirmation youth who gave up their Sunday morning to volunteer with Journey Home, delivering donated household items to people transitioning out of homelessness. Special thanks to all the parents who joined forces with these outstanding young men and women, who turned apartments into homes!

Winter Clothing Drive

ClothingDrive The 2021 Marlborough winter clothes drive sponsored by the St. John Fisher Knights of Columbus has started! As the cold weather approaches and you start pulling out your cold weather clothes, please consider donating any new or gently used coats, jackets, gloves, mittens or blankets that you will not be using or that your children have out grown to the annual winter clothes drive.

Clothes will be collected now through November 6th and can be dropped off in drop boxes at the Richmond Memorial Library and St. John Fisher Church (basement). There will also be a collection on the Marlborough town green on November 6th starting at 9 am.

Thank you for your generosity.

Congratulations

Gil app The St. John Fisher Parish family congratulates Gil Thompson on receiving the St. Joseph Medal from Archbishop Blair on October 17, 2021. Gil received this award for his hard work of taping and editing Masses during Covid 19 and his work as our webmaster.

From our Pastor ~ October 31, 2021

31^st Sunday in Ordinary Time B21

Love God. Love your neighbor. Love yourself. Three simple commands on the surface, but the devil (angel?) is in the details. Which one is the most difficult for you?

The love of God is almost impossible to grade. But the love of neighbor gives a clue and is the only guide to its existence, “for whoever does not love a brother who he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”^[1] And, love of self seems to be, well, selfish. But, you can’t give what you don’t have. Without love of self, you cannot love others. Love of self is hard because we know our faults, no matter how well we try to hide them from others. And if have any doubts of that, ask somebody; they would be happy to inform you! Believe what I told you last week: “The Lord has sent us his Son, who has had every emotion we have, who revealed God’s immeasurable, unconditional love, care and mercy for us, no matter what.”

All Saints’ Day, a Holy Day of Obligation

As we celebrate All Saints’ Day, a Holy Day of Obligation, and All Souls’ Day, let’s take a moment to remember the difference. On All Saints’ Day, we celebrate the communion of saints, both those known and unknown, in heaven and are reminded of our call to live as saints. This is a wonderful time to pray to your patron saint. This year All Saints’ Day falls on a Monday, we will have two masses, 8:30 AM and 7PM. All Souls’ Day is a reminder for us to hold close in prayer those souls in purgatory and to pray for all those who have died.

Got Candy?

candy The Confirmation Community will once again be collecting extra Halloween candy to be used for treat bags for warming shelters in Hartford. All donations can be left on the tables by the entrances to the church. Please label that your donation is for the Confirmation Community.

Many Thanks

Many thanks to all who donated or participated in Make a Difference Day. Thanks to your generosity in sharing your time, talent and treasure. 250 candy bags went to the children participating in the Kids’ Café in Hartford; 50 men enjoyed breakfast at Immacare; over 50 lunches were brought to House of Bread; and, Thanksgiving napkin holders will decorate the tables for many.
“Faith in action is love and love in action is service.” St. Teresa

Operation Christmas Child

We will once again be collecting boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Flyers with details can be found at the entrances to the church. Please be sure to have your boxes back to the church by the 10:30am Mass on Sunday, November 21st. All boxes will be delivered to the distribution center on Sunday, November 21st.

East Catholic High School

Easy Catholic cordially invites families of current 6th, 7th, 8th graders and transfer students to join us on Thursday, October 28th at 6:45 for
our Admissions Open House. To preregister, please go to https:// www.echs.com/Visit_ECHS. We are offering the entrance exams on Saturday, October 30th or Saturday, November 13th, both starting at 8:30 am. To preregister, please go to https://www.echs.com/Visit_ECHS.

From Our Pastor ~ October 24, 2021

30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time B21

Have you ever been part of a large crowd? It can be exciting. Maybe you find yourself caught up in the emotions of others, behaving in ways that are not like you, chanting some slogan and not knowing what will happen. You are carried along by the enthusiasm of the others in the crowd. A large unified crowd can have a peaceful and noble goal or be motivated to some violent end. We’ve recently experienced both in our country.

Autumn Months Prayer

O God of Creation, you have blessed us with the changing of the seasons.

As we welcome the autumn months, may the earlier setting of the sun remind us to take time to rest.

May the brilliant colors of the leaves remind us of the wonder of your creation.

May the steam of our breath in the cool air
remind us that it is you who give us the breath of life.

May the harvest from the fields remind us of the abundance we have been given and bounty we are to share with others.

May the dying of summer's spirit remind us of your great promise that death is temporary and life is eternal.


Upset?	John 14
Weak?	Psalm 18:1-29
Lonely?	Psalm 23
Sinned?	Psalm 51
Worried?	Matthew 8:19-31
Anxious?	Phillippians 4:4-9
Unhappy?	Colossians 3:12-17
In Danger?	Psalm 91
Depressed?	Psalm 27
Lack of Faith?	Exodus 14
Others Unkind?	John 15
Need Courage?	Joshua 1
Need Direction?	Psalm 73:21-26
Seeking Peace?	Matthew 11:25-30