A month after announcing that Connecticut Food Bank and Foodshare are in discussions to merge as one statewide organization, the two food banks announced the launch of three new food distributions in New London, Norwich and Norwalk replicating Foodshare’s emergency drive-thru food distribution at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

Have you made any New Year’s resolutions? If not, there's still time, and Pope Francis has some ideas for you.

These are the ten things that he called upon Vatican employees to do:

1. “Take care of your spiritual life, your relationship with God, because this is the backbone of everything we do and everything we are.”
2. “Take care of your family life, giving your children and loved ones not just money, but most of all your time, attention and love.” 
3. “Take care of your relationships with others, transforming your faith into life and your words into good works, especially on behalf of the needy.” 

Baptism of the Lord B21

Year B Gospel readings in Ordinary Time are taken from Mark. The first thing you’ll notice there’s no account of Jesus’ birth and no mention that John the Baptist and Jesus were related.  A second aspect of Mark’s Gospel is how often he uses the phrase “at once” or “immediately”, a total of 31 times (I counted!). It seems as Jesus was in a hurry, driven to act, teach and heal. A third characteristic is what is called “the Messianic Secret”. Mark has only demons (and those who read his Gospel) recognize Jesus for who he is. When Peter finally says in Chapter 8 “You are the Christ”, Jesus gave him and the rest of the disciples a strict order not to tell anyone about him. Jesus said the same thing to Peter, James, and John after the Transfiguration. And the women who went to the tomb and noticed the stone rolled away from the entrance and saw a young man in a white robe who addressed them saying that Jesus has risen, ran away frightened, as one translation has it, out of their wits and said nothing to anyone. It’s almost as if Mark is telling us to make up our own minds about Jesus. Is he the Christ, or not?

The Baptism of the Lord ~ January 10, 2021

2020 Poster Participants

Fiona M.

Delaney J.

Winner, age 5-7

Ellie B.

Charlotte M.

Fallon M.

Grace J.

Winner, age 8-10

Ryan M.

Jack D.

Trevor H.

Winner, age 11-14

Jordyn M.

Stella B.

Grace, Delaney, Aubrey, Jim

Delaney J.

Winner, age 5-7

Grace J.

Winner, age 8-10

Trevor H. & Jim C.

Trevor H. winner age 11-14 Jim, Knights of Columbus

Trevor H.

Winner, age 11-14

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“Keep Christ in Christmas”

Winners of the 2020 Poster Contest have been selected.

Age Group (5-7) – Delaney J.
Age Group (8-10) – Grace J.
Age Group (11-14) – Trevor H.

Each winner was presented with a Winners Certificate and a $50.00 prize check.  The winning posters have been submitted for continued judging by KofC District/Regional Level, then, hopefully, at the international competition. Delaney, Grace & Trevor, you each created exceptionally beautiful, insightful and inspiring entries.  Thank you! To all 11 entrants, “What amazing work!”  You have inspired us all to continue to recognize and emphasize the true meaning of CHRISTMAS, the birth of our Savior.  Thank you all for participating in this year’s Knights of Columbus Poster Contest

Food Share will be distributing food at Rentschler Field beginning Tuesday, January 12, with an end date TBD.  Winter hours will be 9:30am -1pm 

The address is: 615 Silver Lane. East Hartford, CT
Please use the Silver Lane entrance; gates will close at 1pm.
For more information on Food Share, please visit: www.foodshare.org/help

Please join us as we continue our Webinar Series January 13, 2021 at 7:00 PM "Race and Human Trafficking".   Presented by: Yvette Young Associate Vice President of Programs and Advocacy at the Village for Families & Children
For more information and to register go to: http://www.catholicsocialjustice.org/

Of the 210 children referred to the Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families in 2018 for highrisk or confirmed human trafficking, 73% were children of color. Race plays a role in every part of the exploitation of children; and in effort to combat human trafficking, our conversations and solutions must be racially inclusive.

Men’s Day Retreat at Holy Family
Saturday, January 16, 2021 ~ 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ~ Holy Family Retreat Team
During these months of isolation and separation, we have felt a longing to gather together as a community.Many of us are struggling with loneliness and mourning a sense of normalcy in our lives. Join us as we come together to process this experience on our journey of reconnection. Together We Rise as a community of Christ’s followers and as interdependent human beings.  This program will be offered online via the Zoom platform. Information on how to access the program will be provided to participants in their registration confirmation email. Registration information can be found at holy family retreat center website at: https://www.holyfamilyretreat.org/calendar/men-03-04

Our Lady of Calvary
Is that you God? Ignatian Discernment a multi-week series exploring living an empowered life in the Spirit.  Register at their website: https://www.ourladyofcalvary.net/event/is-that-you-god-ignatian%03discernment-for-our-day-on-zoom/2021-01-06/

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen..

Epiphany 21

We heard these words spoken to Abraham last weekend on the Feast of the Holy Family: “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.”^[1]

This weekend we meet the Magi following a star. These stargazers interpreted the stars as telling them a “king of the Jews” had been born. Could it have been the alignment of Jupiter and Saturn which some of us witnessed recently on December 21^st? Maybe. Regardless, they trekked to Jerusalem, and asked the reigning king, Herod, for information. He asked the chief priests and the scribes of the people who informed him and the Magi that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of a ruler who would shepherd Israel. So, they continued their journey, following the star which stopped over the house where they saw the child and his mother, Mary. Having been warned in a dream (dreams were important in Matthew’s Infancy Narrrative), they went home by another way, thus spoiling Herod’s plan to make them co-conspirators.

Mass ~ The Epiphany of the Lord, January 3, 2021

Join woman throughout the diocese on January 6, 2021 for an evening exploring Ignition Contemplation.

Workshop: Journey with Jesus in 2021presented by Debra Federico

We would like to thank the incredible volunteers who acted in and contributed to the St John Fisher Live nativity. This event, when so many other events have been forced to cancel, spread faith and joy during a time when our community most needed it. 

A heartfelt thank you to :

Mary, Mother of God

This is a Holy Day that has been searching for an identity. It’s further complicated by being New Year’s Day. When people of my age and older were younger, it was called “The Circumcision of Jesus”. In time the higher ups in the Church took pity on poor parents who were asked by their children what that meant. For a while, it was celebrated as “World Day of Peace” and “The Motherhood of Mary”. Finally it became what we now celebrate today, “The Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God”.

Mass ~ The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph ~ Dec. 27
Available on December 26, 2020, at 4:00 PM