All, today's newsletter was inadvertently sent out shortly before 5 pm with last week's reflection by Fr. Joseph. This has been corrected with this edition, My sincere apologies to Fr. Joseph. Sorry about any inconvenience this may have caused and thank you for you continued support of this parish newsletter.

Reflection from Fr. Joseph

This past Monday, our nation celebrated Martin Luther King Jr, a man who worked tirelessly for civil rights. Today, I am joining hundreds of thousands of other Americans in Washington, DC for the March for Life for the same purpose – for human rights, this time for the unborn.

One of the great cornerstones of Catholic Social Thought is the idea of human rights. As our Declaration of Independence spells out so well, our rights come from God, not from the State or from human community. God has indeed endowed human beings with certain rights that must be respected at all times for a just flourishing of society. But what exactly are the rights that we are owed? Here are some, which come from the many encyclicals of Catholic Social Teaching:

Life – the most foundational of all rights, every human person has the right to their own life, from the moment of conception until natural death.

Food, clothing, shelter – we have a right to our basic needs being met.

Safety & Respect – every human being should live their lives free of fear, in security. This means that human beings should never be subject to persecution, unjust discrimination, bullying, threats, or bigotry.

Education – every human being has a right to an education, to the best of their natural capacities to learn.

Freedom from Undue Restraints – our Bill of Rights is prescient in naming a few freedoms that all human beings ought to enjoy: freedom to speak our minds, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble as we see fit. We should have a certain amount of freedom of self-determination as individuals.

Gainful Employment – to work is to use one’s gifts and talents for the building-up of society and for the development of the human person. As such, work is a basic human right that we should have the opportunity to pursue.

Private Property – the Church has always taught that private property is a basic human right, and thus has condemned the Communist philosophy that private property should be abolished. 

These rights are not absolute, though – they are balanced by responsibilities that we owe to one another and to God. For example, although we have a right to stewardship over our own lives, we also have a responsibility to God to treat our bodies well. We have a right to private property, but also a duty to use that property for the well-being of the poor. We have a right to freedom, but if we commit a crime, legitimate authorities have the right to lock us up for the common good.

As Christians, we have an obligation to make sure that all legitimate rights are respected, to shape society in accords with the Gospel. Thus, we march for the unborn…we speak out against racism and bigotry…and we live our lives in such a way that our God-given rights lead to human fulfillment, both in this life and in the next!

It is with great joy that we invite you to participate in the many celebrations and activities planned throughout this coming year to celebrate our Parish 50th Anniversary. Please see the Schedule of planned events:

Rectory Open House



We began our 50th Anniversary Year of Celebrations with an open house.

We were so grateful to be able to resume this lovely tradition of a holiday gathering at our beautifully decorated rectory.

CHILI COOKOFF CONTEST



What a wonderful event for our Parish!!

The 100 people who participated in or attended our Contest had such a great time that we have been requested to make this an Annual Parish Event!!



A very special thank you to our 12 Chefs for a variety of amazing dishes!

  Congratulations to our Contest Winners:

     1st  Place - Anita Flynn

     2nd Place - Menezes

      3rd Place - Luca Cardozo

We are most grateful to our Committee members and volunteers who assisted with this event and all who contributed tailgating foods and delicious desserts!

A special thank you to Mark Babyak whose technical knowledge and efforts enabled us to stream a great football game.

We appreciate all who attended and look forward to many other wonderful events as our 50th -Anniversary -Year Celebrations continue!

Parish News

Ignatian Parish Pilgrimage

Save the Dates



St. Jude and St. Stephen parishes are sponsoring an Ignatian Parish Pilgrimage for Lent, which is designed to foster a healthy and active spiritual life. 

The dates are March 4^th, 11^th, 18^th  & 25^th with April 1^st as a “snow date”. The time is 10:30 AM to 12 PM.



Stay tuned for more information.

Food Pantry Update

“Through your continued generosity our shelves are filling up, but we are light on a few staples. Items in greatest need are canned chili, oatmeal, coffee, tea, pasta and canned tuna. Please consider these items when thinking of our pantry. "

Blood Donation Drive

The Knights of Columbus Council 5982 is sponsoring a blood donation drive for the benefit of the Red Cross. The drive is being held in the Monsignor Sabia Social Hall on Saturday, January 28th between 8 AM and 12:45 PM. Many slots are currently available but will fill up fast as the drive approaches. You can sign up to donate by going to www.redcross.org and follow leads to the January 28 drive in Monroe (06468). Or email Frank Flynn at [email protected] and he can sign you up. Hope to see you there.

Scouts, BSA Troop 203 OPEN HOUSE

Scouts, BSA Troop 203, chartered by ST Jude Church, will be having an open house at 7:00PM January 27. Boys between 11 and 18 please come and check out the fun of outdoor activities. For more information please contact our Assistant Scoutmaster at  [email protected] for more information or call/txt (203)540-9279.

Hopeline Pregnancy Center

Hopeline Pregnancy Center has a need for disposable diapers. They are currently very low on the newborn size and baby wipes. Should you wish to help you can leave the diapers in the outer vestibule of the church. Monetary donations as well as gift cards from Amazon, Target and grocery stores. As always, your continued support is greatly appreciated.

St. John XXIII Council 5987

Family Rosary

Sunday January 29th

Following 11:30AM Mass

Open to all Parishioners

Adults and Children

Please Join Us

Pope Francis January 2023 prayer intention

For Educators

We pray that educators may be credible witnesses, teaching fraternity rather than competition and helping the youngest and most vulnerable above all.

Sponsored by the K of C to Help Promote the Praying of the Rosary on a Regular Basis. St. John XXIII Council 5987 will be Participating in this Program Throughout Our Fraternal Year.

Living Stations of the Cross

After a three-year hiatus, we’re pleased to announce that St. Jude’s is bringing back the Living Stations of the Cross. The Living Stations will be performed in a more limited and scaled-back form than the elaborate and ambitious productions that the parish became known for over the course of 30 years before the coronavirus pandemic.

Anyone school age or above who is interested in participating, either onstage or in a supporting capacity, is encouraged to join us for an informational meeting at 6 p.m. on Sunday, January 29, in the Social Hall. Rehearsals will primarily be on Sunday evenings during Lent. Email Peter Blair at [email protected] if you have any questions. Pete has come forward to take this on with the blessing of longtime director Donna Cramond, who is stepping back after two decades but will continue to be involved behind the scenes.

Save the Date

St Jude's Camp Adore Vacation Bible School will be June 26-30, 2023 8:30 am to 12:30 pm for children entering Grades 1-6. This year's theme is "Summer with the Sacred Heart". Registration will open soon. Email Jessica Iannotta for more information or if you are interested in volunteering.

Mom's Group Announcements

Next meeting this coming Thursday 1/26 at 7:30 pm. Note change to Thursdays and later start time.

Our next monthly mother's Zoom rosary is Wednesday 2/1 at 9 pm and will continue on the first Wednesday of every month e-mail Jessica Iannotta for more information.

Youth Encounter and Kid's Club Reminders

Next Encounter 1/28 (Pizza and Praise) & Next Kid's Club 2/5

Please remember in your daily prayers:

Marge Tranzillo, David Nicolett, Maria Bertone, Marie Micholovich, Vincent Daniello, Dyana vander Wielen, Joe Pinto, Zoey Frigo, Daniel Louis Bianco, Max, Hung Vu, Alfred Zawadski, Dr. John Kezel, Joseph Sheridan, Francisca Testa & family, Catherine Belanger, Stephen Henn, Manny Cambra, Bennett Gulyas, Tom Pleva, James Buturla, Violeta Shala, Vito Melfi, Paul Verespej, Patti F. , Anne DeVita, Anna Harper, Jack Lane, Robert Freeman, Frank Kerekes, Marian Nanchy, Rose C., Joseph T., Rosario Pacheco, Antonia Tedeschi

All healthcare workers, first responders, caregivers and the men and women in the military.

If you have anyone that you would like to add to the list, please call the office or email with the name to be added.

Please join us in praying our Monthly Parish Intention. 

Our Petition for January is:

God so loved us that He gave us His Son as a baby at Christmas. During this month dedicated to saving all preborn babies, may we remember how precious the life of each child is to God as we pray to end abortions...

      We Pray to the Lord

Upcoming Mass Intentions

Sat    Jan 21         4:00pm                Amelia DelloRusso

Sun   Jan 22        7:30am                 St Jude Parishioners

Sun   Jan 22         9:30am                 Mary and Anthony Bifulco

Sun   Jan 22         11:30am               The Pinto and DeAndrade Family

Mon  Jan 23         9:00am                 Estelle Murray

Tue   Jan 24        9:00am                 Joe Buturla, Jr.

Wed  Jan 25        9:00am                 Daryl Bouchard

Thu   Jan 26         9:00am                 Joseph Mende

Fri    Jan 27         9:00am                 Mary Jane Spede  

Sat    Jan 28         4:00pm                Jennifer Cannon

Sun   Jan 29        7:30am                 Francis H. Keegan, Jr.

Sun   Jan 29         9:30am                 St Jude Parishioners

Sun   Jan 29         11:30am               Father Paul Merry

The Tabernacle Candle will burn in memory of James Duva during the month of January.

If the 9:00 am Weekday mass is not listed, an intention has not been requested. Also, there are no public Masses on Friday mornings.

Weekday Masses will be in the main Church at 9 am and live streamed.

The Weekend Masses inside the Church are Saturday at 4:00 pm and Sunday at 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30. Only the Saturday Mass at 4:00 pm and the Sunday 7:30 am and 9:30 Masses are live streamed.

(Live-streamed Masses may be viewed at https://www.stjuderc.org/view-masses.html )

Rosary Making Ministry

The Rosary making ministry is making rosaries for the sick of the parish and anyone who would like one. We have been making hand knotted rosaries for the past year. If you would like to join us, we meet on Wednesdays at 1:30 in the social hall. Please contact Karen Talloni 203-952-3451 or email [email protected]

Men’s Bible Study

All men are invited to join for a discussion-based Bible Study on Saturday mornings at 8am in the School Meeting Room beginning September 17, as we study the Sunday readings. For more information, contact Bob Lux at [email protected].

Mary's Messengers Prayer Group Conveniently in between Wednesday’s Religious Education class sessions from 6-6:30 pm. We will learn to say the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, and other special prayers for the intentions of our families and Parish.

Flame of Love Rosary

Thursday mornings after 9 am Mass

"Spread the effect of grace of thy Flame of Love over all of humanity"

flameoflove.us

St. Jude Religious Gift Shop is located downstairs in the Msgr. Sabia Social Hall. Fr. Joseph's Books and CD's are available in the Gift Shop. Also new items: Gifts and cards, statues, rosaries and more.

Come in and browse. Call Fran Cambra 203-261-2573 or Parish Office 203-261-6404.