Reflection from Fr. Joseph

History is rarely black-and-white. There are often nuances that can help us understand the motivations of the past with compassion, even if we wouldn’t make the same decisions today. And when we speak about the two-thousand-year-old history of the Catholic Church, we need to make an important distinction between what “the Church” has said and done, and what individual members of the Church have said and done. The two are often conflated and used as an excuse to abandon Christ’s Church, citing the sins of the past.

Hence we come to a third Catholic myth – that the Church was unjust in instituting the Crusades and other wars of religion. How could God sanction violence?

This question stretches all the way back to the Old Testament, when God commanded Israel to slaughter entire towns. This was known as “the Ban” and it was an attempt to prevent Israel from befriending and intermarrying these pagan peoples, thereby being tempted to worship their false gods. It is not inherently unjust, as God is the only one with the right to take a life – but He is welcome to delegate that right to others as He pleases. Consider how He told Abraham to sacrifice his son – a horrifying thought to our modern sensibilities, but strictly speaking, God has the right to do that. In ancient cultures, this would have been very common and not at all shocking – even the wholesale destruction of a town. Remember, if God had told the Israelites to be pacifists in the Middle East, they would have been destroyed by other nations – as they were several times, by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans…etc. It was a dog-eat-dog world back then. Violence was the only power-language many nations understood. God had to work with the immaturity of Israel, who had been conditioned by their time. They were still trying to learn that there was only one God, so the whole idea of “turn the other cheek” was still a couple thousand years away from being revealed.

When Christ came, He did not outrightly forbid violence. He does not command His followers to be complete pacifists. In fact, there were many soldiers among the first followers of Christ, such as St. Longinus, St. Sebastian, St. Martin of Tours. Some of them left the military, but some stayed in and found holiness through the soldiering life.

The early Church Fathers like St. Augustine set about to define what makes a war justified. So, were the Crusades a just war?

Historically, after the Edict of Milan in 313, most of the Roman Empire adopted Christianity. It was somewhat piecemeal, as Ireland wasn’t evangelized until the 500s and Germany by the 700s. But North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Minor was thoroughly Christian from the earliest centuries. This not only united the Mediterranean world religiously, but also provided political security. It was far less likely for a Christian nation to attack another one; they had a similarity of worldview that at least gave them a common understanding of right and wrong.

Enter the religion of Islam. Founded in the 600s, its spread was almost entirely due to war, and not evangelization. Within a few generations, because of the promises of an afterlife filled with carnal pleasure, Muslims were fearless to fight and die for their faith – subjugating everyone and force-converting anything that stood in its way.

All the way back in 712, Islam began to make inroads into Europe through Spain, and had come up to the gates of Constantinople in the East in the 7th and 8th centuries. Christian Europe knew that the goal of Islam was not coexistence, but complete domination. Although there were centuries where Muslim rulers allowed Christians to live and work in their lands, they would inevitably be followed by a bellicose war-hawk who persecuted Christians.

Finally, the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople begged the Pope for help defending against the Turks at his door. In 1099, the Pope requested that Christian Europe provide knights to not only free Constantinople but liberate all of the formerly-Christian area of the Levant (the Holy Land). The goal was multifold: providing security for Europe against a perennial threat of Islam’s constant intrusion; giving people an opportunity to pilgrimage to the Holy Land and liberate the few Christians remaining under Islamic rule there; absolution from any debts that someone might have; offering a concrete way to serve God and find forgiveness of sins by gaining indulgences (which is a very legitimate offer of the Pope – but that’s another topic altogether).

In all, the seven Crusades that took place over the following four centuries were mostly a failure, in large part because of mismanagement, poor leadership, lack of money and men, and some truly evil actions the knights undertook (such as during the Fourth Crusade when the Knights attacked Constantinople which they were supposed to defend!). On the whole, the Knights acted like frat-boys at a party – not conducting themselves like civilized nobles but feeling like they’ve been let loose to bring trouble wherever they went. Remember, these Crusades often drew people who were ruffians, the poor, ne’er-do-wells who were attracted by the promise of riches and adventure, rather than the noble Knights who served at the courts.

This corruption was not approved by the Church. In fact, many priest-chaplains who accompanied the group tried to curtail the greed and senseless violence that many of the Knights fell into. But were the Crusades as a whole a justified war?

Again, it is hard to read the past with the eyes of the present. I believe that in the eyes of the Popes, this was very much justified as a defensive war against an aggressor who threatened complete destruction. Certainly the many evils that were done on the Crusades do not negate the upright motivation for the Crusades. It was not some sort of “holy war” through which Catholicism tried to spread itself by the sword, but rather an attempt to eliminate an existential threat to its very land and existence and to liberate the Christians who had suffered for centuries under persecution.



With all things historical, it is complicated. But suffice to say the Crusades were not meant to be the evil that so many people make it out to be. Another misunderstanding about our Catholic Faith!

OCIA - Are You Being Called?

Do you have a desire for the truth and feel that the Catholic faith can help you find it? Are you feeling pulled toward the Catholic faith out of a desire for a deeper relationship with God, who is the source of truth?



Whether you were raised in another faith tradition or were baptized Catholic but haven’t completed your sacraments — the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) may be the path to which God is leading you to fulfill those desires for a more meaningful life.



For more information about St. Jude’s OCIA program, please contact Deacon David Flynn at deacon.flynn@stjuderc.org or contact the parish office at 203.261.6404.

Catechists Needed!

Are you passionate about our Catholic Faith and have a desire to share it with others? Do you enjoy working with young children and helping them discover the love of Jesus? St. Jude's is in need of a few more catechists for the upcoming year, particularly in the younger grades. If you are interested in teaching religious education, please contact our Director of Religious Education, Alice Teixeira, at DRE@stjuderc.org. The rewards and graces are eternal!

All in one, one in all are invited to an

investigative meeting for the

“Parish Christmas Fair”

August 13^th at 6:30 in the Social Hall

Can we make 12/05/26 happen?

It was wonderful to use the new fire pit on the rectory lawn for our first summer family backyard Adoration yeasterday evening! It was a great time of fellowship, food, and fun along with beautiful praise and worship of our Lord!

Family News and Events

August Rooted Magazine



Here is the link for August's Rooted Magazine with a link to past issues here.

It is full inspiration for the the month of The Immaculate Heart of Mary

Knights of Columbus News

All men in the parish 18 and over are invited to learn more about the Knights of Columbus. Learn more about our core principles of Charity,Unity,Fraternity and Faith.



Please contact Paul Sideleau at p1aulsr@aol.com for further questions or information.

Hopeline Pregnancy Center has a continued need for disposable diapers, etc. They are currently low on sizes Newborn,4, 5, & 6, wipes and jars of baby food as well as gently used Baby clothes (boys and girls, up to 18 months), Baby blankets, crib sheets, Onesies, socks, strollers, bottles and pacifiers, strollers, baby toys and baby monitors. They have also requested baby formula such as “Similac 360 Total Care”. Should you wish to help you can leave the diapers, etc. in the outer vestibule of the church. Monetary donations, with checks made out to the Hopeline Pregnancy Center, as well as gift cards from Amazon, Target and grocery stores are most welcome. They may be mailed to: Hopeline Pregnancy Center, PO Box 110658, Trumbull, CT 06611.

 As always, your continued support is greatly appreciated by Hopeline and our Knights of Columbus Council.

Please contact Bob Lux at mjrob08@gmail.com with any questions you may have.

Please remember in your daily prayers:

David Nicolett, Vincent Daniello, Joe Pinto, Zoey Frigo, Daniel Louis Bianco, Max, Hung Vu , Darryl Patterson, Dr. John Kezel, Francisca Testa & Family, Catherine Belanger, Tom Pleva, James Buturla, Patti F, Anne DeVita, Anna Harper, Frank Kerekes, Antonia Tedeschi, Mary McDonald, Douglas Stanley, Jenn Katz, Susan W, Barbara Tranchese, Mary Lopresti, Lor C, Janet C, Larry Pisani, Becky M, Vincent Pisani, Greg, Kaiti and Cameron Kessler, Mildred Blasko, Michael Merola & Family, Father Krzysztof, Baby Henry Taylor, Garren Kiett, Viola Cleo Bradshaw, Alice Gumpert, Michael, Donna, Chrystal Archuletta, Lucy Hanson, Jesse Hurst & Family, Maryann Lapinski, Andrea Paddock, Nadine Alusik, Margarida Andrade, John, Jimmy Forno, Matthew Van der Wielen, George N., Milenka Gospic, Benjamin Gray, Chris McCarthy, Leo B., Edward Isales, MaryAnn Voytek, Sal Guerrera, Anne Gulia, Raymond Gosselin, Nancy Czupkowski, Virginia LaQuesse, Ed Marencik, Dan Mongillo, Lawrence Cofone, Mary Witkowsky, John Rizzitelli, Marissa S. , Dan Hermansson, Allison H.

Please join us in praying our Monthly Parish Intention.

Our Petition for August is for our: 35th ST. JUDE PARISH ITALIAN FESTIVAL

We thank God for this opportunity to enjoy amazing food, great rides and activities, and musical entertainment with our families, friends and parishioners, and to welcome the multitude of visitors who join us every year!

We pray, especially, that God bless us with good weather for this year's Festival!...

     We pray to the Lord

Mass Intentions for August 8 – August 16

Sat      Aug 8             4:30pm           Blessings for Father Joseph Gill

Sun     Aug 9             7:30am            Thomas Donegan

Sun     Aug 9             9:30am            Paul Verespej

Sun     Aug 9              11:30am          St Jude Parishioners 

                                                           Maria Silva

                                                           Blessings for Lawrence Cofone

Mon    Aug 10           9:00am           Margaret Schwartz

Tue     Aug 11           9:00am            Jolan and StephenHenn

Wed    Aug 12           9:00am           Thomas M. and Mary Ellen Mason

Thu     Aug 13           9:00 am          Sue Feller

Fri      Aug 14           9:00am           Patrick Ryan

Sat      Aug 15           4:30pm           Mary and Margaret Gallagher

Sun     Aug 16          7:30am           Juanita McLaughlin

Sun     Aug 16           9:30am           Marica Jovic and Gojko Jovic

Sun     Aug 16           11:30am          St Jude Parishioners 

                                                           Joe, Ralph and Anna Lavenziana

                                                           Gloria Mahamba Ndlovu

Weekday Masses (Monday thru Friday) will be in the main Church at 9 am and live streamed.

The Weekend Masses inside the Church are Saturday at 4:30 pm and Sunday at 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30. Only the Saturday Mass at 4:30 pm and the Sunday 7:30 am and 9:30 Masses are live streamed and may be viewed at https://www.stjuderc.org/view-masses

Saturday Rosary Sign up.

We have a wonderful way to prepare for Saturday Mass and that is to say the Rosary before Mass starts. We start 30 minutes before Mass so we start at 4:00 every Saturday.

Please join us as we pray. Also, please prayerfully consider joining this ministry.

If you would like to join you can sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aa8ad2fa6fccf8-saturday#/

We look forward to you joining us as we pray the Rosary together.

First Friday

Eucharistic Adoration

“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. Matthew 11:28-30



The time that we spend with Jesus in front of the Blessed Sacrament is the best time we will spend on earth. Please join us on the first Friday of every month from 7:00 to 8:00 PM.

Flame of Love Rosary

Thursday mornings after 9 am Mass * on break for summer will resume in September *

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

flameoflove.us



Divine Mercy Chaplet

Wednesdays at 3 pm in the Church

"Jesus we Trust in You"

thedivinemercy.org

St. Jude Religious Gift Shop

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: Communion Gifts and cards, statues, rosaries and more.

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

Confession Hours

We are adding an additional Confession time starting February 1, through Easter (at least - if it is popular we will keep it). Monday nights from 8-9pm (the last hour of Adoration). 

Confessions will now be on Saturdays from 3:30-4:30pm and on Monday nights from 8-9pm. 

Confessions are also by appointment, please call 203-261-6404, to set up an appointment or email the office.  

Parish Office Hours

THE OFFICE HOURS ARE:

MONDAY - THURSDAY 9:00 – 3:00

Please call (203-261-6404) or e-mail (ParishOffice@stjuderc.org) before coming to the office. Much can be accomplished through a phone call or email, such as requesting masses/mass cards; sacramental records; registering for Baptism; etc.