Reflection from Fr. Joseph

You may have seen the recent Wall Street Journal article (from December 18, 2022) entitled “US Catholic Priests Are Increasingly Conservative as Faithful Grow More Liberal”. If you haven’t seen it, it’s an interesting read. But it also demonstrates a profound misunderstanding, which many Catholics have, about the nature of the Church itself. 

First, the words “conservative” and “liberal” are political words that have no place in the Church. The Church is not a political institution. Rather, in the Church we only make the distinction between “orthodox” (faithful to the teachings of Christ) and “heterodox” (holding opinions contrary to the teaching of Christ). 

The Church is more than just a human institution – it is both human and divine. It does not have any authority on its own to teach anything at all. Rather, the role of the Church is to teach faithfully what Christ taught on earth: to authentically interpret the Scriptures and to hand on the Apostolic Tradition that has come down to us from the Apostles themselves. In fact the word “Tradition” comes from the Latin traditio, meaning “to hand over”. 

We make the distinction, however, between Tradition (with a Big T) and traditions (with a little t). Tradition (Big T) is the unchanging, everlasting teaching of the Church which has its roots in the Apostles and Christ. Examples of this include the fact that only wheat bread and grape wine can be used for Holy Eucharist; only men can become priests; certain moral actions are always and everywhere wrong; etc. Little-t traditions are man-made traditions which are changeable, such as abstaining from meat on Fridays (this has changed in the course of the Church’s history), receiving Communion on the hand, etc. 

This distinction is very important when the world clamors for “the Church to change its teachings.” If it is a matter of discipline and little-t traditions, then the Church can certainly change and adapt to the pastoral needs of the modern world. But if it is a matter of doctrine and Big-T Tradition, then the Church is unable to change such teachings, because they come from Christ through the Apostles. As much as the world wants the Church to “get with the times,” the very nature of the Church is to stay faithful to Christ, not to the times. 

We remember, too, that the Church has several mystical dimensions. It is called, in Scripture, the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ – meaning that the Church takes its life from Christ the Head and must remain always united to Him. The Church, too, isn’t just the people alive on earth today – it also includes the saints who are the Church Triumphant in Heaven, and the holy souls who have gone before us and await their full cleansing in Purgatory (called the Church Suffering). So the Church also needs to be faithful to what St. Thomas Aquinas believed, what Pope St. Leo the Great believed, to what St. Catherine of Siena believed…in other words, the Catholic Church is the one bulwark against the constantly-shifting sands of modernity. 

St. John Henry Newman wrote a very insightful (and famous) essay about this called “On the Development of Christian Doctrine.” He notes that, over the centuries, doctrines have developed and unfolded – for example, we can explain the Eucharist or morality in more complete and better terms than a first-century believer. Even doctrines that are not explicitly in Scripture (such as the belief that Mary was preserved from all Original Sin) were present in Scripture in seminal form – the seeds were there, but it took eighteen centuries for those truths to reach their full flowering. And here is the key: Newman says that doctrine should unfold to be more itself – not to be corrupted or distorted in any way. He gives the example of a newborn infant – the child is small and has within him the capacity for speech, unique talents, athletic prowess, etc. If all goes well, that child will develop into a full-grown man who has become more himself. But if the child were to grow a third arm or some other grotesque feature, we would rightly say that it is a distortion of what he was meant to be. Likewise, all of what Christ taught has been unpacked for the past two thousand years, but not distorted or corrupted – and we have the Holy Spirit’s guarantee for that (see Matthew 16:17-19, John 16:12). 

So, back to the Wall Street Journal article. For me, there are two takeaways. First, people ought not expect the Church to change its teachings, as if it were a democratic institution that can simply vote on what is right and wrong – that is a profound misunderstanding of the Church. Second, as a priest, I hope to be neither conservative nor liberal – I only hope to be faithful to Jesus Christ and His perennial Truth, as found in the Scriptures and in the unchanging Apostolic Tradition that has been safeguarded and handed down by the Catholic Church. 

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:

THIS SUNDAY January 15th - CHILI COOKOFF

12:30-2:00 in the Social Hall

Come taste some delicious chili in the St Jude's 50th Anniversary Chili Cookoff Contest!

There is no cost to participate and it is not required to bring food. However, if chili is your specialty you are welcome to join the contest (PLEASE note on our Signup Genius below if you plan to participate in the contest). We would appreciate tailgate type finger foods, snacks or desserts to share. The NFL playoff game will be playing on the screen! Come and enjoy some food and fellowship!

Parish News

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.

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 modest 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.

Please note the new date of the previously announced "Pedals, Pipes, & Pizza" event is now January 14, 2023 at 1:30 P.M. in the Church.  There is no "snow date" scheduled due to our very busy schedule. 

From the Organ Bench

"Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza!"

Saturday, January 14, 2022

1:30 P.M. - Church and Social Hall

Our younger parishioners are invited to a fun and interactive program featuring St. Jude's beautiful Cassavant Ferres Pipe Organ! Any student, especially those interested in music or currently taking lessons, are encouraged to RSVP. Students will go on a tour of the instrument, actually going into the pipe chambers, learn how the instrument works, listen to me play several concert pieces to feature specific sounds, and finally get to play the instrument! With supervision, there is nothing they can break. After an approximate 45 minute program, we will have pizza and light refreshments in the Social Hall. The "Pedal, Pipes, and Pizza" presentation is a nationally recognized program from the American Guild of Organist for which I am a member and have been trained to facilitate. Its ultimate goal is to build interest in the instrument with the hope of recruiting the next generation of organists. RSVP via email, please, to [email protected]. To allow the program to run smoothly and plan for the pizza and goodies, I have to limit the group to 20 students of reading to high school age level. If a wait list occurs, I am willing to run another program in the new year. Please see me with any questions you may have!

 - Lou 

January's Family Newsletter is now available! - Click above

Save the Date

St Jude's Vacation Bible School will be June 26-30, 2023 8:30 am to 12:30 pm for children entering Grades 1-6. Registration will open soon. Email Jessica Iannotta for more information.

Mom's Group Announcements

Next meeting 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 TONIGHT Friday 1/13

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

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 14         4:00pm                Antoinette and Patrick O’Malley

Sun   Jan 15        7:30am                 St Jude Parishioners

Sun   Jan 15         9:30am                 Stanley Sobieraj

Sun   Jan 15         11:30am               Anna and Ralph Lavenziana

Mon  Jan 16          9:00am                 Aida Cardozo

Tue   Jan 17         9:00am                 Ellen White

Wed  Jan 18         9:00am                 Todd Buzi

Thu   Jan 19          9:00am                 Harriet Kilpatrick 

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

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 )

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.