Reflection from Fr. Joseph

Last week I challenged all of us to grow spiritually this coming year. Today I want to give a few practical tips about how to grow, because we may have the best of intentions but maybe don’t know where to start!

The first key to growth is intentionality. No one slides into growth – we have to make it our goal. And goals are the best way to go about growing! In particular there are five areas that I think we ought to set goals for ourselves this coming year (many thanks to Matthew Kelly for the inspiration…).

First, we ought to set a prayer goal. Probably most of us can pray more each day. If you pray for five minutes before going to bed, seek to add five more minutes by December. If you pray 10, strive to do 15. Find a new way to pray – maybe turn off the radio and pray the Rosary in the car, or read Scripture instead of People magazine. Set a manageable goal in prayer, and then work towards it! Maybe it means stopping by our Monday Adoration for 15 minutes each week. Set a goal to increase the amount of time you spend with Jesus, and also try new ways to pray. 

Second, we ought to set an education goal. Could we read two good Catholic books by the end of the year? Maybe read them during your lunch break, or do it with your spouse. Select two Catholic books and read them between now and the end of the year.

Third, we ought to set a virtue goal. What is that one vice you have struggled with for years? Maybe we need more patience with your kids, or with other drivers on the road. Maybe we tend to have loose lips and gossip. Maybe we overeat, or struggle with lust. Let us make it our intention to work on that one vice for the rest of the year. That might mean confessing it in Confession, being aware of it, avoiding near occasions of this sin, and practicing the opposite virtue. Make a goal to make progress on eliminating one sin from your life by the end of the year.

Fourth, we ought to set a generosity goal. Sacrifice is an important part of every Christian’s life. Can we sacrifice financially? If not, could we sacrifice our time, energy, or love? Maybe it’s writing thank-you cards for people in your life. Maybe it’s making the commitment to do the dishes every night for your spouse. Maybe it means increasing your donations to the poor or the Church. Make a goal of two or three ways to put sacrificial love into practice every week.

Finally, we ought to set an evangelization goal. Faith grows when it is shared, and if we have the best News in the world, our hearts ought to be on-fire to spread Him! Make a goal of two people to invite to Mass or other church events this year.

Sometimes we look up from our workaday lives and think, “Wow, another year just passed and I’m no closer to Jesus Christ.” At the end of this year, I want us all to think the opposite – “I really did make spiritual progress this year.” God doesn’t want us to stagnate, but to grow. I challenge you to set spiritual goals for this new school year, and may God’s grace sustain you – that as sunflower grows towards the sun, your soul may grow towards the Giver of the sun and rain!

Need more peace? Searching for love and meaning? Broken and in need of healing? All are welcome to join us for a powerful encounter with our Eucharistic Lord. Every Monday from 9:30am-9pm, the Lord will be exposed in the monstrance for Eucharistic Adoration. Stop by for five minutes, or stay for an hour - in Him will you find the peace you need! No need to sign-up, just show up. He has been awaiting you!

Dash Through the Creed & Sacraments

Every week we profess the Creed, but do we really know what it means? Every week we receive a Sacrament, but why do we do what we do? All parishioners of all ages are welcome to join Fr. Joseph for the third installment of the "Dash" series - this time dashing through the Creed and the Sacraments! Learn all about those fundamental truths that we believe about the Trinity, Jesus Christ, the Church, Mary, and the Afterlife...and dive into the Seven Sacraments which apply those truths to our lives! Every Monday from September 18 until Easter, all adults and teens are invited to join Fr. Joseph in the Social Hall from 7-8:15pm to learn more about our Catholic Faith!

We have had an amazing first eight months of our 50^thAnniversary Year!

Many more events and celebrations to come!

SAVE THE DATES

September 17:  Sunday, Funday, Sundaes

                             Bounce House, Laser Tag, Axe throwing, many other games

                             Ice Cream Sundaes

October 28:  Closing of St Jude Novena

                      9:00am Mass and celebration of St Jude Parishioners

                             Coffee social

October 28: Dinner Dance to celebrate 50^th Anniversary of our Parish

                     Details below!

November 18: 9:00am Mass of Thanksgiving – Pastors, Priests and Deacons

                          who have served in our parish

                           Social to follow

December 3: Rededication of our Church by Bishop Frank Caggiano

                        Blessing of new relics for our altar

                        Social to follow

Please join us for any and all these events

SAVE THE DATE!

OCTOBER 14-15

COLUMBIETTES OF ST. JUDE PRESENT

“THE FALL BASKET BONANZA”

Take a few minutes before or after masses to browse

And choose which baskets you’d like to take a chance on!

OVER 60 BASKETS!

SO MANY TREASURES TO FIND!

$20 for a sheet of 25 Tickets

Msgr. Sabia Social Hall

Oct. 14-15

Shop Saturday 3 PM-7 PM

Sunday 8 AM-2 PM

EVENING WILL INCLUDE:

6:30 – Hors D’Oeuvres

7:00 – Guest Speakers

7:15 – Dinner is Served

Dancing through 10:30 with music provided by JMG

TICKETS:

$50 per person – (CASH BAR)

RESERVATIONS AND PAYMENT CAN BE MADE ONLINE

Use link below to reserve and remit payment by 10/6:

RCIA (Right of Christian Initiation for Adults)

A wise pastor once said, “A key trait of a Catholic is someone who believes life is worth living!” If you or someone you know is interested in exploring the truth for living life and how that truth is found in the Catholic faith, please join me, Deacon David Flynn, on October 7^th at 2:30 PM at St. Jude Church. Together we will begin the journey of learning how the Catholic faith makes life worth living by bringing us closer to Christ and experiencing Him in your life each day.  We will have an introductory discussion about the process and how you can join in it. Please contact me at deacon.flynn@stjuderc.com to let me know that you are coming and to answer your questions. 

Thank you, Deacon David

Donations Needed!

We would like to decorate a fun youth group room in the school building and we need your help! Do you have any couches, easy chairs, beanbag chairs, or fun decorations that you'd like to get rid of so we can stock this room with fun stuff for our teens? Email Jessica if you have anything you'd like to donate!

Parish News

The Fall Family Newsletter is now available!

Join St Jude families to worship Our Eucharistic Lord in a backyard gathering of food and fellowship.

Click here for more details and to RSVP

When:  Tuesday, September 26 at 6:00 pm

Save the Dates!

First Friday Family Potluck Dinners - Friday 10/6 and Friday 11/3, 6 pm before Adoration

Women's Morning Retreat: Saturday, November 4 Email Jessica if you would like to be part of the planning team!

Fall Parish Pilgrimage: Saturday, 11/25 Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury and the Abbey of Regina Laudis in nearby Bethlehem, CT email Jessica if you would like to join us!

Youth Encounters - Tonight is TIE DYE NIGHT!!

All of our young people grades 6-12 are invited to join us for our Youth Encounters! These nights of games, food, fun, prayer, fellowship, and honest conversation about our Catholic Faith have been awesome...come and join us for a new year! This year for the first time, we'll be having separate tracks for high school and middle school. 7-9pm at St. Jude Social Hall, beginning on September 8th!

Our September Kid's Club was great last weekend. We have close to 40 children signed up! Register your child in order to ensure you get a Be a Saint challenge book before they sell out!

Register by September 16th! Classes start October 1st!

Mom's Group Announcements

Our next monthly mother's Zoom rosary is Wednesday 10/4 at 9 pm and will continue on the first Wednesday of every month e-mail Jessica Iannotta for more information.

Next meeting is Thursday 9/28 at 7:30 pm in the Social Hall

Bring home Saint Jude's traveling statue of

the Holy Family.

Materials will be included to do a 7-day preparation for Consecration to the Holy Family. To learn more, visit: https://afc.org/family-consecration/ May God bless you and your family through the intercession of the Holy Family!

Click here to sign up

St. Stephen Bereavement Support Group 

Have you suffered the loss of a special person in your life? Our Bereavement Ministry can offer you hope of coping with your grief. It is open to anyone you may know who needs help. The 10-week course with a guided workbook provided will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 19th from 3:00-4:30pm. Registration is required. Please call the rectory at 203-268-6217. A call will be returned to you by one of the bereavement facilitators. Information pamphlets at the doors of the church.    

Food Pantry Update

As our families children are returning to school, we would like to request snack foods for the children's lunches. Other items in need at this time are jarred pasta sauces, canned fruit and boxed children's cereal. Thank you again for your continued support. 

Hopeline Pregnancy Center Diaper Needs

Hopeline Pregnancy Center has a need for disposable diapers. They are currently low on sizes 3, 4, 5 & 6 and baby wipes. Should you wish to help you can leave the diapers 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. As always, your continued support is greatly appreciated.

Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference

The Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference will take place this year on September 23, 2023 at North West Catholic H.S. West Hartford , CT. The Keynote speaker will be Father Larry Richards. This is a day of spiritual reflection, prayer, and fellowship with Catholic men from across the state. To access more information on this faith filled day please visit https://ctcatholicmen.org/ .



If you wish to attend, the cost will be covered by St. Jude.

For further questions please email Jim Bifulco at jbifulco@snet.net or call at 203-581-3071. This is an opportunity open to all the men of the parish. There may be a chance for carpooling also for this truly inspiring day.

St Jude - St Stephen Seniors

The St Jude-St Stephen Seniors will resume their monthly meetings on Thursday, September 14^th.

The meetings are at 1:00 PM on the 2^nd Thursday of each month in the Msgr. Sabia Social Hall. The entrance is in the back of St Jude Church. All who consider themselves seniors are welcome. No need to register. 

We will continue celebrating our joyful journeys as together we draw closer to our Lord.

Special note: If you have unwanted religious “treasures” that you don’t know what to do with but aren’t sure of how to dispose of them, bring them to the September meeting. Many of us have items that we received in the mail or picked up in our travels.  

Let’s collect them and make our homes “lighter”.



Any questions, call Ellen or Doug Stevens at 203-268-9229

Or bring your questions to the meeting!

Please remember in your daily prayers:

Marge Tranzillo, David Nicolett, Maria Bertone, Vincent Daniello, Joe Pinto, Zoey Frigo, Daniel Louis Bianco, Max, Hung Vu, Alfred Zawadski, Dr. John Kezel, Francisca Testa & family, Catherine Belanger, Stephen Henn, Manny Cambra, Bennett Gulyas, Tom Pleva, James Buturla, John Sansone, Paul Verespej, Patti F. , Anne DeVita, Anna Harper, Jack Lane, Robert Freeman, Frank Kerekes, Marian Nanchy, Rosario Pacheco, Antonia Tedeschi, Charles Metoyer, Liz Guaglianone, Tip B., Mary McDonald, Douglas Stanley, Jenn Katz, Judy Thomas, Lewis Family, Barbara Tranchese, Joe Tavella, Ed Brady, Mary Lopresti, Lou DiMartino, Lor C., Viola Cleo Bradshaw, Susan W. and Janet C, Larry Pisani, Vincent Pisani, Greg, Kaiti and Cameron Kessler, Michael Merola & Family, Martha Mencseli

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 September is:

During our "NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR PEACE IN OUR COMMUNITIES" on September 9th, and through the month of

September as well, may we open our hearts and minds to pray for the healing needed in our larger Community, our NATION.....



        We Pray to the Lord

Upcoming Mass Intentions

Sat    Sept 16       4:30pm                Deceased members of the Carlson and

                                                         DelMastro families

Sun   Sept 17      7:30am                 St Jude Parishioners

Sun   Sept 17       9:30am                 Deceased members of the Tuccio and

                                                         Rapuano families

Sun   Sept 17       11:30am               Maria Emilia Monteiro

Mon  Sept 18       9:00am                 Barbara Mitchell            

Tue  Sept 19       9:00am                 Tom Buzi             

Wed  Sept 20       9:00am                 Vittoria and Nunzio Guerrera

Thu   Sept 21       9:00am                 Tom McDonald

Sat    Sept 23       4:30pm                William and Alberta Villella

Sun   Sept 24      7:30am                 Andrew Henn

Sun   Sept 24       9:30am                 St Jude Parishioners

Sun   Sept 24       11:30am               Rino and Jane Servadio

Tabernacle Candle: In memory of Marie Goss during the month of September

Weekday Masses (Monday thru Thursday) 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.

(Live-streamed Masses may be viewed at https://www.stjuderc.org/view-masses ) Please note that the link is slightly changed from the previous link due to the change in the website.

Men’s Bible Study

The Men’s Bible Study will begin meeting September 23, on Saturday mornings at 8:00 AM, in the school building. Each week we will take up the readings for that weekend. All men of the parish are welcome. For more information, contact Bob Lux at mjrob08@gmail.com.

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.

Mary's Messengers Prayer Group . Since RE is finished for the year, a new time will be announced soon.

We 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: 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



Confessions on Saturday afternoon will be in the day chapel at 3:30 to 4:15 pm on Saturdays. Come take advantage of God's great mercy by coming to the Sacrament of Confession.

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