An invitation to join us this fall and advent
September 2023
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
Welcome to a new semester of Faith Formation opportunities! We have many inspirational, thought-provoking, prayerful, and informative offerings for adults which will speak to your heart, challenge your thinking, and uplift your spirit. We think you’ll be pleased with the diversity of our programming ~ both daytime and evening, weeknight and weekend ~ virtual or in-person ~ something for everyone! (click for an at-a-glance schedule summary) These gatherings or groups will help us to grow in our faith, to ask questions, to open new doors to learning about our spirituality, our call/response to discipleship, and our relationship with God.
We are eager to share these opportunities to nourish our spiritual journeys. In the pages which follow, you will find programs which encourage us to pray or reflect on the Scriptures we hear each week at Mass. There are gatherings to stay informed about relevant developments from Pope Francis’ recent Synod. For example, together we will consider how the Church might return to the practice of opening the diaconate to all of God’s People as well as grow in her welcome of the LGBTQ+ Community. We invite you to join a group to try out a *new* spiritual practice ~ one where we sit in silence together or another where we beat our drums to rhythms from deep within. Our eyes will be filled with images of beauty in our Clare Gallery which inspire. And, as we celebrate our Advent season, our own stained-glass windows will wrap us in the faith-filled story of the Incarnation.
We encourage pre-registration through our online REALM links included with program descriptions. Please feel free to pass along this document and information to friends, colleagues and family members. We envision our Faith Formation offerings available on a regional level, open to anyone who is interested in the journey of faith.
Join us! Experience community in new and different ways ~ this is your faith home and you belong here. All are Welcome!
The Adult Faith Formation Ministry works throughout the year planning each semester of programs and activities. Please feel free to pass along suggestions and ideas for their consideration. On their behalf, I thank you for the support of the ministry they faithfully provide and I look forward to seeing you at these functions in this Fall/Advent season of 2023!
Patricia Curtis
Pastoral Associate
Saint Patrick-Saint Anthony Church
[email protected]
Complete Program Descriptions
Click for an at-a-glance schedule summary of all programs
or for presenter and facilitator bios.
Praying With Sacred Scripture
1st and 3rd Wednesdays each month (starts September 6 & 20)
In the Franciscan Center
7:00 – 8:00 pm
Please consider joining us for “lectio divina” (divine reading.) It is a prayerful reading of a bible passage in order to discern its message for each of us today. We have found that meeting in person gives the experience greater intimacy and impact. If you haven’t tried it yet, please do! The process is simple and will be explained each time, and sharing is welcome, but optional.
No registration is required.
Co-facilitators: Sheila Denion and John Lemega
Group Spiritual Reflection
Every Monday, in-person, 12:40-1:40 pm (starts September 11)
Every Tuesday, on Zoom, 12:30-1:30 pm (starts September 12)
Our gathering will reflect upon the Gospel for the upcoming Sunday to guide us on our path of discipleship. As companions on the journey, we listen, reflect and share how the Word speaks to our hearts through the Spirit. There is no need to do any advance preparation for the session. Come as you are with an open heart.
Facilitators: Mary Espinosa, Joan Osella, and Elaine Wiatr
Drumming Circle
1st Monday, in-person, in the church, 6:30 – 7:30 pm (starts September 11)
Did you know that drumming is good for the spirit as well as the heart and mind! Please join us for an evening of African drumming rhythms once a month in the church. Anyone can learn to drum – no musical experience is needed. If you have a drum, please bring it with you. Let us know if you need a drum by calling the parish office, 860-756-4034. First-time participants, please arrive by 6:15 pm
Facilitators: Elaine Wiatr
Sponsored by the Women of Hope Ministry
Transformational Hospitality and Kindness
Tuesday, September 12, 7:00 to 8:15 pm
As we leaf through the newspaper or watch the news on TV, almost weekly we are confronted with the reality of hate crimes being carried out. With each occurrence an overwhelming anguish washes over us and leaves us with the haunting question of “How did we get here?”
It is good that we question; but perhaps it is important to also ask “How do we change this?”
We have an opportunity, as a parish, to participate in viewing a 30-minute Oscar-nominated documentary entitled “Stranger at the Gate” which was produced by Josh Seftel. This documentary is highly acclaimed, and is about an ex-Marine who fought in Afghanistan, was injured, was discharged from the military, and ultimately came home to restart his life…a life that was clouded with PTSD. Where he settled to start his life with his new family, there was a very large Muslim population…a population he had grown to hate in his time in Afghanistan. This hatred continued to grow in him as he moved through day-to-day life. And, his hatred for this group began to shape a hate crime he planned to execute.
What is striking about this story is how the power of hospitality totally changed the outcome, and how he himself was transformed by this love and kindness.
Please plan to join with others in-person in the Franciscan Center on Tuesday, September 12 starting at 7:00 pm for viewing the documentary followed by conversation together.
In Quiet Prayer
Every Wednesday, on Zoom, 7:30 to 8:00 am; starting September 13
“For many of us, life seems to be lived at a busy and frenetic pace, with little or perhaps no time to be quiet, to be still, or to be silent in a time and place of peacefulness, prayer, and reflection so that we can connect with our deepest selves and the God who lives there.” (Cora Evans).
Join us by Zoom Wednesday mornings for a half hour, from 7:30 to 8:00 am, to sit “in quiet” (Suzanne Nolan), in the presence of silence, to heal and restore in hope and joy, to ground and guide. We begin with a brief ritual of offering compassion for the needs of our world and ourselves. A reflection is shared. Sometimes it’s a reading for the upcoming weekend; sometimes it’s a contemporary prayer, followed by 20 minutes of silence for personal prayer and meditation.
Co-facilitators: Pat Curtis and Susan Lennon
Restoring Women as Ordained Deacons in the Roman Catholic Church
Our Women of Hope Ministry invites you to a two-part exploration into one of the significant developments from Pope Francis’ Synod. Throughout 2023, the Synod continental reports revealed a growing global voice from the People of God asking the Church to advocate for women’s participation as deacons. We present these two evening opportunities to gather to look closely at the role of deacon along with raising up the remarkable lives of our female faith ancestors who led the way in the early Church and who continue to provide inspiration for us today.
Please join us for one or both sessions in the church and through livestream.
“So, What Does a Deacon Do?”; Tuesday, September 19, 6:30 to 8:00 pm
In our recent history at SPSA, we have not had a deacon serve our parish. This experiential demonstration of the diaconal ministries of Liturgy, Word, and Service will help us learn about a deacon’s role and functions in a faith community. Join us in church for a narrated walk-through and discussion which will inform and expand our understanding of how any one among us can authentically be called to serve as a deacon.
“Leading Us Forward in Faith”; Tuesday, September 26, 6:30 to 8:00 pm
Ever wonder who were the women once commissioned and ordained as deacons in the Catholic Church? Join us as we explore the history of the women’s diaconate and learn about some of the women who served. As we hear their names and learn their stories, may it renew the hope that we will, once again, restore women back to their ordained roles of liturgy, word, and service, as they once had in the early Church.
Taproot
Every Wednesday, on Zoom, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm; starting September 20
Gather with others for weekly inspiration using experiences from your daily life. Return to the Root: Reflections on the Inner Life, “ aims to strengthen your inner rootedness, to draw forth that loving nourishment contained in… your deepest self”, states the author Joyce Rupp. Full of thoughtful insights, poetry, and prayer, weekly reflections are grouped by month. Tap into this “Taproot” gathering available to you every Wednesday morning ~ attend when your schedule allows to receive the gifts of spiritual nourishment and growth.
Facilitator: Pat Curtis
Deepening our Consciousness of God
Thursday, October 19, 2023, 6:30 to 7:30 pm in person
The Daily Examen is an Ignatian Spirituality Prayer Practice that enables us to find God in all things. Plan to attend this in-person gathering to learn:
* How God can be found in the everyday stuff of life
* How to make the Daily Examen (through guided meditation)
* How to continue your practice of consciousness of God in everyday life
Presenter: Brenda McLaughlin
Clare Gallery Exhibit: “Color and Identity: A Visual Conversation”
October 19 through December 3, 2023
Clare Gallery’s final 20th Anniversary exhibition, Color and Identity: A Visual Conversation, reveals national artist Stanwyck Cromwell’s ongoing artistic journey. Cromwell is originally from Guyana—a northern country in South America that borders Venezuela, Brazil, and Suriname. Though it is not an island, Guyana is culturally Caribbean, with a mix of African, Indian, European, and Latin heritage.
An artist reception will be held on Sunday, October 22, 1-3 pm. A panel discussion will be held on Sunday, November 19, 1-2 pm. Panelists will include the artist; John Motley, past president of the Amistad Center for Art & Culture and of the Wadsworth Museum of Art; and Fiona Vernal, Associate Professor, History and Africana Studies at the University of Connecticut. The panel will be moderated by Nancy Wynn, Associate Professor, Visual and Performing Arts, Merrimack College and Chair of the Clare Gallery.
Cromwell’s artwork is a visual representation of the nostalgic memories of his Guyanese home, Caribbean influences of the West Indies (including its spirituality), as well as his experiences living in New England for fifty-three years—specifically Hartford, Connecticut. He has a love and respect for the West End community in Hartford—teaching at The Artists Collective and Capital Community College. He immigrated as a young man and states, “I grew up in a time when you worked hard and your word was your bond.” He associated with people from all walks of life. Those unique and varied conversations have made their way into his work. The artworks are rich hybrid abstract expressions of his Guyanese home blended with his American experiences. Cromwell states: “Even though I left home, I never left home.”
In much of his work, you can see the influences of his mother, both a seamstress and a craftsperson, a father who was a graphic designer, and many artistic uncles—a long artistic ancestry. His work weaves together overlapping shapes, diverse edges, thick textural strokes of paint in rhythmic patterns and vibrant colors. His media consists of graphite, color pencil, watercolor, collage, and oils. Cromwell’s artistic compositions are filled with symbols, where meaning shifts based on a viewer’s visual literacy, their own memories, and an understanding of metaphor. Additionally, mask-like images and African-American facial features are part of his work. They reference Guyanese, African and Indigenous cultures, along with a connection to Carnival.
Cromwell received his MFA from the University of Hartford, Hartford Art School, and credits Professor Ellen Carey as his mentor, for she understood and encouraged his process-oriented work and its vibrant colors. He has been an artist-in-residence and a visiting artist for numerous New England arts and educational organizations. In 2021, Cromwell received the “100 Men of Color Distinguished Award, Hartford, CT.”
For more detailed information, visit Stanwyck Cromwell’s website, stancromwell.com.
The Basics of LGBTQ+ and Our Common Call to Offer Support
Tuesday, October 24, 6:30 to 7:45 pm
* What does science tell us about being LGBTQ+?
* What are the two aspects of the Church’s teaching on LGBTQ+?
* How is the way we welcome or do not welcome an LGBTQ+ person, a Life Issue?
* As allies, what can we do to support life – support our LGBTQ+ sisters, brothers, youth, and loved ones?
Through conducting more than 35 Synod listening sessions, we have witnessed that there are many women, men and youth of our parish who are concerned about the welcome and inclusion of members of the LGBTQ+ community in our Catholic Church today. Many people affirmed our Open Hearts LGBTQ+ Ministry and Friends & Family Support Ministry. And, over the past six months with the release of the national and global Synod reports, we have learned of the expressed “desire for radical inclusion – no one is excluded” in the Catholic Church worldwide. Pope Francis’ Synod affords us the potential to transform our hearts through an experience of discipleship steeped in the radical ministry of Jesus. To stay open to this call, we are invited to deepen our knowledge about the Synod topics and desired changes for our Church.
We would like to further empower allies of the LGBTQ+ community through opportunities to dialogue about “gender issues” in our culture today and increase our understanding from scientific and spiritual perspectives.
We have designed one session to start this conversation and invite you to join us. We encourage you to “bring a friend” with you as together we explore the above questions.
This important parish gathering is open to all. Please feel free to invite a friend or relative, neighbor, colleague, classmate, etc.
Presenter: Rich Broggini
Royal Psalms: The “Anointed One”
Thursdays on Zoom; 10:30 to 11:30 am (starting November 2)
“You are my child, today I have become your Father” (Ps 2, verse 2b). While the Christian expectation of the Messiah is fulfilled in Jesus, the reference to the Messiah in the psalms is attached to the “anointed one” of the Davidic line of kings. While YHWH is king of all creation and reigns with divine power from heaven, his “anointed one” rules on earth under YHWH’s protection and instruction. In this series, we will discuss the figure of the “anointed one” as he appears in the psalms.
Presenter: Fr. A. Francis Soucy, O.F.M.
Giving Thanks – Our Active Response
Thursday, November 23, Thanksgiving; 8:00 to 9:45 am
“Our Active Response” offers us an opportunity for action on Thanksgiving morning. From the tables at the House of Bread, to our Eucharistic table, to your table at home, we will be people not only giving thanks but also “living thanks.” Join us to prepare brown bag lunches at the Franciscan Center to be distributed at the House of Bread and in the community.
Adults and children of all ages are welcome to participate.
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED – limited to 30 volunteers.
Thanksgiving Mass will take place in the church at 10:00 am.
Advent Daytime Retreat: The Art of the Jesse Tree
Tuesday, December 5
Begin your Advent Retreat Day with our 12:05 Mass. Come over to the Franciscan Center for a light lunch from 12:30 to 1:00 pm. The presentation and prayer will take place in the Center from 1:00 to 4:00 pm
Along with the Advent wreath and Advent calendar, the Jesse Tree is a popular tradition of the season in which we prepare for the birth of Jesus. Dating back to the Middle Ages, the Jesse Tree is a representation of the ancestors of Jesus, taking its name from the prophecy of Isaiah (11:1): “A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.”
Join us for an afternoon in early Advent as we explore the various ways in which the Jesse Tree has been pictured from the Middle Ages to the present day in illuminated manuscripts, stained glass windows, painting, and sculpture. Afterwards, we will create our own Jesse Tree with specially designed “ornaments” representing the men and women who figured prominently in the history of ancient Israel, leading to Joseph and Mary and the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
Presenter: Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.
Suggested Offering:
$25.00 includes lunch
$20.00 for presentation only
Incarnational Inspiration
Tuesdays, December 12 & 19 following the 12:05 Mass
Advent is a magical time of anticipation. It’s like the excitement of walking past that shiny little package under the tree that has your name carefully written on the tag. Let’s explore this blessed season as we pray and reflect on Mary’s journey with God Incarnate using the magnificent stained glass windows in our church. Their vibrant colors and symbols will guide us into the Advent journey with the Holy Family.
Co-facilitators: Pat Curtis and LouAnn Warren
Convenient online link for your suggested offerings
Click below to give your offering online
(Note the program name in the Memo.)
Checks can also be made payable to St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church and mailed to
285 Church Street, Hartford, CT 06103, Attn. Pat Curtis
At-a-glance Summary of Adult Faith Formation Programs for Fall 2023
Presenter and Facilitator Biographical Information
Richard Broggini practiced as a chiropractic physician for 7 years before pursuing teaching professionally. He has spent the last 30 years teaching 8th-grade physics and was the recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching. In 2008, Rich became a Lay Cistercian at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, MA, discerning the call to live a contemplative life in the world according to the Rule of St. Benedict in the Cistercian/Trappist tradition. Married for 40 years with three adult children, Rich lives in Glastonbury, CT with his wife, Kathy.
Patricia Curtis joined the Pastoral Staff in December, 2001. Pat’s responsibilities include collaborating with the Women of Hope Ministry, Baptism Preparation Team, Clare Gallery Ministry, Adult Faith Formation Ministry, Prayer Shawl Ministry, and Hospitality Ministries. Prior to relocating back to Connecticut, Pat lived and worked in Rochester, NY as a Pastoral Associate for 12 years in the Diocese of Rochester. Pat has a Master’s degree in Pastoral Ministry from Boston College.
Sheila Denion is a longtime parishioner who has facilitated the Lectio Divina group for over 10 years. In 2023, she graduated from the New England Catholic Biblical School, a 4-year program encompassing every book of the bible. She lives at Seabury in Bloomfield with her husband, Tom Eysmans.
Mary Espinosa is a trained spiritual director who has been accompanying seekers for over thirty years. She holds a master’s degree in Religious Studies and continues her interest in spirituality and scripture by studying the New Testament in the original language. She has lived in South America and here in the Archdiocese has worked in pastoral music and social justice.
John Lemega has been involved with Lectio Divina, as a participant and facilitator, for 15 years. He is a former steward of the Servant Leadership School and maintains a spiritual direction practice, having completed the internship program at the Spiritual Life Center. He and his wife, Joyce, have been parishioners for over 30 years. John presently serves on the Finance Council.
Susan Lennon became a parishioner at St. Patrick-St. Anthony in 1998 when she and her husband moved from Hartford’s West End from Hartford’s South End. She joined Pat Curtis in co-leading the Wednesday morning Quiet Prayer in 2023. She is a member of the Sandwich Ministry and No Freeze Shelter teams, and also volunteers with House of Bread. She has a bachelor degree in sociology from the University of San Diego and a Master’s in Public and Private Management from Yale University.
Brenda McLaughlin: The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius guide Brenda McLaughlin’s prayer life. Brenda’s professional experience includes teaching in public elementary schools and at the university level. Brenda holds a M.A. in Theology and Ministry (Boston College) and is a trained spiritual director (Franciscan Spiritual Direction Certification Program). She also holds a Certificate in Advanced Biblical Studies (The New England Catholic Biblical School).
Joan Osella has served as a Lector for daily and weekend Masses for over twenty years, affording her the opportunity to share the Word in a meaningful and personal way. Joan and her husband were leaders of a House of Bread Team for fourteen years. Through participation in Spiritual Reflection, Joan has become aware that there are many ways to grow in love and understanding of one another and of our God.
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.: Born and raised in Buffalo, Fr. Tim Shreenan was ordained to the priesthood in 1984. He spent more than 30 years ministering in New York City before becoming pastor at St. Patrick-St. Anthony in 2020. He has a wide range of interests, including music, art and art history, liturgical studies, travel, and crosswords. He also plays the organ, flute and other wind instruments.
Fr. A. Francis Soucy, O.F.M. taught English literature and linguistics for fifteen years in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, during which time he also chaired the Medieval Colloquium of the Lehigh Valley. In 1986 he entered new waters. Fr. Francis established a nursing home in New Jersey for infirm Franciscan Friars where he served as the licensed administrator for 26 years.
LouAnn Warren served for thirty-three years as a director of religious education for the Archdiocese of Hartford. In her role she was the representative for Sadler Religious Education Materials. LouAnn holds a B.S. in Education and Masters in Religious Education from Fordham University.
Elaine Wiatr has been a member of St. Patrick-St. Anthony Parish since 1999. Elaine is a member of the Prayer Shawl and Women of Hope Ministries. She is a Lector, leads the Bread Warriors ministry and coordinates the Servant Leadership Program. She earned her Master of Arts in Servant Leadership from Viterbo University in 2009 and is a 2010 graduate of the Women’s Leadership Institute at Hartford Seminary where she was introduced to African drumming. She leads our monthly Drumming Circle as well. Elaine is an Associate of the Sisters of Mercy and is passionate about Social Justice for the Palestinian people in The Holy Land.