Dear Friends,
I would like to introduce you to JJ. He and I are pictured here on the day of his baptism earlier this summer. I celebrated his parent’s wedding Mass at St. Patrick-St. Anthony two years ago. In fact, I have baptized the children of several couples whose weddings I celebrated since I arrived here in Hartford. I don’t know if that should make me feel older or younger. Perhaps both! But the celebration of the sacraments, particularly Baptism and Marriage, along with our daily celebration of the Eucharist, remind me of the rich history and sense of continuity in our parish.
As we look forward to celebrating our bicentennial in 2029, I find myself looking both backward into our rich past, and forward into a future full of hope and promise. Of course, for that future to happen, we must be prepared and take steps to make sure that our house is in good shape. One year ago we embarked on an annual appeal to support various projects in our parish. That initial appeal was a tremendous success, raising over $117,000.
With your help we were able to make substantial upgrades to our computer and IT equipment, additional repairs to our air conditioning systems in the church and Franciscan Center, and other repairs throughout the physical plant, including landscaping. We are hoping to make repairs to the ceiling of the basement of the church; repair the entryway of the right-side doors of the church; continue to address issues with the church’s sound system; and repair or replace the kneelers in the church. As we progress toward the 200th anniversary of the founding of the parish, I would like to make some small aesthetic improvements in the church as well.
I wish to thank everyone who took part in last year’s appeal and encourage you to respond generously to this year’s appeal. If you did not participate last year, please consider doing so this year. All of us, joining together as a community of faith, are a powerful force of goodness in a time of increasing stress and social discord. May we continue to be powerful witnesses of God’s mercy and love, and help to make the world a better place for JJ and generations to come.
Sincerely,
Fr. Timothy Shreenan, O.F.M.
Pastor