Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The photo below says it all. It is a screenshot of the church on Easter Monday. All was quiet. The lights were dimmed and the candles had been extinguished. It was a moment of peaceful calm and sacred silence after a week of commemoration and celebration of the highest order. We had recalled with ritual and song the Lord’s Paschal Mystery. Now, a moment to reflect.
The news media recently has been reporting on the rise in Mass attendance among Catholics, and we certainly saw evidence of that during Holy Week and throughout the season of Lent. We have seen more young adults coming to Mass as well, and I hope they will always feel welcome here. It was a delight to celebrate the baptism of three young adults at the Easter Vigil: Shawn, Jorge and Hayden. Mark and Bryanne were received into the Catholic Church, and Paola received her Confirmation together with them.
Our children’s choir, the Church Street Singers, joined with our combined choirs on Easter morning at the 10:00 Mass. All our musicians, under David Garrido-Cid’s able direction, graced us with inspiring music throughout the course of Holy Week. We are all grateful for their many hours of rehearsal and performing.
I am grateful for our staff who also contributed much time and talent to preparing the liturgical materials and for our friars who presided and preached with much care and reverence – as always!
Thank you to all of you for making Holy Week 2026 such a beautiful and memorable experience. Happy Easter to all!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.
Pastor
It is important that when you give to any charitable organization, you are confident that the funds received are being used wisely. Be assured that your gift to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal sup-ports the ministries and programs indicated in the 2026 Appeal literature! Organizations such as St. Anthony’s Bread for the Poor right here in our own parish received funding from the Appeal’s Vicariate Outreach Program that makes a difference in the lives of our local neighbors.
Join us, your parish community, and We Are One, by sharing your blessings with the less fortunate.
Please take a moment to watch the launch video here:
We hope you can help us meet our parish goal of $115,000. If you would like to make a gift, please mail in your pledge card. You may also visit the Archdiocesan website at www.archdioceseofhartford.org or call the Appeal Office at (800) 781-2550. Keep in mind that an early pledge will allow you to best use the monthly payment plan.
All funds contributed to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal are used exclusively for the purposes outlined in the Appeal literature, which can be found at https:// archdioceseofhartford.org/appeal/. No Appeal funds are ever used for legal fees or settlements.