Dear Parishioners and Friends,
For the past few weeks I feel as though I’ve been pulled in many different directions – both literally and figuratively. Back on January 30th I gave the retreat day for liturgical musicians of the Diocese of Bridgeport at a parish in Monroe, CT. The day included two presentations as well as Mass in the parish church. I spoke about my favorite theme: “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness,” and I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to say, and then putting it in writing. Perhaps I will be able to adapt my talks and offer them here for a day or afternoon of reflection. Let me know if that is something you would like to hear.
I also spent the week of February 2-8 on two separate trips to Siena University. The first trip was for an overnight meeting that included friars from Siena, Hartford and Boston. While we were away, Fr. Joe Devine from Wallingford filled in for us by celebrating Mass and hearing confessions. I am grateful for his friendship and willingness to help us out. The second trip to Albany happened last weekend when I was invited to play for the blessing of Siena’s new chapel organ. Albany’s new bishop, Mark O’Connell, celebrated the Mass last Sunday and spent the rest of the day at Siena meeting with students and watching the Superbowl with the friars. Although it was a bitter cold period, I was happy and grateful to spend some time with friars I haven’t seen in a while, and to be included in a historic moment for the university. Here’s a photo of the organ that I took after my practice session.
I am grateful for Fr. Larry’s thoughtful message to us. A few weeks ago, at our weekly Now that I’ve completed these various extracurricular engagements, I can focus my attention on our parish as we get ready for the start of Lent this coming week. Ash Wednesday is February 18th, and we will celebrate three Masses at 7:30 AM, 12:05 and 7:00 PM. Ashes will be imposed at all the Masses. We will have special events throughout the coming weeks to help you keep a holy Lent leading up to the annual commemoration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord during Holy Week.
This weekend also marks the launch of the 2026 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. I invite you to read more about the appeal below.
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.
Pastor
This weekend marks the start of the 2026 Archbishop’s AnnualAppeal in our parish. If you haven’t already, you will soon receive a letter from Archbishop Coyne seeking your support. As Catholics in the Archdiocese of Hartford, we can have a profound impact on our local communities not only spiritually, but intimately con-nected to it, the realm of social services and many charities and outreach services performed by, or with help from, our Church.
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.archdioceseof-hartford.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 Ap-peal 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.