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Saint Gregory the Great Parish
85 Great Plain Road
Danbury, Connecticut 06811
203 797-0222
Website: www.danbury.org/stgreg
REVEREND ANGELO S. ARRANDO, PASTOR
Rev. Raymond M. Scherba, Parochial Vicar
Rev. Otoniel Lizcano, Parochial Vicar
Deacons Robert Blankschen, William Murphy, Daniel Myott, Richard Kovacs
The Eucharist
Marriage
Saturday Vigil: 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday: 7:45 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12 noon
Daily: 7:00 a.m., 8:45 a.m.
By appointment; call the Parish Office. Arrangements
must be made at least 9 months in advance for proper
preparation.
Ministry to the Sick
Reconciliation
Please inform us about parishioners who are hospitalized
or homebound; Communion for the homebound can be
arranged by calling the Parish Office.
Saturday from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m.
By Appointment, anytime.
Baptism
Please stop by the Parish Office during business hours to
complete a registration form and be sure to introduce
yourself to one of the priests after Mass.
2nd Sunday of each month.
Prior registration is necessary.
Parish Membership
October 19th, 2014
Twenty–ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Please pray for Mary Alice Anderson, Rino DiMici, Nancy De Munnik, all
the victims of violence, and all sick and deceased members of the parish.
Mon. Oct.
Tues. Oct.
Wed. Oct.
Thurs. Oct.
Fri.
Oct.
Sat.
Oct.
Sun. Oct.
MASSES FOR THE WEEK
20 7:00am Helen Kelly
8:45am Special Intention
21 7:00am For All Parishioners
8:45am Special Intention
22 7:00am Special Intention
8:45am Tom Peat
23 7:00am Special Intention
8:45am Special Intention
24 7:00am Living Trust Fund Members
8:45am Special Intention
25 4:30pm Luigina Arrando
7:30pm John Garcia
26 7:45am Margaret Armstrong & Family
9:00am Louis & Lena Moffa
10:30am Special Intention
12:00pm Henry Kocur
Weekday Mass Schedule:
7:00 a.m. & 8:45 a.m.
PRESIDER
HOMILIST
Sat. Oct. 25 4:30pm Fr. Angelo Fr. Angelo
7:30pm Fr. Ray
Fr. Ray
Sun. Oct. 26 7:45am Fr. Angelo Fr. Angelo
9:00am Fr. Otto Deacon Richard
10:30am Fr. Ray Deacon Richard
12:00pm Fr. Otto Deacon Richard
CALENDAR
Wed. Oct. 22 11:00am Weekly Rosary
Thurs. Oct. 23 6:00pm Sewing Group
Sat. Oct. 25 3:00pm Reconciliation
8:00pm AA
We hope that all parishioners
will sign up for Online-Giving.
The Ministry of WE CARE goes to the very heart of
what it means to be a Christian—meeting the needs
of the very least in our midst. There is a place for
everyone in the WE CARE Ministry.
With that in mind, I cannot imagine that anyone
would not take the challenge of this Ministry to heart.
How easy it is to profess of our faith verbally, but how difficult it
is to put that faith into actual action. In the Gospel Jesus clearly
says “Not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven but only those who do the will of the Father.”
WE CARE is searching for volunteers who will make weekly phone
calls and home visits to the elderly and those who live alone or are home
-bound and would appreciate company or want someone to check in on
them.
We have many people in our parish who could benefit from these
services and when we help another, ultimately we help ourselves.
More information on how you can volunteer in subsequent bulletins.
Love, Fr. Angelo
FAMILY BIBLES
Family Heirloom
Bibles: $60.00
Leather-bound Bibles:
$40.00
Paperback Bibles:
$10.00
THANK YOU to our
Prayer Shawl Ministry
knitting and supplying our parish with scores
of Prayer Shawls for today’s Mass of Anointing and for our local nursing homes.
Prayer Shawl Ministry meets every 1st and
3rd Saturdays of the
month in the Parish Community Room. Please join
us with your yarn and needles.
ST. GREGORY THE GREAT
SCHOOL
Pre-K--Grade 8
Phone # 203-748-1217
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: saintgregoryschool.org
Mission Statement: St. Gregory the Great
School, in cooperation with the parents, was established for the purpose of giving the students a
God-centered, Catholic outlook on life. We are
committed to academic excellence, selfdiscipline and Global Service.
Wednesday, October 22nd is the
Parent/Student meeting for our 8th
grade students going to Washington DC.
DID YOU KNOW?
St. Gregory’s makes a homily from Fr. Angelo available each week on the internet.
Please check out our parish website:
http://www.danbury.org/stgreg or at
http://awordontheword.blogspot.com
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel Jesus will not be cajoled into a simple “yes” or “no” answer. He leaves us with a bit of an enigma, while at the same time exposing the
real hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Herodians. They are the one’s who actually have Caesar’s coin in
their pockets.
The relationship between politics and religion has always been complex and remains so. Jesus
offers a complicated solution. He says we must make the concrete decisions ourselves, armed with
principled moral convictions born of a mature conscience and nurtured in the community of believers.
There is only rarely a simple right or wrong.
Jesus had it even easier than we today. On the coin he asked the Pharisees for, he already knew
only Caesar’s image was engraved. He could say more easily, then give it back to Caesar. In America
today, we not only engrave George Washington on our dollar bills, we invoke the name of God as well,
as if saying: in God we trust as we pay our taxes. But few of us actually believe that.
The relationship between God and culture or between God and politics has had a tortured history for centuries.
It is never easy to repay Caesar. But the gospel’s real point, the real Jesus, asks a more
pointed question: can we not repay God what is God’s? Do we know the difference?
May our lives be a living proclamation to the world of God’s Love.
FAITH FORMATION
FAITH FORMATION NEWS
Faith Formation classes for grades 1-6
and Jr. High have begun.
More information will be mailed to
families who are registered. If you have not
registered, please call the Office of Faith
Formation at 203-743-5168 for further
information.
Public School children entering 1st grade
should begin Faith Formation classes. Diocesan guidelines require two years of formation prior to reception of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. At this
time, we do not have a kindergarten class.
If you are interested, contact Janice in the
Office of Faith Formation.
CELEBRATING THE LECTIONARY
Celebrating the Lectionary for all children at
the 10:30am Mass.
YOUTH GROUP
The Youth Group will be hosting a pizza party
Sunday for the new confirmands.
Contact Rene Hellmann at (203)
797-1641 for more information.
SCOUT NEWS
CUB SCOUT PACK 9
For info, call Cub master, Philip
Adams at 203-546-0843.
BOY SCOUT TROOP 9
If you are a boy between the ages of 11-17
and would like to join Scouting, call Armen
Stauffer at 203-791-0727.
HOLY NAME SOCIETY
The Holy Name Society is our parish men’s group.
Meets the 2nd Monday of the month.
Next Meeting: Monday, November 10th
Time: 7:00pm, Parish Office Community Room
All men of the parish are asked to attend
Please volunteer to become an USHER.
For information, contact William Houser at
203-743-6125 or [email protected].
Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults
If you or someone you know:
Were never baptized, Were baptized Catholic but never received First Eucharist or
Confirmation, Were baptized in another
Christian Church and now wishes to join the
Catholic Church, Would like to learn more
about the process of becoming Catholic as
an adult, Are a practicing Catholic and
would like to participate in the process as a
sponsor, please call Mary-Ann Houser at
203-743-5168 x108 for information.
The Women of
St. Gregory
We will continue to have our Monday at 11am
& Thursday at 7pm weaving sessions in the
Parish Community Room. Anyone can attend
even if it is only occasionally. For information,
call Rosemary Bouffard at 203-744-6998.
If you are able to volunteer to work or bake
for our table at the Craft Fair, please call
Joan Minahan at 203-743-3109.
Support Our Veterans - Did you know that
there are 200 Vets who attend WCSU? The
university provides a vet's lounge but the
supplies
are
obtained
by
donations.
In honor of Veteran's Day, the Women of St.
Gregory are collecting single serve snacks
and K cups for their lounge. Donation boxes
are at the entrances of the Church. K cups,
cracker sandwiches, microwaveable Mac and
cheese, etc. are welcomed. All donations will
be given to student vets attending our Nov.
12 meeting in the Church at 7 pm. All veterans and their families are welcomed to attend
the women's group meeting.
PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
The Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet in
the Parish Office Community Room
Saturday,
November
1st
at
9:30am. For more information, please contact
Stephanie Martin at 203-743-3783 or via
email at [email protected]
BETHANY MASS
This weekend, we will remember the members of our parish family who have died
over the past few weeks. We celebrate
their past presence and the knowledge of
their embrace by our Father. We also want
their bereaved to know that they do not
have to grieve alone. The 9:00am Mass will
be offered for:
Helen Rose Morrison
Alta Rosato
Please remember them in your prayers.
The Bereavement Ministry of St. Gregory
the Great Church is here to support their
loved ones.
Fr. Ray Scherba
Bereavement Coordinator
Join Our Prayer Group!
We meet one Tuesday a month, pray to-
gether and share our journey in God with
one another. As a background for our sharing and praying, we will read An Altar in the
World by Barbara Brown Taylor. Please contact Suzanne Dale Wilcox at 203-7309172 or at [email protected].
NEW TO OUR CHURCH
The worshipping community of St. Gregory the Great welcomes these newly–
registered families to our faith community:
Ms. Rosalie Schweickert
M/M Brad Kuharik
M/M Michael Smith
M/M Nicholas Delaura
M/M Kevin O’Connor
M/M Christopher Brown
M/M Denis Lau
M/M Alan Falls
M/M Jason Oppermann
M/M Nelson Martins
M/M Jered Kraszewski
M/M Shane Larkin
M/M Joseph Tomaselli
M/M John Hope
M/M Phillip Palanzo
M/M Len Baker
M/M John Sherry
M/M Jason LaReau
N/N Vito Matozzo
M/M Elvys Tejada
Ms. Susan Wenz
Ms. Paula Abrantes
M/M Luis Falcao
Hospital Visitations & Home Visits
Due to the Federal health privacy laws
(HIPPA), hospitals can no longer issue
names of admitted patients to area parishes
unless it is requested by the patient. You or
a family member must let the Admissions
Office know of your desire to have us visit
during your hospital stay. If you would like
a visit at home or a rehab center, call the
Parish Office at 203-797-0222.
Rake n’ Bake
Plans are underway for our annual
Rake n’ Bake scheduled for Saturday,
November 15th, 8:00am-12:30pm.
Lunch will follow. Rain date is Sun,
Nov. 16th from 12:00-4:30pm. (No refreshments) If you are a senior or disabled person
who needs to have your yard raked, contact
Robin Maynard at 203-775-9203 or [email protected]. Sign up sheets are in the
main entrance of the Church. Please sign–up
early so we know how many are participating.
Men’s Spirituality meets
every Saturday morning at
8 a.m. in the church.
Come join us!
Daily Bread Food Pantry
Baskets are at Church entrances to collect
your donations for the Daily Bread Food Pantry. The Food Pantry operates year round with
your generosity. Please bring cereal, spaghetti sauce, macaroni & cheese,
canned fruit & fruit juice for use
by Daily Bread. Thank you for
your
continuing weekly donations of food. Your contributions
help relieve hunger year round.
.
By Fr. Angelo S. Arrando
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 19, 2014
During the Liturgy of the Word we not only are striving to actively listen to God but the truth is
that God is listening to us; just as our listening attentively to Him is a sign of our love for Him, so too He
shows His love by listening to us.
Our God hears our prayers of praise and our prayers of petition in the responsorial psalm as we speak
to Him in His own words, the Psalms. God hears our words of glory for Him in the Gospel acclamation, and
accepts our proclamation of fidelity to Him in the Profession of Faith we make each Sunday. Our God accepts
our intercessions, as we act as members of Christ’s priesthood, offering prayers for the world, the Church, and
our own communal and personal needs. If properly understood we are involved in a true dialogue with our
God.
It is through this active and conscious dialogue, we continue to build our faith on the God Who loves
us and Whom we strive to love more and more. It is also through this faithful dialogue that we come to know
our true selves and learn to love ourselves more and more as well.
Through this active dialogue we begin to connect what it is we are doing each Sunday when we gather
in His Name with our everyday decisions and our everyday lives. Through this active dialogue we also come
to know how to live our lives in ways that are consistent with who we are united in Jesus Christ, His very body
in the world today. With a conscious awareness and active listening to the Word of God and to the active silence afterwards we become aware of our faith proclamation that Christ, indeed, has gathered us together; that
Christ indeed has spoken the Word of life to us; that Christ has entered into dialogue with us and has listened
to us in our profession of faith and intercessions.
As we struggle to understand and to be aware of this active dialogue we begin to see that we must continue to act upon our celebration. With this awareness we can see that “active” participation is something that
needs to be, not only understood, but practiced. “Active” participation is a mindset that each of us, priest, deacon, ministers and Assembly must buy into. “Active” participation constantly calls each one of us out of ourselves and challenges each of us to enter into the mystery of the Assembly. “Active” participation also calls us
to attend to others, to a kind of recognition presence. This is crucial to what Roman Catholic liturgy is all
about. This crucial to our understanding of what it is we do each and every Sunday. This is crucial to making
Sunday, indeed be, our day.
This “active” awareness continues to challenge us on many fronts that we may not be conscious of.
First, we must understand and accept that each of us are not here to make our own prayer while each other person in the church at the same time makes his or her own prayer. We have to put the mindset that we are a Baptized people standing with other Baptized people. Our worship is the very church’s worship. Our thanksgiving is the very thanksgiving of the church. Our active attention to the proclamation of the Word of God is the
church listening to the Word of God proclaimed; our general intercessions are the church’s intercessions. In
short, the mystery of our transfiguration in Christ is the whole body of Baptized people transfigured. This sacred teaching is straight out of the Second Vatican Council document on the Liturgy.
Pope John Paul II said the same thing in a little different manner. The Body of Christ must be visible,
audible and tangible and we are that Body of Christ. In a 1997 address he stated that we must attend to the
quality of the signs by which the liturgy takes place, and he stressed that “the first sign is that of the Assembly
itself…everyone’s attitude counts, for the liturgical Assembly is the first image the church gives.”
Congratulations to the young people of our parish who received the Sacrament of
Confirmation on October 4, 2014, and became fully initiated into our faith community.
Alexis Achilles
Olivia Alessandro
Griffin Barnett
Brandon Beeman
Roque Navarro
Nicholas Buonaiuto
Thomas Cafarelli
Aryanna DaSilva
Gregory Clark
Daniel Collinge
Kristen Conover
Angela DeLucia
Nicholas DiMauro
Victoria Corte-Real
William Evans
James Fahey
Jamie Gundeck
Dylan Helbing
Ava Olivera
Joseph Kiselak
Sharon LaBarbera
Samantha LaBarbera
Shea McNamara
Jake McNamara
Sean Daly
Mikhail Prukalski
Alex Rodrigues
Paulina Rosetti
Krista Segreti
Erin Taverna
Devin Trotta
Sydney Vartolone
Alejandro Velasquez
Nicholas Walker
Galilee Applegreen
Yodiel Cruz
Emily Orloff
Edward Orloff
St. Gregory The Great Church – Danbury, CT October 2014
Once again this year, we
will be holding our “Sell Your Old Gold” Fundraiser in the Office Community Room on
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
October 17th
October 18th
October 19th
10 AM to 5 PM
10 AM to 5 PM
8 AM to 4 PM
Once again I will ask you to please look for those broken chains, single earrings, old school rings,
the jewelry you never wear, and yes, that dental gold. My friend Bob will also be buying sterling
silver jewelry, flatware and hollowware as well as platinum and palladium.
This is the unique fundraiser where you get to leave your checkbook at home, and this time, you
will take home the money. And once again, a donation will be made to the Church in your name.
And be sure to tell Bob that Father Angelo sent you and you will receive an additional 15% on
whatever you sell. Thank you.
News around the Parish…….
Mark your Calendars!
October 19, 5PM—7PM
Confirmation Pizza Party by Youth Group for the newly
confirmed. Join us in the Parish Community Room
October 19, 10AM-4PM St. Greg’s Tag Sale & Car Show.
$20.00 will get you a parking space to sell your stuff out of your trunk.
Spaces are limited and are first come first serve.
October 19 Will be our First “Father & Daughter Dance” for girls and their dads or
special someone in our Faith Formation Program.
October 26 2PM Taize Prayer Service hosted by the Choir.
November 7 & 8 Fall Craft Fair a huge fundraiser for our parish.
Come support us!
November 15 Rake & Bake- A great day to help the sick & elderly families in our
parish by raking the leaves on their properties. What a great way to show an act of
kindness. Many volunteers are needed to rake. Please mark your calendars and commit to this needy cause. Please call Robin Maynard to sign up @ 203-775-9203.
November 23 Family Game Board Night. Families come and reserve a table to
eat at and have a board game night. Meet other families. Make friends and get to
know each other. More details will follow…….
December 7 Children’s Christmas Pageant 12:00 Noon Mass.
Characters wanted. Celebrate with us in the Story of: “Oh Holy Night”
December 14 Christmas Cookie Walk. Volunteers are needed to make their best
Christmas Cookie Recipes. Father Angelo will lead the walk in prayers and you shop
to buy the cookies you like for your Christmas table.
Volunteers will also be needed for the checkout counter. This will be a fundraiser for
our parish. Start looking for those family recipes.
December 21 2PM Lessons & Carols hosted by the Choir.
For information or on how to get involved & volunteer or if you have other ideas to bring to
our parish; please call the parish office 203-797-0222 and speak to Janice @ ext. 114. We
look forward to hearing from you!
LECTIONARY CATECHESIS
St. Gregory the Great Information Center
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 45:1,1-6; Ps 96; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5;
Matthew 22:15-21
“I lift up my eyes toward the mountains; whence
shall help come to me”. Like the psalmist, we may
grow weary petitioning God. We are tired of raising
our hands in prayer. When we let our guard down,
even for a moment, our enemies seem to get the
upper hand. Tired of the constant conflict, we want
to surrender. That is when we need others to support us, prayer warriors who will come to our assistance. They stand by our side so we will not succumb before the victory is assured. They remind us
that God is our “guardian” in all our struggles, our
“shade” in the heat of conflict. God is near to us-day and night, God watches over our coming and
going now and forever.
Paul is our companion who inspires us when we
are weak. He tells us to be faithful to what we have
learned and believed. He reminds us that the Sacred Scriptures are a source of God’s wisdom.
God’s Word is a good teacher, admonishing us
when we do wrong and correcting us when we
stray. God’s Word is a training ground for the battles of life. Fully equipped, we are competent to do
every good work. Paul tells us that no matter how
difficult the trials we face, we have a responsibility
to share God’s Word. Even when it is inconvenient,
we must never give up.
SOCIAL CONCERNS
Children & Teens Smoking - Cigarette smoking
during childhood and adolescence produces significant health problems among young people, including an increase in the number and severity of respiratory illnesses, decreased physical fitness and
potential effects on the rate of lung growth and
maximum lung function. Most importantly, this is
when an addiction to smoking takes hold which often persists into and sometimes throughout adulthood. If current tobacco use patterns persist, an
estimated 6.4 million current child smokers will
eventually die prematurely from a smoking-related
disease. Every day, almost 3,900 children under 18
years of age try their first cigarette, and more than
950 of them will become new, regular daily smokers. Half of them will ultimately die from their
habit. People who begin smoking at an early age
are more likely to develop a severe addiction to
nicotine than those who start at a later age. Of
adolescents who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime, most of them report that
they would like to quit, but are not able to do so.
If you’re interested in Social Concerns, please contact Stephanie Martin at 203-743-3783 or at [email protected].
Parish Office—203-797-0222
E-mail address
[email protected]
Bulletin Notices:
[email protected]
Please submit bulletin notices ten days prior to publication.
Office Hours:
Mon.– Fri, 9:30 am — 3:30 pm
Parish Secretaries:
Mary Lou Cuff & Rachel Gaulard
Corporate Trustees:
Roger Gavagan, Anthony Lucera
Office of Faith Formation—203-743-5168
Director:
Mrs. Mary Ann Houser
E-mail address:
[email protected]
Assistant Administrator
Mrs. Darlene Rabito
E-mail:
[email protected]
Youth Ministry:
Mrs. Rene Hellmann, 203-797-1641
E-mail:
[email protected]
7—8 Coordinator:
Ms. Peggy Forster
E-mail:
K—6 Coordinator:
E-mail:
Catholics Coming Home:
Celebrate the Lectionary:
Pre-Baptism:
Pre-Cana:
R.C.I.A.
[email protected]
Mrs. Janice Rudisill
[email protected]
Deacon Bill Murphy, 203-744-3927
Mary Tracey, 203-790-4223
John & Judy Pitrelli
203-312-3564
Call Parish Office, 203-797-0222
Bruce & Patty Barrows, 203-746-3232
St. Gregory the Great School—Region IX—203-748-1217
Principal:
Sister Mary John O’Rourke
Secretary:
Mrs. Terri Kennen
Parish Ministries
Altar Care:
Altar Servers:
Bereavement:
Choir:
E-mail:
Eucharistic Ministers:
Hospitality:
Lectors:
Shut-Ins:
Ushers:
Mrs. Ruth Lucera, 203-794-1045
Deacon Bill Murphy, 203-744-3927
Fr. Ray. 203-797-0222
Ms. Jenny Li - 203-285-8356
[email protected]
Deacon Bill Murphy, 203-744-3927
Mrs. Kathleen Kelly, 203-792-1833
Deacon Bill Murphy, 203-744-3927
Deacon Bob Blankschen, 743-3091
Mrs. Mary McCormack, 792-7611
William Houser, 203-743-6125
Parish Contacts
Alcoholics Anonymous:
Calendar:
e-mail:
Catholic Singles:
Finance:
Holy Name Society:
e-mail:
Parish Advisory Council:
Pro-Life:
Scouts (Girl):
Scouts (Boy):
Scouts (Cubs)
Seniors:
Women of St. Gregory:
George, 203-792-5976
Barbara Bozeman, 203-797-0222
doubleb43@comcast. net
Fr. Angelo, 203-797-0222
Stephanie Martin—203-743-3783
William Houser, 203-743-6125
[email protected]
Peter Buzaid, 203-743-5504
Rose Mary Peat,
Claudette Novella, 203-746-9771
Keith Vinchkoski, 203-794-9094
Philip Adams, 203-778-9856
Fr. Angelo, 203-797-0222
Rosemary Bouffard, 203-744-6998
CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS
St. Gregory the Great Church #257600
85 Great Plain Road
Danbury, CT 06811
TELEPHONE
203 -797-0222
CONTACT PERSON
Mary Lou & Rachel
SOFTWARE
MSPublisher 2007
Adobe Acrobat 9.0
Windows XP Pro
PRINTER
HP Laserjet 1200
TRANSMISSION TIME
Tuesday 5:00
SUNDAY DATE OF PUBLICATION
October 19, 2014
NUMBER OF PAGES SENT
1 through 10
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS