Inside This Issue Bishop Caggiano Celebrates
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Inside this issue 12 St. Catherine of Siena Parish 20 Malta House moving 27 Three deacon aspirants celebrates St. Joseph to larger home admitted to candidacy ON THE COVER | CONTENTS Bishop Caggiano 6 ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL 22 CATHOLIC CHARITIES celebrates the Pontifical Mass Support ‘A Call to Renewal’ Bank of America donates PPE consecrating the diocese to St. 9 CALL TO RENEWAL 24 VERITAS RADIO Joseph on Friday March 19, Centers of Mercy established New shows available at St. Augustine Cathedral. Faithful throughout the 10 RITE OF ELECTION 25 ASH WEDNESDAY diocese watched the 100 welcomed into the Church Parishioners gather in Danbury live-stream Mass. 17 WE STAND WITH CHRIST 33 A NOD TO ST. JOSEPH PHOTOS BY AMY MORTENSEN Improvements at St. Patrick Church A model of spiritual fatherhood 2 March 2021 Around the Diocese Signs of hope in the pandemic Priest approaching 103 retiring in 1995 as pastor from St. York where she grew up. “We still gives to ACA Margaret Mary Church in Shelton immediately hit it off as friends BRIDGEPORT—Father after 27 years. Since that time, he and talked about local restau- Philip Brady will turn 103 this has been sending his annual check rants and the cold Western year and during his lifetime, of $1,100 to help the parish reach New York weather,” Rittman he’s developed a lot of steady its goal in the appeal. One person said. “He was there when I habits. He says Mass every who is especially appreciative to needed him and presided over day, he prays his breviary Father Brady for his participa- the funeral of a family mem- and he still sends his check to tion in the appeal is Pamela S. ber and blessed our home in the Annual Catholic Appeal. Rittman, director of the Annual upstate New York. When I Father, who lives in a senior Catholic Appeal. Twelve years visit, I make sure to stop in and community outside Buffalo, ago, when he called to make his see him and share the news of served for many years in the donation, she discovered he was the diocese. To my surprise, he Diocese of Bridgeport until from the town in upstate New often knows more than I do.” St. Mark Students strive to be models in Christ STRATFORD—St. Mark School in Stratford is pleased to announce a new school-wide program that teaches stu- dents the value of moral character and that the positive impact of their actions do not go unnoticed. The program, “Models in Christ,” recognizes students for demonstrating character traits based on the Catholic theo- logical virtues of faith, hope and charity. Teachers in kinder- garten through grade eight nominate students as “Models in Christ” based on how they exemplify the six pillars of char- acter at St. Mark School: respect, kindness, accountability, citizenship, perseverance and trustworthiness. 3 March 2021 Around the Diocese Local March for Life draws faithful sup- porters Recognizing the power of praying the rosary and the on-going movement to repeal Roe v. Wade, parishioners from the Diocese of Bridgeport and beyond gathered at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Trumbull, braving the chill of a January afternoon to honor the unborn. St. Jude offers Relics of the Passion Service Holy Hour for during Lent Vocations MONROE—St. John XXIII Council 5987 of the Knights of TRUMBULL— Columbus recently hosted The Relics of the Passion at St. Jude Parish. Faithful from around The collection included eight rare holy relics that would only be seen the diocese recently in collections generally found in Rome or the Holy Land. “The relics joined together at St. were set up across the entire front of St. Jude Church. The afternoon Catherine of Siena offered families a time for prayer and meditation as they contemplated Parish in Trumbull the Passion of our Lord Jesus,” shared Father Henry Hoffman, pastor to pray for vocations of St. Jude. in the Diocese of Bridgeport. During a time of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, the faithful prayed that young men through- out the diocese would be open to hearing the call that God has placed in their hearts to become the living instrument of His love and mercy that priests are formed to be. (For more informa- tion on vocations in the Diocese of Bridgeport email: Vocations@ diobpt.org.) 4 March 2021 The Year of St. Joseph Consecration Mass launches diocesan renewal BRIDGEPORT—Bishop Frank J. Caggiano launched a dioce- san-wide renewal on March 19, when he consecrated the Diocese of Bridgeport to the protection and intercession of St. Joseph, the Patron of the Universal Church, during this Year of St. Joseph pro- claimed by Pope Francis. The bishop celebrated a Pontifical Mass on the Feast of St. Joseph, at St. Augustine Cathedral while pastors throughout the dio- cese simultaneously celebrated Mass, linking the diocese together in prayer and purpose. Describing St. Joseph as a husband, father and saint who exemplified the saying, “Actions speak louder than words,” Bishop Caggiano said, “You and I come here, my friends, not simply to ask for his help, not simply to seek his protection, but to follow his example.” In stark contrast to last March when the state was in lockdown, about 200 people were able to attend the Mass in person while observing the recommended six feet of social distancing, and hun- dreds of others participated by watching the live-stream of the Mass in their homes. The bishop celebrated Mass and delivered his homily while wearing a blue surgi- cal mask. Twice during the evening— immediately after the homily and again at the end of Mass—the at the Cathedral during a special time we turn to Joseph to ask him bishop knelt and prayed before the Mass on May 2. to protect us, to guide us, to defend new statue of St. Joseph, which Calling the faithful to action, us, to inspire us to a mission that depicts him lovingly cradling the during his homily, he said, “In this no longer needs words but faithful, Christ Child in his right arm. He singular moment in the life of the humble, obedient action. For it is said new statue of St. Joseph will Church in this singular moment in our deeds that the world will be formally installed and blessed in the life of our world, now is the see what Joseph saw. It is in our actions that the Lord will glimpse he who Joseph is carrying with his arms outstretched as a child, ready Holy Week to stretch out his arms on the cross so that the love that he bore for us Live-streamed and online Masses to be celebrated by Bishop Caggiano will set us free.” Holy Thursday—April 1 The Mass was a culmination of Chrism Mass—10 am a week-long Novena to St. Joseph, Mass of the Lord’s Supper—7 pm calling upon him to intercede for Good Friday—April 2 the diocese during this year of Celebration of the Passion of the Lord—3 pm celebration, proclaimed by Pope Francis in observance of the 150th Easter Vigil Mass—April 3 anniversary of St. Joseph being Mass—8 pm named Patron of the Universal All of these events will be live-streamed, and will take place at St. Church by Blessed Pius IX. The Augustine Cathedral. Anyone planning to attend must go to the pope also issued an Apostolic Cathedral website and register. The Chrism Mass is using a tiered reg- Letter titled Patris corde, (“With istration system, open to priests, then deacons followed by the curia. a Father’s Heart”) in order “to ➤ CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 5 March 2021 The Year of St. Joseph The Year of St. Joseph CONSECRATION MASS FROM PAGE 4 increase our love for this great ence in the world?” he said. “That found power in his intimate rela- saint, to encourage us to implore faith that binds us as a family, for tionship with God, we must do his intercession and to imitate his each time you and I are out in the the same. virtues and his zeal.” world, caring for the sick, the poor “For that reason my friends, I In his apostolic letter, Pope Francis describe Joseph as “a hidden presence” and “a man in the shadows.” Similarly, Bishop Caggiano observed, “Today we honor a man who has no directly recorded words in all of Sacred Scripture, and yet we come here to honor him as patron and guardian, defender and protector. Of all the members of the human race—second only to the Mother of God—to this man, this sim- ple carpenter, was given a great mission: to protect and guard the Savior and Redeemer of all things and his Sacred Virgin Mother.” Joseph accomplished the great mission he was given through the obedience that characterized his life and the humility that was the foundation of his spiritual rela- tionship with God. He would not have chosen to leave everything behind and go in exile to Egypt, and the homeless, when you did have invited you into that Upper but he followed God’s will. it for the least of my brothers and Room to sit with the Lord, his Joseph was given the great gift sisters, you did it for me.” foster son and our God,” Bishop of an intimate, personal and lov- The mission of renewal that the Caggiano said, referring to his “Call ing relationship with God, whom diocese embarks upon is a “grave to Renewal” through personal he was given to protect.