Our Lady of the Assumption Parish 545 Stratfield Road Fairfield, CT 06825-1872 Tel
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Our Lady of the Assumption Parish 545 Stratfield Road Fairfield, CT 06825-1872 Tel. (203) 333-9065 Fax: (203) 333-2562 Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.olaffld.org “Ad Jesum per Mariam” To Jesus through Mary. Clergy/Lay Leadership Rev. Peter A. Cipriani, Pastor Rev. Michael Flynn, Parochial Vicar Deacon Raymond John Chervenak Deacon Robert McLaughlin Michael Cooney, Director of Music Daniel Ford, Esq., Trustee Masses (Schedules subject to change) Saturday Vigil Mass: 4 PM Sunday Masses: 7:30 AM, 9 AM 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM (Subject to change) Morning Daily Mass: (Mon.-Sat.) 7:30 AM Evening Daily Mass: (Mon.-Fri.) 5:30 PM Holy Days: See Bulletin for schedule Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturday: 1:30– 2:30 PM or by appointment. Every Tuesday: 7-8:00 PM Rosary/Divine Mercy Chaplet 7 AM Monday-Saturday, Rosary 8 AM First Saturday of each month, Rosary 3 PM Monday-Friday, Divine Mercy Chaplet and Rosary Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Anyone interested in becoming a Roman Catholic becomes a part of this First Friday of each month from 8 AM process, as can any adult Catholic who has not received all the Sacraments of Friday to 7:15 AM Saturday. To volunteer initiation. For further information contact the Faith Formation office. contact Grand Knight, Michael Lauzon at (203) 817-7528. Sacrament of Baptism This Sacrament is celebrated on Sundays at 1:00 PM. It is required that Novenas parents participate in a Pre-Baptismal class. Classes are held on the third Miraculous Medal-8 AM. Monday Saturday of the month. Registration is required by calling the parish office. Saint Joseph-8 AM. Wednesday Divine Mercy-8 AM. Friday Sacrament of Marriage Please contact the parish office as soon as possible so as to ensure a proper Parish Membership time and adequate preparation for this Sacrament. Pre-Cana or Engaged En- Our parish family invites all of its members counters are required. to participate fully in our spiritual and social life. Every family moving into the parish is Anointing of the Sick Ministry to the Sick and Elderly requested to register at the Rectory or go to This Sacrament of healing expresses the love of God and our Church for our our website for a registration form. If you sick, our shut-ins and the elderly, unable to come to Church. For the dying, move to another parish, or change your ad- please contact the Rectory immediately. For the confined, the elderly and dress, notify the Rectory. our shut-ins, whether at home, or in the hospital, please inform the Rectory. Page 2 From The Pastor’s Desk - The Hour of Darkness The Lifetime of Mercy - When the hour came, Jesus took His place at table with the Apostles. What does He then do, institutes the Eucharist, the Hour sins were torturing and killing Him: “Father if it is possi- referred to is of His Passion and what is Passion ble let this cup of suffering pass from my lips.” intense loveand there is no greater more intense and When His disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to intimate Love than God’snow in human formgiven to pray He responded with this version of the Our Father: usthe fullness of His body blood soul and divinity but as a gift of Mercy. “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. And the passion narrative paints the awesome yet horri- Give us each day our daily bread ble picture of the price Christ paid, the Father paid that and forgive us our sins we might receive the fullness of that Mercy lest we per- for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, ish and suffer the fires of Hell. and do not subject us to the final test.” And that is because there is another hour at work in our The Final Test is that moment when the devil knowing liveswhat we just heard Jesus refer to when Judas this is his last hour to steal us out of the arms of Christ and the Authorities came to arrest Him for his execution: tempts us to despairand so how has our preparation “this is your hour, the time for the power of darkness”, been to that moment? When an Athlete aspires to win and it is a terrible hour whose power remains at work in the Championship he or she does not just show up to this world and in all our lives and why we must draw that one game, one momentpreparation begins the strength from the Hour of Divine Mercy when Christ ex- moment he or she learns to tie one’s cleats. pired on the Cross3:00 PM. Do we not pray in the Hail Mary: “Holy Mary Mother of We see the hour of darkness at work in the Garden of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our Gethsemane when Christ is so overcome and over- death” Why that hour, because it’s the power of dark- whelmed by this power of evilour power of sinthat ness’ last hour to inflict as much damage on our faith as as we heard, ”He was in such agony and he prayed so possiblereminding us that there is perhaps no greater fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood fal- light to scatter such darkness than Devotion to Mary. ling to the ground.” We recognize the power of this dark hour wherever a life is tragically taken and people must Every Hail Mary every Rosary ever recited all the power mourn, wherever there is destruction so hard to recover behind those prayers, that devotion, will be unleashed from, where there is financial ruin, dreams shattered, like a million exploding suns upon that infernal and now hatred, racism, abortion. fleeing darkness. And needing the comfort and support of His Apostles, Listen to these words of comfort and warning from Christ turning to them, He finds them asleep: “could you not revealed to Saint Faustina regarding His Mercy and the stay awake with me one hourWhy are you sleeping urgent need to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet: Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test.” “When I entered the chapel for a moment, the Lord said And what is this testa test of Faiththere is no greater to me, My daughter, help Me to save a certain dying nor worse temptation, which is really the basis of all sinner. Say the chaplet that I have taught you for temptations, than to lose Faith in Christ. It is the cry of him. When I began to say the chaplet, I saw the man Christ from the Cross: “My God My God why have you dying in the midst of terrible torment and struggle. His abandoned me.” Guardian Angel was defending him, but he was, as it were, powerless against the enormity of the soul’s mis- But nowhere will this temptation be as severe than at the ery. A multitude of devils was waiting for the soul. moment of our deathour Gethsemane and on the Cross moment when Hell’s power will be unleashed But while I was saying the chaplet, I saw Jesus just as against us, as it was upon Christ hoping to get Him to He is depicted in the image. The rays which issued from lose not just faith in Himself and the Father but all of us; Jesus’ Heart enveloped the sick man, and the powers of that how could we possibly be worth saving when our darkness fled in panic. The sick man peacefully Page 3 From The Pastor’s Desk breathed his last. When I came to myself, I understood “Today bring to Me SOULS WHO HAVE BECOME LUKE- how very important the chaplet was for the dying. It ap- WARM, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. peases the anger of God.” These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suf- fered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives Jesus promises: because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried “At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy.” for a dying person, the pardon is the same. When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God’s Jesus describes these souls in more heart-breaking detail: anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelops the “Souls without love or devotion, souls full of egoism and soul, and the very depths of My tender mercy are moved selfishness, proud and arrogant souls full of deceit and for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of My Son (Diary, hypocrisy: My Heart cannot bear this. All the graces that I 811).” pour out upon them flow off them as off the face of a rock.” There is nothing more essential that preparing for this hour of our deathbut we must do so by activating the As Jesus revealed to Saint Faustina regarding the incon- Hour of Power of Christ’s Mercy. With so few people at- ceivable and bottomless depths of this Mercy: tending that one hour of power each week which is the “The flames of mercy are burning Me — clamoring to be Mass, what strength if any will they have to resist this spent; I want to keep pouring them out upon souls; souls demonic onslaught? just don’t want to believe in My goodness (Diary, 177).” Why are you sleepingsleep-walking through life Having been entrusted with this gold mine of graces that hardly ever attending Masshardly ever praying is infinitely deep and expansive let us spend the remaining hardly ever seeking forgiveness of sinsno wonder the hours of our lives dispensing these graces of unfathom- Divine Mercy Chaplet concludes on day 9 praying for able goodness, peace and healing upon all souls espe- Luke Warm soulsand the words of Christ, truly reveal cially those most in need of God’s Mercy beginning with the cost of His Mercy for us He paid in Gethsemane and ourselves.