Saint John Paul the Great Parish THIS WEEK AT OUR PARISH Sunday, August 22 We are a Catholic community united by faith in God, 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time nourished by Jesus through the Word and the Community Meal See Kevin’s Place on page 5 Eucharist and empowered by the Holy Spirit to meet Monday, August 23 the spiritual and physical needs of our parish family 8:00 am, bulletin submission deadline for August 23 bulletin and community through prayer, faith formation, 8:30 am, Mass @ St. Francis, open for private prayer until 4 pm 11:00 am, SJPGA Golf Tournament. See page 7. stewardship, fellowship and outreach. Tuesday, August 24 8:30 am, Mass @ St. Peter, open for private prayer until 4:00 pm 5:30 pm, Exposition, 6:15 pm Benediction @St. Peter (Spanish) Weekly Collection figures are 5:306:00 pm, Confession @ St. Peter (Spanish/English) 6:30 pm, Santa Misa @ St. Peter (Spanish) not available this week due to an 7:00 pm, Reunión de Juan XXIII en el Salón de San Pedro early deadline. Figures for August 15 Wednesday, August 25 will be provided in the August 29 bulletin. 8:30 am, Mass @ St. Francis, open for private prayer until 4 pm PǜǕǑǣǕ ǝǑǛǕ Ǒǜǜ ǓǘǕǓǛǣ ǠǑǩǑǒǜǕ Ǥǟ 4:008:00 pm, TakeOut Tuesday Wednesday. See page 6. SǤ. JǟǘǞ PǑǥǜ ǤǘǕ GǢǕǑǤ PǑǢǙǣǘ 4:305:30 pm, Eucharistic Adoration @ St. Francis (English) Thank you for your continued generosity 5:006:30 pm, Father Carlos office hours (Spanish) Thursday, August 26 8:30 am, Mass @ St. Peter, open for private prayer until 4:00 pm Dear Parishioners, we depend totally on your Friday, August 27 weekly offerings for the upkeep of our parish. 8:30 am, Mass @ St. Francis, open for private prayer until 4 pm I thank you for your continued generosity in Saturday, August 28 supporting St. John Paul the Great Parish. 10:00 am M 5:30 pm, St. Peter open for private prayer God Bless You, 2:003:00 pm, Confession @ St. Francis Father Emmanuel Sunday, August 29 SUMMER IS IN OUR MIDST 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time GIVING MADE EASY WHILE YOU’RE ON THE GO! Sign up for ONLINE GIVING on our easytouse platform! The Benefits of Online Giving: THANK YOU for your continued support It’s fast and easy. Once your account is set up, you don’t have to do a through donations of Redeemable thing. You can start, stop, and change your gift-giving at any time for any reason. It’s automatic, fully secure and confidential. You have total control. CANS & Plastic BOTTLES Set Up Your Online Giving Account today. Use your mobile phone, DROP OFF IN FRONT OF ST. FRANCIS GARAGE 24/7 smart device or computer to visit www.johnpaulgreatparish.com ______________________________________________ and click the online giving link to get started. For questions, contact [email protected] or call Anita at (860) 482-4433. ONLINE GIVING IS PROVIDED BY OUR SUNDAY VISITOR, A CATHOLIC NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION SERVING PARISHES FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS. Assistance is needed once a month to First Saturday of every month! transport bottles & cans for redemption. MONTHLY FOOD DRIVE for the FOOD BANKS If you have an SUV, th • a van or an enclosed truck, and Next collection: SEPT. 4 9:30 am - 12 pm a bit of time to lend a hand, Drop off is main entrance of St. John Paul the Great Academy, please call the parish office: 8604824433. 360 Prospect St. Items such as pasta, pasta sauce, rice, tuna, mac & cheese, canned fruits & vegetables, instant The next bulletin submission deadline is potatoes, side dishes, beans, juices, peanut 8:00 am • MONDAY, AUGUST 23 butter, jelly and cereal. Donations of baby food are also needed. Please remember that the food ɕɞɡ AUGUST 29TH bulletin banks cannot accept expired food. Submissions cannot be accepted over the phone. Monetary donations will also be accepted. Please make any Please submit no later than deadline by email to: checks out to FISH, Friendly Hands or The Gathering Place. [email protected] Thank you for continuing to support St. John Paul the Late submissions will be considered only if space allows. Great Social Justice Ministry outreach projects. VOLUNTEERS WELCOME! A?1?=> 22, 2021 Please call Chris: 8604824433 ext. 23 2|21st Sunday in Ordinary Time or email:[email protected] August 22, 2021 ● From the Pastor’s Desk ● 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B F+>2/< E77+8?/6’= W//56C P<+C/< My prayer for you this week is taken from the book of Numbers 31:49. IǤ ǣǑǩǣ: “...and they said to Moses, ‘Your servants have taken a census of men of war who are in our charge, and no man of us is missing.’” After the Israelites went to battle against the Midianites and prevailed, God spoke to Moses to take a count of his men who were involved in the war. The officers who conducted the census came back and reported to Moses that none of his men were missing. When the battle against Covid19 is over, may you not be missing! May no one of your family be missing! “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord for May none of our church members be missing, in Jesus name, Amen! the service of other gods.” We struggle with our gods. They appear in the forms of things like money, power, M Father Emmanuel prestige, popularity, privilege, and selffulfillment. We like these “gods” because they make us feel good and ask very little of us in return. When we worship them, we worship ourselves. How can you go wrong with that? We buy into the illusion that if something can give us a comfortable life, free of want and need, then it is worth setting other things aside to pursue it. In essence, we sell our souls. Our struggle with “who is God” and to whom do we belong is a real one and one that can easily find us empty and experiencing disillusionment. Dear Parishioners, The devil tempted Jesus in the desert and promised Further threat of the spread of COVID19 and the him more. We are promised “more.” But in pursuing the Delta variant has arisen. The CDC and the more and the satisfying we lose track of the cost, and the Archdiocese of Hartford recommend that all cost is great. We sacrifice our very life in pursuit of unvaccinated persons something disguised as life. We sacrifice truth for something wear masks in public that only “feels” true. While the true and real God certainly indoor settings. It is promises us many things, many things are also required. It is also recommended not about the warm and secure feelings and selfabsorption that fully vaccinated the world wants to provide, but of giving back. persons wear masks in There can be no lukewarm stance with regard to faith. public indoor settings If we are in, then faith in Jesus Christ asks us to do some in areas of substantial difficult things: work in service of God’s kingdom (not our or high transmission. own), love our enemies, offer no resistance to injury, that For the good of all, we must die to ourselves in order to find ourselves, and we are therefore reinstating, for now, the trust that Jesus truly gives us his flesh and blood to eat and requirement that all who enter our churches drink. These are hard things to accept and even harder to resume the wearing of masks at all times. put into practice. It is no wonder that many, who may be M Father Emmanuel attracted to Jesus at first, walk away in pursuit of the more selfsatisfying gods. But truth is truth. If we cannot accept it from the lips of Friday evening Adoration Jesus Christ, then where else will we find it? To whom can Schedule & Community Prayer we go? There is only one source of truth and life, Jesus at St. Peter Church Christ. Jesus has the words of eternal life and if we do not go Reminder will not be held during the month to him, then where else will we find this gift? But we must be of August. Friday adoration and faithful and buy into the whole package deal that requires First Friday Mass of healing will sacrifice and fidelity. When we do, we find ourselves, through both resume in September. the Body and Blood of Christ, connected to the Source of all life and then intimately bound with our brothers and sisters. We all have to decide whether we want to stay or go and if View our bulletin online: JohnPaulGreatParish.com we can accept what Jesus has to say. It’s a choice we all 3|S+38> J928 P+?6 >2/ G</+> P+<3=2 have to make. ©LPi Mass Intentions For those who do not have access to the internet but who would like to watch the Sunday Mass: CABLE 5 broadcasts a recording of the St. John Saturday, August 21st Paul the Great SUNDAY MASS each week, premiering Fridays, with repeats on the following Mondays and Wednesdays: 4:30 pm St. Peter MASS FOR SUNDAY, AUGUST 22 † Deceased members of the Marcantonio & D’Addario will air Friday, August 27 @ 2 pm; repeating Families by the Children Mon., Aug. 30 @ 4 pm; ǑǞǔ Wed., Sept. 1 @ 3:30 pm Sunday, August 22nd Also, a television Mass produced by the Office of Radio & Television is aired daily at 10 am on WCCT-TV (CW20) and 7:00 am St.