THE MAGAZINE OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF HARTFORD MAY 2020 archdioceseofhartford.org/catholictranscript BRUSH STROKES FOR CHRIST Artists convey Jesus’ dignity, humanity through murals. COURAGE: WALKING BUILDING MISSIONARY DISCIPLES A VISIT TO ST. THERESA THE ROAD WITH CHRIST THROUGH CURSILLOS IN CHRISTIANITY OF THE CHILD JESUS SHRINE SERVING THE COUNTIES OF HARTFORD, NEW HAVEN AND LITCHFIELD, CONNECTICUT1 ADVERTISEMENT Your support will make a difference! As a result of the Coronavirus, the outreach of Church spiritually and materially, will be needed more than ever. Please join us in this vital mission to serve thousands in Christ’s name and achieve our $10M goal. NO GIFT IS TOO SMALL! CATHOLIC EDUCATION 8% GRANTS PASTORAL MINISTRIES VICARIATE OUTREACH CATHOLIC 9% EDUCATION If you are one 10% AND FAITH FORMATION 10% of the 16,144 11% RETIRED donors across PRIESTS 12% Litchfield, New $4,281,411 Haven and COMMUNICATIONS 12% Hartford Counties 28% who have made CATHOLIC SEMINARIAN AND DIACONATE CHARITIES your 2020 gift — PROGRAMS & WORKS OF MERCY THANK YOU! For additional questions, please call 800.781.2550. To donate online, please visit: https://archdioceseofhartford.org/appeal/ or use your smartphone to scan the QR code below. All funds contributed to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal 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 USEDFOR LEGAL FEES, SETTLEMENTS OR ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. 100% of your gift will be allocated to archdiocesan agencies and local charities that rely on your support. Name Total gift: $ Select one: Check Credit card Address SCAN HERE Card #: TO MAKE A GIFT City/State/Zip BY SMARTPHONE Charge this amount: $ Parish/Parish City Please do not mail cash. CVV2 code: Card type: Make checks payable and mail to: Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, Signature: Exp. date: / P.O. Box 28, Hartford, CT 06141 MAY 2020 CONTENTS FEATURED ARTICLES 8 Brush Strokes for Christ Artists convey Jesus’ dignity and humanity through Church murals. 14 Walking the Road With Christ Archdiocese provides spiritual support for those with same-sex attractions. 20 Building Missionary Disciples Cursillos in Christianity Movement 8 brings people closer to Jesus. SUBMITTED PHOTO 26 A ‘Safe Place’ Catholic Charities provides care for infants, toddlers. ARCHBISHOP’S DESK 6 “‘WHOEVER DOES THE WILL PHOTO20 BY AARON JOSEPH OF GOD REMAINS FOREVER’” Whatever the situation, this crisis is a reminder that we and all our medical and scientific progress to date are not invincible. DEPARTMENTS THE MAGAZINE OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF HARTFORD MAY 2020 archdioceseofhartford.org/catholictranscript 14 4 EDITOR’S DESK PHOTO BY AARON JOSEPH PHOTO26 BY JACK SHEEDY 5 ON THE WEB, TV & RADIO BRUSH STROKES FOR CHRIST Artists convey Jesus’ dignity, humanity through murals. COURAGE: WALKING BUILDING MISSIONARY DISCIPLES A VISIT TO ST. THERESA THE ROAD WITH CHRIST THROUGH CURSILLOS IN CHRISTIANITY OF THE CHILD JESUS SHRINE 12 BIBLE GUIDANCE 18 SYNOD 2020 SERVING THE COUNTIES OF HARTFORD, NEW HAVEN AND LITCHFIELD, CONNECTICUT VISIT US AT: 1 23 VOCATIONS OFFICE ArchdioceseofHartford.org/CatholicTranscript 24 GOING PLACES facebook.com/ArchdioceseofHartford/ ON THE COVER: 27 SAINTS CORNER Religious murals make an artistic @ArchdioceseHart statement about the new identity 28 MARK YOUR CALENDAR @ArchdioceseofHartford of Christ the King Parish. 30 AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE youtube.com/archdioceseofhartfordct PHOTO BY AARON JOSEPH 31 OBITUARIES 3 The Catholic Transcript is the official God Hears Our Pleas, magazine of the Archdiocese of Hartford, which includes Hartford, New Haven and Litchfield counties. The magazine, published in Connecticut since 1829, is distributed free In Church and At Home of charge through the generosity of donors to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. A staff member from the Hispanic Senior Telephone: 860.286.2828 or 1.800.726.2391 Website: www.archdioceseofhartford.org/ Center, a program of Catholic Charities in catholictranscript Hartford, assists with delivering meals to KAREN AVITABILE Email: [email protected] seniors during the closure of the center due Distribution: More than 174,000 is the editor of the to coronavirus. Mailing changes: Email address changes Catholic Transcript. COURTESY OF CATHOLIC CHARITIES to [email protected]. MAY 2020 The faithful who are accustomed to attending priests have creatively continued to bring the Archbishop Leonard P. Blair worship on Sunday mornings could never have faith to their flock. And we have all heard the PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER imagined a day that our churches would be stories of people coming together to help not Father Matthew Gworek closed for an undetermined amount of time. only their families and neighbors but others EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS Unfortunately, COVID-19 forced this to hap- they do not even know. We will be bringing pen for several weeks. This was not a decision you some of these stories in future issues of the Karen A. Avitabile EDITOR made lightly. Catholic Transcript. Like others, I have been using television (the One example, pictured here, is how Catholic Shelley Wolf STAFF WRITER Mass is broadcast seven days at week at 10 Charities continued delivering meals to seniors a.m. on local stations and streamed live on during the closure of its center due to the coro- Aaron Joseph PHOTOGRAPHER ortv.org) and social media to stay connected navirus. In partnership with the Community to God and the local Church. Renewal Team and the city of Hartford, staff Jenny Pomicter GRAPHIC DESIGNER It has been a spiritual exercise of sorts to at Catholic Charities remained committed daily carry out our faith privately through Lent, Holy to providing seniors with nutrition throughout Auxiliary Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt Week and Easter without a presence in church. the public health crisis. Archbishop Leonard P. Blair Father Michael Casey But this experience has been an opportunity to Restrictions on activities and gathering in Joe Pisani ask God what gift we could offer him that would groups made it impossible to come together Father Jeffrey V. Romans help us to be more of his disciples. What I have as a worshiping community. Even during the Jack Sheedy Frank Spano experienced is people taking time out of each difficult times, let us strive to build a closer CONTRIBUTORS day during this stay-at-home period to reflect relationship to God, even in the comforts of on the teachings and to engage more in per- our own homes. CATHOLIC TRANSCRIPT (USPS 0094- 540, ISSN 1081-4353) is published monthly, sonal prayer. Many have shared except for February and August, by the their experiences online, privately Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford, in church and on television. 134 Farmington Ave., Hartford, CT 06105. Periodicals postage paid at Hartford, CT and This health crisis has taught us PRAYER TO ST. RAPHAEL THE ARCHANGEL, at additional mailing offices. that we can call on God anytime PATRON SAINT OF HEALING we want, in church but also in the POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Blessed St. Raphael, Archangel, Catholic Transcript, 467 Bloomfield Ave., comfort of our homes. God hears We beseech you to help us in all our needs Bloomfield, CT 06002-2999. our pleas and our needs, 24 hours and trials of this life, a day, no matter where we are. as you, through the power of God, Connecting people with There has never been a greater Jesus and his Church didst restore sight and gave guidance to young Tobit. www.FAITHcatholic.com time than now to turn to God in We humbly seek your aid and intercession, prayer, to discover how we can that our souls may be healed, Patrick M. O’Brien PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER deepen our relationship with him our bodies protected from all ills, and to re-evaluate our priorities. and that through divine grace we may become fit Elizabeth Martin Solsburg VICE PRESIDENT/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR It has been inspiring to see the to dwell in the eternal Glory of God in heaven. different ways our archdiocesan Amen. 4 CATHOLIC TRANSCRIPT | MAY 2020 | archdioceseofhartford.org/catholictranscript KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US! There are many ways to connect with us online or on your television. WAVEBREAKMEDIA/GETTY LIKE! SLIDE! Become a Facebook fan by Stay up-to-date on joining facebook.com/ archdiocese happenings archdioceseofhartford/ @archdioceseofhartford SURF! VIDEOS! Visit the web at Check out our latest videos at archdioceseofhartford.org youtube.com/archdioceseofhartfordct WEB EXTRAS! PRAY! See bonus exclusive content at Pray the daily Mass on ORTV archdioceseofhartford.org/ on CW20 and MyTV9. Online catholictranscript streaming is available at ortv.org TWITTER! HEAR! Receive Tweets at @ WJMJ radio delivers inspirational messages and archdioceseofhartford religious news at 88.9 FM Hartford, 93.1 FM Hamden, 107.1 FM and 107.1 FM New Haven ARCHBISHOP’S DESK ”‘WHOEVER DOES THE WILL OF GOD REMAINS FOREVER’” s I write this article for the Transcript well in advance of its publication date, we are in the throes of the coronavirus crisis, and I don’t know where we will be by the time you read this. Whatever the situation, this crisis is a reminder that we and all our medical and scientific progress to date are ARCHBISHOP Anot invincible. And if, as we all hope, a medical remedy can soon be found, we will LEONARD P. BLAIR still always be mortal beings, fragile creatures in the immensity of a created universe is the 13th bishop of the Archdiocese that is beyond our grasp. of Hartford. God is the Creator and we are his suspicion that, in the end, God takes a full, satisfying and ethical life without creatures. We are made for love in the something away from his life, that God God or revealed religion, sometimes with divine “image and likeness” with a ra- is a rival who curtails our freedom, and a hodgepodge of practices derived from tional and immortal soul and redeemed that we will be fully human only when various religions or beliefs.