Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

LAREDO, TX—Mrs. Selma Santos, principal of Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, Laredo, was brought to tears when she found about 200 cards, homemade by students living halfway across the country, in a box she recently received in the mail. When Sarah Gengoe, secretary of the Parents Association Board at Greenwich Catholic School in Connecticut, heard about how Texans were affected by February’s freezing weather, she contacted several superintendents across the state to ask if any of their schools had permanent damage caused by the weather. On behalf of the school’s administration, faculty, parents and students, she expressed a desire to offer support.

Dr. Guadalupe Perez, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Laredo, was among those contacted, and she shared the information with all of the schools in the diocese. Mrs. Santos then communicated with Mrs. Gengoe regarding a few urgent and unexpected repairs that were needed. A pipe going to the restroom broke, and four of the classrooms had parts of the ceiling that were falling in due to water damage.

Little did Mrs. Santos know, or expect, such a generous outpouring of love and financial assistance. Students from each grade level at Greenwich made cards with heartwarming messages to be handed out to the students from Blessed Sacrament.

Additionally, $7000 was raised for Blessed Sacrament through a “jean day” fundraiser. On jean days, students are asked to make a small donation as a result of being allowed to wear jeans with a school shirt instead of their school uniform.

“This is what we instill in students at our Catholic schools—giving. We promote service,” Mrs. Santos emotionally shared, humbled by the kindness shown by people whom they will likely never meet.

Click here for more.

May Crowning at St. Mary, Ridgefield

RIDGEFIELD—With the month of May traditionally devoted to Mary, St. Mary Parish in Ridgefield kicked it off with a “May Crowning.”

Young girls of the parish were invited to bring a flower from their own garden to Mass on Sunday, May 2. The oldest girl at the 10:30 am Mass placed a flower crown on the statue of Mary, followed by a short procession with song.

Afterward, everyone was invited to add their flowers to a vase next to our Blessed Mother and kneel before her for a moment of prayer.

It was well attended and God blessed the morning with incredibly beautiful weather. The Knights of Columbus constructed a liter to carry the statue for the procession. The Blessed Mother statue is on the right of the altar in the Nancy Bossidy Rec Center and can be venerated all throughout the month of May.

May Crowning is a special Marian devotion held during the month of May to honor Mary, Mother of Jesus as “Queen of May. The traditional ritual includes a procession to the statue of the Blessed Mother where she is crowned with a garland or crown of flowers.

St. Mary School is located at 183 High Ridge Ave, Ridgefield, CT 06877. For enrollment information call: Phone: +1 203 438 7288. For more information or to take a virtual tour, visit the web: https://www.smsridgefield.org/admissions/admissions-application-process

TRUMBULL—St. Theresa School recently celebrated Grandparent’s Day with an oral spiritual bouquet after Mass and the Litany of the Saints led by Father Gannon.

Each class presented a prayer in Latin or English for the intentions of their grandparents and special guests.

Attached are the few short videos of the children reciting their prayers:

Kindergarten: Ave Maria (Hail Mary), Pater Noster (Our Father)
3rd Grade: Pater Noster (Our Father)
1st Grade: St Theresa Prayer

Click play below to watch a video.

TRUMBULL, CT—St Joseph High School, southern Connecticut’s premier college preparatory school, is proud to announce that Joseph Harrington and Helen Mahoney are this year’s Valedictorian and Salutatorian respectively.

Joseph Harrington has attained the highest academic record among his class and will deliver the Valedictorian’s Farewell Address at the close of Commencement on Saturday, June 5th. Joseph resides in Fairfield, CT and currently serves as President of the Writing Center, a Captain of the Boys Varsity Tennis Team, and member of the National Honor Society, Jazz Band, Coding Club, and Student Ambassadors. Joseph is also a Harvard Book Award recipient, Commended National Merit Scholar, and a member of Math, English, Spanish, and Music Honor Societies. Additionally, he has represented St Joes multiple times as a Western Region and All-State Euphonium instrumentalist. Joseph is heavily involved in scouting, having served as the Senior Patrol Leader of his troop, and as a Chapter Chief in scouting’s national honor society, the Order of the Arrow. Joe is currently wrapping up his Eagle Scout project and application and, in the fall, plans on attending The University of Notre Dame to study economics and political science.

St Joe’s Salutatorian, Helen Mahoney resides in Stamford, CT. She is President of the National Honor Society, and has led the initiative to make and deliver over 10,000 sandwiches to the New Covenant Center. She is a member of the Math, English, and Spanish Honor Societies. Helen is also a Yale Book Award recipient, an AP Scholar with Distinction, and a Bausch + Lomb Honorary Science Award recipient. During her time at St Joes, as a Presidential Scholar, Helen has been an active member of the Drama and Debate clubs, as well as President of the Online Writing Resource Center and Vice President of Student Ambassadors. She was also a starting defender on the 2017 Varsity Girls Soccer State Championship team. In the fall, Helen will attend The University of Notre Dame as a Glynn Family Honors Program Scholar, majoring in Mathematics.

“We are so proud of these two very talented students who embody all that is St Joes,” said Principal, Nancy DiBuono. “James is a leader through example and his strength of character is noticed by all. Helen is a talented student with a strong work ethic. She sets high standards for herself and is a leader both in and out of the classroom. We know they are both destined for greatness.”

 About St Joseph High School

St Joseph High School (SJHS) strives to be the premier college preparatory school in Southern Connecticut. The school provides a learning environment that embraces the Gospel values of the Roman Catholic faith and promotes a commitment to family and community. SJHS prepares young women and men to realize their potential, helps them to excel in higher education, and provides a foundation to guide them throughout their lives. St Joseph High School is a member of NCEA, NAIS, NEAS&C.  www.sjcadets.org

NEWTOWN—St. Rose School students recently traveled the world as they celebrated International Week. This is a long-time school tradition where every grade chooses and studies a country then shares their knowledge with fellow classes.

The week kicks off with an International Flag ceremony.  This year the ceremony was small, with 3 representatives from each class carrying flags, wearing country colors and garb and presenting key facts about the country.

Countries represented ranged from Italy to Ghana.  Students read articles, watched videos, created art work and made items such as rain sticks (Australia), Achi, a game played in Ghana, as well as Djemba drums (also Ghana).

In fact, fifth-graders also created folk tales that they will be sharing with students at a school in Ghana that St. Rose School supported through its recent Lenten Mission Drive.

First-graders studied the tastes, sights and events of Italy while second graders toured Mexico and made maracas. It was a marvelous learning adventure for all!

Click here to see a full video of the International Flag Ceremony!

DANBURY—Immaculate High School will be hosting their 16th annual Gala on May 1, 2021 at 7 pm. This year, the gala will be held virtually and everyone is invited to attend! In lieu of admission or ticket prices, Immaculate is asking everyone to become a sponsor at any level. Sponsorship options can be found at immaculatehs.org/gala. In traditional fashion, Immaculate will be honoring two members of their community with the Nancy K. Dolan Leadership Award and the Distinguished Service Award.

Brian P. McGovern, a member of the Immaculate Class of 1989, is the recipient of the Nancy K. Dolan Leadership Award. Brian stayed active in the Immaculate community after graduating by helping to plan the Class of 1989 reunions and furthered his involvement in 2009 by becoming a member of the school’s Advisory Board. In this role, he was able to lead the initiative to bring better technology such as projectors and laptops into the classrooms. He also the Immaculate Alumni Association, which keeps graduates of the school in close communication with happenings at Immaculate. Brian is presently a General Manager at Miratech, overseeing the company’s industry leading workflow management products that deliver business results across a variety of industries.

John G. Capilli, Sr. is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for his commitment to Immaculate High School as a member of the community for the past eleven years. Along with being aparent of Cara ‘14 and Johnny Jr. ‘17, John has continued to serve on the Mustang All Sports Club (MASC), the Annual Golf Outing Committee and is a member of the School Advisory Board. He has also been a generous sponsor of numerous athletics fundraising events, the Tuition Assistance Program, Annual Golf Outing and Annual Gala. John is the Division President of Classic Equipment Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Vault Structures, Inc. out of Fort Myers, Florida and Cedarville, New Jersey.

The theme of this year’s gala is Light the Way and will feature a virtual silent auction, a $10,000 cash raffle and more! For more information and to become a sponsor, visit immaculatehs.org/gala.

NEWTOWN—On Monday, March 29, Kindergarten students at St. Rose School in Newtown were decked out in their Easter finest, including handmade Easter bonnets, hats and bow ties.

Students and their parents paraded around the school parking lot, calling out Happy Easter! They then brought their joy across the street to Church Hill Village, an assisted living facility.

Many residents were seated in front of the building with a special guest—the Easter Bunny!

Students waved and called out Happy Easter, giving high fives to the Easter Bunny. The Bunny led students to the back of the facility where they waved to other residents who were watching from their windows.

Their little feet walked many steps and warmed many hearts with Christ’s love!

STRATFORD—Shaelyn Averaimo, an eighth-grade student at St. Mark School in Stratford, recently met with Senator Chris Murphy and Senator Richard Blumenthal’s office about passing the Food Allergy Safety Treatment Education & Research (FASTER) Act.

According to Shaelyn, the FASTER Act would ensure food ingredients are listed in “plain” wording and allocate more money towards research and development for a food allergy cure.

Shaelyn has a life-threatening food allergy and is a strong advocate for herself and other young people like her. She is a Teen Advisory Group (TAG) member for Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), the world’s largest private funder of food allergy research. Shaelyn works on youth projects, creates content for the company’s website, and serves as a leader at national events.

She recently attended Courage at Congress 2021, FARE’s second annual advocacy event on March 8-10. The three-day event was a virtual gathering this year, allowing more members of the community to have their voices heard by key members of Congress and work on passing H.R. 1202, the FASTER Act.

The bill would update allergen labeling laws to include sesame and would require the federal government to analyze the most promising research opportunities to help scientists develop more effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for food allergies.

“More than 1.5 million people are allergic to sesame, yet it is not required to be included on any product labels,” shares Shaelyn. “We will not stop advocating for this critical piece of legislation until we get sesame labeled.”

Shaelyn adds, “Also, 32 million people suffer from food allergies, but there is only one FDA-approved treatment, and it only helps those with peanut allergy. We must collect national data on Americans’ exposure to food allergens and prevalence of food allergies to specific allergens.”

In 2020, the FASTER Act passed the United States House of Representatives on November 17 and the United States Senate on December 9. Due to some minor changes in the bill in the Senate, it needed to go back to the House for a final vote. Unfortunately, the legislative clock ran out.

In February 2021, the bill was reintroduced and on March 3, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the FASTER Act, moving the legislation one step closer to law.

Shaelyn suggests, “If you live with a food allergy or have a loved one with a food allergy, please contact your Representative, ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 1202 and pass it.  Also, please contact your Senator and let them know that more needs to be done by way of funding and research to protect over 32 million people from life-threatening food allergies.”

Next fall, Shaelyn will be attending Sacred Heart Academy in Hamden where she hopes to join the Track Team, the Drama Club and focus on Science, Mandarin, and making new friends.  She also hopes to continue to advocate for food allergy awareness when the opportunity presents itself.

For more information, please visit Shaelyn’s Instagram Account (shaeallergy07) and website (www.nowheyshae.com), both dedicated to food allergy awareness.

NEWTOWN—On Friday, March 12, 5-8th graders at St. Rose School participated in activities to celebrate Pi Day.

Students in Mrs. Cicarelli’s 6th, 7th, and 8th grades created a “Pi-Line, Skyline” project. Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 around the world and the Greek letter “π” is the symbol used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, approximately 3.14159. 

Students shared in a mini-lesson discussing pi and translated the famous number into their very own artwork. Students created a vertical bar graph, where each bar’s height corresponds to each digit of Pi. The completed graph gives the impression of a city skyline, which the students then colored in to enhance the buildings.

As a special treat, 7^th-graders received individual-sized apple pies (donated by generous parents) to eat while they worked on their Pi-Line projects.

Students in Mrs. Bokuniewicz’s 5th-grade class were challenged to name as many digits in Pi as they could—winners named as many as 151! It was an innovative, engaging and memorable lesson.

DANBURY—Continuing with a rigorous academic program, Immaculate High School students are awakening their hearts to transform challenging times into caring times. This vibrant school community ignites its charisms of service and educates the whole student while preparing for a joyful Easter season. During Lent, students have stepped up to support one another and those in the community who are facing daily hardships while pursuing their coursework and extracurricular activities with vigor and grace. Consciously spending more time in prayer whether in the school’s Monsignor Hossan Memorial Chapel or at home, students are embracing their faith through self-reflection, repentance and almsgiving.

During this time of renewal and new beginnings, the school is discontinuing its twelve months of student cohorts and virtual learning by inviting all students to attend class in person. “When reviewing our current mitigation practices, we feel confident with opening our doors to all students to return to the school building,” shares school President Mary Maloney. The school will continue to adhere to all CDC and Danbury Public Health guidance, especially the wearing of face masks for the remainder of the school year.

The school has been able to offer its students the ability to engage in a synchronous hybrid learning environment where fifty percent of the students were in the building and fifty percent attended class remotely. To assist students with the challenges of the hybrid program, the counseling department began offering an increased number of advisory programs and grade level meetings, as well as created a Helping Peer Excel Program, a Scholars Program, a Freshman in the Fold program and a Virtual Calming room, an online space where students can access visuals, sounds and activities designed to help lower stress.  In addition, PSAT, SAT and ACT tests have been administered, students have been participating in regular club activities, and have earned awards in Mock Trial, Cyber Patriots, Engineering, Writing and Art competitions. The school’s athletic teams have been able to participate in league competitions in the fall and winter. Principal Wendy Neil compliments the efforts of teachers, building maintenance teams, support staff and parents for sustaining the ability to provide students with a positive experience. “Everyone has worked so hard to maintain our excellent programs and now we are looking forward to being back together with all of our students,” she exclaims.

With the significant reduction of local positive cases in the Danbury area and the ability for school personnel to be vaccinated, the school’s decision to invite all student’s back to the building was welcomed by faculty and administrators. The school will continue to offer the option for parents who have family members or students who are at high risk of severe illness due to exposure to the disease, to have their child remain enrolled on the school’s virtual student roster.

“Although so many are uncertain about what life may be like after the pandemic, we are certain that our experiences have strengthened our understanding of the lessons of humility, the importance of caring for others, and our need to trust in God’s love. We are extremely thankful for the blessings that have been bestowed upon our school community and pray that Easter blessings will be abundant for all,” states Maloney.

DANBURY—Celebrating Catholic Schools Week, Immaculate High School in Danbury held a week-long food drive for the FAITH Food Pantry in Newtown.

“I’ve always wanted to do a fundraiser through my school,” said Sophia Pertoso, a junior at Immaculate High School who organized the food drive.

A collection bin was set up in the school and one bin was stationed outside the school for any virtual students who wanted to drop off food items.

Pertoso, who also volunteers to make sandwiches for Dorothy Day Hospitality House in Danbury and visits a nursing home near her school to spend time with residents bringing home-baked cookies and good conversation to brighten their day, chose FAITH pantry to help people in her hometown.

“We really, really appreciate what Sophia did,” said Lee Paulsen, president of FAITH Food Pantry, adding that the demand for food and household items has doubled since the pandemic.

FAITH food pantry established in 1984, provides one week of groceries to Newtown residents in need, once a month. The letters in the nonprofit volunteer organization’s name stands for Food Assistance, Immediate, Temporary Help.

“We need all the help we can get,” Paulsen said. “There are so many people in need right now.”

Although the pantry continues to get donations of fresh eggs and milk from local restaurants, donations for basic items are down due in part to the lack of contributions from school food drives since many public schools have been closed or partially closed due to the pandemic.

After contacting the pantry, Pertoso discovered donations are not as plentiful after the holidays but the need for items is still there. Her fellow classmates did not let her down.

“It was an overwhelming amount of donations,” she said. “The food pantry was over the moon excited. I don’t think they expected to get as much as they did.”

In fact, after the food drive was over, students continued to bring much needed items such as apple or cranberry juice, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, pancake mix, salt, pepper, taco kits and napkins.

Pertoso, a virtual student due to the pandemic, was planning to make a second trip to pick-up donations at the school and drop them off to the pantry.

“That’s the good thing about my school, everyone is very giving,” said Pertoso, who organized the food drive with school officials through zoom meetings.

“I admire young people like Sophia that think outside of the box, ‘Gee, maybe I can help somebody,’ well she did and I appreciate it,” Paulsen said. “What she did was terrific.”

“I want to help as much as I can,” Pertoso said. “You never know what people are going through. Maybe that chocolate chip cookie will make someone smile. The little things matter.”

DANBURY—Six Immaculate High School students had their work recognized and awarded at the annual Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Teens in grades 7-12 can apply in 28 categories of art and writing, and submissions are judged regionally and nationally by panels of creative industry experts.

Regional Art Awards were presented to Brooke Squitieri ‘21 who received an honorable mention in the drawing and illustration category for her piece “Discriminating Digits”; Anna Kopec ‘23 who received a Silver Key in the drawing and illustration category for her piece “Tiger King”; and Olivia Esposito ‘23 who received an Honorable Mention in the design category for her piece “Trivia Tile Game”. Student artwork is juried by professional artists and university art faculty and is selected on merit for inclusion in a state-wide art exhibition that is traditionally held at the Hartford Art School. Beyond the honor of being selected for this high quality exhibit, students may be awarded Gold or Silver keys and Honorable Mention Awards in each of 18 media categories. Students whose art pieces were recognized in the 2021 Regional Art Awards will be honored at a virtual celebration with winners from other schools on February 26. A virtual gallery of all the entries can be viewed here.

In the Regional Writing Awards, Spencer Squitieri ‘21 with his essay “Finding the Words for Why,” Zachary Meyerson ‘21 with his essay “More In Common” and Caitlin Doherty ‘21 with her essay “Unspoken” all received Silver Keys in the personal essay & memoir category. Annually, over 1,500 students from across Connecticut submit entries vividly demonstrating their passion for the craft of writing. From this large pool of poetry, essays, stories, and drama, submissions in Poetry and Prose are awarded to be published or honored at each grade level. Students who were awarded for their pieces will be celebrated at a virtual celebration on March 7. View the full list of award recipients.

Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on their spiritual development, personal moral commitments and service to others. Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s parochial school system. Immaculate is currently accepting freshman and transfer student applications. For more information on rolling admissions please visit immaculatehs.org/admissions.

DANBURY—Immaculate High School’s Brave Engineers team participated in the Real World Design Challenge (RWDC), receiving second place in the State Finals. This incredible performance qualified the Brave Engineers for the RWDC National/International competition in April. The team will also have the opportunity to compete for merit awards at the National/International Competition.

The Brave Engineers, coached by Jeanine Antonios, includes members Mario Perez ‘22, Carolyn Jandura ‘22, Nikolas Badinelli ‘22, Meryl McKenna ‘21, Shaun McKenna ‘23 and Zifeng Zhan ’22.

The Real World Design Challenge is an annual competition that provides high school students, grades 9-12, the opportunity to work on real world engineering challenges in a team environment. Each year, student teams are asked to address a challenge that confronts our nation’s leading industries. Students utilize professional engineering software to develop their solutions and also generate presentations that convincingly demonstrate the value of their solutions. The RWDC provides students with opportunities to apply the lessons of the classroom to the technical problems that are being faced in the workplace.

Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on their spiritual development, personal moral commitments and service to others. Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s parochial school system. Immaculate is currently accepting freshman and transfer student applications. For more information on rolling admissions please visit immaculatehs.org/admissions.

DANBURY—Immaculate High School’s CyberPatriots team has been competing in the CyberPatriots XII National Tournament. There are three qualifying rounds in order to be considered for a spot in the National Finals, Immaculate placed fifth and first in the opening two rounds and finished the third round strong with a first-place win for the gold tier and third overall for the state of Connecticut.

Immaculate’s CyberPatriots team, coached by Dave Cirella, includes members Perry Gosh ‘21, Kolbe Mosher ‘21, Anish Nanda ‘22, Ethan Goodman ‘21, Aidan Doolabh ‘23, and Logan McAloon ‘21.

CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air Force Association (AFA) to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future.

Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on their spiritual development, personal moral commitments and service to others. Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s parochial school system. Immaculate is currently accepting freshman and transfer student applications. For more information on rolling admissions please visit immaculatehs.org/admissions.