Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

VATICAN CITY—Carrying Pope Paul VI’s pastoral staff and wearing the blood-stained belt of Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador, Pope Francis formally recognized them, and five others, as saints of the Catholic Church.

Thousands of pilgrims from the new saints’ home countries — Italy, El Salvador, Spain and Germany — were joined by tens of thousands of others Oct. 14 in St. Peter’s Square to celebrate the universal recognition of the holiness of men and women they already knew were saints.

Carolina Escamilla, who traveled from San Salvador for canonization, said she was “super happy” to be in Rome. “I don’t think there are words to describe all that we feel after such a long-awaited and long-desired moment like the ‘official’ canonization, because Archbishop Romero was already a saint when he was alive.”

Each of the new saints lived lives marked by pain and criticism — including from within the church — but all of them dedicated themselves with passionate love to following Jesus and caring for the weak and the poor, Pope Francis said in his homily.

The new saints are: Paul VI, who led the last sessions of the Second Vatican Council and its initial implementation; Romero, who defended the poor, called for justice and was assassinated in 1980; Vincenzo Romano, an Italian priest who died in 1831; Nazaria Ignacia March Mesa, a Spanish nun who ministered in Mexico and Bolivia and died in 1943; Catherine Kasper, the 19th-century German founder of a religious order; Francesco Spinelli, a 19th-century priest and founder of a religious order; and Nunzio Sulprizio, a layman who died in Naples in 1836 at the age of 19.

“All these saints, in different contexts,” put the Gospel “into practice in their lives, without lukewarmness, without calculation, with the passion to risk everything and to leave it all behind,” Pope Francis said in his homily.

The pope, who has spoken often about being personally inspired by both St. Paul VI and St. Oscar Romero, prayed that every Christian would follow the new saints’ examples by shunning an attachment to money, wealth and power, and instead following Jesus and sharing his love with others.

And he prayed the new saints would inspire the whole church to set aside “structures that are no longer adequate for proclaiming the Gospel, those weights that slow down our mission, the strings that tie us to the world.”

Among those in St. Peter’s Square for the Mass was Rossi Bonilla, a Salvadoran now living in Barcelona. “I’m really emotional, also because I did my Communion with Monsignor Romero when I was eight years old,” she told Catholic News Service.

“He was so important for the neediest; he was really with the people and kept strong when the repression started,” Bonilla said. “The struggle continues for the people, and so here we are!”

Claudia Lombardi, 24, came to the canonization from Brescia, Italy — St. Paul VI’s hometown. Her local saint, she said, “brought great fresh air” to the church with the Second Vatican Council and “has something to say to us today,” particularly with his 1968 encyclical “Humanae Vitae” on human life and married love, especially its teaching about “the conception of life, the protection of life always.”

In his homily, Pope Francis said that “Jesus is radical.”

“He gives all and he asks all; he gives a love that is total and asks for an undivided heart,” the pope said. “Even today he gives himself to us as the living bread; can we give him crumbs in exchange?”

Jesus, he said, “is not content with a ‘percentage of love.’ We cannot love him 20 or 50 or 60 percent. It is either all or nothing” because “our heart is like a magnet — it lets itself be attracted by love, but it can cling to one master only and it must choose: either it will love God or it will love the world’s treasure; either it will live for love or it will live for itself.”

“A leap forward in love,” he said, is what would enable individual Christians and the whole church to escape “complacency and self-indulgence.”

Without passionate love, he said, “we find joy in some fleeting pleasure, we close ourselves off in useless gossip, we settle into the monotony of a Christian life without momentum where a little narcissism covers over the sadness of remaining unfulfilled.”

The day’s Gospel reading recounted the story of the rich young man who said he followed all the commandments and precepts of Jewish law, but he asks Jesus what more he must do to have eternal life.

“Jesus’ answer catches him off guard,” the pope said. “The Lord looks upon him and loves him. Jesus changes the perspective from commandments observed in order to obtain a reward, to a free and total love.”

In effect, he said, Jesus is telling the young man that not doing evil is not enough, nor is it enough to give a little charity or say a few prayers. Following Jesus means giving him absolute first place in one’s life. “He asks you to leave behind what weighs down your heart, to empty yourself of goods in order to make room for him, the only good.”

“Do we content ourselves with a few commandments or do we follow Jesus as lovers, really prepared to leave behind something for him?” the pope asked people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, including the 267 members of the Synod of Bishops and the 34 young people who are observers at the gathering.

“A heart unburdened by possessions, that freely loves the Lord, always spreads joy, that joy for which there is so much need today,” Pope Francis said. “Today Jesus invites us to return to the source of joy, which is the encounter with him, the courageous choice to risk everything to follow him, the satisfaction of leaving something behind in order to embrace his way.”

By Cindy Wooden | Catholic News Service

FAIRFIELD—U.S. Court of Appeals Judge for the 3rd Circuit Thomas Hardiman said he is much more concerned about the cultural crisis in the country than any danger to the constitution based on current divisions and polarization.

Speaking to more than 100 legal professionals and others at the annual Red Mass breakfast following Mass in the Egan Chapel of Fairfield University, Judge Hardiman said that Catholics are becoming “counter-cultural” because the popular movie and media culture is increasingly “debased and lacking in decency.”

In his talk in the university’s new Dogwood Room, the judge discussed the Catholic concept of vocation as an alternative to the current culture that promotes the wrong values. He said that “vocation with a small ‘v’,” invites people to a life of faith and service by asking, “What is God calling us to do?”

Reflecting on the lives of the great Catholic boxer and heavyweight champion Gene Tunney and Saint Mother Teresa, he said they “were not who other people expected them to be, but listened to an inner voice.”

He described Tunney as a gentle, learned and refined man in a brutal profession and Mother Teresa as a teacher who heard “a call within a call to serve all those who were unloved and a burden to everyone.”

Defining his vocation as a husband, father and judge, he said, “We should pray for and accept our own vocations which come in different forms and different times in our lives.”

“The Catholic vocation is accessible not only to heroic figures” but also to those who work quietly in faith to improve the lives of others, said the Judge who lives outside of Pittsburgh with his wife and three children.

The Judge who is a 1987 graduate of the University of Notre Dame (and a classmate of Msgr. Thomas Powers, Vicar General of the Diocese of Bridgeport) described his own faith as “routine” until he entered Notre Dame, the first Catholic school he attended.

“I found myself wanting to go to Mass every Sunday he said,” adding that the university strengthened his faith by offering a culture of prayer that constantly reinforced the difference between right and wrong.

When asked about the role of contemporary Catholic colleges in promoting Catholic teaching, he said it was important that “the universities don’t cede the playing field to the dominant culture.”

Judge Hardiman urged people to look inward into their own families, neighborhoods churches and communities in order to change society.

In a relaxed and wide-ranging question and answer session that followed his talk, Judge Hardiman, who was reportedly on the short list for Supreme Court Justice, said that regardless of what one thinks about Justice Brett Cavanaugh, the recent confirmation process became a “debacle.”

“What we do is not about politics. It’s about the law and the constitution,” said the Judge who said the hearing process must remain fair and appropriate.

The audience applauded when he responded to a question about politicians who have criticized Catholic judges, “That is bigotry,” he said. “People of any faith are not willing to sacrifice their beliefs for their profession.”

Photos by Amy Mortensen

During the breakfast the St. Thomas More Award was presented posthumously to the late Fairfield Probate Judge Honorable Daniel F. Caruso, who passed away suddenly at the age of 60 in February.

“He was a kind, gentle and fair man who was deeply faithful to the Church, his family and friends,” said Anne McCrory, Chief Legal and Real Estate Officer of the Diocese. Probate Staff Attorney Kate Neary Maxham accepted the award on behalf of his family.

The morning began with Mass in the Egan Chapel of Fairfield University. Msgr. Thomas V. Powers, Vicar General of the Diocese of Bridgeport, served as homilist and concelebrated with Fr. Gerald Blaszczak, S.J. of Fairfield University and Msgr. Laurence R, Bronkiewicz, S.T. D., pastor of St. Mary Parish in Ridgefield.

In his homily, Msgr. Powers said that faith is not about willpower or controlling your own life, “but to be willing to let go of anything that prevents us from conversion from self-reliance to discipleship… We all cling to the past, but we must let go of it and leave it trustingly in God’s hands.”

The Red Mass, which prays for legal professionals, the courts, and for justice, is sponsored by the Diocese of Bridgeport and the St. Thomas More Society of Fairfield County, a gathering of legal professionals who volunteer their time to serve the community.

NORWALK—The Blessing of Animals has become a much anticipated and favorite tradition at St. Matthew Parish in Norwalk to commemorate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi and commend our beloved pets to the protection of our heavenly Father.

Beginning at 3 pm last Sunday (October7) in the parish Grotto, people brought all sorts of dogs from a little Papillon to large Husky, various felines and even a bunny!

Msgr. Walter Orlowski, Pastor of St. Matthew, sprinkled all the pets with holy water and then individually blessed every pet whose owner asked him to do so.

This Blessing of Animals is conducted in remembrance of Saint Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures.

St. Francis, whose feast day is October 4th, loved the larks flying about his hilltop town. He and his early brothers, staying in a small hovel, allowed themselves to be displaced by a donkey.

Francis wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, an ode to God’s living things. “All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures.”

Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers by Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, National Conference of Catholic Bishops has approved this prayer:

“The animals of God’s creation inhabit the skies, the earth, and the sea. They share in the ways of human beings. They have a part in our lives. Francis of Assisi recognized this when he called the animals, wild and tame, his brothers and sisters.

Remembering Francis’ love for these brothers and sisters of ours, we invoke God’s blessing on these animals, and we thank God for letting us share the earth with all the creatures…

O God, you have done all things wisely; in your goodness you have made us in your image and given us care over other living things. Reach out with your right hand and grant that these animals may serve our needs and that your bounty in the resources of this life may move us to seek more confidently the goal of eternal life.”

St. Matthew Church is located at 216 Scribner Avenue Norwalk, CT 06854. Telephone: 203.838.378. On the web: www.stmatthewnorwalk.org

BRIDGEPORT—On Saturday, October 27, Catholic Underground will be held at St Augustine Cathedral in Bridgeport beginning with a Holy Hour at 6:30 pm, followed by a concert with internationally-known musician and performer Tony Melendez.

Catholic Underground is a cultural apostolate of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal which gathers people of all ages to pray and worship Jesus Christ in Eucharistic Adoration, experience community and also appreciate Catholic art and culture. Worship music for the Holy Hour will be provided by Kevin Donovan of St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown. Multiple priests will be available to hear confessions during the Holy Hour.

This upcoming Catholic Underground will feature a bilingual concert by Tony Melendez, who is known internationally for playing his guitar using his feet. Tony was born without arms, nevertheless, he is a talented guitarist, singer, and songwriter who has recorded multiple albums and performed throughout the world, including for St John Paul II.

Catholic Underground is hosted by the Office of Faith Formation of the Diocese of Bridgeport. For more information contact the Office of Faith Formation at: 203.416.1670 or officeoffaithformation@diobpt.org.

TRUMBULL—St. Catherine of Siena School, in Trumbull, welcomed home a graduate from the class of 1990, Commander Matthew Fanning, Commanding Officer of the USS Hartford. He has been serving in the Navy for 19 years. During this time he lived in Italy, Hawaii, Georgia, Virginia as well as Connecticut with his wife and children.

Commander Fanning returned to his elementary school alma mater to spend the day with the students. He visited all of the classrooms from preschool to eighth grade and shared an engaging PowerPoint presentation.

He talked about the significance of service to community, Church, and country. He was taught the meaning of vocation and the importance of listening to God’s calling during his school years at SCSS. The Commander talked about determination and how valuable his time was at St. Catherine of Siena School.

His presentation was about life in the military and his travels to many European Countries, many states along the East Coast and even to the North Pole. The students were captivated as he talked about life on the submarine.

He was also greeted by his former classmates,  Fr. Joseph Marcello the pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish, and Mr. Steven Burke, a parent at the school. They reminisced about special memories with old friends and teachers. He toured the school and was amazed by all of the incredible upgrades to the school and in the technology over the years.

Principal, Miss Eunice Giaquinto said, “I love to have alumni come back and visit the school. It’s especially exciting when someone wants to come back and share their stories of success and what SCSS meant to them.”  The Commander travels all over the world but he will always have a home at St. Catherine of Siena School.

BRIDGEPORT—These days, one is hard-pressed to find people who speak positively about social media. In fact, a quick Google search of the term “social media” brings about doom-and-gloom articles discussing how social media have brought about the ruin of our institutions, turned us into antisocial scrollers and are the root source of depression and anxiety.

I am not one to discount or deny the negative aspects of social media, particularly as it relates to the Catholic Church, but I take a different approach.

Social media, especially Catholic social media, can be a difficult, hostile place. These days, we often see discussion devolve into debate, and debate devolve into fighting, and fighting devolve into mudslinging. The current climate in the Catholic Church has supercharged this phenomenon in an ugly way.

It is for these very reasons that faithful Catholics must take our message of love of and trust in Jesus Christ to social media. Now is the time to show the world what it means to be a Catholic, to love our neighbor, to advocate for life in all of its forms and to be in awe of the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Social media allow us to communicate with hundreds of thousands of people with one click—so what better place to spread this message of hope and love than Facebook (or Twitter or Instagram)?

Using social media to witness to Christ, and hopefully, to evangelize in his name, starts by treating social media as an end in itself, not just a means to an end. Pope Francis, in his 2016 message for World Communications Day, alluded to this:

“Emails, text messages, social networks and chats can also be fully human forms of communication. It is not technology that determines whether or not communication is authentic, but rather the human heart and our capacity to use wisely the means at our disposal.”

It is extremely important to use our social media outlets to invite people to Mass, adoration, confession and Catholic events, but we can’t only use our social media in this way. Rather, we must acknowledge that our Facebook friends, or the accounts following our parish’s Twitter account, are communities themselves.

That means we must use social media to minister to and feed these communities by offering them content that will help them encounter Jesus in some way. Whether it is an inspiring or comforting quote from Scripture, live streaming Masses or events, or catechetical videos that share the richness of our Catholic tradition, we need to offer something of substance to our friends and followers.

If we share meaningful content, we can use social media to bring people into an encounter with Christ every single day.

Meaningful content is two things: authentic and vulnerable. In a world where lives are lived on social media, where we are bombarded with advertisements and noise, people crave authenticity. They desire something stable, something comforting and something that helps them make sense of their crazy lives. That something is actually someone, and his name is Jesus Christ.

In my role as director of digital media at the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, I’ve found people respond strongly to short videos, authentic reflections and spiritual graphics. Most of all, they respond to our bishop, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, who uses social media to post daily reflections, ask questions and offer prayers.

Likewise, parishes that use their social media to highlight their parishioners, share words of wisdom from their pastor, and provide prayer and reflection resources to the faithful are all authentically using social media for the betterment of their parishioners.

Social media must also be vulnerable. These days, many people live their lives on social media, meaning they open themselves up to the inherent and constant vulnerability that comes from putting their hopes, dreams, emotions, opinions and day-to-day experiences out on display for all to see.

Since they live their lives this way, they expect the institutions they follow to live this way too. That’s why it is so important for our parishes, schools and dioceses to have fun on social media, to use informal language and to show people “the behind the scenes” of the institution.

This allows us to show that the church is made up of people, with all of their triumphs and tribulations, all trying to serve God as best they can. In this way, we are both authentic and vulnerable.

We cannot resign ourselves to indifference or cynicism simply because social media sites can often be desolate places. Rather, if we bring a spirit of love and joy, rooted in Christ, to everything we do on social media, we can provide an incredibly compelling example to a searching world.

Christ himself tells us: “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 12:35).

There is nothing more authentic, no narrative more powerful and no message more challenging than the Gospel. Let us strive to share it through our example of loving witness on social media.

(John Grosso is director of digital media at the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut.)

Catholic News Services

DANBURY—Immaculate High School has enjoyed impressive growth in enrollment over the last few years. With a strong academic reputation as well as a thriving athletics program, the influx of talented student-athletes has resulted in recent State championships in boys basketball and girls track, SWC Championships for girls soccer, girls field hockey and boys golf as well as numerous individual athlete awards and honors and a hockey program that has been on the rise toward becoming a DI threat.

The team, in its final season as a cooperative, features student-athletes from Immaculate and New Fairfield High Schools. Instructed by CIAC to break up the co-op this upcoming season or be declared ineligible for the State tournament would have meant leaving the New Fairfield skaters out in the cold. Faced with an unfortunate decision, the team voted to play their final season as the co-op, forgoing a chance at States.

“There wasn’t really a choice. It’s a tough call and really disappointing to have to miss States,” said Ryan Fanella, IHS senior co-captain. “But there was no way anyone could imagine not playing together. The team always comes first.”

“We are very appreciative of all of the support from our families—especially New Fairfield High School for their amazing contributions and partnership over these many years,” said Tim Dunn, Athletic Director of Immaculate. The co-op team plays home games at the Danbury Ice Arena.

With then-coach Larry Vieira on the bench, the team has achieved tremendous growth while overcoming the challenges that come with it. In just four seasons they went from a DIII to a DI classification, playing a challenging first-year DI schedule last season and skating to a 13-5-3 record, with outstanding efforts that fell just short against DI stalwarts such as Xavier, Notre Dame Fairfield and Fairfield Prep.

Unfortunately, Coach Vieira recently resigned, resulting in an urgent need to replace the leadership and skill he took with him. Immaculate High School has begun looking for his successor with input from student-athletes, parents, administrators and alumni from across the co-op.

“Coach Vieira did an admirable job growing the program to the successful one that we enjoy today,” explained Mary Maloney, President of Immaculate since 2014. “We see this as an opportunity to find someone who can have immediate impact not only on this upcoming season, but working together to continue building out a comprehensive and sustainable program for the future of Immaculate Mustang hockey,” she said.

“The program is healthier than it’s ever been,” explains the Parent-Alumni Booster President and search committee chair Brian DiNatale. “Since the end of last season, the administration has been working with the coaching staff, team, parents and others to ensure that the program has the backing it needs to grow and excel. Support for a full coaching staff includes specialized goalkeeping and off-ice training for full varsity and junior varsity squads. The program will continue to challenge and develop our incoming freshmen as well as our accomplished seniors,” Mr. DiNatale added.

The right coach would put them over the top, asserts IHS board member Bernie Reidy. “The search effort is in full swing, with several highly qualified candidates already expressing an interest. I can’t imagine a better situation for a coach to walk into.”

The upcoming season’s schedule, which features more in-state DI opponents, as well as tests against high-level out-of-state competition, will present challenges to any coach, and Immaculate is focused on hiring a coach capable of stepping in and making an immediate impact on the team, while also building for the future success of the program. “This season will not be a disappointing one, winning is still the goal and our challenging schedule will remain. An SCC/SWC championship is the goal for the end of the year,” said Sam Mitchell, the NFI senior co-captain said.

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 allows students to focus on academic excellence, spiritual development, personal commitments and service to others. Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s parochial school system.

VATICAN CITY—Procuring an abortion is wrong, inhumane and like hiring a hit man “to fix a problem,” Pope Francis said.

It is a contradiction to allow for killing a human life in a mother’s womb “in the name of protecting other rights,” he said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square October 10.

“How can an act that suppresses the innocent and defenseless budding life be therapeutic, civilized or simply humane?” he asked the more than 26,000 people present.

“Is it right to snuff out a human life to solve a problem?” he asked, until the crowd shouted loudly, “No.”

“Is it right to hire a hit man to solve a problem? No, you can’t. It’s not right to take out a human being, a small one, too, in order to fix a problem. It is like hiring a professional killer,” he said.

The pope took a brief break from the October 3-28 Synod of Bishops on young people to attend the morning general audience and continue his series of talks on the Ten Commandments.

He reflected on the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill,” as being like a wall of defense, protecting the most fundamental value in human relationships—the value of life.

“One can say that all the evil done in the world can be boiled down to this: contempt for life,” the pope said.

“Life is attacked by wars, by organizations that exploit people” and creation, by “the throwaway culture,” by systems that subjugate human lives to the calculated advantage of others, all while a “scandalous” number of people live in disgraceful conditions.

“This is contempt for life, that is, to kill in some way,” he added.

Violence and refusing life are rooted in fear, he said.

Welcoming another challenges one’s own selfish individualism, he said, pointing to the example of when a mother and father discover their unborn child will be born with disabilities.

These parents “need true closeness, true solidarity to face reality and overcome understandable fears. Instead, they often receive hasty advice to terminate the pregnancy,” he said, adding that the phrase, “‘terminate the pregnancy’ means to directly take someone out.”

“A sick child is like every person in need on earth,” like the elderly who need care, like the poor who can barely make a living, he said.

They are all treated as if they were a problem, he said, but in fact, they are “a gift of God that can pull me out of my egocentricity and help me grow in love.”

“Vulnerable lives show us the exit, the road to save us” from a selfish existence and to discover “the joy of love,” he said, adding a word of thanks to Italian volunteers, saying they had the strongest dedication he has ever seen.

The idols of the world that lead people to refuse life are power, success and money, such as when decisions to end someone’s life are based on the costs involved if that life were to continue.

“The only authentic measure of life is love,” he said; “God loves every single human life.”

“In every sick child, in every weak elderly person, in every desperate migrant, in every fragile and threatened life, Christ is looking for us, he is seeking our heart in order to open it up to the joy of love.”

“It is worth welcoming every life because every person is worth the blood of Christ himself. You cannot scorn what God has loved so much,” he said.

“Do not scorn life,” not the lives of others or one’s own, he said, particularly with addictions that ruin lives and can lead to death.

So many young people, the pope said, need to hear the call to not devalue or refuse their lives, which are “a work of God, you are a work of God!”

By Carol Glatz | Catholic News Service

NEWTOWN—St. Rose School opened its doors on September 3, 1958, and was originally a first through fifth-grade school. Within three years it added a middle school. Many years later, in 1989, a kindergarten was added and eventually, in 2000, a preschool emerged and is housed in the former convent with thriving 3-year-old, 4-year-old and Step Up programs. Initially run by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, St. Rose School has been guided by several religious orders through the years. In 2008 an addition was made to the school adding a state of the art science lab and modern gathering hall/gymnasium, a library, music room and more.

In memory of their patroness, St. Rose of Lima, St. Rose School has always been committed to service.   Their students, faculty and families are encouraged to be the hands and heart of Christ in the community.  They are a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).  Spanish and Mandarin are taught to students in preschool through eighth grade.  Enrichment programs such as mock trial,  advanced math, musical theater, instrument instruction, basketball, track and cheer offer enhanced learning opportunities that promote well rounded and knowledgeable young men and women who develop the skills and confidence they need to take the next step into high school and beyond.

The Mass was a beautiful representation of the threads of love, learning and prayer that bond students and families from every generation. The choir was made up of current and alumni students, and readers were Karen (O’Connor) Kravec ’89) and Charles Asetta ’15. Mrs. Peggy Baiad, alumni parent of children in years ’81, ’85, ’87 and ’89 read the prayers of the faithful. Monsignor Weiss was the main celebrant joined by Father Alphonse, Father Krzysztof, Deacons O’Connor, Roos and Scinto.

Dr. Cheeseman attended the Mass and delivered a message from the bishop as well as expressing his own sentiments about the value of a long-standing commitment to Catholic education and the recognized successes of St. Rose School graduates. State Representative Mitch Bolinsky and Senator Tony Hwang presented a Citation from the State of Connecticut in recognition and gratitude for St. Rose School. Newtown First Selectman Dan Rosenthal presented a proclamation from the town during the afternoon as well.

The celebration was an Oktoberfest theme with St. Rose Church Knights of Columbus grilling hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers and bratwurst. Hot pretzels were a big hit as was the Beer Garden for guests 21 and over with a photo ID. A DJ played lively music. St. Rose School Student Council and National Junior Honor Society students ran games and crafts for the children including sand art cross necklaces, spin art designs, face painting and bowling. St. Rose School memorabilia and spirit wear were on site and a popular attraction. Tours of the school were offered with alumni as far back as the class of 1965, sharing their memories as they walked the old halls and discovered the new ones.

The entrance to the field was a replica of the original school building lined with photo boards of students and activities through the years. A giant balloon 60 was on either side of the entrance and hay bales were scattered around.  Red and white (school colors) checked tablecloths and yellow mums created a lovely atmosphere in the main tent while the Beer Garden was traditional blue and white with pennants and Oktoberfest banners bringing it to life.

School spirit filled the air throughout the afternoon confirming that once you walk the halls of St. Rose School it is forever in your heart. Dedicated to academic excellence, stellar service and living the Gospel values, St. Rose School has been a second home to thousands of students for 60 years and it continues to thrive. 60 years and going strong!

DANBURY—Yesterday was a day of prayer and pro-life witness in the diocese and across the country as women and men participated in Life Chain and saying the Rosary coast to coast.

Sunday October 7 was set aside as a day of synchronized prayer with 1,100 other locations in the U.S. and 40 foreign countries joining in the prayer for life.

The local “Life Chain” witness started at 2:30 yesterday afternoon with a vigil in front of 44 Main Street in Danbury. It was led by Deirdre Condon, who also serves as a coordinator of 40 Days for Life.

Life Chain is a peaceful, prayerful, pro-life witness held on sidewalks throughout the USA and Canada in memory of the millions of babies whose lives have been lost to abortion.

“You can be a light in a darkened world as you help put an end to abortion through prayer,” said Peg Rozzi, the organizer of 40 Days for Life in Danbury. She is a member of St. Lawrence O’Toole, Brewster, NY.

Following the Life Chain, at the same location Sharon Boland, a member of the 40 Days for Life Danbury Team, led the gathering in the Rosary Coast to Coast from 4 to 5 pm.

The Rosary Coast to Coast found its inspiration from the Catholics of Poland who gathered last year along its borders to beg our Blessed Mother’s prayers for their country and the world. The Rosary Coast to Coast seeks to unite Catholics across the USA in prayer for the soul of our country, Rozzi said.

STRATFORD—“Life changed when my mom signed me up for the McGivney Community Center” said Lehayla Cruz, a recent graduate of Mitchell College and McGivney Center alumna.

Over a hundred friends and supporters of the McGivney Center gathered at Vazzano’s Four Seasons Restaurant in Stratford on Thursday, October 4th for their Annual Celebrity Breakfast, featuring former MLB pitcher Carl Pavano.

The event was their second annual celebrity breakfast, building off of the tremendous success of last year’s gathering, which featured David Cone.

“I feel like every kid should have the same opportunities that I had here. I want every young person that comes through these doors to feel the same way I did every day growing up,” said Cruz, who is currently interning at the Center, with ambitious to run one of her own someday.

The morning started with a short greeting from Robert O’Connor, Board President, who welcomed everyone gathered and then turned the microphone over to Cruz, who shared her experience growing up in Bridgeport and participating in the McGivney Center community. Cruz then thanked all those gathered, particularly the benefactors in the audience.

“You are the reason why kids come here and grow.”

Before breakfast, Msgr. Chris Walsh, who is serving as administrator of St. Charles Parish, delivered the invocation and said grace, asking those in attendance to join him in the prayer of St. Francis, on the occasion of his feast day.

As guests began digging in to their bacon and eggs, Terry O’Connor, the outgoing Executive Director of the McGivney Center and Shehan Center, shared words of thanksgiving with the crowd.

“I am so pleased to see this event continue and grow. The McGivney Center relies on your generosity and support, so I thank you for being here,” O’Connor said as he introduced the keynote speaker, Carl Pavano, to the crowd.

“I am probably amongst the few who moved from Florida to Connecticut and not the other way around,” Pavano joked, “and since winter is fast approaching, my Florida born wife and kids are not happy about that!”

In a 20 minute question and answer session with Terry O’Connor, Pavano shared warm memories of his time with the Yankees, Marlins, Expos, and Twins, offered advice to those with sports ambitions, and shared a passionate argument in favor of good mentorship and coaching.

He also spoke warmly and often about being a “family man,” saying that the “best thing I get to do is be a husband and a father.”

Pavano then thanked all present for their service and dedication to the McGivney Center.

The McGivney Community Center has been fulfilling its mission to provide stimulating and enriching programs that foster academic success and self-esteem to the youth of Bridgeport for the past 26 years. The McGivney Center’s After School Program includes tutoring, gym, computers, arts & crafts, cooking, game room, Friday clubs, and Teen Program.

The McGivney Center, located 338 Stillman Street on the grounds of St. Charles Parish, is an agency of the Diocese of Bridgeport. For information phone: 203.333.2789. On the web: www.mcgivney.org, and on Facebook.

VATICAN CITY—Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport said Thursday that the Church must discuss its sexual abuse crisis if it is to gain the trust of young people.

During his October 4 speech at the 2018 Synod of Bishops, Caggiano said that the Church must “continue to directly address the issue of the sexual abuse of minors and youth by clerics in many regions of the world.”

“It is a both a crime and a sin that has undermined the confidence and trust that young people must have in the Church’s leaders and the Church as an institution, so that they may again trust their priests and bishops to exercise true spiritual fatherhood, serve as adult figures in their lives, and as authentic mentors of faith.”

The bishop offered his commentary while referring to a section of the synod’s working document, the instrumentum laboris, that directly addressed a decline in trust among young people in social, political, and cultural institutions, including the Church.

An online survey conducted by synod organizers in advance of this month’s meeting of bishops found that less than 20 percent of young respondents believe that their lives can meaningfully impact the public life of their countries.

“The lack of reliable leadership, at different levels, both in the civil and ecclesial domain, is strongly decried by young people. A particularly evident weakness is due to the spread of corruption. Institutions should care about the common good and when someone is able to bend them to serve their particular interests, their credibility is dramatically eroded,” the instrumentum laboris recounts.

Caggiano said that recent disclosures of sexual scandals in the Church have eroded trust around the world. The answer, he said, is that the synod bishops “must continue to face courageously and honestly the betrayal of young people by clerics to whom they were entrusted.”

Caggiano referred to fallout from revelations this summer that Archbishop Theodore McCarrick had been credibly abused of serially sexually abusing a teenage boy in the 1970s, and was subsequently reported to have serially sexually abused one other teenager, and to have sexually coerced and assaulted seminarians and young priests during his decades as a bishop.

Subsequent to those revelations, a Pennsylvania grand jury released a report detailing decades of clerical sexual abuse in that state, an investigation was launched into sexual misconduct on the part of a former West Virginia bishop, and a former Vatican ambassador to the United States released a letter accusing high-ranking Churchmen, including Pope Francis, of negligence in their response to allegations of sexual misconduct.

The backdrop for those events is a set of questions raised this year about a Chilean sexual abuse crisis, in which Pope Francis is alleged not to have addressed a 2015 letter from the victim of a sexually abusive priest, who claimed that a bishop supported by Francis had been complicit in acts of sexual abuse.

Addressing that constellation of crises, Caggiano said that “This sin must never again be found in our midst. Only in this way can the youth of the world believe our synodal call to offer them reassurance, comfort, hope and belonging.”

The bishop’s remarks are noteworthy, because the 2018 synod on young adults, faith, and vocational discernment has been criticized by some bishops, including attendees, who say that the topic of the meeting should have been shifted to address primarily clerical sexual immorality, or that it should have been postponed.

Caggiano, named Bishop of Bridgeport in 2013, is chairman of the USCCB’s subcommittee on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and a member of the U.S. bishops’ conference committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth.

A long-time promoter of U.S. participation in the Church’s World Youth Day events, Caggiano is well known for his involvement in youth ministry, and served a term as episcopal advisor to the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry. He attended Yale University before beginning seminary studies, and later earned a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Caggiano’s intervention also made mention of “the role that technology now plays in the development of young people.”

The bishop said the synod’s working document “rightly identified the key phenomenon that visual images play as the prime medium through which young people understand reality,” adding that “it does not fully explore, nor take advantage of the formative power that technology now exercises upon the full development of young people.”

Caggiano suggested that technology has fostered a cultural shift, which includes disposition toward creativity and collaboration among young people, and urged that the synod “investigate further these fundamental changes now experienced by young people so that the pastoral initiatives we embrace can be as comprehensive as possible.”

In particular, the bishop suggested that “it is the path of beauty that must be better explored for the sake of evangelization and catechesis.”

“In my experience with young people, the questions that haunt them are not simply intellectual ones. They are first and foremost affective questions (i.e., “questions of the heart”), that ask about their self-worth, the reasonableness of hope, the ability to commit to another and to be loved in return.”

To answer these questions, Caggiano said bishops “must unlock the power of beauty, which touches and captures the heart, precisely by utilizing the many opportunities now afforded by digital communication and social media to accompany young people to experience beauty in service of the Gospel.”

The bishop said that sacred liturgy, especially, should be offered “as a celebration of the beautiful, the transcendent, with an engagement of the affective senses.”

“Let us work to capture the heart of all believers to encounter a God who does not promise a sterile but a life that is itself beautiful, rich in meaning, that invites one’s heart to dare to believe that this earthly life is worth living and worth fighting for in light of an eternal life where the restlessness of the heart will find its final rest in the salvation that alone comes from Christ Jesus the Lord,” he concluded.

Catholic News Agency

DANBURY—Patrick Higgins of Immaculate High School announced that Ryan Fanella ‘19 of New Milford has been named a Commended Student in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program.

Although they will not continue in the 2019 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of the over 1.6 million students nationwide who entered the 2019 competition by taking the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test).

“We are very proud of Ryan’s achievement and extend our heartiest congratulations to him and his family for his continued success and demonstration of academic excellence,” said IHS Principal Patrick D. Higgins, Ed.D. Immaculate High School’s combined SAT scores continue to be the highest among the Diocese of Bridgeport’s high schools.

“The young men and women being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” a NMSC spokesperson commented. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation.”

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 allows students to focus on academic excellence, spiritual development, personal commitments and service to others. Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s parochial school system.

INDONESIA—A Catholic Relief Services (CRS) team from Indonesia is on the ground in Palu, where a deadly earthquake and tsunami killed at least 1,400 people and left tens of thousands homeless. The local CRS team is working closely with our Caritas partner and additional teams have been deployed from around the world to assist with pipeline logistics, temporary shelter and relief supplies.

“In Balaroa village, on the outskirts of Palu, everything is destroyed,” reported CRS’ Fatwa Fadillah. “The streets are ruined and there’s no water or sanitation facilities for people gathered in shelters. Most families only have one tarp and one mat. It’s extremely hot and most people are sitting under tarps, just waiting.”

While survivors of the twin disasters are in desperate need of food, water and shelter—and being able to communicate with family—getting aid to Palu has been slowed due to crippled and impassable roads, a lack of fuel and insecurity due to the mounting desperation. CRS/Indonesia staff and partners report a scene of destruction as the government search and rescue teams continue to look for survivors five days after the massive tsunami, triggered by a 7.5 earthquake, washed away homes and left a path of devastation. The death toll is expected to rise as responders reach more remote areas and dig through the rubble of toppled buildings.

“At Talise beach, where the tsunami came ashore, it’s a scene of devastation,” Fadillah said. “All along the coast, you can see just how massive the tsunami was and the extent of the damage. Body bags are lining the road and the smell is almost unbearable.”

CRS will support Caritas staff and volunteers to respond to people’s most urgent needs with temporary shelter materials like tarps, blankets and sleeping mats, as well as sanitation kits, clean-up and other supplies.

CRS and its local partners have decades of experience responding to disasters in Indonesia, a country prone to earthquakes, and where a tsunami killed hundreds of thousands of people in 2004. For updates, go to the CRS Press Room.

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