Rectory Office

Phone: 860-628-4713 Fax: 860-628-7341 E-Mail: stthomassouthington@gmail.com Web Sites: www.stthomassouthington.org www.facebook.com/groups/104009621923

St. Thomas Convent

Address: 20 Eden Place Southington, CT Phone: 860-621-1904

Office of Religious Education

Phone: 860-628-9679 E-mail: stchurchre@gmail.com

Southington Catholic School

Address: 133 Bristol Street Southington, CT Phone: 860-628-2485 Fax: 860-628-4942 Web Site: www.southingtoncathlolicschool.org

August 30, 2020

22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Saint Thomas Church 99 Bristol Street, Southington, CT 06489-4599

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).”

Weekend Mass Schedule Saturday Vigil: 4:00PM (Church)

Sunday: 7:30AM & 10:00AM (Church)

Weekday Mass Schedule Monday & Tuesday: 7:30AM (Church) Thursday & Friday: 12:10PM (Church)

Saturday: 8:00AM (Church)

Our Parish Mission Statement

We, the Roman Catholic faithful of St. Thomas parish, nourished by God’s Word and by the

Sacraments, welcome and serve the Family of God. Through evangelization, education, and spiritual

development, we demonstrate the true meaning of God’s love by living in the image of Christ.

Parish Staff

Priests Rev. Joseph R. Cronin—Pastor fr.cronin@aohct.org Rev. John E. Cockayne—(Senior Status)

Deacons Angelo J. Coppola—(Senior Status) Vincent J. Raby

Music Ministry Emil Kopcha—Director Kathy Kopcha—Assistant

Office Manager Heidi Malley

Business Manager Marc Ingriselli

Trustees Susan Howard Paul Miano

Plant Manager Casey Potthoff

Custodial Staff Bonnie Guimond –Part Time Ron Lemire –Part Time Marty Lopatosky Harry Masterbone

Director of Religious Ed. Sr. Marie Roccapriore, MPF

Southington Catholic School

Principal Eileen Sampiere

Office Manager Loretta Putala

Advancement Director Mary Alexander

Custodian Rick Barrett

Sanctuary Candles

Church: Returning Students

Chapel: Returning Teachers

Rectory Office Hours Monday—Friday 8AM-4PM

SATURDAY, August 29—Passion of St. John the

Baptist 8:00AM The Parishioners of St. Thomas Church

4:00PM Dolores Biafore Requested by Carmine & Sue Votino

SUNDAY, August 30 —22nd Sunday/Ordinary Time 7:30AM Imogene & Leo Paul Lacombe Req. by son, Larry

10:00AM Saveria Sabino—5th Anniversary Requested daughter, Josephine, & son-in-law, Pasquale

MONDAY, August 31—Weekday 7:30AM The Parishioners of St. Thomas Church

TUESDAY, September 1—Weekday 7:30AM The deceased members of the Sukatski Family

Requested by Rose & Joe Sukatski

WEDNESDAY, September 2—Weekday

NO MASS ON WEDNESDAYS

THURSDAY, September 3—St. Gregory the Great,

Pope & Doctor of the Church 12:10 PM Asuncion Lopez Gomez Requested by Carlos

Gomez, Terry, Bill, Tony, and Tom Lombardi

FRIDAY, September 4—Weekday 12:10 PM Dom Mongillo, Sr. & Dom Mongillo, Jr.

Requested by wife & mother

SATURDAY, September 5—Weekday 8:00AM The Brotherhood of Hope—40th Anniversary Requested by Zachary Janowski

4:00PM Mario, Antonietta & Stefano Votino

Requested by daughter, Mary Nigo

SUNDAY, September 6 —23rd Sunday in Ordinary

Time 7:30AM Michael Hession—Anniversary Remembrance

Requested by family

10:00AM Deacon Thomas Lopatosky Requested wife & family

Father Joe’s Notes My dear friends,

September’s just around the corner. Normally, we’d be

going back to school and parish activities would commence.

Well, this isn’t a normal time. School opening has been

delayed until September 11th. Catechism will begin that

weekend, but not many have registered. Our parish picnic

and other fall actives have been cancelled. Organizations, like

the Ladies Guild, are still on hiatus for the time being, until

public health alerts have been lifted. Archbishop Blair has

extend the dispensation to attend Sunday liturgies through

November 28th. So what do we have to do?

Mass will continue with all health and safety precautions.

We will wear masks and maintain social distance. We will

limit the number of people in church in accordance with state

regulations, and we will continue to sign up in advance. We

will check temperatures and sanitize our hands. With these

procedures, we can maintain liturgical life here, which we

will also continue to stream online.

School and catechism will resume this fall. We will follow

all health and safety directives from the Archdiocese of

Hartford, local board of education, public health office, and

the State of Connecticut. Our custodians have been preparing

well to meet the challenge. In person classes will resume, but

there are also options for distance learning. We are working

very hard to continue teaching the faith to our young people.

We will resume our Bible study this September, beginning

on Thursday, September 10th. It will be a bit different. We

will meet in the church for a live afternoon session at

1:30PM. It will also be streamed on our Facebook group.

You can view it live from home and ask questions on the

livestream, or watch any time later, and I will try to field

questions that come in from people who watch the recording.

We will pick up study of the Book of Joshua once more,

starting from the beginning.

We will be offering our bereavement ministry this fall, with

some changes. Following contact precautions, the group will

be spilt into smaller clusters that meet in various rooms,

maintaining limited exposer to people. This gives us the

chance to help those dealing with grief, especially in this

unusual time then we could not have all the normal rituals of

the funeral rite. It will look a bit different, but it will meet

the same need.

We may be living in unusual times with unique challenges,

but we will still strive to minister to your needs in the face of

the challenge. It will all look different, but the same love of

God will be offered, if just in a new package. Bear with us as

we continue to do our best to adapt to the circumstances.

Together, we will face the challenge and get through

together, even if we walk six feet apart!

Joyfully yours in Christ, Fr. Joe

Question: Father, why don’t people bow their heads at the

name of Jesus anymore?

Answer: Many of you were trained that at the mention of

Jesus’ name, you should bow your head. It has roots in

Scripture. St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians,

“Therefore, God also highly exalted him and gave him the

name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend in heaven and on the earth and under

the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is

Lord to the glory of God the Father (2:9-11).” Well, that

would explain genuflecting, but not bowing your head. The

Second Council of Lyons in 1274 stated that the faithful

should reverence the name of Jesus by bending the knee in

their hearts, which could be shown with a bow of the head.

What is that supposed to mean? We honor the name of Jesus,

our Savior, rather than taking his name in vain. So the

custom of bowing one’s head at the mention of Jesus’s name

began almost 750 years ago! Is it a sin not to do it? By no

means is it a sin, but it’s a nice custom to keep. Here is the

correct custom found in the liturgical guidelines for all who

do it. You bow the head at the name of Jesus, but not at the

mention of Christ, which is simply a title. It is considered

even more appropriate to bow your head at the mention of the

Holy Trinity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is also

considered proper to bow your head at the mention of the

name of Mary, but only when referring to the Blessed Mother

and not a person you know named Mary. The same liturgical

guidelines also state that you should bow your head as the

crucifix and the priest process past you at the beginning and

end of Mass, and that as the priest leave the Mass, you bow

your head and pray for him. (I like that one! I can use all the

prayers I can get.) So why don’t people bow their heads

anymore? The practice has never been abandoned; it’s just

part of the culture of Catholicism that is vanishing in the

modern world with greater and greater informality. If you

still bow your head at the name of Jesus, Mary, and the Holy

Trinity, good for you. Don’t force others to do so, but you

can teach them this blessed custom to help them reverence

God and the wonderful gift of salvation. When done with

knowledge and purpose, it is a great thing!

Ask Father

Readings for the week of August 30, 2020

Sunday: Jer 20:7-9/Ps 63:2-6,8-9/Rom 12:1-2/Mt 16:21-27

Monday: 1 Cor 2:1-5/Ps 119:97-102/Lk 4:16-30

Tuesday: 1 Cor 2:10b-16/Ps 145:8-14/Lk 4:31-37

Wednesday: 1 Cor 3:1-9/Ps 33:12-15,20-21/Lk 4:38-44

Thursday: 1 Cor 3:18-23/Ps 24:1b-6/Lk 5:1-11

Friday: 1 Cor 4:1-5/Ps 37:3-6,27-28,39-40/Lk 5:33-39

Saturday: 1 Cor 4:6b-15/Ps 145:17-21/Lk 6:1-5

Next Sunday: Ez 33:7-9/Ps 95:1-2,6-9/Rom 13:8-10/

Mt 18:15-20

Parish Information Devotions & Groups

Holy Hours In the chapel—rectory basement

CURRENTLY ON HOLD

Eucharistic Adoration In the chapel—rectory basement

CURRENTLY ON HOLD

Miraculous Medal Novena In the chapel—rectory basement

CURRELY ON HOLD

Italian Rosary Group CURRENTLY ON HOLD

Lap Blanket Ministry Parishioners make blankets for patients in local health

care facilities . Anyone who crochets is invited to join

us in the church basement. One Wednesday Evening a

month 7:00-8:15PM. Canceled until further notice.

Ladies Guild The Ladies Guild meets the first Monday

of each month, and hosts hospitality in

the church meeting room each first

Sunday after both 7:30 & 10:00 mass.

Bible Study Group We will be taking a break over the

summer. We will resume in

September. We will be reading the

Book of Joshua. We will start fresh

for any new participants. We hope to

have an in person class and also live-

stream. See you this fall!

Sacraments

Baptism Parents, contact the rectory to schedule a

baptism. There’s a preparation meeting for

parents having their first child baptized.

RCIA—Adult Sacraments Anyone interested in becoming Catholic, give us a call!

Reconciliation Confessions are Saturdays 3:00 PM

until 3:30 PM in the reconciliation

room in the church (you must wear a

mask when coming),

Marriage We need a minimum of six months for preparation.

Couples should contact Father Joe to set up a meeting.

Sacrament of the Sick Should you, or someone you know, need an anointing,

please call Father Joe at the rectory to schedule a visit.

Homebound / Hospital Please, contact the rectory if you or a family member is

homebound or in the hospital. We can arrange for a

Eucharistic Minister to bring you the Blessed

Sacrament at home.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

St. Thomas Cemetery

If you or your family are looking to purchase a plot or

niche in the columbarium, give us a call in the rectory

office. We’ll have our Plant Manager, Casey Potthoff,

meet with you and explain the options for graves and

markers. Please, call the rectory to schedule a meeting.

Sponsor Certificates

They’re available in the sacristy or in the rectory office.

You must be an active parishioner, registered with our

parish for at least 6 months. The use of the envelopes helps

verify that you’re an active parishioners. You must also

have completed your Sacraments of Initiation and be in a

valid marriage. If you have questions, call us.

New Parishioners

Welcome to St. Thomas! We’re delighted to have you join

us. Introduce yourself to Father or the Deacons after Mass.

Parish registration forms are available in the sacristy and

the rectory office. Take one for the family, and a separate

form for each member. Once completed, mail them to us

or drop them in the collection basket.

Collections for August 23rd

Weekly—$5802 / Online—$2763

† Southington Catholic School †

Due to the quarantine for corona

virus back in the spring, all of our

sacramental celebrations were

postponed. We have now

rescheduled them for this fall. Please

mark your calendars with these new

dates and times.

First Reconciliation For all catechism students - Friday,

September 25th at 6:00 PM in church.

For all SCS school students - to be

scheduled during school in September.

First Holy Communion For SCS school students – Saturday,

September 26th at Noon with rehearsal

during school the week prior in church.

For our catechism students with a last

name A-L – Saturday, October 3rd at

10:00 AM with a rehearsal Sunday,

September 27th at 2:00 PM in church.

For our catechism students with a last

name M-Z – Saturday, October 3rd at

12:00 PM with a rehearsal Sunday,

September 27th at 4:00 PM in church.

Confirmation Friday, October 23rd at 7:00 PM with a

rehearsal on Sunday, October 18th at

7:00 PM in church.

Should there be a problem with one

of these dates, please contact the

rectory office.

Sacramental Make

Up Sessions

STEPS TO

SAFETY—5K Please register for a safe and fun 5K

that will help Southington Catholic

School defray the costs of safety supplies needed for opening

school in September, under COVID 19 precautions. Visit our

website:www.southingtoncatholicschool.org to register and

order your special 5K tee shirt. With a minimum donation of

$25.00, you will be able to wear your shirt on the weekend of

September 18-20 as you walk/run/bike your own 5K course.

Help us keep Catholic education a viable option in Southington.

For more information, call 860-628-2485 ext 114..

REGISTRATION & CLASSES

We will make some changes to the program for this year.

Confirmation will meet on Sundays in the school cafeteria

6:00 and 7:30 PM. They will be divided into smaller groups.

All students in grades 1 to 8 will meet on Mondays between 5

and 6 PM. Go directly up to the classrooms (not in the

cafeteria). This will allow ample time to sanitize rooms after

school and after catechism. We must follow all guidelines of the

state, Archdiocese of Hartford, and the local board of health.

These changes allow for this.

For anyone uncomfortable sending a child to classes this year,

we have a few options.

Register a child (not in sacramental preparation) for home

study. You will be given the book. When the lesson is

finished, the student completes review questions. Every other

month, you will send in the completed answers.

For the sacramental preparation, we’re looking into an

online course. We will notify you on this as it progresses.

Class sizes will be limited to about 12 children per class

for in person classes.

Classes begin Sunday, September 13th and Monday,

September 14th. Register at the rectory.

St. Thomas Religious Ed. †

Southington Catholic Parishes

Collaborating On Monday, August 3, 2020, representatives from all five parishes in

Southington (Immaculate Conception, Mary Our Queen, St. Thomas, St.

Dominic, and St. Aloysius) met to continue discussing collaboration in

ministries. While each parish entity will remain open and operate their

respective schedules of Masses for weekends and holy days, they have

agreed to cooperate in the following ways.

All five parishes will take ownership of Southington Catholic School.

They will support the school with a monthly subsidy. A committee will

meet this month with representatives from each of the five parishes chaired

by the head of the finance committee from Southington Catholic School.

This allocation committee will determine the best way to divide the subsidy

based on proportionality to population and resources. This common

agreement will be reviewed annually to adjust for population, finance,

subsidy needed, and any other changes to the parishes. Their

recommendations will be given to the pastors.

All five parishes will combine for a joint religious education program

for the 2021-2022 school year. This year, we will discuss location,

personnel, and programs for that time. We will align all the programs now

to coordinate sacramental preparations. We agree to prepare children for

First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion in third grade. Confirmation

programs will begin in eight grade and continue through ninth grade.

Confirmation will be in fall of tenth grade. This time of adjustment will

make the combination easier the following year.

With covid restrictions, no youth activities will be held at this time. We

plan to operate a joint youth ministry in 2021 when group meetings are

deemed safe, hopefully in spring. In the meantime, Deacon John Thorpe

will meet with people from the various parishes to plan what shape a new

youth ministry program may take. Any parishioners interested in this

should contact us this month.

A common daily Mass schedule will begin in January of 2021. Masses

will be celebrated at Immaculate Conception Church. Monday through

Friday, there will be Masses at 7:30 AM and Noon. On Saturday, there

will be a 7:30 AM Mass. All priests will take turns covering the Mass

schedule, and Immaculate Conception will be responsible for booking the

weekday Mass intentions. (Each parish will print the intentions in their

bulletins.) We will look into offering extra times for Confessions before or

after these Masses during the week to expand on times the Sacrament is

offered. Exact times are still to be determined. Immaculate Conception was

chosen since it is centrally located, is smaller and easier to heat and air

condition, and creates activity at the site. Other parishes will host other joint

programs as they begin to operate.

We will look into creating a common Southington Catholic website.

We can use this to place common announcements, post news for the school,

religious education, youth ministry, and Masses. We could see about using

it to stream the daily Masses online, increasing our digital presence. This

will not only be useful during times of restriction for the virus, but also for

the future growth of the Catholic community in town. It could be a useful

means of evangelization.

We thank everyone who has prayerfully worked so hard to develop t he plan

so far. Thanks go to all those participating. We will inform you as

additional information is available.

RCIA: Rite of

Christian

Initiation for

Adults

Are you an adult who

was never baptized but what to

belong? Are you a Christian of

another denomination looking to

become part of the Catholic

Church? Were you baptized

Catholic but never completed your

other Sacraments? We can help!

We have a group that can help you

explore the options to join the Faith.

Call us at the rectory and Deacon

Vinny Raby will speak to you about

the options we have available. We

will have a groups forming this fall

meeting all proper social distancing

requirements.

Stewardship

Thought

In today’s second

reading, St. Paul

exhorts the Romans

to total

stewardship.

“Brothers and

sisters,” he urges,

“... offer your

bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and

pleasing to God.”

Our Sunday Visitor, Stewardship by the Book:

Bulletin Bits Based on the Sunday Readings, by

Sharon Hueckel, Second Edition 2004, page 13

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Catholic Biblical School

THIS MONDAY—August 31st is the LAST

DAY to apply for the Catholic Biblical

School this year! We're piloting remote

and hybrid options, so don't miss out. To

apply, go to: https://catholicedaohct.org/

prospective-students/applying-to-cbs

Rosaries for Peace In response to the violence and rioting

across our country, parishioners from the

Southington Catholic churches have been

uniting in praying the Rosary for Peace &

Racial Healing on Saturday mornings,

socially distancing outside of the churches.

Come join in praying the most powerful

weapon against evil for our country asking

for our Lady’s intercession.

St. Dominic- 8/29/20 at 9am

Mary Our Queen- 9/5/20 at 9am

Immaculate Conception- 9/12/20 at 9am

St Aloysius- 9/19/20 at 9am

St. Thomas- 9/26/20 at 8:30am, after 8am mass

St. Dominic- 10/3/20 at 9am

Prayer for Peace and Racial Healing

God of justice, In your wisdom you create all people in

your image, without exception. Through your goodness,

open our eyes to see the dignity, beauty, and worth of

every human being. Open our minds to understand that all

your children are brothers and sisters in the same human

family. Open our hearts to repent of racist attitudes,

behaviors, and speech which demean others. Open our ears

to hear the cries of those wounded by racial

discrimination, and their passionate appeals for change.

Strengthen our resolve to make amends for past injustices

and to right the wrongs of history. And fill us with courage

that we might seek to heal wounds, build bridges, forgive

and be forgiven, and establish peace and equality for all in

our communities. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.