INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Vol. 18, No. 1 March 2007

From the Heart Published by Sacred Heart Parish • 910 Main Street South • Southbury, CT 06488

Exit Interview Page 3

Spotlight On Youth Page 4

Auntie Page 6

Spotlight on a Family Page 7

All Are Invited Page 8

G.I.F.T. Registration Form Pages 9 and 10

Pilate’s Wife Page 11

Saint Vincent de Paul Page 12

Ask Father Page 13

A Musical Evening... Page 14

Photo Collage Page 15

Kairos

“I want you to write about the Kairos Prison Ministry,” suggested my

editor, known to the parish as Katherine, but to those who work for her, “Glorious Leader.”

“Humorous?” I inquired. “What is funny about prison life?” “You never heard the term

gallows humor, I gather.” “Write it straight. There are

many parishioners who have never heard of Kairos and you are right smack dab in the middle of the ministry,” so promulgated the leader, and noting the tone of her voice, that ended the conversation.

The ministry began in a Florida prison in 1976. In 1979, the name “Kairos” was adopted, and the ministry became the independent, non-profit ecumenical Christian organization that it is today.

“Kairos” is a New Testament Greek term that means “God’s special time,” expressed in our Catholic Scripture as “in the fullness of time.”

As of 2005, more than 150,000 posi-tions in 33 states as well as several coun-tries across the pond were filled by Kairos volunteers (and I am proud to be one of them). These Christian men afforded 160,000 residents (prisoners) the oppor-tunity to hear about the Spirit and to have

someone who would listen to their reli-gious concerns.

A Kairos chapter is made up of Chris-tian volunteers who have agreed to enter

a prison to assist the residents in this great spiritual journey. Each

chapter includes five clergy, each officially

ordained or licensed, and able to work effectively in an ecumenical setting. Also included in each chapter are

approximately 25-30 volunteers, of which I

am one. Since the clergy must ensure that the volun-

teers be able to work in an ecumenical setting, I was the supreme test case. Don’t think I didn’t hesitate to throw down the gauntlet, especially when I got my Irish Catholic dander up. The broth-ers (our affectionate name for the clergy) learned to avoid me after a while. The way this volunteer/clergy arrangement actually works is that the volunteers assist the clergy or the clergy assists the volunteers; it just depends on which group you ask.

The heart of the Kairos ministry is in the ongoing prayer and share groups that meet at the prison four hours every sec-ond Saturday for eleven months follow-

(Continued on page 2)

In addition to the bad effects our sins have on other people, our sins have bad effects on us. In addition to the good effects that

our acts of virtue have on other people, our acts of virtue have good effects on us.

from Seven Lonely Places, Seven Warm Places: The Vices and Virtues for Children

ing an initial four-day weekend at the prison, which begins the Kairos year. Prior to the start of the Kairos year, there is a volunteers’ orientation, which consists of formalized study, prayer, and class for five hours on four consecutive Saturdays.

Kairos is not just another razzle-dazzle Bible study session. Trust me, it is not. In fact, the residents are not even permitted to bring their personal Bibles to the prayer services.

The residents are hand picked by the prison’s chaplain, assuring the Kairos chapter leaders that these residents have found Christ; they come to Kairos to have their faith and belief strengthened by “us” and 85% of “us” are non-clergy.

What struck me so strange was talking freely about the spirit of Christ and “the strength given to each of us through his Holy Spirit.” This pro-found statement actually came from me in one of my many one-on-one discussions with the residents. I say discussions because there is very much give and take between resident and volunteer. I was surprised how much I took away from the table, trading ideas with a 21-year-old dou-

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From the Heart Managing Editor: Katherine Pavone Editors: Dolores Matzen, Deb McGrath Production Editor: Jean Brickey Communications Committee Members: Barry Bonetti, Dina Carella, Dennis McLaughlin, Irma Rilling, Rich Stephens, Ernie Swanberg, Debra Tansey, Diane Tomas, George Vachris, Distribution: Deborah Bonetti, Chris Doran, Pat Joy, Jim Kowalski, Madeline Murphy, Molly O’Meara, Domenic Narducci, Josephine Nar-ducci, Dee Nazelrod, Patricia Philbin, Kelly Richardson, Lina Savard, Liv Shiya, Magdalene Shuster, Jean Stone Layout: Selena Carella Photos: Jean Brickey New members, ideas and Ask Father questions are welcome throughout the year. Please contact the rectory or Katherine Pavone at 264-6599.

Kairos (Continued from cover)

ble murderer or a 45-year-old lifer (for murder).

And here I was concerned about saying the wrong thing. One of the chapter leaders (clergy) gave me this simple advice. “The Spirit will pro-vide. Trust!” Every one of the lead-ers fervently believes that, and it flows over to the volunteers.

As I said before, Kairos is ecu-menical. The ministry does not ask

us to give up our Christian practices, but while work-

ing the ministry, Catho-lics, for example, are requested not to pray the rosary publicly.

Kairos presents only broad-based mainstream Christian-ity, built primarily around Christ’s love, and that is the very

core of its ministry. This message of the love of Christ is delivered to the residents over and over again, and everything is done in a spirit of Christ’s love for us.

Is this any different than what we hear from Father Joe?

At my very first orientation meet-ing, the leader told us “new kids on the block” that our lives will never be quite the same when we truly under-stand that Agape, one of the ministry’s cornerstones, really does mean “the love of Christ for all of us.”

He was right.

Dennis McLaughlin

My Prayer “Oh Lord, I am not worthy” These words I humbly pray. Lord, make me worthy of your love, Help me to find the way. Open my eyes that I might see The beauty of each new day; The good in people that I meet; Help me to find the way. Open my ears that I might hear What others have to say So I may aid or comfort them. Help me to find the way. Open my heart that I might share The love you give each day; That someday I may be worthy. Lord, help me to find the way. Amen.

Irma Rilling

Exit Interview Mike Kulas (Well, Almost)

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W e try to plan for each issue of From the Heart, and in doing

so, respond to the happenings in the parish. The rumor had reached our ears that Deacon Mike was about to retire, both from his job at Sikorsky and as one of our deacons. I was asked to interview him and found the rumor to be only half right. First, Mike did retire from his work at the end of December, but he will serve the parish “catch as catch can” until his term as deacon expires in June.

Some years ago Mike went on retreat, much as he does now, to Holy Family in West Hartford. There he met Fr. Vince Youngberg, a priest who had taken his vows after a secu-lar life in industry, and he had a strong influence on Mike’s interest in be-coming a deacon. Bishop Whealon accepted him for training, and some 26 years ago, he was ordained. Mike was assigned to Sacred Heart in 1995 after a number of years serving various churches in the Valley. Bishop Whealon responded to a re-quest from Fr. Flynn and sent Mike to us. At that time, Mike felt the need for some rejuvenation, and he expressed that to Fr. Flynn when he arrived for the new assignment. Fr. Flynn felt that service at Sacred Heart Church would offer the rejuve-nation that Mike needed, and I guess Fr. Flynn was right because Mike has been happy serving our parish. When asked what difficulties being a deacon presented, Mike commented that having two very distinct demands on him, that of the provider to a fam-ily and a service provider in the church was very challenging.

Shortly after his arrival at Sacred Heart, Mike found himself in awe of the depth of talent and the overall spiritual quality in our parish family. He still finds that true today. He rec-ollects the prayer service following 9/11as one example of the pious de-votion and spirituality of our congre-gation. His activities have taken him close to many of our parish ministries. His involvement with the Baptismal Sacrament and the RCIA programs has shown him in different ways, the deep faith of our parishioners. Most recognize the Mike who has com-ments on special books to enrich our lives, and especially the Mike who delivers those very moving homilies.

When I have someone’s undivided attention, I always ask the hard ques-tions. First, has he seen improvement in our parish during his tenure, and where does he see the Church going in the future? To the first he only said that every change has made the parish of Sacred Heart stronger and more vital in the greater community. Responding in the light of his per-sonal thoughts to the second question, he sees the Church ordaining women, and maintaining a celibate clergy.

Now back to the future. Mike will have been here eleven years in June, two five-year terms and a one-year

Our Parish Welcomes You A re you at a distance from or

do you feel alienated from either the Church or Sacred Heart parish?

There are many different rea-sons that people find themselves drifting or walking away. Yet, we are less than who we should be or can be when you are not with us. If this applies to you or to some-one whose faith you care about, check out the new link on our parish website. Our parish wants to promote healing, reconciliation and unity among God’s people—and we would love to welcome you home.

Website: www.sacredheartchurch.info Follow link to: www.oncecatholic.org

extension. He will also, in the next six months, try to spend some time with his family in Maine, where they will eventually reside.

We will all miss Mike very much, but whatever he chooses, we wish him health and happiness, and we will keep him in our prayers.

Ernie Swanberg

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G.I.F.T. Fourth and Fifth Graders Go to Southbury Training School and St. Vincent de Paul Shelter

SPOTLIGHT ON YOUTH

O n two different nights just before Thanksgiving, some of

the fourth and fifth graders from the G.I.F.T. program ventured to the Southbury Training School and oth-ers went to the St. Vincent de Paul Shelter as an outreach/witnessing project for the “Preparing for the Messiah” G.I.F.T. sessions.

On Thursday, November 16, 2006 a group of eight students, along with their parents, went to the Southbury Training School and visited with the residents of Cottage 8. They were: Cooper and Virginia Mooney; Cait-lin, Meagan and Delores Villano; Kayleigh and Cindy Canty; Kevin and Deb Bradley; Sam, Tom, Chris and Elizabeth DePalma; Kennedy Gibson. Bringing each resident a gift of a stuffed animal, which they loved receiving, the group, along with the school chaplains and residents par-ticipated in a Bible story and song hour. They led the adult residents, most of whom have no family outside of the “family” they have at the training school, in songs of worship, praise and thanksgiving. These young students’ visit brought such joy and happiness to the adults living there.

On Saturday, November 18, five students traveled to Waterbury with their parents to help serve dinner and minister to the homeless men and

women at the St. Vincent de Paul Shel-

ter. They were: Luke and Mary Theriault; Alex and Alicia

Plant; Samantha, Matthew, Joe and Christine Granja; Amber & Jeanette Hirschfield. Upon arriving at the shel-ter, they were given a tour and learned how the shelter serves the needs of the people of Waterbury and the sur-rounding area. The shelter houses approximately 120 men, women and children each night. After helping to serve a dinner of shepherd’s pie, salad and dessert, the students and adults were able to visit with the women and play with the two chil-dren that were staying there. It was a very rewarding experience for all, and the women and men at the shel-ter were very thankful, expressing their gratitude at every opportunity.

As this year’s focus has been on discipleship and following Jesus, these students applied Jesus’ principles of “love your neighbor” and “serve oth-ers,” then shared their experiences with their peers. Before leaving on

these visits, each student was given three questions to reflect upon, and later to present their reflections as witness to their classmates at the G.I.F.T. session. The questions were: “Who did you minister to tonight?” “What did you learn from them?” and “How did you see God in this experience?” Every response and word spoken by these students gave the impression that God was truly present in them and in our brothers and sisters whom they served, visited, and with whom they helped to build community.

For anyone who is interested in going to either the Southbury Train-ing School or the St. Vincent de Paul Shelter, there is a sign up sheet on the bulletin board outside the sacristy, or you can contact the school or the shelter directly to discover ways that you can help.

Christine Granja

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(Continued on page 6)

Sharing Our Faith

M y family participates in the G.I.F.T. program at church.

We all go together, eat dinner, and then we each attend separate classes based on our ages. Last fall, my fourth through sixth grade class was given some homework. It was called “Conduct a Survey,” and we each had to choose someone to interview and were given three questions to ask that person. I decided to interview my Aunt Mary, who is my godmother. She lives far away, so I emailed her the three questions.

It was fun to read my aunt’s answers, and it made me think about what my own answers would be. She wrote the following back to me, and I wrote my thoughts about her answers.

Q: If you had to describe your faith journey as a plant, what plant would you choose and why?

A: Dear Tess, This is the hardest of the questions to

My Visit to Amar Viswanath Foundation

I n September 2003, when I was in eighth grade, my friend and classmate Amar Kirti Viswanath passed

away from cystic fibrosis. The night before he died, my mother delivered a prayer shawl to him from Sacred Heart Church. After his death his family started a school near their home in India in memory of Amar. The school is for underprivileged children who live near the Viswanaths in India, but cannot afford sufficient education. This school is funded by the Amar Viswanath Foundation, which the Viswanaths also created.

The Mustard Seed Fund gave the school a $1000.00 grant. Most of the donation went toward the building fund for the school and acquisition of land for it, since right now the school is being run in the first floor of a home. The remainder of the money went toward running the school, by means of buying supplies that would enhance the children’s learning.

Over the last summer my friend Erin Kelly and I went to India to work at the Amar Kirti School, which has chil-dren ranging in ages from around five to sixteen years. When we first arrived at the school, we noticed each child was working on a different task, and we walked around from the younger children to the older ones helping them on their specific work. Some of the children were work-ing on the English alphabet, while others were learning numbers or colors in English. We quizzed the children on their work and helped them with pronouncing each of the letters, while spelling the words. To help the children learn, Erin and I made posters to hang on the walls of the school. One of the posters had colors written out in bright letters, and another one had the upper and lower case let-ters of the alphabet. All of the children were very eager to learn and were self-motivated. They always concentrated

on their work and did not need to be told to focus. But if a student sitting next to them needed help they would take time to lend a hand. The children were also very polite. Each morning when Erin and I walked into the

school we were greeted with, “Good morning ma’am,” and big smiles.

SPOTLIGHT ON YOUTH On Saturdays and each day during the students’ free

time, we really got to see their creativity. During free time, everyone ran around in the front yard of the school, and we participated in games of cricket and duck, duck, goose with them. On Saturdays the children drew in the morning and danced in the afternoon. The effort these children put into their artwork was unbelievable, and all of their drawings were excellent. Their dancing was just as amazing. As Erin stated about the children, “I’ve never seen such bright, energetic smiles coming from kids in school before, and I’ve never seen dancers quite as tal-ented, free-spirited, and enthusiastic as these kids were.”

My experiences working at The Amar Kirti School have made me much more aware of our world. I’ve real-ized how lucky I am to attend the school I do and to live in the home and atmosphere that I have. I am very grate-ful for the donation the Mustard Seed Fund granted the Amar Kirti School, and I know it will go a long way in India. As time goes on, I will continue to help the Amar Kirti School grow so I can give the students there an op-portunity for success.

Laura Schmidt

Auntie A Saintly Remembrance

H er real name was Margaret T. Egan. She came to the United

States from County Roscommon, Ireland. She was my great aunt and my brother John’s godmother. We all called her “Auntie.” In my hum-ble opinion, she was a saint, and many others would agree.

I remember when we visited my mother’s parents every Wednesday, Auntie would be busy preparing dinner, slicing onions, making pud-dings and quoting Scripture to me—“many are called, few are chosen.” “What type of pudding would you like, Georgie, tapioca or rice?” “I think you should try to go to confession every week,” when I told her I went a month after my first Communion. She was kind, not judgmental.

At one time, she had been a “nanny” to wealthy people in Man-hattan and Southampton, Long Is-land. When Grandpa had an acci-dent and could no longer work, and Catherine, my grandmother, devel-oped a form of dementia, she went to live with them. Auntie kept house and prepared meals, while my mother’s sister, also Catherine, worked to pay the household ex-penses. They were poor, but rich in faith. Auntie and Catherine would say the Rosary every night. In her gentle way, Auntie instilled a deep faith in me.

George Vachris

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answer. My first thought is that my faith is like my aloe plant in the kitchen. This plant grows steadily in a deep, strong manner. It gets heavier and

stronger daily. Inside the plant is also a lot of healthy liquid (aloe) or spiritual “juice” that heals. In clearer terms, my faith is quiet, strong and steady. Some tell me, though, that I do need to be less quiet about my faith.

(Tess) I thought this was a really interesting answer as I did not know what an aloe plant was, so I had to learn about it. I would have chosen a dandelion. First, because it is small and cheerful like me. And then my mom pointed out

that dandelions can be useful and some people think they are lovely. However, on the other hand, some

people think they are weeds, but no matter how hard they try to get rid of them, the dandelions always

spring right back up. Q: What has been the toughest part

of living as a disciple for you? A: The toughest part for me is praying for my enemies or those that are unkind. Often I must re-

read the Gospel passages about how easy it is to pray for our loved ones, but that Jesus also told

us to pray for our enemies. I pray for them only because Jesus told me so, though, someday

I hope to actually want to pray for them. A good result, though, is that it is hard to be angry with people for whom you are praying.

(Tess) This is another good answer and I have to say that I agree that this is a tough thing to do. It is hard to imagine being able to easily pray for someone (like a terrorist) who has done something terribly wrong and cruel. I will still try to pray for them like Aunt Mary also tries to do.

Q: What has been the most rewarding aspect of living as a disciple for you? The most rewarding thing is seeing and knowing that “in all things God

works for the good of those that love him” (Romans:28). After two miscarriages, I found God’s hand in my life, and I’ve grown

spiritually through these experiences. I’ve been blessed with two wonderful nieces and four nephews who are so easy to talk to about God. Also, the free-dom of giving all my problems to God in prayer makes life a lot kinder and gentler—especially during my two-hour, daily commute (smile).

(Tess) Aunt Mary always sends each of us cards and notes with words from the Bible. She has given us many religious books and magazines to help bring us closer to God. Even though she is far away, she is a big part of our faith. This makes me feel good inside to know that she is taking this journey of faith with us.

Tess Camille Carella

Sharing Our Faith (Continued from page 3)

Spotlight on a Loving Christian Family

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I am sure that every member of our parish has at one time or another

been touched by the hospitality of our church’s business manager, Mary Korsu. Most know that Mary and her brothers Andrew and Bobby recently suffered the loss of both of their parents, their father Salvatore (Sal) D’Amico in December, and their mother, Angelina (Ann) D’Amico in January.

I attended the funerals for both of their parents as did many of our read-ers. Both services were very moving and strikingly beautiful, not simply because of the comforting Catholic ritual with its sacredness and solem-nity, but also because of the witness to faith and love that the entire fam-ily presented.

The three siblings shared memo-ries of their parents, painting a warm and loving portrait, revealing the thread of love and faith that was woven through their parents’ lives. I felt that I knew the D’Amico parents, not only because of the children’s poignant portrayals, but because the values of their parents are perfectly

reflected in each of them. I was touched by the gentleness with which they spoke and their demeanor of reverence, admiration and respect. Their voices echoed a story of devo-tion—devotion of their parents to each other, to them, to the extended fami-lies, friends, community, and of the children’s devotion to their parents.

The meticulous care that was taken in preparation for the liturgy affirms this theme of love and faith-fulness—the readings selected and the sensitivity with which they were read; the biographical booklet of mother Ann; the photo collages and albums that adorned the church atrium showed clearly the love and joy that marked the lives of this spe-cial couple. One cannot overlook, the incredible love story of this man and woman—two souls yearning for one another, incomplete without each other.

Mary, Andrew and Bobby are worthy heirs of a gift of endless value. They shared this gift with all of us and gave powerful witness of all that is good in Christian family life.

A “Love Gift”

O ur inner life is a love gift from God. We are dynamic because God made us that way. The seed of love in

our hearts will never stop unfolding until we reach God. Only sin can stop us from doing this.

from The Ten Commandments: Covenant of Love

An Invitation

W e know of many parishion-ers here at Sacred Heart,

who have had spiritually uplifting experiences while in service to oth-ers. An example is the faith build-ing that happens when our young people go on their yearly mission trip. They always come back with a renewed sense of God in their lives.

We at From the Heart would love to be able to share some of these experiences with our faith community. If you have had one of these faith-renewing experiences and would be willing to share it with the parish, please contact Katherine Pavone at 264-6599. You can write the article yourself, or we will interview you if you prefer.

Perhaps sharing your experience can help someone else along his or her faith journey.

By their example they have enriched my life and helped renew my faith and my commitment to faithfulness.

It seems to me that this is what our parish is trying to achieve through our G.I.F.T. program—Growing in Faith Together, witnessing to one another, nurturing each other’s faith and be-ing examples of love and compassion.

Dolores Matzen

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(Continued on page 10)

All Are Invited No longer is faith formation for children only

W e invite the entire faith community, to become the source, locus, and means of catechesis.

Sacred Heart’s Faith Formation Program is an inter-generational program rooted in the life of the Church and the model of the baptismal catechumenate.

This model expresses itself in a deliberate effort to equip the parish to become a “community” of learning by creating lifelong faith formation that is centered in the events of church life, that embraces all ages and genera-tions, and that promotes faith growth at home, through the parish preparation programs, and most importantly, through participation in church life. Our aim is to offer a more collaborative and integrated approach that involves all ministries and views catechesis in its connection to liturgy and the actual experience of the church events. The provision of home resources for all households aims to nurture faith at home and within the communities that we live.

We offer six (2 ½ hour) learning sessions each year. Our curriculum covers a six-year learning cycle that

will treat the following areas as designated by the Cate-chism of the Catholic Church:

• Church life and the transformative power of the Church year

• Our Sacramental celebrations • Community prayer • Creed and exploring our heritage • Moral and ethical issues • Works of justice and service

Session Details • Begin with a meal that is aimed toward bringing the

community together for a mutually enjoyable shared experience that sets up the learning with a light table exercise.

• An all-ages opening experience of prayer, song and an interactive all-ages learning experience.

• An in-depth age level break out that delves into the learning topic at a more age appropriate level

• A closing exercise that integrates the learning and culminates with dessert and coffee in the hall.

GIFT 2007-2008 Session Dates for Celebrating the Sacraments

September 2007 Confirmation & Baptism: Sunday I, September 16 1:00pm-3:30pm Monday, September 17 6:00pm-8:30pm Wednesday, September 19 5:00pm-7:30pm Friday, September 21 6:00pm-8:30pm Sunday II, September 23 4:00pm-6:30pm October 2007 Eucharist: Sunday I, October 14 1:00pm-3:30pm Monday, October 15 6:00pm-8:30pm Wednesday, October 17 5:00pm-7:30pm Friday, October 19 6:00pm-8:30pm Sunday II, October 21 4:00pm-6:30pm November 2007 Reconciliation Sunday I, November 11 1:00pm-3:30pm Monday, November 12 6:00pm-8:30pm Wednesday, November 14 5:00pm-7:30pm Friday, November 16 6:00pm-8:30pm Sunday II, November 18 4:00pm-6:30pm January 2008 Vocations Sunday I, January 13 1:00pm-3:30pm Monday, January 14 6:00pm-8:30pm Wednesday, January 16 5:00pm-7:30pm Friday, January 18 6:00pm-8:30pm Sunday II, January 20 4:00pm-6:30pm February/March 2008 Marriage Sunday I, February 24 1:00pm-3:30pm Monday, February 25 6:00pm-8:30pm Wednesday, February 27 5:00pm-7:30pm Friday, February 29 6:00pm-8:30pm Sunday II, March 2 4:00pm-6:30pm March/April 2008 Anointing Sunday I, March 30 1:00pm-3:30pm Monday, March 31 6:00pm-8:30pm Wednesday, April 2 5:00pm-7:30pm Friday, April 4 6:00pm-8:30pm Sunday II, April 6 4:00pm-6:30pm

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Pilate’s Wife T hough only thirty-

eight words appear in the New Testament about Pilate’s wife, she is known for her courage by testifying to Jesus’ inno-cence at the time of his trial and approaching crucifixion.

This governor’s wife had a dream. In this dream she was convinced of two things—Jesus was an innocent man, and if Pilate should take action against him, it would be a disaster. She was right.

“When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.” (Matt 27:19)

This judgment hall was near the Va Dolorosa or Sorrowful Way, known today as the most famous street in the world. Pilate’s wife had come to Jeru-salem with her husband for the yearly Feast of the Passover.

She was probably living in the Herodian Palace at Jerusalem with a view of the city and must have seen the multitudes following Jesus. She probably saw the kindness of Jesus and may have heard about the miracles he performed.

Tradition says she may have been a Jewish proselyte and a secret fol-lower of Jesus. Later Christian tradition has given her the name Claudia Pro-cula, meaning “follower at the gate,” though the Bible makes no reference to her other than as Pilate’s wife. The Greek Orthodox Church has canonized her and set aside October 27 as her feast day. Ethiopian Christians also pay her honor.

With a woman’s intuition, she sensed this evil act and tried to save her husband from making that terrible decision to put an innocent man to death. Pilate did hesitate, but his fear overcame him, and he gave the mob its choice. You know whom they chose.

Pilate’s final unhesitating acquittal, “I have found no fault in this man,” (Luke 23:14) reinforces his wife’s earnest warning, “Have thou noth-ing to do with that just man.” Pilate was banished to the south of France and later committed suicide.

Let us pray to the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance in making the right choices and the courage to speak out against injustice and for what we believe.

Dina Carella

In addition to G.I.F.T. Our Faith Formation Program

requires special preparation for the Sacraments and provides a weekly lectionary-based program for chil-dren 3-12 years of age. (Liturgy Of The Word).

Children seeking to make the sac-rament of reconciliation and Eucha-rist must be enrolled and participating in G.I.F.T. for two years and partici-pate in all sacramental workshops offered during the sacramental year.

Confirmation candidates are also required to participate in the G.I.F.T. program and all preparation work-shops and rites.

Liturgy of the Word for Children is offered at the 9 and 11:00 a.m. Mass each Sunday.

Registration for G.I.F.T. A registration form is included

(pages 9 and 10) with this issue of From the Heart. The form may be returned anytime starting now thru May to the Faith Formation Offices at the Church.

After June 1, there is a $50 late fee. Only new families will be able to register after August 15.

If you have any questions, please contact the Faith Formation Office at 264-5065, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. – 4:30 pm.

Join us in this important mission of passing on our faith.

All Are Invited (Continued from page 8)

Inside the walls at Herodian as it appears today.

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Attention Youth G.I.F.T. Participants

F rom the Heart is looking for youth writers. G.I.F.T. partici-

pants would be most welcome, as well as any young adults who have something to say in regard to faith and life at Sacred Heart.

Please contact Katherine Pavone at 264-6599 if you can help us.

Saint Vincent de Paul

W e are all familiar with the St. Vincent de Paul Society in

Waterbury. Many of the families in our congregation go there to help at the soup kitchen. On Wednesdays, sandwiches are made at our church and extra food from the G.I.F.T. pro-gram is delivered there. Recognized by the church, this lay organization gives people of all ages the opportu-nity to live their faith by giving of themselves through personal contact.

We can drive a mere 15-20 min-utes away from our comfortable life in Southbury and extend our hands to the poor and homeless right in our own area. Who was this St. Vincent de Paul after whom this society was named? He wasn’t a mystic or a cloistered monk, but a doer…an ac-tivist saint. His work for the poor, the children and elderly set the stan-dard for charity work.

He was born in 1580 to a poor family in Gascony, France. His par-ents chose the priesthood for him to give him the opportunity for a better life. He became a Franciscan and

was ordained when he was 19. For most of the first 20 years of his priesthood, he lived a very comfort-able life. Being a priest opened doors to many homes and he was able to enjoy the lifestyles that the wealthy enjoyed in pre-revolutionary France. It was only when he heard the con-fession of a dying peasant that his eyes were opened to the needs of the poor in France, and he realized the power of his vocation and the good he could do. He abandoned his life of luxury and devoted himself com-pletely to helping others. Anyone who needed help received it—orphans, the physically and mentally ill, pris-oners, the unemployed, the homeless and the elderly.

He organized wealthy women in Paris to collect donations for his mis-sionary projects; he founded several hospitals, collected relief funds for victims of war and ransomed nearly 1200 slaves in North Africa whose lot he had once shared, having been sold into slavery after being taken captive by pirates earlier in his priesthood. He focused his energy also on the convicts in the galleys of France. When not aboard ship the condemned were shackled, placed in damp dungeons, fed bread and water and were covered with vermin and ulcers.

Vincent found their state of mind more tragic than their physical mis-ery. He visited them and cared for them. He won their trust and con-verted many. He was a pioneer in clerical training and instrumental in establishing seminaries. He founded a religious society of secular priests known as the Vincentians who are devoted to missionary work, and as

early as 1638 his charity was ex-tended beyond the borders of France into Ireland, Scotland, Poland and Madagascar.

He worked closely with Saint Louise de Marillac and they founded the Daughters of Charity. They were an unenclosed congregation that did not live in a convent. Saint Vincent said of them, “Their convent is the sickroom, their chapel the parish church, and their cloister the streets of the city.”

Saint Vincent de Paul lived for eighty years and is the patron saint of all charities. His feast day is Sept. 27.

“We should strive to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the spirit of God.”

Diane Tomas

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ASK FATHER If God loves and forgives us, why do we have to go to the sacrament of reconciliation (confession)?

T his is one of the most frequently asked questions because it concerns something that we do not like to

do. No one likes to admit they have done wrong. Guilt never feels good and admitting it out loud really never feels good.

Let me begin by making a very important distinction. The only time we must go to confession is when we have committed a serious or mortal sin, that is, something that breaks my relationship with God or the community of the Church into which I have been baptized. If you only have venial or non-serious sins, you can be forgiven by receiv-ing the Eucharist with a sincere sense of sorrow and a desire to live more like Jesus teaches by trying to avoid that sin in the future. A faithful Catholic will normally celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) at

least during Lent, the traditional season of conversion and reconciliation. And a

faithful Catholic will also go to con-fession anytime they feel so moved by a realization of his/her

sinfulness and/or need of God because of some venial sin or habit of sin (even

without mortal sin). Other times a faithful Catholic

will go to reconciliation when they feel “out of sorts” with

God or the community of the Church or when they feel the need

of the experience/reminder of God’s uncondi-tional love for them.

So, other than that, why go?

Here are some good reasons • Sin is not just a private affair, nor is it only between

you and God. It is communal, that is, all sin affects others. The priest because of his unique vocation and ordination represents both God and the community of the Church.

• Social scientists remind us that guilt and shame are two of the primary causes of depression. The sacra-ment of reconciliation offers us a place to go with our

sin, a place to leave it and actually hear that we are forgiven.

• Reconciliation is good for our growth and maturity. It helps us to have an accurate picture/image of who we are—we are loved and redeemed sinners. If I do not have an accurate image of myself, I will not grow and mature.

• Reconciliation helps me to grow in a clearer sense of God’s unconditional love for me. Only those who forgive us really love us. That central belief of our Catholic Christian faith can remain a vague notion without a more concrete experience of it. And “vague notions” cannot sustain us in life and faith.

• Reconciliation can help us become more forgiving people. Nothing helps that process like the experience of being forgiven ourselves.

• Reconciliation can help us avoid either scrupulosity (seeing sin where there is no sin, or incessantly worry-ing about sin) or an immature sense of sin (never ap-preciating your real sinfulness or pride).

Will you celebrate reconciliation this Lent? Father Thuer or I are available each Saturday from

3:30-4:15 p.m. in the reconciliation room. Sometimes people prefer to come to reconciliation in a

private appointment. I am always happy to offer that op-portunity, so feel free to contact me at 264-5071 if you wish to do so.

Watch the bulletin and newspaper for our communal celebration of reconciliation this Lent. This service offers prayer, Scripture readings, a homily, and song with mem-bers of Sacred Heart Parish and other area churches. Sev-eral priests are available for individual confession as part of the service. If you have no mortal sin, have sincere sorrow and a desire to live more faithfully as Jesus teaches, this service can forgive those venial or non-serious sins.

May this Lent be a time in which we all grow in holi-ness and faith!

Father Joe

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Neighbors Helping Neighbors

N eighbors Helping Neighbors is a ministry at Sacred Heart

which reaches out to those among us who need help in many ways such as shopping, doing yard work getting to church or appointments, etc. If you are in need, know someone who is, or if you would like to help, please call: Marilee Adams at 267-5775 or Sue Houlihan at 267-5516.

A Musical Evening Interrupted “D o you have to play the

CD that loud?” Relaxing with a martini in

hand, listening to Stan Kenton, I was startled by my guardian angel’s inquiry.

“First of all it is not loud, and secondly, Stan Kenton is leading a nineteen piece band consisting of ten brass and other assorted instruments. It is loud by the law of physics, and I like him anyway so what’s it to you? I know, you are expressing displeas-ure because I am not playing one of the Gregorian chant albums that you favor so much.”

“Oh poop!” “Oh poop?” I exclaimed. “That’s

pretty daring for you, isn’t it?” “I received dispensation regard-

ing the use of certain slang words limited in use, however, to your im-mediate presence. That is the effect that you have on my normal spar-kling personality. And you don’t think the music is very loud?”

“I didn’t know that a guardian angel has a sparkling personality. I thought it was just sort of nothing. And no, I don’t think it is loud.”

“Well, you just learned some-thing about us angels didn’t you? And let me add, sacrifice isn’t your thing.”

“Of course it is. Look at the work I am doing with the Kairos Prison Ministry. It is a sacrifice to travel to and attend the meetings, and some-times I sacrifice my pride and ego for these guys.”

“I am well aware of what you are doing, and I make sure that He knows, especially the part about your pride and ego. I naturally take full credit for supplying you with the

necessary emo-tional support.” “Naturally,” I said with a grimace. “The one thing I know about you, there is always

an agenda to our conversa-tions, which is what I strongly sus-pected when you mentioned sacri-fice. Lent is rapidly approaching and that is a time of personal sacrifice but more importantly, growth in one’s spirituality.”

“Well said. And you are defining spirituality as…?”

“Oh! Oh!” I thought. “I heard you even over the mu-

sic,” replied the angel. “Let me help you. After all, I am your guardian as well as your spiritual advisor.”

“You are?” Ignoring my comment, the angel

continued. “Spirituality has to do with our way of being religious. St. Paul said, and I am going to para-phrase, when you live for material things, you set your mind on the ma-terial things, but if you live accord-ing to the spirit, you will set your mind on those things that are spiri-tual. To be spiritual means to know there is more to life than meets the eye. If you accept that as a truth, than you realize God is present in us, and this allows us to open ourselves to the Spirit. Even some of Jesus’ statements indicate that the Father is drawing closer to us. How? Because through spirituality, we are granted a visual way to see the spirituality around us. Am I moving too fast for you?”

“Forty days isn’t much time to

work on our finding the visual way, is it? But I suppose it would be called a start. Do you think you could give me some hints?”

I felt more than heard a chuckle. “I have some ideas that should

help you in your spiritual journey. Not to change the subject, but you know Stan’s music isn’t so bad after all. I’ll tell him when I see him.”

“You know him?” “Oh, he and I are great friends. “Of course,” I said. “Naturally,” he said. And life goes on.

Dennis McLaughlin

15

Photo collage of parishioners participating in a recent G.I.F.T. session.

Photos by Ami Conlan

Nonprofit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Permit No. 55 Southbury, CT

From the Heart Sacred Heart Parish 910 Main Street South Southbury, CT 06488

Easter Reflections

With OUR EYES we see The beauty of Easter as the earth awakens once more... With OUR EARS we hear The birds sing sweetly to tell us Spring again is here... With OUR HANDS we pick the golden daffodils and the fragrant hyacinths... But only with OUR HEARTS can we feel the MIRACLE of GOD'S LOVE which redeems all men... And only with OUR SOUL can we make our 'pilgrimage to God' and inherit His Easter Gift of ETERNAL LIFE.

Helen Steiner Rice