August 2, 2020 · 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Saint Matthew

Catholic Church

Welcome to the Catholic Church of Saint Matthew. Whether you are celebrating with us for the first time, vis-iting our community or have decided to make this your par-ish home, the Saint Matthew parish family welcomes you!

Father John Dietrich, Pastor Deacon Brian Armstrong

Sonia Shavel, Parish Secretary R. Greg Romans, Mary Pat Caputo,

Parish Trustees MASS SCHEDULE

Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. Saturday: 8:30 a.m.

Saturday Vigil, 4p.m. Sunday 7:00 a.m.; 8:30 a.m.; 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

(5 p.m. Mass will resume in the fall)

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION (Confession): Saturday 3:00 – 3:45 p.m. (* please remember to wear a

mask) or by appointment. Call the Parish Office.

ADDITIONAL SACRAMENTS For information on the Sacrament of Baptism, the Rite of

Christian Initiation for Adults, the Sacrament of Marriage and the Sacrament of the Sick (Anointing of the Sick) please con-

tact the Parish Office or go to our website.

SCHOOL • (860) 583-5214 33 Welch Dr. • Forestville, CT 06010-6790

Mrs. Helen Treacy, Principal Kate Ricci, Secretary

PARISH CENTER • (860) 583-7806 119 Church Ave. • Forestville, CT 06010-6799

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Maryann Wisniewski, DRE

YOUTH MINISTRY Amanda Binghi, Director

MUSIC MINISTRY William L Hively, Director

ACCOUNTING Deborah P. York, Finance Manager

120 Church Avenue • P.O. Box 9216, Forestville CT 06011-9216

Phone: 860-583-1833 • Fax: 860-582-6152 Email: rectory@stmatthewrcc.com

Web: www.stmatthewrcc.com Office Hours: Monday through Friday: 9:00AM-4PM

New Parishioner Registration: Census/Registration Forms at church entrance and

web page.

wondered, what now? An obvious solution was proposed: “send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves” (Matthew 14:15). It certainly seemed the most prudent thing to do.

So we can only wonder what the disciples must have thought when Jesus told them to bring Him the few loaves of bread and the fish. What on earth was He going to do with them? Sure, they had just seen Jesus again work amazing miracles of healing among the people, restoring life and limb to the desperately ill and handicapped. But the problem now was entirely different: hungry stomachs needed food; and a miraculous healing of one more poor soul was not going to help the situation. It was a simple problem with a simple solution: leave and go and buy some food! Who would have thought that in that moment Jesus would instead have asked everyone to sit down so that He could work a miracle for all to enjoy?

Reflecting on this miracle which we know as the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, we see it as more than an unexpected desert picnic. The events of that day enabled everyone to participate in the truly miraculous. As we read in the gospels, whenever Jesus healed the sick, the gift of healing was an individual grace for a particular person. But with the feeding of the five thousand, everyone received the gift of bread and fish from the Lord’s own hands and therefore received “part” of the miracle! The same is true when Jesus changed the water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana. Granted, here it was only bread and fish (perhaps not your first choice for lunch in the hot sun), but what sheer joy there must have been for them to eat together the freshest, best tasting bread and fish they had ever had.

And the fragments collected into baskets? Scripture scholars continue to debate what these twelve baskets of fragments may signify. However for the five thousand people who eventually did go home, with stomachs satisfied more so than they could have ever imagined out there in the empty desert, the leftovers were a delightful “extension” of a truly miraculous day. For even the fragments were from the Lord’s own hands, and therefore were not to be trodden underfoot or left as waste. Jesus had fed them where they did not dream it possible—and with such abundance—and so all of it therefore was precious indeed.

In this Sunday’s gospel Jesus disembarks onto

the shore of Lake Galilee near the village of Bethsaida. Capernaum, Jesus’ adopted hometown, is also nearby. This northern part of Lake Galilee is the area where Jesus worked approximately 80% of His public ministry.

After the death of His cousin, John the Baptist, Jesus understandably wanted time to be alone; and getting into a boat and

pushing out onto the vast waters of the huge freshwater lake seemed the best way to find a little solitude. However being in a boat on the open water meant it was also easy to spot Him. The people onshore likely recognized the boat as the one Jesus always seemed to have at His disposal. Perhaps it belonged to the brothers Peter and Andrew, or maybe the brothers James and John—fishermen all.

So with word spreading along the shore that Jesus was out on the lake, it didn’t take long for a crowd to form. Indeed word must have spread very fast because Passover was near and there would have been lots of pilgrims already making their way to Jerusalem. When Jesus eventually reached the other side of the lake with His disciples, not surprisingly well more than five thousand people were already there waiting for Him.

Now with the vast crowd around Him, clearly Jesus’ brief sabbatical was over. The people immediately wanted to get near Him to benefit from His wondrous healing power. And Jesus does indeed heal all who came to Him. What a sight it must have been. Thousands! And not in Jerusalem’s courtyards but out there in the desert, a place not of plenty but of want. So clearly someone needed to bring order to the situation—a leader, a shepherd. For they truly were like sheep without a shepherd.

As the sun began to set, naturally the disciples

Sea of Galilee, 1903

First Reading: Is 55: 1-3

“Thus says the LORD: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satis-fy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.”

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 145: 8-9, 15-16, 17-18

“The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.” Second Reading: Rom 8:35, 37-39

“ Brothers and sisters: What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecu-tion, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor an-gels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Gospel: Mt 14: 13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. When it was evening, the dis-ciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for them-selves.” Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” Then he said, “Bring them here to me, ” and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over— twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Abby Stavens Alyssa Robidoux

Aubrey Serrambana Bianka Juchniewicz

Brooke Sattler Coledyn Thomspon Dominic Sylvester Gianni Raimondi

Hailey Christopher Justin Hurley

Loren Gonzalez Maelle Dibgolongo

Thomas Johnson

“Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Luke 18:16-17

St. Matthew Catholic Church First Holy Communion

July 2020

St. Matthew School

First Day of School Saint Matthew School opens on Wednesday, August 26th

for the 2020 - 2021 school year

School begins - 7:55 am * Dismissal – 12:30 pm

Important Notes

Regular Schedule: 7:55 am - 2:30 pm

Every Wednesday dismissal - 2:05 pm

*** Lunch is needed on full days of school **

Upcoming Schedule:

August 25th

: Virtual OPEN House for all grades - 1:30-2:30pm August 26

th - Students PreK - 8th Grade: 12:30 pm dis-

missal August 27

th - Students PreK - 8th Grade: 12:30 pm dis-

missal August 28

th - Students PreK - 8th Grade: 12:30 pm dis-

missal September 7

th NO SCHOOL/ Labor Day

September 9th

- Back-to-School Night · Grades 5 - 8 at 6:30 pm (virtually) September 10 - Back-to-School Night · Grades Pre K- 4 at 6:30 pm (virtually)

*All students are to wear their proper school spring uniform beginning the first day of school. *Arrival: Students Grades K – 5 are to enter the school using main doors upon arrival at school and go immedi-ately to their classroom. Students Grades 6-8 are to enter the school using the gym doors entrance and go directly to their learning space. *Buses will arrive & dismiss at each entrance to dismiss designated grades. *All car riders: Please drop children off at either Gym-nasium or Main entrance depending on grade level of your students. *Dismissal time: With staggered times, teachers will walk all students (except bus riders) to Church Avenue to the crossing guard, cross the street with the children and walk along pavement in front of church to parking lot behind church adhering to social distancing proto-cols. *There are two exits from church parking lot: back exit (Academy St.) or Church Avenue exit. *Please wait for children in church parking lot be-hind the church *Please keep driveway in front of church FREE of parked vehicles.

WORLD DAY AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING

July 30, 2020

The Human Trafficking Task Force would like to provide an opportunity for people of the Archdiocese to pray against human trafficking and learn more about human trafficking. The Human Trafficking Task Force supports the Office for Catholic Social Ministry efforts to build the capacity of the people of the Archdio-cese of Hartford to eradicate human trafficking and exploi-tation. For more information contact Lynn Campbell

St. Matthew’s Weekly Offertory Collection

We are very grateful for our parishioners who continue to make their weekly contribution to St. Matthew’s. Your generosity is vital to meet our

expenses and serve our parishioners. For your contributions please note that you can . .

Thank you very much for your faithful support during this

difficult time!

1) Mail your envelopes to the rectory office. 2) Use our Offertory “drop-off” window in the

rectory office entrance. 3) Use our online giving app. Registering is

easy! Just go to our webpage at www.stmatthewrcc.com and click WAYS TO GIVE.

R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) is beginning this summer for those who wish to become Catholic or who were baptized Catholic but have not received all the Sacraments of Initiation (including

First Eucharist and Confirmation). Please call the parish office, 860-583-1833, to make an appointment with Fr. Dietrich and discuss your situation.

St. Matthew Bereavement Support Group will meet on Monday, August 3rd from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Par-ish Center. Please call Rita Lagasse at 860-583-6674 to register.

Lord, we stand today as our forefathers once stood

before You, celebrating our history and rejoicing in

the favor with which You have graciously blessed

us.

We thank You for the blessings of liberty, for our

independence, for peace and for all those who have

bravely given their lives in the defense of freedom.

Yet as a nation and people we have not always

chosen the right way. We ask You to forgive us our

sins against Your love. On this day we commit

ourselves wholeheartedly to honor and serve You.

With everything that we are, we lay our lives before

You.

Make us a generous people, a holy nation,

a people set aside to love You forever,

for the sake of the land of the brave and free, and

all the peoples and nations of the world.

Today, we do not presume Your grace for our

country. Our land is in need of You,

Our people are in need of You.

May we look only to You, always dependent on

You.

St. Matthew Church will offer a Holy Hour,

PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

Rosary for our Country; with patriotic instru-mental hymns between decades and reflections from our Founding Fathers

Benediction

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be availa-ble through the day starting right after the 7:30 a.m. Mass and concluding with Holy Hour.

Please join us in prayer.

When Thomas Jefferson arrived to represent his country in France in 1785, he went to pay his respects to the French minister for foreign affairs. “You replace Monsieur Franklin?” asked the minister. “I succeed him,” was Jefferson’s reply. “No one can replace him.”

Prayer for Our Country

Time Management “Lasting enthusiasm is born in contemplative communion, for it is in this love that energy is found to overcome our natural inertia, laziness, drifting, apathy, and

dullness. One who loves much, does much. So also a person’s activity is committed, stable and steady. . . . There is no other theologically sound and complete way to operate in human life except from love, and the deeper, the more burning the love, the more fruit-ful the work.” -Fr. Thomas Dubay (1921-2010)

August 2—8

The seven-day candle before the statue of Blessed Mother is lit as a prayerful vigil to Pierina Brown requested by her daughter.

PRAYER TO END THE PANDEMIC

Jesus of Nazareth, look up-on the tribulations that have surrounded us on eve-ry side. I beg You with all

my heart, contrite and humble and in the spirit of hu-mility, to hear me about this tribulation. I invoke You and call out to You, Alpha and Omega, Jesus Christ, Lord of all believers and all creatures, that just as You took on true flesh from Blessed Mary, so truly we might receive healing and strength from You. Amen.

Saturday August 1st St. Alphonsus Liguori

8:30 a.m. † Elizabeth Brown Dumais (3rd anniversary) by her mother, brother and children Reagan and Quinn 4:00 p.m. † Bertha Maroney by St. Matthew's Ladies Guild of the Blessed Sacrament

Sunday August 2nd 18h Sunday Ordinary Time

7:00 a.m. † Thomas J. Ginty Jr. by family 8:30 a.m. † Jean-Yves Laprise by his wife, Judy 10:00 a.m. † Elizabeth Brown Dumais by cousin Judy 11:30 a.m. † Gerard Quintin Jr. by family

Monday August 3rd

7:30 a.m. † Robert and Loretta Gibson by family

Tuesday August 4th

7:30 a.m. All living and deceased fathers of St. Matthew Parish

Wednesday August 5th

7:30 a.m. † Antoinette Pahl (18th anniversary) by her children

Thursday August 6th Transfiguration of the Lord 7:30 a.m. All living and deceased fathers of St. Matthew Parish

Friday August 7th St. Sixtus

7:30 a.m. All living and deceased fathers of St. Matthew Parish

Saturday August 8th St. Dominic

8:30 a.m. All living and deceased fathers of St. Matthew Parish 4:00 p.m. † John Schaffer by Bruce and Barbara Thorin

Sunday August 9th 19th Sunday Ordinary Time

7:00 a.m. † Jeff Merrow by his wife, Nancy Merrow 8:30 a.m. Noah Steven Felix (healing wishes) by Judith Perez 10:00 a.m. † George Pittman (first anniversary) by the Pittman Family 11:30 a.m.. † Melissa Champagne and Eric Dill by mom and dad

Dear Parishioners:

If you are interested in having the name of a loved one included in our prayer list, please, call the parish office during business hours. The prayer list is updated weekly.

Chelsea Rivard, Nicholas Del Mastro, Jill Synnott,

Rita Lagasse, Ann Conroy,

Kim Romano, Blanche Adamczyk, Ada Zoccoli ,

Donald Theriault , James Barto, Daniel Murzin,

Marc Sullivan, Noah Steven Felix, Kenneth Roy,

Armand Roy, Fr. Noel Nejfelt. and Lori Lausier.

Family Chalice For Vocations

Henry and Florence LeBlanc — 7:00 a.m.

will receive the Family Chalice for Vocations and pray for Vocations during the next week. If you would like to sign up to receive the Family Chalice for Vocations please contact Rich and Donna Slusz at (860) 589-4318.

.