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St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Parish Roman Catholic Church
138 Candlewood Lake Road, Brookfield, CT 06804 ∙ (203) 775-5117 ∙ www.stmarguerite.org
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time — September 4, 2016
Â\ ntroibo ad altare Dei. Ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam. (I will go to the altar of God. To God, who gives joy to my youth).
These words from Psalm 42 commence the Traditional Latin Mass beginning with the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar. This weekend, St. Marguerite’s Parish will have its first celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass since the parish’s creation and construction in the 1980s. We are grateful to Pope John Paul II who allowed the indult (or special permission) first in 1988 to celebrate this Mass under certain conditions, Pope Benedict XVI who extended its celebration universally to all priests by virtue of their ordination, and to Bishop Frank Caggiano who has supported this Mass since his arrival in our Diocese. The importance of celebrating this Tridentine Mass cannot be overstated. The Catholic Church alone is the one, true Church established by Jesus Christ. He established His Church as the ordinary means by which we receive His supernatural grace in this world so that, being perfected more and more by God each day, we hope to behold Him in all His glory in the world to come. The Catholic Church, therefore, exists in time and history to aid all men, women, and children in their march toward eternal life. This is the destiny of all the baptized in Christ. How is this possible, however? Certainly, our own efforts cannot achieve so grand a reward. Only God’s grace (His friendship) extended to us can afford us His glory that He longs to share with each one of us. The greatest and most profound way that this happens is through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The one Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross two thousand years ago is made present at each and every altar celebrated by a priest uninterruptedly for these past two millennia. Since God exists outside of time, He can make His one perfect Sacrifice in time accessible to all people who were not physically there at the foot of the Cross. We are spiritually and metaphysically present, therefore, at Christ’s perfect offering of Himself to the Father at every Mass. He invites us to come before Him through the Mass, and joined with the Holy Spirit who transubstantiates the bread and wine into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ, He transforms us by our reception of Holy Communion. That change offers us something beyond this temporal existence. God offers us
eternity at the altar of His own Son. Therefore, because the Catholic Church perpetuates the one Sacrifice of Christ in history until His Second Coming, the connection we have with the universal Church historically is absolutely essential. Her beliefs, for example, do not change generationally based upon current trends. The Church’s doctrines are all based on the Person of Jesus Christ, and His eternal truths are not fluid. Likewise, the way that the Church celebrates the divine mysteries of Christ in the sacraments is vitally important. Many elements of the Tridentine Mass come from the catacombs of Rome and certainly many more come from the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great (d. 604). The celebration of this Mass, therefore, has very deep and substantial roots in history. We are connected with the saints in a unique and special way whenever this Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated because the majority of the saints who we venerate today either celebrated this Mass themselves or attended it in the congregation. Why is this important? A Church, or any institution, that loses its identity historically also loses its current identity. The result is that the mission of that same institution becomes muddled or lost altogether. A healthy and thriving institution cannot reinvent itself constantly by breaking its ties with the past. We see such a tension playing itself out currently in the Church. The mere celebration of the Tridentine Mass has become politicized. Many bishops and priests today unfortunately desire to reinvent the Church by cutting all ties to anything before the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). These same prelates have an almost Luciferian obsession by speaking negatively about the Church and her worship prior to 1965 and by doing anything to obstruct the celebration of this Traditional Mass. Interestingly, many of the priests who grew up with this Mass are the same ones who are vehemently opposed to its current celebration. However, these same prelates are also the ones who so often bow down before the false gods of political correctness within the Church under the rubric of “social justice.” There are, indeed, many false prophets today under the guise of shepherds who are spiritually confused because their formation in the proper worship of God is so disoriented.
The Pastor’s Page
While secular institutions cannot reinvent themselves constantly without losing their mission and their very existence, the Church, however, stands unique. Because the Catholic Church is of divine origin from God Himself, she can never be destroyed. Although her own members may wound her seriously, God’s truth is constant and ever-present in His Church. Many priests of my generation and younger wonder aloud the same question when we first discovered the Tridentine Mass either by reading a missalette or by attending a Mass: Why did the Church abandon this superb celebration of the Mass and want to separate herself from her own history? There is no satisfying answer to that question. The answer most people offer is that they wanted the Mass to be more “understandable” now with the Mass in the vernacular. There are three problems, however, with this idea of making the Mass more “understandable” by abandoning the Tridentine Mass. First, the Mass is the divine mystery of Christ present to us individually and as a whole Church whenever it is celebrated. The sense of the transcendent mystery of God is lost when the entire Mass is celebrated in the vernacular—a language one speaks everyday so that there is nothing special reserved for God and His presence at Mass. Latin invites us into the mystery of God precisely because it is reserved for the worship of God; it is a liturgical language. Furthermore, if the vernacular is so important now for people to understand the Mass in their own language, then why has Mass attendance dropped precipitously since 1970? There should be more Catholics going to Mass now that it is “understandable,” not fewer. Second, when one exalts the importance of celebrating Mass in the vernacular exclusively, then one is saying that Catholics must be too stupid to understand Latin. How can this be? We have more access to education now in the West than ever before historically. In fact, people actually still continue to learn Latin! In addition, the vernacular translation of Mass was printed on the right side of the missalette for people to study and read. As Pope St. Pius X stated, we should not only pray at Mass, but we should
actually pray the Holy Mass. That would require, perhaps, studying the prayers outside of Mass to become more familiar with them so that when the Tridentine Mass was being celebrated, the faithful could surely pray along with priest. Certainly, the faithful have enough intelligence to study the Mass—even in Latin—if it is important to them. Finally, another false idea of the vernacular Mass being superior to the Traditional Latin Mass concerns the members in the congregation who were praying their devotions, such as the Rosary and others, while the priest was at the altar offering Mass. People will often say derisively that it was because people could not understand Latin. The question is: What is wrong with praying a particular devotion during the Mass? How is this somehow the bane of liberal Catholics’ existences, who so often repeat this? Since we now have Mass in the vernacular that is
supposedly so “understandable,” then why are people texting during Mass, balancing their checkbooks, reading the bulletin throughout Mass, going to the bathroom multiple times, and so on. How is this somehow giving us greater “full and active participation” during the Mass? Personally, I would rather see a grandmother praying the Rosary during Mass rather than a lot of the current aforementioned activities from the pews.
The Mass is the greatest act that mankind can give to God in worship. How privileged we are as Catholics to be able to enter through the veil that is turned back, as it were, through the Traditional Mass and experience God’s saving activity in our life. The Mass is not something to be manipulated or understood in a narrow, academic sense. It is a mystery to be lived and applied within our day as Christ conforms our life to His very own. The Traditional Latin Mass helps us to experience God’s presence among us in a sublime and exalted manner. We give thanks to God for His providence and grace in this Mass, and we certainly pray that many Catholics will grow to love the Traditional Latin Mass which is, as Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said, the “most beautiful thing this side of heaven.” May you have a most blessed and holy week! Fr. Shawn William Cutler
The Mass
is the greatest act
that mankind
can give to God
in worship.
O f f i c e o f F a i t h F o r m a t i o n Calendars for 2016/17 Classes are available at www.stmarguerite.org. Family Formation (Grades 1-6) classes begin next
Sunday, September 11th, at 9:15 a.m. Confirmation Prep (Grades 7-8) classes begin
Sunday, September 25th at 9:15 a.m. Immediate Prep (Grade 9) classes begin Sunday,
September 18th at 4 p.m. ** All families of children enrolled in our Faith Formation programs are required to be registered and active parishioners of St. Marguerite’s. ** If you have not yet registered your child for classes, please call the Faith Formation Office as some classes are currently at capacity. Contact Faith Formation Director Mary Ellen Tiernan at (203) 775-5117 or [email protected] for more information about any of our programs.
D i o c e s e o f B r i d g e p o r t E v e n t s The Annual Diocesan Blue Mass will be held on Sunday, September 11th at 12 noon at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Fairfield. The Blue Mass, celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, honors Law Enforcement, Fire, and First Responders. This event, which is open to all, will commemorate the 15th Anniversary of 9/11. The Diocese of Bridgeport’s Annual Red Mass will be Sunday, October 2nd. This is a liturgy for all attorneys, legislators, judges, and legal professionals. A 9 a.m. Mass at Fairfield University Chapel is followed by breakfast and a speaker program at the Fairfield University Oak Room.
K n i g h t s o f C o l u m b u s Why be a Knight of Columbus, Brookfield Council 11913? Knights are a brotherhood of Catholic men dedicated to doing charitable acts in the service of God and neighbor. Members of Council 11913 are active in the
parishes of St. Marguerite and St. Joseph, serving as Eucharistic Ministers, Faith Formation instructors, serving on parish councils and the Diocesan Task Force, and serving on numerous committees. They also sponsor an annual Red Cross Blood Drive. Brookfield Council 11913 supports their parishes with cash and gift cards. Joining Council 11913 gives you the opportunity to grow in your faith, support your parish, give back to the community, and protect your family with the Knights of Columbus insurance program. God cares for His people through people. To join local Council 11913, call Grand Knight Vincent Lupo at (203) 775-4848.
M a s s I n t e n t i o n s Monday, Sept 5: St. Teresa of Calcutta 8:30 am: Intentions of Janette Howe, LMC by Laurie Dwyer, LMC Tuesday, Sept 6 8:30 am: +Grace Gray by Ronni Gray Wednesday, Sept 7 8:30 am: +Anne Dachenhausen by Katy Murphy Thursday, Sept 8: Nativity of the BVM 8:30 am: Intentions of June Lentini Friday, Sept 9: St. Peter Claver 8:30 am: +Nicholas Tino by Katy Murphy Saturday, Sept 10: BVM 8:30 am: +Eva Bernier by Denise Bernier 4:30 pm: +Mr. and Mrs. John Gray by family Sunday, Sept 11: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time 8 am: +Victims of the 9/11/01 Terrorist Attacks 10:30 am: +Paul Fiori and +Joseph Romangnolo by the Scarcella family 12 noon: +John Fagan by the family 5 pm: +Aiden Pacheo by Francesco Lentini
For the intentions of a loved one, an anniversary celebration, or in memory of a loved one, the following may be offered: Weekday Masses: $10; Weekend Masses: $15; 2-Altar Candles (church or chapel): $20; 1-Sanctuary Candle (church or chapel) - $10; Hosts - $15; Sacramental Wine - $10.
W e e k l y O f f e r t o r y Thank you for your continued generosity!
Our weekly goal to meet operating expenses is $7,000 for Budget Year 7/1/2016 - 6/30/2017.
Aug 20/21: $5,549.00 (includes Online Giving) Aug 27/28: $6,266.00 (includes Online Giving)
We thank you for your generous contributions to the parish. We request all parishioners use their weekly envelopes or Online Giving to make their donations to the parish. This is the only way we can verify your donations for tax purposes.
Online Giving can be used to easily set up recurring donations to the parish by debiting your checking/savings account or debit/credit card. The timing/amount of your gift can be changed at any time and there is never any
cost to you! Sign up at stmarguerite.org and click on “Donate” for the Online Giving link. Questions? Contact Linda Diorio in the Parish Office at (203) 775-5117 or [email protected]. Help us update our records! If you are currently registered at St. Marguerite’s but are not receiving envelopes but wish to, or if you are receiving them but no longer want them, or your information (address, status, etc.) has changed in any way, please contact the Parish Office. If you are new to the area or have been attending but never formally registered, we encourage you to register on our website or pick up a Registration Form on the tables at the entrances to the church.
S h a m e t h e D e v i l : G o t o C o n f e s s i o n !
Celebrate the Jubilee Year of Mercy!
Confessions are available every Tuesday at St. Joseph Parish
(Brookfield) 7-8:30 p.m. and
every Thursday at Sacred Heart Parish (Danbury) 7-8:30 p.m.
Your Parish Office Is Open: Monday-Thursday: 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m.-12 noon Phone: (203) 775-5117
Fax: (203) 775-9254 www.stmarguerite.org
[email protected] Connect with us on Facebook!
Pastor: Rev. Shawn William Cutler Deacon: Anthony J. Detje Weekend Assistant: Rev. Guido G. Montanaro Mass Schedule Public Morning Prayer: 8:20 a.m. Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m. - Chapel Saturday: 8:30 a.m. - Chapel 4:30 p.m. Vigil Mass Sunday: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 5 p.m. Latin Low Mass: 1st Sunday of the month at 4 p.m. Confessions Daily in the Chapel Sacristy before 8:20 a.m. prayer; Saturdays 3:30-4:15 p.m.; or by appointment. Music Director: Jack Basso [email protected] Choir Director: Tory Gozzi (203) 241-5362, [email protected] Faith Formation Director: Mary Ellen Tiernan [email protected] Office Administrator: Linda Diorio [email protected] Bulletin Editor: Jean Piccorelli [email protected] Finance Chairman: Greg Dembowski (203) 740-1948, [email protected]
to our parish! We are glad you came to worship with us today and invite you
to introduce yourself to Fr. Shawn, Fr. Guido, or Deacon Tony. To register as a parishioner, please complete a Registration Form which can be found on our website and on the tables at the entrances to the church or come into the Parish Office to pick up a Form. Parish Membership: To be considered an active member of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Parish, each family and single adult must be properly registered AND regularly use the weekly donation envelopes for our parish or be donating through Online Giving. This is the ONLY way the parish can issue documents attesting to parish membership and Catholic practice (i.e. a letter to be a godparent for baptism or sponsor for confirmation).
Traditional Latin Mass: This weekend, we will begin offering the Tridentine Low Mass on the first Sundays of the month at 4 p.m.! Accordingly, today we will be celebrating the 16th Sunday after Pentecost. Our annual Tag Sale will take place on Saturday, September 17th, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. There will be a special Preview Day on Friday, September 16th, 3-5 p.m.! See the Tag Sale flyer in the narthex and on our website for acceptable items to donate. Donations will be accepted in the Hall: September 12th-15th, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Volunteers are needed for the days of the Sale, drop off days, and for clean-up on Sunday. A Sign-Up Sheet is in the narthex. For information, contact Priscilla Garamella: (203) 313-0819 or [email protected]. Vendor Applications are now being accepted for St. Marguerite’s 24th Annual Holiday Craft Fair & Bazaar on Saturday, November 12th, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., in the Hall. We encourage parishioners to participate as a vendor in this parish fundraising event. To download an application, visit www.stmarguerite.org. For further information, call Pat Spitzfaden at (203) 775-9236. Our 29th Annual Jack Macksey Memorial Golf Tournament will be Wednesday, September 21st at the Ridgefield Golf Club. For information on becoming a Sponsor or Player, contact Greg at (203) 733-7209. The 4th Annual Memorial Mass of the Guardian Angels will be Monday, October 3rd at 7 p.m. Parents, relatives, and friends who have suffered the loss of a child are invited to join us as we celebrate their lives before God at the Eucharist. There will be a special speaker at the Mass. To submit your child’s name and photo for our Memorial Book, please complete a Memorial Mass Registration Form (which can be found on our website or on the tables at the entrances to the church) before Monday, September 19th. If you completed a Registration Form in a previous year, it does not need to be resubmitted. Questions? Contact Jill Kessler at (203) 740-8500. We invite everyone to attend this beautiful Mass! St. Marguerite’s “Octoberfest Fruit of the Vine Tasting” will take place on Saturday, October 15th, 6-8 p.m. A selection of wines sponsored by Caraluzzi’s Wine & Spirits will be presented and hors d’oeuvres by area restaurants will be served. Tickets are $30/each or $50/ couple and will be sold after Masses in September or may be reserved by calling Priscilla Garamella at (203) 313-0819. Our evening Fatima Prayer Cell Group meets every 2nd Friday of the month in Room 1, 7-9 p.m. Next meeting is September 9th. We will pray the Rosary and read from Lucia Speaks. For information, contact Maria: (203) 942-7767 or [email protected]. All are welcome to attend the meetings. Learn more about the World Apostolate of Fatima at www.wafusa.org. The Parish Office will be closed on Monday, September 5th in observance of Labor Day. Contact us 24/7 by email. Office hours are Monday thru Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m.-12 noon.
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