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 (Chapel) Thursday & Friday: 12:10PM (Chapel) Saturday Morning: 8:00AM (Chapel)

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.

Sunday, July 8, 2018

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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 Web Site: www.southingtoncathlolicschool.org

SATURDAY, JULY 7—Weekday

8:00AM Marjorie J. Combs— Requested by Tom & Shirley Saccoman

4:00PM Raymond Deryniaski Requested by MaryAnn & Family

SUNDAY, JULY 8—14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

7:30AM Bruno & Mary Brunalli Requested by Marta Brunalli

10:00AM Vance Lenzi—Birthday Remembrance Requested by his Wife Shirley and Children

MONDAY, JULY 9—Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest,

and Companions, Martyrs

7:30AM The Parishioners of Saint Thomas

TUESDAY, JULY 10—Weekday

7:30AM Parishioners whose funerals were in June:

Antonietta Votino, Bruce Bailey, Marilyn

Bastek, Anthony Palmieri, Yvon Gendreau

WEDNESDAY, JULY 11—Saint Benedict, Abbot

NO MASS ON WEDNESDAYS

THURSDAY, JULY 12—Weekday

12:10PM Saverio Mercaldi, Mr & Mrs Guiseppe &

Francesca Zacchia, Guiseppe & Rosa Izzo, and

Thomas Zacchia Requested by Mr & Mrs Guarino Zacchia

FRIDAY, JULY 13—Saint Henry

12:10PM William Wright, Jr.—Requested by Verna Perugini

SATURDAY, JULY 14—St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin

8:00AM Parishioners of Saint Thomas

4:00PM Robert Gionfriddo—Birthday Requested by his Wife Marion

SUNDAY, JULY 15—15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

7:30AM Ferdinand Simone Family Requested by Tom & Marie DelSanto

10:00AM Harry White, Sr. —Requested by his Family

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 Stanley Maigarie

Plant Manager Casey Potthoff

Custodial Staff Daniel Conant Bonnie Guimond 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

Sanctuary Candles Church: Paul Pieciuk,Jr.

Requested by his Family

Chapel: For World Peace

Rectory Office Hours Monday—Friday 8AM-4PM

Father Joe’s Notes My dear friends,

It hardly seems possible, but I’ve been here in the

parish just over a year now. I am no longer the new

kids in town. A year ago, I had no idea what to expect

when I arrived. You didn’t know me

at all, and I am sure there were doubts

and fears of what might come. Well,

after a year, we have gotten to know

each other. Now that that I have

made the year can’t help but look

back and see what has happened.

We have done a great deal togeth-

er. I am happy to report that the Bi-

ble study group really thrived this

year. We were able to study letters

from St. Paul and St. James getting

insight into to the earliest days of the

Church. In the church, we were able to get the presid-

ers chair in a position where I can actually see the con-

gregation, and we have new vestments. Liturgically,

we worked to engage young children and families. The

rectory office is now handicapped accessible, thanks to

the ramp that went in two weeks ago. The Thanksgiv-

ing baskets and sock drive were remarkable successes

helping our brothers and sisters in need. Southington

Catholic School continues to progress in its mission,

and thanks to the generosity of some of our parishion-

ers, it was able to begin a new endowment fund to en-

sure the long term support of education. We have even

begun a revamped Stewardship Committee to work

with our many ministries to enrich then and help them

grow, while also striving to enliven the whole parish

community. It has been a very good and productive

year in ministry.

Since arriving at St. Thomas Parish, I have seen

the many good works you continue to do. You have

completed funding the construction of maternity clinic

and medical personnel housing in Uganda. Your sup-

port of Vincent Raby over his many

years of studies bore fruit at his ordi-

nation. Gratefully, he has been as-

signed to ministry here. Deacon An-

gelo, though officially retired, con-

tinues to work hard with altar serv-

ers, serving funerals, and on our lit-

urgy committee. The Eucharistic

Ministers continue to be a support to

homebound parishioners, letting

them know we care for them. The

many prayer groups gather to praise

the Lord and find ways to make a

difference in the community. Reli-

gious Education is providing formation to our young

people. Parishioners do their part to staff Bread for

Life and keep it stocked and feeding people in need.

This is an active, thriving parish.

I look forward to many years serving you as with

minister together. We can’t know what the future holds,

but there is no need to fear. With the Spirit guiding us,

we can truly walk in the ways of Christ. I expect we

will continue to do the work to create a welcoming faith

community for our brothers and sister. Look at what

we have done together over this past year. Let’s keep

up the good work and journey together with our God.

Hopefully yours in Christ, Fr. Joe

Question: Father, why did we celebrate the Feast of Saint

John the Baptist’s birth on a Sunday?

Answer: The Nativity of St. John the Baptist is a Solemnity.

They are highest ranking feast days of on the Church

calendar. If one of those solemnities falls on a Sunday in

Ordinary Time, it trumps the Sunday celebration. Feasts like

All Saints Day, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

or the feast of SS. Peter & Paul do this. Should a solemnity

fall during a Sunday in a special Church season (Advent,

Christmas, Lent, or Easter), then the Sunday of the season

trumps the solemnity. The continuity of those Sundays in

important, and so they take priority. So, if the Immaculate

Conception, Annunciation, or St. Joseph’s Day falls on a

Sunday, those solemnities are moved to the following day

Ask Father

Readings for the Week of July 8, 2018

Sunday: Ez 2:2-5/Ps 123:1-2, 2, 3-4 [2cd]/2 Cor 12:7-10/

Mk 6:1-6a

Monday: Hos 2:16, 17b-18, 21-22/Ps 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

8a]/Mt 9:18-26

Tuesday: Hos 8:4-7, 11-13/Ps 115:3-4, 5-6, 7ab-8, 9-10 [

9a]/Mt 9:32-38

Wednesday: Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12/Ps 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 [4b]/

Mt 10:1-7

Thursday: Hos 11:1-4, 8e-9/Ps 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16 [4b]/

Mt 10:7-15

Friday: Hos 14:2-10/Ps 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-13, 14 and 17 [17b]/

Mt 10:16-23

Saturday: Is 6:1-8/Ps 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5 [1a]/Mt 10:24-33

Parish Information Prayers / Devotions

Holy Hours In the chapel—rectory basement

Tuesdays: 11:00AM—Noon (for vocations)

Thursdays: 11:00AM—Noon (with Benediction)

Eucharistic Adoration In the chapel—rectory basement

Thursdays 8:00AM—11:00AM

Miraculous Medal Novena In the chapel—rectory basement

Tuesdays at 7:00PM

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Bible Study Group

We have completed our study for this year. We will

begin a new study in September when we will study the

Book of Genesis. All are welcome to join us.

Thursdays at 1:30PM—Chapel (Rectory basement)

Thursdays at 7:00PM—School Cafeteria

(The classes cover the same material—you need only attend one)

_______________________________________________________________________________________

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 will have our Plant Manager, Casey Pottoff,

meet with you and explain the options for graves and

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

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 If you’ve never been baptized or you belong to another

denomination and want to join the Catholic Church, we

can help you! Any Baptized Catholic adult who hasn’t

received other Sacraments, we can help you. Call us!

Reconciliation We hear Confessions on Saturday afternoons from

3:00PM until 3:30 PM in the reconciliation room in the

church, or call Father Joe to make an appointment.

Marriage The Archdiocese of Hartford requires a minimum of

six months for marriage preparation. Couples should

contact Father Joe at the rectory to schedule 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.

Sponsor Certificates

They are available in the church sacristy or in the

rectory office. You must be an active parishioner,

registered with our parish for 6 months or more. The

use of the envelope system helps us in verifying that

you’re an active parishioners here. You must also

have completed your Sacraments of Initiation and be

in a valid marriage. If you have question, call us.

New Parishioners

Welcome to St. Thomas! We are delighted to have

you join our parish family. Introduce yourself to

Father or the Deacon after Mass. Parish registration

forms are available in the sacristy and the rectory

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

form for each family member. Once completed, mail

them to us or drop them in the collection basket.

Collections for July 1st were not available

when the bulletin was sent to print.

† Southington Catholic School †

St. Thomas Religious Ed.

†

Do you have a child who has not made any or

all of his or her sacraments? We will have a

class, beginning this fall, for any child who

needs to prepare for Baptism, Reconciliation,

and First Holy Communion. It’s not too late.

We can help. We are enrolling students from

4th grade through high school for special

sacramental help. Call Sister Marie for info!

Get on board with us! Registering for the

2018-2019 school year!!

There is still time to

get on board with

Southington Catholic

School—Fall 2018!

The Admissions Office

at Southington Catholic

School will continue to

accept registrations over

the summer months. Call 860-628-2485 to arrange a

Happy Summer! Throughout the school year,

the first grade students at Southington Catholic

School donated to the Southington Food Pantry.

The Food Pantry acknowledged that the

hundreds of pounds of nonperishable foods they

donated will help at risk families in our

community throughout the summer months.

Faith in action!

Congratulations! Southington Catholic

School has proudly announced the Honor

Roll for the third trimester:

High Honors: Ana Maria Cawley, Julia

Clough, Daniel Cawley, Savannah Haggerty,

Emily Heath, Riley Wichman and Alexander

Clough.

Honors: Gabriella Castonguay, Adriana

Raymond, Riley Wagner, Cassidy Wichman,

Ava Bagdasarian, Isabel Esposito, Jonathan

Blatchley, Lauren Bush, Matthew Doherty,

Dominic Oakes, Daniella Salzillo, Samuel

Yang. Matteus Abastillas, Aidan DeGrandis,

Ariana Johnson, Leah Petruzzi, Nicole

Raymond, Logan Rembish, Emily Tornberg,

Tyler Benoit, Aidan Desaulniers, Alora

Johnson, Trinity Muro and Donato Salzillo.

Altar Flowers The floral arrangements in our sanctuary

enhance our liturgical setting. The donation

or flowers is $100.00. If you would like to

sponsor or dedicate the floral arrangements

in memory of someone, please contact the

rectory. The dedication and donation will

be acknowledged in the bulletin that week.

This Week’s Flowers: Vance Lenzi—Birthday Remembrance

Online Giving

Online giving has been updated

with improvements for our donors,

including an easier to use

interface, and a quicker way to

donate specific funds. Online

giving is a great way to support

our parish. Signing up is easy if you can use a

computer, tablet, or smartphone. Go to our

webpage: www.stthomassouthington.org and click

the Online Giving Logo. To keep costs down, we

ask that you make your donations scheduled for

Saturday or Sunday. For online support, call

them at 1-800-348-2886, Ex. 2. THANKS!

Xavier High School

Summer Camps

There will be 10

different camps for

middle school boys

throughout the month of

July. 8 different sport

camps for football,

soccer, baseball, lacrosse,

running, crew, wrestling,

and strength/conditioning and 2 enrichment camps

featuring science, engineering, robotics, problem

solving, building, and programing activities. You can

learn more about the offerings and register

at www.xavierhighschool.org/summer.

RCIA Class is being formed

Are you interested in becoming a Catholic or

know someone who is? Are you a baptized

Catholic, but you never received your other

Sacraments? We can help!

We will be forming a new

group for our RCIA group

(Rite of Christian Initiation

for Adults). This class will

prepare people for baptism,

reception in the faith, and

Confirmation at the Easter

Vigil. Call the rectory with

questions or to register.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

The annual school supplies drive will take place at all Masses on the weekends of July 21/22 and July 28/29. Suggested items include: backpacks, binders, folders, notebooks, book covers, pens, pencils,, erasers, crayons, markers, etc. Donations may be deposited in the bins at each entrance of the church. All items will be donated to Southington Social Services for students in need. Thank you for your generous support.

Italian Rosary Society

The Italian Rosary

Society will meet in the

Parish Center on

Tuesday, July 10th at

7:30pm. We would like

to invite anyone who

would like to pray the

Rosary in Italian to join

us. For further

information just contact

Antoinette Barbato at

860-302-0228.

Della Vecchia Funeral Home 860-628-2293 www.dellavecchiafh.com

Manor Inn 860-628-9877 Manorinnrestaurant.com

Al Joy Tire Service 860-628-2728

Youssef B. Khawaja, MD Internal Medicine & Endocrinology

860-621-9353

Giovanni’s Pizzeria 860-621-2299

www.giovannisofsouthington.com

Plantsville Funeral Home 860-621-4656

www.plantsvillefuneralhome.com

Steve’s Family Restaurant 860-621-7116

Ragozzino’s Deli & Catering 860-621-6979

Serfafino Pharmacy, INC 860-628-7979

www.stores.healthmart.com/serafinopharmacy

Religious Teachers Filippini 860-621-1904 www.filippiniusa.org

Waste Material Trucking Company, INC Residential & Commercial 860-747-6816

D’Amato Construction Company, INC General Contractors 860-583-3489

Patrick Baker & Sons Religious goods and supplies

1-800-243-6385 www.ChurchGoods.com

Bill’s Auto Body Clinic, INC 860-628-8627

V.Nanfito Remodeling & Repairs 860-621-6898

CV Tool Company 860-621-0494

Catholic Match.com/CT

ATD Home Security 1-888-862-6429

www.parishstore.com

Volpe & Sons Automotive 860-628-0067

Della Porta EyeCare, LLC 860-582-0702 www.bristoleyes.com

Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care 203-238-1441 www.FranciscanHC.org

Paul Gregory’s—Bistro & Catering 860-621-9999

Su

pp

ort our A

dvertisers—

Tha

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NEW DAY PROGRAM FOR BEREAVED

Autumn 2018

St Thomas Church will conduct a bereavement seminar beginning September 5, 2018. Anyone grieving the death of a loved one is encouraged to enroll and participate at no cost. The New Day process, developed by Sr. Mauryeen O’Brien, OP, will be used. Participants will

meet each Wednesday evening from 6 – 8 pm for 10 consecutive weeks. This process has been very successful in helping the bereaved transition to life without their loved one. During each meeting, participants work through one element of the grieving process using prayer, reflection, sharing and journaling. Everything that is shared during the meetings is held confidential. For more information or to enroll please call Deacon Vinny Raby 860-628-9425 or you may call the Parish office 860-628-4713.

STEWARDSHIP

COMMITTEE

St. Thomas Parish has

formed a Stewardship

Committee and is

looking for some

parishioners who may

be interested to take

part in this ministry.

Stewardship in the

Church is recognizing

that we all have gifts

from God, and we must

use these gifts to serve God and our community as

we live our Faith. The Stewardship Committee will

meet to discuss and develop programs, ministries

and/or events for the parish to best identify and

utilize our gifts and talents. If you are new to the

parish, this may be a great way for you to get

involved, introduce you to the current ministries at

St. Thomas and meet new people. The next meeting

is scheduled for Monday, July 9th at 7:00pm in the

Parish Center. If you are interested please call

Kathleen Baldwin at 860-628-8465.