Rectory Office

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

St. Thomas Convent

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

Office of Religious Education

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

Southington Catholic School

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

July 28, 2019

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday 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.

Parish Staff

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

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

Music Ministry Emil Kopcha—Director Kathy Kopcha—Assistant

Office Manager Heidi Malley

Business Manager Marc Ingriselli

Trustees Susan Howard Paul Miano

Plant Manager Casey Potthoff

Custodial Staff 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: Anthony & Stephanie Ciuffo

10th WeddingAnniversary Requested by Mary & Jim Dineen

Chapel: Kevin Picard Requested by Vinny & Judy Favale, & Peggy Bonazelli

Rectory Office Hours Monday—Friday 8AM-4PM

SATURDAY, JULY 27—Weekday

8:00AM Guarino & Angela Zacchia—50th Wedding

Anniversary Remembrance Requested by daughter Maria Gagnon

4:00PM Cocozza & Cicarelli families—Deceased

Members Requested by Cocozza family

SUNDAY, JULY 28—17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

7:30AM Joseph Sr, Joseph Jr., Adelaide, John, William,

Robert Casale, Ann Sciola Requested by Casale family

10:00AM Lori Galvin Req. by parents, Diane & Fran Massucci

MONDAY, JULY 29—St. Martha

7:30AM Robert Miour

TUESDAY, JULY 30—St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop

7:30AM The Parishioners of St. Thomas Church

WEDNESDAY, JULY 31—St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest

NO MASS ON WEDNESDAYS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1—St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop

12:10PM Kathleen E. Collins Requested by Richard Collins & family

FRIDAY, AUGUST 2— St. Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop &

St. Peter Julian Eymard, Priest

12:10PM Givanni, Lucia, Sylvia DiChello Requested by

Michael DiChello

SATURDAY, AUGUST 3—Weekday

8:00AM Peter Roccapriore Requested by Sister Nicolina

4:00PM Antonino & Sofia Barbagallo & Gaetano Caico Requested by Vincenzo & Maria Caico

SUNDAY, AUGUST 4—18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

7:30AM Raymond Walsh Requested by St. Thomas Staff

10:00AM Giovanni & Francesca Colaccino, Peter &

Immacolata Altieri Requested by Joe & Anna, & family

Father Joe’s Notes My dear friends,

Some of you know about the health

scares with my parents recently, though

many may not. A few weeks ago, my

mother had a minor stroke. She had a

splitting headache on a Monday, but she

was feeling better that evening. When I

went home on Tuesday, she was

lethargic. When speaking to her, she

had no short term memory. She was not

even able to remember parts of the

conversation we were having. We

rushed her to UCONN and they ran a

series of tests. They eventually found a couple small

clots, and treated her with blood thinners. While she

was recovering, my father was told that the abdominal

aneurism doctors have been monitoring for years had

expanded. They are now trying to schedule a date for a

procedure to correct the problem. We have been to a

multitude of medical tests and appointments this month.

It has been a bit too much to process all at once, but

we’re managing the best we can.

To make the situation bearable, we have worked to

stay calm. We turned to family and friends for support.

While I took Dad to a test, Meg stayed with Mom to

give her a shower. While one person came for dinner,

another was calling to talk to my parents and keep up

their morale. We also have worked on focusing upon

one task at a time. Rather than worrying about

everything all at once, we set goals of what is the next

visit to a doctor or test to be done. We have been trying

on staying calm. Rather than worrying about all the

problems at hand, which will actually

just create stress and aggravate their

health more, we focus on the blessing

of that day. Above all else, there is

prayer. We are most grateful for the

prayers and support of many of you

and so many others. That helps

immensely.

There are times in life when all goes

along normally and suddenly some

surprise comes along to derail our

routines. Life can go into chaos and

confusion pretty quickly. It’s just at

those moments we need to focus on the peace God gives

us we take for granted when all is calm. First,

remember you’re not alone. Beside family and friends,

there is a community of believers here to love and

support you. Second, approach the situation with a plan

to do one thing at a time. Correcting all the problems of

the world is impossible, but facing one issue or

performing one action at a time is manageable. Third,

just relax. Stress will cloud your vision and make

things worse. Things may be bad, but you still have

blessings in your life. Focus upon them. And above all,

pray. Pray for yourself. Get family and friends to pray.

While all your issues may not vanish, prayer will give

you strength and hope. It really helps.

Hopefully yours in Christ, Fr. Joe

Question: Father, what was Jesus’ last name?

Answer: He didn’t have one. In Nazareth, he would have

been known as Jesus the son of Joseph (Bar Yosef) [or the

son of Mary – Bar Mariam]. He might also be called Jesus

the Carpenter by the locals. Outside of Nazareth, he would be

known as Jesus of Nazareth, identified by his home town. As

a matter of fact, he was not really named Jesus. That is our

English name for him based on the Greek. To his family and

friends, he would be known as Yeshua, his Hebrew/Aramaic

name. (It’s the same name as Joshua for us in English.) The

Greek version of his name (used when dealing with a larger

population of non-Jewish people) would have been Iesous

(pronounce EE – seuss). Koine Greek was the common

language of the region, and most people would know enough

to shop and negotiate business. Jesus would have known it to

work as a carpenter, so he would have also answer to Iesous,

along with the more familiar Yeshua. That name would be

transliterated into Latin as Iesus, from which we get Jesus.

Ask Father

Readings for the week of July 28, 2019

Sunday: Gn 18:20-32/Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8 [3a]/

Col 2:12-14/Lk 11:1-13

Monday: Ex 32:15-24, 30-34/Ps 106:19-20, 21-22, 23 [1a]/

Jn 11:19-27 or Lk 10:38-42

Tuesday: Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28/Ps 103:6-7, 8-9, 10-11,

12-13 [8a]/Mt 13:36-43

Wednesday: Ex 34:29-35/Ps 99:5, 6, 7, 9 [cf. 9c]/

Mt 13:44-46

Thursday: Ex 40:16-21, 34-38/Ps 84:3, 4, 5-6a and 8a, 11

[2]/Mt 13:47-53

Friday: Lv 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37/Ps 81:3-4, 5-6, 10-

11ab [2a]/Mt 13:54-58

Saturday: Lv 25:1, 8-17/Ps 67:2-3, 5, 7-8 [4]/Mt 14:1-12

Next Sunday: Eccl 1:2; 2:21-23/Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14,

17 [1]/Col 3:1-5, 9-11/Lk 12:13-21

Parish Information Devotions & Groups

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

Italian Rosary Group First Tuesday of each month—7:30PM (Parish Center)

Lap Blanket Ministry Parishioners make blankets for patients in local health

care facilities . Anyone who crochets is invited to join

us in the church basement. One Wednesday Evening a

month 7:00-8:15PM. Next Meeting—September.

Ladies Guild The Ladies Guild meets the first Monday

of each month, and hosts hospitality each

first Sunday. They do not meet in July

and August.

Bible Study Group We finished our study of Genesis and

will take the summer off. We will be

reading Exodus in the Fall. Plan to

join us, starting on September 5th.

Thursdays at 1:30PM and 7:00PM

In the Chapel (Rectory basement)

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

Sacraments

Baptism Parents, contact the rectory to schedule a

baptism. There’s a preparation meeting for

parents having their first child baptized.

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

Reconciliation Confessions are Saturday from 3:00 PM until 3:30 PM

in the reconciliation room in the church, or you could

call to make an appointment with Father Joe.

Marriage We need six months for marriage preparation. Couples

should contact Father Joe 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.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

St. Thomas Cemetery

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

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

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

meet with you and explain the options for graves and

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

Sponsor Certificates

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

You must be an active parishioner, registered with our

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

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

have completed your Sacraments of Initiation and be in a

valid marriage. If you have questions, call us.

New Parishioners

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

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

Parish registration forms are available in the sacristy and

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

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

or drop them in the collection basket.

Collections for July 21st

Weekly $5721 / Monthly $2223 / Online $1484

† 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!

Breakfast Cupboard: Southington Catholic School is collecting

boxes of breakfast cereal to help Southing-

ton Community Services meet the increased

need during the summer months. Please con-

sider adding an extra box of cereal to your

weekly grocery list. Your donation will be

collected in the lobby of SCS at 133 Bristol

Street on Monday –

Thursday mornings.

Please call for more

information

860-628-2485.

Thank you for helping

to ease the pain of hun-

ger In our community.

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 convenient

time to visit and explore the

advantages of small class sizes

with very challenging academics

at SCS. We enroll students from

PreK 3 through 8th grade.

Can you read what this says?

Southington Catholic School students can! We teach our students to read and write in cursive. This

is a lost art on a generation, as many schools have

dropped teaching it from their curriculum. We believe it

is an important skill for the world. Do you think your

child will go into law or real estate? Property deeds and

old codes are often written in cursive. Does your child

want to become a librarian, archivist, or historian?

Primary documents, like diaries and ledgers, were

written is script. Does your child hope to one day work

in the office of church? Not only are our old records in

cursive, but some are even in Latin! Does your child

hope to work for a news agency or state office? Well,

the letters written are often in script, and it is important

for the workers to be able to read them. Beyond all this,

handwriting has a direct impact on brain development

and learning that is not found in keyboarding. If you

want your child to have this valuable skill to learn and to

work, come to Southington Catholic School!

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. THANK YOU

FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Birthright needs you!

Birthright needs gently worn MATERNITY and

BABY CLOTHING. Birthright is an emergency

pregnancy service offering free pregnancy tests,

friendship counseling, and practical support. Our

guiding principal: It is the RIGHT of every pregnant

woman to give BIRTH and the RIGHT of every child

to be BORN. It has served

in Connecticut since 1972

and helped thousands of

mothers and babies. There

are 8 locations in our state.

Please call 1-800-550-

4900 for the Birthright

nearest you to arrange for

drop off. Thank you.

THANK YOU FOR THE TOWELS!

The Ladies’ Guild towel drive was a

great success! With your kindness

and generosity, we collected over

1,000 towels. Large amounts of the

towels were given to each of the

following charities and

organizations.

St. Vincent DePaul, Waterbury

South Park Inn, Hartford

Prudence Crandall Center,

New Britain

Brian’s Project, Waterbury

Journey Home, Hartford

Southington Community Services

St. Joseph Residence, Enfield

Villa Walsh, Religious Teachers

Filippini (Mother House),

Morristown NJ

All of them are so thankful and

appreciative of the generosity of St.

Thomas Church parishioners.

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

Plantsville Funeral Home 860-621-4656

www.plantsvillefuneralhome.com

Giovanni’s Pizzeria 860-621-2299

Dow Gutters 860-726-0045

Landscapes Unlimited Residential and Commercial 860-621-7820

Pest Control 2000,LLC 860-628-8783

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

Showcase Realty Inc. 176 North Main Street—Southington 860-276-2000

Patrick Baker & Sons Religious goods and supplies

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

PN Auto Body & Repair 860-793-1999

V.Nanfito Remodeling & Repairs 860-621-6898

CV Tool Company 860-621-0494

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

Plantsville Family Dental 860-621-2700 www.plantsvillefamily dental.com

Connecticut Casualty Company 1-800-922-2886 www.ctcasualty.com

Catholic Cemeteries Association of the

Archdiocese of Hartford, Inc.

Su

pp

ort our A

dvertisers—

Tha

nk th

em for h

elpin

g u

s!

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

We will continue to collect school supplies at all Masses this weekend. Suggested items include: backpacks , b inders , folders, notebooks, book covers, pens, pencils,, erasers, crayons, markers, etc. Donations may be deposited in the bins at each entrance of the church, or at the Rectory

on Monday. All items will be donated to Southington Social Services for students in need. Thank you for your generous support.

Pastoral Council Meeting

Monday, August 12th at 7:30pm in the parish center.

Should any parishioner have a question or concern

about our parish that they would like to see discussed

at the meeting, they are encouraged to call one of the

Pastoral Council representatives. You may also

email the members of the Pastoral Council by going

to the parish Web page. The members of the Pastoral

Council include: Dan Vendetti 860-621-7808, Joe

DellaPorta 860-628-8703, Diane Snow 860-869-

4197, Kathleen Baldwin 860-628-8465, Michael

Casey 860-628-8473, Larry Ryan 860-621-2443,

Walter Kustra 860-302-1936, Sonya Jelks 860-325-

0124, Sara Nadeau 860-620-4559. The ex-officio

members are Fr. Joseph Cronin ,Sr. Marie, D.R.E.,

Eileen Sampiere, Deacon Angelo Coppola, &

Deacon Vinny Raby. Paul Miano and Susan Howard

-Parish Trustees.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

The Knights of Columbus Council 15 will hold it’s

monthly Council meeting on August 14, 2019 at

7:00pm at Mary Our Queen Church Hall. All

members are asked to attend.

A Mass will be held in memory of Father Michael J.

McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus,

on Sunday, August 18, 2019 at 8:00AM at Mary Our

Queen Church. We ask that all Knights attend the

celebration of this Mass.