A Prayer for the Election By James Martin, S.J. Loving God, I ask you to guide me during this important election season: Help me to understand the Gospels, in which Jesus Christ reveals his path of love, mercy and compassion, especially toward those who are poor, sick or struggling in any way. Instruct me on what the church teaches on the important issues of our day: abortion, racism, migration, war and peace, health care, the death penalty, economic justice, care for the environment and on all those questions that I must ponder with your help. Enable me to form my conscience so that I may vote wisely. Loving God, I ask you to help me to live peacefully with others: Allow me to be open to the opinions of others with whom I disagree. Fill me with a spirit of charity toward those who may oppose me. Give me patience in times of struggle. Loving God, I ask you to help me stand with those who are marginalized or persecuted: Increase my courage so that I can stand up in times of danger. Create in me a new heart that I might be brave in times of turmoil. Make me someone who is ready to care for, advocate for and suffer with those on the margins. Loving God, I ask you to aid our civic leaders: Grant them good health and a spirit of wisdom. Open to them paths of reconciliation. Teach them your ways of love, mercy and compassion. Loving God, I ask you to bless our nation: Crown it with your compassion. Support it with your care. And nurture it with your love. Amen.

Today is the Commemoration of the All the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day). The Church, after celebrating the feast of All Saints, today prays for all who, in the purifying suffering of Purgatory, await the day they will join in heavenly glory. The celebration of the Mass, which re-presents the Sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, has always been the principal means by which the Church fulfills the great responsibility of charity toward the dead. Death cannot break the bonds of the Body of Christ. —Daily Roman Missal Continue reading on Catholic Culture's website here: https://buff.ly/3z1aTMy All Souls Day Collection Online Giving Fund: https://buff.ly/40lRdhR

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Today is the Solemnity of All Saints. The Church celebrates all the saints: canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision that are only known to God. During the early centuries the Saints venerated by the Church were all martyrs. Later the pope set November 1 as the day for commemorating all the Saints. We all have this "universal call to holiness." What must we to do in order to join the company of the saints in heaven? We "must follow in His footsteps and conform [our]selves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. [We] must devote [our]selves with all [our] being to the glory of God and the service of [our] neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history" (Lumen Gentium, 40). Continue reading: https://buff.ly/4dM5M1Q Online giving fund for All Saint's Day Collection: https://buff.ly/40lRdhR

View this weekend's bulletin on our website here: https://buff.ly/46DZyN2

World Mission Sunday, observed today, October 20th is not just another Sunday; it is a powerful reminder of our call to be missionaries. The collection taken up on this day is unique as it is mandated by the Code of Canon Law and is essential for the survival and growth of the Church in mission territories. These funds support the pastoral and evangelizing work of the Church, including building churches, providing healthcare and education, and training future priests and religious. In places where resources are scarce, your generosity makes a profound difference. As we reflect on the theme "Go and invite everyone to the banquet," let us remember that our participation and support help invite countless souls to the feast of God's love. Thank you for your generosity!

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WORLD MISSION SUNDAY joins all Catholics of the world into one community of faith. At Mass that Sunday, we recommit ourselves to our common vocation, through Baptism to be missionaries, through prayer, participation in the Eucharist, and by giving generously to the collection for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Pope Francis’ message for World Mission Sunday this year reflects on the theme: “You shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). He reminds us that, “every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ. And the Church, the community of Christ’s disciples, has no other mission than that of bringing the Gospel to the entire world by bearing witness to Christ. To evangelize is the very identity of the Church..” On World Mission Sunday, we join our Holy Father in supporting his missions. As we pray and respond here at home, we share in those celebrations taking place in every parish and school throughout the world. Together, through our prayers and financial support, we bring the Lord’s mercy and concrete help to the most vulnerable communities in the Pope’s missions. In a world where so much divides us, World Mission Sunday rejoices in our unity as missionaries by our Baptism, as it offers each one of us an opportunity to support the life-giving presence of the Church among the poor and marginalized in more than 1,150 mission dioceses. WITH GRATEFUL HEARTS FOR YOUR MISSION SOLIDARITY!

I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire. Continue reading the Sunday Missal on our website here: https://buff.ly/3XlzSDW

View the latest bulletin on our website here: https://buff.ly/46DZyN2

SPECIAL THANKS! Here is a picture of many of the Confirmation students who served the Parish at the Parish Picnic. Their grace and willingness to serve our seniors with lunch and our children with games was exemplary. Please keep these fine youth in your prayers as they complete their journey to Confirmation this Spring.

See attached for updated Youth Faith Formation information!

HEALTH, WELLNESS AND CAREGIVER MINISTRY PRESENTING CHAIR YOGA OCTOBER 19, 2024 The Health, Wellness and Caregiver Ministry is pleased to host another Chair Yoga session on Saturday, October 19th, 2024, at 2:30 p.m., at St. Gabriel Church Hall. Pia Oliveri, the owner and director of Wabi-Sabi Yoga and Wellness Center in East Granby, has graciously agreed to offer this session for our parish, once again. Pia will guide us through this gentle class of breathing and stretching. Whether you have a busy and hectic life and need time to catch your breath and stretch and release tension, or if you want to gain some relief from joint or back pain, this is a wonderful opportunity for some soothing self-care. All you need to bring is yourself. In addition to being a licensed Personal Trainer, Pia has a background in nursing. She has a unique perspective on how to lessen stress and gain relief from chronic conditions. We hope to see you there.

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Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training. Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him. Continue reading our Sunday Missal on our website here: https://buff.ly/3XlzSDW

View this week's bulletin on our website here: https://buff.ly/46DZyN2

To donate online, visit our online giving page here: https://buff.ly/3LqDrTd

All are Welcome - bring family, friends & neighbors! Pick up one ticket for each person attending the picnic Tickets will also be available this weekend, September 14 & 15 and at the parish office. Join fellow parishioners, family & friends for food, fun, games & raffles! Music entertainment by Andy Lepak! Water & ice will be provided - BYOB! Assistance for parking and handicapped drop-off available.

Update from Nick Chapman September 7, 2024 - Rome Hello Windsor Catholics – I’m back at the seminary, ready to begin my second year of Theology. I’ve had a very good summer in Europe. I started with two weeks at a parish in Bled, Slovenia. I joined Fr. Janez to bring communion to the sick, helped with grounds keeping, greeted visitors on the scenic island church, and shared my vocation story on the circuit of weekend Masses. Plus, we made a Marian pilgrimage to Medjugorje in Bosnia. I studied more Italian, this time learning useful conversational phrases and a past tense which appears a lot in Scripture called the passato remoto. After studies, welcomed the incoming class of 38 seminarians to Rome. Showing them the city and answering their questions made me realize how much I’ve learned in the past year. My classmate and I spent three weeks at an Italian parish in Lugo. There we found a close-knit community: a mom from the parish picked us up at the train station and cooked us pasta! Here’s a new idea for you – parish vacations. We joined 350 people, mostly young families from Lugo, for a week in the Alps. There was a hike, a faith talk, and Mass each day. We met families on the trail and over dinner in the hotel refectory, and I found myself able to converse in Italian with growing ease. The pastor, Don Leo, floated about talking, laughing, and hearing Confessions. It was beautiful to see how God uses the annual vacation to form community in the parish. People seemed like they really knew each other. I closed out my summer enjoying cool temperatures in Scotland, including a one-week tour of the Highlands with some visitors from Connecticut – my parents! Now back in Rome, my year opens with a week-long silent retreat. Then we’ll have two weeks of practice homily workshops, and theology classes begin in the first week of October. Thank you for your prayers for me. They keep me afloat. May God bless you all! Seminarian Nicholas Chapman – nchapman@pnac.org

The Lord GOD opens my ear that I may hear; and I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. Continue reading the Sunday Missal on our website here: https://buff.ly/3XlzSDW

View this week's bulletin on our website here: https://buff.ly/46DZyN2

All are Welcome - bring family, friends & neighbors! Pick up one ticket for each person attending the picnic Tickets will also be available this weekend, September 14 & 15 and at the parish office. Join fellow parishioners, family & friends for food, fun, games & raffles! Music entertainment by Andy Lepak! Water & ice will be provided - BYOB! Assistance for parking and handicapped drop-off available.

*Grandparents day* Lord, faithful God, You who created us in Your image, You who never leaves us alone and who accompanies us through every season of life, Do not abandon us, take care of us, And grant us, once again, The ability to discover ourselves and recognize that we are Your children. Renew our hearts with your Word And do not allow anyone to be cast aside. May your Spirit of love fill us with Your tenderness. And teach us to say: “I will not abandon you!” To those we meet on our journey. With the help of your beloved Son, may we not lose the taste for fraternity And may we not conform to the sadness of loneliness. Help us to look to the future with renewed hope, And make the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly A day without loneliness, and a day abundant with the first-fruits of Your peace. Amen.

Thus says the LORD: Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Continue reading the Sunday Missal on our website here: https://buff.ly/3XlzSDW

View this week's new bulletin on our website here: https://buff.ly/46DZyN2

A Prayer for Workers God our Creator, Your Word worked wonders to create the heavens and the earth and all they contain. Jesus Christ our Savior and Brother, You labored alongside your foster father Joseph, living the life of an ordinary worker. Holy Spirit, we are baptized into your life. You live and move and have your being in us as we go about our daily tasks. On this Employee Appreciation Day, may all who work recognize their intrinsic value. Show them that their worth depends not on any task, responsibility, or skill. Remind them that their dignity lies in You, oh Lord. In all of our labors, may we remember that we imitate You. Amen.

Moses said to the people: "Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin upon you, you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it. Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, 'This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.' For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?" Continue reading the Sunday Missal on our website: https://buff.ly/3XlzSDW

This weekend is the last weekend for the Back to School Collection!

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St. Damien of Molokai Parish Office will be closed Monday, September 2nd, in observance of Labor Day. We will be open again on Tuesday, September 3rd to serve your Parish needs.

Read today's Sunday Missal on our website here: https://buff.ly/3XlzSDW

View the new bulletin on our website here: https://buff.ly/46DZyN2

We wish to announce the long-awaited new Mass Schedule. This was has been a very difficult decision. Over the last few months, I received many emails, phone calls and handwritten letters. I have had conversations with people before and after Mass, at the supermarket, even one while I was waiting for my vehicle to be serviced. Change is always hard. I have had to move six times in the past 29 years as a priest and each change has been difficult for me. While change is difficult, the positive side is that the new Mass schedule may be even more convenient for you. May God continue to bless and renew Saint Damien of Molokai Parish. New Weekend Mass Schedule (Effective September 7/8) 4:00 PM- Saint Gabriel Church 7:30 AM - Saint Gabriel Church 9:30 AM- Saint Joseph Church 11:30 AM- Saint Gabriel Church

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Holy Day of Obligation. On November 1, 1950, Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption. Thus he solemnly proclaimed that the belief whereby the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the close of her earthly life, was taken up, body and soul, into the glory of heaven, definitively forms part of the deposit of faith, received from the Apostles. To avoid all that is uncertain the Pope did not state either the manner or the circumstances of time and place in which the Assumption took place—only the fact of the Assumption of Mary, body and soul, into the glory of heaven, is the matter of the definition. Continue reading at Catholic Culture: https://buff.ly/4bPPKmt

Enroll in the New England Catholic Biblical School to study all 73 books of the Bible! Jesus is teaching! You are invited! In-person and online Classes begin September 7, 2024. Class locations for Year 1 Class: • Our Lady of Loreto, Waterbury, Thurs 6:30-8:30pm • St Aloysius, Plantsville, Tues 10-12noon • Online, Wed 6:30-8:30pm Visit: https://buff.ly/3S28I0U

The next Parish Picnic Meeting is tomorrow, Wednesday August 14th at 6:00pm at the St. Gabriel Church Hall. 2024 Saint Damien of Molokai Annual Parish Picnic Our annual parish picnic will be held on September 22nd and the planning has gotten under way. The picnic is really important to our parish because it is the biggest event that we hold. It also gives us the opportunity to thank our fellow parishioners and show the town our pride in our parish. If you have an interest and/or experience in any of the following functions and are willing to help with the picnic, please email Agnes Pier at ampier@sbcglobal.net or call/text her at 860-335-4235. The major organizational functions are: • Advertising/Marketing/Publicity • Volunteer Solicitation and Deployment • Safety-Grounds, Parking, Satisfying ADA needs • Food – Contacting Suppliers, organizing the menu, coordinating servers and the cooking team • Facilities – Determining the layout of the site (includes tents, tables, chairs, games, food, and entertainment • Activities and Games • Hospitality and Communication at the picnic • Sound/MC/Music Information from previous year’s Picnic, and folks with picnic experience are available for new volunteers, so new volunteers will not be starting from scratch!

*This Thursday, Masses for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be celebrated at St. Joseph church at 7:30 am & 6:00 pm, and at St. Gabriel church at 12:10 pm.* On Thursday, August 15th the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Holy Day of Obligation. On this day we celebrate the occasion of the Virgin Mary's ascent to heaven at the end of her life. The feast of the Assumption is the oldest and, in a sense, the greatest holy day of Mary. We celebrate not only her passing from this world but also her glorious assumption, with body and soul, into eternal bliss, and her "crowning" in heaven, that is, her elevation to the dignity of Queen over all creatures. For every Catholic family it should be a day of great devotion and joy. Many nationalities, especially the Italian and Portuguese people, celebrate this day with processions and festivities; the ships of fishing fleets are solemnly blessed, and people present each other with fruit or flowers in honor of Mary.

Read this week's Sunday Missal on our website here: https://buff.ly/3XlzSDW

View the latest bulletin on our website here: https://buff.ly/46DZyN2

2024 Saint Damien of Molokai Annual Parish Picnic Our annual parish picnic will be held on September 22nd and the planning has gotten under way. The picnic is really important to our parish because it is the biggest event that we hold. It also gives us the opportunity to thank our fellow parishioners and show the town our pride in our parish. If you have an interest and/or experience in any of the following functions and are willing to help with the picnic, please email Agnes Pier at ampier@sbcglobal.net or call/text her at 860-335-4235. The major organizational functions are: • Advertising/Marketing/Publicity • Volunteer Solicitation and Deployment • Safety-Grounds, Parking, Satisfying ADA needs • Food – Contacting Suppliers, organizing the menu, coordinating servers and the cooking team • Facilities – Determining the layout of the site (includes tents, tables, chairs, games, food, and entertainment • Activities and Games • Hospitality and Communication at the picnic • Sound/MC/Music Information from previous year’s Picnic, and folks with picnic experience are available for new volunteers, so new volunteers will not be starting from scratch!

The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "Would that we had died at the LORD's hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!" Continue reading the Sunday Missal on our website here: https://buff.ly/3XlzSDW

View the new bulletin on our website here: https://buff.ly/46DZyN2

Free Summer Concert Series The grounds of Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center will resonate with the sound of a wonderful variety of music this summer. Gather your family and friends, grab a blanket or low-profile beach chairs, and make your way to our pavilion for this lively concert series. You are welcome to bring your own beverages and snacks to enjoy throughout the evening. Our grounds are magnificent, so come early to enjoy our walking paths or re-center yourself with a journey through our labyrinth. These concerts are FREE to attend and no registration is required. Concerts are 7:00 - 8:30 pm Thursday, August 8 - Sam Moffet and Friends: This concert will feature mostly original music that delves into pop-rock and jazz fusion styles. Playing will be Sam Moffett on saxophone, Tony Davis on guitar, Andrew Wilcox on piano, and Sarah DiMiceli on drums. Thursday, August 22 - Special Fundraiser for Haiti. Free-will offerings will be collected for Fr. Rick and the St. Luke’s Foundation in Haiti. The music will include classical, popular, and Broadway music and will be a wonderful chance to experience the great talent of some of Holy Family’s music ministers.