The Suffield Observer (https://thesuffieldobserver.com/2018/12/page/7/)
Christmas Eve
Monday, December 24,
Birth of Our Lord and Savior
4:00 p.m. Mass and
10:30 p.m. Mass
Christmas Day
Tuesday, December 25, Birth of Our Lord and Savior 8:00 a.m. Mass and
10:00 a.m. Mass
New Year’s Eve
Monday, December 31
Feast of Mary,
Holy Mother of God
4:00 p.m. Mass
New Year’s Day
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Feast of Mary,
Holy Mother of God
8:00 a.m. Mass and
10:00 a.m. Mass
Sacred Heart Parish
446 Mountain Road
Suffield, CT 06078
Jews all over the world will celebrate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, which begins this year on Sunday, December 2 at sundown and ends Monday, December 10 at sundown. This holiday is a celebration of freedom and is very much a family holiday. Jewish families light the Hanukkah menorah, adding one light each night, exchange small gifts, play dreidel, a gambling game played often with pennies or candy (M&Ms are our favorites), sing songs and eat latkes (potato pancakes) or doughnuts (sufganiyot), because they are fried in oil. The oil the latkes are fried in represents the miracle of the small container of oil that burned for eight days in the Hanukkah story and reminds us of the freedom for which we are thankful. My favorite latke recipe follows:
Latkes
Serves 4-5
5-6 large baking potatoes, shredded in a processor
3 large eggs
2 Tablespoons flour
Vegetable oil
½ onion, chopped into small pieces
1.
Giving thanks at Thanksgiving time and gifts at Christmastime, we count and share blessings. Reaching beyond unease toward peace on earth many yearn to rest, not necessarily as “merry gentlemen,” but as faithful people recalling more comfortable times. Among the blessings we count are each other. Suffield is blessed to be cared about by hundreds of “each others”. We call them volunteers. They serve and care for us in countless ways.
The following events are happening in December and January at First Church, An Open and Affirming Church. Worship is held every Sunday at 10 a.m. All are welcome! 12/2 – First Day of Advent – Advent Wreath Making, 11:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall, $10.00 per Wreath. 12/3, 10, 17 – Qi Gong 10:00 a.m. in the Chapel
12/4th – Prayer Shawl Meeting, 10:00 a.m. in the Ebenezer Gay Room
12/5, 12, 19 – Advent Bible Study 10:00 a.m., Ebenezer Gay Room – book $5, Why This Jubilee? by James C. Howell
12/5 – Christmas Tea 12:00 p.m. in the Ebenezer Gay Room.
The Second Baptist Church will celebrate the season of Advent and Christmas with events and services. Everyone is invited. Sunday morning services begin at 10 a.m. During the Advent season, which begins on Sunday, December 2, we reflect on the various seasonal themes: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Saturday, December 1 at 5 p.m., is a Christmas Workshop and Hanging of the Greens. This is for people of all ages as we decorate the church and make crafts and ornaments to reflect the spirit of the season.
The annual community service honoring Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. is planned for January 20 at 4 p.m. at Third Baptist Church.
The Second Baptist Church of Suffield is pleased to announce the fifteenth Annual Community Christmas Concert. This annual event will take place Saturday, December 15 at 3:00 p.m. at the church at 100 N. Main Street. The Community Christmas Concert has become a town tradition over the years and will once again be coordinated by the Director of Music Ministries, Evelyne Battle. Expect additional local musicians, vocalists, and school groups to share their talents with the town during this event to celebrate the Christmas season. While there is no cost to attend the concert, there will be a free-will offering to benefit the Fuel Bank administered by the Suffield Community Aid Association.
The following table has been adapted from data provided by the Suffield Police Department.
A small crowd gathered at the Suffield Veterans Memorial on a bright, cool, sunny, Sunday morning at 11 o’clock on the 11th day of the 11th month. They were there to celebrate the armistice ending World War I and honor those who served in all wars. Exactly on the hour the First Church bell across the Green tolled the time, and the ceremony began. Jim Hunter, U. S. Army, Ret., now Commander of the local VFW Post 9544, welcomed everyone and introduced First Selectman Melissa Mack, who spoke briefly about our veterans in general and specifically about Capt. Justin Donnelly, USMC, Ret., who died in January after notable service in the Marines and valuable service to Suffield as a Town official and in a number of other key roles. Joann Rhoades followed with a prayer, and Gene Skowron marched solemnly to place the traditional commemorative wreath at the base of the Memorial.
Being primarily rural, several factors exist in North Central Connecticut that create significant barriers for our residents to gain access to behavioral and mental health services, including services for co-occurring and substance use disorders, often leaving residents untreated and isolated in the community. This area has seen a significant increase in the number of opioid and opioid/fentanyl overdoses and deaths according to the state’s Chief Medical Examiner’s Office. In 2016, the state total was 917 deaths: Suffield-4; East Windsor-4; and Windsor Locks-7. For the year 2016, the Center for Disease Control identified 14 deaths per 100,000 population for the U.S. and 10 deaths due to suicide per 100,000 population in Conn. By comparison, suicide deaths in our area were approximately 41 per 100,000, according to police data.