Last summer I wrote about the time to slow down and take a breath and relax a bit. Looking back on last summer, it turned out to be anything but quiet and relaxing. I am reminded of the sage advice of one of my former pastors would often say, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans!” God always has a plan of good things for us in mind. Sometimes, we get too caught up in our plans and what we think is the best when God sees it differently. Things pop up unexpectedly. Some were fun and rewarding, others were difficult and challenging; all were part of God’s plan either for me or the parish as a whole. In the middle of everything, there were plenty of opportunities for personal growth. I go into this summer looking at a relatively quiet parish calendar (for now) while being keen to the very real probability that this summer could turn out like the last, unless that is what God has planned for me.
Registration is taking place for our Religious Education Program. Parents are asked to check in with Donna Swols to be sure they have all the updated information to help their children have a good experience of faith building at home and in our program. The information can be found on our parish web site at http://www.sacredheartct.com or email: shc_dre@sbcglobal.net.
This summer, our parish family will continue to share the prayer ministry for vocations to the priesthood, religious life and married life through our participation in programs offered by the new Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Hartford, Fr. Anthony Federico. Fr. Federico paid a visit to our parish in May. He celebrated and preached at all the Masses. He highlighted his ministry of supporting the young people of our community in discerning the call each is receiving from the Lord to best share their gifts and talents with the rest of God’s family. In the parish we have been supporting the effort by praying after every weekend Mass for an increase in the response to the Lord’s call to the priesthood for the archdiocese. Fr. Federico noted that in the year since the archdiocese began that prayer over 70 young men contacted his office to discuss the possibility of serving the Church. In the year before the prayer was offered, there were no calls at all. Sacred Heart is now also participating in his next phase of vocation awareness, “Called by Name”. This is a program where a person considering a life as a priest, religious sister or brother can submit their names to his office for follow up. The parish as a whole is invited to submit the names of members of their own families or our parish who might be considering this life. Fr. Federico will follow up with those who are interested. Cards are available in the church to submit a name for this program.
Continuing our support of vocations awareness, to date over 130 of our members have signed up to become Prayer Partners for Vocations. We are almost on par with the Catholic Community in Rocky Hill which leads the archdiocese to date with over 150 participants. Hopefully, we can add a few more prayer warriors and take the lead! These individuals are committing themselves to offering a prayer each day for 1000 new priests, 1000 new religious and 1000 new Catholic marriages in the archdiocese. It is a tall order but worth the small investment of prayer time each day to provide for a stronger Catholic community in the years ahead. For more information, please visit http://www.hartfordpriest.com or call him directly at 860.761.7456.
In addition to this new sense of vocation awareness, members of our Knights of Columbus Council are getting ready for the upcoming Suffield on the Green with the hopes of making it even better than it was last year. Hopefully the weather cooperates, and we are able to spend more time together with our friends, neighbors and guests on the green in September.
The summer will also offer a time to update our parish web site and other social media accounts to provide greater access to all that Sacred Heart Parish has to offer you and your family to enhance your faith life. Please feel free to contact me with suggestions on how we can be of service to you.
Discover God’s plan for your summer and your life and enjoy every moment of it!