In the Roman Catholic Church, the month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Obviously, it is an important time for our Sacred Heart Parish Family. This year in honor of the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has invited all Catholics to dedicate themselves and our country to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart is June 12 this year, and here at the parish many activities are planned. Hopefully, everyone will be able to participate in some or all of them. Official prayer cards from the USCCB for the prayer of consecration will be available beginning the first of the month.
We will have a Holy Hour on Monday, June 8 from 6-7 p.m. with special devotional prayers and a litany to the Sacred Heart. On Friday, June 12, we will have day long activities beginning with our Mass at 8 a.m. followed by Eucharistic Adoration from 8:30 until noon in the church. Later in the day, we will welcome our youngest members of the parish with our new ministry, the “Pray Date,” for toddlers on up with an opportunity for parents to pray together and get to know a little bit more about the Sacred Heart and each other. There will be activities and refreshments for our little ones including a coloring contest.
Later in the month, we will be awarding our Parish scholarships to high school seniors who are active members of the parish going on to college. This recognizes the faith practice of our young members as they move on towards higher education.
Once again, Sacred Heart Parish is honored to host the Christian artisans from the Holy Land. This artist’s group makes beautiful hand-crafted religious carvings from olive wood to support the struggling Christian population. A display of items will be available in Fr. Ted Hall after all the Masses the weekend of June 20 and 21. With so few religious goods stores around these days, this is a wonderful opportunity to purchase faith-based items for upcoming family baptisms, weddings or simply something for your home, all while supporting a very good cause.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is understood by Catholics as a sign of the burning love God has for all of us. I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the love and support shown to me over the past four years as pastor of Sacred Heart parish but especially on the occasion of my 30th Anniversary of Ordination in May. The many acts of kindness, prayers and generosity have been overwhelming and probably undeserved. I am truly grateful and recognize that I am truly blessed in this loving family! I encourage anyone who is searching for a loving Catholic parish to come and check out Sacred Heart by visiting our website at http://www.sacredheartct.com or on Facebook at Sacred Heart Suffield, CT or just stop in for a visit.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us!