stceceliastgabriel

Memento Mori

A couple of weeks ago, the New York Times featured a story by journalist Ruth Graham about a young religious sister who spends her days encouraging people to remember not just the dead, but to remember death itself. Sr. Teresa Aletheia, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, has developed a huge online following by encouraging people to cultivate the daily habit of reflecting on their mortality. Memento mori, in Latin, was a practice of ancient pagan philosophers but has also been part of Christian lifeContinue reading “Memento Mori”

Confirmed in the Spirit

This Wednesday (5/26), Bishop Caggiano will be coming to confirm 23 young men and women of our parish. It’s a lovely thing to have Confirmations so soon after celebrating Pentecost, the great feast on which the Church commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the world 50 days after Easter. As part of the liturgy of Pentecost, the Church gives usContinue reading “Confirmed in the Spirit”

Together in Person

Last week, the bishops of the three Connecticut dioceses jointly released a statement announcing the reinstatement of the obligation of the faithful to attend Sunday Mass. This obligation to attend Sunday Mass (or Saturday Vigil Mass) in person has its roots in the Apostolic age, when the members of the Church gathered every Sunday to celebrate together the paschalContinue reading “Together in Person”

Receiving the Body of Christ

Last weekend we celebrated First Holy Communions for 44 young members of our parish. First Communions are always one of the best days of the year. As the priest celebrant, I had the special privilege of seeing them approach the sanctuary with deep reverence, and receive the Most Blessed Sacrament with obvious faith. It wasContinue reading “Receiving the Body of Christ”

Month of Mary

May is the month of Mary. In May 2020, when the world was still suffering in the early stages of the pandemic, Pope Francis shared with the faithful his own devotion to the Blessed Mother and encouraged us to pray the rosary each day. “Contemplating the face of Christ with the heart of Mary our Mother will make us evenContinue reading “Month of Mary”

4th Sunday of Easter

Please click the following link to watch our parish’s Mass for the 4th Sunday of Easter on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/ju-GjOlFbQ4 posted 4/25/21

Hearing the Call of the Shepherd

In this Sunday’s gospel, Our Lord refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd, thus inviting us to consider the mystery of vocation. The Second Vatican Council reminds us that there is a universal vocation to holiness, which means that every single person is called to be a saint. For the sake of helping people respond to the universal vocation, we believe the Lord gives aContinue reading “Hearing the Call of the Shepherd”

The Spirit Moves Us

It was my first year in seminary and I was out with my family at a restaurant in Fairfield when we ran into some old friends of ours who had lived in our neighborhood when we were growing up. Jim, the father, was interested in what I was doing and so we talked about how my experience at St. JohnContinue reading “The Spirit Moves Us”

3rd Sunday of Easter

Please click the following link to view the parish Mass for the 3rd Sunday of Easter on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/zWQVkgv91jI posted 4/18/21

Learning the Narrative

You hear sometimes people in politics and public relations talking about “controlling the narrative.” Usually, this means trying to get a jump on a story by being the first to explain what is going on. The hope is that a “narrative” friendly to one’s position will be established in the mind of the public so that adversaries will be at a disadvantage,Continue reading “Learning the Narrative”