A Special Thank You..
A heartfelt Thank You to everyone who worked at our booth at the Berlin Fair. Every year it is a big task, but we always seem to find generous people to get the job done. Even with the weather and muddy parking lots, I enjoyed the fair so much. I was there three times and every couple of feet someone from the parish said hello. Even our confirmation students, who rove in packs, gave me the “nod of recognition”. I got my second ecumenical annual lobster roll from the Congregational Church booth. Those things are so good. Of course, I also enjoyed our own barbecue chicken sandwich. Thanks again for all your hard work.
Clarification
In last week’s bulletin I wrote “DARN Confirmation cards”, but because of the font in lower case, some people thought I wrote something else. Even Fr. Mark from Cromwell had to look twice. A few people even took offense. I’m sorry your feelings were hurt but I really did write DARN instead of you know what. I hope this puts your minds at ease.
Happy Belated St. Francis Day
On St. Francis Day we blessed pictures of all the kids’ pets and their little stuffed animals. Everyone also got free ice cream because it was St. Francis Day. The kindergarteners were so happy you would have thought they won the lottery...Thanks for all the St. Francis treats that people dropped off, the wine on our back porch, eggplant, the sweets (God knows we don’t need them, but they sure are good). You guys take such good care of us.. A couple of weeks ago, someone called offering to cook us supper, but I lost the slip of paper... If you are still interested, give the ladies in the Parish Center a call. They are more dependable than me.
Attention Seniors..
Our parish has always been concerned about our Senior Citizens. In the hope of expanding our service to our Senior Citizens, especially those whose families have moved away, a new ministry group was started called St. Paul Cares. All new endeavors take time to develop and so far the efforts of this ministry have concentrated on communicating with our Senior Citizens who are sick, hospitalized, or in a long term care facility. They have also coordinated with the Eucharistic Ministers to make sure that anyone who needs to receive Holy Communion at home may do so. They have collected emergency contact information from our senior citizens who live alone, just in case they need special attention and are unable to contact their families. Sadly, experience has shown that this type of information is very important.
St. Paul Cares is now taking the next step in their care of our Senior Citizens.
Patricia Ashburn, the Healthcare Coordinator for our Friars, will be at St. Paul Church Hall on Wednesday, October 12, at 7PM and Thursday, October 13, at 1PM. Ms. Ashburn will provide informational presentations related to Social Security, Medicare, and State of Connecticut benefits for senior citizens. Pat has been working in this field for over 25 years and working with the Franciscan Friars for the last 9 years.
After a brief introduction, the program will be opened up for your questions regarding specific issues concerning your Social Security, Medicare and/or State of Connecticut benefits. This program is open to all ages - seniors, those caring for aging parents, and those about to become senior citizens. There is no charge for this program.
Come prepared with your questions and concerns. Ms. Ashburn will also be available to meet with you privately after the program if you have specific issues. We look forward to welcoming Pat to our Church. Email (ourchurch@stpaulkensington.org), or call the office (860-828-0331) to let us know which session you will attend.
The Lock was broken but the Church is Open
The lock on the glass door near the elevator was broken last week. A couple of people were concerned we were no longer allowing people to come into church and pray during the day. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are very happy when we find people in church praying; and to be honest, we are blessed that so many choose to do so. People start arriving at 6 am on their way to work to visit our Lord. If you find a door of the Church locked, which is usually open, please don’t hesitate to try another door. It either means that the lock is broken or someone forgot to open it or overslept.
The Friars
I am writing this on the feast of St. Francis. In a little while we will be getting ready to go to Chicopee, Massachusetts, for a meal, fellowship and prayers with Franciscans from all over New England. St. Francis day is always a special day for the friars. Every year on the feast of St. Francis we stop and meditate on how we are living our Franciscan vocation. Are we remaining faithful to our vows? St. Francis fell in love with God; have we? Do we give God adequate time in our lives? Please pray for your friars every day. I assure you all of us count on your prayers.
Our School Technology
Last week we finished up phase one of the Technology upgrade in our School. The computer network on the 2nd floor has been upgraded and new Smart Boards are being installed in every 2nd floor class room. The new mobile computer lab, or COW (Computers on Wheels) as it is called, is up and running. They will be available for use by both our school and religious education community. You have to see these things to believe them. While all of us will need some professional development to use a smart board, our Kindergartners had their first lesson about caterpillars on the smart board and it was really and exciting and special learning experience for them. This type of technology is very important in every school and St. Paul School cannot be left on the sidelines. If you want to help with Phase II of our School’s Technology upgrade, please call Laurie Piecewicz, our Principal, or Diane Funk, the Director of Development for our School. The friars and all of the St. Paul Church community are extremely proud and committed to Our Parish School and Religious Ed Programs.