Another Friday has arrived and it is gorgeous out! Please enjoy the weekend.
Some new information to pass along today:
ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY: Please join us for 8:00 a.m. Mass on Monday, August 15, as we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (this is not a holy day of obligation in 2022). Please see the full-page article Father Birendra placed in the bulletin to honor our Blessed Mother.
A DAY WITH MARY: A FREE Marian Eucharistic Day Retreat with the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate will take place at St. Jude Catholic Church, 707 Monroe Turnpike, Monroe, CT, on Saturday, September 10, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. till 2:00 p.m. Again, the retreat is free; please feel free to bring a snack. The day will include Saturday daily Mass, confession, exposition and benediction, Marian Procession, recitation of the rosary, conferment of the brown scapular, conferment of the miraculous medal, Fatima video, and preaching by the Friars.
AUGUST IS NATIONAL MAKE-A-WILL MONTH: This month serves as a reminder to complete important estate planning documents for the future. The Diocese would like to challenge our Parish to take this one step further with Make-A-Will Sunday (August 14) — a time to focus on the stewardship of the resources God has blessed us with. Having a will in place not only lessens the difficulty of decisions for your loved ones after your passing — it also provides the opportunity to create a legacy that passes on your faith and values to future generations. If you don’t have an up-to-date will in place, you can use this estate planning resource from FreeWill to get started (FreeWill.com/BridgeportDiocese). FreeWill is a trusted online platform that can help you write your legal will in 20 minutes or less at zero personal cost. While you create your will, you’ll have the opportunity to plan for your assets, dictate important decisions about the future, and even make a bequest to the ministries you care about. If you’d like to meet with an attorney to finalize your plans or address complex concerns, you can still use this resource to create a list of documented wishes beforehand. Robert O’Brien from the Development Office at the Diocese of Bridgeport is conducting an in-person seminar regarding Wills at St. Mark on Thursday, September 22, at 6:00 p.m. in the Upper Room. You do not have to sign-up. Please stop by!
ATTENTION ST. MARK YOUTH: Come join Youth Group for its second annual “Color Run” kickoff event on Sunday, September 11, at 1:00 p.m. The Color Run is free (and you can walk if you want) and dinner is included. Grab some friends and come on down for a fun, fun, fun, (and messy) event!
SOCIAL EVENTS COMMITTEE: We are having another Concert on the Lawn following the success of our previous venture! The Tony Ferrigno Trio will be here on Wednesday, August 31. Social hour runs from 6:00 p.m. till 7:00 p.m. Then the band plays. More details to come. Mark your calendar!
LPI (Liturgical Press): We are proud to welcome our new advertisers to the St. Mark bulletin: (1) Stratford VNA/Care Connection; (2) Heather Hefferon Insurance; (3) All Care All Day Cleaning Services; (4) Emily Karolyi, Century 21 Real Estate; (5) Cavoto Plumbing. Thank you to our new advertisers and their support of our parish.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE: Boxes are at the entrances of the church to help collect school supplies for those in need. Thanks for your generosity.
YOUTH GROUP: Calling all youth in grades 8-12….come join Youth group and have a blast. For more information contact Jared Forcier, 203-984-6037, or write him at jared@stmarkyouthgroup.org.
EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS AND LECTORS: Beginning June 1, 2022, all Readers and EMHCs who were originally mandated and completed their initial formation are invited by Bishop Caggiano to take one course every six months to maintain your authorization to serve. This is the case no matter when you earned your mandate.When you log into LEAD -https://bridgeport.leadlms.com/login– you can enter your username and password and then click “ACADEMY” on the top of the page. [Side note: Your username is your email. If you forgot your password, just click “Forgot Password.”] When you click Academy, you will see a track for your ministry – or two if you serve as both an EMHC and Reader. Once you click that track, you can add the course(s) you wish to take by clicking the +Add button. You are only required to take ONE course every six months. If you do that, there will be no other requirement, except VIRTUS, of course, and anything your parish may ask of you. If you take more than one course per track, you might run out of courses in the future, so be careful about working ahead. Any questions please reach out to Dan Giasullo at dgiasullo@aol.com.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Local employment agency phoned looking for loading dock workers part-time that could lead to full-time position. Interested? Please phone AB Temp Service at 203-375-5206.
We added quite a bit above. Please read carefully and put dates on your calendar!
Best,
Paula (Joan and Janelle too)
P.S. Just a few more “vacation” nuggets to share with you. (1) gas was only $3.53 in Arkansas mid-August; (2) no one takes cash anymore….seriously, not a single place would exchange cash for purchases…credit cards only (I guess due to covid-19); (3) this was our first “retirement” vacation together….three weeks cooped up in a car, restaurants, and hotels….and Michael and I are not divorced !!!! All is right with the world.