Spiritual renewal evenings set for lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.

Story by Joe Pisani

As part of a continuing formation program, the Office of Worship for the Archdiocese of Hartford is offering upcoming evenings of reflection and formation for lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.

“These two-hour sessions are offered around the Archdiocese as a way to gather to reflect on their ministry, pray together and perhaps learn something new about their ministry,” says Josh Perry, director of the Office of Worship, who will be conducting them.

Seven sessions for extraordinary ministers will be offered in September. Lectors will also be able to participate in seven evenings geared toward them that will occur in October. Anyone interested in learning more about becoming a lector or extraordinary minister is encouraged to attend.

The evenings for extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion will include an opening prayer, reflections, formation best practices and guidelines.

Sessions for lectors will offer techniques to prepare for delivering the readings beforehand, Perry says, adding, “How do you get to know the reading? Pray with the readings and practice them at home.”

Perry was recently appointed in his role. “As the new director, I’ve had the privilege and honor of joining a number of the parishes around the Archdiocese for weekend Masses,” he says. “I’m grateful to you for your willingness to share your gifts with the communities you serve, and it is my prayer that you continue to find your ministry as lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion life-giving and spiritually enriching.”

The evenings of reflection and formation for lectors were started last year by Father Michael Ruminski, former director of the Office of Divine Worship and former pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Bloomfield. He was recently assigned as pastor of St. Thomas & St. Timothy Parish in West Hartford.

For lectors, Father Ruminiski says, it is important to “gain a greater appreciation of the spiritual and theological dimensions of what they do when they stand at the ambo and read the Word of God.”

“When the Scripture is proclaimed at Mass, God is speaking to us, and so the better we proclaim it and the better we understand how to proclaim it, the more easily we’ll be able to respond to that communication from God,” Father Ruminski adds. “This is especially true in the Gospel, which is why there’s veneration and incense and standing because we’re greeting the Gospels as if Christ is at the ambo.”

Later this year, Perry plans of offering the sessions for both lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. To see the schedule for the upcoming workshops and to sign up, visit archdioceseofhartford.org/evening-of-reflection. For questions, call Perry at 860.578.1427 or email him at josh.perry@aohct.org. Parishioners interested in learning more about becoming a lector or extraordinary minister of Holy Communion may also speak with their pastor.

Dear Friends in Catholic Education,

The world in which we live is experiencing change at a pace unlike any we have known before. In many ways, it mirrors the dramatic shifts of the Industrial Revolution, when the cotton gin transformed agriculture, the telephone redefined communication, and the miracle of flight reshaped human possibility. Today, we find ourselves in the midst of another revolution, one driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and technological innovation, that will profoundly influence our children’s future.

In this moment of transformation, Catholic education has never been more essential. Ours is a mission not only of academic excellence but of forming hearts and minds rooted in faith. We are called to be builders of bridges, bridges of understanding, of dialogue, of human connection.

We must be intentional in fostering genuine encounters with one another. In an age when it is tempting to send an email or a text, I encourage our schools to pick up the phone or, better yet, sit face-to-face. Invite others to the table, especially those with whom you disagree or who carry a grievance. Ask, “Help me to understand,” and listen to their story. AI may analyze data, but it cannot feel compassion, extend forgiveness, or offer the healing presence that human connection provides.

There is one thing AI will never generate: our faith. Faith is not programmed; it is lived. It springs from the human heart and is nurtured by divine love. That love is what strengthens the bridges we build, enabling them to endure the storms, trials, and challenges of life. If our bridges are constructed from faith, hope, and love, they will stand firm, as St. Paul reminds us: “Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14).

As we navigate this new technological era, we would do well to remember the words of Pope Leo XIV: “Communication is not only the transmission of information, but it is also the creation of a culture.” Every conversation, every act of listening, and every moment of respectful dialogue shapes the culture we live in and pass on to our children. In Catholic education, that culture must be one of Christ-centered encounter, dialogue, compassion, and Truth.

We must hold fast to our humanity. We must hold our students, our teachers, and ourselves accountable, not only for knowledge gained, but for relationships formed and communities strengthened. Let us seek out the perspectives of parents, parish leaders, and one another through dialogue, surveys, and shared reflection, so we remain attentive to the voices of those we serve.

May this year be one in which we build bridges that unite rather than divide, that reflect our Catholic identity, and that lead us ever closer to Christ. Let us embrace innovation without losing sight of the eternal truth: our calling to love God and one another.

Peace,

Val Mara

Auxiliary Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt recounts the life of Waterbury native son and priest Blessed Michael J. McGivney, whose patronal feast in the Archdiocese of Hartford is annually marked on Aug. 13. Blessed McGivney, who founded the Knights of Columbus, demonstrated how to live a life of service and faith. Pray for his intercession and for a second miracle that will lead to his canonization as a saint. Read more about Blessed McGivney in the upcoming issue of the Catholic Transcript.  

These days, I am re-reading the biography of Blessed Michael McGivney. I am sure you agree that he shines as a champion of the Gospel’s works of mercy. In Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus presents a powerful image of the final judgment, separating the righteous from the unrighteous based on acts of mercy: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the imprisoned. “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me,” he says. This Gospel passage is not merely a list of good deeds, but a roadmap to holiness, a path that Blessed Michael McGivney, as an example to all, walked among us with quiet courage and deep conviction.

As many of us know, Father McGivney, born in 1852 in Waterbury to Irish immigrant parents, was a highly skilled yet humble parish priest whose ministry reflected the corporal works of mercy through everyday acts. During a time when many Catholic families—especially widows and orphans—faced social prejudice, economic hardship, and spiritual marginalization, he shared their pain, recognizing in them the suffering face of Christ. A bright man, rather than furthering his priestly career due to his many talents, Father McGivney dedicated his priesthood to being present, compassionate, and proactive in caring for his flock.

Founding the Knights of Columbus in 1882 serves as a concrete expression of this mercy that he had already demonstrated in his pastoral assignments in New Haven and Thomaston. He recognized the vulnerable position of Catholic men, many of whom died young due to harsh labor conditions, leaving their families destitute. The Knights began as a mutual aid society, providing financial and spiritual support to widows and orphans. In this initiative, Father McGivney reflected the very heart of Matthew 25: loving Christ in the “least” among us.

Moreover, his mercy extended beyond material assistance. As a parish priest, he acted as a shepherd, offering counsel, encouragement, and sacramental grace to those who suffered. He made himself available to his parishioners, as well as to the poor, the unemployed, and the young men tempted by crime or despair. His compassion was not sentimental; it was active, personal, and rooted in the Eucharistic love of Christ.

Today, the witness of Blessed Michael McGivney speaks urgently to our times. In a society marred by division, indifference, and isolation, he calls us to rediscover mercy as the defining characteristic of Christian life. His legacy is not confined to statues, museums, or badges; it lives on in every act of compassion inspired by faith.

To honor this local saint means to take seriously the words of Christ in Matthew 25, not only as a future judgment, but also as a daily calling. Blessed Michael McGivney shows us that holiness is possible in ordinary life and that mercy is the most reliable path to Christ.

Prayer for the Canonization of Blessed McGivney

Our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Blessed Michael McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue, may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we  may continue his work of caring for the needy and  the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify  Blessed Michael McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request). Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Story by Karen A. Avitabile

Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Plainville is inviting people who have questions about the Catholic Church to ask them during the town’s upcoming ballon festival.

For the second year, newcomers and returning Catholics will be welcomed to the parish booth during the 38th annual Plainville Fire Company Hot Air Balloon Festival, which runs Aug. 22 and 23 at Norton Park.

“Some people have wandered away because of schedule, work or it slipped off the radar during the coronavirus,” pastor M. David Dawson says. “We want everybody to come home or welcome those who have never been to church to come.”

Father Dawson learned about the balloon festival, one of Plainville’s signature events, soon after his appointment as pastor in 2023. He suggested last year that the parish set up a booth to reach out to the community and evangelize at the same time.

“Our faith should not stay within the four walls of the church,” he says. “Everyone needs Christ.”

Similar to last year, a committee will work in shifts at the parish booth to greet people, engage in friendly conversation and pray with anyone who wishes to do so. Volunteers will also hand out religious medals, prayer cards, rosaries, trinkets for children, and flyers with information about the church, Mass times and confession schedule.

“We want to have a real presence and an impact on people in our town,” Father Dawson says. “This is a chance to make our presence felt among our community. We are part of Plainville, and we want people to come home.”

During the balloon festival, Father Dawson, donned in a cassock, spends most of his time walking around the park “to give people a little nudge,” he says, “to remind them that the Catholic Church is here for them.”

Homebound parishioners who are unable to participate in the balloon festival are asked to pray for the volunteers and the people they will encounter. “Pray that the Lord will work through the volunteers and his words and attitude will come through their mouths and actions,” Father Dawson says. “Pray that people who have never been Mass-goers start coming, and pray that those who have wandered will allow the Lord to open their hearts to his spirit.”

All festival-goers are encouraged to stop by the booth for Our Lady of  Mercy Parish. Weather permitting, the balloon festival runs 3 to 10 p.m. on Aug. 22, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Aug. 23 at Norton Park on South Washington Street. Crafters, vendors, food trucks, carnival rides and entertainment will be offered on both days.

At dusk on Friday, a balloon glow – when tethered balloons are illuminated from within the park at the same time – and a fireworks display will light up the sky.

On Saturday, balloons are scheduled to take flight from the park at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The balloons are a spectacle that captivate several neighboring communities too.

Also on the second day of the festival, a classic and muscle car exhibit will be underway. To mark the 140th anniversary of the Plainville Fire Company, a professional drone show in the evening is expected to draw a large crowd.

Father Dawson says he is hoping the parish booth will “plant a seed” with those who are unfamiliar with the faith. “Pray that our efforts will bear eternal fruit,” he adds. “Pray that those who have wandered will allow the Lord to open their hearts to his spirit.”

Story by Shelley Wolf

In August, a new Marian shrine will be dedicated in the Archdiocese of Hartford, creating a sacred pilgrimage destination where all local Catholics can go to deepen their devotion to Mary.

On Aug. 14 at 7 p.m., Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne will elevate Maria Reina de la Paz Parish (Mary, Queen of Peace) at St. Lawrence O’Toole Church in Hartford to the status of an archdiocesan shrine. Archbishop Coyne has already recognized the shrine through a signed decree.

“This shrine is going to become a place of hope, prayer and encounter with Mary,” says Father H. Alexander Avendaño, pastor of the parish, who will also become the rector of the shrine. “Mary is the key. This is a spiritual place where we as Mary’s children encounter her motherly love, and we will make sure that’s going to happen here, day after day.”

While the shrine is open to all, it will aim to be a welcoming pilgrimage site for the archdiocese’s growing Hispanic population, many of whom have a special devotion to Mary.

For years, Maria Reina de la Paz Parish has offered daily Masses, the rosary, weeknight confessions, overnight confessions on First Fridays, and numerous Marian celebrations throughout the year – all of which factored into the parish’s elevation to a shrine and which will continue to be offered.

Future plans for the shrine include regular talks on Mary, workshops and a Marian congress or full-day retreat with invited speakers and activities.

“The shrine will offer a deeper understanding of Marian spirituality. There’s more than piety,” Father Avendaño explains. “There is knowledge, there’s facts. This shrine will be a place where Catholics will come to learn, gain knowledge and understand the mystery of Mary in sanctification and salvation.”

Longer-range plans, dependent on fundraising, call for the addition of outdoor stations of the cross, painted icons of Mary on the ceiling, and improved accessibility and more restrooms.

Father Avendaño is preparing for a full house at 7 p.m. on Aug. 14, the day of the shrine’s dedication by Archbishop Coyne, which is also the Vigil Mass for the feast of the Assumption of Mary. Pilgrims may be seated in the main church, in the lower church and can spill over onto the lawn, if needed.

The next day, on Aug. 15 at 7 p.m., on the actual feast of the Assumption of Mary, the shrine will host its first Spanish Mass with Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt. A traveling statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which was blessed by Pope Francis in 2017 and played a role in the shrine’s genesis, will be permanently enthroned at that time.

The new shrine has also been designated by the archdiocese as a Jubilee Church for the Jubilee Year of 2025, allowing pilgrims who attend between Aug. 14 and Jan. 6 to receive a special indulgence.

“Anyone who comes properly prepared and stays for Mass will be granted a plenary indulgence for the Jubilee Year of Hope,” Father Avendaño says. “I would like every parish to make a pilgrimage to get the indulgence before Jan. 6, when the Jubilee ends.”

For shrine offerings, visit mrpct.org or download the Maria Reina de la Paz app at Google Play or The App Store. The shrine is located at 494 New Britain Ave. in Hartford.

Story by Joe Pisani

My daughter has been pestering me lately. She insists that grandparents live longer when they take care of their grandkids, according to several studies. Even before I could refute her research, she said, “I’m dropping Gabe off this afternoon.”

Not to mention the next afternoon and the weekend. I guess she’s trying to add years to my life, although I find it suspicious that she discovered this research the same day she needed a babysitter.

As hard as I tried, I couldn’t find research that said grandkids are stressful for grandparents. No one has looked into that because they’re probably afraid of the uproar it would cause.

I know many grandparents who are powers of example, and I pray every night I can be more like them. Our friends Silvana and Franco go to every one of their grandsons’ basketball games, and they get so worked up, they yell at the referees and risk getting high blood pressure. (I can’t do that. I’m in bed by 8 on weekends and 7 on weekdays.)

The so-called experts also insist that babysitting grandkids gives new life to aging brains.

“These interactions improve memory, language, reasoning and critical thinking skills,” one study concluded. An Australian report found that grandmothers who watched their grandkids one day a week could improve their memory scores and reduce the possibility of getting Alzheimer’s.

And grandparents who babysit supposedly live up to 37 percent longer, and half of them are likely to be alive five years more than other seniors.

But to my thinking, there’s much more to the story because the values that grandparents can impart to their grandchildren is incalculable.

In one of his last writings, Pope Francis reflected on aging and dying in a preface he wrote for a book titled Awaiting a New Beginning: Reflections on Old Age by Cardinal Angelo Scola. He said that old age, despite infirmities and other challenges, can be “truly fruitful and capable of radiating goodness, lived as a grace, and not with resentment.”

“To say ‘old’ does not mean ‘to be discarded,’ as a degraded culture of waste sometimes leads us to think,” the pope wrote. “Saying ‘old’ instead means sharing experience, wisdom, knowledge, discernment, thoughtfulness, listening, slowness. Values of which we are in great need!”

He also stressed the role of grandparents in the “balanced development of the young.” “Amid the frenzy of our societies, often devoted to the ephemeral and the unhealthy taste for appearances, the wisdom of grandparents becomes a shining beacon, shedding light on uncertainty and providing direction to grandchildren, who can draw from their experience something ‘extra’ for their daily lives,” he said.

Every semester in my public speaking class, I ask students to write a two-minute speech on the topic “If you could take anyone to dinner, living or dead, who would it be and why?” There are the usual selections, such as Taylor Swift and soccer player Christiano Ronaldo and occasionally one of the Kardashians, but for the most part, the people they choose are more meaningful — an estranged father, a deceased mother and more often a grandparent who helped raise them because their parents had to work or were gone. The lessons grandparents taught them are always life changing and life affirming and so powerful that the students remember them years after their grandparents have passed.

When I was young, my grandmother raised me on the East Side of Bridgeport. I still remember how every afternoon she baked two sweet potatoes for us. While I lay on the kitchen floor with my crayons and coloring book, she sat nearby in her rocking chair in front of the oven, praying her rosary until she dozed off. When she woke, the potatoes were ready.

She was an Italian immigrant widowed at a young age, who raised nine children during the Great Depression without any safety net. I didn’t always understand what she was saying in her broken English, but I knew that she radiated love, warmth and Christ.

Recently, I visited her grave at St. Michael Cemetery in Stratford, with a weathered statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on top of the stone. I took a pair of rosary beads out of my pocket, which someone had given me, and wrapped them around the statue for her because I’m convinced she’s still praying for all of us from heaven.

You see, grandparents are forever. A gift from God.

Story by Joe Pisani

Several hundred Italian-Americans marched in a procession three blocks long in honor of St. Trofimena, a fourth century virgin martyr, whose statue was held aloft on a platform and carried through New Haven’s Wooster Street neighborhood of Little Italy.

The procession, held on the saint’s feast day, July 13, was sponsored by the St. Trofimena Society and was preceded by a Mass at St. Michael Church.

It included a marching band, a Knights of Columbus honor guard and representatives from the St. Catello Society and other Italian-American organizations from St. Michael and St. Anthony churches, which are part of the Blessed Michael McGivney Parish in the Elm City.

David Kelley, one of the organizers, said it was the first time in 40 years there has been a procession for the saint, who is patron of Minori, Italy, and the first time in 70 years for the St. Catello Society.

Kelley, who is co-president of the St. Trofimena Society with his cousin, Richard Biondi, says, “This is beyond belief. This is more than we ever anticipated or dreamed of doing.”

Only two years ago, the co-presidents revived the society, which was founded in 1908. It now boasts some 120 members.

“The Mass and procession mean a great deal to me and the members of the societies,” Biondi says. “For the older members to celebrate a Mass in Italian brings back cherished memories of their youth and family members who are no longer alive.”

Biondi adds that the procession was also an opportunity for unity among the Italian-American religious organizations in the New Haven area and “an occasion to celebrate our Catholic faith, as well as our Italian-American culture and traditions.”

The procession included delegations from societies that honor St. Trofimena, St. Catello,   St. Anthony, St. Andrew, St. Anne and St. Maria Maddalena.

Father Joseph MacNeill led the procession and celebrated Mass in Italian earlier that morning. The priest, who is chaplain of St. Thomas More Chapel & Center at Yale in New Haven, traces his ancestry on his mother’s side to the Abruzzi region of Italy.

“I’m here to continue to give witness to our passion, faith, culture and saints for the next generation of Italian Americans,” he says.

Founded in 1901, members of the St. Catello Society carried a statue of the ninth century bishop of Castellamare di Stabia, a city southeast of Naples.

Gene Avino, whose grandfather began the society to help immigrants from his home, says the group will celebrate its 125th anniversary next year.

The president, Paul Criscuolo, says there has been a renewed interest in Italian heritage and that 14 new members have enrolled, some of them from Ireland, Italy, California and Florida.

Around the turn of the century, immigrants established Italian societies at St. Michael’s, the oldest Italian church in Connecticut, to offer assistance to one another, honor their traditions and share their devotion to the patron saints of their hometowns.

According to tradition, St. Trofimena was a young woman who was killed by her father for refusing to marry a pagan because she was Christian.

Kelley said the day was a testament to the enduring presence of Italian-American culture and faith.

“I grew up at St. Michael’s Church as a child and spent a lot of time with my grandparents,” he recalled. “I love our Italian traditions, so we hope this is a kind of revival.”

Story by Shelley Wolf

Elevated on plywood, the sanctuary floor was sagging. The vinyl flooring in the nave had cracked. Over time, a church’s structure and beauty show evidence of decades of service and wear.

But after undergoing an interior renovation last fall, Sacred Heart Church in Bloomfield has a new look. Dedicated in 1963, the contemporary-style church has been refreshed with new flooring, an elevated altar, a cleaned-up choir loft and the introduction of old and new artwork.

“It looks beautiful, it’s theologically ordered, and it sounds great,” says Father Ruminski, who commissioned the work on behalf of the parish. “It’s beauty and purpose coming together. I think we accomplished a lot in the renovation to communicate all those things.”

As the former pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Father Ruminski is happy to reflect on last fall’s remodel of Sacred Heart Church. However, just this month, he was reassigned to St. Thomas and St. Timothy Parish in West Hartford.

In the meantime, Father Stuart Pinette, the new pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, can look forward to celebrating Mass in a refurbished worship space.

According to Father Ruminski, the Sacred Heart renovation, which took several months to complete, tackled vinyl floors with asbestos, tightly spaced pews, a crowded and cluttered sanctuary, and a dimly lit interior.

The solution? “It became clear the floor was the obstacle to everything,” Father Ruminski says. After talking to his contractors, the Sullivan Brothers, the solution was to “pull everything out and rethink the floor plan.”

The contractors removed the old vinyl tiles, remediated the asbestos and added brighter gray and cream ceramic tiles throughout the church. They also built a smaller sanctuary floor to better fit the space, then elevated the altar and centered the tabernacle.

With a smaller sanctuary, the original pews could then be respaced with an extra seven inches per row to give parishioners room to maneuver. “It feels more open with the same amount of seating,” Father Ruminski notes. New seat cushions added comfort and improved the acoustics.

In the choir loft, organ pipes were repositioned on either side of a window, allowing the light in. This change also created more room in the loft, enabling the choir to relocate from the sanctuary to the loft.

On the main floor, a vintage copper baptismal font replaced the old leaky one. Originally used in Bloomfield’s Christ the King Church, which closed in 1996, the copper baptismal font was found dented and patinaed in Sacred Heart’s basement. Refurbished, the font is now positioned at the head of the main aisle of Sacred Heart.

To add more beauty, the priest commissioned New Hampshire artist Eileen Cunis to create fabric tapestries for the sanctuary walls. They include four angels and two saints, Blessed Michael J. McGivney, who is on his way to sainthood, and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, promoter of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose relic is embedded in the altar at Sacred Heart Church.

The altar and tabernacle are now the focus. Statues of Mary and Jesus, once hidden in the back of the church, are now visible in side alcoves.

“The overall effect of the renovation is to give the church a much stronger sense of direction,” Father Ruminski says, “that we’re oriented, that we have somewhere to go. And that is in union with God, and in communion with Christ.”

Story by Joe Pisani

For five years, Richard Ruyack Jr., a retired police lieutenant from Yonkers, has taken the relics of St. Padre Pio all over the world for thousands to venerate. 

This year, he has already been to Montreal and Ireland, and on July 26, the first-and-second class relics of St. Padre Pio will be at St. Vincent de Paul Church in East Haven for a day of veneration and Mass.

Ruyack, supervisor of tours for the St. Pio Foundation of Tuckahoe, N.Y., says the relics he will bring for veneration are crusts of St. Pio’s wounds, a handkerchief used during Mass to wipe his tears, a lock of hair, a piece of his mantle and his white glove.

Over the years, he has witnessed healings, favors and “moral miracles” through the saint’s intercession.

“I remember a disabled young girl, who came up with her mother, and she felt there had been a healing,” he recalls. “Another woman said she saw Padre Pio’s face behind the altar.”

Father Thomas J. Walsh, pastor of St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish which includes St. Vincent de Paul Church, says, “Padre Pio was one of those recognized as saintly by the people before the official canonization process, and once he was canonized, he became very popular. 

He reminds people of St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of his religious order. Both were stigmatics and mystics, and Padre Pio had a great intimacy with our Lord in prayer and was recognized for his miraculous attributes, including being able to read people’s souls when they went to confession.”

Considered one of the Church’s notable saints, St. Pio was born May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina in Southern Italy, and at age 15 he entered the novitiate of the Capuchin friars. Despite his weak health, St. Pio studied hard and in 1910 was ordained a priest. 

From 1916 until his death in 1968, he lived in the Capuchin monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo. Countless faithful went to him for confession and to receive spiritual guidance.

St. Pio’s life was characterized by suffering, both physical and spiritual, and on Sept. 20, 1918, the five wounds of Christ’s Passion appeared on his body. 

He was declared venerable by Pope John Paul II on Dec. 18, 1997, and canonized on June 16, 2002, when the pope proclaimed him “St. Pio of Pietrelcina” to 500,000 people who attended the ceremony.

Sally Mucka, director of Adult Faith Formation for St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish, who organized the event with Jennie Llanos, hopes the relics will help people get in touch with the Holy Spirit. 

“I am really excited,” she says. “I still remember the first time St. Pio’s glove came to the church. It was so moving and touching that I was filled with the Spirit. Today, the Holy Spirit is moving in a special way. People are searching, especially young people and I believe this will bring them in so they can decide how to connect with God.”

Father Walsh says he is optimistic that “Padre Pio can call people again to an appreciation of the mysteries of our faith.”

(The relics of St. Padre Pio will be on display at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 80 Taylor Ave., East Haven, on July 26. Veneration will take place from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with Mass in honor of St. Pio at 5:30 p.m. By touching an item, such as a rosary or a medal, to a first- or second-class relic, it becomes a third-class relic, which can be venerated and used for personal devotion. For additional information, contact the parish office, 203.469.0764 ext. 8 or email saintpio.rcia@gmail.com.)

Story by Shelley Wolf

There is a map of the United States with 20 Catholic dioceses that are part of a cutting-edge, family faith project – and the Archdiocese of Hartford is literally on the map.

Hartford appears proudly among the dioceses of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Honolulu on a map created by the National Community of Catechetical Leaders, or NCCL, a national association of Catholic religious educators.

“It’s kind of amazing to have Hartford be part of this huge national project that literally goes from coast to coast,” says Kelly Henderschedt, director of Faith Formation and Parish Life for the Archdiocese of Hartford.

The project, “Parents and Families at the Center of Faith Formation,” is being conducted by NCCL thanks to a five-year grant from the Lilly Endowment, a private foundation. The Archdiocese of Hartford is among 20 dioceses invited to participate in the national project, which is helping 200 Catholic parishes across the country engage 30,000 parents and their families.

The project is already underway in the archdiocese in 10 participating parishes.

The 10 parishes include: Most Holy Trinity, Wallingford; St. Peter Claver, West Hartford; St. Margaret, Madison; St. Thomas the Apostle, Oxford; St. Luke, Southington; St. Anthony, Prospect; St. Mary, Simsbury; St. Damien of Molokai, Windsor; St. John Bosco, Branford; and St. Paul VI, Hamden.

Together, the parishes are exploring how to strengthen faith formation at home during the first two decades of life, and create parish communities that support parents and the whole family. All initiatives are incorporating the most current thinking about faith transmission in today’s families.

According to Henderschedt, this is year two of the five-year project, which began in the fall of 2024. The first year involved information gathering. Year two includes idea generation, program development and the launch of pilot programs in the parishes. More activities will be phased in over the following years, ending with evaluation in 2028.

In each of the 10 archdiocesan parishes, parish teams have already completed parent surveys.

“We’re saying, ‘Tell us. What is your biggest struggle with your family? How can we help you grow your child in his or her faith? How can we support you?’” Henderschedt asks. Parents, she says, were thrilled to be asked.

Some parents, she reports, want help talking to their teenagers about faith, some want advice on teaching the Bible at home, and others need help with difficult conversations.

Currently, the parish teams are using the parent data to develop new pilot programs, or tweak existing ones, to better support families in instilling Catholic faith and values. These customized family faith programs are also taking into account various cultures, family structures, caregivers, and the needs expressed by today’s parents.

“In my 25 years of doing faith formation, including my eight years at the archdiocese, I have not seen anything this forward thinking,” Henderschedt says.

“It’s super exciting. It’s so innovative. We’re really thinking outside of the box about how we are forming families. Really creative work is coming out of this,” she insists. Stay tuned for new and engaging family faith programs in the 10 parishes, beginning this fall.