July 12, 2020 · 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Saint Matthew

Catholic Church

Welcome to the Catholic Church of Saint Matthew. Whether you are celebrating with us for the first time, vis-iting our community or have decided to make this your par-ish home, the Saint Matthew parish family welcomes you!

Father John Dietrich, Pastor Deacon Brian Armstrong

Sonia Shavel, Parish Secretary R. Greg Romans, Mary Pat Caputo,

Parish Trustees

ADDITIONAL SACRAMENTS For information on the Sacrament of Baptism, the Rite of

Christian Initiation for Adults, the Sacrament of Marriage and the Sacrament of the Sick (Anointing of the Sick) please con-

tact the Parish Office or go to our website.

SCHOOL • (860) 583-5214 33 Welch Dr. • Forestville, CT 06010-6790

Mrs. Helen Treacy, Principal Kate Ricci, Secretary

PARISH CENTER • (860) 583-7806 119 Church Ave. • Forestville, CT 06010-6799

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Maryann Wisniewski, DRE

YOUTH MINISTRY Amanda Binghi, Director

MUSIC MINISTRY Spencer Malley, Director

ACCOUNTING Deborah P. York, Finance Manager

120 Church Avenue • P.O. Box 9216, Forestville CT

06011-9216 Phone: 860-583-1833 • Fax: 860-582-6152

Email: rectory@stmatthewrcc.com Web: www.stmatthewrcc.com

Office Hours: Monday through Friday: 9:00AM-4PM New Parishioner Registration:

Census/Registration Forms at church entrance and web page. MASS SCHEDULE

Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. Saturday: 8:30 a.m.

Saturday Vigil, 4p.m. Sunday 7:00 a.m.; 8:30 a.m.; 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

(5 p.m. Mass will resume in the fall)

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION (Confession): Saturday 3:00 – 3:45 p.m. (* please remember to wear a

mask) or by appointment. Call the Parish Office.

ceaselessly invented and reinvented rather than ever taken for granted. Their sense of personhood is self-conscious, artificial, changing, and insubstantial. “Serious speech in search of truth is a vanishing species in much of America, with a background of incessant noise rather than clarifying silence, with the freedom to think anything and be bound by nothing, and with the curse of always seeing sixteen sides to every issue. People of ideas often experience what Robert Musil (1880-1942, Austrian philosopher/writer) called ‘the acoustics of emptiness within, when a shot resounds twice as loudly and goes on at going on and on.’

“The idea that human life itself and every single person has supreme worth—including the mentally retarded, the physically deformed, the emotionally unbalanced, the unborn as well as every criminal, failure, and misfit—simply does not find empirical support today, and its theoretical justification is selective and dramatically weaker, too.”

Fully Human Fully Divine, by Fr. Michael Casey, O.S.A. “Temptation is not totally unpredictable; it usually occurs when several of our defense systems fail simultaneously. We may experience this collapse as a ‘moment of weakness’ but, in reality, it becomes more and more inevitable as the incentives to sin increase and the restraints are restricted. “In themselves, none of the

contributory factors may be seriously sinful; but, collectively, they exert a force that is practically irresistible. The major failure has been a defect in Prudence: there has been no oversight of life and, as a result, choices have been made in isolation without regard for their impact on the concrete situation taken as a whole.

“We find this process difficult because often enough it involves renouncing things that are harmless in themselves but which, for one reason or another, happen to trigger a disproportionate reaction in us. Just as those with celiac disease have to avoid gluten because of a kink in their physiology, each of us needs to be aware of potential stimulants of unhealthy passions, be it a matter of lust, envy, jealousy, anger, or self-depreciation. . . . Cut off the supply lines and vices will wither. Leave them intact and we will certainly have a battle on our hands, the outcome of which is in no way certain.

“Within the core of our being, we discover pre-voluntary incentives to sin that often carry us in a direction we do not consciously want to go and continually undermine the authority of our reason and will.”

With summer upon us it seems a good time to suggest a few books to enlighten and inspire. Here is a brief sampling:

The Invisible World – Understanding Angels, Demons and the Spiritual Realities That Surround Us, by Anthony Destafano “The fact that we cannot see God the way we see a book or a cell phone or a person standing in front of us is not because God wants to be hidden from us. It is that it is His nature to be hidden from us. In other words, when God created the

universe, He created something radically new and different from Himself. The material realm of the senses is completely unlike the extrasensory, supernatural realm of the spiritual. One is intrinsically visible, and the other is intrinsically invisible.

“One very basic reason is that God did not want to allow human beings to be able to place Him ‘in a box.’. . . We think we can measure, analyze, and experiment on anything we want today, including God. And the truth is that if God were not invisible, this inclination of ours to treat Him with the same condescending coldness with which we treat other material objects would be even more pronounced. If we could plainly see God in the sky— let’s say, somewhere up to the left, and just below the moon—we would automatically think of Him as something that was limited and finite, instead of something unlimited and infinite.

“God knew this from the beginning. He knew that if He were visible to us, we cannot help but feel “superior” to Him in some way—or at least equal; . . . What God wants most from us is that we come to know Him not through rigorous scientific proof— but through simple faith and trust.

“Do we not demand from our own family and friends that they trust us first, without requiring some kind of demonstrable evidence of our loyalty?

“If God were clearly visible in the sky, He would basically be forcing us to acknowledge Him. And He does not want that.”

The American Hour, by Os Guinness “In contrast to traditional life elsewhere, many Americans experience their lives as self-conscious rather than straightforward, socially constructed rather than given, fragmented and serialized rather than unified,

First Reading: Is 55: 10-11 “Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.” Responsorial Psalm: Ps 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14 “The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.” Second Reading: Rom 8: 18-23 “Brothers and sisters: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” Gospel: Mt 13: 1-23

“On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears

15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

ought to hear.” The disciples approached him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted, and I heal them. “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

“Hear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the king-dom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribula-tion or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

MANY THANKS to all our ushers and volunteers who cleaned and sanitized the pews after each of the Masses last weekend. Your time and effort to fulfill this important task for everyone’s safety is much appreciated! MANY THANKS also to our parishioners who plant

and take care of the flowers which make St. Matthew’s beautiful this time of year and all year long!

Steubenville Live

July 17-18, 2020!

The theme is "Hope Alive".

This virtual Catholic conference is open to all teens & families.

St. Matthew Youth Ministry will cover the registration costs. To attend, contact

youthministry@stmatthewrcc.com.

We hope you'll join us!

Dear Parishioners, With all that has been go-ing on these past several months, it’s easy to remain unaware of all the good that is being done in the world. One little part of that world is our own St.

Matthew Catholic School. When the pandemic struck in March, the immediate challenge was to institute dis-tance learning for the students. Thanks to our Princi-pal, Mrs. Treacy, there was a plan already in place for St. Matthew’s to make the monumental shift from in-school learning to home-based instruction. This was no easy task; but with everyone pulling together—teachers, parents, administration—the result was an admittedly different but very successful end to the 2020 school year. The letter below to Mrs. Treacy from one of our par-ents, Kerry Thompson, gives testimony.

In Mid-March our worlds were turned upside down, our faces covered in masks and our routines dissolved. With little notice, St Matthew School sprang into action immediately developing a comprehensive, compassionate and cohesive distance learning model that fostered academic advancements, while maintain-ing focus on the continued connection between the faculty and students. As we waited in confusion and fear of what was to come in our worlds, there was a calming consistency that filled our homes every day. Mrs. Treacy’s morning messages and scripture read-ings began our days with hope and positivity. Daily emails from the teachers outlined the targeted aca-demics for the day, while allowing room for flexibility as families sought to conform to their new normal. The zoom live classroom lessons provided our chil-dren a virtual place to learn, but more so the oppor-tunity for that social connection they so greatly missed among their teachers and peers. The teachers did a fantastic job of intertwining faith into their everyday academics.

St. Matthew School faculty continued to go above and beyond, planning surprise school- wide vir-tual field trips to NASA Space Center and San Diego Zoo! It was such a joy seeing the smiles on our chil-dren’s faces as they ate breakfast with the baby pen-guins and learned how astronauts walked in space. These well-planned field trip days gave the children a chance to expand their imaginations, and the parents a mental break from being “the teacher.” The faculty added additional enrichment activ-ities including surprise zoom mystery readers, virtual

field day led by the upper class students, and a reverse end of school car parade to celebrate another wonder-ful school year. Father Dietrich, Mrs. Treacy and all the faculty of St Matthew School did more than “make the best of” an unprecedented situation. They “brought out their best” and gave our students a memorable, enlightening virtual learning experience. The faculty were a warming light during darker times. In years to come, when this is all behind us, our children will hopefully not remember the fear and uncertainty. They might remember masks and social distancing. I am certain, however, they will remember the warmth, love, compassion, connection and comfort their pastor, principal and teachers provided. Thank you to all for your dedication and efforts in providing our children with such a wonderful experience. Kerry Thompson

St. Matthew’s Weekly Offertory Collection

We are very grateful for our parishioners who continue to make their weekly contribution to St. Matthew’s. Your generosity is vital to meet our

expenses and serve our parishioners. For your contributions please note that you can . .

Thank you very much for your faithful support during this

difficult time!

1) Mail your envelopes to the rectory office. 2) Use our Offertory “drop-off” window in the

rectory office entrance. 3) Use our online giving app. Registering is

easy! Just go to our webpage at www.stmatthewrcc.com and click WAYS TO GIVE.

R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initia-tion for Adults) is beginning this summer for those who wish to be-come Catholic or who were bap-tized Catholic but have not re-ceived all the Sacraments of Initia-tion (including First Eucharist and

Confirmation). Please call the parish office, 860-583-1833, to make an appointment with Fr. Dietrich and discuss your situation.

St. Matthew Bereavement

Support Group will meet on Monday, August 3rd from

6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Center.

Please call Rita Lagasse at 860-583-6674 to register.

Family Chalice For Vocations

St. Matthew Parish will resume its Family Chalice for Vocations

Program. If you would like to sign up to receive

the Family Chalice for Vocations please contact

Rich and Donna Slusz at (860) 589-4318.

Lord, we stand today as our forefathers once

stood before You, celebrating our history and

rejoicing in the favor with which You have

graciously blessed us.

We thank You for the blessings of liberty, for our

independence, for peace and for all those who

have bravely given their lives in the defense of

freedom.

Yet as a nation and people we have not always

chosen the right way. We ask You to forgive us

our sins against Your love. On this day we

commit ourselves wholeheartedly to honor and

serve You.

With everything that we are, we lay our lives

before You.

Make us a generous people, a holy nation,

a people set aside to love You forever,

for the sake of the land of the brave and

free, and all the peoples and nations of the

world.

Today, we do not presume Your grace for our

country. Our land is in need of You,

Our people are in need of You.

May we look only to You, always dependent on

You.

St. Matthew Church will offer a Holy Hour,

PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

Rosary for our Country; with patriotic instru-mental hymns between decades and reflections from our Founding Fathers

Benediction

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be availa-ble through the day starting right after the 7:30 a.m. Mass and concluding with Holy Hour.

When Benjamin Franklin was in France, he frequently used to play chess with the elderly Duchess of Bourbon. On one occasion Franklin put her king in check and then took it. “We do not take the kings so,” remonstrated the duchess. “We do in America,” replied Franklin.

Prayer for Our Country

Saturday July 11th St. Benedict

8:30 a.m. † Donald & Janet Gelbar (Deceased) by Susan Barry 4:00 p.m. † Robert Kirchgessner by Barbara Gagnon

Sunday July 12th 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

7:00 a.m. † Jeff Merrow by Nancy Merrow

8:30 a.m. † Lisa Fortin (2nd anniversary) by Noella and Jean-Marie Dionne

10:00 a.m. † Edward Faryniarz by friend of Florence Procko

11:30 a.m. † Roger St. Pierre by family

Monday July 13th St. Henry

7:30 a.m. † All the souls in purgatory by Lisa Kulig

Tuesday July 14th St. Kateri Tekakwitha

7:30 a.m. † Fr. Brian Monerratt

Wednesday July 15th St. Bonaventure

7:30 a.m. † Mollie and Joseph Broderick by their daughter, Pat

Thursday July 16th Our Lady of Mont Carmel

7:30 a.m. † Madeline Bourke by Carmel Stewart

Friday July 17th

7:30 a.m. In honor and thanksgiving to St. Matthew for the baptism of baby Matthew Saturday July 18th St. Camillus de Lillis

8:30 a.m. † Nella Mundy by Deborah Purvis

4:00 p.m. † Lucy and Ann Marie Aspromonte by Rosemary Aspromante

Sunday July 19th 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

7:00 a.m. † Henry Fiamengo by his wife, Henrietta Fiamengo and family

8:30 a.m. † Verna Bouchard (birthday remembrance) by family

10:00 a.m. † Lucy Maynard (Anniversary) by her son, Richard and Jean Maynard

11:30 a.m. † Danny Gauthier by mom, brothers and sisters

Dear Parishioners:

If you are interested in having the name of a loved one included in our prayer list, please, call the parish office during business hours. The prayer list is updated weekly.

Chelsea Rivard, Nicholas Del Mastro, Jill Synnott,

Rita Lagasse, Ann Conroy,

Kim Romano, Blanche Adamczyk, Ada Zoccoli ,

Donald Theriault , Ruth Barto, Daniel Murzin,

Marc Sullivan.

“I’m sorry, dear. I wasn’t listening. Could you repeat what you’ve said since we’ve been married?”

Summer Missions

The 2020 Mission Cooperative Appeal Collection will be next week’s second collection. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, local representatives are not able to be with us this year; however we can still express our spiritual

and financial support. This year the Diocese of Same, Tanzania will benefit from our parish’s generosity. The Diocese is working to drill wells so that women and children who spend 3 hours per day collecting what is often contaminated water will have access to clean drinking water. This will end much disease and death as well as free the women to grow food and the children to attend school. Our sharing in response to Christ’s call that “we love one another” will bring His hope into the lives of many. We ask your generous response. Checks may be made out to The Catholic Mission Aid Office. Thank you!