St. Jerome Church

23 Half Mile Road Norwalk, CT 06851

203-847-5349

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT MARCH 18, 2018

SABBATH MASSES

Saturday 4:00 PM

Sunday 8:00 AM

9:15 AM Young Children's Mass

11:00 AM

6:00 PM Teen Mass

DAYS OF OBLIGATION

Holy Day 9:00 AM, 7:00 PM

WEEKDAY MASSES

Mon-Sat 9:00 AM

HOW TO FIND US……

Parish Website:

www.stjeromenorwalk.org

Parish Email: norwalkstjerome@cs.com

REACH email: reachstjerome@optonline.net

Parish Facebook:

stjeromenorwalk

REACH & TOTAL Facebook:

REACH.TOTAL.stjerome

Parish Twitter: @StJeromeNorwalk

REACH & TOTAL Twitter:

@REACHstjerome

Instagram:

stjeromenorwalk

PASTORAL STAFF

203-847-5349

Rev. David Blanchfield, Pastor

Rev. Rojin Karickal, Parochial Vicar

Rev. Michael Hoag, S.J., Weekend Assistant

Deacon Dean Finch • 203-847-6397

dean.william.finch@gmail.com

PARISH OFFICE

203-847-5349

Mrs. Pat Florio, Secretary

Office Hours, Mon-Fri 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (REACH)

203-846-2111

Mrs. Kathy Coyne, DRE

Mrs. Natalie Raduazzo

Mrs. Kathy Rohr

YOUTH MINISTRY (TOTAL)

Joe and Daniela OʼCallaghan

203-847-0321

jocallaghan@optonline.net

danielaoc@optonline.net

MUSIC MINISTRY

203-847-5349

Mr. Donald Nelson

PARISH COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON

Dan Loch • 203-846-3980

FINANCE COUNCIL

Jerry Holdridge • 203-966-3658

ALL SAINTS CATHOLIC SCHOOL

203-847-3881 Pre K—Grade 8

139 West Rocks Road

Norwalk, CT 06851

Mrs. Linda Dunn, Principal

FAITH DIRECT—ONLINE GIVING

866-507-8757 www.faithdirect.net

Sign up using our church code: CT46, or

by mailing a paper enrollment form available in

the parish office. Also available on our website at

www.stjeromenorwalk.org/Faith-Direct-

enrollment.pdf

MISSION STATEMENT

We the people of St. Jerome Parish, a Ro-

man Catholic community, proclaim our

belief in the message and mission of Jesus

Christ. As disciples of Jesus we are called

to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to

work for its values in the local community

and beyond. We are committed to: wor-

ship, religious education, shared faith and

service. We welcome all people with re-

spect, acceptance and support.

Parish Staff

Altar Flowers

Altar Flowers may be memorialized for a donation

of $50. Please call the Parish Office several

months prior to your desired date.

Adoration & Silent Prayer

Every day between 4:00PM and 5:00PM.

Contemplative Prayer

Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM.

Come spend some quiet time with the Lord.

Perpetual Novena

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal takes place

each Monday following morning Mass

Rosary & Divine Mercy Prayers

Monday through Saturday after daily Mass

Baptisms Please call the parish office during

regular office hours to schedule.

Required Pre-Baptism Class is required for

the first child baptized at St. Jerome.

Reconciliation One hour before vigil on

Saturday. Also anytime by appointment.

Marriages Please contact the Parish Office at

least six months in advance.

Anointing of the Sick First Wednesday of

each month, immediately following the 9:00 AM Mass,

in the sanctuary. Anyone with an ongoing medical

condition or who is seriously ill, anticipating a medical

procedure or operation, is welcome to come.

Gluten Free Hosts are available at all Masses. If

you require a gluten-free host, please see the

officiating priest before Mass.

Bringing up the Gifts at Mass If the Mass

intention has been requested by you or for your loved

ones, and you would like to bring up the Gifts at the

Offertory, please let the ushers know that you are

present and would like to bring up the gifts.

Widows’ Support Group

Meets at 9:30AM on the second Thursday of the

month in the Kevin Eidt Youth Room.

3/17 9:00 am for our Parish

VIGIL FOR SUNDAY

4:00 pm Ralph Cocchia (10th Anniv)

(Wife & family)

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

3/18 8:00 am Carole Prescott

(Somma family)

9:15 am Christopher Hauptman

(Mike& Kathy McLean)

11:00 am Wally Regan (13th Anniv)

(family)

6:00 pm Marie Gionfriddo

(Declan, Liz, Seamus &

Brianna)

3/19 9:00 am Kevin Trudel

(Somma Family)

3/20 9:00 am Janis Chuba

(family)

3/21 9:00 am Skip Vincent

(Pat & Frank Hauptman)

3/22 9:00 am Fritz Family

(family)

3/23 9:00 am Patricia & Paula Davenport

(family)

3/24 9:00 am for our parish

VIGIL FOR SUNDAY

4:00 pm Anthony Trombetta

(Abruscato & Trombetta

families)

PALM SUNDAY

3/25 8:00 am Mary Fusci

(Edward & Barbara Bagnato)

9:15 am Marco Monteiro

(family)

11:00 am Frances Conley

(Tony & Jo-Ann DiPanni)

6:00 pm Jess Yap

(Anita Fasanelli)

Yesterday was Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, on which we are called to rejoice. Lent is at

a turning point and the whole focus now becomes the great gift that is Jesus and his cross and resur-

rection.

It is not too early to start thinking about the Triduum, our three high holy days. It is always my hope that

you will attend one of the services on one of the three days. The easiest one to attend is the Mass of

the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday at 7pm. The highlight of this ceremony is the washing of the feet.

Here, at St Jerome, anyone who wants to can participate in this washing is welcome. It is a powerful

symbol watching the washing of feet. Of course, you are free to just sit and watch with your shoes

safely on!

On Good Friday, the central service is the Adoration of the Cross at 3pm which includes a reading of

the Passion and Holy Communion. Good Friday is the one day of the year when there is no Mass. It is

also a day for remembering that all Christians are called to take up our cross and die to ourselves each

day, that we might enter more deeply into the death and Resurrection of Jesus.

If you have never been to “The Fourteen Steps” on Good Friday evening at 8pm, this is the year to go.

Inevitably the congregation comes away moved by the prayer preformed by our teens. There should be

seats available in the back section of the Church, but be sure to arrive early as seats are at a premium.

Holy Saturday night at 8pm, we hold our Easter Vigil where we light the bonfire, bless the Easter can-

dle, sing the Exultet, hear the story of our Faith and renew our Baptismal promises. This year there is

no one receiving baptism or being received into the Church, so it will be a relatively short Mass, only

about an hour and a half, come and see!

THIS WEEK AT ST. JEROME…….

Sunday 3/18 REACH Grades 1-6 meet in the morning

REACH Grades 7-8 meet in the evening

TOTAL meets in the evening - Fourteen Steps rehearsal

Monday 3/19 Women’s Scripture Group 9:30 AM

Tuesday 3/20 Bible Study 9:30 AM

Adult Faith Sharing 7:00 PM

Wednesday 3/21 Bible Study 7 PM—Rectory Living Room

Contemporary Prayer 7:00 PM

Women’s Scripture Group 7:30 PM

Thursday 3/22

Friday 3/23 Soup & Speaker 6:00 PM

Saturday 3/24 Men’s Ministry 7:00 AM

Communal Reconciliation 12:00 PM

WEEKLY OFFERTORY SUMMARY

March 11, 2018 $3,544

March total to date $9,430

March Offertory Budget $51,435

Faith Direct donations will be reported next week.

As always, thank you for your generous support of

our parish, especially during this Lenten Season.

We pray for those who bravely serve our country

in the military and those deployed in dangerous

locations. Thank God for those who have returned

home safely. Our service people include:

Sgt. Jason Kulik, United States Army

PFC Andrew Chimento, United States Army

PFC Devon Barker, United States Army

LCpl. Jack H. Whitney, USMC

SSgt. Cameron Prescott, USAF

Eucharistic Minister Sign-ups

for Truduum, & Easter

We ask our Eucharistic Ministers

to sign up for Holy Thursday, for the Saturday

evening Easter Vigil, and for Easter Sunday

Masses. Please use the sign-up sheet in the sac-

risty. It lists the number of ministers needed for

each liturgy. Many are needed for the Easter Sun-

day 9:30 AM and 11:00 AM.

If you have not yet re-

sponded to the 2018 An-

nual Catholic Appeal,

please reflect upon the im-

portance of your support to

ministry and outreach that relies upon the charity of

the Diocese of Bridgeport. The challenge is immedi-

ate and far reaching, but the solution is within our

reach!

Please consider the following options when decid-

ing upon the best way to support the Annual Catho-

lic Appeal this year: 1.) Make a pledge and spread

out your payments over 5 months 2.) Donate on-

line by going to the diocesan website,

2018ACAbridgeport.com 2.) Check if your employer

will match your gift through the Corporate Matching

Gift Program 3.) Donate a one-time gift 4.) Contrib-

ute a gift of appreciated stocks or securities. What-

ever you decide, your gift will be greatly appreci-

ated and make a difference in lives of others.

CALLING ALL YOUNG PEOPLE TO ENTER THE

JOURNEY The Diocesan Youth Pilgrimage will take

place Saturday, March 24th at St. Charles Borromeo

Church, 391 Ogden Street in Bridgeport, and will in-

clude an opportunity for Eucharistic Adoration, a

chance to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation,

a concert with Steve Angrisano and prayer with

Bishop Caggiano. Grades 6-12 are invited. To register

visit www.thechurchneedsyou.org. For more informa-

tion contact the Office of Faith Formation at 203-416-

1670.

MASS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

Please join us at 7:00 PM on Holy

Thursday, March 29, for a deeply

compelling liturgy. At the First

Lord’s Supper, Jesus asked His dis-

ciples to share the bread and wine

with Him and to “Do this in remem-

brance of me.” We encourage all to receive the Eucha-

rist on this special evening.

COME UP AND BE WASHED! Jesus washed the feet

of His disciples at that First Lord’s Supper to show us

how we should care for and serve each other. At our

liturgy on Holy Thursday evening, we invite all families,

neighbors, individuals, and friends to take part in the

loving act of washing feet.

REHEARSAL, MARCH 25. If you have an assigned

role in the Holy Thursday services (but not the initial

foot-washing people), a mandatory rehearsal will be

held on Monday, March 26, beginning promptly at 7:00

PM. This run-through will be finished by 8:00

PM. Questions? Please call Helen Eidt, 203-846-9718.

TWEETS OF THE WEEK

@Pontifex “When we allow Jesus to

enter our lives we discover the secret to

keeping alive the flame of our spiritual

life.”

@BishopCaggiano “Are we spending more time

in prayer, reflecting upon the merciful love of God

who calls us to repentance, conversion and re-

newal? If the answer is no, do not be discouraged.

Today is a good time to renew our #Lenten journey

and to keep moving forward!”

@JamesMartinSJ “Gospel: Many people have a

hard time imagining God. But all you need to do is

look at Jesus. Jesus, fully divine and fully human,

is both the revelation and the revealed: the love of

the Father expressed for us completely. If you

want to come to know God, come to know Jesus. ”

TOTAL meets tonight with rehearsal for the Fourteen

Steps which will be presented on Good Friday at

8:00pm. Regular sessions of TOTAL will resume after

Easter. Food donations are still needed for the long re-

hearsal next Sunday and on Good Friday. All parents

are asked to help in some way with food. Please sign up

at the Perfect Potluck link sent by email. Dads are

needed to help with putting away the props after all re-

hearsals. Please let us know how you would be willing

to help. A DVD of the Fourteen Steps will be available

for $25. Order forms are on the bulletin board in the

hallway.

OLD TESTAMENT

BIBLE STUDY

TUESDAYS

& WEDNESDAYS

During Lent we will offer a

weekly Old Testament Bible

Study program on Tuesday mornings AND on

Wednesday evenings.

TUESDAY MORNINGS -after the 9:00 AM Mass in

the REACH Resource Room, we will continue with

Sessions 9-16 of 25-minute DVD presentations of

“Enjoying the Old Testament” by Fr. Richard J. Clif-

ford, S.J., Ph.D. After each video, there will be a half-

hour of discussion led by Dan Loch.

WEDNESDAY EVENINGS - in the rectory living room

at 7:00 PM. On Wednesday evenings the Bible Study

will start over with Sessions 1-8. After each video,

there will be a half-hour of discussion led by Fr. David.

SPECIAL LENTEN

FOOD DRIVE

Our Special Lenten

Food Drive is taking

place this weekend. If

you forgot your food donations, you may

drop them in the hallway anytime this up-

coming week, and volunteers will deliver

them to our Norwalk food pantries. You

may also make a cash donation in the oat-

meal container serving as a collection box

on the table with the display basket in the

hallway. Our Milk Fund Collection boxes are

located at each exit. Thank you for support-

ing this compassionate Lenten project!

ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST COMPLETE

VIRTUS TRAINING!!

SAFE ENVIRONMENTS

All volunteers 18 years and over must be in

compliance with the diocesan mandate.

P l e a s e s e e t h e V I R T U S w e b s i t e

(www.virtusonline.org) click “First-time registrant”,

click “view a list of sessions”, search ‘Bridgeport,

CT (Diocese)”.

Some upcoming training dates:

New Covenant Center (Stamford) 3/21—6 PM

DONATION TAGS ON OUR

LENTEN CROSS

At the front of the church, the large

wooden Cross hung with colored

tags invites us to participate in

prayer and giving of ourselves dur-

ing Lent. The blue tags are donation tags to

benefit these agencies: Malta House (young, low-

income, unmarried pregnant women), Manna

House (the Norwalk soup kitchen), AmeriKids

(children with HIV/AIDS), Notre Dame Convales-

cent Care Center residents, the Open Door Shel-

ter (the homeless), and Person-2-Person House-

wares (cookware and tableware for soup kitchen

clients). You may take one or more tags at any

time during lent and complete the action on the

tag. Purple tags are Prayer Requests, Pink tags

are Acts of Kindness suggestions, Off-white tags

are Acts of Prayer suggestions, Yellow tags are

“40 Ideas for Lent”. The Cross is refilled with tags

throughout Lent, so please take a tag or two each

week. Thank you for your continued prayers,

kindness, and generosity!

This Sunday, March 18th

Grades 1-6— 9:15 Mass followed by class

Grades 7-8—6:00 Mass followed by class

Next Sunday, March 25th

Grades 1-6— 9:15 Mass followed by class

Grades 7-8—6:00 Mass followed by class

MASS INTENTIONS 2018

****There are many available times for

Mass intentions. Please drop by or

call the Parish Office.