THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF

ST. PIO OF PIETRELCINA REVEREND JEREMIAH N. MURASSO, PH.D., ED.D., PSY.D., PASTOR

REVEREND PATRICK KANE, PAROCHIAL VICAR REVEREND ZACHARIAS PUSHPANATHAN, PAROCHIAL VICAR

REVEREND MICHAEL S. GALASSO, IN RESIDENCE MR. WAYNE SANDFORD, PERMANENT DEACON

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time JUNE 21, 2020

STEWARDSHIP

With public Masses cancelled, please continue to support the parish. We need your support as the

operations continue on a daily basis. In addition, we want to continue to pay our loyal staff. Please

mail-in your contributions. Online giving is also available at,

https://stpioofpietrelcinaeh.com/ and click on the GIVE button.

Thank you to the many of you who have been so generous and responsive in these difficult times, so

far we have received $5,417.00

Welcome… You enter these doors...not as a stranger, but as a guest of God. God is your heavenly Father. Come, then with joy in your heart and thanks on your lips into God’s presence, offering God your love and service. Be grateful to the strong and loyal ones who, in the name of Jesus Christ, built these churches of worship and to all who have beautified them and hallowed them with their prayers, praise and financial sacrifices. Ask God’s blessing on those who love these places of faith as the inspiration of their labor, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. May that blessing rest on you, both on your going out and coming in.

Mass Intentions for the Week SATURDAY, June 20 - Vigil - Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary 4:00pm OLOP + Living & Deceased Fathers of St. Pio 4:30pm SVDP + Living & Deceased Fathers of St. Pio SUNDAY, June 21 - 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00am OLOP + Living & Deceased Fathers of St. Pio 9:00am SVDP + Living & Deceased Fathers of St. Pio 10:00am OLOP + Living & Deceased Fathers of St. Pio 11:00am SVDP + Living & Deceased Fathers of St. Pio 11:45am OLOP + Living & Deceased Fathers of St. Pio MONDAY, June 22 - St. Paulinus of Nola 8:00am OLOP + Shirley Schenk by Family 8:00am SVDP + Margaret Schlegel by Clancy-Palumbo Funeral Home TUESDAY, June 23 - Weekday 8:00am OLOP + Al Pacelli by Lou & Anne Pacelli 8:00am SVDP + by WEDNESDAY, June 24 - Nativity of St. John the Baptist 8:00am OLOP + Cora & Harold Hall, Sr. by Marianne Hall 8:00am SVDP + by THURSDAY, June 25 - Weekday 8:00am OLOP + John Puglia by Family 8:00am SVDP + Frances Emielita by Porto Funeral Home SATURDAY, June 27 - Vigil - 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:00pm OLOP + Angie Brancato by Daughter, Linda 4:30pm SVDP + Frances, Robert & Gabriella Fortin by Family SUNDAY, June 28 - 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00am OLOP + Ida Riccardi by Family 9:00am SVDP + Rocco P. Mariano by Family 10:00am OLOP + Mary & John Ferraro by Family 11:00am SVDP + 11:45am OLOP + Margaret Martone & Lisa Martone Massaro by Husband & Dad

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Sunday: Jer 20:10-13/Ps 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35 [14c]/Rom 5:12-15/Mt 10:26-33 Monday: 2 Kgs 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18/Ps 60:3, 4-5, 12-13 [7b]/Mt 7:1-5 Tuesday: 2 Kgs 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36/Ps 48:2-3ab, 3cd-4, 10-11 [cf. 9d]/Mt 7:6, 12-14 Wednesday: Vigil: Jer 1:4-10/Ps 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15, 17 [6b]/1 Pt 1:8-12/Lk 1:5-17. Day: Is 49:1-6/Ps 139:1-3, 13-14, 14-15 [14a]/Acts 13:22-26/Lk 1:57-66, 80 Thursday: 2 Kgs 24:8-17/Ps 79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9 [9]/ Mt 7:21-29 Friday: 2 Kgs 25:1-12/Ps 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6 [6ab]/Mt 8:1-4 Saturday: Lam 2:2, 10-14, 18-19/Ps 74:1b-2, 3-5, 6-7, 20-21 [19b]/Mt 8:5-17

St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish

Address: 355 Foxon Road, East Haven, CT 06513 Phone Number: (203) 469-0764

Office Hours:

Foxon Road: Mon-Fri 8:00-12:00 & 1:00-3:00 Taylor Avenue: Mon. & Fri. 10:00-2:00

E-Mail: stpioofpietrelcina@gmail.com

Live-Stream Mass Monday-Thursday at 8:00 AM Saturday at 4:00 PM Sunday at 8:00 AM & 11:45AM To watch the live stream go to, https://www.stpioofpietrelcinaeh.com, then click on Online Mass and click on StreamSpot.

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fr. Murasso’s Message Board

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena 25th Anniversary

9-Day Novena

POSTPONED

The 9-day novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help will take place for 9 days beginning Saturday, September 12 @ 10:00am. This first of 9-days will begin on the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary and conclude on Sunday, September 20, immediately following the 11:45 Mass. This will include a procession immediately following the conclusion of the novena prayers.

The hour-long novena includes: Novena Prayers Benediction Recitation of the Rosary Enrollment in the Brown Scapular.

The Candles burn this week for these special intentions:

Our Lady of Pompeii Candles Sanctuary Lamp (Right Side) ~ In Memory of

Billy Richmond & For All the Souls in Purgatory Sanctuary Lamp (Left Side) ~ In Memory of

the Mauro & Elko Families Chapel ~

Sacred Heart of Jesus ~ Angie Brancato Our Lady of Perpetual Help Icon ~

Our Lady of Pompeii Picture ~

St. Vincent de Paul Candles Sanctuary Lamp (Right Side) ~ In Memory of

the Balzano & Avitable Families Sanctuary Lamp (Left Side) - In Memory of

Ronald Paolillo Statue of Our Lady’s Altar ~

Statue of St. Joseph’s Altar ~ Leo Bartsch & Andrew Salzo, Sr. by Salzo Family;

George Poole by Florence & Ernie Permo

PRAY FOR THE SICK OF OUR PARISH

Nick Vessicchio, Sally Ann Fallon, Lynette Ely, David T. Boyle, Richard Lucibello, Denise Ceesceence, Carmel Ferretti, Bryan Surprenant, Sharon Spadacenta, Marie & Charles Zambrano, Marie Sunderland, Helen Langello, Annette Brissette, Brian Savo, Gerry Andrea, John Umlauf, Alan Poirier, Joseph Benson, Connie Rasimas, Jane Pyka, Harry Clark, Lou DiNola, Peter Pepe, Vincent Perricone, Virginia Klump, Robert Savino, Geraldine Licciardi, Joanne Cretella, Joseph Anyzeski, Alice Tietjen-DeSenti, Faith Gibson, Fran Sofo, Elizabeth Kuen, Deborah Sanning, Paula Ferrara, Patricia Brasile, Joann Mazzucco, Tina Marie Fionia, Elizabeth Nucolo, Joseph Parise, Frank DelGrego, Moira Ferguson, Danielle Joubert, Nelson Eddy, Margaret Lendroth, Katherine Hungerford Picciano, Frances Polaski, Sharon Filion, Pauline Condon, Rose Marie Monaco, Paul Spadacenta, Anna Izzo, Angelo DeMatteo, Carmen & Patricia Riccitelli, Patricia Aulenti, Michael Pascale, Alyce Richmond, Catherine Leach, Mark Schettino, Patty DiMilo, Rose Rogalski, Elaine Smith, Karen Rescigno, Virginia Pisano, Joan Baisley, Deanna Baldassare, Kim Hughes, DJ DiVincenzo, Sgt. Anthony Rybaruk, Philip DeMilo & Sally DeMilo, Anna Concelmo, Sally Ann Corcoran, Paul Castiglione, Anna Marie Nappi, Brian Higney, Rich Tortora, Andrea Palmucci, Fr. Brad Pierce, Frances Randi, Denise Bailey, Peg Dmytruk, Mary Mack, Joseph Peterson, Judith Robbins, Marion Mahl, Gloria Ranfone, Paula Ruddock, Pamela Willis, Laura Luzzi, Jose Maisonet, Anita Della Ventura

Please send prayer requests to stpioofpietrelcina@gmail.com so that our parishioners and friends can be remembered in our prayers.

Midnight Run Taylor Avenue Campus

Midnight Run will continue on the 2nd Monday of the month from St. Vincent de Paul Church. Anyone wishing to make bag lunches (please mark on the bag what type of sandwich it is, ham, bologna, etc.) also, water & juice boxes are needed. Please drop off to Sue Stacey, between 7:30pm & 7:40pm. The location for the drop-off is the church parking lot. Please & Thank-You for continuing donations! For the Winter months, we need the following: MEN'S flannels, warm clothing, socks, underwear, blankets as well as travel size toiletries. If you are interested in joining us at the Men's Shelter that would be awesome! Any questions, please call 203-214-1762. Once again thank-you & God bless!

Midnight Run

Foxon Road Campus

On the last Monday of each month, we bring 75 bagged lunches to the

Columbus House Overflow Shelter.

Donations Needed: ShopRite Gift Cards or

Gallon Size Ziploc Bags Quart Size Ziploc Bags Peanut Butter & Jelly

Juice Pouches Raisin Boxes

Fruit Cups & Pudding Cups Granola Bars

Individual Packaged Cookies, Crackers or Chips

We are also looking for small amounts or full skeins of yarn, it will be used to make hats and scarves for the midnight run. Please leave your donations at any entrance of the church. Thank you.

Midnight Run is the LAST Monday of EVERY month from Our Lady

of Pompeii Church from 6-7 pm.

Thank-you for being so generous!

FR. MURASSO’S MESSAGE BOARD

We will get through these difficult days BETTER, if we live one moment at a time by placing our trust in God and raising our voices and our hands in prayer to a MERCIFUL and LOVING FATHER.

From the Pen of Fr. M. Reverend Jeremiah N. Murasso, Ph.D., Ed.D., Psy.D.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus

Feast Day: June 19

Last Friday, June 19, the Church celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is celebrated annually on the first Friday that follows the feast of Corpus Christi. Actually, the entire month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At first glance, this feast appears crude. Non-believers ask, “Why the heart?” However, it is not merely the physical heart of Jesus that Catholics honor; it is Jesus’ merciful and healing compassion as well as the entire mission, ministry and person of Jesus.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is directed to and focuses upon the Heart of Jesus as a symbol of love just as the human heart has become symbolic for the center of man’s emotions. The word heart is used in a variety of different ways. We use the heart to express feelings of joy, love and happiness. The human heart is also the center where feelings of sadness, hate and indifference emerge.

How often, each of us has described another person, or heard someone being described with state-ments like: “She has a heart of gold,” or “He has a good heart,” or “I love you with all my heart,” or “I give you my heartfelt thanks for what you have done for me.”

We have also heard it said or have, in fact made statements like: “My heart is breaking,” or “Her heart is full of sadness,” or “Their hearts are hardened; thus, they cannot hear or see truth.” Such statements are descriptive not of a part of man, as if particular organs or muscles possess their own autonomy and conscious identity for self-expression. Rather, these sentiments are used to describe the character or personality of an individual; his/her feelings and desires.

The human heart has its own holiday. Valentine’s Day is the celebration not of the physical muscle in the body that is responsible for the pumping of blood. Rather, Valentine’s Day celebrates love, providing for men and women an official and special holiday for expressing the powerful and positive emotions that one person has for another. Valentine’s Day celebrates the individual’s desire and affection for that special other or others in his/her life.

Our society celebrates St. Valentine’s Day with red roses, heart-shaped candies and Hallmark cards, all of which are exchanged as expressions of one’s admiration and deepest feelings toward a significant other. The red heart has in fact, taken on the symbol of love.

The Greek philosophers described the human heart in terms of the whole person. It was that part of the human person that was responsible for life; both physical and spiritual life. Biologically, the heart is that muscle in humans and animals that pumps blood throughout the body; bringing nourishment to all the cells in the body.

Sacred Heart of Jesus

God works in very mysterious ways; mysterious that is, not to God but to the human mind. In every age, God has singled out individuals; some who have been religious sisters and brothers, others who have been priests and still others who have been married with families such as our own Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint.

These individuals came from different parts of the world, with different backgrounds and ethnic roots, living at different times in history. The common thread, however, which links each of them is their personal and intimate call by God who entrusted each with a particular mission.

June 21, 2020

The mysterious workings of God were seen so vividly in His desire for a specific feast that would call attention to the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Real Presence. Men and women of faith like the unknown and humble Saint Juliana of Liege was privileged to be the recipient of numerous revelations from God. It was she who worked tirelessly in what would be the eventual establishment of the devotion to the Body and Blood of Christ as an annual feast in the Church’s calendar.

Saints such as Francis of Assisi, whose feast is celebrated on October 4, and Anthony of Padua celebrated on June 13, both made significant contributions to the Christian faith, which has had positive and lasting consequences in the lives of people of all denominations.

Margaret Mary Alacoque

The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is not without its mysterious and mystical and seemingly (to the human mind) fortuitous origin. Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a seventeenth-century Visitandine nun living in the monastery at Paray-le-Monial was, yet, another privileged soul whose faith enabled God to work through her, making His mark in human history by making conscious to mankind His desire for a greater adherence to His Sacred Heart.

Unlike St. Juliana of Liege who had a devotion to the Real Presence, Saint Margaret Mary did not know of, nor did she have a previous devotion to the Heart of Jesus. Yet, the hand of God was at work. It was the faith of Margaret Mary that enabled God to send a powerful message to all of mankind.

Margaret Mary’s Visions

From 1673-1675, Saint Margaret Mary was favored by God in being the recipient of numerous appearances by Christ. During these appearances, Jesus spoke of his sadness with regard to man’s hardened heart and his inability to love Jesus and his Mother. On one particular occasion, on the feast of St. John, Jesus permitted Margaret Mary the privilege of resting her head on Jesus’ chest in order to hear the beat of his heart.

It was on June 16, 1675, during the feast of Corpus Christi that what has been referred to as the “Great Apparition” occurred. At this time, Jesus appeared to Margaret Mary and requested that he be honored under the image of his “Heart of Flesh.” Jesus said, “Behold the heart that has so loved men, instead of gratitude, I receive from the greater part of mankind only ingrati-tude.”

Jesus went on to tell Margaret Mary that he had chosen her for the task of making this devotion to his Sacred Heart, a “Feast Day of Reparation.” This spe-cial Feast Day, said Jesus to Margaret Mary should also be accompanied by:

• Communion by the faithful.

• Communion on the first Friday of each month.

• Observance of a holy hour.

The Church moves slowly but God always gets His way! His will is always actualized. By the mid-part of the eighteenth century, both religious communities and dioceses had begun to make a consecration to the Sa-cred Heart of Jesus. Yet, the Church of France and Rome had dragged their feet for years in making Christ’s request a reality.

Ironically, it was at the request of the Queen of France, Marie Leszczyńska and not a bishop or the pope who in 1729, having petitioned Rome received Rome’s consent. The Sacred Heart of Jesus was insti-tuted as an official feast day and consecration to his Sacred Heart was accepted by the French bishops. In 1856, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to include the universal Church. On June 11, 1899, it was Pope Leo XIII who consecrated all of mankind to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Margaret Mary Alacoque died in 1690, and was canonized in 1920, by Pope Benedict XV.

In June, 1990, in his recognition of the 300th anniversary of Saint Margaret Mary’s death, reflecting on the life of Saint Margaret Mary and her undying devotion to the Heart of Jesus, Pope Saint John Paul II spoke these words:

“…for it is in the heart of Christ that the human heart learns to know the true and unique meaning of its life and of its destiny; it is in the Heart of Christ that the human heart receives its capacity to love.”

What do we celebrate when we honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus?

We honor and recall the person of Jesus. It is Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity: his Life, his Death and his Resurrection that we honor and recall each time that we pray to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In addition to the person of Jesus, we also recall Jesus’ unconditional love and compassion:

• It is the Sacred Heart of Jesus that felt pain when he learned of the death of his best friend and cousin, John the Baptist.

• It is the Sacred Heart of Jesus that wept over Jerusalem.

• It is the Sacred Heart of Jesus that felt re-morse and empathy for the sick, the blind, the poor and the homeless.

• It is the Sacred Heart of Jesus that conveyed to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque his sorrow and disappointment for man’s lack of love for him and his mother.

When we honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we

recall not a lifeless, inanimate heart that is separate from the person of Christ. Rather, when Christians celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they recall the Living Heart of the Incarnate God. Christians honor and remember that the Heart of Jesus is the center and source of all his affections. The Heart of Jesus symbolizes and actually testifies to the affections and the unconditional love (agape) that pours forth from Jesus’ heart like golden rays of light.

There is a beautiful painting of Jesus, whose author in anonymous, portraying Jesus with his exposed heart.

As one gazes at the picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, one’s eyes are immediately drawn to the center, to the Heart of Christ. Upon further examination of the Heart, one becomes aware of the golden rays emanating from and converging at the heart’s center.

.The artist wanted to convey the message that all of creation; everything that exists and all which is…begins and ends…comes forth from…and returns to…the Heart of Christ. In other words, all being has its origin and destiny in Jesus Christ.

Attaching as we should, all of our hopes, our dreams, our joys, our sadness and our pain to those unquenchable and un-appeasing golden rays that emerge from his Sacred Heart, we…each of us…are individually and collectively pulled into his merciful Heart of unconditional love.

In such a way, we are entrusted with the propensity for becoming for one another, a product of the Love that has loved us first. It is this Love (agape) that we remember and it is this Love (agape) that we celebrate when we honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a very powerful image for twenty-first century men and women of faith. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a reminder that all that we are and everything we possess has its origin and its destiny in Jesus. With this comes the awesome responsibility of making Jesus present in our daily lives. JNM

SOMETHING TO PONDER

The Virtue of Gratitude Are you a person who is grateful? Do you thank others for

what they do for you, such as: wait staff in a restaurant, bank tellers, cashiers, the young bagger in the supermarket, the nurse who takes your pressure and helps you onto the scale, the teacher who goes the extra mile in order to assure that you really understand?

Or are you among those who believe that service providers

have a job to perform for which they receive payment? Are you someone who believes that their paycheck is thank-you enough;

thus, freeing you from any and all obligation to demonstrate gratitude and appreciation for what another person has done for

you? Do you display the nonverbal attitude, which often times speaks volumes: “After all it’s their job?”

Are you one of those individuals who are slow to express appreciation for a service rendered, or a compliment given? Yet, are quick to criticize and castigate when service falls short of your expectations? Are you grateful for what you have? Or, do you compare what you have against what others have who in your eyes are less deserving? Are you a person who blames hardships, missed opportunities and personal losses on someone else? Do you even blame God?

Gratitude: Mother of Virtues Gratitude is the greatest among all the other virtues

because gratitude encompasses all the other virtues. In addition, the individual who practices and displays a grateful human spirit is probably the individual who by his/her nature, also demonstrates such virtues as charity, generosity, kindness, forgiveness and tolerance.

In a damaged, broken society such as ours, due to excessive fear, mistrust and suspicion, it becomes a challenging assignment for busy and anxious individuals to consciously demonstrate and to project a sense of gratitude in our relationships with others, whether they be co-workers, casual acquaintances, friends, or even members of our family. At times we are even consciously ungrateful to God.

Authentic Happiness

The demonstration of a grateful human spirit enables us to put the crisis of the moment as well as the dilemma of the day in proper perspective. The person who is in possession of a grateful human spirit is the person who becomes sensitive to the minor and at times miniscule miracles that present themselves on a daily basis. If we do not recognize them each and every day, it is not because they are not happening. Rather, it is due to the fact that there is a flaw in the way we are living our lives and conducting our affairs.

Being grateful and demonstrating appreciation for life and for what we have may help us to accept the unexpected twists of fate; those existential curved balls that come our way from time to time. Showing appreciation for the smallest of miracles that happen all around us on a daily basis may result in a greater level of personal acceptance; thus, greater tolerance for others

Grateful people are less critical of others and more accepting of difference. They are also, individuals who view life as well as their own short-comings with less drama and more passion. They are less inclined to look at life through the lens of the glass being half empty, and more inclined to see it as being half full. People who are grateful for what they have are less inclined to constantly think that more is owed to them.

Are you a grateful person? Do you show your appreciation for even the littlest acts of kindness that come your way? Or are you too busy to notice? When was the last time that you said, “Thank-you,” to another who did something or said something that made your existence in this world a bit better? Truly, something to ponder! JNM

FR. MURASSO’S MESSAGE BOARD

Saint Bernadette Church It is with great joy that I announce to you that we

are moving in the direction of a merger with our sisters and brothers of Saint Bernadette Church.

Our parish of St. Pio of Pietrelcina will now have three campuses with three worship sites: Saint Bernadette, Saint Vincent de Paul and Our Lady of Pompeii. This is exciting!

I know that you join me in extending a heart-felt welcome to all the faith-filled parishioners of Saint Bernadette who will add so very much to our Catholic community of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina.

********** ********** **********

PROJECTS IN PROGRESS Saint Vincent de Paul:

The roof over the chapel continues to present a problem with water getting behind the walls and in the ceiling. We have finally determined where the water is coming from and plans are underway to repair again, the wall around the stain glass window in front of the chapel and the ceiling. The center walkway ascending the church has become damaged due largely to water that has seeped underneath of the concrete along with kids with skateboards that use the front stairs as a slide. This has resulted in serious cracks in the concrete, making this a hazard. In addition, the iron rail has become rusted at the point where the iron meets the sidewalk. This has become aggravated to the point of breaking due once again, to the skateboards constantly slamming into the iron rail. New concrete will be poured along with the reinforcement of the rail beginning June 1. During this time the side entrance of the church facing the school will be open for daily visits. The church kitchen is about to get a much-needed refurbishment with more counter space, a new floor and paint on the walls. This work will begin within the next couple of weeks.

********** ********** ********** Our Lady of Pompeii:

Work continues in the church proper with the much-needed re-sealing and painting of the window frames on the inside and outside.

SOMETHING TO PONDER Getting Our Socks in Knots

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27)

Two weeks ago, we listened to Jesus as he questioned his disciples’ faith because they apparently did not listen to his words. In instructing them to get into the boat in order to get to the other side, he did not guarantee that the journey would necessarily be a smooth one.

Jesus asks each of us about the level of our faith and the extent to which we permit unnecessary worry to hinder our ability to here God’s Word. This is a powerful teaching that each of us must take to heart. Begin each new day with a correct focus on life. Don’t get your socks in knots about things that you have absolutely no control over. Take control over the one aspect of your life that you can control and leave the rest to God!

In our hectic world where plates are filled beyond their capacity, begin everyday resolved on changing those aspects of your life that you have absolute control over. Leave the rest to prayer! Studies continue to indicate that stress is the number one contributor to heart failure; people permitting the trials and tribulations, the twists of fate, the existential curved balls to send blood pressure skyrocketing.

The key to winning the war on stress is understanding how to manage it. Several ways to identify and to manage stress: 1. Recognize that stress in inevitable given our daily

responsibilities. Be aware of your “hot buttons” and those in your life who know how to “push” them. So why relinquish control to that “other” in your life who delights in pushing your buttons?

2. Take at least ten minutes every night to organize the tasks that need to be accomplished the next day. Do not make your list too long or too ambiguous. Be practical in what you can accomplish in one day. In other words, be realistic and distinguish between what must get done from those things that can wait another day or two.

3. Begin each day with a moment or two in prayer. Prayer does not have to be elaborate or eloquent. Thank God for another day in which you are healthy enough to put your feet on the floor. Ask the Good Lord to bless all your endeavors and all those you will come into contact with.

4. Begin your day with the quiet confidence that God has heard your prayer and He will grant you the strength and grace to accomplish all that you NEED to accomplish. That which we NEED to accomplish may in fact be in conflict with that which we DESIRE to accomplish. The former is in compliance with God’s will, while the latter is imposing my will onto God’s plan for me. Learn HUMILITY…..Your life will be a lot less complicated! And a lot happier.

5. Don’t stress the small stuff! Proceed through your day with confidence and humility. Be proactive and set little goals hour by hour, getting them accomplished and then setting new goals. Proceed one step at a time. And stop playing the victim! Your life may be difficult…but whose life isn’t? Stop obsessing on: “should have,” “would have,” “could have.” This turns people off. It sends family and friends fleeing from you!

6. Find time to think nice thoughts, read a line or two from scripture or read your favorite poem, think about a loved-one who may now be with God and ask him/her to send an extra angel or two your way. Gaze at a blue sky, the falling snow, a little child and then laugh at yourself at least once each hour for taking yourself more seriously than you have a right to be taken. Above all, make every day a blessed and happy event and strive to discover new meaning in every breath that you take and in every day that you are alive….and above all…PRAISE GOD! JNM

We will continue our June food collection for the East Haven Food Pantry, which is asking for macaroni & cheese and ramen noodles. Please leave your donations of food at the church entrance at both the Taylor Avenue and Foxon Road campuses throughout the month.

While Masses have been cancelled, your

offertory does not have to be! Your parish support continues to be extremely important during this

time when our churches are closed. The daily

operations of the parish are ongoing even though our parish staff may be working from home. Our

staff as well as the utilities need to be paid even though the income through weekly collections is

nonexistent. Please, if possible, remember your

weekly support, which can be made online at, https://www.stpioofpietrelcinaeh.com and click the

GIVE button or through the mail Thank you for your continue generosity.

The Archdiocese of Hartford released guidelines for reopening churches and public worship. On June 8, 2020 public weekday (Mon-Fri) Masses, Baptisms, Confessions, Weddings and Funerals can all resume in the Archdiocese of Hartford with careful health precautions in place. Sunday Masses will resume at a later date to

be determined. Please carefully read the archdiocesan guidelines found at www.archdioceseofhartford.org

At St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish, we will resume the public celebration of weekday Mass of Monday, June 8. Important things to note:

• There will be a limit of 50 parishioners at each Mass, with 6 feet social distancing and masks

• Weekday Mass will be at 8:00 AM.

• The dispensation from the Sunday obligation has been extended through September 6 and live-streaming will continue until the dispensation is lifted. Those in high-risk categories are encouraged to continue staying home, even as people return to Mass.

Thank you for all of your patience and flexibility these last few months - we ask that you continue to be patient as we navigate these new waters and put our plan together! Per the diocese, during this time parishioners who are absent from Mass are urged to make alternate provision for their weekly contributions since parishes depend on them for operation. Sign up for Online Giving or make a one-time donation at https://pompeiichurch.churchgiving.com/

FR. MURASSO’S MESSAGE BOARD

On Monday, June 8, morning Masses have resumed at 8:00am in all of our three churches with a maximum capacity of 50 people. FACIAL MASKS WILL CONTINUE TO BE REQUIRED TO ENTER THE CHURCHES FOR MASS.

Parishioners are asked to enter

through the FRONT DOORS ONLY.

Individuals may exit either from the

front or side entrances.

PARISH OFFICE REOPENING

The Parish Office will reopen to the public this Monday, June 8th during normal business hours of 8:00 am to 3:00 PM at the Our Lady of Pompeii Church location. We ask that all visitors wear a

mask when entering, and stay home if experiencing flu-like symptoms. Thank you!

The churches are also still open for individual prayer:

St. Bernadette 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM (Mon-Fri)

St. Vincent de Paul 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (Mon-Fri)

Our Lady of Pompeii 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (Mon-Fri)