The Church of the Incarnation 544 Prospect Street

Wethersfield, CT 06109

Rev. James M. Moran

Pastor

Mrs. Noranne Wamester Pastoral Associate

Mrs. Audrey Saharek Pastoral Assistant

Mrs. Maggie Seaver

Coordinator of Middle School Faith Formation Youth Minister

Mrs. Teri Aiudi

Rectory Office Assistant Faith Formation Secretary

Mrs. Theodora Niver Director of Music

Vanessa Crowley

Lorissa Heath Rosanne Sweeney Gowdy

Andrew Russo Heather Picard

Gianna Bielenda Cantors

Marguerite Heinimann

Rectory Assistant

Toni Munoz Sacristan

Mass Schedule

Confessions on Saturdays from 3:45 - 4:30p.m. Vigil Mass: Saturday at 5:00p.m.

Sunday Masses: 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. Daily Mass: (Mon. - Fri.) 9:00 a.m.

Recitation of the Rosary before 9:00 a.m. daily Mass

Sacrament of Baptism By previous appointment

Sundays at 12:30 p.m. in the Baptistry of the Chapel.

Weddings Please contact a priest 6-10 months prior.

New Parishioners and Faith Formation Registration

The Church of the Incarnation welcomes new parishioners. All forms are available at the main entrance of the church. Please mail or place in the

collection basket. You may also visit our website for printable forms at:

www.thechurchoftheincarnation.com

Rectory Hours 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Rectory Fax Church E-Mail Faith Formation Website address: (860) 529-2533 (860) 721-6595 cincarnation@sbcglobal.net (860) 529-6765 www.thechurchoftheincarnation.com gotellit@aol.com

Page Two Fourth Sunday of Lent…….March 26, 2017

Music and Witness: Live concert at

Incarnation Church with Sean Forrest: Sean Forrest, nationally known speaker and missionary for the people of Haiti is appearing live in Fr. Crawford Hall in concert this Sun., March 26th, 4pm. Mission Statement for Hai-ti180. “At our core the mission of Haiti 180 is to create the opportunity to form well educated leaders of faith for the future of Haiti and to make sure that every child in our care has a childhood that is filled with love and joy. With your love, support and prayer, we have been blessed with the opportunity to broaden our fo-cus, reaching out to the poorest of the poor from the young to the old professing God’s love through our developments in education, medical care, housing and much more for the kind and loving people of Haiti. We are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ and together we can turn it around” Sean & his missionary team have built a school, orphanage, medical clinic and elderly hospice in Haiti. Join Sean & others to support this wonderful Lenten mis-sion. Free admission. All welcome! Thank you in advance. Go to www.Haiti180.com. Noranne S. Wamester, Pastoral Associate The Second collection next weekend will be the monthly collection. “Project Baby Love” collection will be held next weekend Apr il 1st & 2nd. Disposable diapers & wipes are needed. There is an urgent request for SIZE 4 diapers!! Wipes, baby wash & lotion are always needed. Thank you! Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday: Consid-er full participation in the beautiful liturgies. (Holy Thursday) 4/13, 7pm, (Good Friday) 4/14, 3pm, (Easter Vigil) 4/15, 8pm and (Easter Sunday) 4/16, 8:30 & 10:30am masses. Meet Jesus there.

SATURDAY, MARCH 25TH 9:00am—Vincenzo Messina 5:00pm— Deceased members of the Loura, Santos & Gaspar Families SUNDAY MARCH 26TH 8:30am– Michele Orsini & Deceased members of the Nicotera & Orsini Families 10:30am–Deceased members of the John A. Mele Sr. Family & Maurice Bottum MONDAY, MARCH 27TH 9:00am– John Iacobucci TUESDAY, MARCH 28TH 9:00am— For all our parishioners WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29TH 9:00am— Ruth Vaughn THURSDAY, MARCH 30TH 9:00am— Deceased members of the Kieran Daly Family FRIDAY, MARCH 31ST 9:00am– Sebastian Scalora SATURDAY, APRIL 1ST 9:00 am— Marino Mattioli 5:00pm— Pasquale Piccolo SUNDAY, APRIL 2ND 8:30am– Anthony & Emilia Camilliere 10:30am– Frank Antolini The Sanctuary Candle will burn from 3/27/2017– 4/2/2017 in memory of Rev. David Lonergan. The Blessed Virgin Mary Candle will burn from 3/27/17-4/2/2017 in memory of Rev. James Fanelli. The 9am daily mass on March 25th and April 1st will be celebrated in the Chapel.

Page Three Fourth Sunday of Lent………….March 26, 2017

Children’s Liturgy of the Word is this Sun., March 26th at the 10:30am mass. We welcome Maura Buyak, Melissa Donahue, Connie Morin, Emily Provost & Maureen Morris, Join us for refreshments after mass. Thanks to the Paruta Family for hosting! Candle Sale……….after all masses this weekend!! Members of Incarnation Youth Ministry will be selling beautifully jarred candles. They are highly fragrant candles that will burn for 75+ hours. Can-dles are $12 each. Orders will be taken this wkd. and we will have samples available to view. Candles will be delivered by May 1st. Makes a great gift for any celebration!! Please support this fundraiser as our High Schoolers are trying to raise funds to offset the cost of attending the Steubenville Catholic Youth Conference this summer. We appreciate your sup-port! If you would like to place an order, please contact Maggie Seaver at 860 604-5428 or Seaver711@aol.com. Thank you! Steubenville Catholic Youth Conference: July 14th – 16th at UMASS, Lowell, MA. Members of our Youth Ministry are very excited to once again be attending this weekend of prayer, music, motivational talks from nationally recognized Catholic speakers, mass, adoration, and reflection. Our reserved spots are filling quickly! Call Maggie Seaver at seaver711@aol.com. NEW DAY, A Bereavement Suppor t Group for those who have lost a loved one: Monday, March 27th, 1pm—Fr. Crawford Hall. Call Noranne at (860) 529-6765.

Gr. 8: Faith Formation Tues., March 28th & Gr. 7: will be held on Wed., March 29th—6:30-8pm, Fr. Crawford Hall. Emerson-Williams Faith Formation Grades K-6: Saturday, Apr il 1st at 9am. Parish Family Home communities will meet at designated times.

The Living Stations of the Cross

The Living Stations of the Cross will be pre-sented by the Sixth grade Faith Formation Community of Connie DiGiacomo and Mean Niro on Saturday, April 1, 2017 in Fa-ther Crawford Hall. Please arrive at 9:00 in Father Crawford Hall and it will end at 10:15am.The young people and their cate-chists have been studying the Bible for the past two years and they are now focused on the Passion of the Lord. They have also in-vited other communities from E-W and ex-tend the invitation to the Parish Family Home communities also, if they are interest-ed. Parents must accompany your child to the presentation. Faith Formation communi-ties that are not attending the presentation are to meet at Emerson-Williams for class on Saturday April 1st.

Faith Formation registration will take place in April. Letters will be sent to each family. New families please call the Faith Formation Office to set up an appointment with Mrs. Noranne Wamester or Mrs. Teri Aiudi, her Assistant.

Easter Communion Regulation: Catholics are obliged to receive Communion at least once between the 1st Sunday of Lent & Trinity Sun-day. Church of the Incarnation awards two schol-arships annually for parishioners entering area Catholic High Schools. Deadline 4/1.

Page Four Fourth Sunday of Lent…….March 26, 2017

Our Lenten Environment on

Laetare Sunday

Today in the sanctuary you see flowers that are of God’s crea-

tion. They symbolize the new spring which embraces us as we prepare to embrace and re-ceive the Risen Lord. Our Lenten cross is decorated with a limb from the dogwood tree which legend tells us is the tree from which the crosses of crucifixion were made. It had been a tall sturdy tree but after a time the trunk and branches grew slender, bent and twisted. No longer could it be used for mak-ing planks of wood. The legend continues that many traits were left to remember the dogwood’s former use. Its flower has four petals, shaped like a cross. The edge of each petal has a stained nail dent. The middle of the dogwood flower resembles a crown of thorns. May our endeavors with our Lenten environ-ment inspire us to prayer on our journey to the Paschal Lamb.

LENTEN CONFESSIONS:

Every church in the Archdiocese will be open on Mondays from 6-7pm during Lent for Confes-sions. LENTEN MASSES: AT INCARNATION: Dur ing Lent daily mass will be celebrated at 9am Monday-Saturday excluding Holy Saturday, April 15th. For your infor-mation, Corpus Christi will celebrate their Lenten masses at 7am, and 5:30pm Monday-Friday. Corpus Christi will also offer Stations of the Cross on Fridays at 6:30pm. Archbish-op Blair has recommended that the parishes in Wethersfield have consolidated Stations of the Cross at Corpus Christi Church.

A Weekly Bible Study 4th Sunday of Lent 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 In order to appreciate to-

day’s first reading we must take a few steps back in salvation history. Poised to enter the “world stage,” Israel clamors for a king: “We too must be like all the nations, with a king to rule us, lead us in warfare and fight our battles.” The choice, based on appearance and stature, falls to Saul who is anointed by the prophet Samuel as the “peoples’ king.” His reign essentially dis-pleases God as Scripture tells us the Lord regret-ted having made Saul king. His acts of disobedi-ence were symptomatic of a lack of faith in the God of Israel. Furthermore, Saul’s emotional and psychological disintegration, as well as sus-picion of his successor David, resulted in his sui-cide.

Something for us to ponder: Did the Lord make a bad decision in having Saul anointed? Or ra-ther, did the Lord simply answer the misguided prayers of the people, allowing them to stumble and fall, to see the error of their ways?

As we join Samuel in today’s reading, God gives his people another chance. Samuel is instructed to journey to Bethlehem. He is told that Israel’s next king will be from among Jesse’s sons. As eight sons are presented, the youngest and least likely is finally selected. He will prove to be one “after God’s own heart.” And despite his lack of credentials David’s rise to power will not be due to his own ruthless pursuits, as those of Saul. He will arise as Israel’s greatest king powered by the Spirit of God that rushed upon him that day. At his anointing this simple humble shep-herd will be transformed into greatness. His de-scendants will be found worthy of the Son of God.

God indeed saw into David’s heart and found one who heard His word and acted upon it. We need only to look into the soul of David’s psalms to see the depth of his connection to the heart of God. The Lord, indeed, made the right choice to continue the work of salvation. God knew ex-actly what his people needed.

Page Five Fourth Sunday of Lent…...March 26, 2017

Clear the mud from your eyes and see! The one who heals calls us to follow. Live your life as a witness to God’s healing, saving touch. If you feel called as a priest or religious, please contact Fr. Jeffrey Gubbiotti, Di-

rector of Vocations, Archdiocesan Center at St. Thomas Seminary, Tel. (860) 242-5573, or e-mail to vocations@aohct.org Vocations Holy Hour: Incarnation Church First Friday of the month, 9:30am, Blessed Sac-rament Chapel. Prayer For Peace: Incarnation Church 30 minutes prior to 9am Daily Mass.

MOVED BY MERCY WILL HELP

THOUSANDS IN OUR ARCHDIOCESE The 2017 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, Moved by Mercy, is underway. We thank all parishion-ers who have already made a gift. If you have not had a chance to respond yet, please prayer-fully consider doing so. Your help enables so many programs & initiatives that help thousands across our Archdiocese every day; those served in Catholic Charities Family Centers, Catholic schools, our seminarians, and others.

HomeFront Day: We need you on our Team: Saturday May 6th. Project sponsored by Home-front & the Office of Urban Affairs of the Arch-diocese. Parishes all over the state accept a pro-ject to repair and fix up the home of a needy family. We need workers with a variety of skills as well as unskilled workers. You must be at least 16 years of age, but young people ages 14-17 may work with a signed release from their parents, and supervision. To sign-up call Pat McGovern at 563-7773, or Audrey Saharek at 529-2533. Project sponsored by Sacred Heart, Corpus Christi and The Church of the Incarna-tion. Our Incarnation C.Y.O. Basketball Teams will celebrate their wonderful season at a pasta dinner banquet next Monday, April 3rd at 6pm in Fr. Crawford Hall. A note to all parents...If you would like...you are invited to bring a dessert/bottled water or juice. Thanks!

Special Spring Holiday Cleaning for Easter: If you are able to volunteer an hour or two of your time to prepare our worship space for the glory of Eastertime, call Toni Munoz at 563-9720. Our date is Saturday, April 8th at 9:30am. Cleaning will include the dusting of pews in the nave & west transept. Thank you.

Men’s Association: Year ly membership dr ive underway. Renewal letters have been mailed to current members. Forms at entrances. All men invited to join! Dues $10.Call Mike 667-2099.

YANKEE STADIUM TRIP

New York Yankees vs Houston Astros Sat., May 13th, Sponsored by Incarnation Men's Assoc., Package includes: Deluxe motor coach transportation, beverages on the bus - beer, wine, soda, bottled water & chips. Game tickets are in the Main Level Seating – Section 233B / Rows 11-17. Parking at Incarnation. - Bus leaves at 9AM. Price is $85.00. All are welcome: men, women and children. Call Jim Pettit at (860)402-3074, or at his office Email – james.pettit@raveis.com to reserve seats. Checks payable to "The Church of Incarnation" & mail to Jim Pettit, 94 Griswold Road, Weth., CT 06109. Join The Wethersfield Knights of Columbus for Dinner at Bertucci's restaurant in Newing-ton. Flyer /coupon at church exits. Enjoy a family meal & help raise money for the Knights charities. On going event last Tues. each month.

Lenten Regulations: Catholics ages 14 and older are to abstain from meat on all Fridays during Lent. The rule does not apply when health or ability to work would be seriously impacted. Catholics

who have celebrated their 18th birthday, but have not yet marked their 59th are to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On days of fast, one full meal is allowed. Two other meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to individual needs but together they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids, including milk and juic-es, are allowed.

Page Six Fourth Sunday of Lent………..March 26, 2017

SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Fourth Sunday of Lent Friday: Abstinence Saturday: First Saturday TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION The church slowly developed customs of re-serving some portion of the eucharistic sacrifice for the sake of the dying. Today’s custom of placing this portion in a tabernacle for prayer and adoration by the faithful cannot be traced back much beyond the year 1,000, much to almost everyone’s surprise. There is simply no historical evidence of the Blessed Sacrament being present in a church for the purpose of having the faithful visit it or pray before it earlier in the church’s history. People did visit, of course, but the center of their attention was the altar, symbol of Christ’s sacrifice and the touchpoint between heaven and earth. Shrines and devotional altars abounded in medieval churches, but anything we might describe as a Blessed Sacra-ment chapel would be hard to find. Amazingly, the Eucharist was first kept in pri-vate houses for the purpose of Holy Communion at home. As for church, the custom gradually devel-oped of suspending a vessel shaped like a dove somewhere in the church, often over the altar. In the hovering bird, a few hosts, enough to satisfy the pastoral needs of the dying, would be secreted. The priest would lower the dove on a pulley as needed, but it wasn’t a focus of devotion by visitors to the church. It was simply a way of reassuring bishops who were nervous about safeguarding the Eucha-rist. The dove solution caught on in England and France after Crusaders came in contact with the custom in their travels in the Orthodox East.

Fourth Sunday of Lent March 26, 2017

The L is my shepherd; I shall not want. — Psalm 23:1

You may return your Easter flower envelope anytime from now until Easter. Thank you!

CHILDREN OF THE LIGHT The future king, David, in today’s first reading, is an example of a type of character present through-out the Hebrew scriptures. He is the child born out of place (not the eldest or most favored) who ends up receiving the promise of the covenant. The spirit of God’s anointing rushes upon him. In this way, he is similar to the man born blind from today’s Gospel. David’s family and the blind man’s community did not expect the miraculous grace of God’s love to work through them. Perhaps they, too, were “blinded” by the expectations and assumptions of those around them. Yet, after being touched by God, they both came to “see” the presence of God’s will for them. Both became messengers of God’s will. That same Spirit of God’s anointing rushed upon us at our baptism; we were given a candle as a sign of our membership in the Body of Christ, the Light from Light. Our vocation, then, is to fulfill that en-lightenment, that anointing, as Ephesians tells us, by living as “children of the light.” TODAY’S READINGS First Reading — As the prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, the spirit of the L rushed upon David and remained with him from that day forward (1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a). Psalm — The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want (Psalm 23). Second Reading — You who were once darkness are now light in the Lord. Live as children of light (Ephesians 5:8-14). Gospel — The man who was blind from birth pro-claimed: The one called Jesus made clay with his saliva, anointed my eyes with it, and told me to wash. When I washed, I was able to see! (John 9:1-41 [1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38]) READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Is 65:17-21; Ps 30:2, 4-6, 11-13b; Jn 4:43-54 Tuesday: Ez 47:1-9, 12; Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; Jn 5:1-16 Wednesday: Is 49:8-15; Ps 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18; Jn 5:17-30 Thursday: Ex 32:7-14; Ps 106:19-23; Jn 5:31-47 Friday: Wis 2:1a, 12-22; Ps 34:17-21, 23; Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 Saturday: Jer 11:18-20; Ps 7:2-3, 9bc-12; Jn 7:40-53 Sunday: Ez 37:12-14; Ps 130:1-8; Rom 8:8-11; Jn 11:1-45 [3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45]

Page Seven Fourth Sunday of Lent…………..March 26, 2017

Catholic Relief Services Lenten Program: Operation Rice Bowl. They are at the exits.

The Knights of Columbus - Pasta Dinner, SAT., APRIL 1, 2017 at the Church of the Incarnation after the 5:00 PM Mass in Father Crawford Hall. Menu includes: Ziti, Meat Balls, Sausage, Salad, Dessert, Cof-fee, Water and Soda. After dinner, Sal Basile will entertain our guests with traditional Italian Music. Cost is $10.00 per Adult, $25.00 per family (children 12 and under). Call John Ewaski at (860) 563-3887 to make a reservation. Checks payable to the Knights of Columbus Council # 4193, and mailed to John Ewaski, 161 Brimfield Road, Wethersfield, Seating is limited and usually sells out. Groups with tables of 10 will be seated together. Proceeds go to the churches in our council / local charities.