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Mass & Sacrament of Reconciliation Schedule
Mass Schedule
Saturday - 4:00 p.m.
Sunday - 7:30 a.m. & 9:30 a.m.
Monday through Friday - 9:00 a.m.
Front Parking Lot Communion Distribution
Sunday - 11:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturday - 3:00 to 3:30 p.m.
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The Grace and Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you!
Welcome to St. John Church, located on Route 372 East in Cromwell, Connecticut. We are a Roman Catholic faith community whose focus is on being a family. Through Baptism, our members are all daughters and sons of one Father.
St. John’s is in the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, with the Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, D.D. as its Bishop.
Since 1995, the Franciscan Friars of Our Lady of Angels Province of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual have staffed the Parish.
If you are new to Cromwell or are looking for a church in the area, we invite you to come and join us for a weekend liturgy.
If you are already a member of St. John Parish family, we encourage you to continue to live your faith and to build a Parish family in the spirit of the Gospel. We are grateful that you generously share your faith, love, time, talent, and treasure - all for the glory of God and in service to others.
Fr. Mark L. Curesky, OFM Conv.
Pastor -
A Guide for Lent 2023
St. John Church, Cromwell, Connecticut
After Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, he felt compelled to go off by himself into the desert. Here he fasted and prayed for 40 days. Through his experience in the desert, he came to a deeper understanding of himself; of his relationship with his Father; and his mission.
Lent is our desert experience through the spiritual practices of fasting, prayer and almsgiving.
_________________________________________________________________________________________Fasting and Abstaining
The days of fast and abstinence during Lent are meant to have us come to a deeper awareness of our fragility and the strength we have through the presence and activity of the Spirit of God in our lives.
To fast is to limit oneself to one full meal and two smaller meals. Those who are 18 years old through 59 years old are obliged to fast.
To abstain is to have no meat. Those who are 14 years old and older are obliged to abstain from meat.
Days of Fast & Abstinence:- Ash Wednesday, February 22
- Good Friday, April 7
Days of Abstinence:- Fridays of Lent
You might want to consider other forms of fasting:
* Fast from Social Media - Can you put your iPhone down? Do you actually have control over it, or does it have control over you?
* Fast from Complaining - When we find ourselves about to complain, close our eyes, share your woes with the Lord and recall the many blessings you have received from the Lord.
*Fast from Negativity - Make a commitment to fast from insensitive, cruel comments about others.
*Fast from Noise - It’s hard not to notice that our world is flooded with noise disguised as music, news, talking, gossip and more. Fasting from noise can serve as an occasion to hear God’s voice.
*Fast from Stuff - Declutter. You will be surprised how much your exterior space reflects the interior of your heart.
*Fast from Bad Habits - If you struggle with pride, anger, eating too much, laziness, time-wasting, or whatever else, why not try to break that bad habit?
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Prayer
Like Jesus, who would go off by himself to pray, you might consider spending some quiet time with the Lord in the Divine Mercy Chapel.
The Chapel is open to non-committed adorers from 6:30 am until 9 pm. From 9 pm til 6:30 am, the Chapel is available to committed adorers who have a code to enter the Chapel.
The Little Black Book is an aide to spend 6-minutes a day with the Lord during Lent. On the right hand page, you are led through a reflection on the passion narrative of Matthew’s Gospel. On the left hand page, there are quotes, information and timely thoughts.
The Parish’s Stations of the Cross are scheduled for:
Friday, February 24th at 7 pm
Friday, March 3rd at 7 pm
Friday, March 10th at 7 pm
Friday, March 17th at 7 pm
Friday, March 24th at 7 pm
Friday, March 31st at 7 pm
Linked below is a Stations of the Cross video which may be viewed at any time.
The Diocesan Office of Faith Events is offering virtual Stations of the Cross at 7 pm on the Fridays of Lent:- February 24th through the eyes of the suffering, ill and disabled
- March 3rd through the eyes of the bereaved
- No Stations on March 10th
- March 17th through the eyes of seniors
- March 24th through the eyes of the family
- March 31st through the eyes of social justice
You need to register for these Stations by calling Mary-Jo McLaughlin at 860-848-2237, ext 312 or email her at [email protected]
Virtual Lenten Mission - Faith: Witness & Wisdom offered by the Diocesan Office of Faith Events. The Mission begins on Thursday, March 2nd, 7 to 7:45 pm, continues weekly and ends on Thursday, March 31st. To register: contact Marianne at 860-646-2237, ext 304 or email her [email protected]
Ecumenical Lenten Prayer Service - sharing the experience of some of those who were there when they crucified the Lord, what they saw, how they felt, .... offered by the Christian Clergy Council of Cromwell on Wednesday, March 15 at 7 pm at the Event Center of Covenant Living.
The Parish’s Lenten Mission - Rebirth, Reconnect & Recommit - an evening of reflection, music, laughter and joy with ValLimar and Frank Jansen at 7 pm on Sunday, March 19th and Monday, March 20th. Followed by fellowship each evening in the Church hall.
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Almsgiving and Kindness
Almsgiving reminds us that the Church is community and that there are people in our community who need help. When we share what we have (time, talent and/or treasure) and make efforts to help those in our community, we strengthen our community by giving of ourselves.
The Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA)
Our Bishop, Michael R. Cote, calls upon us as a diocesan family of “One Faith, One Family” to be the hands of Christ, “providing meals, food, basic needs, comfort for the sick, spiritual guidance, education of our youth and seminarians, and opportunities to increase faith,....” by making a gift to this year’s Annual Catholic Appeal.
Operation Rice Bowl
Operation Rice Bowl is the Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the relief agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Lenten alms donated through Operation Rice Bowl support the work of CRS in more than 100 different countries each year. Rice Bowls are available at the doors of the Church and are due Palm Sunday weekend, April 1 & 2.
Cromwell’s Food Pantry & Catholic Charities in Middletown
Help provide needed items which Food Stamps cannot be used to purchase. The Food Pantry and Catholic Charities need:- body wash
- shampoo
- toothbrushes & toothpaste
- deodorant for men and women
- shaving cream
Catholic Charities also needs feminine products and baby wipes.
The Cromwell Food Pantry also needs toilet paper, paper towels, sanitizing wipes, protein (tuna fish, beef stew, canned chicken), pasta sauce (not pasta).
There are separate bins at the doors of the Church for the items for Cromwell’s Food Pantry and Catholic Charities.
Pope Francis challenges us to expand our understanding of almsgiving: “In Lent, may we be increasingly concerned with speaking words of comfort, strength, consolation and encouragement, and not words that demean, sadden, anger or show scorn. In order to give hope to others, it is sometimes enough simply to be kind, to be willing to set everything else aside in order to show interest, to give the gift of a smile, to speak a word of encouragement, to listen amid general indifference.”
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Sacrament of Reconciliation
The priests of the Middletown Deanery will be offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 10 Elm Street, Middletown:
Friday, March 17th
6-8 am .......... Rev. Russell Kennedy
8-10 am ........ Rev. Richard Sliwinski
10 am-12 pm Rev. Mark Curesky, OFM Conv.
12-2 pm ........ Rev. Jan Swiderski.
2–4 pm .......... Rev. Joe DeCosta
4-5 pm .......... Rev. Martin Curtin, OFM Cap.
Saturday, March 18th
6-8 am .......... Rev. Russell Kennedy
8-10 am ........ Rev. James Thaikootathill
10 am-12 pm Rev Ernie Bedard, OFM Cap
12-1 pm ........ Rev Marty Jones
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The way of the crossPlease click On the image to view video
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Bp. Barron's Lent Reflections
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Contact
Office (860) 635-5590
Fax (860) 635-5591
Faith Formation Office (860)635-5156
Monday - Thursday
9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Friday
Parish Office Closed -
Pastor's musings* What a wonderful, spirit-lifting Lenten Mission! ValLimar is without a doubt an engaging person having us not only be spectators, but also participants. Here are a few comments we have received: “Wonderful, joyful, spiritual, renewed my faith.” “Excellent, so powerful!” “Loved it.” “Made me reflect (and cry) and reconnect (joyful reunions) and recommit!” “The most uplifting Christian event I’ve experienced in the last few years. Maravilloso!”
Thank you to the members of the Lenten Mission Committee for all that they did for this Mission: Uchenna Iloeje, Jackie Haywood, Donna Vickers, Joanne Golden, and Jean Ryan.
Thank you to Michael Mainella, our Music Director, and Ray Brophy for their instrumental accompaniment in addition to ValLimar’s husband, Frank Jansen.
Thank you to all who assisted with the Mission: the greeters, the bakers, and those who assisted with the receptions.
* Friday is a day of abstinence from meat.
* Stations of the Cross will be offered on Friday at 7 pm.
* Next weekend, Rice Bowls are due. They can simply be put into the collection boxes at the doors of the Church.
* Next weekend is Palm Sunday. The 9:30 am Mass will be a special Mass with our Faith Formation students participating in the palm procession and proclaiming the readings, including the passion.
God bless,
fr. Mark -
Perpetual Adoration ChapelThe Chapel is open to the general public from 7 am to 9 pm and to “committed adorers” with an access code from 9 pm to 7 am.
If you would like more information or are interested in becoming a “committed adorer,” please contact Roger Beliveau at 860-983-3648 or the Chapel’s email: [email protected].