As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, our diocese is in the midst of a Eucharistic Renewal. The Eucharistic Processions that took place last week in different parts of Fairfield County brought thousands of people into the streets and into churches to honor Jesus present in the Most Holy Eucharistic. The story and video attached speak volumes about the powerful effect that the processions and hours of worship have already had. Here’s the link: https://www.bridgeportdiocese.org/an-outpouring-of-grace/ I always remind children that one of the most important reasons to come to church every week is

Nearly every preacher approaches the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity with some trepidation, and I’m one of them. Lately I’ve come to a more meaningful embrace of the Father, Son, and Spirit, so permit me to share some of what I’ve come to understand. The teaching of the Trinity has its share of complexities: “one God, three Persons,” an “everlasting unity,” and so forth. The truth defies logic, but the beauty of it paints the story of our Christian lives: to know God as Father, Son, and Spirit is to live in the landscape of an undying and pervasive

The feast of Pentecost draws our attention to that moment when the Holy Spirit descended on those gathered in the upper room. When we think of Pentecost we think of the Sacrament of Confirmation and the gifts of the Holy Spirit which many of us memorized in case the bishop asked us about them on Confirmation day. I want to focus in this column on the fruit of the Holy Spirit because if we are truly caught up in the fire of Pentecost, we will know it. The fruit of the Spirit – as proclaimed in Saint Paul’s letter to

We just celebrated the Solemnity of the Ascension. Just before ascending to the Father, Jesus gives the disciples the mandate to go and preach the Gospel to every creature. In the Acts of the Apostles version of the Ascension, the crowd is staring up at the sky after the Lord disappears into the clouds and the two “clothed in white” challenge the awe-struck crowd to stop staring and start believing that the Lord is still with them so start proclaiming the good news! The fact of the matter is that we are now the hands and feet of Jesus and

Henri Nouwen said of friendship: “When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.” This definition is more in keeping with Jesus’ definition of friendship in today’s Gospel because it speaks to the sacrificial love that marks Jesus’ relationship with us. Laying down his life for us, Jesus takes the meaning of friendship to new heights because the relationship is founded on

Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. These words from Sunday’s Gospel remind us plainly that we must spend our entire life staying connected to Jesus who is the vine. Aside from the regular pruning that the Lord does, we should never cut ourselves off from being one with Jesus who gives us all that

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, the Church asks us to be attentive to the call to priesthood, religious life, and the diaconate. “World Day of Prayer for Vocations” is an invitation to ask the Lord of the harvest to send more workers into the vineyard – more disciples who live entirely in the service of the Gospel. I was privileged to serve as director of vocations of our diocese and rectory of our college seminary for several years. In my time working with our seminarians, I was humbled by their generous response to God’s call to priesthood and their courage

Last Saturday Bishop Caggiano gave our middle schoolers the gift of the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Bishop’s words to sponsors, parents, and those confirmed were nothing short of inspiring. Bishop Frank challenged the young people to be great, which he defined as being holy. In this age of social media and too much information, it is imperative to be the person Jesus wants us to be and to stay close to Him in the Church. First Holy Eucharist will be celebrated at the end of April, so please keep our little ones in your prayers as they joyfully anticipate receiving

As I make my way back to the parish from a time of physical healing, I am very aware of the mercy of God. This Sunday, the second Sunday of Easter, is also Divine Mercy. Saint Faustina received from God a vision of Christ with rays of mercy emanating from His body, mercy that extends far beyond what we who are sinners could imagine. Christ Himself desires the world to know of His generous mercy in spite of our sinfulness and unworthiness, and He made that clear to Faustina: “All grace flows from mercy, and the last hour abounds with

Christians, to the Paschal Victim Offer your thankful praises! A Lamb the sheep redeems; Christ, who only is sinless, Reconciles sinners to the Father. Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous: The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal. Speak, Mary, declaring What you saw, wayfaring. “The tomb of Christ, who is living, The glory of Jesus’ resurrection; bright angels attesting, The shroud and napkin resting. Yes, Christ my hope is arisen; to Galilee he goes before you.” Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning! Amen. Alleluia. This ancient

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ~Phillipians 2:6-8 In order to embrace the Paschal Mystery – the suffering, dying, and rising of Jesus – we have to embrace the humility of Jesus. His entrance into Jerusalem which we celebrate on this Palm Sunday is nothing like that of a king. He rides

The story of Abraham’s intention to sacrifice his son Isaac doesn’t resonate well on first hearing. Would a father really take the life of his son because God asked him to? While a shining (though difficult) example of obedience to the will of God, the story makes sense only in light of the sacrifice of Jesus on Good Friday. We are consoled when the angel instructs Abraham to halt the slaying and what follows is praise from God for Abraham’s faithfulness. But we might still go back to the moment when Abraham decided to carry out God’s original instructions, and

As we begin this Lenten Season, I want to take some time to reflect and to update you on happenings in the parish. First of all, a long overdue thank you to everyone who made our Advent and Christmas season a truly lifegiving experience of prayer, song, and beauty. Our choir concert was spectacular, uplifting, and drew one of the largest crowds ever! Thank you Dr. John Michniewicz, Nancy Leville, our children’s and adult choirs, soloists, instrumentalists, and our wonderful music patrons who helped us to celebrate the Newborn King on that day and all of our December days of

It’s hard to believe that this coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday! The season of Lent provides the opportunity to truly enter into the mystery of the Lord’s passion where we witness His great sacrificial love for us. In the suffering and dying of Jesus, we experience mercy, forgiveness, and a Savior who knows what it is like when we suffer. Lent is a time when we traditionally “give up” something as a form of personal sacrifice to unite ourselves with the suffering of Christ. Let’s challenge one another this Lent to first pray about our how we will pray, fast,

To live in the midst of the world without wishing its pleasures; To be a member of each family, yet belonging to none; To share all suffering; to penetrate all secrets; To heal all wounds; to go from men to God and offer Him their prayers; To return from God to men to bring pardon and hope; To have a heart of fire for Charity, and a heart of bronze for Chastity To teach and to pardon, console and bless always. My God, what a life; and it is yours, O priest of Jesus Christ. This reflection by Fr. Jean-Baptiste

It was a year ago that Michael Musilli, our faithful sacristan who so generously served our parish, began his journey into Eternal Life. At that time, I wrote about Michael’s great love for the Eucharist, the Catholic Church, and his parish family of Saint Aloysius. It is with great sadness and with a heart filled with gratitude for a life well-lived that I write this column as a tribute to Leo E. Karl, Jr., Trustee Emeritus of Saint Aloysius Parish who began his journey to Heaven on January 13, 2024. While the official role of a parish trustee is to

In his Urbi et Orbi message to the world last Christmas, Pope Francis asked us to look to Bethlehem for the true hope that is Christmas: Brothers and sisters, let us turn our eyes to Bethlehem, and listen to the first faint cries of the Prince of Peace. For truly Jesus is our peace. The peace that the world cannot give, the peace that God the Father has bestowed on humanity by sending his Son into the world. Saint Leo the Great summed up the message of this day in a concise Latin phrase: Natalis Domini, natalis est pacis: “the

I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul. (Isaiah 61:1) The word “rejoice” appears throughout this Sunday’s Scripture, and it is a wonderful reminder to wait in Advent with joyful anticipation of God’s great gift to the world. The promised Messiah described in the prophecy of Isaiah is cause for rejoicing because He will come to renew the world: “As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its growth spring up, so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise spring up before all the nations.” Saint Paul echoes the

In this second week of Advent, we are re-introduced to John, the cousin of Jesus, who has a prophetic message for his followers about the Messiah who has been born into the world and is about to begin a ministry of healing and conversion of heart. John is a unique character in the cast of those who a part of the story of salvation. His own story is marked with miracle, promise, and challenge. One day an angel appeared to Zachary and announced that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son named John who would prepare Israel to

“Hallow” (hallow.com) is a popular Catholic online site that offers practical ways to pray and stay focused on our relationship with Christ in the midst of our busy lives. As we make room in our hearts for Christ who comes at Christmas, I found Hallow’s short Advent prayers to be very helpful. I’m sharing them with you because I believe that they may provide a way to keep us centered and hopeful in these days when the world is so restless. Dear Lord, please allow me to embrace Advent in the way the Church intends: as a way to prepare