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Our Calendar

Home » Our Calendar

Sunday, August 29, 2010 – 22^nd Sunday of Ordinary Time – Youth Sunday, Graduation Sunday

Sunday, September 5, 2010 – 23^rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Upcoming Services

Sunday, 8/29, 8:00 am:

• Remembrance Service for Veronica Tividar

Sunday, 9/12, 11:00 am:

• Mass for Matthew and Stella Czepiel

Calendar

Sunday, 8/29 – Semi-Annual parish meeting – 9:30am

Friday, 9/10 – Retirees Group rental – 12:00 pm

Sunday, 9/12 – YMSR Meeting – 9:00 am

Sunday, 9/12 – Women’s Society Meeting – 9:15 am

Wednesday, 9/15 – Sikorsky Retirees –12:00-3:00 pm

News and Events

• Please see the second page to today’s bulletin regarding the Parish Board’s decision to “adopt” an Army unit currently stationed in Afghanistan.  Toiletries, energy foods, and other small items are needed to help support our troops overseas.

• The Semi-Annual Parish Meeting is scheduled for today, August 29 at 9:30 am.  The parish board and sub-committees look forward to seeing everyone and providing updates on our projects and activities to date.  We went with an earlier time for the parish meeting between Sunday services to avoid keeping folks well into the afternoon.  YMSR will prepare egg/cheese sandwiches for the event.  

• Barbecued Chicken from last weekend’s fundraiser is available to everyone.  It’s finger lickin’ good, so get it while it lasts!  Fully Cooked, Frozen 1/2 BBQ Chicken – $3.00 each.  See any board member.

• Join us for Holy Mass at 11:00 am on Sunday, August 29 when we celebrate Youth Sunday.  Beth Ann Masulli is putting together a special ceremony to celebrate the youth of our parish. 

• Graduation Sunday is also on August 29 at the 11:00 am Mass.  Congratulations to Nico Pirulli and Ryan Martin.  We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

• Milford’s finest just got a little finer. Congrats to Sean Owens who was recently accepted into the police academy for the Milford Police Department.  Sean enters the academy in September. Your church family wishes you all the best.

• Thank you!  Thank you!  Your generosity is greatly appreciated.  Another wonderful response to the raffle basket and gift card fund raiser:
• Linda Barry – Tea For Two Basket
• Jane Pelland -Longaberger Mexican Fiesta Basket, Longaberger Wine & Cheese Basket
• Pat Slonina – $ 25.00 Macy Gift Card,
• Helen Slonina – $50.00 Stop & Shop Gift Card
• Ann Stockman – Out To Sea Nautical Basket with 2 Captain’s Catch Gift Cards, 2 Body Lotion, Bath Care Baskets,
• Carol Murdzia – Art Work
• Dee Smith- Apple Gift Basket
• Rosalie O’Bar- Art Work [Train],
• Florence Rasmussen- Christmas Magic Box
• Ellen Rasmussen – Snowman Box of Surprises, Gingerbread Man Box of Surprises
• Pat Squezello – Christmas Pail of Gifts

 Tickets are on sale now.  We will draw the raffle winners in November following our church dinner.

• Please keep long-time parishioner and dear friend Wanda Gadski in your thoughts and prayers.  She recently suffered a fall and was moved to a nursing home facility.  Cards and notes can be sent to: Wanda Gadski  Ellen Memorial Care Nursing Home  23 Ellen Lane, Room 207  Honesdale, PA   18431 

• Requests for tables are beginning to come in for the ‘Rent-A-Table’ Tag Sale on October 16. Advertising continues in local newspapers, and business cards for the event are available in the church foyer. Now is the time to reserve your table. There will be a committee meeting in early September to line up the various duties. Help will be needed for set up, kitchen, Church Table (if we have one), bake table, and clean up. Joe and Jane Pelland are co-chairing this fund-raiser.  Contact them at (203) 377-4655 with any questions or to volunteer some help.
• YMSR is planning a casino trip to Mohegan Sun on October 23.  Watch for more details in the coming weeks and sign-up information.

• To All Parish Members… Books are still available at no cost celebrating the 100th Anniversary of St Joseph’s of Stratford.  They are filled with our church history, beautiful photographs, and special greetings.  Please contact Dee Smith or any board member for a copy.

Our Friends and Neighbors

• Patients and families of The Connecticut Hospice are in need of care and support.  Volunteers are needed weekdays, evenings, and weekends to assist in multiple areas, including an administrative capacity, patient visits, the arts, or with help in transportation.  Contact Pat Corradino at 1-800-8HOSPICE, ext 510 for more information.

• Stratford Senior Services is sponsoring a Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, 11/20 from 10:00-3:00 pm at the Baldwin Center.  They are seeking vendors to participate.  For questions or more information, contact Marie Guman at (203) 385-4055.

Dave Sauter by Thursday of each week: dtsauter@yahoo.com (preferred) or (203) 881-3689

Special Announcement

The following e-mail was received by our own Captain Scott Krasko from Captain Patrick McGuigan, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne.  Captain McGuigan’s unit is currently serving in Afghanistan.  Scott graduated from R.O.T.C with Capt. McGuigan, and they are friends. Both Capt McGuigan and his wife are natives of Scranton PA and know of the P.N.C.C. This email was not sent to St. Joseph’s nor has Capt. McGuigan asked us directly for help. This email was forwarded to Scott’s dad, Ken, just for his own information. Ken read this letter to the parish committee to see if there was anything that we could do as part of our outreach ministry to help these special men. As you can see, conditions are very rough and supplies are limited.

As a result of this message, the Parish Board unanimously voted last week to “adopt” Captain McGuigan’s unit and gather the needed items to help these brave soldiers out.  Needed are some specific toiletry goods, as well as energy food products and other small items.  A more comprehensive list of ideas will be available in next week’s bulletin.  A basket will be set up in the back of the church for your donations. 

Unfortunately, shipping these care packages to remote areas overseas can be costly.  As an alternative to donating items, cash donations to help defray shipping costs would also be greatly appreciated, too. Checks can be made out to the parish and either put in the regular basket collection with a note saying that it is to help out with the military project or given to Ed Slonina. Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity.

Hello all!
Sorry it took so long for me to get an email out.  Things have been very busy over here since I got on ground about 6 weeks ago.  Time is moving fast which is a great thing.

I am currently living and operating just north of Kandahar.  I have been out on a bunch of dismounted (walking) patrols through the villages and farms.  Completely different atmosphere and terrain than Iraq.  This deployment is nothing like my first.  I have never experienced anything like it, walking through 3-4 feet deep water canals, climbing over 4-12ft. walls, moving through orchard fields where you cannot see 10ft in front of you because the vegetation is so thick.  It is unreal.  Plus the fact that it is 120 degrees on average does not help.

After about 3 weeks worth of mission that my unit has been in the lead for, we have taken 3 serious causalities and one killed-in action (KIA).  All wounded in action (WIA) have finally made it back to the states and are currently at Walter Reed.  I ask that you pray for their families and the family of PFC King who was shot and killed while on patrol on July 14.

Care packages would be great.  Showers are limited to 5 gallon water cans over your head, 1 C.O.P. has porta-johns and the other 2 where I stay have a barrel (burning is required).  Food is pretty bad, 1 hot meal a day.  Because of the op-tempo of patrols, it is hard to get enough food in you.  I am making do with what I have and will be ok.  As for care packages, baby wipes and small hand sanitizers are huge.  Cliff bars, energy bars, power gels, other small things would be greatly appreciated. 

I am doing well, taking care of myself and staying safe. I hope all is well back home and you guys are having a few/many beers for me when you go out and drink.  I think about you all often and miss everyone.  I will be home on leave sometime early November for Kayla’s birthday. I look forward to hearing from you all soon, and please keep myself, my family, my Soldiers and their families in your thoughts and prayers. 

Thank You again for all the support. 

Pat

“Keep the Faith”

Ideas for items to donate to our adopted troop

Scott Krasko compiled some ideas for you to consider.  Based on his experience, these are the types of things that help keep soldiers fresh and morale up.  Any support you can offer is greatly appreciated.

• DVD Movies (does not have to be popular titles.  The 4-pack from Wal-Mart for $5-$7 gives them some variety)
• Magazines, newspapers, books (The key again is variety.  Scott describes living on a Combat Outpost or Forward Operating Base is like Groundhogs day… Same thing every day.  Anything unique or different makes life more interesting.)
• Cliff Bars
• Energy Bars
• Power Gels (like the ones endurance athletes/marathoners use, good for long duration dismounted patrolling to keep muscles fresh)
• Baby Wipes
• Hand sanitizer
• Jerky
• Dried Fruit
• Twizzlers
• Skittles
• Swedish Fish
• Pretzels
• Twisted wheat pretzels
• White cheddar popcorn
• Kellogg’s Mini Shredded Wheat

Cash donations are also welcomed to help defray the unfortunate shipping costs that go along with sending our care packages.  Keep in mind to avoid sending anything fragile.  Mail is hard over there and cannot just be driven down the highway in convoys like Iraq.  In many instances, the mail gets “sling-loaded” in by helicopter many times the care packages are literally dropped.  Also, postage stamps are probably not a good idea, since most communications are electronic.

If you want to go above and beyond, imagine what it would be like to go camping for a year and think what would make things more bearable. That is essentially what it’s like at these OEF combat outposts.