Food bags with suggested items will be handed out the weekend of March 23. This drive will replace our monthly drive for April.

All are invited to come down to the church hall to sort the food after the 9:30 mass on March 31.

For further information contact Maryann Francischelli, fourfirstnames@sbcglobal.net or 203-318-8417

On this day at the 9:30am Mass, a designated section in the church will be reserved for all parish volunteers in attendance. Fr Dan will provide a special blessing during the Mass and then all are invited downstairs for a “coffee and” reception. A special gift will be given to each volunteer in appreciation of the tremendous role that you each play within our parish community.

We hope you will join us and also help to spread the word to all you may know who contribute their time and talent to our parish community !!

All volunteers who will be attending are asked to kindly reply to liz.connelly@stmargaretchurch.com by Friday, March 29th.

Little Miracles Ministry was founded by Lily Molloy and some friends over 23 years ago. 

The goal was and still is to help pregnant women decide not to choose abortion.  They also have helped and continue to help with material needs for the newborn and their families.

Recently, due to Lily’s health issues and the unexpected death of Betty Sousa, Little Miracles is in the process of rebuilding.

A somewhat new group of people have stepped up to attempt to keep this important ministry going.

Anyone who feels interest to volunteer some time to help with this rewarding work or would like to donate baby items, please call Maureen Fuest at 203-245-7607, 
or Valerie LeShane at 203-317-5677.

This is an Apostolate of St. Margaret and St. George Catholic Churches.

Have we got a deal for you! It won’t cost you a penny, you don’t have to attend any meetings or make any phone calls. Your rewards will be priceless. Lent is the perfect time for you to give this a trial run. Leave the world outside the church doors and sit one hour with our Lord Jesus, exposed in the Blessed Sacrament.

We have had many faithful adorers over the ten years we have been offering adoration. Unfortunately, for many different reasons, we have lost many of those faithful. But every one would tell you the same thing, that was the best hour of their week.

If you would like to have a closer relationship with Jesus, please consider any hour that will fit your schedule,it is very open. This is something you do for YOU.

Of the 2000+ families in our parish, we currently have less than 50 people who attend adoration on a regular basis. Please, help us change that number, and in the process, feel the peace you can only experience by knowing Jesus in this way Try it for Lent.

For more information, contact Andrea Puglia at drea1827@yahoo.com" or 203-245-0381.

Saint Margret Parish will be presenting the Living Stations on Friday, April 12th. This is an invitation to all members of the Saint Margaret community to participate. We need adults, young adults, children and singers to share your talents. This is a beautiful and prayerful way to walk with Christ this Lenten season.

Rehearsal Schedule: Mondays @6:30pm – 8:00pm in the Church.

Rehearsals Dates: March 18, 25, April 1, 8

Dress Rehearsal: Thursday, April 11th 6:30pm

Living Stations: Friday, April 12th 7:30pm
(please arrive at 6:30pm)

For more information please contact Bernadette Niedermeier at bcnmuse@hotmail.com or 203-980-0570.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration to being part of this special event.

Walk with Our Lord Jesus Christ in a moving re-enactment of His journey to the Cross, accompanied by solemn music and prayer.

St. Margaret Afternoon Book Group will meet in the Parish Library on Tuesdays at 2:00pm, beginning March 19, for its Lenten study of Pope Francis’s book “On Hope” (Loyola Press). The book is available online and in bookstores.

Contact Elinor Parisi for information at pppar@comcast.net or 203-421-5502.

“Hope opens new horizons, making us capable of dreaming what is not even imaginable.” Pope Francis.

As Catholics in the Archdiocese of Hartford we have a profound impact on our local communities not only in the spiritual realm, but intimately connected to it, the realm of social services and many charities and outreach services performed by, or with help from, our Church.

For the third year in a row, in 2018, the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal Vicariate Outreach Program provided over $1,000,000 to over 200 local organizations in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties. Organizations such as Young Neighbors In Action as well as the Wellness Program right here in our own town received funding from the Appeal’s Vicariate Outreach Program, that makes a difference in serving our neighbors.

All funds contributed to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal are used exclusively for the purposes outlined in the Appeal literature, which can be found archdioceseofhartford.org/aaa-
No Appeal funds are ever used for legal fees or settlements.

We are happy to announce that we have joined with the parish staff and volunteers at St. George Church in Guilford to provide an inter parish VBS program to our young parishioners. Together our two parishes offer a wealth of experience and volunteer enthusiasm which will make for an even better faith and fun filled week!!

When: Monday, July 22nd – Friday, July 26th: 9:00am to 12 Noon
Where: on the grounds of St. George Church in Guilford.
Suggested Fees are as follows: 1 child- $20 2 children-$35 3+ children- $40

Open to all children age 3 (by June 2019) to grade 6

Volunteers in grades 7 and up are welcome to help.

Sunday, April 24th at the 9:30am Mass we will be having a special presentation introducing parishioners to this year’s VBS theme: Roar – Life is Wild, God is Good!

Please click on the links below to register and/or to sign up as a volunteer:

VBS Camper Registration Form

VBS Volunteer Sign-up Form

For more information, please call Liz Connelly at 203.245.7301 ex 104

This five week course based on the book
“No Greater Love”, by best selling author Edwards Sri guides you through the last hours of Christ in this biblical pilgrimage.
Please click here for more information about what this course will entail

Classes start March 19th and will be offered at three different times:

Tuesday Mornings: St. George Parish Center from 9:30 – 11:00 AM: facilitator is Donna Biovin;

Tuesday Evenings: St. Margaret’s Parish Center 6:30 – 8:00 PM: facilitator is Meghan McManus;

Thursday Evenings: St. George Parish Center from 6:30 – 8:00 PM: facilitator is Cosette Heimann

Contact Cosette Heimann for pre-registration at cosheimann@gmail.com or 860-338-3076. The cost of the book and workbook is $27 payable to St. George Church.

All are welcome to attend this informative discussion presented by staff from the Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care, to help parishioners learn about your Medicare Covered Home Health Benefits.

Kindly RSVP to liz.connelly@stmargaretchurch.com: liz.connelly@stmargaretchurch.com .

We have raised $918,000 so far for the Forward with Faith Campaign. This puts us at our stated goal. Thank you to all who have generously contributed towards this goal.

If you have not done so already, please still consider making a donation to the Forward with Faith campaign. Now that we have reached our stated goal, 80% of all monies raised will go directly to St. Margaret parish.

Please click here for additional information about the Forward with Faith campaign

Archbishop Leonard P. Blair has announced three Masses of Reparation to be offered in churches throughout the Archdiocese for the sins of clergy sexual abuse. Prayer and acts of reparation to God for these crimes and sins within our Church are critically important in conjunction with our current safe environment efforts. Everyone is invited to participate in these Masses as these sins have wounded us all.
The Masses of Reparation are:

Tuesday, March 26, 7:00 PM
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Harwinton
78 Litchfield Road (Our Lady of Hope Parish)

Our spiritual path to God may begin with our attraction to beauty. The more we are aware of the beauty around and inside of us, the more beauty we project toward others. Beauty that flows from our hearts, reminds us of the source from which it comes: God.
 
Come spend time looking for what is beautiful. Intentionally take time to focus on those things that lift you up and help you to feel closer to your God, the One who sends beauty to refresh, nurture, and sustain you, the One who invites you into beauty’s Immortal Heart.  

For information please contact Maureen Fuest at 203-245-5607 or moefust@aol.com.

This year’s retreat theme is “No Ordinary Path: Holiness in Everyday Life.” God has called all of us to lives of holiness. The retreat will explore ways that we can be attentive, intentional and cooperative with God’s grace in serving the world. We will reflect on how living an ordinary life of holiness can lead to extraordinary happiness and peace.

Please click on the attached links below:

For more information and to register on-line

Print out a paper registration form to mail in with your payment"

or contact Art DeCillis at 203.612.0888.

Are you taking care of an elderly parent, a spouse, a child or someone else? Come join the Caregiver Spiritual Group for prayer and support. Meetings are at Saint Mary Church, Branford in the Parish Center. Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 9th from 6:30 – 8:00 PM. For more information please contact Deacon Adam Michaele at (203) 530-4466 or Rose Michaele at (203) 815-3716.

The Ministry for Wellness is a spiritual based support group. All are welcome including caregivers. The group meets at St. George Church on the green, in Guilford, 33 Whitfield Street in the Deacon Ruiz Center adjacent to the rectory from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. The meeting dates for this month are: January 13th and January 27th

For further information contact Deacon Adam Michaele at (203) 530-4466 or Rose Michaele at (203) 815-3716.

Please click on the links below to see a written copy or video of the Archbishop’s statement:

Letter from Archbishop Blair regarding Clerical Sexual Abuse

Video of Archbishop Blair’s Statement

We are looking for volunteers to greet visitors at the Parish Center. We have open days Monday thru Friday, either 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, or 12:00 Noon to 3:00 PM.
For more information, please contact Julia Adams-Brophy at 203-421-0473,
jaral88@aol.com.

We are looking for individuals who can help to continue the good work of this ministry by helping to serve and make baked goods for our weekly coffee and gathering after the 9:30am Mass. “Coffee And” runs from September through June of each year. Please consider being part of this wonderful Ministry.

For more information, please contact Valerie Engler at toastermom@gmail.com

Helping Hands is a volunteer-driven ministry led by Justin Murphy, a parishioner and member of the Knights of Columbus. This ministry provides free services to our local neighbors in need. Yard clean-up, snow removal, dump runs and other minor carpentry work (even simply changing a light bulb) to help keep your home safe and comfortable. Last minute errands and/or transportation to appointments will also be considered based on availability and distance. No job is too small.
Contact Justin Murphy at HelpingHandsCT@outlook.com , or call 203-952-8752

Eucharistic Adoration is offered every first and third Thursday of the month immediately following the 7:45 AM Mass, and ending after Benediction at 7:00 PM. Why not make the commitment to spend one hour with Jesus, present in the Blessed Sacrament. Choose an hour that will fit your schedule. To sign up, or for more information, contact Andrea Puglia at 203-245-0381 or email drea1827@yahoo.com.

Through the outreach program at Dynamic Catholic, St. Margaret is now a member of the Dynamic Catholic Family. As a member, our Parish Champions will distribute to parishioners resources that will help us know, live, and grow in our faith. Limited number of books and CDs are received monthly and will be distributed after selected Masses. We encourage you to pass along the materials to family or friends once you’ve had a chance to read them. Additional copies are available at www.DynamicCatholic.com.

For more information or to help distribute these free resources, please contact Ed and Joanne Arrandale at 203-318-8590, jarrandale@comcast.net

Bernadette Niedermeier will be continuing the Parish Prayer Line allowing parishioners to share any news you would like prayed for confidentially by your brothers and sisters in Christ. This could include
a hospitalization, a long-term illness, unexpected news, or joyful celebrations.

To submit a request for prayers, please send your name, the prayer request, and any other pertinent information to Bernadette at 203-980-0570 or e-mail bcnmuse@hotmail.com.

Would you like to be part of our Prayer Ministry? All former members and those newly interested in becoming part of the prayer line please contact Bernadette Niedermeier at 203-980-0570 or e-mail bcnmuse@hotmail.com. Please provide your current e-mail and phone number.

Thank you for your prayerful consideration.

Please remember to stop in the Church Hall after Mass to purchase
your Grocery Cards.  Thanks so much for your participation, and please keep
these sales going.

The parish earns between 5 -10% (less credit card fees) of the cost of each grocery card purchased. For every $100.00 purchased, the church gets $5.00. This can add up very quickly based on the number of parishioners who get involved with this program.

Grocery Cards are available for purchase in the church hall after all Masses and in the Parish Office.

You can also pre-order your grocery cards on-line and they will be ready for quick pick-up after Mass or at the parish office

Click here to complete the
Grocery Card Pre-Order Form