The weekend mass schedule is:
Saturday – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday – 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
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Our 4:00 pm Saturday sabbath mass will be live-streamed and available on our Facebook and YouTube pages beginning at 4:00pm. It will be posted here on our home page usually by 6:00 p.m. Saturday evening and available on all three throughout the weekend.The readings for this week’s mass can be found by clicking on this link.
Pastor's Message
Dear Friends,On Tuesday, April 9th, 12 of our parishioners received the Sacrament of Confirmation. It was a great joy to participate with our teens in their journey of faith. Bishop Caggiano challenged are young members to a future of hope! They were the first class of our regional Confirmation program. I would like to recognize:
Alison Bohn Patrick Booska Riley Booska Brooklyn Conder Gwendolyn Gosling Patricia Gosling Patricia Harrick Carynna Leon Gianna Minopoli Jackson Pabis Stella Pierce Michael Zaja
Peace,
Msgr. Ryan
Mass Times & Reconciliation
SABBATH MASSES
Saturday – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday Masses are at 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
We invite parishioners to present the Offertory Gifts! Our 4:00 p.m. Saturday sabbath mass will be live-streamed. The mass will continue to be available on our Facebook and YouTube pages beginning at 4:00pm on Saturday and throughout the weekend! It will be available usually by 6:00 p.m on Saturday on the homepage of our website.
.DAILY MASS
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday at 9:00 a.m.
HOLY DAY MASS SCHEDULE
Masses will be at 5:30 pm on the Vigil of the Holy Day and Masses on the Holy Day at 9:00 am and Noon.
ADORATION
Wednesday mornings, Deacon John Piatak will hold a prayer service at 9:30 a.m. to begin Eucharistic Adoration. Please come and join us for prayer and adoration weekly from 9:30 a.m.-Noon.
.PARISH ROSARY
Join us weekday mornings at 8:30am to pray the rosary of the Blessed Mother.
CONFESSION
Saturday 1:15 p.m.–2:15 p.m.
CHURCH OPEN FOR PRAYER
Church is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Handicapped Parking
The four spaces directly in front of the Church on Second Hill Lane are handicapped parking spaces. These spaces are for our parishioners who have a handicap parking sticker.
Wheelchair Seating
We invite you to be seated in the front area of the church. You and your family can be seated. Communion will be brought to you at the beginning of Communion time
Why be a Member of the Parish? Not a registered member of OLG! Many parishioners seek Mass cards, sacramental certificates, and/or sponsor certificates. We invite you to become a parishioner filling out the Become A Parishioner form found in the bulletin and emailed as attachment to cnucera@olgstratford.com dropped in the Drop Box by the rectory or by using the on-line registration link. If you prefer NOT to register online call the Parish Office at 203-377-0928 x 113.
Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
Are you or do you know someone who is looking for personal growth in their Catholic Faith?
If you are an adult who has never been baptized
If you are an adult who has been baptized in a non-Catholic community
If you are an adult who has been baptized in the Catholic Church but never received Eucharist or Confirmation
If you are an adult interested in finding out more about the Catholic Faith, RCIA may be for you. For further information or questions you may call Linda Skowronski at 203-375-8992
Bishop Caggiano's Podcast
Why be a Member of the Parish?
Not a registered member of OLG! Many parishioners seek Mass cards, sacramental certificates, and/or sponsor certificates. We invite you to become a parishioner filling out the Become A Parishioner form found in the bulletin and emailed as attachment to cnucera@olgstratford.com dropped in the Drop Box by the rectory or by using the on-line registration link. If you prefer NOT to register online call the Parish Office at 203-377-0928 x 113.
2024 Mass Book
Mass book 2024
The 2024 Mass book is open. Please note the following changes when scheduling your masses for 2024:
- Mass for Parishioners will be scheduled for weekdays during 2024.
- You may only schedule 5 weekend masses for 2024
- Masses with Collective Intentions will be scheduled for the first Saturday of the month beginning July
6th, 2024. The parish Council will develop the implementation of the Collective Intention Mass in our parish.
Please consider having a Sanctuary Lamp lit for your intentions. The stipend is $10.00 per Lamp. Mass cards can be picked up in the Parish Office during office hours. Parish Memorial Books – When you wish to remember a special someone, remember that Our Lady of Grace Parish has a Memorial Program. The purpose of the Memorial Program is to provide the funding of small projects within the parish. For example, vestments, ritual books, and other liturgical needs. This is a wonderful way to acknowledge someone living or deceased or in thanksgiving for a prayer answered. The Memorial Books are displayed in the Chapel area by the Tabernacle. For information on the OLG Memorial Program or to make a donation please call Cathy at the Parish Office (203) 377-0928 x 113.
The Diocese of Bridgeport has asked us to pray for our priests. They publish a monthly list of priests to pray that month. We have added a Pray for Our Priests page to our website with the names of the priests bring prayed for during the month. Each week on our home page we will list the names of the priests to be prayed for that week. The priests we are asked to pray for this week are:– April 21 – Fr. Thomas Thorne; April 22 – Fr. Rolando Torres April 23 – Fr. Peter Towsley; April 24 – Fr. David Tracy; April 25- Fr. Andrzej Treder; April 26 – Fr. Douglas Tufaro; April 27 – Fr. Donald Turlock; April 28 – Fr. Robert Uzzilio; April 29 – Fr. Jose A. Vasquez April 30 – Fr. James Vattakunnel, V.C.
A message from Msgr. Ryan: As your Pastor, Iwant to let you know that I am in complete support of the Appeal, and I am asking that you join with me to do everything we can to make the Bishop’s Appeal successful in our parish. I am counting on you, members of our parish family, to participate sacrificially in this vital appeal for the good of the Diocese of Bridgeport and its ability to address urgent needs and build new ways to advance our mission as the Body of Christ in Fairfield County.
Click here to visit the Bishop’s Appeal Website
We are hopeful that 100% of our registered households will respond to the 2024 Bishop’s Appeal. While the level of sacrifice will differ from parishioner to parishioner, an Appeal gift this year is within the reach of the majority of our people. Please prayerfully consider supporting the Bishop’s Appeal with a pledge or one-time gift as your means allow. Your support is much needed and will be greatly appreciated! We will be asking for your support next weekend March 9th & 10th.
Our Lady of Grace Parish
2024 Bishop’s Appeal as of 2/21/2024
ABA Goal: $67,800.00
Total Pledged: $346755.00 / 68.96%
Donors to Date: 131 Donors
Welcome!
Parish Happenings
7th Anniversary of Growing Up Catholic – On Sunday, April 28th there will be a Blessing of all the children baptized over the course of the last 7 years at the 9:00 Mass. Refreshments and fellowship to follow in Madonna Hall after mass. RSVP by email to: CathyNucera@olgstratford.com by April 19th!
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The Anointing of the Sick will on Tuesday, April 30th during the 9:00 a.m. mass Please pray for Those that are ill within our parish.
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Growing up Catholic
We will be conducting a GUC Pre-Baptism Class on Tuesday, May 14th at 7:00 pm. The GUC class will be conducted by videoconference. We ask all parents wishing to baptize their children to join us for the class. Please register for the class by Thursday, May 2nd by contacting Cathy Nucera at 203-377-0928 x113.
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Our Lady of Grace Women’s Ministry May Crowning & Candlelight Rosary
Wednesday, May 1st, 2024 – 6:30 PM
We invite all women, including mothers & daughters, of the Catholic Community of Stratford to join the Our Lady of Grace Women’s Ministry for our May Crowning and Candlelight Rosary Service. This is a special gathering in which we will pray together and crown Mary with a wreath of flowers to honor her as the Queen of Heaven and the Mother of God.
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Save the Date-Pre-Mother’s Day Plant Sale! The Women’s Ministry be hosting the Pre-Mother’s Day Plant Sale on the weekend of May 3rd – May 5th. Friday May 3rd 12 pm – 4:30 pm. Saturday May 4th 9:30 am – 5:30 pm. Sunday May 5th 9:30 am -1:30 pm. Tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and more Marigolds, impatiens, dahlias, petunias, geraniums to name a few also parsley, basil, oregano, and lavender. Hanging baskets and more. All plants are locally grown.
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Call for Ministers to Sick and Shut-in
We are seeing an increasing number of calls from our parishioners who are homebound. They would like to receive “Friendly Visits” and “Visits with Holy Communion.” Prior to the pandemic Our Lady of Grace parish had a large number of ministers visiting the homebound. If you would be interested in more information, please contact Msgr. Ryan (msgrryan@olgstratford.com) or Cathy Nucera at 203- 377-0928 x113.
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Eucharistic Renewal
During the past two years our country has been working to renew our participation, devotion and understanding of the Holy Eucharist. There will be a national celebration this summer. As a sign of our love and devotion to the Holy Eucharist, there will be a special time in the Diocese of Bridgeport from May 20, 2024, until June 2, 2024. Much more information will come to you in the near future. We will hold a day-long devotion to the Blessed Sacrament on Tuesday, May 21st. We will be inviting 25 parishioners to attend a Diocesan Mass of Thanksgiving on Saturday June 1st at Fairfield University. Please pray for our people and their devotion to the Holy Eucharist.
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Parish Finances
We thank those parishioners who have responded to Msgr. Ryan recent letter. One question that was asked was: How much cash is received in the Weekly Sunday Offertory Collection? The answer is that the average response in cash donations is $300-$400 a week!
Would you ever consider On-Line Giving an option for you! Here is how to become an on-line donor. To create an account and start on-line giving go to: https://www.osvhub.com/olgstratford/giving/ funds and click “Create Account” in the upper right corner. If you have any questions you may contact Jennifer Volturno at 203-377-0928 x117.
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We have added a new tab on our website. This tab, Religious Resources, will include the Diocese of Bridgeport, the Fairfield County Catholic (latest edition), the Leadership Institute, seasonal resources (Lent Easter, Advent, Christmas) and other resources, This will allow us space on the opening website page for parish news, information and activities!
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Parish Family Mass – The next Family Mass will be Sunday, April 28th at 9am. Msgr. Ryan will speak with the children regarding having adding Jesus to your summer fun.
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Questions of the Week – April21st -4th Sunday of Easter – Called to Be Shepherds
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)
Acts 4:8-12 • The Stone That Has Become the Cornerstone
1 John 3:1-2 • Recognizing the Son
John 10:11-18 • The Good Shepherd
Adults: Whom are you shepherding in your life right now, and who shepherds you?
Kids: Who has been like a shepherd to you by their example? For whom could you be a shepherd?
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We would like to thank our on–line donors for their support of our parish. We would like to ask our donors to check their accounts. We have noticed that your credit card may have expired or you have changed account numbers. Your financial support to our parish are important! Please call (203) 377–0928 x113.
Click on “On-Line Giving Button” on our website or by clicking this link, https://www.osvhub.com/olgstratford/funds. For customer assistance please call 1-800-348-2886 choose option 1 or the Parish Office at (203) 377-0928 x113. To insure the proper date for your donation, we will be announcing each month the second collections and their dates: April 28 -Catholic Home Mission – Black & Indian; May 5 -Capital Improvement
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CallingPost – Please watch for our calls each Friday night at 7pm. If you wish to receive our parish CallingPost call 203–377–0928 X113.
Thank you for receiving our CallingPost message on Friday evening at 7pm. Did you know 86.6% of our parishioners are receiving our CallingPost message? Please listen to our message during Lent!
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Our Lady of Grace Social Media – You can view Sunday mass on the website, Facebook or YouTube!
Please Like and Follow Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church Stratford CT on Facebook!
Our Lady of Grace Roman Catholic Church Stratford CT. Please subscribe to our channel.
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