Mass Reservations are available every Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.
Please Click Here to Register
If you go to that page earlier you may see a message (Uh oh! this is somewhat embarrassing!). Don’t worry the page will be available at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
UPDATED – Sunday Mass
Twenty-fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 20, 2020
Please give or sign up today – your donation is now more important than ever – Thank you!
To signup please 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 and choose option 1.
Pastor's Message
Dear Friends,The next step for our parish re-opening will be the beginning of a redefined Faith Formation program. The first concern for us was to keep our children and families safe! Our program will offer a in-person learning component, and on-line learning component, and parent-child component. We hope to begin the year on October 3.
Registration will be taking place this week. Those already participating in the program will be contacted by email to begin the registration process. If you are new to our Faith Formation program, contact Denise Bartelson at (203) 375-6133, or email her at denisebartleson@olgstratford.com.
Faith Formation will start with a social distance gathering in cars on Saturday, October 3, 2020. Please watch the bulletin, website and FaceBook for further information
This weekend we continued some of our traditions, by having the blessing of Grandparents at all the masses, honoring those who lost their lives on 9/11 and having a candle burning at all masses September 11-13. The candle of remembrance is a reminder to all of us to work for peace!
Also on this weekend we had a special prayer for “our First Responders.” Our prayer will ask God to watch over and protect them in their service to our communities!
Peace,
Msgr. Ryan
Mass Times & Reconciliation
SABBATH MASSES
Saturday – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday – 8:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m.
Masks are required
Reservations are required. The registration forms are available at 6:00 p.m. every Wednesday on the Mass Reservation page.
The Sunday mass will be videoed. It will be available by 4:00 p.m on Saturday on our website, Facebook and YouTube.
Returning to Weekend Mass in the Church
We want to give you some directions so we can help you assist us in meeting the challenges ahead! At this time, we are encouraging those with mobility issues to watch at home. Please park in the parking lot in the normal way! Please do not park on the street. Place your face mask on before leaving the car. Only enter and exit the church by way of the sacristy door. All other doors will be locked. You will be greeted by volunteers and asked for your reservation and you may make your donation at that time! There will not be an offertory collection during Mass. As you enter the church please use the hand washing station. An usher will direct you to your seat, families may sit together. There will be no seating in the alcoves aside the Sanctuary.
Weekday Mass Schedule
Beginning on Monday, July 20 the morning mass will be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 9:00 am. The church will open at 8:45. Seating will be limited to the front half of the church. There will be no mass on Wednesday morning. For those who will attend morning mass you will be expected to wear a face mask and practice social distancing! You will need to sign a register with your name and phone number to record your attendance. You will also be expected to use the spray and wipes that will be provided to clean the area you used for morning mass. The cleaning of the church is im- portant to the rest of the parish so that the church will be prepared for prayer time and the scheduling of funerals. Thank you for your cooperation.
The Church will be open from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Monday – Friday for private prayer.
Please note: You may find that we will have to interrupt our daily prayer between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. This schedule will be interrupted when we have a funeral Mass being celebrated in the parish. Please watch the signboard at the door for changes in the schedule.The church will be open during Saturday Confession time. In order to make this prayer time available. We will need your assistance in cleaning your prayer space. We will provide spray and wipes for your use in cleaning the space you used during your prayer time! Thank you for your cooperation.
Confessions during the pandemic – Parish confessions are being held Saturdays from 1:15 until 2:15 PM in the parking lot of the parish church please look for Monsignor Ryan who will be in the area to greet you and to lead you through the sacrament of penance. Thank you to all those who have taking advantage of the sacramental moment. We look forward to assisting you! If it should be a rainy day the confessions will take place closer to the parish garage behind the rectory You can also call for an appointment.
HOLY DAY MASS SCHEDULE
Holy Day mass will be videoed and available on our website, Facebook and YouTube.
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 or email Denise at denisebartelson@olgstratford.com
Bishop Caggiano's Corner
Welcome!
Parish Happenings
We’ve made changes to our website menu. For mass reservations just click on the link on the Home page just under the picture of the church. Now just click on the links for Musical Moments of Prayer and Pray for Priests posts under Parish Happenings to go to those pages.
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Faith Formation registrations will be sent out this week. Please check your emails. Faith Formation will start with a social distance gathering in cars on Saturday, October 3, 2020
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On Sunday October 4, the Feast of St. Francis, we will celebrate the Blessing of Animals at 1:30 pm. The Blessing will take place in the parish parking lot. Animals will be blessed while in your cars. More information to follow.
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Lord’s Kitchen
The volunteers from Our Lady of Grace Parish will be serving the meal at the Lord’s Kitchen on Monday, September 28th. We ask our parish family to keep our volunteers in their prayers as they take care of those who are in need. Our volunteers thank you for your generous donations of toothpaste, toothbrushes and toilet tissue. Your generosity assists us in giving a personal gift to the visitors to the Lord’s Kitchen. The collection buckets will be available this weekend to receive your donations. The buckets will be placed outside the rectory garage. Thank you for your kind consideration!
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Prayers Needed
On Thursday August 27th, someone tried to steal money from our candle boxes in the Church. If you see anyone around the church property acting in a suspicious way, please report the information to the parish office. Please pray for this person!
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Please visit our Musical Moments of Prayer page weekly.Here you will find regular postings of reflections and religious music which correspond to our liturgical readings and seasons. We hope this can be a prayerful and enriching service for you as you journey through your prayer life.
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:
Sept. 13 – Lourduraj Pitchai O. Praem; Sept, 14 – William F. Pratt.; Sept. 15 – Robert Post; Sept. 16 – Joseph Potter; Sept. 17 -Thomas Powers; Sept. 18 – Harry Prieto; Sept. 19 – Joseph Prince
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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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Weekly Offertory Donation
Thank you to all those parishioners who are supporting our Parish. Your generosity to online giving, weekly envelopes, the use of the drop box, and by mail have continued to give financial support for the ministry and work of our parish. Thank you again for your generosity!
Make-up Envelopes – We ask your assistance in supporting the parish. We are falling behind with our weekly offertory, and we know there are many reasons for us falling behind. We invite you to help us by making up donations. Thank You!
To make donations during this time of masses being cancelled please consider:
1. Mailing your donation to the Parish directly.
2. Dropping off your donation in lock box that has been installed outside to the left of the garage located next to the rectory sidewalk.
3. Go online to our EFT/Online Giving and sign up temporarily.
Please call Stacey at the Parish Office (203) 377-0928 x13 with any questions or concerns.
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On-line Giving Program
Please consider signing up for our Online Giving as another way to safely, securely and/or temporarily donate to the parish during this time of the virus. Please 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 x13.
To insure the proper date for your donation, we will be announcing each month the second collections and their dates. The Second Collection: The Second Collection: Sept. 13, Capital Improvemnent; Sept. 27, Women’s Ministry
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2020 Mass Book
Remembering Someone Special
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 Stacey at the Parish Office (203) 377-0928 x13.
The 2020 Mass Book is available for your Mass intentions. As we continue to reopen our church programs, I invite you to once again consider mass intentions for your loved ones and family members. The weekend mass donation is $20.00 and the weekday mass offering is $10.00. Masses can be said for either “living” or “deceased”. If a specific day is unavailable, please consider having a Sanctuary Lamp lit for your intentions. The stipend is $10.00 per Lamp. The office will be open on Wednesday 9:30 until noon so that you can pick up your mass cards and make your mass intentions. Please call prior to coming to the rectory on Wednesdays. A staff member will meet you in the rectory garage.