Saint Patrick’s Church is a Roman Catholic Parish in the Diocese of Hartford, CT,  serving the communities of Canton, Avon, Burlington, New Hartford and our sister parish of Ste. Thérèse de L'Enfant Jesus in Lilavois, Haiti... read more

Religious Education 2018-2019

The Lord hears our prayers. After much prayer and numerous conversations, we have a new person to lead our religious education! I would ask you to pray for Mr. Cameron Daly, our volunteers and our youth.

We will be taking a new approach this year. Most of the religious education for non-sacramental years, that are before high school, will be done online. This will avoid the problems of people having conflicting schedules, as in previous years when there were many students signed up with religious education who were seldom seen. The work will be able to be done at home at any time that works, plus an occasional (Advent/Lent) meeting that is mostly social but also informative to see if the new program is working.

First Communion/First Reconciliation will be going back to a weekly classroom-style format.

Also, all those receiving First Communion or Confirmation in the academic year will need to sign in at Mass each week, or bring a bulletin from the church where they did attend Mass signed by the clergy of that church.

More specifics will be available in a few weeks.

Please continue to pray for the faith of our youth in Jesus Christ and His Church. Please pray for our religious education to effectively serve God’s purposes.

From Our Pastor

If there is ever an occasion where you would like to draw particularly closer to Jesus, but cannot participate in Holy Mass (a weekday, a weekend when you are ill, when inclement weather truly prevents you from going to Mass) you can still make a spiritual communion.

In the Eucharist, “unlike any other sacrament, the mystery [of communion] is so perfect that it brings us to the heights of every good thing: Here is the ultimate goal of every human desire, because here we attain God and God joins himself to us in the most perfect union.” Precisely for this reason it is good to cultivate in our hearts a constant desire for the sacrament of the Eucharist. This was the origin of the practice of “spiritual communion,” which has happily been established in the Church for centuries and recommended by saints who were masters of the spiritual life. St. Teresa of Jesus wrote: “When you do not receive communion and you do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you” [The Way of Perfection, Ch. 35].

Prayer for Spiritual Communion:

My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart. 

 I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. 

Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

If you or a loved one have a serious illness (physical or mental health), and likely will need the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick soon, DO NOT WAIT!  more....

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Fr. M. David Dawson

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